You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 6

You’ve Been Defended – Episode 6 (6/641)

The next afternoon, I headed to the factory where my father worked.

“Is Section Chief Cha Young-ho here?”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Section Chief Cha Young-ho’s son.”

After putting on a cleanroom suit and being steamed in the cleanroom, I was finally able to go to where my father was.

A small room made with a thin partition, near the production facilities.

“Juhan, what brings you here?”

My father, who had been tapping on a calculator, smiled brightly at me.

It had been so long since I had seen him alive and breathing like this. I felt a lump in my throat and turned my head away for a moment.

My father would pass away from a heart attack two years from now.

“What brings me here? I just wanted to see you, Dad.”

“You never said anything like that before. Did you eat something wrong?”

He grumbled, but he was clearly in a good mood.

“Why did you come all the way here instead of resting at home on the weekend?”

“No, I rested and then came. Let’s move somewhere else if you’re not busy, Dad. I have something to tell you.”

My father had worked as a laborer since he was young, and after gaining some seniority, he became a manager.

Nevertheless, my father often worked directly on the production line when things got busy.

He couldn’t just stand by and watch the workers, who were young enough to be his children, suffer.

But perhaps because of that, my father suffered from arthritis for years.

The hope for arthritis patients at that time was Antrozol from Myunghwa Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Wooshin Group.

Antrozol had only been released domestically for a year, but the following year, it showed tremendous effects and became a huge hit.

With the release of Antrozol, Myunghwa Pharmaceuticals succeeded in going public and received great attention worldwide.

But that was only for a short time. Soon after, patients who took Antrozol collapsed from heart attacks, a side effect.

“What is it you wanted to say?”

I returned to the main house with my father.

My mother was humming and cutting fruit.

She was beaming, and her shoulders were shaking as if she had won the lottery.

I must have been away for too long for her to be like this.

The saying ‘treat them well while they’re here’ wasn’t just for show.

I had lived my whole life thinking about that.

After my father died of a heart attack, my mother soon fell ill and passed away as well.

So, sitting face to face with both of them was something that hadn’t happened in seven years.

“Dad, quit working now and rest.”

“Are you going to say that again?”

After becoming a prosecutor, I had advised my father to quit the factory.

He was getting old, and I wanted them both to rest now that I could fully support them.

But he always said that he wouldn’t even make it to retirement.

“You’ll really hurt your health if you keep doing that.”

“Honey, listen to Juhan. The doctor said your arthritis will get worse if you overdo it.”

“I told you I’m fine. I can’t until you get married, you rascal.”

My father was stubborn.

I knew it wouldn’t be easy.

I wanted to tell him that I had returned from the future 10 years later, and that he would die of a heart attack in two years…

‘But there’s no way he’d believe that.’

“Dad, you don’t need to earn any more money. I’m going to earn a lot of money now, too.”

“You? How much does a prosecutor make? Are you taking bribes or something?”

My father asked seriously.

“No. Actually, I received a scout offer from a large law firm. I’m going to join a law firm.”

“What? What nonsense are you talking about?”

My father’s reaction was as expected.

Above all, he had pride in having a ‘prosecutor’ son.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I’ve already signed a contract. You know Taekwang, right?”

“Oh my, Taekwang made you a scout offer?”

“Yes. I’ll be making almost 10 times what I’m making now. So please think about it.”

He would never quit working unless he could put his financial worries down.

Saying that I was opening my own office would definitely backfire, so I had no choice but to lie.

Taekwang was a place that my parents would have heard of at least once.

This should put their worries to rest.

My mother liked it, but my father was lost in thought.

“You haven’t submitted your resignation yet, have you?”

“I have. I’ve also signed a contract with the law firm.”

“You didn’t even discuss such an important matter with your father…”

“Oh. It’s okay, honey. It’s a good thing. Taekwang pays a lot of money. Let Juhan do what he wants. Your mother supports our son.”

My mother was worried that my father would get angry, so she tried to wrap up the conversation appropriately. But my father wasn’t easy to deal with.

“Is money important to you right now?”

“It’s not that money is important, it’s that Juhan wants to do it.”

“You, did you make that choice because of money? To make your father quit working? We weren’t rich, but we didn’t live in poverty either. So, if it’s because of money, ask them to withdraw your resignation!”

“No. I don’t think being a prosecutor suits me. It’s a matter of aptitude.”

“Hmm.”

My father seemed to have nothing to say since I said it was a matter of aptitude.

“See? You should stop now, too. He says it doesn’t suit him, so why are you being like this?”

“Yes, so Dad, please quit working too. I know you’re still saving money to send me off to get married. You don’t have to do that anymore.”

“…”

“You said before that you wanted to sell this house and retire to the countryside when I got married. Do that. I’ll add some if you need it.”

“I don’t need it, you rascal. Your father has saved up some money, too. I won’t take a penny from you.”

Okay. I think he’s leaning towards it.

“Juhan, don’t worry. Your father is working to send you off to get married; there was no other reason. He said his joints were hurting anyway, so it’s a good thing. By the way, have you had dinner? Is there anything you want to eat?”

“Doenjang jjigae [soybean paste stew].”

The food my mother made.

I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve eaten it.

“Just doenjang jjigae? Isn’t there anything else? I’ll make you anything, my son.”

“…No. There isn’t.”

Just being able to talk to my mother again was enough.

* * *

The time at my parents’ house flew by like a dream.

My mother filleting fish and putting it on my rice bowl, my father subtly pushing the meat dishes towards me, saying they were delicious.

If this happiness could last forever, I felt like I could do anything.

“Juhan, take some kimchi with you. Huh? You used to like nakji jeotgal [fermented small octopus] too. Should I pack some of that for you too?”

“It’s okay. I barely eat at home.”

“That was when you were a prosecutor. Now that you’re working at a law firm, you’ll have more free time, right?”

“No. It’s just as busy even if I become a lawyer.”

“Really? Still, take some with you…”

I couldn’t refuse any longer, so I accepted the paper bag that she kept filling with things.

Both of them kept watching me until I put on my shoes at the front door.

“I’ll go now.”

“Okay, Juhan. Come again. Isn’t it nice to eat together as a family like this?”

“Yes.”

“Go on. And work… Okay, I’ll do as you say.”

I thought he would stubbornly resist and make me anxious for a few days.

My heart feels lighter.

“Thank you, Father.”

“Thank you for what.”

“I’m really going now. And I’ll make a reservation for a health checkup, so be sure to get it.”

My father wouldn’t suffer from arthritis until a few months later, but I can’t help but feel uneasy.

It’s likely that it’s already progressed a bit by now.

I need to get him treated before that and prevent him from getting Antrozol.

“I know, how many times do I have to say it? I’m fine, but call your mother often.”

“I’ll call both of you often. Go to sleep soon.”

“Just watching you leave.”

I got on the elevator with the paper bag full of things my mother had given me. My mother waved persistently through the closing elevator doors.

“Hoo.”

As soon as the door closed, a complicated sigh escaped.

After seeing my parents, the mysterious things surrounding me felt even more real.

I was wrong to think that my heart would weaken after seeing them.

Rather, the fighting spirit against Wooshin, who took away this happiness from me, no, from all the weak who suffered from their tyranny, burns even brighter.

I know everything that will happen in the next 10 years, and all the key information about the Wooshin Group that I have been investigating.

I even gained an absurd ability.

‘I will never fail this time.’

What needs to be done, who needs to be met, what needs to be obtained.

And everything I need to protect.

I once again organized in my head all the plans I had meticulously made since I fell here in 2008.

‘It’s starting again from now on.’