You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 74

You Guys Are Defended – Episode 74

The case proceeded smoothly.

The superintendent and the principal, who had become public enemies, and Kim Hak-sung’s gang were sentenced to prison.

This was partly due to high public interest and the fact that a current affairs program covered the case in detail a week earlier, further intensifying public opinion.

Of course, they gnashed their teeth, saying they would appeal, but since the evidence was clear, it was just a waste of time.

And Lee Hyuk-min, in addition to being expelled, was scheduled for trial for school violence.

Of course, those who colluded with Lee Hyuk-min could not escape either.

They too will stand side by side with Lee Hyuk-min in court.

There are no prosecutors or lawyers in juvenile court.

In Lee Hyuk-min’s case, because he is a minor, it will be classified as a juvenile case, and a lawyer will attend the hearing in the capacity of an assistant.

The judge takes on the role of the prosecutor.

In juvenile court, the word ‘disposition’ is used instead of punishment, and the disposition measures range from No. 1 to No. 10.

What we wanted was disposition No. 10 [the most severe punishment], and what Lee Hyuk-min was aiming for was disposition No. 7 or lower, meaning not going to a juvenile detention center.

I also heard that Lee Hyuk-min’s father entrusted the case to Jangyoung, a law firm that rivals Taekwang.

Since it is a large law firm comparable to Taekwang, they will probably use all possible methods to get Lee Hyuk-min a favorable consideration in court.

In the case of juvenile cases, it is most important to strongly convey the impression that you are repenting of your sins.

Volunteering at orphanages, facilities for the disabled, or elderly care facilities, or donating money.

In any case, the judge takes these things into consideration a lot, so even if it doesn’t come from the heart, he will be doing so.

But before all that, the first thing to do is decided.

That is, to reach an agreement with the victim.

“Lee Hyuk-min’s side asked Jin-cheol if he could meet today.”

“Right away today?”

“They said that the time doesn’t matter at all, and they will accommodate [Korean expression meaning ‘adjust to’] whatever time Jin-cheol wants. I guess they are trying to reach an agreement, right?”

“I guess so. It looks like they are trying to get a letter of no punishment.”

When I mentioned the letter of no punishment [a document where the victim states they do not want the perpetrator to be punished], Kang Min-jae snorted.

“I’ve heard the word ‘letter of no punishment’ more than a hundred times in my life, but this is the first time it’s making me laugh like this. They are talking nonsense.”

“Did the lawyer contact you?”

“No, it seems like Lee Hyuk-min called directly.”

Calling directly, rather than having a lawyer contact, would give a better impression of repenting of the crime.

As I nodded slowly, Kang Min-jae huffed and picked up the phone.

“How should I tell them? They said they will do whatever the lawyer tells them to do. If you tell them not to meet, they won’t meet, and if you tell them to meet, they will meet.”

“First of all, Jin-cheol’s thoughts are the most important.”

“I told him that too, but he keeps saying he’ll do whatever the lawyer tells him to do.”

“I need to talk to Jin-cheol first. Make a call.”

“Yes.”

Time passed since the incident, the long winter vacation was over, and it was time to take the first step into senior year of high school.

Anyway, I tried to handle everything during the vacation as much as possible so as not to interfere with Jin-cheol’s senior year.

The civil lawsuit against Lee Hyuk-min was also quickly processed, and the trial was now a month away.

In the meantime, I only contacted my mother unless necessary, but this matter requires hearing Jin-cheol’s opinion directly.

-Hello.

“Jin-cheol, it’s Lawyer Cha Joo-han. How have you been?

-Ah, are you Lawyer Cha Joo-han? Yes.

-I’ve been well.

“How is your body?”

-When was that? I’m all better now.

“Okay. In about a month, you’ll be a senior high school student. How do you feel?”

-Just, well. Just so so. It’s awkward. By the way, you called because of Lee Hyuk-min, right?

“Yes.”

-I was already wondering what to do.

“What do you think?”

Jin-cheol didn’t answer my question for a while.

-If we meet, do I have to agree?

“That’s not it.”

-It’s not?

“You can meet if you want, and you don’t have to if you don’t want to. The agreement has nothing to do with that.”

-I see……. If we meet, will the lawyers be there too?

“If you want.”

-……Then, I want to meet.

“When would be a good time to meet? The uncles have to check [similar to ‘coordinate’] the schedule too.”

-The sooner, the better. Today is fine too.

I hung up the phone and checked the schedule with Kangbyeon.

“The meeting with Han-joon is tomorrow. It’s okay to meet today.”

“Tell Jin-cheol that we’re going in the evening, and contact Lee Hyuk-min too.”

“Yes.”

The more Lee Hyuk-min seemed to be repenting of his sins, the more we couldn’t afford to stand still.

Even if it is a case that has attracted national attention, judges often try to end it with protective measures when it comes to minors.

Furthermore, since the judgment in juvenile court must be used as a major basis in civil cases, we could not sit idly by.

“Lee Hyuk-min’s side must be having a really hard time because Han-joon’s case is being combined.”

Of course, even if the judge had such a tendency, it did not mean that we had no recourse.

As soon as news reports related to Lee Hyuk-min were released, I contacted Hwangbo Han-joon’s mother.

Because she wanted Lee Hyuk-min to be punished more strongly than anyone else, I thought it would be good to combine Han-joon’s case with this case.

