Chapter 19
"……."
"If the witness does not appear, next……."
Kiiiiiing—
At that moment, the door at the back of the gallery creaked open.
All eyes turned toward it.
Even Kim Yeonjun, who had introduced her as the one relative who had ever shown him any affection, and Kim Hyeongjun, her favored grandson, twisted around to look.
Through the gap in the open door, a small figure emerged.
It was the grandmother, her white hair neatly combed back, dressed impeccably in a suit.
"Who might you be?"
The judge adjusted his glasses and asked. Reaching the witness stand, she spoke.
"I am the witness, Choi Hyeonsuk. I apologize. I'm late."
"Very well."
With Judge Go Ilguk's permission, the grandmother turned her gaze toward me.
Her face held a hint of resentment.
But that lasted only a moment. The court clerk spread the oath before her.
I swear to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth according to my conscience, without concealment or addition, and if I lie, to accept the punishment for perjury.
Having sworn the oath, the grandmother was visibly shaken.
She had never intended to testify, but had suddenly changed her mind.
After dodging with talk of neutrality to avoid the situation, she had now stepped forward to face it properly.
Last night's phone call with me had done its job.
Last night's call was a gamble.
Either she'd grow even more resentful toward me, or she'd realize her own unconscious favoritism.
The former would backfire, keeping her away from court entirely.
Fortunately, the result was the latter.
"Hoo……."
The grandmother gripped the podium with trembling hands.
She, who had always seemed so composed and dignified, now looked utterly exhausted.
She must have spent the night agonizing over coming here.
"Witness, did Kim Hyeongjun ever visit you for business reasons?"
"Your Honor! Counsel is asking irrelevant questions, misleading the issues in this case."
"This is to verify the possibility of perjury in Kim Hyeongjun's testimony."
"Overruled. Witness, answer."
At the judge's firm words, Prosecutor Yang sighed deeply and bowed his head.
"Yes, he did."
"What was the purpose of his visit?"
"He asked me to lend him money for his business."
"I see. But Kim Hyeongjun was already receiving ongoing support from his parents, wasn't he? They were even willing to sell their house to help him, to the point where the defendant feared he'd get nothing."
"……No. My daughter and her husband sold some of their real estate to help Hyeongjun. But they made it clear they could support him no more. They even told him to consider it an advance on his inheritance."
Kim Yeonjun had no idea about Kim Hyeongjun's motives, so this was news to me too.
She knew the full origins of the tragedy that had befallen Kim Yeonjun's family more clearly than I'd expected.
"I see. So Kim Hyeongjun, unable to get more money from the couple, came to you?"
"Yes."
"Then the defendant had no reason to think the victim couple would give all their assets to Kim Hyeongjun, leaving nothing for him, right?"
"……Yes."
"But why do you think the couple, who had firmly said no more support, put their Dogok-dong house on the market to back Kim Hyeongjun's business?"
The grandmother's hand shook violently at my words.
Her wrinkled throat bobbed once.
She knew the answer.
She had known since the incident occurred.
"Witness."
"……."
"Witness. Answer."
The judge urged her.
"……One day, my daughter—our Heesuk—came to me."
As if recalling her deceased daughter's face, she moistened her eyes.
"She said she'd learned that Hyeongjun had taken out a lot of life insurance…… in her and her husband's names……."
Kim Hyeongjun had taken out life insurance policies?
This was new to me as well.
The gallery murmured; even Prosecutor Yang's eyes widened in shock.
"So Heesuk thought Hyeongjun must be so desperate for money that he'd go to such lengths…… and consulted me on whether to help him."
"I see. And what did you tell her?"
"I said not to give him too much. I'd lent him money myself, and they'd done enough."
"Yet the couple ultimately listed the Dogok-dong house with a realtor. Let me ask again: what do you think was the reason?"
"That was, that was……. Hic, hngh."
Swallowing tears, the grandmother finally collapsed to the floor, sobbing quietly.
Her low, subdued cries filled the courtroom.
Even though I'd anticipated it was due to Kim Hyeongjun's threats and assaults, she couldn't bring herself to say it.
It was her final stubborn affection—the inability to expose her own grandson's flaws.
I decided not to press her testimony further.
As I stepped back, the judge spoke sternly.
"The witness appears too distressed to continue. You may step down."
The clerk helped her leave the stand.
Suspicion toward Kim Hyeongjun was growing rapidly in the courtroom.
Prosecutor Yang, the judge, even Kim Hyeongjun and Kim Yeonjun—all seemed stunned by the grandmother's words.
Of course, for Kim Hyeongjun, it was shock that Ye Heesuk had known and that his grandmother had testified against him.
Prosecutor Yang also seemed unaware that Kim Hyeongjun had taken out hefty life insurance policies in the couple's names.
Having targeted Kim Yeonjun, they'd only checked his insurance.
The fruit of a hypocritically hasty prosecution blinded by the criminal.
"Counsel for both sides, approach."
Prosecutor Yang and I stood and moved closer to the bench.
"Counsel. You're positing Kim Hyeongjun as the suspect and claiming the defendant's innocence?"
"Yes."
"Your Honor, there's no evidence for—"
Prosecutor Yang started to interject, but Judge Go Ilguk raised a hand to silence him.
"Prosecutor. Kim Hyeongjun has a strong motive. He was at the scene during the incident too. He wasn't holding the bat, but aside from fingerprints, his conditions match Kim Yeonjun's exactly. Circumstantially, he's even more suspicious."
"But we can't disregard the fingerprints."
"Under free evaluation of evidence, I can't render a verdict on the defendant right now. More investigation is needed. Let's schedule the second hearing."
Prosecutor Yang let out a heavy sigh at Judge Go Ilguk's words.
It must have felt like spilling soup after it was done.
"Do both sides agree?"
"We agree."
"We a—"
Zeeng—
At that moment, my phone rang.
Judge Go Ilguk sighed and waved his hand dismissively.
Meaning, just take it.
"Court adjourned briefly. Resume at noon."
With Judge Go Ilguk's announcement, the tension in the courtroom eased momentarily.
I pressed the phone to my ear and headed out.
Even if he'd told me not to answer, I probably would have bolted anyway.
This was the call I'd been waiting for throughout the trial.
* * *
The recess ended.
Everyone returned to their seats, and the solemn atmosphere resumed.
"Witnesses requested by the prosecution and defense who haven't testified…… From their written statements, they don't seem to significantly impact this trial. Do either side need to examine any?"
The prosecution's manager witness and my psychiatric expert.
The manager was likely called to testify that Ye Heesuk had long suffered abuse and trauma.
I'd called the psychiatrist for the same purpose.
Neither would overturn the situation.
"Prosecution has none."
"Defense has none."
"Then, shall we discuss the date for the second hearing?"
"Your Honor."
I stood.
"I submit additional evidence."
In my hand was a small USB drive.