You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 8

“You Have Been Defended – Episode 8”

“Hello, Attorney Cha! Would you like an Americano?”

“Yes.”

“Is the office all set up?”

“Yes, I think I can start working now.”

A franchise cafe located on the first floor of the building.

I’ve been busy going back and forth to the office for the past few days, and the part-time worker recognizes me and greets me warmly every morning.

I feel like I’ve seen her face somewhere, but I can’t quite remember.

Did she come to the prosecutor’s office as a witness sometime?

“Your order is ready. I upgraded your size as a service.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, Attorney Cha! Are you here for work today?”

“Mr. President, you’re here early.”

“Yeah, it’s the day the new machine comes in.”

The owner of this cafe owns the building, but he doesn’t work directly and occasionally looks around the store to manage it.

He was happy to hear that I was going to set up a law office on the second floor, saying that he would come to me if anything happened later.

He has a slightly nosy personality, so he would sneak in and give advice whenever furniture came into the office, but he doesn’t seem like a bad person.

He seemed to take care of the part-time workers in his store like his own children.

“I hope the office does well. I hope you take on big cases that make a lot of money. Haha.”

“Thank you.”

I felt like the conversation would get longer if I kept accepting it, so I stopped appropriately and went up to the office.

I like the office very much.

It was a good place for the price, as the real estate agent said.

“Hmm.”

Sitting in front of a clean desk, I closed my eyes.

In my head, I once again organized my plans for how to live in the future.

For a while, I was going to focus on building a reputation as a lawyer.

Once my income stabilizes to some extent, I will proceed with pro bono work [legal services provided free of charge] and take on cases that others avoid.

Of course, I also needed a case famous enough to make a name for myself.

What I need right now is to build trust with the Bar Association and appeal to a clean image, rather than collecting information about Wooshin.

‘I’ll naturally meet the people I need to meet while working.’

To be selected as a Wooshin special prosecutor with the recommendation of the Bar Association in the future, I must lay the foundation from now on.

First of all, I have to take on the first case to do anything.

I picked up the office phone and started calling the NGO [Non-Governmental Organization] organizations I had listed last night.

Even if it’s a pro bono case, it will be promoted.

* * *

After experiencing the crowded subway, I gave up commuting by public transportation and sat in the driver’s seat early this morning.

I turn on the radio that broadcasts the morning news and wait for the signal on the congested road.

[On April 1, actor Kim Cheol-hwan and his wife, famous doctor Yeo Hee-sook, were found dead in their home, causing great shock…]

‘Was this case around this time?’

If the incident happened on April 1, it was two weeks ago.

I’ve been so busy that I didn’t even know that a case that shook Korea had happened.

In this country, countless people are killed every day, but I remember this case clearly.

I heard a lot of stories because it was in charge of the Criminal Division 3, where I used to work.

In addition, the victims were Kim Cheol-hwan, a famous actor, and Yeo Hee-sook, who often appeared as a medical expert on health programs.

The prosecutors in Criminal Division 3 had a hard time conducting the investigation amid national interest.

It wasn’t my responsibility, so I don’t have any specific memories.

However, I clearly remember that the culprit was very clear.

I stopped by the first floor cafe to buy coffee before going up to the office.

“What would you like to order?”

There used to be a part-time worker who always asked, ‘Attorney, would you like an iced Americano?’ at this time.

Seeing that she hasn’t been seen for two weeks, she seems to have quit.

I kept thinking I had seen her somewhere, so I was going to ask her sometime.

“Iced Americano, please.”

“Yes, I’ll prepare it right next to you.”

While waiting for coffee, I overheard the customers sitting at a nearby table.

“The Kim Cheol-hwan and Yeo Hee-sook case. Is it really true that it’s murder, not suicide?”

“Wow, I still can’t believe it. It’s the first time an entertainer has been murdered.”

The Kim Cheol-hwan couple murder case was a matter of great public interest until the day it was concluded.

Kim Cheol-hwan had been volunteering for underprivileged children for a long time, and he encouraged adoption by directly adopting a child from an orphanage.

His wife, Yeo Hee-sook, was a famous doctor who had been providing medical services to poor elderly people for a long time.

‘Around this time, if you just turned on the television, it was all about Kim Cheol-hwan and Yeo Hee-sook.’

The culprit was the adopted son whom Kim Cheol-hwan and his wife adopted and raised.

He was usually openly discriminated against by his biological son, and he had several fights with his parents because of this.

Testimonies from neighbors and his biological brother followed, and eventually the adopted son admitted this and accepted the first trial sentence and was imprisoned.

