You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 576

You Have Been Defended

“You said this is your first time here, right, Attorney Cha?”

Kang Min-jae asked, adjusting his tie in front of the mirror.

“That’s right.”

“I can’t believe I’m seeing you in a place like this.”

Today is a regular gathering of current legal professionals who graduated from Seoul National University’s law school.

Large gatherings are held at the end of the year or on New Year’s, and today’s meeting is relatively small but seems quite substantial.

Normally, I wouldn’t have been interested in such a gathering, but I have a specific reason for coming.

It was because of a conversation I had a few days ago during a dinner with Park Young-gi and the president of the Bar Association.

At that time,

─After talking with the President, even if we push through with appointing Attorney Cha as the special prosecutor, I’m worried about how many people will actually join the special investigation team. Attorney Cha confidently said he has a list of seniors who would support him, so I’m wondering if you could share that list in advance?

Park Young-gi asked.

Honestly, the only prosecutor who immediately came to mind was Lee Ye-jin.

And maybe Jung Chang-yoon, whom Park Young-gi likes…….

Jung Chang-yoon is a classmate, and although he’s been in a slump for a while, he hasn’t completely lost his will.

From what I’ve seen, he’s quite motivated if the conditions are right, and since he’s also a doctor, he’ll be a great help.

Besides them, it wasn’t difficult to pick out people I know who could be active in the special investigation team.

But gauging whether those people would actually join the team was very difficult.

Especially since we’re not in a position to be picky.

I felt like I would lose even more credibility if I mentioned this meager list, so I kept my mouth shut. Then, the president of the Bar Association added a word.

─One of the reasons why there haven’t been many young special prosecutors until now is that a short legal career is a bigger problem than you think. You have to lead the special investigation team, but if your seniority is too low, who would want to work under you? Besides, it’s the same from the public’s perspective. Young people may welcome Attorney Cha, but it will be difficult to appeal to middle-aged and older people. Image renewal is good, but I’m still worried when I think about the operation of the special investigation team.

I didn’t expect the opportunity for a special prosecutor to come this quickly either.

In my previous life, it wasn’t possible until 2018.

Looking at the people who have been appointed as special prosecutors in special investigations conducted in Korea so far, they have all had at least 20 years of legal experience.

Since special investigations don’t happen often, the sample size is small, but with only about 12 years of experience, including my time as a military judge advocate, I’m just a greenhorn.

Adding up my previous life, my legal career is over 20 years, so I didn’t feel like I was low in seniority, but now that it’s a reality, I finally realize it.

Even Lee Se-hwa, who wants to renew the image with a young face, taking me as a special prosecutor would be a big gamble.

Therefore, we must not disrupt the operation.

It would be troublesome if things started off on the wrong foot because of personnel selection, of all things.

─Still, there used to be a lot of people who didn’t like Attorney Cha, but these days, it seems like they’re quite *injeonghaneun* [acknowledging] him…….

Park Young-gi belatedly tried to smooth things over, but the atmosphere had already cooled down.

─Although it’s late, how about going out to gatherings and making an impression, and showing that Attorney Cha isn’t just a stiff person?

The president of the Bar Association took out a notebook, scanned through the schedule, and pointed out a date to me.

─There’s an alumni meeting of Seoul National University’s law school on this day. There are quite a few department heads attending. Attorney Kang Min-jae seems to attend every year. You can go together. It’s not a bad place to go for the first time. It has *jeokdanghi* [appropriate] weight, but it’s not too heavy.

─Attorney Cha is just a stiff person. What if he gets *jjikhimyeon* [targeted] after showing up?

Park Young-gi retorted to the president of the Bar Association’s words.

I thought that since they said my social skills had improved, I wasn’t at least ‘just a stiff person,’ but I guess I was mistaken.

Anyway, that’s why I ended up going to an alumni meeting that wasn’t in my nature.

With Kang Min-jae, who has good social skills, leading the way.

“If it feels like you’re about to say something *byeolroin* [lame], I’ll scratch the tip of my nose. Ah, but then my nose might get raw. Should I just clear my throat instead?”

“……It doesn’t have to be to the point where your nose gets raw.”

“Lee Ye-jin and I will be *yeolsimhi* [diligently] shielding you, but honestly, I’m worried.”

Kang Min-jae sighed.

Was I someone who needed this much worry?

“Attorney Kang! Attorney Cha!”

I was standing in the drab smoking area near the hotel entrance when Lee Ye-jin waved and approached.

“Long time no see!”

“Ah, Senior. I’m suddenly worried. Will I be able to package Attorney Cha well?”

Kang Min-jae looked at Lee Ye-jin with a tearful expression.

“Hmm…….”

Lee Ye-jin crossed her arms and looked back and forth between me and Kang Min-jae.

