Chapter 241
As soon as Kim Seongwoo's name was called, the doctors stirred once more. Even the professor who had been rude to Dongjin earlier was no exception. But Investigator Baek Changun spoke to them calmly.
"Let's go."
With that, the doctors shuffled out in a group. Left alone in the now-empty break room, Kim Seongwoo looked a bit awkward, but he soon took a seat across from us.
"What did you want to ask me?"
His gaze wasn't on me—it was fixed on Dongjin. The look in his eyes seemed to say, 'Did you badmouth me to this lawyer?' It was almost funny. In reality, Dongjin hadn't said a word. Not until I dragged the name out myself.
"As you know, Patient Seol Hyeongseok is currently in a vegetative state from anaphylaxis. And that's put Dongjin in a tough spot."
"Yes."
"Since you're a specialist in the same department as Dongjin, I figured you'd know the situation better than anyone."
"Me?"
His tone made it clear he wanted nothing to do with this.
"It's true I was in the OR, but the surgery itself was flawless. The issue was the cephalosporin injection. Dr. Yang gave that order, and the nurse carried it out without question, leading to the anaphylactic shock. That's the whole story, isn't it?"
"If you're just stating the known facts, then yes."
"What more would I know? It's between Dr. Yang and the two nurses."
Well, now. I'd thought it'd take some work to draw out something I could use my ability on, but he jumps right into it. A lie verdict—exactly as expected, but still shocking.
"Are you saying you know nothing about the full truth of this incident?"
"Yes."
Dongjin, blind to the holograms, despaired at Kim Seongwoo's firm denial, but I felt like I was closing in on the truth.
"So, you believe this really happened just as reported: that Dongjin here ordered the cephalosporin injection, and the nurse followed without raising any objection?"
"With Nurse Gu Sojeong and Dr. Yang making conflicting claims, I don't think it's for me to judge."
"I see. Then, having worked with Nurse Gu Sojeong quite a bit, do you think she's the type to blindly follow a wrong order?"
Kim Seongwoo paused, or rather, pretended to think it over.
Even if he wasn't the mastermind as I suspected, he clearly knew more about this than he let on.
"She's not that experienced, and with the patient being such a VIP, she might've just gone along."
Meaning he thought Nurse Gu Sojeong wasn't the type to cower under a doctor's glare or fear blame enough to execute a bad order. Plenty of people who knew her personality might think Dongjin wasn't at fault.
"Got it. Then, with your field experience and knowing just how big a VIP Patient Seol Hyeongseok was, do you think a specialist of your caliber could accidentally order cephalosporin instead of moxifloxacin?"
"Well, it depends on the person, doesn't it?"
Kim Seongwoo shrugged, but his eyes stayed on Dongjin. Seemed like having the man himself there made it hard to speak freely, so I turned to Dongjin briefly.
"I see. Oh, right. Dongjin, I'm thirsty—grab us some drinks. This might take a while."
"Sure. Kim, what do you want?"
"Just water for me."
"What about you, Juhan?"
"Café latte."
"Dude, no café lattes in the break room vending machine. You'd have to go down to the first floor."
"I'm helping you out here—can't you buy me a coffee?"
I deliberately picked something not in the machine to send him far away. I needed to be alone with Kim Seongwoo right now.
"Fine. Iced?"
"Yeah, iced."
Once Dongjin left the break room, I locked eyes with Kim Seongwoo, who was visibly tense.
"Must've been awkward with Dongjin right there."
"It's a sensitive issue. I've studied with Dr. Yang since our student days..."
I swallowed a scoff. Studied together since school, and this is how you drag him into the mud?
"I understand. You know him well, then. Dongjin's always been prone to slip-ups, forgetting things and all."
"...Pardon?"
"I've known him since we were kids, so when I first heard about the case, I couldn't shake the thought that he'd spaced out again. But hey, I'm his lawyer. I have to look at it from his perspective."
"Ah, yes. Of course."
"I'm just helping out a friend... but in case I'm missing something, that's why I'm talking to you. Anything you say from here on stays confidential, so don't hold back."
Kim Seongwoo seemed thrown by my sudden shift, but I ignored it. I'd just tossed him some bait. If I acted like even close friends doubted Dongjin, someone eager to drown him would bite.
A cautious, suspicious type might not, but that was fine too. I was just laying the groundwork to outright ask if he thought it was Dongjin's mistake.
"Do you think Dr. Yang messed up in this case?"
"...Honestly."
"Speak freely."
"...I think Dr. Yang made a mistake."
"Probably... most people think so."
"Then you must think Nurse Gu Sojeong got a raw deal."
"Yes. Poor girl."
"Dr. Yang keeps insisting he's innocent, so his few believers think Nurse Gu misheard the order, botched the prescription, and pinned it on him. Nurse Gu's the real victim here."
Not a flicker in his eyes, lies spilling out smooth as silk. His claim that Nurse Gu was wronged being a lie meant he knew she was behind it.
"Any decisive reason you think it was Dr. Yang's mistake?"
"You seem to know his personality, Counselor. He's always spacing out. Happens in little ways, like forgetting appointments or skipping seminars. Even messed up prescriptions by overlooking patient notes a few times."
He rattled on eagerly. I'd figured even if I brought up Dongjin's forgetfulness first, he wouldn't agree so readily—might hold back to avoid seeming too eager. But now I got why.
He'd seen the professor praise me as a famous lawyer. If someone like me dove deep to clear Dongjin, it could complicate things. So he'd leaked that most hospital staff suspected Dongjin, padding a fabricated forgetfulness story to bolster the narrative.
"Thanks for that."
"No problem. Must be tough helping a friend, Counselor."
"What can I say? Can't turn my back when he asks for help. Mind if I contact you if more questions come up?"
I handed him my business card. He reciprocated.
"Of course. Hope it doesn't wear you out too much."
"Tell me about it."
"Planning to talk to others?"
"The more I hear, the more convinced I get, but yeah, gotta do it. Meant to start with Nurse Gu Sojeong, but ran into you first."
"Got it. I'll head out then."
Kim Seongwoo gave a faint smile and vanished into the ward. Leaning back in my chair, I watched him go, lost in thought.
I knew Dongjin was innocent, but as I'd told Kim Seongwoo, I had to consider every possibility. Even absurd ones. Using what my ability revealed today, I pieced it together.
Kim Seongwoo believed Dongjin was innocent and that Gu Sojeong was at fault. Possibility one: He knew no more than anyone else but distrusted Gu Sojeong due to deep trust in Dongjin.
But that didn't hold— he'd fabricated Dongjin's forgetfulness episodes on purpose.
Possibility two: Gu Sojeong confessed to him that she'd misheard Dongjin's order and framed him.
No— in my previous life, Gu Sojeong hadn't even existed in this case. And since the incident was deliberately engineered by the same hand in both lives, that didn't fit.
Possibility three: Kim Seongwoo was deeply involved.
That explained knowing Dongjin's innocence, Gu Sojeong's lies, and his push to make me doubt Dongjin's reliability.
It all pointed one way. The mastermind behind this incident was Kim Seongwoo.