You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 598

You Have Been Defended – Episode 598

* * *

It was 2 PM, eight hours before the broadcast.

I received a call from Jung Ji-min saying she had found something and wanted to meet.

Jung Ji-min, whom I first met while investigating Choi Jae-hoon’s death, was the only person to whom Choi Jae-hoon, who supposedly never revealed his true feelings, showed raw emotion.

The two were lovers, but the depth of their feelings differed.

Jung Ji-min, a hostess bar employee, saw Choi Jae-hoon as a sponsor, and I think Choi Jae-hoon felt a mixture of love and hate for her.

Choi Jae-hoon inflicted severe violence on Jung Ji-min and was also obsessed with her.

He spent a lot of money on Jung Ji-min, and she probably stayed by his side despite the violence because of that.

Even when I met her before, Jung Ji-min was an extremely calculating person, so it wasn’t surprising.

She said that Choi Jae-hoon often spoke ill of Im Hyun-il to her, but she often didn’t understand because the terms were difficult.

However, she had recorded all of her conversations with Choi Jae-hoon.

I asked her to check if there was anything useful in them.

Jung Ji-min demanded an upfront payment, but money wasn’t an issue if we could get proper information, so I signed a contract with her and proceeded with the work.

Time passed, and now we are here.

“Hello. It’s been a long time.”

Jung Ji-min, whom I met after a long time, hadn’t changed.

She was still wearing flashy luxury accessories and clothes.

Well, it hadn’t even been a year, so I didn’t think she would have changed much.

“Yes, it’s been a while. Please, sit down.”

“Lawyer, you’ve become a top star in the meantime. I saw a few clips from the broadcast.”

Jung Ji-min smiled smoothly and sat across from me.

“Honestly, I was too lazy to listen to all the recorded calls and was just going to take the upfront payment and run… But then I heard that the doctor who did organ trafficking was Im Hyun-il. From there, I felt something was off and started listening. I saw on TV that Im Hyun-il ordered Choi Jae-hoon to do organ harvesting, but Choi Jae-hoon refused.”

Jung Ji-min clicked her tongue and habitually ruffled her hair before fixing it again.

“Ah, I was on my way back from the salon today, and I messed up my hair. Ah.”

“So?”

“Well, Im Hyun-il seems like a bastard who deserves to die, and Choi Jae-hoon… He wasn’t a good guy either, but I just have a lot of thoughts. I said that back then, didn’t I? That he asked if I would stay by his side even if he was trash…”

“You did.”

“Do you remember what I said then?”

“You said you could stay by his side as long as he didn’t kill anyone.”

“Yes. And then Choi Jae-hoon told me not to leave, asking if I knew what he had given up because of me. But, no matter how I think about it, the timing… What he meant by giving up, I wonder if it meant he was prepared to be on Im Hyun-il’s bad side.”

At that time, I didn’t mention the incidents surrounding Im Hyun-il and Choi Jae-hoon to Jung Ji-min.

Because of this, Jung Ji-min seemed to be able to piece things together only after seeing the brief news reports.

“And he said he scolded Im Hyun-il for ordering such a surgery. That also seems to have been about organ harvesting surgery… Anyway, to sum it up, I just think… Choi Jae-hoon might have just closed his eyes and done it, but I said I wouldn’t leave unless he killed someone, so he refused, or something like that… But am I overthinking it?”

Jung Ji-min asked cautiously but desperately.

It seemed like she felt guilty for saying those words, pretending because she was afraid her plan would be exposed, even though she had already decided to leave Choi Jae-hoon.

She seemed to want me to say she was overthinking it, but unfortunately, I had the same thought.

“I don’t know what Choi Jae-hoon’s feelings were, but I don’t think you’re overthinking it.”

“Sigh… Then, what about the gas explosion accident that I saw on the internet, which people are saying Im Hyun-il caused? Then was Choi Jae-hoon killed because he refused Im Hyun-il’s organ harvesting proposal…? No, it doesn’t make sense, but the timing of his death! People are saying that Im Hyun-il tried to put Choi Jae-hoon on the organ trafficking team, but he refused, so he killed him to keep it a secret! That’s not true, right? That’s a bit much.”

Jung Ji-min raised her voice.

She seemed to be trying to elicit a negative answer, but what could I do when it was true?

However, in the current situation, it was just suspicion, not a proven fact, so I decided to change the subject.

“Jung Ji-min, so what did you find? Judging from the fact that you know the contents of today’s briefing and people’s reactions, it seems like you checked it to some extent and contacted me right away.”