“I think it’s possible, but what about me?”

“On what basis! The seniors hate you so much!”

“I like Attorney Cha.”

“That’s you, Senior. The other seniors…….”

“No. It might be better than you think. Let’s go in quickly!”

I don’t know what basis Lee Ye-jin is saying that on, but anyway, we entered the venue.

“Oh, what is this! Meeting Joo-han at an alumni meeting?”

And there were more familiar faces than I expected.

I saw quite a few seniors I had maintained some friendship with when I was a student, and there was also a senior who was on the same team when I was first assigned.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, you. How many years has it been? I don’t think I’ve seen you once since I graduated? Has it been almost 20 years?”

“That’s right.”

“Do you even remember me? I made you drink a lot during the MT [Membership Training, a common Korean group retreat].”

“I remember.”

“Then do you remember me patting your back when you were dying in the toilet?”

“Not that far back…….”

“Ahem!”

At that moment, Kang Min-jae cleared his throat.

Was I not supposed to say things like that?

“So you’re the senior who saved Attorney Cha back then? Wow, Attorney Cha talks about that story a lot whenever he drinks. He said you were the most caring senior among the upperclassmen.”

When did I ever.

“Really? You little rascal, you remember me.”

He patted my shoulder and laughed loudly, seemingly pleased.

“I saw you at the Seoul Central District Court last year. I thought you didn’t recognize me because you didn’t say hello.”

Was that so?

I didn’t really pay attention to others, so I didn’t know.

“Oh, if that was the case, I would have greeted you. If I saw you at the Seoul Central District Court last year, it must have been a very hectic time. Probably…….”

“I came because of Kim Hwa-young’s trial at that time. I remember it because it was a huge topic.”

“Oh, that’s right. Haha. There were a lot of reporters and it was hectic. That’s probably why I couldn’t greet you.”

Kang Min-jae spoke as if he were my spokesperson, and the senior, whose name I didn’t even remember, accepted it very naturally.

“That could be. Anyway, it’s good to see you. You don’t even come to alumni meetings, and no one I know has been in contact with you, so I just thought you were doing well while seeing you in articles and such.”

“It’s very good to see you too.”

Kang Min-jae is trying this hard, so I can’t just stand still, so I said a word.

Then Kang Min-jae sighed, almost inaudibly.

Was there something wrong this time too?

“You’re in Seocho-dong now, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m in Seocho-dong too, let’s have a meal sometime.”

“Are you still at the Seoul Central District Court?”

“No, I left. I was originally going to stay in court until retirement, but things happened. Let’s see, my business card…….”

He handed me his business card.

I also took out my business card and handed it to him.

“We’re very close. Let’s see each other sometime, really. I’ll buy you a meal. But Joo-han, there are rumors that you’ve made a lot of money, so shouldn’t you be the one buying?”

I was about to say okay to his words, but Kang Min-jae said in a low voice, very quickly.

“Act cute and ask him to buy you a meal, you *gwiyeoun* [cute] junior. Hurry.”

Act cute?

Is he crazy.

“I’ll go anytime you call.”

“Okay, okay. There are a lot of kids who are curious about you anyway. We should get together sometime. Oh, Min-joo’s here. I’m going to go say hello to Min-joo.”

As soon as the senior left, Kang Min-jae glared at me.

“I can’t believe a person can be this *nojaem* [unfunny/boring].”

“But that senior seems to think of me somewhat favorably.”

“He probably does. He’s asked me about you a few times. From now on, let’s reconnect with that senior! He’s a well-respected person, and there are quite a few *injeongbanneun* [recognized] people in the 26th class. It will be helpful to be close with him.”

After that, Kang Min-jae busily took me around.

Just when I was thinking it was hard to pretend to remember seniors I didn’t even remember, Lee Ye-jin called me from afar.

“Oh, Attorney Cha. Come here. 23rd class Senior Kim Jong-seok.”

Familiar face.

To be exact, not in this life, but in my previous life.

At the time, he was the Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.

He was a dispatched prosecutor on the special investigation team with me.

He worked silently but enthusiastically.

Neither of us thought of each other as particularly close, but we *injeonghaneun* [acknowledged] each other quite a bit.

We also got along quite well in that we both didn’t like Special Prosecutor Jo Moon-young, whom I didn’t like, probably a *hubulje tteokgeom* [pay-later corrupt prosecutor] if my previous life had continued.

He was a 6-year senior, but I was quite young for my seniority, so I remember there being about a 10-year difference in school year.

“I heard a lot about you from Lee Pro, and I’m meeting you right away like this.”

Kim Jong-seok offered me a handshake.

“Hello.”

“You don’t usually come to gatherings, do you? I think I’ve only seen Attorney Kang a few times.”

