Chapter 143
We arrived at the Seoul office around 5 p.m., as the sun dipped low on the horizon. We'd left Byulma Hospital just before 2, but traffic was worse than expected, making us late.
"Ah, Lawyer Cha. You're back."
Oh Yanghun, who had been holding down the fort alone, greeted us with a cheerful face.
"Any updates? You asked me to look into Kim Eui-cheol, so I figured you must have heard something solid."
Kang Minjae shared the story we'd heard with Oh Yanghun—including that the head nurse had agreed to testify about Go Yunseong's falsified diagnosis.
"What about Kim Eui-cheol?"
"Ah, Lawyer Cha. Did you know who he was when you told me to check him out?"
Oh Yanghun asked.
"I only knew he was a site laborer."
"Got it. Kim Eui-cheol's the worker who got humiliated by Go Yunseong that day—the one Oh Sanghyeon stood up for."
Kim Eui-cheol was that guy?
Why the hell would he go to the hospital room?
"So, any contact?"
"No. I called the site office pretending to be an acquaintance, but they said they didn't have his number—he comes from a subcontracting firm. And apparently, he hasn't been showing up at the site lately."
"Then we need to loop in Taesik."
"Yeah, he already said he'd get back to us by tomorrow."
Not showing up at the site.
Kim Eui-cheol was the spark for all this, but he wasn't really the key. He just provided the trigger—the real conflict was between those two. He wasn't even at the assault scene.
So why had Kim Eui-cheol gone to Go Yunseong's room?
"Doesn't seem like he'd go looking for him first."
"To Go Yunseong's room?"
"Yeah. And even if he did, Go Yunseong wouldn't have met him."
Maybe they'd summoned him separately to coerce testimony. One thing was clear: this reeked of money, too.
"Huff huff, an uphill climb with no car access? Huff huff."
As we climbed the steep hillside path, Kang Minjae panted loudly from behind.
"Can't we, huff, walk together? Huff huff huff."
His voice sounded on the verge of collapse.
I silently checked the address for Kim Eui-cheol's house up ahead. If this were my old body, I'd probably be struggling too by now. But back in this 10-years-younger frame, I was grateful for the lightness. A body that barely tired after all-nighters, that held strong after drinking till dawn. Youth really was the best.
"Uwaaa! Lawyer Cha! Wait up!"
As I reached the villa entrance, Kang Minjae bellowed from below. His shout echoed through the narrow alley—major nuisance to the neighbors.
I glanced back and stepped inside, prompting him to sprint like a man burning his last spark of life. No need to describe the terrifying, beet-red-to-purple face.
"Huff huff, ugh, huff huff. So tough, whoo, ha."
He finally caught up, draping himself over my shoulder and gasping. I shook him off and climbed the villa stairs. He despaired at the steps ahead but soon crawled up after me on all fours.
"You a draft dodger, Kang?"
Standing at Kim Eui-cheol's door, I asked. He shot me a glare.
"I'm an Army Reserve Sergeant. Finished before passing the judicial exam. You were a military judge advocate, right?"
"Yeah."
"I trained way more than you, and you call me a dodger...?"
Not every veteran has great stamina, but Kang was seriously out of shape for a young guy. I'd just tossed it out there since draft dodgers can't stay prosecutors anyway. Didn't expect him to get so riled up.
"Forget it. Fix your clothes. Time to ring the bell."
He hastily tucked in his shirt hanging out of his pants.
"Tie."
He must've forgotten yanking it loose on the hill, whining about the exertion. He fixed it then, but I sighed. It was crooked to the left.
"What?"
He tilted his head, reading my annoyed look.
"...Never mind."
I started to reach out but stopped. No point wrestling with his tie. I just pressed the doorbell.
"Not home?"
Kang peered at the unopened door. No answer. I checked my watch. Per Taesik's intel, Kim Eui-cheol hadn't gone to the labor office today. It was that awkward pre-dinner hour.
I rang again, a couple more times.
-Who is it?