“Sigh… Right. Whether it’s true or not, that’s not important. Choi Jae-hoon probably wants to jump out of his grave and beat the hell out of Im Hyun-il, right? Anyway, we’ve known each other for a long time, so I have to help. I think I found something amazing.”

Jung Ji-min looked straight into my eyes with a much more relaxed expression, as if she had composed herself.

I was already planning to discuss Im Hyun-il’s story in detail on today’s broadcast, but if what Jung Ji-min found was useful, I might be able to report on Choi Jae-hoon’s case as well.

“May I record this?”

“Huh? What?”

“This conversation we’re having.”

“Wh, why are you doing that?”

“Isn’t Jung Ji-min about to tell me what she found? I need to see the contents, but if necessary, I will submit it to the police. Depending on the situation, I might also report it on the broadcast. Don’t you think I should keep a record so I don’t get accused of fabricating data?”

Jung Ji-min shook her head frantically with a terrified expression.

“No, there are quite a few people who recognize me! If they say I was a host bar player [someone who works at a hostess bar], they’ll start saying things like, ‘Can we trust her?'”

“We’ll blur your face. We’ll also distort your voice and use a pseudonym.”

“…Still, what if I get caught! And even if I’m okay, if it’s revealed that I was in that kind of relationship with Choi Jae-hoon, he’ll be outed!”

“How many people know that you were in that kind of relationship with Choi Jae-hoon?”

“There are kids who know I scammed a doctor, but they don’t know it was Choi Jae-hoon… And it’s a bit much, so I didn’t say he died, I just said we broke up…”

“Then it seems like no one around Choi Jae-hoon knows about your existence, so no one will recognize you. And you’ll change your clothes, cover your tattoos, and take off all those cumbersome accessories.”

“…Th, then will I really not get caught? But what if I do get caught? How will you compensate me if I suffer any damage?”

Hearing the specific words ‘compensation for damages,’ I felt like I knew what Jung Ji-min wanted.

“If you have a desired amount, please tell me. I was just about to make an agreement about maintaining confidentiality.”

“…D, do you think I’m someone who’s crazy about money! Never mind. I’ll just do it. Of course, I have to keep it a secret. I value myself.”

“We need to keep everything about Jung Ji-min’s personal information, the fact that we’ve met, and how we met a secret. If that seems difficult, it’s not a bad idea to write a contract and receive money.”

“…Never mind. I’m not that much of a bastard. I’ll keep it a secret. I haven’t told anyone about meeting the lawyer. I won’t in the future either. I’ll just shut my mouth and live. Okay? I’m also, what do you call it… a person with loyalty. It might sound stupid if I, who was beaten by that bastard, say this, but anyway, a little… Let’s just call it sympathy.”

[Truth]

This is unexpected.

It seems she was greatly shocked by what Choi Jae-hoon went through.

Could it be that the feelings Jung Ji-min had for him were also a mixture of love and hate, just like Choi Jae-hoon?

When I think about it, no matter how much she liked money, there must have been a reason I didn’t know why she endured Choi Jae-hoon’s violence.

“By the way, how’s my *mal-tu* [manner of speaking]? Do I sound like myself?”

“Well, it’s not to the point where you can be identified by your *mal-tu*. But since it might be used on the broadcast, it would be good to refine your vocabulary.”

I gestured to Tae-shik, and he called Jo Bong-joon, who was waiting outside.

Jung Ji-min seemed to recognize Jo Bong-joon, but she didn’t say anything.

While Jo Bong-joon was setting up the camera, Kang Min-jae brought his suit jacket and shirt.

“This is all I have for spare clothes right now. And it would be good to take off the ring, bracelet, and piercings in your ear.”

“I, are these the lawyer’s clothes?”

Jung Ji-min asked as she received the clothes.

“Yes. Why? Is it strange?”

When Kang Min-jae asked, Jung Ji-min shook her head wildly and quickly put her arms into the sleeves.

“No. It’s not strange. The lawyer has good style.”

Ah, come to think of it…

It might have been easier if Kang Min-jae had brought up the recording story to Jung Ji-min from the beginning.

“Kang, are they a little big? How do they look?”

“Since we’re going to blur it anyway, it’ll just look like that size.”

“I’ll be conducting the interview, is that okay?”

Jo Bong-joon, who had finished setting up the camera, came and sat next to me.

His gaze was directed at Kang Min-jae, but he eventually nodded.