“Here’s your coffee.”

“Thank you.”

I took the coffee and went up to the office, and a familiar person was standing in front of the door.

“Mr. President?”

“Oh, Attorney Cha. You’re here for work.”

“Yes. But what are you doing here?”

“Well, I… I need some help.”

“Mr. President? Please come inside first.”

I pressed the security key and went inside and turned on the office lights.

I was about to offer him tea, but he said he didn’t need it and urged me to consult with him quickly.

It seemed like a very urgent matter.

“What’s going on?”

“That, have you heard about the murder case of the actor Kim Cheol-hwan and his wife?”

“Ah, yes. I heard about it a couple of weeks ago.”

“Yeonjun was arrested as a suspect, and I was wondering if Attorney Cha could help him.”

“Who is Yeonjun?”

“That, the part-time worker at our cafe that you see every morning.”

I was so surprised that I almost dropped the coffee I was holding.

I wondered why I hadn’t seen him for a while, but was that part-time worker the adopted son of that family?

Come to think of it, the defendant’s name in that case was Kim Yeonjun.

“Is that friend the adopted son of Kim Cheol-hwan and his wife?”

“Yes. But he’s not the kind of kid who would do that. Really.”

He must have been very kind to the owner, who even came forward to ask for help.

However, knowing the future in which Kim Yeonjun even confesses, I was not very happy, even if it was a request from the building owner.

“How do you know that?”

“What?”

“That friend named Kim Yeonjun seems to have made a good impression on you, but there are many people in the world who are different on the outside and inside. It is difficult for a lawyer to simply trust someone’s word that he is not the kind of person who would do that.”

“Yeonjun is a friend I’ve known since he was young. I knew him while volunteering at the orphanage, and he was so kind that the younger siblings at the orphanage looked up to him so much. The nun also liked him so much, saying he was like an angel.”

It’s a Zen dialogue [a conversation or exchange with the purpose of spiritual enlightenment].

There are plenty of people in the world who hide a knife in their hearts and act to gain trust on the outside.

“When Kim Cheol-hwan said he would adopt him, I was so happy because I thought he was a good kid and would live in luxury. He’s like my own child.”

The building owner even shed tears.

“That guy even worked part-time, saying he couldn’t cause trouble even though his parents had a lot of money. He was so considerate that I even raised his hourly wage… Wouldn’t Attorney Cha meet him even once? Huh? That guy doesn’t have much money saved up, so he can’t even find a decent lawyer. The state-appointed lawyer is just making strange noises…”

I sighed.

Isn’t it said that the building owner is above the landlord? [a Korean saying implying the power of building owners]

I already know all the details of the case, but as a tenant, it is difficult to refuse the building owner who asks for this much.

“If the retainer fee is a problem, I’ll guarantee it. Anyway, if Yeonjun is released, he’ll have the inheritance from that house… Yes, I’ll even pay half of it instead. Huh?”

He didn’t say he would pay everything, but he would pay half?

I didn’t know he would come forward like that when he was spending money on something that had nothing to do with him.

“It’s not a matter of retainer fee…”

“Just meet him. Just meet him. Huh? Attorney Cha is a competent lawyer. You also solved the unsolved Jo Jin-tae case.”

The tissues that were brought were piled up messily on the table.

I can’t just ignore this as he cries and begs.

“Okay. I’ll meet him. But don’t expect too much.”

“Thank you, thank you, Attorney Cha!”

* * *

Kim Yeonjun’s trial date was set for a week from now.

While applying for a visit and waiting, the story of Kim Cheol-hwan and Yeo Hee-sook continued to be broadcast on the television in the waiting room.

Since it wasn’t my case, I don’t remember the specific details of the investigation.

However, I clearly remember that all the processes were carried out smoothly because public opinion about the unfilial son who killed the two people who had a good image was very negative.

“Mr. Cha Joo-han, please come this way.”

According to the building owner, the state-appointed lawyer was pressuring Kim Yeonjun to admit the crime and seek leniency.

State-appointed lawyers often take on several cases at once.

Especially since he probably had a prejudice against the unfilial son who had already murdered his adoptive parents like Kim Yeonjun.

Maybe it’s a natural thing.

Well, I’m also in a situation where I was reluctantly pushed to visit.

“Oh, lawyer…”

Kim Yeonjun, who came out to the visiting room wearing a prison uniform, had become very emaciated in just a few days.

“What brings you here?”

“The building owner asked me to meet you.”

“Ah…”

As soon as he heard the word ‘owner,’ Kim Yeonjun’s eyes turned red.