Chapter 9
The One Who Remembers, The One Who Rages
“……”
The words were so sharp that Kang So-young couldn’t find anything to say.
He had managed to infer everything just from the fact that she’d shown up here.
“If you hire a lawyer, they’ll still demand a success fee once it’s over, won’t they?”
“They said they’d take three million won.”
A five-million-won retainer and another three million for winning — that kind of money was a fantasy for her, someone who’d had to give birth at a shelter for unwed mothers because she couldn’t afford a hospital.
“I’ll help you.”
“But… without a lawyer, how could we possibly…?”
“Technically, anyone can file a lawsuit themselves.”
Lawyers never admit it, but in civil cases, you’re allowed to represent yourself.
It’s not easy — all those forms, replies, petitions, evidence, rebuttals, supplementary documents — but for Noh Hyung-jin, who had done this sort of thing for a living, it was child’s play.
Well, if all it costs me is my own labor to solve this, then that’s cheap.
“If you’d like, I can help you draft it. If you’re nervous, I’ll even write the complaint for you first — once you read it, you’ll see I know what I’m doing.”
“That’s illegal under the Attorney-at-Law Act…”
“That’s just what lawyers say because they don’t want to lose business. Doing it for free, out of goodwill, isn’t illegal.”
Lawyers hated it when non-lawyers helped others draft documents.
So they’d spread that kind of fear. Half true, half nonsense.
If someone charges money to do it, yes, that’s a crime.
But if it’s done voluntarily, without payment — no violation at all.
“I…”
After a long hesitation, Kang So-young finally steeled herself.
If she wanted to raise the baby sleeping softly in her arms, she needed money.
“What do I need to do?”
#Recycling Day
“Are you sure this is okay?”
“Yeah. Leave it to me.”
After meeting Kang So-young, Noh Hyung-jin managed to persuade Yoon Mi-young as well.
In the end, Yoon Mi-young had no choice but to be brave —
because that very day, Lee Gyu-sung had tried to drag her by force into a motel.
Fortunately, she’d managed to call Noh Hyung-jin.
The moment his talk with Kang So-young ended, he jumped into a taxi, rushed over, and reached her before Lee’s shift ended — just in time to pull her away.
She’d grown complacent under Hyung-jin’s protection, but after that ordeal, she had to admit she couldn’t endure this any longer.
“First, we need to deal with your father.”
Even if she pressed charges, the man would take the hush money and withdraw the complaint.
Sure, he’d stop touching his daughter, but that money was meant to pay for her psychological treatment — and the odds of him gambling it all away were one hundred percent.
“We have to make sure your dad can’t get his hands on any money.”
“How? You think he’ll stop just because I tell him to?”
“That’s why you’re going to do exactly what I say.”
“Are you saying he’s a severe alcoholic?”
“You have no idea. When he’s drunk, he turns into an animal.”
Noh Hyung-jin spent several days gathering information from the neighbors — recording their testimonies, collecting stories about Yoon’s father’s violent outbursts, and checking his bank records, loans, and repayments.
“What does any of this have to do with… that?”
Investigating her father seemed completely unrelated to catching a sex offender, and Yoon Mi-young couldn’t hide her anxiety.
She couldn’t understand why it was necessary to dig into her father’s affairs in order to punish her rapist.
“I need to make sure you’re protected first.”
If her father spent all the money, the trauma from this whole ordeal would destroy her life.
He only had to look at Kang So-young — the living proof of what could happen.
Who in their right mind would want to live as a single mother?
“But how can we? He’s an adult, and we’re just kids.”
“True — but there’s still a way.”
“A way?”
“Yeah. First, we gather the evidence. It’ll make everything easier later.”
“What did you say?”
The clerk stared at the two middle schoolers in disbelief, glancing between them and the documents they’d just handed over.
“Who taught you to file something like this?”
“I studied it myself.”
“You studied it?”
The man looked over the papers again.
But there wasn’t a single thing missing. Everything was properly written.
“So you’re the applicant?”
“Yes. Here’s the official ID verification from the district office.”
“Hmm.”
Since she didn’t have a national ID yet, she’d gone and gotten a verification certificate instead.
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
“Are you saying you won’t accept it?”
“I didn’t say that.”
The clerk frowned down at the title of the document:
“Petition for Limited Guardianship.”
Limited Guardianship
In simple terms, it’s a legal measure that restricts a person’s rights when they’re deemed mentally or socially incapable of acting rationally.
Once Yoon Mi-young filed for limited guardianship over her father, citing severe alcoholism and gambling addiction,
Noh Hyung-jin followed up by requesting restrictions on all financial activity — loans, withdrawals, and acting as a legal representative.
If approved, her father couldn’t borrow money, withdraw existing funds, or even sign legal settlements on behalf of his daughter.
Of course, that didn’t mean there weren’t problems.
“You filthy brat! I fed you and raised you, and you repay me like this?!”
“Kyaaa!”
“Die, you little bitch!”
Her father’s eyes were bloodshot with rage as he lunged at her.
People said he turned into a dog when he drank, but this wasn’t a dog — it was a beast.
Yeah, I figured this might happen.
Hearing the commotion from behind the door, Noh Hyung-jin frowned.
