Chapter 193
I carefully pulled my hand away to avoid picking up any static on the bug, then sat back down at my desk. I had no idea how sensitive the device was, but it should pick up even my mutterings clearly enough, so I deliberately stayed silent. I sank into thought for a moment.
The culprit behind the bug was obvious. Myeonghwa Pharmaceuticals. And while I couldn't say exactly when they'd planted it, there was nothing strange about it. Even if they'd done it right after Jo Bongjun hired me as his lawyer, it made sense. If they'd waited until after we left for the day, they could've picked the office lock, slapped it on somewhere discreet, and slipped out—no problem.
So, I had to assume they'd heard everything and plan countermeasures accordingly. And if the bug had been installed before today, Myeonghwa already knew evidence had fallen into our hands. While shaking off their tail on the way back to Seoul, I'd called Oh Office Manager and mentioned that Yoo Minhyuk had handed it over.
"……."
Part of me wanted to rip the damn thing out right then, but wouldn't that waste all our hard work today? We'd deliberately played dumb about their tail and even put on a little show.
Maybe I can turn this against them.
We'd staged that village drama at the rest stop to secure the evidence without a hitch. But that wasn't the only reason. It was also to keep them guessing whether Yoo Minhyuk had decided to help us or backed out at the last second. Given Myeonghwa's track record, if they knew he'd slipped us evidence, who knew what they'd do? They might come after Choi Jonghyeon and Jo Bongjun while they were broadcasting—or me. Hell, Yoo Minhyuk himself could become a target.
We'd steeled ourselves for that from the start, but Yoo Minhyuk was different.
In the end, Myeonghwa only doesn't know where the evidence is—they've got the rest figured out.
Yoo Minhyuk had mustered the courage to become our whistleblower, so we had to protect him. But this could push them to do something desperate to silence him before we went public. Sure, he was already out of the company, holed up in the countryside running a small pharmacy and keeping his head down. Even Myeonghwa couldn't easily threaten him there.
What worried me was if they resorted to brute force—beating him until he reneged on handing over the evidence. They'd know even a hotshot like me couldn't do shit if he changed his mind after a thrashing.
But that wasn't worth fretting over long-term. Just until we made the evidence public. If they dared retaliate physically against a whistleblower after I'd already thrown Go Sangjun's precious youngest son behind bars, they'd know I wouldn't sit idle. With Jo Bongjun and Choi Jonghyeon—whose influence was skyrocketing—jumping on it too, they'd have bigger headaches than me.
Perfect.
I pushed up from the desk. There was one way to neutralize every risk at once: let them steal the evidence.
Well, not really—but make them think they had.
"Ah, damn it. Left it at home."
First, I needed to step out. So I muttered that nice and loud for the bug.
"How'd you get here?"
The man I'd met a few hours earlier was still manning the private vault counter. I was dressed the same as when I'd come with Kang Minjae earlier. Paranoid about a tail, I'd disguised myself again and taken a taxi.
His eyes flickered with recognition, but he played it cool like it was policy. "Storing something?"
"Yeah. About a month."
Not that it'd take that long, but better safe.
He tapped at his calculator, then glanced up. "Size?"
"About this big." I held up the document envelope—the exact one Yoo Minhyuk had used to stash the evidence initially. It had that worn look; Myeonghwa wouldn't suspect if it seemed aged.
He punched numbers furiously and showed me the total. Not bad. I paid, and he pulled a form from his drawer.
"Vault rules. Read 'em, ask if you've got questions. Otherwise, name, resident ID, sign here and here."
Nothing groundbreaking in the rules. Mostly a strong "we're not liable if your shit's illegal" vibe—they wanted zero involvement with cops.
Private vaults rarely got heat. In my investigations, trouble only hit when they stored massive illegal cash piles without sealing them properly, leading to abetting charges. But this guy hadn't checked contents, so no dice. "We had no idea" was airtight. Drugs were common, but owners usually walked.
Still, clauses like that suggested they'd bled before.
"Here."
I filled in Yoo Minhyuk's details and handed it back. The man eyed me, then filed it away.
"Follow me."
I trailed him through the barred gate into the vault room.
"You read the rules—this key gets you back in. Lost it? Show the contract. But you pay for duplicates."
"Got it."
