You Have Been Defended - Chapter 104
[Last March, a sex tape featuring Mr. Jeong Yeongjun spread across the internet. Everyone remembers it. The victim, Mr. Jeong Yeongjun, claims he has no memory of the act in the video and that it wasn't his will. Due to that tape, he's on the brink of divorce. But in a shocking turn, prosecutors today have indicted Go Jin-ah—Mr. Jeong's wife and executive director at Yangjin F&B—along with Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs Ji Nam-ho and Jo Hyeon-seok, known for providing sex bribes to him and other high-ranking public officials, on charges of instigating special rape against Mr. Jeong and illegal filming of a sex tape. The court has issued search warrants for Ms. Go's home, vehicle, workplace, and the residence owned by her grandmother-in-law, confirmed as the filming location. Prosecutors also revealed they confirmed footage from the black box of Ms. Go's secretary Ju's vehicle, showing an unconscious Mr. Jeong being transported to the site.]
No sooner had the announcer finished than the screen cut back to the morning's prosecution briefing. In a room packed with reporters, the head of the Special Crimes Division stood at the microphone. Behind him, Lee Ye-jin stood with her hands clasped. The chief prosecutor's brief remarks continued. Since the suspects hadn't appeared yet, he seemed to be holding back. Explaining the full process of identifying the perpetrators in detail would inevitably touch on links that weren't legally airtight. Like the affair between Go Jin-ah and Jo Hyeon-seok, for instance. Even with the ring and custom-made luxury bag as evidence, they could play dumb and deny it to some extent.
In a prosecution briefing—unlike me, a non-public official—they had to stick to certainties.
"Chasing the reporters away from the office isn't the end of it. The phones won't stop ringing—seriously."
Reporters had swarmed the office since morning. Luckily, by the time the coverage hit, Kang Minjae and I were already inside, so no photos of us. But if we'd been even a bit late, we might not have gotten in at all. I'd told Lee Ye-jin it was okay to leak that she got the tip from me, but I hadn't expected this much chaos. I was racking my brain on how to clean it up, but it resolved easier than expected. Tenants from other offices on the floor complained to the building owner, Lee Yeongho, who came up and started shooing the reporters away. He must've grabbed a broom from the cafe downstairs in a rush. But it wasn't smooth sailing. The reporters vented at him, demanding who he thought he was to block their reporting. And that's when the legendary line dropped. He bellowed, "I'm the building owner!" and the reporters shut up like they'd been zapped. Right there, he called me to confirm I had no intention of doing interviews and wrapped it up neatly. Of course, it took over three hours.
We'd already caught the morning news, but for some reason, we kept flipping channels to watch the same coverage on repeat. Kang Minjae even devoured every celebrity gossip show covering famous folks. But sadly, we couldn't focus on it. Clearing the reporters from the front didn't stop the phones from going insane. Our cell phones and the office line rang nonstop. Mine even died, so I had to keep it plugged in. We couldn't cut the lines in case Taegwang called. So Kang Minjae had to check every caller ID. And with the client Jeong Yeongjun possibly calling, we couldn't power off our cells either.
"Maybe we should get a separate number just for the client."
"It'll calm down after this case."
The inbox was on the verge of exploding too. Endless interview requests from press outlets and broadcasters. Not just the big news slots—even radio shows piled in. Over a hundred new emails. Some wanted Jeong's stance, but most asked how we knew Go Jin-ah was the filmmaker. Prosecutors hadn't mentioned it, so everyone was dying to know.
Iljungilbo's Yun Se-yeon was spamming the inbox hardest, of course.
"We have to release a press statement anyway. Why not give it to Reporter Yun? She's helped a ton."
"To be precise, it wasn't help. Mutual win-win."
I needed press exposure; she needed scoops. I'd never asked her to run a non-scoop story. Didn't mean I wasn't grateful, though.
"I want to give it to her too, but this time it's going elsewhere."
"Where?"
"News9."
Kang Minjae quickly found and opened the News9 email.
"Attorney, this is asking you to come to the newsroom for a one-on-one with the anchor. You sure you read it right? It's not just a phone interview."
He waved it off, laughing like I wouldn't do that.
"I know."
"...Pardon?"
"News9 has the highest ratings of any news show. Reply that I'll do the interview."
Kang Minjae stared, baffled.
"You're really going on TV? You?"
Back with the superintendent scandal, we'd been cautious about revealing too much. Explaining how we got the principal stealing exam papers on film was tricky. But this case was different. Using NIS wasn't illegal, and restoring video quality sure wasn't. My plan from the start was to gradually build public recognition of my name as a lawyer. In my past life as a prosecutor, fame backfired due to being a public servant. I hadn't shared this with Kang, so his shock made sense.
"I'm going."
"What's gotten into you, Attorney? This is next-level shock."
"Didn't you say we need to drum up business?"
"Oh, right."
"Name recognition brings clients, no?"
"True."
He got it but still looked puzzled.
"Anyway, reply and give them times I can talk. Say I'll miss their call otherwise."
"Got it."
News9 replied lightning-fast. They wanted me on live in a few hours, but I said no. Too much to do today. With Go Jin-ah and Jo Hyeon-seok just exposed as the filmmakers, we had to prep for contingencies. Ego mattered, but nailing the case came first. Only after locking in an exclusive on Jeong's stance and process for tomorrow's live did I hang up.
"No prosecutor days or personal stuff."
The question list was wild. They allotted way more time than I expected and pried into my personal life.
"Kim Hyeongjun case or our first meeting—short answers okay?"
"Brief mentions only, skip all personal. Too tabloidy."
As I crossed some out, Kang grabbed my hand.
"Not that one. Jo Jintae case at least—your last prosecutor gig, super famous."
Once I said News9 for promo, he turned fighter, scanning questions, undoing my crosses, pitching to keep them. After a tug-of-war, we trimmed it. A third of their questions got axed, but more stayed than I'd planned. Emails and calls flew, schedule set smooth. They seemed eager to accommodate.
"No word from Jeong In-ah?"
News exploded that morning; we called Jeong Yeongjun first. She'd said he hadn't slept till dawn, finally knocked out with meds come morning. Promised to call when he woke.
"Nope, nothing yet. Phone might be buried under calls, but no texts either. I'll try ringing."
Evening now—even late risers were up.