He had predicted exactly this. That’s why he’d made preparations without telling her.
“Oh dear…”
A man came rushing over, face pale at the screams inside.
“You need to stop him. Now.”
“You were right. We’ll have to restrain him. Open up! I’m the court-appointed guardian!”
“What? You son of a bitch! You think you can just barge in here?!”
The man was the legal guardian assigned by the court after Yoon’s father was declared partially incompetent.
Since Yoon Mi-young was still a minor, she couldn’t be appointed herself.
That was why the court had assigned one — and Hyung-jin had called him the moment the violence began.
“Please calm down, sir.”
“Calm down?! My own daughter’s suing her father?!”
“She’s not suing — it’s for your treatment—”
“Treatment? You think I need treatment? Shut up, you bastard!”
“Kyaaa!”
“Urgh!”
Suddenly, the man pulled out a knife and began swinging wildly.
Hyung-jin grimaced. Even drunk, there were limits — some things were just unforgivable.
“This is dangerous. We’re going in!”
The guardian signaled to the people waiting outside.
Two men in white coats and two police officers burst in.
“What—what the hell?! You bastards! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill all of you!”
Her father flailed and screamed, slashing wildly.
The guardian narrowly dodged the blade and shouted to the police:
“He’s a clear threat to others! As his court-appointed representative, I authorize restraint!”
One of the officers pulled out a taser and fired without hesitation.
“Gaaahhh!”
Convulsing, the man collapsed to the floor.
“For the record — the subject exhibits extreme aggression and poses a danger to others.
I request immediate transfer to a psychiatric facility for involuntary treatment.”
The two men in white nodded and carried the unconscious father out to a transport vehicle.
“That was close. Good thing you called it in quickly.”
“Yes.”
Hyung-jin gave a bitter smile.
He hadn’t reacted quickly — he’d simply been waiting for this to happen.
“Sob… sob…”
He gently wrapped an arm around the trembling Yoon Mi-young and calmed her down.
“It’s okay. It’s over. You’re safe now.”
Even as he soothed her, a sour smile tugged at his lips.
He’d expected this and let it play out — and that never felt good.
“What’ll happen to him now?”
“For now, they’ll treat him for alcoholism at the psychiatric hospital.”
“Figures.”
Assaulting his own daughter, a legal guardian, and the police —
if not for the guardianship already in place, he’d have gone straight to prison.
“The court said something about declaring him fully incompetent. What’s that mean?”
“It’s like limited guardianship, but stricter — he won’t be allowed to make any legal decisions.”
“I see…”
Maybe the shock was too great.
She just nodded, not even trying to defend her father.
“Well, now that your father’s out of the way, we can finally handle our problem.”
“You think we can?”
“This time, there’s no escaping it.”
Out of five known victims — including Yoon Mi-young — four had agreed to press charges.
One gave up, but four matching testimonies were more than enough.
Filing the complaints themselves wasn’t difficult.
This wasn’t school bullying — they couldn’t refuse to accept a rape case.
The problem came after that.
“Mi-young! Open the door! Let’s talk!”
In the darkness, a man pounded on the front door.
“Mi-young, this is a misunderstanding. I did it because I love you. You know that, right?”
He shouted into the dark, his voice echoing through the night.
It was Lee Gyu-sung — the culprit himself.
He had come to Yoon Mi-young’s house.
“You believe me, don’t you?”
But she wasn’t there.
Noh Hyung-jin had predicted this and taken her to his house beforehand.
“Guys like him always do this — show up and try to make a deal.”
“How did you know…?”
“He’s a teacher, remember.”
“But didn’t he go see So-young too?”
“The police must’ve told him.”
“The police?”
“Yeah. That’s how they are.”
They claimed it was the suspect’s right to prepare a defense —
but in reality, they freely handed over the victims’ contact info and addresses.
It was insane.
That’s how most victims got harassed or intimidated into settling.
Even if the offender spread rumors all over town, the police just ignored it. Too lazy to care.
“But…”
“I’ll take care of it.”
He held her trembling hand firmly, steadying her.
“Son.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“What in the world are you mixed up in?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why did your teacher come here looking for that girl, Mi-young?”
When Noh Hyung-jin had brought home a girl and asked if she could stay “just for a while,” his father had been stunned —
but he’d trusted that there must be a reason and let her use the room Hyung-jin used to share with his sister.
Hyung-jin himself slept on the sofa.
But now, her teacher had shown up at their door.
Yeah, I figured he’d come to this.
Of the four victims who had filed charges, two had already withdrawn them.
The man had shown up at their houses, screamed through the night, and spread vile rumors. They couldn’t take it anymore.
That left only Yoon Mi-young and Kang So-young — and he couldn’t reach either.
The unwed mother’s shelter didn’t allow male visitors.
And certainly not a rapist.
Even if rumors spread, those women were already used to being whispered about — they didn’t care.
So now, desperate, he’d come hunting for Mi-young.
“I knew he’d come.”
“You knew?”
“Yes. Everyone at school thinks Mi-young and I are dating.”
“You’re dating?”
“Well… not really.”
Then, calmly, Noh Hyung-jin told his father everything.
And for the first time in a long while, he saw genuine fury flash across his father’s face.
