You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 571

You Have Been Defended – Episode 571

Because I hadn’t expected to meet Lee Se-hwa, I hesitated at the door, unsure about going inside.

Tae-shik, who was next to me, felt the same way.

“Ah, is this friend Attorney Cha’s bodyguard?” Lee Se-hwa asked, breaking the silence. I had been so surprised I’d forgotten to greet her and was just standing there, speechless.

She turned her gaze to Tae-shik, who was standing beside me.

Tae-shik was even more frozen than I was.

When he became the center of attention, he suddenly seemed to malfunction, like a broken toy. Then, as if finally snapping out of it, he bent over as if he were about to bury his head in the ground.

“Ah, hello! Pr-Presid-, ugh!”

Just before Tae-shik blurted out the word ‘President,’ I elbowed him hard in the back.

He almost fell over from the impact but managed to regain his balance by grabbing the wall.

“What if someone in another room heard you?”

“Ah, whoa… You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. This whole floor is empty. Come on in. Tae-shik-ssi [Mr. Tae-shik]? Tae-shik-gun [Mr. Tae-shik, a slightly more casual title]? What should I call you? Anyway, come on in.”

Lee Se-hwa turned into the room and gestured for us to follow.

I don’t know the presidential security protocol well, but there wasn’t a single guard from the elevator to the front of the room.

Of course, that would be the right thing to do in order not to reveal that the President was here, but it was surprising that the corridor wasn’t controlled when the President was outside.

She even opened the door herself.

Of course, there were bodyguards standing on either side of Lee Se-hwa, but what if I was a thug?

Besides, Tae-shik looks like a thug.

“I was wondering why you were so defenseless?”

When we arrived in front of the conference room inside the suite, Lee Se-hwa smiled as if she knew everything.

“I apologize if I was rude.”

“No, it’s okay. I said that Attorney Cha is someone I can trust. Instead, the control room has been monitoring to make sure that no one other than Attorney Cha’s group comes up to this floor. The world has become a much better place.”

I had heard that the security protocol changes depending on the President’s personality.

Lee Se-hwa seemed to prefer a more relaxed security.

As we went deeper into the suite, there were definitely more security personnel.

As I followed her, I arrived at the door.

Lee Se-hwa grabbed the doorknob and winked at the guards.

They took a step back.

Tae-shik also stepped back.

“You’re still young, but you have a good sense?”

Lee Se-hwa tapped Tae-shik on the shoulder.

Tae-shik bowed again, looking very grateful.

Then, as if he had something to say, he suddenly started rambling.

“I-It’s a real honor to meet you, President. My name is Jang Tae-shik. I apologize again for not being able to greet you earlier because the attorney didn’t let me. I voted for you in the election. There was something that happened that day, but I woke up early in the morning to vote for you.”

“Oh, really? Why did you vote for me? Because you liked my pledges [campaign promises]?”

There was no way Tae-shik would have such criteria.

He looked blank for a moment, then shook his head.

“I don’t know much about the pledges, but I heard that you helped the attorney, so I voted for you out of gratitude…”

Lee Se-hwa laughed loudly at Tae-shik’s awkward answer.

“Really? I earned another vote for doing a good deed. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome!”

Tae-shik started guarding me in earnest right after I was kidnapped.

So, Lee Se-hwa had never met Tae-shik.

Yet, she knew his name before Tae-shik even said it.

This meant that Lee Se-hwa had been watching me all along.

“Did you think I lost interest in Attorney Cha?”

I didn’t say anything, and there was no change in my expression, but Lee Se-hwa smiled and said.

Lee Se-hwa was never an easy person to deal with, but she had become even more difficult.

Aside from the fact that she had become president, she seemed to have figured me out and was looking right through me.

“The Deputy Head Prosecutor must be waiting. Let’s go in.”

The conference room door opened, and Park Young-gi, who had been sitting, stood up.

He had a very apologetic expression on his face.

He seemed to feel guilty for proceeding with the meeting with Lee Se-hwa without even giving me a heads-up.

“Deputy Head Prosecutor, Attorney Cha must have been very surprised. I was with Attorney Cha when I heard the news that he was a suspect in Lee Jung-chan’s murder. He wasn’t even surprised then, but he was so surprised when I opened the door just now. He still hasn’t calmed down. He still hasn’t given the greeting he forgot earlier.”

She was joking, but I felt a little ashamed that I had forgotten the greeting that Tae-shik had given.

I belatedly bowed my head.

“It’s been a while, President.”

“Making me work for my bow.”

“…”

“You know I’m kidding, right? Hurry up and sit down.”

As I sat down, Park Young-gi, who had been looking apologetic, began to make excuses.

“I was talking to the President on the phone a while ago and said that I would be meeting Attorney Cha soon, and she said she wanted to see him too. I was going to tell Attorney Cha, but she told me not to. Please understand. You were going to see her soon anyway.”

“Seriously, I’m the President, but I have to carry out a secret operation because I was worried that Attorney Cha wouldn’t want to meet me. People would be really dumbfounded if they knew.”

That was true.

Everyone else would be dying for a chance to meet her.

No, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to meet Lee Se-hwa.

I was just trying to avoid contacting her privately.

I won’t deny that I was burdened by her needing me.

But the biggest reason was that I didn’t want to cause trouble.

“If you want to be a special prosecutor, shouldn’t you meet me first? Why are you only telling me through the Deputy Head Prosecutor? I was really upset.”