Finally, an older man's voice came from inside. I held back, figuring "lawyer" might keep the door shut, but Kang blurted from behind.
"Law—mmph!"
Luckily, I clamped his mouth before he finished.
-What? You ring and don't answer?
Mumbling from inside, then the door cracked open.
"Who're you?"
A weathered middle-aged man with dark, wrinkled skin poked his head out. Taesik's report said 55, but he looked 65. His face bore the marks of hard living—the kind that'd make rejecting Go Yunseong's cash tough.
"Here to ask a few questions."
"Who are you?"
Kim Eui-cheol eyed us warily. No point hiding it now if we wanted in.
"Lawyer Cha Juhan for Oh Sanghyeon."
"..."
"You're Kim Eui-cheol, right?"
His eyes flickered for a split second.
"...I got nothin' to say."
His voice shrank. I could tell he was lying without the ability. But his pained expression almost made me want to leave if the verdict confirmed it.
"You do."
"No, I don't."
He was clearly wrestling between his cover-up and his conscience. His words denied it, but his grimace screamed truth. Time to push harder.
"You met Go Yunseong, right?"
"..."
"Wooshin Hospital, VIP Ward 1803. You showed ID and got escorted to his room."
"...N-no."
He shook his head, trying to close the door.
"What'd Go Yunseong say?"
"..."
"Did he offer to pay off your son's business debts?"
Taesik's latest info: Kim had one son whose business tanked last year. Kim sold his only asset—a fully paid house—to cover some debt. It wasn't enough; the son shipped out on a deep-sea trawler to earn big and pay the rest. He'd often told coworkers his dream was clearing the debt and living together. About 50 million won left—a fortune for a working stiff, pocket change for Go Yunseong to blow in a night.
"..."
Kim Eui-cheol paled, staring up at me. If he'd really meant to hide it, he'd have schooled his face better. But guilt had him looking like a kid caught playing with fire.
My nose for money wasn't wrong.
"No, nothin' like that..."
"He'd have demanded something in return for wiping the debt. What was it? Perjury?"
"I said no! Why keep grabbing at straws?!"
"Then where'd the 50 million come from?"
"..."
I'd stabbed in the dark with the 50 million figure, but it hit home—exactly what Go Yunseong paid. They'd have sized up his situation and offered just enough, no more. They treat billions like nothing for themselves but pinch pennies for others.
"N-never took that kinda money. Go! Get outta here!"
He paled further, shoving at me.
"Sir, could we step inside and talk?"
Kang Minjae, who'd been watching, stepped up.
"We're not here to harm you. Even if you took 50 million, we won't take it back. We just want the truth. As you know, our client... Oh Sanghyeon is suffering so much."
Kim Eui-cheol squeezed his eyes shut at Kang's words. Stroking the guilt worked.
"He's facing trial through no fault of his own, maybe even paying Go Yunseong a fortune. That's so unfair. We're just asking to clear that injustice."
Kang soothed him gently. Kim's tension eased a bit; he bit his lip in thought.
"Give us 10 minutes—no, 5. Please?"
"...What help you gonna get from me? Go see the boss."
"We've already met our boss."
Kang clung like he might kneel.
"Sir, please, just inside for a chat. Yeah? Just a sec, really quick."
And naturally, he slipped his leg into the door gap, wedging it open.
"I said I got nothin'..."
While Kim looked away, Kang wormed halfway inside.
"Nothin' to hear from me. You're wasting time. Go to the boss."
"We don't mind wasting time. Just a quick talk, for real."
Kim reluctantly let us in. The tiny place—barely five pyeong—was crammed with stuff. Room for one to stretch out; two was pushing it. He folded a low table amid the clutter and gestured to sit.
"Ask quick and go."
"We got cut off outside. You went to Go Yunseong's hospital, right?"
"..."
"Why?"
"Didn't go."
"We know everything, sir."
Gentle coaxing got us inside—that was the limit. Kim clamped his mouth shut. To pry it open, better to prod his conscience.
"Did Go Yunseong's side demand testimony?"