She provided the evidence she had collected to open the school violence committee at the time.

It must be indicted while Lee Hyuk-min’s trial is in progress to be merged, but public opinion was on our side.

Not long after Jin-cheol’s interview was released, a news program interviewed students at Jangmyeong High School about Lee Hyuk-min.

At that time, the students replied that similar incidents had occurred last year as well as this time.

People who saw the report were angry that there were other victims and argued that they should be punished for that incident as well.

In the end, as expected, Han-joon’s case was also indicted together during the trial, and the cases were merged.

“Han-joon has gotten a little better over time, but I think he’s thinking hard about whether to proceed with the civil case because it seems like it will be very difficult.”

“That’s true. Even if it’s a private trial, he’ll have to come to court and testify. It’s not easy to bring up the past again in a situation where he was barely forgetting it…….”

“Still, Han-joon and his parents have a clear intention to punish him, so it’s good that they helped us well with merging this case, even if they don’t want to proceed with the civil trial.”

“That’s right. But since Jin-cheol has been contacted, I think Lee Hyuk-min’s side will contact Han-joon too.”

Even though Han-joon’s side didn’t seem very willing to pursue the civil case, they would never agree to a settlement.

Because they were the people who wanted Lee Hyuk-min to be punished more than anyone else.

“Give them a call. Like I told Jin-cheol. If you want to meet, meet with us.”

* * *

By the time we arrived at Jin-cheol’s house, Lee Hyuk-min had not yet arrived.

His father also seemed to have been contacted and rushed home.

Jin-cheol’s family, sitting side by side on the living room sofa, looked quite nervous.

“He said he’d be here by 6, so there’s still 10 minutes left.”

Kang Min-jae said slyly in the tense living room.

Jin-cheol’s parents nodded heavily.

Jin-cheol was also just staring at the clock.

And at exactly 6 o’clock, the doorbell rang.

His mother quickly approached the intercom.

The screen showed the faces of Lee Hyuk-min and his gang.

They all had faces like they had become criminals.

Jangyoung would have coached them in advance.

What attitude to take when meeting Jin-cheol, what kind of expression to wear.

“…….”

Soon the door opened, and Lee Hyuk-min and his gang entered the entrance.

There was also a luxurious box containing expensive Western confectionery sold at a hotel confectionery.

Jin-cheol’s parents laughed as if they were dumbfounded, and Jin-cheol had no change in expression.

“Come in.”

His mother said in a reluctant voice to Lee Hyuk-min and his gang, who were awkwardly standing [meaning of 쭈뻣거리는] at the entrance.

They bowed deeply to his mother and came inside.

“I, this……. I don’t think this will ease [literal translation of 풀어 드릴 수 있을 거라고는 생각하지 않는데] your and your parents’ hearts……. It’s a small token of sincerity…….”

Lee Hyuk-min placed the hotel confectionery box he was holding on the living room table.

“I hate bread.”

“……Ah, really?”

At Jin-cheol’s cold answer, Lee Hyuk-min hesitated and picked up the box again.

“What do you want to talk about that you asked to see me?”

“……I just wanted to say I’m sorry to you.”

Lee Hyuk-min spoke slowly, looking down.

Unlike when he usually spoke confidently and accurately, his pronunciation was slurred in places.

It was as if he was ready to cry if he was touched.

“Sorry? When did you come to the hospital room and say that you wanted to play with me, my mom, and the lawyers, and told me not to joke around like that?”

“……I was too immature at that time. Jin-cheol, I never thought you would fall out of the window at that time. I just, I just thought it was a joke……. I didn’t know you would turn out like that. I’m really sorry. If I had known there would be such a result, I would never have played such a joke.”

“Really? Then, what about hitting me? It wasn’t just once or twice. There wasn’t a day when my body wasn’t bruised because of you.”

Jin-cheol’s face, which had regained his composure, began to turn red again.

“I’m really sorry about that……. I don’t even know why I did that. After this happened, I realized how immaturely I had lived. I’m really sorry for hitting you like that……. I shouldn’t have done that, I must have been crazy…….”

Lee Hyuk-min began to sob with his hands clasped together.

“Jin-cheol, I really……. I’ll never do that again. I’ll live my life atoning to you. So…… please forgive me just once. Sniff, Jin-cheol…….”

Soon Lee Hyuk-min collapsed to the floor and began to cry.

If Taeshik was here, he would have praised him, saying that he might be able to go to Cannes if he did well.

“Sniff, I really…… I’ll never do that again……. I’m not doing this to be acquitted in court. Anyway, I……. I’ll be punished if I go to trial. But just……. I’m just so sorry to you, and I think that my immature past must have been hell for you, so I feel so, so guilty……. So……. If I could get your forgiveness, I wonder if this guilt would be relieved a little……. Sniff.”

“Really? Then, is it okay to accept your apology but not agree to a settlement?”

“…….”

At Jin-cheol’s sarcastic question, Lee Hyuk-min quickly closed his mouth.

Was he acting out a script that the lawyer had prepared in advance, and then became overly emotionally involved without realizing it?

“……Jin-cheol, that’s,”

“It’s not.”

“…….”

“You came here to settle, right?”

“…….”

“If that’s the case, fuck off, you bastard [translation of 개새끼야]. Get out of our house with that piece of bread.”