You Have Been Defended - Chapter 164
With a look of utter shock on his face, Kang Minjae stared at me, while the housekeeper naturally took the bag he'd handed her and headed up to the second floor. And then there was that word he'd blurted out the moment he walked in: "Grandpa."
That was all I needed to piece together the situation. Former President Kang Gwanung was the grandfather Kang Minjae had gone to such lengths to keep hidden from me.
"You're here. You're a bit late, aren't you?"
"Yeah, traffic was backed up. But..."
Kang Minjae sidled up awkwardly next to me like a crab scuttling sideways and plopped down. He started peeking at me nervously, clearly worried that now that I knew he was the grandson of a heavyweight politician like Kang Gwanung, I might be disappointed in him.
Sure, I was surprised. But it made perfect sense. Until now, he'd probably struggled to form genuine relationships because of the halo effect from being the former president's grandson. He wouldn't have wanted the "special treatment" people talk about—he'd have preferred to prove himself on his own merits, which is why he'd hoped I wouldn't find out.
In fact, at Taegwang, Yun Wonyeong had always looked out for him, hadn't she? And hadn't they even placed a rookie lawyer with just a year of prosecutor experience as the associate to Kim Yunhui, the firm's number two?
And honestly, I wasn't in any position to get mad at him. I'd basically turned a blind eye despite knowing. If I'd wanted to dig into his background, I could have easily found out. Yun Se-yeon the reporter knew, and others had seemed suspicious of his identity too.
"...Sir, how are you feeling? The investigation must've been rough, right?"
Kang Minjae asked in a meek, crawling voice.
"No, it was fine. Thanks to your grandfather, I got out early."
"...No way, why didn't Grandpa even tell me and just go ahead and do whatever on his own like that?"
He sputtered incoherently, shooting Kang Gwanung a glare. The former president chuckled indulgently at his grandson's whining.
"If you hadn't been picking at your food out of worry for your lawyer, barely sleeping, I wouldn't have had to step in."
"W-When did I ever pick at my food or not sleep?!"
Kang Minjae jumped up in protest, and Kang Siljang answered in his place.
"You did. I saw you come down to the kitchen alone at dawn, pouring whiskey."
"...Bro, when did you even see that?"
His unusually eager, affable demeanor suddenly made sense in this family atmosphere. Others might not see it, but Kang Gwanung and Kang Siljang clearly showered him with affection. Even Kang Gwanung, whose eyes had always been inscrutable, looked tenderly at his grandson.
"I couldn't just leave my immature grandson with you without even saying hello. So I invited you for dinner while I was at it."
"...He's not immature, but if you're gonna help, why not sooner? You must've suffered through that investigation, sir. The media was dragging your name through the mud over nothing."
"You little punk. I raised you for nothing. You only look out for your boss over your own grandpa. Lawyer Cha, our Minjae's like that."
From what was known, Kang Gwanung had lost his only son in an accident. During his presidency, his son's face had been fairly well-known, but his grandson Kang Minjae had just been a kid back then. After Kang Gwanung stepped down and went into seclusion, his grandson had been shrouded in secrecy too.
Hearing that Kang Minjae had studied abroad in the US added up—even more reason his presence stayed under the radar. Sure, some people in the know would have whispered about it, but it had been outside my sphere of interest. Even in my previous life, digging into Wooshin connections, Kang Gwanung had no ties. I didn't care much about influential figures unconnected to Wooshin.
"Sir, dinner's ready."
Kang Siljang approached and said. We moved to the dining room inside the mansion. The long table was laden with every delicacy imaginable. Wondering how they'd prepared so much so quickly, I glanced toward the kitchen and saw several more housekeepers.
It suddenly struck me as amazing that Kang Minjae, raised in a place like this, could grill meat so well at a restaurant or handle chopsticks with such nimble efficiency.
"Dig in. I hope it's to your taste."
"Thank you. I'll enjoy it."
"Sir, have some abalone. Abalone. Oh, there's eel too. Start with the eel."
Kang Minjae, sitting beside me, pulled the abalone and eel from the center of the table right in front of me—before Kang Siljang across from us could even touch them.
"Minjae, you stealing food?"
"Sir worked hard; he needs to replenish his energy. Bro, eat something else."
Before I knew it, most of the main dishes were piled in front of me. Even if I pushed them back to the center, Kang Minjae would spot it like a ghost and drag them right back.