“Ah, Attorney Cha is a bit shy. So he’s received a lot of strange misunderstandings, but he’s not that kind of friend at all. Haha.”

Lee Ye-jin slapped my back and said.

Before I could even think it hurt, Kim Jong-seok smiled faintly and asked.

“Having a hard time these days?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

Lee Ye-jin, who was watching the awkward conversation, interjected.

“Attorney Cha. You should be bowing deeply to your senior.”

“Yes?”

I wondered why I had to bow deeply to someone I was meeting for the first time, but I didn’t bother asking.

“Almost all the people who were criticizing Attorney Cha have disappeared thanks to Senior. It’s been *ttangttang* [settled] that criticizing Attorney Cha is an expression of inferiority.”

“Why are you saying things like that? You’re making Attorney Cha feel bad for no reason.”

“Attorney Cha knows too. That there are a lot of people criticizing him. He doesn’t have any expectations at all, so how much strength would he get knowing that there are people like Senior among them?”

Listening to Lee Ye-jin’s words, I think I understand the situation roughly.

I knew that slander about me was rampant here and there, but I had never heard of anyone other than Lee Ye-jin stopping it.

“Thank you, Senior.”

“It’s okay, no need to be so formal. And I didn’t like Attorney Cha in the past either. There’s nothing to be thankful for.”

“Still, the important thing is that you like him now.”

“I don’t like him either. I’m just saying what’s obvious.”

[Lie]

I had been constantly using my ability to determine whether the words the seniors I met were sincere or just lip service, and an unexpected result came out.

“Just, contact me later if you need my help. I’ll do that much as a senior, something like that. Regardless of whether I like you or not.”

Up to ‘I’ll do that much as a senior’ was true, and everything after that was judged to be a lie.

So, it means that he wants to help me and feels quite favorable towards me.

“Wait, my wife said she’d be a little late, but I think she’s arrived now. Talk amongst yourselves.”

Kim Jong-seok checked his phone and went straight outside.

“It’s good to know Senior Kim Jong-seok well.”

Lee Ye-jin said in a low voice, watching Kim Jong-seok’s back.

Then Kang Min-jae asked.

“If he’s from the 23rd class, isn’t he a department head now? But being a department head at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office already is a bit of a fast promotion.”

“Yeah. Plus, he’s in Special Investigation Department 2, and he used to be in the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. He’s quite a steadfast style and his sociability isn’t bad, so the old guys liked him. That guy will go high as long as he doesn’t *ppikkeuthaneun* [stumble] somewhere. His family is good too.”

“He’s a steadfast style, but he criticized Attorney Cha behind his back?”

Kang Min-jae let out a hollow laugh as if he was dumbfounded.

“He wasn’t the type to step forward and make a fuss, but it’s true that he spoke negatively about Attorney Cha. And because that *injeongbanneun* [recognized] person condoned it, there were more guys who were even more rampant. But I was so surprised when that guy suddenly started scolding the guys who were criticizing Attorney Cha the other day? After that, well, everyone shut up. They said that the guys who criticize Attorney Cha are all expressing inferiority.”

“I guess if you live honestly and silently while doing your job, people will recognize you.”

I need to find out more about Kim Jong-seok.

Whether there are any differences compared to my previous life, whether he seems like he would join the special investigation team.

“If Senior Kim Jong-seok joins the special investigation team, at least the entry barrier below the 23rd class will disappear.”

While Lee Ye-jin was introducing me to other people and walking around inside the venue, Kang Min-jae whispered in a low voice.

I nodded and took out my phone.

I’ve had reasonably long conversations with at least six or seven people, and I think I’ve left a good impression, so shouldn’t I leave now?

Even if I greet everyone here, there will only be a few people who will change their minds about me anyway.

Ziiiiiing.

I was turning on my phone messenger to check if there were any contacts in the meantime, when suddenly a call came.

It was Dae-cheol, who was in charge of monitoring the House of Angels.

─Attorney, So-eun is moving.

You Have Been Defended [EN]

You Have Been Defended [EN]

너희들은 변호됐다
Status: Completed Author: , Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] Prosecutor Cha Juhan's relentless pursuit of the corrupt Wooshin Group ended in betrayal and death at the hands of those he trusted most. But fate, it seems, has other plans. Granted a second chance, reborn as a Wooshin sniper, Cha Juhan vows to bring the entire Wooshin family to justice, no matter how many lifetimes it takes. Trading his prosecutor's badge for a lawyer's gavel, he embarks on a path of vengeance, armed with extraordinary abilities beyond human comprehension. They told him to know his place in the next life? He'll show them exactly where they belong – behind bars. Prepare for a thrilling saga of revenge, justice, and supernatural power as Cha Juhan targets Wooshin once more, turning the courtroom into his battleground.

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