Chapter 160
The sudden tax audit had reportedly been triggered by a tip claiming I was evading taxes. When I pressed the investigator for details on what that even meant, that was all the answer I got.
My income mainly came from attorney fees and investment returns from stocks and such. The first issue they raised was the fees. Sure, for a lawyer who'd only opened his own solo practice three years ago, the amounts were substantial—but that was because of the scale of the cases I'd taken on, not because I'd overcharged. But such relative concepts meant nothing in the face of the full-scale "Destroy Cha Juhan" offensive that had just begun.
In an instant, I was branded a lawyer who'd gouged clients with excessive fees. The eye-popping absolute figures on those fees were perfect fodder for media spin. But they didn't stop there. They started nitpicking every investment I'd made—stocks, real estate, you name it. They even tracked down deals I'd dipped into lightly, made a tidy profit on, and exited long ago.
It probably wasn't hard for them. I'd never intended to hide my assets from the start, and I didn't have a single penny of illicit funds. A state agency could easily grasp the full scope of my wealth. I'd entrusted my taxes entirely to an accountant every year, paying out sums so massive even I thought they bordered on wasteful.
And yet here I was, accused of excessive fees, tax evasion, and even illegal speculation.
The matador against me spread across every media outlet. The funny part? There was hardly any falsehood in that news. I'd indeed collected tens of billions in fees, and my investments—speculation to them—had indeed multiplied my assets manyfold. They only claimed there were suspicions, without definitively stating I'd committed crimes. So even if my innocence came to light, a simple "turns out it wasn't true" would let them off scot-free.
"I had no idea I was such a big fish."
A few days later, I'd been transformed into a con artist overnight. Sure, I'd appeared on News9 for interviews and handled high-profile cases, but at my core, I was still just a lawyer running a tiny solo office. Becoming a star attorney was my goal, but realistically, I wasn't yet at the level where every outlet was buzzing about me nonstop.
This was only possible because a shepherd was herding the sheep.
"From what I've heard around, honestly, anyone in the know already knows. Someone's gunning for you hard, dead set on taking down Lawyer Cha. They won't say who outright, but it's pretty damn obvious—timing fits too. Damn bastards."
Choi Jonghyeon stomped his foot in irritation. Kang Minjae just stared at him, face pale as a ghost. I'd called them over to reassure Kang Minjae and Oh Yanghun, who'd grown anxious as my name dominated the news cycle, but Choi was only fanning the flames of worry.
"Wooshin probably isn't even trying to hide it. They're flaunting what happens if you mess with them. Makes sense they'd hold this grudge. After their baby boy Go Sangjun's youngest went to prison, Wooshin Construction shed bloody tears negotiating with the union, but their stock still tanked. And this isn't the first time you've poked Wooshin, right?"
"Watch your words. It wasn't poking Wooshin—we were handling Go Yunseong's mess first. And besides Blue Island Media, we haven't tangled with them on anything else."
"Heard Blue Island Media's changing their signboard? Pouring massive cash into that aspiring writer. And now their star author Jeong Hyejin bailed, so investments are drying up."
"Media's not even a big focus for Wooshin Group, so calling that 'poking' is a stretch. And they screwed up first anyway. Someone would've taken the case eventually, even without you, and the truth would've come out sooner or later."
Kang Minjae fired back at Choi Jonghyeon's points with a gloomy tone, point by point. Choi looked flustered at Kang Minjae's attitude, which felt oddly unfriendly toward him, and started backpedaling hurriedly.
"No, wait—there was the Go Jin-ah case too. Go Sanggyeong's brother to Go Sangjun, after all."
"So you're saying this isn't just Go Sangjun flying off the handle alone over his son going to jail—Go Sanggyeong might be in on it too?"
Kang Minjae sounded shocked, like he'd just discovered an extra enemy.
"...From the rumors, Go Sanggyeong, Go Sangjun, and..."
"Taegwang, right."
Oh Yanghun, who'd been listening quietly, chimed in. Choi nodded gravely.
