Chapter 248: It Was All Lies.
It was all lies. No one was willing to speak the truth, and I was starting to get fed up with it. But the guards' lies hadn't been entirely fruitless.
"I see. So there was nothing."
"……."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes. Completely certain."
There were four guards, and they took turns denying my questions in perfect sync. The fact that Executive Director Seol Hyeongseok was bedridden was a secret known only to them until someone from inside the hospital finally spoke up. If word got out that Seol Hyeongseok—the real power behind Hanyeong Electronics—might die, the company would shake to its foundations. There was no way they'd have assigned unreliable people to guard his room.
Yet if they were all lying in unison like this, someone must have instructed them to do it.
So who could have given them those orders?
"Moving on to another question. Have you ever had a private conversation with Dr. Kim Seongu from Myeongdae Hospital's neurosurgery department?"
The guards looked baffled at my words. Was that an act too?
"No."
"What about the rest of you?"
"Me neither."
None of the guards had spoken privately with Kim Seongu. We'd already confirmed someone had overheard the conversation about the cephalosporin injection. Gu Sojeong and Kim Seongu were hiding that person's existence, and so were the guards. But the guards hadn't talked to Kim Seongu one-on-one.
Which meant the one pulling their strings wasn't Kim Seongu, but a third party.
It was what I'd expected, but still surprising. Kim Seongu had been the prime suspect from the start, so I'd asked about him anyway—but even I didn't think he had the pull to make them cover it up. Being the hospital director's son was impressive inside those walls, sure. Unlike a regular hospital, his father was just a term-limited employee who'd have to leave eventually. And while their family had money, it wasn't chaebol-level cash to buy off guards like these.
So who the hell was this third party? Who had shut their mouths?
For now, it could only be someone inside the Hanyeong Group.
"Attorney, does something ring a bell?"
Manager Bae, who'd been listening to the Q&A, turned to me. I'd been lost in thought for a moment, and he must have thought I'd reached some conclusion.
"No, just running through the neurosurgery staff names in my head."
Whoever had silenced them, my questions would likely reach Kim Seongu's ears. If he learned I'd zeroed in only on him, even an idiot would start suspecting me. Time to lay down some smokescreen—and check a few things while I was at it.
"Then, have you ever had a private conversation with Dr. Joo Yun-kyeong from Myeongdae Hospital's neurosurgery?"
I went through every doctor and nurse in neurosurgery, asking one by one if they'd had contact. None of them had spoken privately with the guards. Gu Sojeong included.
"Next question."
The person who'd made the guards lie—the one who knew about the witness and didn't want it exposed. Maybe even the witness themselves. I had to pinpoint them.
"From the time the incident happened until just before coming here to meet me today, did you share your schedule, report the conversation topics, or ask anyone's opinion about what we'd discuss?"
"No."
"Me neither."
Whoever they'd reported to before coming here had obviously ordered the cover-up. But with the clues I had, identifying that person was tough.
According to I Se-hwa, she'd met Chairman Seol alone and brought up Yang Dongjin. Right there, he'd called in Manager Bae and ordered him to assist me. He'd added that no one else should know, and to bring the guards directly.
Yet the guards had been tipped off beforehand. Which meant the order had leaked from somewhere—and someone had silenced them first.
"Manager, I think that's enough."
"All four of you can go now."
At Manager Bae's words, the guards bowed and left the room. Only after the door clicked shut did he speak.
"That didn't seem like enough to confirm the facts. You sure it's sufficient?"
He was right; without my skills, the questions would've been pretty thin.
"Mind if I ask you a few questions too, Manager?"
"Me?"
"Yes."
"Go ahead."
He didn't seem fazed by the sudden spotlight. If anything, he sipped his tea leisurely, waiting.
"Do you think we absolutely must uncover the truth of this incident?"
"Of course."
"Even if it's someone inside the Hanyeong Group?"
Manager Bae paused briefly, but not for long.
"Naturally."
Manager Bae was Chairman Seol's closest confidant. The fact that the chairman had told him to bring the guards without telling anyone else showed how much he trusted him. At least on this, I could believe him.
"The guards are lying right now. As I said, someone overheard Yang Dongjin and Nurse Gu Sojeong in that room. But the guards keep denying it."
"……Are you saying someone instructed them to lie?"
"Exactly."
"And that it's someone from inside Hanyeong Group?"
"High probability. I heard from CEO I Se-hwa that only you and Chairman Seol knew about this. She met him yesterday—it's only been a day. Somehow it leaked in that time. No one outside the group could pull that off."
"Makes sense. ……Ha, I thought it was just a medical staff screw-up, and now suddenly it's a conspiracy? Pretty disorienting."
