Chapter 179
The email's content was productive, unlike the previous bait emails we'd received. It aligned closely with the purpose we'd stated in our own messages. Still, we couldn't take it at face value. Even claiming to be an insider, they hadn't revealed any personal details. The sender's nickname was simply "Insider."
I thought for a moment, then drafted a reply.
After sending the email, I checked the time. It was still just before 11 a.m. I needed to loop in Choi Jonghyeon and Jo Bongjun quickly and make plans, but they were probably still asleep. Even if awake, they'd be nursing hangovers.
...Wait, what did that matter? Time was of the essence. Chastising myself for momentarily softening, I headed to the balcony and called Jo Bongjun.
The line rang for a while, nearly going to voicemail, when he finally picked up.
"Ughhh... hello?"
"This is Cha Juhan."
"I know."
"Where are you right now?"
"Here? Uh, where's here? Oh, Cha Lawyer's place."
"Is Reporter Choi there too?"
"Jonghyeon hyung? He's sprawled out sleeping next to me."
"Then wake him up. I have something to say."
"Hyung, get up. Cha Lawyer's on the phone. Up, quick."
I could hear Jo Bongjun energetically rousing Choi Jonghyeon over the line, complete with the smack of a backslap.
"Hyung's up now."
"Put it on speaker."
"On speaker."
"We just got an email from a Myungwha Pharmaceuticals insider via Jo Bongjun's inbox."
"...Huh? Myungwha insider?"
Jo Bongjun's usual drawl sharpened.
"You sure it's really from a Myungwha insider?"
"Not yet. I replied asking to meet."
"Good call."
"So snap out of it and get up. I left hangover remedies in the fridge—take those. I was gonna wait till tomorrow since you're both wrecked, but no can do. Come to the office today for a case briefing."
"...Yeah, right. What time?"
"Lunch first, then see you around 2."
"Got it. Thanks for the hangover meds."
I hung up and returned to my seat. A reply was already waiting.
Being an insider, they might be cautious about revealing themselves—fair enough. I replied with Jo Bongjun's studio address, and they said they could make 7 p.m. Straight from work, apparently. Not much time before any potential summons, so sooner was better. We set it for 7 p.m. tonight. By then, it was noon.
"Time for lunch?"
Kang Minjae shot up precisely on cue. Being in this office meant never missing mealtime—his internal clock guided us to the restaurant.
"Kang, you get the gist of the case?"
"Yeah. Read all Apollo's posts, listened to NewsNow. Caught clips of the streams—gonna binge the full ones tonight."
Kang Minjae had grasped the overview quickly. He'd even sketched a defense plan.
"Myungwha's under reasonable suspicion. Not some baseless nonsense. Even if it's not fully true, we can push it as public interest speech."
He set bowls in front of me and Oh Yanghun as he spoke.
"Right. But the client doesn't just want acquittal or no charges."
"Then what?"
"He wants to use this case to verify the substance of his claims."
I pulled the steaming hot pot closer as the server brought it, casual as ever. Kang Minjae pondered, then grabbed the pepper shaker.
"So, in distinguishing false statement from true statement defamation, prove it's not false?"
"Exactly."
"Does Jo Bongjun have proof for that?"
"Not sure yet."
"If not, isn't he hiring us to find it?"
Kang Minjae sprinkled pepper into his blood sausage soup. He had these sharp moments that caught you off guard.
I added seasoned scallions to mine.
"We'll hash it out later... but we steer the case where the client wants. If he wants true statement defamation to shift focus to the merits, that's the play—not no charges or acquittal."
"Sure. But there's risk. Case gets tougher, and we're directly taking on Myungwha. You got summoned recently, remember? That's what worries me. Myungwha's a Wooshin subsidiary."
"Doesn't bother me."
"Might not faze you, but it does me. Think of us watching, yeah? Office manager, back me up."
He tapped Oh Yanghun's arm, who was focused on eating. But no support came.
"Do what the boss wants. He won't stop just 'cause we say so."
"That's true, but... argh. Jo Bongjun pissed off Myungwha bad this time. Defending him puts you squarely on Wooshin's radar. Could mark you as public enemy number one."
"Public enemy? This ain't the army. Truth is, I'm curious too. You read Jo's posts—Antrozol Alpha's for elderly arthritis patients. Messing with that pisses me off. Somehow I'm always clashing with Wooshin, but they do keep doing bad shit."
Kang Minjae nodded slowly, agreeing.
"You're friends with him, already took the case, so I won't try stopping you. Just worried about you."
"Then your grandpa can help, right? Why do you think I work with the ex-president's grandson?"
Joking, but Kang Minjae dropped his spoon like it'd burned him.
"Not 'cause you like me?"
"Hoping for scraps from the old man?"
"...Boss, that hurts?"
"Kang, you serious? Obviously kidding. I barely met your grandpa."
"Oh, right. Yeah, almost got bummed for nothing. Heh."
Oh Yanghun chimed in, and Kang Minjae brightened, diving back into his soup. He could be razor-sharp on cases, then so guileless—it threw you sometimes. Which was the real Kang Minjae?
After lunch, Jo Bongjun and Choi Jonghyeon stopped by the office. They'd swung home; they brought the original summons notice—I'd only seen photos before. Quick greetings with Kang Minjae, then briefing. I'd played vague over lunch, but plans were half-made already, so it wrapped fast.
Jo Bongjun presented the insider contact like he'd handled it himself. Kang Minjae jumped at joining the meetup. After griping about risks, now he seemed itching for it. Detaching him was easy, though—the insider wanted anonymity, and we'd promised no one else but one lawyer and Choi. He bought it.
Around 7 p.m., we headed to the studio.
"Wonder what this Myungwha insider's like."
"Maybe a researcher? A whistleblower with proof they covered up everything."
Best-case. It'd wrap quick. But I doubted it—no such person in my past life. Even this contact was unexpected. As prosecutor then, I hadn't handled it directly, but no smoking gun ever surfaced. Antrozol Alpha kept selling till my regression.
Wait and see.
"Footsteps?"
The second hand hit 12 when Choi Jonghyeon nodded toward the studio door. We hushed. Footsteps approached, stopping outside.
"..."
The door opened. And there stood none other than—
"Huh, Lawyer Cha?"
"You're..."
Kim Chan-young.