Chapter 18
I was working in the office preparing for the trial scheduled for the next day in Kim Gi-jin’s case when—
Knock, knock.
Park Hyun stood at the open door.
“Attorney Yoo. Aren’t you having lunch?”
“Is it already lunchtime?”
“We work to live, so you should always eat on time. If you don’t have plans, come with me.”
“Yes.”
I followed Attorney Park Hyun to a pork cutlet restaurant. As soon as we entered, the owner greeted us warmly.
“There’s a table open for you, sir.”
She pointed to a seat deep inside the restaurant. It was tucked away in a corner, not easily visible from the entrance.
“The usual?” she asked.
“Of course. Yoo, is a pork cutlet set okay?”
“Yes.”
“Two sets, please.”
It seemed Park Hyun always ordered the same menu.
“This is my usual spot, Yoo.”
“I can see why.”
“Do you know why I like this seat?”
Park Hyun smiled faintly.
I sat down and looked around the restaurant.
“From here, you can see the entire restaurant at a glance. It’s a place where you can observe others without being noticed. I thought it might be because you worked in criminal investigations for a long time.”
“As expected of Yoo. Sharp observation and sharp reasoning.”
Park Hyun laughed continuously, seemingly pleased, and poured water into two cups by flipping them over.
“I heard you took on another big case?”
“It’s not that big.”
“The one that made the news, right?”
“Yes.”
“You haven’t even been a lawyer for long, but your skills are impressive.”
“I just got lucky.”
“Luck becomes skill if it continues.”
While we were talking, the pork cutlets arrived.
The thick cutlet was crispy on the outside and juicy inside. One bite made me understand why Park Hyun liked this place.
“How’s the trial? Is it a winnable case?”
Park Hyun asked while stuffing his cheeks with pork cutlet.
“The real culprit has been caught, so the murder charge against Kim Gi-jin should soon be dropped.”
“The real culprit?”
Park Hyun’s eyes widened.
“Yes.”
“Still, it’s not over until it’s over. Don’t let your guard down.”
“Of course.”
“You’re careful, so you’ll do fine.”
He nodded.
“By the way, about drugs.”
“Drugs?”
“Are they easy for ordinary people to obtain?”
“Currently in our country, drugs come through three main routes. First, kids who studied abroad bring them in—chaebol third-generation types.”
Kim Gi-jin had no overseas study experience.
He was extremely wealthy, but as far as I knew, he didn’t have friends who studied abroad either.
He didn’t like pretending to be smart, nor did he like people who were smart.
Besides, he had said the methamphetamine always came from Song Seul-gi.
So where did Song Seul-gi get it?
My guess was Kang Du-sik.
The way he looked at the adult PC café was suspicious enough. Since the police had already tested him, I just needed to see the results.
But where did Kang Du-sik get it?
“What about ordinary people without overseas experience? Is it easy for them to get drugs?”
“Second route is medical—things like propofol or diverted pharmaceuticals. Third is smuggling through China. It used to come from rebel regions in Myanmar, but now China mass-produces it cheaply.”
“So it might also be traded in places like gambling dens?”
“Illegal gambling houses? Those are run by gangs, so distribution networks can overlap.”
Park Hyun nodded.
—Why are you suddenly thinking about drugs?
The red-eyed entity, who had been greedily stealing half my pork cutlet, spoke.
‘Something feels off.’
—What’s so complicated? Isn’t it just Kang Du-sik giving it to Song Seul-gi, and Song Seul-gi giving it to Kim Gi-jin?
‘Seul-gi didn’t seem heavily addicted. She’s different from Kang Du-sik.’
—Does it even matter if Kim Gi-jin gets acquitted? Why think so much?
I didn’t respond anymore.
Kang Du-sik giving it to Song Seul-gi made sense, but why Song Seul-gi gave it to Kim Gi-jin felt off.
After lunch, while returning to the office, my mother called.
“Hyun-jae.”
“Yes, Mom.”
“You’ve been busy lately, right?”
“I took on a big case. It’s been a while since I came home.”
I hadn’t visited her since moving to Ansan, always using work as an excuse.
—You’re busy, I know.
“This weekend I’ll make time to come home. Is everything okay?”
—Let’s talk when you come.
Her answer was vague, and she hung up.
Something was wrong.
Her voice didn’t sound good. I felt uneasy.
No matter what, I had to go home this weekend.
Even though the real culprit had been caught, the prosecution did not drop charges against Kim Gi-jin.
Something was clearly wrong.
Kang Du-sik had been charged with assault.
But the murder charge for Song Seul-gi remained on Kim Gi-jin.
I requested Kang Du-sik as a witness.
Since he was in detention, he had no choice but to appear.
On the morning of Kim Gi-jin’s trial—
Before entering the courthouse, I received a call from his grandmother, Mrs. Lee Hwa-young.
