Glorious Debut (3)
A new verdict document materialized before my eyes.
Order 1. The plaintiff's claim is dismissed.
Order 2. Litigation costs shall be borne by the plaintiff.
The plaintiff in this land ownership dispute was JB Construction, which had filed suit demanding the return of the land. In other words, the dismissal of the plaintiff's claim meant JB Construction's defeat—and simultaneously, QS Resort's victory in the case I had taken on. On top of that, the court had ordered JB Construction to bear the full litigation costs, rather than the usual split or each party covering their own. It meant JB Construction had dragged QS Resort into court over a matter that never should have gone to trial, forcing them to incur legal expenses. For a victory, it was a decisive win—the equivalent of a knockout in boxing.
Having already received advance notice of my debut victory as Kwon Ho-gyun, I smiled broadly toward the ceiling. There was no need to feel tense about a debut match I couldn't possibly lose. A warmth I had never experienced as Kang Min-chan wrapped around my entire body.
The next two weeks passed in a blur of activity. The bar exam results were announced, and as expected, I passed at the top of the list. Numerous media outlets requested interviews, but I turned most of them down. I only gave a heads-up to a few outlets friendly to the QS Group, telling them to come to the courthouse in two weeks. They would have the honor of covering the spectacular debut stage of the QS Group's third son.
As soon as my bar exam certificate arrived, I registered with the bar association and submitted my notice of appointment to the court for the land ownership dispute. With that, I was no longer merely assisting Oh Il-mu—I had become QS Resort's official legal representative.
The first action I took as counsel was to file a motion for production of documents with the court. When I lacked the documents needed to prove my case, I could request a court order compelling a third party to produce them, subject to the judge's discretion. The document I wanted to see was Song Jeong-pil's bank transaction records.
It would have been far simpler to submit the conversation logs Yeo Eun-ju had hacked as evidence, but if opposing counsel or the judge questioned their source, things could get complicated. Merely possessing the contents of the conversation between Jang Gang-tae and Song Jeong-pil could expose me to charges of violating secrecy laws. With only Song Jeong-pil's account records, I could prove that Jang Gang-tae had transferred 350 million won to him right before the contract termination agreement was drafted. There was no need to take that kind of risk.
Within days, the judge granted my motion, and I immediately received the bank records showing that JB Construction had transferred 350 million won to Song Jeong-pil. At this point, the other side must be feeling the heat. Jang Gang-tae, foolish enough to send the money from a JB Construction account rather than a nominee or personal account, was probably tearing his hair out. His poor lawyer was likely being grilled mercilessly to find a way out.
Of course, this case had already passed the point where a lawyer could resolve it through legal arguments alone. The best legal move available to them would be to withdraw the lawsuit. But if they did that, both the new lawsuit we would file and the public opinion battle they had started would tear them apart—something their lawyer and I could both easily predict.
Time continued to pass steadily, and today was finally the hearing date for my glorious debut stage. Before entering the courtroom, I briefly encountered opposing counsel outside. He looked half-dead, as if he had been severely reprimanded. He shot me a resentful glare, as if blaming me for requesting the disclosure of Song Jeong-pil's account records, before stepping into the courtroom.
Once the trial began, the judge addressed JB's counsel instead of me.
"The reason JB Construction sent 350 million won to Mr. Song Jeong-pil has not been clarified in the documents. Would counsel for the plaintiff care to explain?"
"Ah, well, I'm sorry. It was a transfer unrelated to this matter."
"It's difficult to view it as unrelated when the timing is so suspicious. Wasn't it right before Mr. Song Jeong-pil drafted the contract termination agreement with QS Resort?"
"I'm sorry. It involves confidential business matters of JB Construction, so I cannot discuss it in open court."
Well, well. Even though he tried to speak with the formality expected of a lawyer, that was essentially an admission that the 350 million won was highly suspicious. For my part, it was convenient that they were raising the white flag on their own.
The judge glared at JB's counsel with clear displeasure.
"I see. If you find it difficult to answer in open court, it would have been better to provide a written response before the hearing. Incidentally, Mr. Song Jeong-pil, who was scheduled to appear as a witness today following the previous hearing, does not seem to be present."
"I'm sorry. Witness Song Jeong-pil suddenly fell ill today and was unable to attend."
"Understood. Does counsel for the defendant have anything to add?"
It was finally my turn. I rose from the counsel's table and walked calmly to the center of the courtroom.
"I am Attorney Kwon Ho-gyun. We understand that JB Construction transferred 350 million won to Mr. Song Jeong-pil in exchange for his cooperation in forging the contract termination agreement submitted as evidence at the previous hearing. Unfortunately, the plaintiff's explanation on this point has been insufficient."
JB's counsel's face crumpled.
"That is a baseless speculation!"
