Chapter 134
Hwang Youngchan stared at the power of attorney. More precisely, at the three letters spelling out Cha Juhan.
What the hell is this bastard up to now...
Just thinking about how Cha Juhan had brazenly attacked the prosecution last year still made his teeth grind. The prosecutor's office had taken a massive hit to its reputation because of that mad stunt. And whenever Cha Juhan's name cropped up in conversation afterward, Hwang Youngchan struggled to keep a neutral expression.
At gatherings, people often brought him up, unaware that things weren't the same between them anymore. They'd chide Hwang Youngchan, saying he should summon the guy and give him a good scolding. Back in the day, he would have. But the last time they'd met, when Cha Juhan had suddenly demanded to know why he was acting this way, Hwang hadn't answered. As if he had nothing left to say to him.
"......"
Cha Juhan was a lunatic who'd turned on his own the moment he left the prosecution. If they lost this case, it would be no different from the prosecutors rolling out the red carpet for him personally. And the victim wasn't just anyone—it was Go Yunseong. The public, who viewed chaebol heirs with automatic suspicion, wouldn't let this slide quietly. They'd hurl accusations of a botched investigation, claims that the prosecution had taken Wooshin's dirty money.
The chief prosecutor's voice still echoed in his ears. This had to succeed. But it was just as daunting.
Even without Cha Juhan, the case was already a nightmare. No matter how quietly they tried to handle it, once the trial began, reporters would sniff out Go Yunseong like blood in the water. They'd scrutinize every piece of evidence and the sequence of events. Any slip in the connections, and the cries would ring out that the prosecution was going easy on him for Wooshin's sake.
They'd already struggled to dismiss the assault claim since the suspect was throwing a fit about being the victim, without enough evidence to bury it outright. Fortunately, the defense attorney had been steering toward a settlement, so they'd breathed a sigh of relief. Until now.
"Haa..."
This case would be handled as a direct involvement matter, meaning investigator Yang Hansuk would take it through trial. But he'd been spectacularly KO'd by Cha Juhan in court before, and ever since, he'd ground his teeth at the mere sight of that name. Putting Yang in there risked emotional outbursts if cornered.
They needed rational responses at every turn to avoid implicating Wooshin or the prosecution—careful words upon careful words. And yet...
"Handing the courtroom to a trial prosecutor feels risky too..."
No matter how well the trial prosecutor prepped, they wouldn't know the minutiae like the lead investigator. The problem was Cha Juhan—you never knew where or how he'd latch onto a weakness. Without the investigator's intimate knowledge, improvisation would falter, leaving the trial prosecutor begging for a continuance.
Lost in thought, Hwang Youngchan picked up the internal line moments later.
"Have Prosecutor Yang Hansuk come to my office."
Less than five minutes passed before a knock sounded.
"Come in."
At his permission, the door opened without delay. Yang Hansuk, visibly tense, approached Hwang Youngchan, who stood by the window. He'd clearly heard about the defense change too.
"Prosecutor Yang."
"Yes, Chief."
Yang clasped his hands behind his back, gripping tightly. Ever since eating dirt from Cha Juhan in the Kim Hyeongjun case last year, he'd been half-ostracized by Hwang Youngchan. Clinging to the promise that excelling quietly would bring him back, he'd worked like a maniac. In earlier than anyone, out later. Desperate not to lag, he'd chased indictments like a madman to boost his rate. It wasn't everything, but it was a clear metric to shine in, to regain Hwang's favor.
And as reward for that grind, Hwang had called him back.
The thrill of receiving that case file from him—nearly two months ago—still burned fresh. Yang brimmed with anticipation, dreaming nightly of nailing this and reentering the main stream. Until today, when he saw Cha Juhan's name on the record copying request.
"You saw the defense change."
"......Yes, I did. It's Senior Cha."
Yang bit his lip. He'd half-expected this when summoned, but he prayed it wouldn't come.
"You should step back from this one."
"Chief!"
"I know you've worked hard. But you know better than anyone how critical this is."
"Are you worried, Chief? You think I'll lose to Senior Cha again?"
"A sudden switch to Cha Juhan means he's smelled blood."
"Blood?"
"Yeah. Something he can devour. You know why he always wins in court?"
Hwang asked. Yang hesitated, then answered curtly.
"No idea."
"He doesn't take losing cases. That's why he always wins."
"......"
"He took this one thinking he can win. You must've slipped somewhere. Anything ring a bell?"
Yang's pride stung, but he kept a straight, stubborn face.
"Nothing."
"Sure?"
"Positive."
Hwang eyed him steadily. Yang was top-notch: great academy scores, eager from day one. He joined seniors' drinks, always affable and adaptable. Better at the social game than the rigidly robotic Cha Juhan. No one would call him lacking.
But in Hwang's eyes, he fell short in key ways. Everything got compared to Cha Juhan. Even his sycophancy grated sometimes—the very flaw Hwang had once overlooked in Cha as his only weakness.
"Fine, then tell me: are you confident?"
"......"
"I've said it a million times: this case is vital. Not just you—me too. Can you really pull it off? Can you handle the fallout if it blows up?"
As Hwang pressed, Yang lifted his head.
"I don't think it'll fail. Back then, the prosecution knew nothing of the truth. Total misstep. And yes, that was my shortfall."
"But."
"This time, we have the full truth. And to grasp the scene, they can only use our secured evidence."
"Hmm."
"You know we took those statements ourselves. No leaks. Unless Senior Cha planted a spy in my office—which wouldn't help anyway. I handled this solo, ultra-discreet. Even the office investigators don't know."
Yang poured it out without pause.
"All he can do is line up witnesses. But that's tough. Wooshin's bribes aren't pocket change. Even if he drags one in, we discredit them."
Hwang crossed his arms.
"Then explain Ye Hee-sook's mother in the Kim Hyeongjun case. She swore she had nothing to say in court. We got zilch. Then Cha hauls her in, and she drops valid testimony."
"......That's different."
"How?"
"Her mom suspected something and had evidence. This is different. No witnesses saw the assault. And unlike Kim Hyeongjun prepping to beat someone, this was spontaneous. No one to testify about warning signs."
Unless Go Yunseong's aide—who joined the beating—testified, impossible. Wooshin promised to handle their guys. If that botched it, their fault—no blaming the prosecution. Room to dodge blame.
"Chief, I know I'm green. But you picked me—I won't let you regret it. I've honed myself these past year and a half. Shocked when I heard about the switch, sure. But I shook it off. Vowed to shove it all back in his face, twice over."
Yang spoke with resolute determination. He'd kneel if it won the chief's heart.
Hwang watched silently, pondering. The case was already Yang's; he'd taken the statements. Yanking him now, fueled by inferiority to Cha, risked him snapping unpredictably later. Ways to handle that existed, but better not escalate. Plus, with his self-imposed penance, he'd pull every trick to avoid double humiliation.
"Alright. But Prosecutor Yang, this is your last shot. No second chances."
"Of course."
"Out."
As Hwang turned, Yang bowed deeply. The moment he exited the chief's office, he whipped out his phone.
"Section Chief. Block the record copying request for the Oh Sanghyeon case defense attorney. ......Yes. Just deny it. ......Who cares about later FOIA requests? Deny now—why keep arguing? What? Prosecutors' words don't count anymore?"
Yang snapped irritably, drawing glances from passersby in the hall. He squeezed his eyes shut. He knew it was paranoia, but their looks seemed to pity him for the inevitable thrashing by Cha Juhan.
He was just in a defeatist rut. To break it, he'd win this time. By any means necessary.