Chapter 155
The site manager looked flustered, as if he hadn't anticipated such a question. And he wasn't the only one. Hwang Youngchan, seated in the gallery, was subtly shaken as well. If even Hwang Youngchan—who was adept at masking his emotions when he chose to—was showing tension, it meant this was an unscripted remark. In other words, Yang Hansuk's improvisation.
But that day's incident had been orchestrated by Go Yunseong's side—precisely by Yang Hansuk himself. What on earth was he scheming?
"That's true."
The site manager answered after a moment's hesitation.
"Could you describe the events of that day in detail?"
"......I was on site and heading home when it happened. As I turned into the alley, a thug suddenly tried to strike me from behind with a wooden club. That's when Lawyer Cha Juhan saved me—and took the blow instead, suffering a fracture in his arm."
Yang Hansuk glanced back at me with a strange smile playing on his lips.
"You're referring to the defense counsel present in this courtroom, correct?"
"Yes."
"Were you with the counsel at the time?"
"No."
"Then how did the counsel know to appear there?"
"We had plans to meet after I got off work."
"Was that the agreed-upon location?"
"......No."
"So how did the counsel know to show up there?"
I stopped the pen in my hand. I could guess Yang Hansuk's intent now.
"The meeting spot was elsewhere, but Lawyer Cha said he came to pick me up just in case someone was tailing or watching me."
"What do you mean by 'tailing or watching'? Who would do that to you?"
"......Who else but the people afraid I'd reveal the truth—the only one who'd seen the CCTV footage? I'd originally told the police I saw nothing, so changing my story now would put them in a bind."
"Are you saying Go Yunseong's side did this? Are you certain?"
There was no hard evidence. It was just suspicion turned certainty. The thug knowing about the secret contact plan—known only to me and the site manager—could only be explained by eavesdropping on his phone.
"I have no proof. But realistically, who else would try to harm me but Go Yunseong's people?"
"So, are you testifying differently from your initial statement to investigators out of anger that Go Yunseong's side tried to harm you?"
"Not exactly—"
"Please answer yes or no."
The site manager sighed. The reasons for his change of heart couldn't be boiled down to simple yes or no. But this was a common tactic in witness examinations—exploiting a truthful witness's inability to perjure themselves to extract the desired response.
With a pained expression, the site manager nodded.
"......Yes."
"Assuming that incident never happened, you wouldn't have changed your testimony from what you told investigators, correct?"
He'd resolved to tell the truth the day I saved him from that near-terror attack—even though he'd already promised Go Yunseong's side to stay silent. It must have been anger at Go Yunseong for trying to harm him, mixed with guilt over my injury in his place. Without that event, he probably wouldn't have altered his story, just as Yang Hansuk claimed.
"......Probably not."
"Your Honor, the defense requests a new witness."
Yang Hansuk turned to the judge.
"Who is it?"
"The very 'thug' who tried to harm the witness. We intended to call him earlier, but the suspect confessed to all charges this morning, leaving us no choice. We only learned of it during the recess, so I ask for your understanding. This is to prove the witness's perjury."
"Counsel, do you consent?"
Kang Minjae shot me an anxious look. He must have expected me to object immediately, so my hesitation surprised him.
I pressed down on his trembling hand with mine.
"I told you not to be nervous."
I whispered to him. Judging by his wide-eyed stare questioning how I could stay calm, it didn't help much.
I pulled my hand away and answered.
"We consent."
We were in the same boat, about to submit undisclosed evidence ourselves. Objecting here could get our evidence tossed too.
"This could harm your client. Are you sure?"
Not defendant or witness, but warning the counsel of potential damage—how considerate. Yang Hansuk had surely coached that thug to commit perjury, and his testimony would corner me. I knew it better than anyone. Rejecting unprepared witnesses or evidence was routine in court. But to the jury, it might look like we had something to hide.
"We consent."
Soon after, a man in prison garb entered the courtroom. A stranger to me. It had been dark, and his face was covered, so I hadn't seen it clearly.
After the routine oath and introduction, Yang Hansuk began his examination.
"Witness, did you attempt to assault Chu Jeunguk, site manager at the Wooshin Construction Centré Apartments site, last December, only to fail?"
"Yes."
I'd wondered if he'd hired an actor, but no—it was the real thug. The incident had ended in failure with minor injuries, so they'd probably cut a deal for a suspended sentence. With extra cash thrown in, of course.
"Why did you try to harm Chu Jeunguk?"
"I was instigated to do it."
"Instigated by whom?"
"......"
"Witness?"
The man in prison garb hesitated briefly, then slowly raised a finger—pointing right at me.
"That guy over there?"
"Are you pointing at defense counsel? Which of the two, specifically?"
"Both."
Kang Minjae stomped his foot at the brazen lie.
"How exactly were you instigated?"
"They said to pretend to attack Chu Jeunguk, and he'd show up to save him. No one gets hurt badly that way, but to make it convincing, he'd take a hit himself. So we agreed to swing just hard enough to fracture an arm."
"I see. So that day's events were a self-staged drama by the counsel?"
"Yes. And if caught by police, I was to say Go Yunseong put me up to it."
"Meaning the counsel staged it to make Chu Jeunguk resent Go Yunseong?"
"Your Honor, objection. The prosecutor is leading the witness."
Kang Minjae shot to his feet. A broken pencil lay before him—he was furious.
"Sustained. Prosecutor, restrain yourself."
"Let me rephrase. The counsel staged it to make Chu Jeunguk believe Go Yunseong was out to harm him?"
"Yes."
"Esteemed jurors. The counsel staged this drama to win over Chu Jeunguk—who likely checked the scene's CCTV—and stoke his rage against Go Yunseong's side. But as we noted early in evidence review, there was no CCTV at the site, nor any footage of it in investigators' records. Can we truly believe the witness saw this nonexistent CCTV?"
Yang Hansuk paced toward the jury, speaking smoothly. This wasn't a musical; strutting and declaiming in court, even in a citizen-participation trial, was ridiculous.
"The human occiput houses the medulla oblongata, unprotected by the skull—a fatal spot if struck hard with a club. Chu Jeunguk must have felt mortal terror, ample reason to mistakenly blame victim Go Yunseong's side. Had the thug not been caught, he'd likely still believe Go Yunseong was trying to kill him. It's no stretch that such a witness, harboring grudge, would perjure himself. That's all."
"Counsel, cross-examination?"
The judge asked. Just as I'd shifted the trial's focus from Oh Sanghyeon to Go Yunseong, Yang Hans