“Let’s say your relationship with Choi Jae-hoon was like close brothers. Then you saw the news and reported it to us. It’s true that you contacted us after seeing the news, right? Ah, don’t say you frequented Choi Jae-hoon’s house or anything like that. The villa residents will remember Jung Ji-min. Let’s go with the setting that you were very close brothers with Choi Jae-hoon. We’ll edit out any mistakes you make, so don’t worry too much. It might sound awkward. What about a pseudonym, something like Sung Su-yong?”

“Why Sung Su-yong?”

“Because this pen is a water-based pen.”

Jo Bong-joon showed Jung Ji-min the pen in his hand.

Kang Min-jae and I stepped out of the frame.

As soon as the filming started, Jung Ji-min introduced herself according to Jo Bong-joon’s request.

“So, Mr. Sung Su-yong, you contacted us because you have something to report. What is it?”

Jung Ji-min answered Jo Bong-joon’s question.

“I use the automatic call recording function because of my work.”

[Lie]

In fact, Jung Ji-min started recording in case she ever had to sue Choi Jae-hoon, but as an external setting, it’s pretty good.

“Because of that, all the calls with my *hyung* [older brother/close male friend] are saved. After *hyung* passed away, I sometimes have a drink and listen to the recorded calls when I miss him.”

[Truth]

I was thinking that even though I only set up the setting, the details were alive, but the word ‘truth’ floated above his head.

When I first met Jung Ji-min, he referred to Choi Jae-hoon as ‘bastard’ and ‘fucking bastard,’ so I didn’t think he had much good feeling for him.

That’s why I mentioned confidentiality to him.

I thought that if someone who gave him a lot of money appeared, he could quickly make Choi Jae-hoon a strange person and reverse his statement.

But now I can put those worries down to some extent.

“While listening to that, I remembered that *hyung* had told me his KeepData ID and password a long time ago.”

“KeepData, you mean web storage?”

“Yes, that’s right. *Hyung* lost his phone once before, and he lost all his photos and files at that time. He was worried that the person who picked it up might have seen all the data. After that, he connected his phone and web storage and deleted everything on his phone.”

“But why did you tell Sung Su-yong your ID and password?”

“There’s a picture we took together, and *hyung* had it. But I needed it, and when I asked if he could give it to me right away, he said he didn’t have time to find it, so he told me to take it from there if I needed it now.”

“Yes, so?”

“When I listened to that call recording, I suddenly wanted to see that picture so much. But no matter how much I looked, the picture wasn’t there. So I went to KeepData to take out the picture.”

[Lie]

Jung Ji-min lied without blinking an eye.

Even though he said he was going to blur it, his expression looked sincere.

“So?”

“When I went into KeepData, there were a lot of documents and audio files besides the picture. But since it was linked to the phone, I didn’t care because I thought it was natural. But there was a folder called ‘Im Hyun-il, Oh Jun-hong’.”

Oh Jun-hong?

That’s the name of the Planning and Coordination Director of Wooshin Hospital.

“Im Hyun-il, Oh Jun-hong?”

“Yes. The file titles were Evidence 1 to Evidence 12. There were also files with titles that were just numbers, but those were relatively recently created files. I just thought they were backed up and hadn’t been able to change the titles yet.”

[Truth]

Evidence 1 to 12?

I think Choi Jae-hoon was preparing something.

Revenge against Im Hyun-il was also read in the diary written on the blog, but the efforts made for revenge were not written.

“Then, is the information that the police said that there was a situation where Im Hyun-il ordered Choi Jae-hoon to perform an organ transplant from that file?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why? If the police knew that Choi Jae-hoon had received such an order from Im Hyun-il, they would have checked all the sites registered under Choi Jae-hoon’s name.”

“The KeepData ID is not under *hyung*’s name. Wouldn’t they not investigate then?”

“Then who is the account holder?”

“…Me.”

“Sung Su-yong?”

“Yes. When I bought a laptop, there was a 1-year 500GB KeepData pass. So I registered it, but I didn’t use it because I didn’t need it much. But that was not long after *hyung* lost his phone. He said he was looking for reviews while looking for what web storage to use. So I told him to use it to experience it since it was an account that was playing anyway. I told him to change the password as he pleased. But I had completely forgotten about it because it was so long ago. Then I remembered it after listening to the recorded call.”

[Truth]

I didn’t know Jung Ji-min had this hidden.

I don’t know what Choi Jae-hoon’s evidence is talking about.

I guess it contains the content of Im Hyun-il mentioning organ trafficking to Choi Jae-hoon.

But it’s not just Im Hyun-il in the title.

There’s also Oh Jun-hong, the Chief of Staff.

Perhaps it contains information about Wooshin’s organ trafficking organization or circumstantial evidence that they killed Choi Jae-hoon.