You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 575

“These are the blueprints for Okashima Hospital, and these are for the Ribbon Medical Center. I compared them, including the ones submitted to the government. The yellow markings indicate the differences.”

The NIS [National Intelligence Service] agent displayed the blueprints side-by-side on the monitor.

Locations suspected to be secret passages and hidden spaces were immediately visible.

“The best part is that there are also electrical wiring diagrams. I don’t know much about electrical wiring, so I asked someone I trust. They gave me a precise estimate of what to touch where.”

“Really? That’s great.”

I immediately sent the Okashima Hospital blueprints and electrical wiring diagrams to Kirihara.

She seemed to have been waiting for the email, probably because I had told her in advance that I had obtained the blueprints.

She read it as soon as it was sent, and the reply came back promptly.

[Confirmed. I’ll do some reconnaissance in advance without being obvious, just in case.]

The Ribbon Medical Center blueprints will be a great help during the search and seizure when the investigation officially begins.

“Oh, Sang-joon’s house was in the hard drive too?”

“Yes. That bastard had some weird stuff in his house too.”

“Good. I should back that up separately.”

I decided to keep the blueprints of Go Sang-joon’s house for the search and seizure as well.

“Good work.”

Kang Min-jae patted the NIS agent on the shoulder with a satisfied expression.

However, Tae-shik looked quite displeased.

“What good work? He’s doing it all for money. And excessively so.”

Tae-shik gestured with his chin towards the Vita 500 box [a popular Korean vitamin drink] that the NIS agent was desperately clutching.

“Excessively? You son of a bitch. People who work as discreetly as we do are expensive. There are no loose ends. And do you think a high-level professional like me gets paid the same as someone who just uses their body like you? You’re taking all your employees’ salaries from the lawyer, yet you dare to compare yourself to me?”

“Bullshit. We’re practically taken over by the lawyer, you know? We don’t do any other work now, just what the lawyer tells us to do. And we’re not just using our bodies; we’re risking our lives. You’re the one who’s doing things half-assed.”

Tae-shik walked to the monitor and pointed to the yellow-marked areas on the blueprint.

“Seriously, all you do is roughly overlap them and mark the different parts in yellow. I could do that. Just paint it with MS Paint. And the hard drive? Cracking the password is nothing. Just plug something into the computer and tap the keyboard for a bit, and it’s done.”

“If it looks so easy, you do it, you son of a bitch. Where do you get off devaluing the sacred labor of a high-level professional?”

“When did I ever bow to you? You should be bowing to me. I’m the one who introduced you to the lawyer! Do you think it’s easy to find a rich sucker?”

*Is the rich sucker me, perhaps?*

I thought they would consider me a benefactor who recognizes the value of labor.

“It’s not about bowing; it’s about devaluing… Forget it, you ignorant bastard. What’s the point of talking to you? I feel like I’m getting dumber just talking to you. I don’t know when being stupid became contagious.”

The NIS agent and Tae-shik are still competing to expose how much they are ripping me off.

“Stop fighting. Both of you are giving us a lot of help.”

“Can you even say that, Kang? You’re not taking on any clients anymore, so the firm has no income, right? That means Lawyer Cha is paying this bastard with his own money. It’s okay to think the money given to that bastard is a bit of a waste.”

Tae-shik said, huffing.

However, his words seemed to have touched a sensitive spot for Kang Min-jae.

“I, I pay for the office rent too! I give the office manager their salary too! Lawyer Cha told me not to, but I do it anyway!”

Kang Min-jae shouted.

I had never been dissatisfied that Kang Min-jae was sharing the costs of paying Tae-shik or the NIS agent.

I have plenty of attorney’s fees saved up, real estate income, and stocks.

The stock dividends alone are enough, so I’ve never had to spend my savings.

And even if I were to spend all that money, I still have Bitcoin left, so I don’t have to worry about the future.

I even feel like I’ve mined too much and should stop.

“Lawyer! I’ll pay even more from now on!”

“Really?”

I don’t want to take even his pocket money.

* * *

─It’s me.

“Yes, Lawyer.”

─Is now a good time to talk?

“Yes, of course.”

It was late at night.

Kim Mi-ja had been on edge all evening after receiving a message from Cha Joo-han saying he wanted to talk today.

Oda Satoshi had to give her an opening to go out to the garden to talk to him, but today, he strangely wouldn’t leave her side.

