You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 97

Three days passed without any contact from Jung Young-joon.

During that time, Tae-kwang called once a day to urge us, but each time I replied that a meeting was impossible because I had not yet finished consulting with my client.

Each time Tae-kwang called, the voice on the other end of the line grew younger, probably because the task of contacting us was so annoying that they kept passing it down to subordinates.

In any case, as expected, they wouldn’t file a complaint until we met and discussed it in person, so I didn’t rush Jung Young-joon.

I just hoped that Tae-shik would quickly confirm who Jo Hyun-seok was giving the bag to before Jung Young-joon contacted me.

Of course, unfortunately, the daily report I received from Tae-shik until he left work that day didn’t include any such information.

It was around 9 p.m.

I was smoking a cigarette on the veranda, looking down at the night view, when the phone suddenly rang.

“This is Cha Joo-han.”

-Hello, Attorney. This is Jung In-ah, Jung Young-joon’s younger sister. I’m sorry to call you so late, but is it a good time to talk?

“Yes, it’s fine.”

-There’s something I wanted to ask you.

Her voice was somewhat lower than usual.

It seemed something had definitely happened to Jung Young-joon.

-The day Attorney Kang brought my brother home, the 15th, did anything happen at the office?

“Has something happened to Jung Young-joon?”

-When my brother first came home to live with us, he was doing okay. He was going to the hospital, and it seemed like he was getting better. But since the 15th, he hasn’t been eating, and he’s been locked in his room drinking. He won’t open the door… When I listen in the early morning, I only hear him crying in his room…

Jung In-ah began to sob.

-And earlier, I knocked on the door like crazy and barely saw his face for a moment, and he suddenly said he would divorce his wife without any conditions, just as she wanted. It doesn’t make sense that someone who’s been wronged would end things like that without even properly investigating.

“So, what did you say?”

-I told him exactly that. I said it doesn’t make sense for someone who’s been wronged to do that, and that he could just be honest with me. I asked him if he was really being wronged.

I sighed.

Perhaps that made Jung Young-joon feel like even his family didn’t believe him.

-Is something wrong with my brother? Why is he suddenly acting like this…? It’s been three days, and my parents are so worried, I’m going crazy. I’m worried about what will happen to my brother… *sob*

“…….”

-I’m worried he’ll say he wants to die. Why is my brother suddenly like this? Do you know, Attorney?

I sighed.

Jung Young-joon had hesitated to even move back home because he was afraid his family would worry.

Should I tell Jung In-ah everything?

I hesitated for a moment, but there was only one conclusion.

She may not know it, but Jung Young-joon had already attempted suicide once.

If he had been in that state for three days, it wouldn’t be strange if he tried again.

More than anything, if she knew all the facts, she would oppose Jung Young-joon’s decision.

If someone were to persuade Jung Young-joon, it should be his family, not me.

To change his mind, I had to tell In-ah.

“It seems he learned some new facts about Go Jin-ah.”

-My sister-in-law? Did my sister-in-law do something to my brother?

I repeated the explanation I had given to Jung Young-joon to her.

She listened to my story without interrupting once, only sighing.

-……So, you sent my brother home because you thought he would agree to a divorce on the terms that his wife, no, that woman wanted? And my brother has been locked in his room for three days, thinking and thinking, and that was his conclusion.

“That’s right.”

-I’m so upset, really… How can there be a woman like that? No matter how important her parents are to her husband, how can she socially bury someone like that…? I’m so upset, really…

Jung In-ah was crying, but she didn’t lose her composure.

She cleared her throat and said.

-My family was against my brother marrying that woman. I was young, but I remember it clearly. I knew for sure that my brother would be mistreated in that house. Especially when my father-in-law, no… When Go Sang-kyung said he was against the marriage, I knew it.

“Um, was there any conflict between the families while Jung Young-joon was married to Go Jin-ah?”

-Conflict? They barely saw each other, how could there be conflict? We never saw that family except on the wedding day.

“For seven years?”

-Yes.

“Didn’t you see Go Jin-ah either?”

-Not really, I saw her during the holidays. Well, I’m not going to say anything about it… But honestly, I thought it was a bit much. The year they got married, my mom prepared my brother’s birthday meal at our house, but she couldn’t come because her in-laws wouldn’t let her.

“I see.”

This kind of thing wouldn’t have a big impact on Jung Young-joon’s divorce case, but it was something to include in the answer if it went to litigation.

I looked for a memo pad for a moment, then quickly wrote it down on the corner of a newspaper.

-Ha……. Attorney. I think I need to talk to my brother first. It doesn’t make sense for him to get a divorce without resolving his grievances. I’ll do whatever it takes to change my brother’s mind. Even if I have to talk to my mom and dad.

“I’d appreciate it.”

