Chapter 148
This time, even I couldn't hide my surprise.
"CCTV footage? How on earth do you have it, Site Manager?"
A [Truth] hologram floated above his head, yet I still couldn't believe it. I'd never even hoped for a copy of the CCTV footage in the first place. Naturally, I'd assumed the police had seized the storage device, and the prosecutors would have questioned them about it afterward.
What I'd wanted was someone to testify to exactly what they'd seen on the footage.
"When Deputy Oh was summoned by Go Yunseong, a lot of time passed without him returning, so I went to the site office to check the CCTV."
It was a fact I already knew. The site manager glanced at my face, perhaps sensing my impatience, and continued.
"As I watched the footage, it hit me—no, I was certain—that Go Yunseong might try to tamper with this incident. You'll understand why if you see it yourself, sir."
"So you made a backup."
"Yes. Thank God I did."
"Does Go Yunseong or the prosecution know you have a backup copy?"
I doubted it. Go Yunseong's people had already made multiple attempts to contact the site manager and had even planted a mole nearby to eavesdrop on his calls. If they'd known, they would've gotten rid of it long ago or openly threatened him.
"No, they don't."
The site manager shook his head. Then, cautiously, he pulled a USB drive from his jacket pocket and handed it to me.
"It's all in here. I've been carrying it on me out of fear."
I took the USB. I'd have to verify the contents for sure, but this footage alone might be enough to force the prosecution to drop the charges. How to use it would require some thought, but one thing was clear now.
We could prove Oh Sanghyeon's innocence and hold Go Yunseong accountable.
"There's a lot on that CCTV. You'll see everything without me explaining. Please... clear Deputy Oh's name with this."
The site manager bowed his head deeply.
"And... I'm sorry if my lies caused any confusion in your investigation."
"No, not at all."
Blocking that bat aimed at the back of his head had injured my arm, making me his benefactor—but now, he had become mine. Besides, I'd known from the start that he'd lied about there being no CCTV when I first visited the site, so it hadn't muddled the investigation at all.
He seemed so remorseful that I wanted to ease his guilt, but asking how I knew it was a lie would leave me speechless. Regrettably, I held my tongue.
"For now, let's get you discharged and grab a simple meal while we talk the rest over. Kang the lawyer should be back by now after I sent him away. What time is it... Ugh."
"L-Lawyer Cha! Are you okay?"
Out of habit, I'd reached for the watch on my left wrist with my right hand and winced. I'd forgotten about the half-cast on my right arm.
"But sir, with your right arm injured, are you sure you can eat out?"
As we headed out of the emergency room, the site manager asked with a worried look.
Ah, come to think of it, he had a point. At any restaurant, a right-hander like me had no way to eat with chopsticks without spilling.
"Maybe if Kang the lawyer helps."
"No."
The site manager had just tossed it out casually, but I turned serious without meaning to. The thought of Kang Minjae making a fuss to feed me made my vision blur.
"Sorry, but we'll have to postpone the meal."
Luckily, the reception desk wasn't too crowded, so we didn't wait long. When my pre-taken waiting number flashed on the board, I stood up.
"Wait here a moment."
"No, no."
The site manager tried to push me aside at the counter and use his own card. I nudged him aside with my good left shoulder and paid with mine. If he'd been on my right side, I might've failed.
Emergency room fees were exorbitantly higher than outpatient—several hundred thousand won at least. I couldn't let my benefactor foot that bill.
"Sir! Got coffee! The police called about that thug earlier, so I was delayed."
As we stepped outside, Kang Minjae appeared ahead, holding a coffee carrier. With the driver here, it was time to head home.
"Site Manager, where do you live? We'll drop you off."
"Me? Not far from here. Subway's right up ahead—I'll be home quick."
"No, we have things to discuss. We can talk on the way."
On the drive to his place, after forcibly seating the stubborn man in the car, I checked my phone calendar and spoke up.
"Site Manager, our trial's set for the end of next month."
"Oh, really? Tell me the date, and I'll take the day off to attend."
He replied as if it were no big deal. But that wasn't what I meant.
"I'm bringing this up because of that thug who threatened you today."
"That thug? We reported it to the police... Worried they haven't caught him yet?"
"Whether they catch him or not doesn't matter. Even if they did, Go Yunseong's side could just hire someone else."
The site manager shivered and rubbed his arms at my words.
"They sent that thug because they feared you might tell me the truth about the incident today."
"Yeah, makes sense. If it'd been another day, maybe a random beating, but the timing's too perfect not to suspect."
The site manager scratched his cheek in response.
"I don't think Go Yunseong's side really meant to harm you."
"That's a relief, but why do you say that?"
Kang Minjae, who was driving ahead of me, answered first.
"If they truly wanted to hurt you, they wouldn't have used a bat. Something like a knife."
He was right. A bat had too many shortcomings for killing someone outright. It could kill with a precise strike to the back of the head, but in that dark alley, there was no guarantee of landing it perfectly. Hell, a single stab from behind with a knife would've ended it easily. Using a bat instead... well, it wasn't professional.
If I were the employer, I'd never send an amateur like that for a hit.
"Probably just to scare you. Or, worse case, knock you out and kidnap you."
The chloroform-on-a-handkerchief trope from movies wasn't all that reliable. Sure, if you kept it pressed until they passed out, it worked—but people didn't just drift off in seconds. Fight back hard, and the plan failed. A bat to the head was the simplest, surest way to knock someone out. A pro could've done it without killing.
"Kidnap? Me... to that extent?"
I wanted to say Go Yunseong's crowd was capable of it, but I held back. Voicing my hostility toward Wooshin might come off as irrational.
"Because if I convinced you to testify, it'd be trouble for them. They'd have planned some way to silence you, kidnapping or whatever."
What would Hwang Youngchan or Yang Hansuk do? Hwang might go as far as harming the site manager to prove his loyalty to the Go family by handling the case cleanly. But he wouldn't risk something that could backfire on him—no murders.
Probably settle for a 'random' beating to hospitalize him and block testimony.
I tilted my head. Yang Hansuk, though? Hard to say. He seemed to hate me intensely, but I barely cared. I only watched him because his grudge could complicate things.
"Will they keep targeting me?"
"Hm, I doubt it."
Conversely, now that you'd met me, harming you wouldn't change much—they might just give up. Fifty-fifty chance. You might've told me everything already, or not. Unknowable until trial, like Schrödinger's cat.
In that case, targeting you again raised their risks. This time, luck let the thug escape, but next time? They'd get caught. And they wouldn't think I'd let you stay in danger like an idiot.
"Still, they'll prepare for the chance you told me the truth. Not knowing about your CCTV copy, they'll scheme to discredit your testimony."
Like claiming you held a grudge against Go Yunseong and perjured yourself. Discrediting one witness in court wasn't hard.
"Of course, meaningless with the CCTV."
"Good to hear."
"But I can't ignore worst-case scenarios. If they risk it all to silence you... we'll have to protect you properly."
"...Any way to do that?"
"If not, we'll make one."
The site manager let out a small chuckle at my response.
"I'll assign someone to you. Someone who can watch over you at the site and outside. Think of it as a bodyguard."