Kim Mi-ja anxiously watched the clock until Oda Satoshi said he was going to take a bath, and only after four hours had passed was she finally able to call Cha Joo-han.

─I’ve confirmed that the visa process is complete. When will you be able to leave the country?

Kim Mi-ja didn’t know what magic Cha Joo-han had used, but she had received a visa that would allow her to stay in the United States for quite some time.

She had doubted it would work, even when she went to the embassy for the interview.

Now, all that was left was to leave.

“I booked the ticket for this Sunday.”

─Can’t you move the date forward?

“Well, why?”

─It’s better to leave as soon as possible, as we don’t know how the situation might change.

“That’s true, but since the surgery isn’t far off, I think there might be more I can find out while I’m here.”

Cha Joo-han on the other end of the phone sighed briefly, as if he had expected Kim Mi-ja to say that.

─Kim Mi-ja, you’ve already helped us enough. There’s no need to try to find out anything more.

“But you still don’t know the date of my grandson’s surgery, do you?”

─We can’t pinpoint the exact date of the surgery, but we have a surveillance system in place, so we can respond in time.

“Still. And given my husband’s personality, he’ll leak some information to me as the surgery approaches. He’s always been like that. He’s trying to be careful this time, so he’s been keeping his mouth shut so far, but he’s still hinting at things little by little. Saying things like there’s something important coming up, or that Woo-shin needs to do well so that Onodera will support him.”

─Isn’t it uncertain whether Oda Satoshi will reveal any additional information? We don’t need any information other than the surgery date now. So don’t push yourself.

“Are you looking down on me, Lawyer? I may have forged my academic record, but I’m still a professor at a prestigious university. I need time to sort things out. I’m leaving a place I’ve lived in for 30 years.”

Kim Mi-ja said jokingly, but Cha Joo-han seemed a little embarrassed.

He was silent for a while, then soon opened his mouth.

─That’s not what I meant. I understand. But you must remember that your safety is the top priority. It’s for your sake, but you are also the most important witness. If you are in danger, the plan could fall apart.

“I know.”

─As I’ve already told you, if anything happens, contact Kirihara.

“Yes.”

─Please contact me if there are any changes.

“Yes, I will. Goodbye.”

Kim Mi-ja hung up the phone and went back inside the house.

*He has a colder appearance and tone than anyone else, yet he takes care of the people around him with surprising meticulousness.*

He doesn’t allow others to sacrifice themselves, but he seems to think nothing of sacrificing himself.

No, perhaps he’s not even aware that he’s sacrificing himself.

Kim Mi-ja smiled bitterly.

She herself had no intention of going wrong here.

She was determined to live as Kim Mi-ja, not Oda Tomiko, even if she died.

She knew that she was important to the success of the plan, and she had no intention of messing things up.

However, she wanted to do her best within the scope of what she could do.

Hadn’t she been living by her wits for 30 years?

In particular, her ability to catch how others regarded her was second to none.

She planned to test the waters only to the extent that she wouldn’t be suspected.

“Honey, do you remember me saying I was going on a business trip to the United States?”

When she went upstairs after hanging up the phone, Oda Satoshi had already finished his bath and was sitting in the bedroom.

“Business trip? Ah, well… I think so.”

When Kim Mi-ja first brought up the story of her business trip to the United States, he had scoffed.

Saying, what business trip to the United States could someone who hadn’t even graduated from high school possibly have?

She felt bad, but she was relieved that he didn’t say no or suspect anything.

If he had forgotten, his thoughts might have changed in the meantime.

“Don’t you ask how long I’ll be gone? It seems like you don’t miss me.”

When Kim Mi-ja said as if complaining, Oda Satoshi chuckled and replied.

“Of course I’ll miss you. How long will you be gone?”

“Well, I’m participating in a project, so I think I’ll have to be there for about a month.”

“A month? When does the semester start? What about your lectures?”

“The semester starts in mid-September. There’s still about a month left. So I can go for a month.”

She wouldn’t be returning to Oda Satoshi even after a year, let alone a month.

But Kim Mi-ja answered as if nothing was wrong.

“You can’t even speak English, so aren’t you afraid of being found out that you’re uneducated? Why did you say you were going to the United States, which is so dangerous? You should have just refused.”

“You didn’t say that when I first brought up the story of my business trip to the United States.”

“I didn’t hear it properly then. I thought you were just going as if you were going on a trip.”