Lee Se-hwa said with a good-natured smile, but there was a thorn in her words.

I had rejected her numerous love calls, and I hadn’t answered several of her calls.

Even when I made a deal with her about Dongjin’s case, I only received and didn’t pay the price.

Yet, she sent me a wreath when I opened my law firm.

Considering her social standing and age as a senior in the legal profession, a former leader of a major political party, and now the President, she must have been quite offended.

“I’m sorry. But if I contacted you privately, it could be seen as me trying to get on the President’s good side. And I’m being watched every move by Wooshin right now, so I couldn’t go to the Blue House [the presidential residence] even if you called me.”

“I guess so. Even though it’s a well-known fact that I coveted Attorney Cha before I took office, it’s another matter if Attorney Cha actually goes in and out of the Blue House. I understand. That’s why I came to meet you like this, right?”

There was a faint undercurrent of criticism that she had even made me come to meet her in person.

Even if she hadn’t done this, I would have conveyed my intention to meet her through Park Young-gi when the time came and gone to the Blue House myself.

Fully prepared to explain to her why I should be selected as a special prosecutor.

But today was an unexpected meeting, so I wasn’t prepared at all.

I had been periodically informing Park Young-gi of the progress, but I hadn’t been doing that with Lee Se-hwa.

He kept saying that he was conveying it to the President, but it would be different from hearing it from the person herself.

“I should have known when Attorney Cha said he didn’t want to be a spokesperson, he would advise the election camp but wouldn’t join the party, he wasn’t interested in politics, and he had something else he wanted to do. So that’s what Attorney Cha wanted to do. Special Prosecutor. That’s why he could never have party affiliation. If you think about it that way, he’s been drawing this picture for quite a while.”

The special investigation was my goal since I died in 2018 and fell back to 2008.

It was an unexpected timing, but I feel a great sense of joy at the fact that I am starting to talk about the special investigation in front of the current president.

“Since when?”

“It was a vague goal when I was digging into Wooshin’s corruption, but it became clear after I learned about human trafficking. Because the possibility increased.”

“It’s such a waste. You’d be perfect as a spokesperson. You speak so well, you have a great look, and you have a great career… You’re the talent we really need to revamp our image…”

Lee Se-hwa rested her chin on her hand and sighed as she looked at me.

She must have known that I was uncomfortable, but she couldn’t help but say it.

But now that she knows what I’m aiming for, I don’t think she’ll talk about being a spokesperson anymore.

Oh, after the special investigation is over, it won’t matter if I have party affiliation, so will she try again?

“Oh, come on. Don’t make such a disgusted face. Aren’t you supposed to be on my good side? That’s the only way I’ll have the power to insist that Attorney Cha is suitable as a special prosecutor among the stubborn old men. There are already a lot of people who don’t like Attorney Cha because he doesn’t have much legal experience and doesn’t suck up to his seniors. It’s going to be a problem even after the special investigation team is formed. It’s obvious that the people above Attorney Cha’s class won’t want to join the special investigation team. But if we only form it with people below Attorney Cha’s class, their experience will be too lacking.”

“I don’t think you’re the type of person who would reflect such personal feelings in the selection. There may be the problems you mentioned with the special investigation team, but there will still be seniors who will join without being concerned about the class.”

Lee Se-hwa burst out laughing at my answer.

I had already scored points with Lee Se-hwa in the past, even though I was a ‘cheeky young man’.

If I were to show a cautious attitude just because she had become president, or if I were to change my attitude because I was greedy for the special prosecutor’s appointment, she would be disappointed.

Of course, I can’t do that with my personality.

“I watched the broadcast. Conservative people may dislike internet broadcasting because it’s undignified, but I think using internet broadcasting was an excellent choice. It was the best way to move young people who aren’t interested in society. Unless they take the risk of a prosecution investigation, it’s difficult to start a Wooshin special investigation. And I heard that there are more internet broadcasts in current affairs and economics these days, perhaps because Choi Reporter’s internet broadcast is doing well.”

“Thank you.”

“How would your late teacher have felt if he had seen you rushing in like this, even risking your life?”

A look of longing suddenly crossed Lee Se-hwa’s eyes.

Park Young-gi, who seemed to have deliberately not joined the conversation because it was the first time in a long time that I and Lee Se-hwa had met, smiled as if he was lost in emotion.

“He would have been worried, but he would have been happy. When Attorney Kang first informed the teacher of Wooshin’s prostitution, the teacher prepared to hand over the Gongnyeo case file and called me. At that time, he said he was happy to be able to pass the file on to Attorney Kang. The reason he went to the grave where the Chief of Staff was buried was because he wanted to tell him the good news. Of course, he was also worried that Attorney Kang or Attorney Cha would be in danger.”

Lee Se-hwa slowly nodded at Park Young-gi’s words.

“There’s reason to be worried. It’s something that the teacher failed to do during his term. When I cautiously told him a long time ago that I wanted to challenge for the presidency someday, he talked about that time.”

“About the Gongnyeo case?”

“Yes. And he also said this. Don’t be swayed when Wooshin tries to win you over with money. Wooshin will act like they’re under me, but in the end, it’s the same as putting a leash around my neck…”

Lee Se-hwa trailed off, her voice trembling.

She seemed to be feeling Kang Kwan-woong’s absence greatly.

“In the end, Wooshin didn’t fail to win the President over, did they?”

At my question, Lee Se-hwa smirked.

“Why, are you worried that I’ve changed my mind and received funds from Wooshin?”