Chapter 185
The 200 million won handed over to Jang Taesik showed its effect right away. On the third day since I'd asked him to track down Yu Minhyuk's whereabouts, Taesik burst into the office without warning.
"Big broooother!"
We were in the middle of a consultation with a scheduled client at the time. The client seemed intimidated by the muscular pig's booming voice. Kang Minjae jumped in surprise, shoulders twitching as he glared at Taesik.
"Ah, s-s-sorry."
Taesik bowed his head toward Kang Minjae and the client, who were both eyeing him reproachfully. Oh Yanghun, who had been working at the desk, stood up and dragged Taesik outside.
Talk about bad timing. We'd just been wrapping up the session—if he'd arrived five minutes later, he'd have gotten a hero's welcome. We knew better than anyone what news he was bringing.
"Thank you, Lawyer. I'll be in touch again soon."
"Yes, take care."
Shortly after the client left, Oh Yanghun brought Taesik back into the office.
"Who said I'm your big brother?"
I tossed a jab at Taesik, who was strutting along behind Oh Yanghun like a peacock. He grinned cheekily in response.
"You're my eternal big brother in my heart."
"Anyway, judging by how pleased you look, you found him."
"Of course. I told the guys to drop everything and prioritize Yu Minhyuk. Even so, three days is actually on the long side."
Taesik approached my desk and stuck a Post-it note with an address on it.
"Yu Minhyuk's running a pharmacy right now. That's the address."
"A pharmacy?"
A talented researcher who graduated from pharmacy school and held a key position at Myeonghwa Pharmaceuticals had opened his own shop without jumping to another company. I searched the address on the Post-it online.
"Jinseong County? Isn't that the ass-end of nowhere?"
Kang Minjae sidled up beside me to check the map.
Even on the map highlighting the pharmacy's location, the sea took up far more space than land.
"He went a long way out there. Looks like a fishing village. I found his cell number too, but he's not picking up—probably doesn't recognize it. Pharmacy number's written below the address."
If he'd changed his number and cut off contact with old acquaintances to hole up in a remote fishing village, that told us plenty. There had to be a reason he'd vanished like he was on the run.
Which meant even if we called ahead to say we wanted to meet, he'd probably refuse. Worse, he might bolt again if we tried scheduling. We'd have to show up unannounced and corner him in person.
"Office manager, any schedules today or tomorrow? I'm thinking of heading down there now."
"We can push everything back. Taking Kang with you? I'll clear his schedule too."
"I'll get ready quick!"
It took over four hours by car to reach Jinseong County at the edge of the land. Noon now meant we'd arrive around 5 p.m.
Kang Minjae, thrilled for a long road trip after ages, kept swapping sunglasses to set the mood. Not wanting to rain on his parade, I just stared out the window and settled in for the boring ride.
About an hour in, Kang Minjae's phone rang.
"Yeah, it's me. On a business trip right now. Can talk. Oh, you checked it out? Yeah. Oh, really?"
He seemed pleased—it was the call we'd been waiting for. The conversation dragged on for about twenty minutes. Meanwhile, lulled by the warm sunlight, I'd dozed off with my eyes closed.
"Lawyer!"
Well, I hadn't actually fallen asleep, thanks to Kang Minjae yelling the moment he hung up.
"About that Prosecutor Jeong Changyun you wanted me to look into. Just got word."
News like this? He could wake me a hundred times, and I'd thank him.
"Looks like Senior Jeong did get a love call from Taegwang Law Firm, confirmed."
"Yeah?"
"But he hasn't given them a straight answer. Figure since his doctor-turned-prosecutor cred doesn't fade with time, they wouldn't turn him down even if he joined years later. And he doesn't hang out much with Taegwang's HR folks."
"Anything else?"
"Not super decisive with the higher-ups, not real active. Not the flashy type, they say."
That explained why he hadn't stuck in my memory, even as a training institute buddy from the next room over. Jeong Changyun just wasn't the type with a big presence.
"But he tends to push for settlements over indictments whenever possible. Folks from other offices called him a troublemaker, but he'd get cases settled once assigned there. Nickname's Pigeon."
"Pigeon?"
"Yeah. Symbol of peace."
On the surface, settlements might seem like the most beautiful resolution. But from what I'd seen of Jeong Changyun, it was just sweeping things under the rug. Even if "good is good" holds true sometimes, there are cases where investigative agencies must clearly distinguish truth from lies. This case was one of them. No wonder the media obsessed over prosecution rates.