“Attorney Yoo?”
“Yes, this is Yoo Hyun-jae.”
“Can I come to your office for a moment?”
There were still about forty minutes before the trial.
“Yes, I’ll wait.”
—Hiiik, why is that old lady coming here?
The red-eyed entity panicked and circled around me anxiously.
It seemed traumatized.
‘If you’re scared, you can leave for a bit.’
—Who’s scared? I’m not scared!
It said that, but soon disappeared somewhere.
A moment later, Mrs. Lee Hwa-young arrived at the office wearing a luxury fur coat, accompanied by her adopted daughter Lee Hae-mi.
Hae-mi, who had been present during Kang Du-sik’s arrest, stood behind her and greeted me with her eyes.
She tried to remain expressionless due to Mrs. Lee’s presence, but her gaze clearly showed warmth and familiarity.
Mrs. Lee sat in the consultation room, asked for cold water, and drank it all at once.
A worrying act for a woman in her seventies during winter.
“Before the trial begins, there’s something you need to know.”
“What is it?”
“This case… is not about Gi-jin. It’s about me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Two months ago, people came to see me.”
She opened her handbag and placed a business card on the table.
- Taeyoung Law Firm, Attorney Jang Min-wook
Was a Taeyoung lawyer involved in this case?
She continued calmly.
Hae-mi, sitting beside her, widened her eyes as if hearing it for the first time.
“I own some land in Yongin. Yoo Ryong Construction wants to build apartments there. I knew about it already.”
Kim Gi-jin’s words suddenly came to mind.
“My grandmother is actually a land baron.”
It wasn’t surprising.
She likely had connections to obtain real estate information quickly.
“A lawyer from Taeyoung, representing Yoo Ryong Construction, came to me. They made an offer, but I refused to sell.”
She sighed deeply.
For a company like Yoo Ryong Construction, the price would not have been low.
“Was the price unsatisfactory?”
“No. That land is cursed. If construction begins there, accidents will happen. Anyone who lives there won’t live out their natural lifespan.”
It felt strange hearing this from someone who had built her wealth through shamanic dealings in property and land.
“Does it sound strange coming from someone who only cared about money?”
I was slightly flustered.
“Sorry.”
“I like that about you. You don’t fake expressions. I accumulate money because I have uses for it later. Anyway, Yoo Ryong Construction kept begging through Taeyoung, but I refused.”
Then I realized something.
Kang Du-sik’s defense lawyers today were from Taeyoung Law Firm.
How could someone who used to hang around a PC café afford Korea’s top law firm?
“It seems Yoo Ryong Construction is involved too.”
“Indeed. Taeyoung and Yoo Ryong are both huge names. I never thought they would resort to such dirty tricks.”
She nodded.
“This morning, I got another call from Taeyoung.”
“What did they say?”
“They asked how valuable the land in Yongin is. Whether it is as precious as my most valued possession.”
“!”
The largest law firm in the country was acting no better than gangsters.
“So what did you say?”
“I went to pray in Jirisan to find the answer.”
“And you got an answer?”
She nodded.
“I agreed to sell it. Because, as they said, it’s not worth more than my grandson’s life.”
Everything suddenly clicked into place.
Even after the real culprit was caught, the prosecution did not drop charges against Kim Gi-jin.
Because Taeyoung Law Firm was behind it.
Han Gu-young, the head of Taeyoung, was rumored to be a lawyer who stood above the law.
Retired judges and prosecutors dreamed of joining Taeyoung for high salaries.
That was why they rarely ruled against Taeyoung’s interests.
It was the law firm handling the most domestic and international corporate litigation.
They were infamous as a “traitor law firm” for winning by any means necessary for foreign companies.
So even the judge in this trial might not be safe from their influence.
“So Taeyoung didn’t explicitly say they would clear Gi-jin’s charges?”
“They don’t say things directly. Always indirect. They said I would pay for dragging this out. They are using Gi-jin as a hostage.”
Mrs. Lee bowed her head.
“Attorney Yoo, please save my grandson.”
Her sudden humility surprised Hae-mi beside her.
It was clear she would do anything for Kim Gi-jin.
Hae-mi also bowed.
“To be honest, we considered other major law firms too.”
As expected. With her wealth, she could easily hire any top firm.
So why choose me?
“But Gi-jin insisted on you. He said no one handles cases as meticulously as you. Even though he is my grandson, he has a sharp eye for people—except when it comes to women.”
She coughed lightly.
“Hae-mi also said your dedication to this case is exceptional.”
Hae-mi nodded politely.
“No matter the cost, we will pay success fees. Please help our Gi-jin.”
It was not an easy battle.
Even though it was a criminal case, Taeyoung Law Firm stood behind it.
The only answer I could give remained the same.
“I will do my best.”