"Whether my claim is speculation or not, I ask the honorable presiding judge to examine this evidence and make that determination."
When I handed the documents to the judge, JB's counsel even jumped to his feet and shouted.
"This evidence was not submitted in advance!"
"Didn't JB Construction also bring an unscheduled witness at the previous hearing?"
The judge, who had taken the documents I offered and reviewed them, intervened between us.
"Both counsel, please calm down. The evidence just submitted details the process by which the contract termination agreement between QS Resort and Mr. Song Jeong-pil was forged—the core issue of this trial. I therefore deem it highly important for revealing the substantive truth of the matter and admit it into evidence."
A soft chuckle escaped me. If this had been a criminal case, the evidence might have been rejected due to questions about its source. But this was a civil matter, where the judge had discretion to admit evidence. In civil proceedings, if the judge determines that evidence is necessary to uncover the substantive truth, it can be admitted even if its origin is unclear.
Once again, a victory ruling came down in my favor. JB's counsel collapsed into the chair he had just leapt from, as if his legs had given out. I smiled leisurely toward the gallery, and cameras sprang up from the audience, having caught my signal. This time, the reporters were the ones I had summoned—not JB Construction's.
Click, click. The reporters surrounded me even as I left the courtroom after the hearing. Now free from the judge's restrictions, the flashes erupted even more fiercely.
"Attorney Kwon Ho-gyun, are you indeed this year's top scorer on the bar exam?"
People usually avoided reporters at the courthouse. Few came to court for good reasons, after all. It was no easy task to answer the aggressive questions from journalists united by a professional drive to craft sensational headlines about unfortunate events. Plenty of people had been branded as foul-mouthed for a single misspoken word or turned into eternal meme material for a poorly timed expression.
Of course, my situation was completely different. This interview had been arranged by me and for me. The reporters gathered here had been carefully selected from media outlets friendly to the QS Group. Moreover, I had pre-selected questions that would pique their interest—ones that would help them craft sensational headlines. They had no reason to refuse.
The question I had just heard was one I had planted in advance. I answered while giving the dutiful reporter a subtle look.
"Yes, that's correct. I am Kwon Ho-gyun. I was quite pleased to hear the news of my top score on the bar exam."
"Could you share a few words about how you feel?"
"Of course. First, I would like to express my gratitude to my father, who has always believed in and supported me. From now on, I will strive to become a good legal professional who contributes to justice in this society."
The first part was undoubtedly directed at Chairman Kwon Byung-do, who would be reading this article. The latter was merely decorative language befitting my background.
Click, click. My photograph, taken against the courthouse backdrop—perfect for a bar exam top-scorer interview—was captured by the reporters' cameras.
Several related questions followed—things about justice and so on. The social justice I had just mentioned? Well, perhaps such a thing existed. After all, someone had to create it. Those with money and power crafted their own version of justice and forced others to follow it. What interested me was seizing both the money and the law of this society in my own hands and creating the justice I would enforce going forward.
I was no longer the naive legal professional I had been as a prosecutor—recklessly trying to lock up one more criminal in the name of justice, only to be marked by my superiors, suffer alone, and eventually submit my resignation. After a few more principled yet impressive answers about justice, the second pre-arranged question followed. This one had been discussed with Chairman Kwon Byung-do in advance.
"There are rumors circulating that Attorney Kwon Ho-gyun is the hidden third son of QS Group Chairman Kwon Byung-do. While questions about family relations may be sensitive, could you confirm this for us?"
Hah. When reporters weren't being chased away and were given a leisurely interview, they could be this polite. Of course they could ask. That was why I had told them the question beforehand.
"Yes. I will state it clearly here. The father I thanked at the beginning of my conversation with the reporters is indeed QS Group Chairman Kwon Byung-do."
A brief silence fell among the reporters before questions about today's trial resumed.
"This appears to be your first time appearing in court as an attorney. How do you predict the outcome?"
"As those who attended the hearing would have seen, JB Construction not only mocked the sacred court by submitting forged documents but also attempted to pin an embezzlement charge on an innocent executive of our QS Resort. The judge has fully acknowledged this point."
"Does that mean you are confident of victory?"
Of course. I had already seen QS Resort win in the future verdict document. It would be strange not to be confident.
"Yes, of course. I can confidently say that not only will we win this land ownership dispute, but we will also bring to justice everyone who tried to fabricate charges against a precious member of our QS family."
"Can you tell us exactly who you intend to punish?"
If I named Jang Gang-tae, the eldest son of the JB Group, right now, the reporters would cheer. But it was still too early to declare war on the JB Group through the media. I would set aside the charge of forging private documents that could be pinned on Jang Gang-tae for now.
"We are still in the investigation stage, so I cannot give a definitive answer. However, whether it is the JB Group or anyone else, if they act against the justice of this society that I seek to protect, I will not stand by as an attorney."