Could a forced settlement really bring true peace? It would only sow seeds for more conflict.
"And Western District Prosecutors' Office is famous for the lowest unsolved case rate—even in criminal division. Impressive record."
Unsolved cases were basically a prosecutor's stat sheet. Meaning Jeong Changyun was respected to some degree. With his doctor background, pigeon nickname, and top unsolved record, he'd have plenty of pride as a prosecutor—and no small stubborn streak.
"Lawyer, wanna hit a rest stop for gas? Getting hungry too."
* * *
We rolled into Jinseong County just past 5 p.m. It was a tiny fishing village. Population smaller than one neighborhood in a Seoul district, heavy on the elderly. No sign of kids anywhere. Even the coffee chain so ubiquitous it earned the nickname "Wheel Tire X" was absent from the main drag.
The pharmacy sat on the first floor of a two-story strip mall in that modest downtown. The building was rundown, but the pharmacy sign gleamed spotless. Yu Minhyuk must've set it up recently after moving down from Seoul.
I peered through the window. An old man with a hunched back bobbed his head repeatedly at the pharmacist, who handed over a crinkled black plastic bag.
That pharmacist was Yu Minhyuk.
"Grandma, take care going home."
"Yup, head on in."
Yu Minhyuk dashed out to hold the door. The old man gripped his cane with trembling hands and shuffled outside.
"What brings you here?"
As soon as the grandma vanished from sight, Yu Minhyuk eyed me and Kang Minjae standing there warily.
Makes sense—in a place like Jinseong County, you saw the same faces everywhere. With its aging population crisis, two young guys in sharp suits would stand out like sore thumbs.
"You're Yu Minhyuk, right?"
"...Yes."
"From Cha Juhan Law Office. I'm Lawyer Kang Minjae. This is Lawyer Cha Juhan."
Kang Minjae smoothly introduced us and handed over his business card. He'd bragged that his affable charm would work better than mine on the guarded type, but it wasn't landing.
Yu Minhyuk glanced at the card, then retreated a step into the pharmacy defensively.
"What brings lawyers from Seoul to see me?"
"Sorry for dropping by unannounced. I know it's rude, but it's urgent."
"So, what's this about?"
"You might've heard about the recent hot issue. Myeonghwa Pharmaceuticals' Antrozol Alpha has major side effects—that's the problem now. And the first guy to raise the alarm was this Jo Bongjun operating under the nickname Apollo."
"Yu Minhyuk. You worked at Myeonghwa until March 2009, right?"
I cut in before Kang Minjae could finish. No sign of Yu Minhyuk's wariness easing. Even Kang Minjae's signature warmth wasn't cracking it. Time to cut to the chase.
"You knew about the serious side effects in Myeonghwa's Antrozol Alpha too, didn't you?"
"..."
Yu Minhyuk didn't answer. He just stared at us with trembling eyes.
"Our client publicized the severity of Antrozol Alpha's side effects and got sued for spreading false info by Myeonghwa. We're proving it's true and trying to halt distribution."
"...And?"
"You were directly involved in Antrozol's development. You uncovered the mechanisms and side effects of apilatailene and lopetamine mid-project. Even did some work on highzolam. But you weren't on the final Antrozol Alpha research."
Yu Minhyuk bit his lip. I pressed on without pause.
"After outsourcing highzolam research to the U.S., you quit Myeonghwa two months after the report came back and vanished."
"...Nothing to say about that."
He tried to close the pharmacy door, but I wedged my hand in to stop it.
"Looks like you've got plenty to say."
I said it slowly, emphasizing each word while eyeing the [Lie] hologram floating over his head.
"I said I don't. Go dig somewhere else. It's been ages since I was pulled off that research."
"Then tell us why you were pulled."
"Personal reasons. No reason to tell someone who doesn't even know that much."
"A rising star researcher suddenly vanishing at that exact time to open a pharmacy in the sticks? Anyone would link it to Antrozol Alpha. The issue's too public to dismiss as personal."
"...Has nothing to do with Antrozol Alpha."
Yu Minhyuk grimaced and strained to shut the door. But I was still young and strong enough to hold it open.
I gripped the door harder and said, "If Antrozol Alpha launches as is, countless arthritis sufferers will die from cardiovascular complications. You created its original framework, Yu Minhyuk. You're really going to stand by and watch the catastrophe unfold?"