“I’ve already said I would go, and the ticket is out. Anyway, there are some Japanese employees in the American company. I’ve been communicating with the Japanese employees so far. There won’t be any problems. And I’ve been studying English in my own way, so I can still listen and read.”

“How can your skills improve so quickly just by studying a little? Anyway, don’t make any mistakes and smear my face. Do well.”

Oda Satoshi looked back at her with a suspicious expression.

Kim Mi-ja forced a smile and said she understood.

“By the way, I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone for a month. You’re under a lot of stress because of the Prime Minister. I can’t help, but I should at least cheer you on from the side.”

At Kim Mi-ja’s words, Oda Satoshi sighed as if he had been waiting for it.

“I know. I can put up with Onodera’s bullshit, but who comforts me? You, just don’t go.”

“How can I do that? How is the Prime Minister these days? Does he still get angry with you a lot these days? He’s been elected, and things are going the way he wants, so why is he doing that? Really, it’s upsetting. If he’s going to get angry, he has plenty of subordinates.”

Kim Mi-ja took Onodera’s hand, stroked the back of his hand, and asked.

“He can’t say it to his subordinates, so he’s saying it to me. But once the surgery is over, I won’t have to put up with that old man’s bullshit.”

“Is the Prime Minister sick somewhere? Surgery?”

“Ah.”

Oda Satoshi seemed to hesitate for a moment, then shrugged.

“Well, you’ll be meeting Onodera often in the future, so it doesn’t matter if you know. Anyway, Onodera was asking me if I was hiding it from you.”

Oda Satoshi pulled Kim Mi-ja to sit next to him.

As the distance between the two became closer, Oda Satoshi lowered his voice and opened his mouth.

“You know that old man’s youngest grandson has a bad heart, right?”

“You mean the youngest daughter’s son?”

“Yeah. The cute one.”

“Yes.”

“It’s been decided that Woo-shin will perform the grandson’s heart transplant. But Go Sang-joon kept putting it off because he was afraid of some lawyer, so Onodera was furious. That’s why Go Yoon-soo came. Remember?”

“Ah, yes. Go Yoon-soo came to the hostess bar.”

“He made Go Yoon-soo kneel and apologize. As a result, the surgery date was set, and Onodera’s mood improved a bit. But he’s still very worried because his grandson is getting a heart transplant. And that old man is over the top when it comes to his grandson.”

“…I see. I’m sure he’s worried. He cherishes him so much. When is the surgery? I’d like to send some flowers.”

“I don’t know when. I just heard that it’s been decided. I’ll have to ask when I meet him this week.”

“Woo-shin must have assigned a skilled person as the surgeon, right?”

She already knew that Im Hyun-il would be the surgeon, but throughout the wiretapping, the name Im Hyun-il was never mentioned.

She asked on purpose because she thought it would be good to make it undeniable evidence this time.

“He’s a Korean-Japanese. He’s the director of Woo-shin Hospital now. He was also at Shingaku University Medical School, and he was under Nobuo at Okashima. Nobuo is also flawless in terms of skill.”

A Korean-Japanese who was at Shingaku University Medical School and Okashima Hospital and is the director of Woo-shin Hospital.

It seemed that Im Hyun-il could be sufficiently identified with this information.

“Even if he’s a skilled doctor, it’s still a big surgery, so he must be very worried. Should I call him before the surgery? Ah, would it be uncomfortable if I brought up the surgery, not you?”

“What does it matter? That old man asked me first why I was keeping it a secret from you. That old man likes you quite a bit. Annoyingly.”

Oda Satoshi said, grinding his teeth.

Then, Kim Mi-ja put her arm around Oda Satoshi and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“Then please tell me when the surgery date comes out. I’ll send a gift and talk to him well. If the Prime Minister likes me, it could work out well for you.”

Judging from the atmosphere, it seemed that she might be able to find out the surgery date.

“That’s true… But I feel uneasy. The way that old man looks at you… Don’t even think about falling for that old man’s tricks.”

“What are you saying? Who else do I have but you? I don’t even see those old men as men.”

“I’m old too.”

“You’re cool.”

At Kim Mi-ja’s words, Oda Satoshi didn’t hide his feelings and flared his nostrils, as if he was in a good mood.

“Do you still think I’m cool?”

“Of course.”

*But I think you’ll look even cooler in a prison uniform, so I’ll put it on you soon.*