"Tough enough if those three moved separately, but teaming up for this 'Kill Cha Juhan' push... Lawyer Cha, got any countermeasures?"
Until now, I'd been the one leveraging the media for gains. Iljungilbo's Yun Se-yeon, News9's Jin Hye-kyung—they'd gotten exclusives from me, and I'd shaped public opinion through press plays. But against Go Sangjun, Go Sanggyeong, and Taegwang? My connections wouldn't cut it. Those reporters answered to higher-ups anyway, and those higher-ups would have my enemies' blessings.
"I've never evaded taxes, not even the usual tax minimization tricks. I told the tax firm to report every single won I'd earned, down to the last bill, so there'd be no room for nitpicking later."
"...I asked a guy I know at Jo Beom-bu, and if you really left no gaps, tax evasion won't stick. Ledgers that clean are hard to fabricate—usually, that level of effort goes into hiding crimes, not inventing them."
I'd noticed Oh Yanghun making a ton of calls lately; looks like he'd reached out to his network.
The department handling my case was the Tax Crimes Investigation Division, under the Third Deputy Prosecutor General. In my past life, that had been under me. So I never imagined I'd end up a tax evader. I knew their playbook inside out.
"The issues are excessive fees and speculation—the part about multiplying my wealth several times over."
"We've never charged excessive fees. In Oh Sanghyeon's case especially, he already paid a retainer to another lawyer, so we took even less—and that was at your insistence, sir..."
"I know. But fact is, this little office handled big-firm cases and raked in big fees."
"..."
"So relatively, it's not huge percentages, but the absolute numbers are massive! Kang, don't get me wrong—I'm here because I'm worried about you!"
Every time Choi said something that could be twisted against me, Kang Minjae shot him a glare.
"Lawyer Cha had this strong image of fighting for justice, and now excessive fees plus speculation? Totally against public sentiment. Feels like a betrayal. Even if you walk free without issues, people will say 'of course, he's a lawyer, so he got off on a technicality'—and that'll make it worse."
"Exactly. That's what Wooshin wants. A guilty verdict would be ideal, but even this does plenty of damage."
"What really pisses people off is the speculation angle."
I agreed. Nothing triggers that "wise man" post-nut clarity quite like unearned income. It's the pipe dream of the working masses in this society. When someone you thought was one of you makes a killing through shady investments, betrayal stings. Especially from me—a judicial exam passer hailed as the last rags-to-riches story in law before they scrapped it.
So you're just like the rest after all.
"Plus, it's out that you don't use an asset manager, and your wealth nearly tripled in just over two years. People are saying, 'How else without something illegal?' Not one big hit on a single stock—diversified investments, even. Honestly, I'm curious too. What's the secret?"
"Hey!"
Kang Minjae barked, and Choi clamped his mouth shut.
"Kidding. Anyway, moping around going 'what do we do' won't fix shit."
Choi added cautiously, and Kang Minjae let out a long sigh.
"Bottom line: I've never done anything illegal, and the prosecution probe will prove it. Fake witnesses and evidence don't work on me—that's something Taegwang knows better than anyone."
Taegwang had been burned the most trying that crap against me. Even if Go Sangjun pushed it, they'd have talked him out of it, warning it'd backfire. And Go Sangjun didn't ignore advice from Taegwang's Yoon Won-hyung.
"They'll focus on trashing your image. People care about the drama, not the resolution—so halfway success already."
"...Then what do we—"
"First, cooperate fully with the prosecution. Sure, it's negative press, but they've made me a superstar. To avoid giving them ammo, hand over everything they ask for—documents especially."
"We'll handle that."
"Thanks. Time to head out. Office manager, I'll be back. Appreciate the heads-up, reporter."
I checked my watch. One hour until my scheduled appearance at the prosecutors' office.
"I'll drive you."
Kang Minjae grabbed the keys and stuck close as I put on my coat. I wanted to go alone, but his worried face was a first for me. Hard to brush off.
"Alright."
No solid plan yet. But I had to find one. Otherwise, three years of effort would vanish in a puff of smoke.