-No, I’m the one who’s… I know it must have been hard for you because my brother was so unstable, but thank you for not giving up.

“You’re welcome. Then please talk to Jung Young-joon and contact me.”

-Yes. I’m sorry for calling you so late. Have a good rest.

I hung up the phone and put it down.

If Jung In-ah hadn’t called today, Jung Young-joon might have sent me a text message tomorrow saying he was stopping the investigation and getting a divorce.

I didn’t want to receive such a call either.

It’s not just that the efforts I’ve made so far would be a waste, but it’s not a pleasant thing for a case I’ve taken on to end so vaguely.

The next afternoon, I received a call from Jung Young-joon.

He said he wanted to come to the office, so Attorney Kang stopped what he was doing and brought him over.

“Hello, Attorney.”

Jung Young-joon smiled awkwardly and sat across from me.

“I heard my sister called you late last night. I’m sorry, you must have been resting.”

It seemed he had had a fight with his sister yesterday.

“No, it’s okay. Your sister had enough reason to worry, and I was in the office anyway. Have you thought it over carefully?”

If I said it was after work, he would just repeat that he was sorry, so I cut him off appropriately.

“…Yes. I think I was too caught up in my emotions and only thinking about myself.”

Jung Young-joon ran a hand over his face and sighed deeply.

“I didn’t think about the pain my sister and parents would go through. Everyone around me knows that I’m their son and sister’s brother. If I keep being branded as a pervert, people will look at my family in a bad light because they’re related to someone like that… I was short-sighted.”

Kang Min-jae breathed a sigh of relief.

Jung Young-joon clenched his knees tightly and said.

“I didn’t know because my sister didn’t say anything, but it seems like my video was being talked about among my sister’s friends in her department. My sister said that Jung Young-joon wouldn’t have done it on purpose, and she got into an argument with her friends, and when they asked how she knew, she told them she was Jung Young-joon’s sister. So her friends in her department are looking at her in a bad light…”

I didn’t know Jung In-ah well enough to know for sure, but I suddenly thought that she would have done that.

“My parents also seem to have argued with relatives and acquaintances who came to my wedding. It’s all my fault.”

He said with a bitter smile.

Kang Min-jae patted him on the back and said.

“No, thank you for pulling yourself together. We should have resolved the case sooner, but we’re even more sorry that we couldn’t.”

“Oh, no. The attorneys are doing a really good job. I’ve been thinking a lot, and if I have to get a divorce anyway… I want my innocence to be properly revealed so that the whole nation can know. I don’t want the video to be famous and my innocence to be buried… I don’t want that to happen.”

It was a conclusion based on a very healthy way of thinking.

It was also what I wanted most to hear.

“If I may share some good news, we found another clue in Jung Young-joon’s video.”

“Is that true?”

Jung Young-joon’s face lit up.

I was actually planning to tell him after finding Jo Hyun-seok’s lover, but I thought I should throw out a topic that would boost his will.

“When Jo Hyun-seok took that video, Jo Hyun-seok’s lover was with him.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Yes. And we found a clue to find out who that lover is, and our investigator is looking for her now. I don’t think Jo Hyun-seok would have taken someone who had nothing to do with Jung Hyun-joon to that place just because she was his lover. In my opinion, Jo Hyun-seok’s lover was also related to Chairman Go Sang-kyung…”

“That’s right. There’s no way he would have brought someone who had nothing to do with it to that mess…”

“Maybe she was there to check if Jung Young-joon’s video was being filmed properly. So we’ve been continuing our investigation in that direction.”

Jung Young-joon nodded.

“Yes, if we can find out who it is, we might really be able to prove it.”

“However…”

“…”

“Go Jin-ah’s legal team is persistently requesting a meeting. We get a prompting call once a day, so it’s going to be hard to keep avoiding them.”

Jung Young-joon’s expression, which had been bright, hardened again.

Then Kang Min-jae waved his hands wildly and said.

“Jung Young-joon doesn’t have to go in person. We can go by ourselves. If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to meet them. If you really want to, there’s nothing we can do, but…”

“Even if you really want to, I don’t think it’s a good idea for Jung Young-joon to go to that meeting.”

When I cut him off, Kang Min-jae made a strange face at me, protesting silently.

But I ignored him.

If Jung Young-joon went to that meeting and met Go Jin-ah, I don’t know how his mind would change again.

If possible, variables should be controlled.

“I understand why the attorney is saying that. I agree. If I go to that meeting, I’ll only make things worse, not help.”

It was a very self-deprecating statement, but it was an undeniable fact.

Making things worse is one thing, but anyway, Jung Young-joon had a hard time making up his mind, and it would be a problem if his will wavered.

“Then I’ll set a date with Go Jin-ah’s side.”