"Any guesses?"
"……Hard to say. I called them on the spot today without warning anyone, so they couldn't have known ahead and reported. Ha, a leak…… It was in the chairman's private lounge—just CEO I, me, and him. He wouldn't have even told his wife. That's certain. And I came to meet you personally to keep it from leaking elsewhere."
No one had talked, yet someone knew the guards would be grilled today and prepped them? Only one way that happened.
"Someone eavesdropped…… Ah, any chance of wiretapping?"
"……Wiretapping?"
"Maybe I've seen too many movies, but it happens."
Actually, not from a movie—from my past life, a real case. The public never knew, but a prosecution raid had found bugs in a chairman's study.
"Can't rule it out. I'll check."
"One more favor."
"Shoot."
"Can you track the guards' movements from after Chairman Seol and CEO I's talk yesterday until now?"
"See who they've contacted?"
"Yes."
"Got it. I'll call when I have something."
Before today, Manager Bae probably thought Seol Hyeongseok's vegetative state was just a communication glitch between the doctor and nurse. Even hearing about a witness, he'd have figured it was simple—ID the witness, find the screw-up, done.
To me, it had been a conspiracy from the start. Not to him. But he'd grasped it quick from a few words. He said it was disorienting, but he stayed cool. Sharp mind, fast on his feet.
"I'll wait for your call."
I gave a light bow and left.
The guards had lied through their teeth, but it wasn't a bad haul. We'd confirmed an accomplice beyond Kim Seongu and Gu Sojeong.
If that accomplice—or accessory—was really inside Hanyeong Group, then Kim and Gu's interests aligned to create this mess. Too many people involved for it to be just Kim Seongu trying to ruin Dongjin—beyond his reach. Better to see Kim as the helper, grabbing the bonus of Dongjin's downfall on the side.
So what did the Hanyeong insider want?
……Maybe Seol Hyeongseok dead.
Back at the office, Kang Minjae and Manager Oh were out—probably on fieldwork. With me not taking cases directly anymore, their outings had ramped up. Fatigue hit, so I sank onto the sofa for a quick nap.
Then my phone buzzed. Sanggil.
"Attorney!"
"What's up?"
"Kim Seongu's on rounds, gets an urgent call, and bolts! I'm tailing him now!"
"Where the hell's he rushing off to?"
About 30 minutes since I'd parted with Manager Bae. The guards reported back to their handler after my grilling, who then called Kim Seongu?
"Yeah! Fucker hauls ass, tells a nurse to cancel his outpatient today, and peels out!"
"Yeah?"
"Tailing his car now. Got a hunch! Real strong vibe—I've been doing this shit for years, reeks of something shady as fuck!"
"Can you ID who he's meeting?"
"You bet! Leave it to me—I'll snap pics and send 'em right over!"
"Got it. Good work."
Didn't expect a reaction this fast. Chairman Seol and Manager Bae were probably rolling up sleeves to hunt the leak—must have spooked them. If it was wiretapping, Kim Seongu would learn I Se-hwa had pushed the chairman to hook me up. He might already know.
Time to drop the friendly approach with him.
"……Who the hell's he meeting?"
I stared at my phone, waiting for Sanggil's update. About 30 minutes later, a text pinged.
📸 (Photo attached: Kim Seongu meeting someone)
A photo message. Kim Seongu with his contact. Reception was crawling—2011 networks, what can you do……
Bzzz—My phone rang again. Important text incoming, but it was Manager Bae. Faster than expected—I picked up.
"Manager Bae here."
"Any luck on what I asked?"
"……First, one question."
"Go ahead."
"Do you think the one who ordered the guards to lie was the witness in that room?"
"High possibility. Even if not the witness, at least an accessory."
"Fair enough."
"If someone needs to hide the witness, it's either because they are the witness—or they want the truth buried, like you said. Either way, someone's covering up facts. Proves this wasn't just a comms glitch between Dr. Yang and Nurse Gu. Bluntly, whoever did it inside Hanyeong, just punish them properly—doesn't matter who."
"So you're saying neither the doctor nor nurse goofed innocently—one of them deliberately put Executive Director Seol in that state and framed the other?"
"Yes. They couldn't wiretap the chairman's lounge or buy off guards on their own. Someone with that power backed them—and that backer gained from this too."
"I see. ……Got it. I'll call when I have info."
Call ended. Screen flicked back to Sanggil's received text. The photo showed Kim Seongu with a man.
Who's that?
I downloaded and zoomed. Recognition hit quick. I'd seen family photos digging into Seol Hyeongseok and Hanyeong Group.
"Seol Hyoseok……."
He was Seol Hyeongseok's older brother—Chairman Seol's eldest son.