He handed over the key outside and retreated to his counter. "Bye."
Curt as ever. I headed straight back to the office.
"Ah, what a pain in the ass."
I grumbled for the bug's benefit. Whoever was listening would figure I'd forgotten something at home, run around like an idiot, and was pissed. And honestly? It was true. These petty assholes tailing me had me changing outfits and disguises nonstop. What a waste of time.
"Whew."
At my desk, I pulled out my phone. A beat later, I started monologuing.
"Office Manager. Sorry to call so late. Ah, good, you're up. Remember I said I got the key from Yoo Minhyuk earlier? Yeah, private vault. Didn't peg him for that. Near the Northern District Court. I pass by there all the time—pawnshop sign, but turns out it's a vault. Yeah. Probably closed now, so planning to hit it with Lawyer Kang tomorrow. Yeah. Felt uneasy leaving the key at home, so I grabbed it and came to the office. Yeah. But can't find the drawer key? Ah... Where? Pencil holder on your desk? Ah, here. Found it. Got it. Thanks. See you tomorrow."
I set down the dark phone. Not a bad performance, but who knew how it'd land. I slipped the vault key into the top drawer, locked it tight, and tucked that drawer key into Oh Office Manager's pencil holder.
Now, home sweet home. That's when Myeonghwa's goons would sneak in for the key.
The next morning, heading to the office, an unusual thrill gripped me. It was all for safety, sure, but I had to admit—I was a little excited to troll Myeonghwa. Had they swiped the drawer key? Curiosity had me accelerating a bit.
"Good morning."
Unexpected, but there was Oh Office Manager, first in as usual.
"You must be beat, Lawyer Cha. Take it easy."
"Slept plenty. And you held down the fort alone yesterday and the day before—thanks."
The "plenty" was a lie, but I wasn't wrecked. I itched to check the drawer. Not yet. It was right by the bug; the lock would clink loud and clear. Only one drawer needed a key.
Soon, Kang Minjae strolled in.
"Ready to head out?"
Taking that as my cue before the vault run, I opened the drawer.
"What's up?"
"……."
"Why? Gone?"
"You're kidding, right?"
"Nope. Gone."
"……Lawyer Cha, you sure you left it here?"
And just like that, I became the idiot lawyer who'd let Myeonghwa steal the evidence—and the smart one who hadn't.
"Racing back to Seoul all frantic, only to meet up and have him say it was all bullshit—sorry. I nearly collapsed right there, legs giving out."
Yoo Minhyuk reminisced with a chuckle.
"Couldn't risk tipping them off if they were tailing you too. If you didn't seem desperate to get up here, it might've looked fishy. Sorry."
"No apologies needed. I get it. And it all worked out."
Yoo Minhyuk laughed heartily, sipping his tea. "Sounds like a riot out there. Wish I could watch. Jo Bongjun and Reporter Choi are pros at spinning yarns."
He gestured toward the studio outside. I nodded, rising from the desk.
While Yoo Minhyuk and I chatted in the office, Choi Jonghyeon and Jo Bongjun had spilled the full tale on air—how we'd duped Myeonghwa. We'd stepped out to listen, but it was already over; everyone was cracking up. The chat flooded with lol's.
"Hey, viewers! The maniac lawyer himself just showed. Lawyer Cha, everyone's dying to see you. Come out once? It's all over the news anyway."
Jo Bongjun beamed and waved me over.
I crossed my arms, pondering. Internet broadcasts still had a sketchy rep; didn't love showing my face.
"They're begging. Go on."
Yoo Minhyuk grinned encouragingly. Fine.
"Just for a sec, then."
I slipped into the gap they'd made, as Jo Bongjun and Choi Jonghyeon shoved a chair my way. Somehow, this felt heavier than a news spot.
"Alright, folks. Huge thanks to Lawyer Cha Juhan for blowing the Antrozol Alpha scandal wide open. He doesn't do dives like this, so we begged. No haters or you're done. Praise only. Big clap welcome!"
They whooped and clapped; I stepped into frame.
"……Fuck, shouldn't have dragged Lawyer Cha in. Get outta frame. Banned from the stream forever."
……I'd only gone on because they'd nagged nonstop about showing my face. No intent to embarrass Jo Bongjun.
Really. No, really.