"Eat up, Kang."
"I'm eating fine. Oh, but this bulgogi's kinda off today, right? Your mom's tastes better, sir."
Kang Minjae tilted his head after taking a bite and setting it down. Of course, my mom's cooking was delicious, but not that much better. I glanced at Kang Gwanung, who was quietly eating through Kang Minjae's over-the-top fussing. He didn't seem surprised by his grandson's antics, though he eyed him with a touch of pity.
"Sir, Grandpa didn't give you a hard time while I was gone, did he? I would've come earlier if I'd known you were coming."
Even over tea after the meal, Kang Minjae's chatter didn't stop. He started picking out the tastiest yangga candy from the dessert tray and placing it in front of me. He was always like this, but being in his home turf with me there seemed to amp up his enthusiasm even more.
"He just said nice things."
"No way that's true."
Kang Minjae shot Kang Gwanung a side-eye.
"Does the old man want to eat Lawyer Cha alive?"
Kang Siljang stared at him in disbelief, and Kang Minjae grumbled.
"Last time, your mom made us food, sir. You always take me home and tuck me in when I'm wasted. You've helped me so much. I'm learning a ton under you. So if you get mistreated, I'd feel terrible."
"Did Cha brainwash you? Is it a cult?"
It was getting ridiculous. Kang Siljang and Kang Minjae started bickering, and I quietly sipped my tea in between. When Kang Minjae wasn't around, Kang Gwanung's probing gaze had made things tense; now I almost missed that.
"I checked the news on the way here, bro. The charges don't seem fully cleared yet. Just talk of the investigation wrapping up."
Kang Minjae, mid-rant about how great I was, abruptly changed topics. Kang Siljang swallowed his tea with a faint smile.
"So?"
"Grandpa calling you here personally looks to me like he's decided to help. Right, Grandpa?"
"Kang."
I cut Kang Minjae off. Before he showed up, I'd figured there was some reason Kang Gwanung—who barely knew me—had helped. But now it all made sense. His precious grandson was worried about me, so he'd wielded his influence directly for the first time.
Of course, clearing minor charges against a small-time lawyer like me was no big deal for a former president. But the issue was, as I'd said, he'd never exercised that influence before. If he broke his own unwritten rule now, rumors would fly that former President Kang Gwanung was backing me.
The fact that the target was limited to me this time was probably because Go Sangjun, his brother, and Taegwang already knew Kang Minjae was Kang Gwanung's grandson. Protecting me would be tantamount to declaring war on them.
"Your lawyer doesn't seem to need help from this old man as punishment."
"Honestly, even without your help, sir, you'd overcome this."
"Really? Cha didn't seem to have other plans."
Kang Minjae sighed at Kang Gwanung's words.
"He doesn't have one right now, but he'll find a way. He always does. All those cases he's handled so far—he didn't start knowing the answer. But he always found it. This won't be different."
"Then there's even less reason for this grandpa to help Cha."
"It takes time. Unlike you, Grandpa, who can end it with one phone call. People don't care about results. While sir delivers them, his image takes a hit inevitably."
"What's image matter to a mere lawyer?"
Kang Gwanung replied to his grandson while looking at me. It was what I'd told him earlier.
"True, but it's a shame to waste what he's built up. And you said yourself he's a rare talent worth noticing, Grandpa. Someone like that can't just get taken down by this nonsense..."
Kang Minjae's voice trailed off smaller. Kang Gwanung smiled faintly at his grandson.
From the moment Kang Minjae joined my office, Kang Gwanung had been relentlessly observing me. He might know every detail of my life from childhood to now. Even now, affection dripped from his eyes as he watched his grandson—he'd been judging if I was worthy of his trust all along.
He might have already decided whether to help before seeing me today. If he asked if I wanted his help, I'd say yes honestly. Kang Minjae was spot on. From Kang Gwanung's position, backing me carried risks. But selfishly, having him watch my back was like gaining wings. Even Go Sangjun wouldn't dare touch me lightly.
"What do you think, Lawyer Cha? Earlier you said you couldn't speak freely because you couldn't read my intentions."
Kang Gwanung turned to me.
"Now you know. Tell me. Even for my grandson's sake, do you think I should help you?"
He fixed me with that piercing gaze again. Kang Minjae watched me desperately too, his eyes pleading for me to just ask for help this time. I set down my teacup and answered.
"Help me not for Kang's sake, but looking at me, sir."