Chapter 256
"......I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Doctor. Truly, I'm sorry."
Gu Sojeong kept her head bowed low, repeating the same words in a voice choked with sobs. Dongjin simply stared at her, his face expressionless.
"I have no face left to show you, Doctor. Really...... really, I'm sorry. I know my apology won't erase all the anguish you've been through all this time...... but I'm truly sorry. Really......"
Normally, Dongjin would have told her to stop and comforted her instead, but this time, he said nothing, just watched her. After nearly ten minutes of her one-sided apologies, Dongjin seemed to decide he had to say something, his lips twitching slightly.
"I don't know what to say. And honestly...... I can't bring myself to say it's okay. Haah."
Dongjin finally spoke, covering his face with both hands. Seeing him in such distress, I wondered if it might have been better to explain everything to him first and then bring him to meet Gu Sojeong. I'd been holding back on telling him during the investigation to avoid torturing him with false hope if things fell through. But once she agreed to confess, I figured the worst was over, so on the day we arranged for her to come in, I called him to the office and laid out the full story.
Dongjin was stunned when he heard it straight from her mouth. He kept asking her if it was true, then turning to me for confirmation multiple times. No surprise there. He'd never imagined himself as a sacrificial pawn in some chaebol succession plot.
"Juhan, let's talk alone for a sec."
Dongjin, who had been silently watching Gu Sojeong weep, placed a hand on my shoulder and said.
"Should I step out?"
Gu Sojeong, wiping her tears with the tissue I'd handed her, anxiously half-rose from her seat.
"No, stay here."
I led Dongjin out to the balcony. He checked that the door was closed, then leaned on the railing and gazed down below. His long exhale seemed to carry all the pain he'd endured.
"You okay?"
At my question, Dongjin turned his head slightly toward me and let out a wry chuckle.
"Does it look like I am?"
"Must've been a shock."
"Yeah, a huge one......"
Dongjin trailed off and stepped closer, pulling me into a hug.
"Thanks, Juhan."
"......"
"Thanks, really...... thank you."
We've known each other since we were kids playing in the dirt, but I don't think we'd ever hugged like this before. The fact that I couldn't recall it happening meant it hadn't.
This didn't happen often, but my mom would sometimes hug me like this when we parted, and I'd always fumble awkwardly not knowing where to put my hands. But right now, I knew it was my turn to pat his back.
Because Dongjin, who hadn't shed a single tear in front of Gu Sojeong, was now sobbing bitterly.
"I know it's late to say this, but...... man, it was so damn hard. Really...... I couldn't even tell my wife or parents, didn't want to worry them, so I just pretended everything was fine...... No one to talk to, it was hell. It wasn't that I didn't trust you or anything, but what if...... what if I ended up stuck with this false accusation forever? Sure, doctors get sued once or twice in their careers, I tried telling myself it was just that, but when the other side's the Hanyeong Group, it was terrifying...... I thought my life was over. Sob sob, fuck, I really thought I was screwed."
Dongjin poured out all the words he'd held back. In my heart, I muttered the one response I couldn't say to anyone.
I was scared too. Scared that I couldn't help again, that you'd tremble in fear alone, that I'd lose you once more.
But feigning nonchalance, I kicked his shin lightly.
"Why would your life be over, you idiot."
"Ow. Hey, if it weren't for you, it really would've been. I had no clue what to do on my own. I waited for your call and poked around everywhere trying to do something, but nothing came up...... Man, you must be one hell of a lawyer."
"What."
"I mean, even if you uncovered Seol Hyoseok pulling the strings, Hanyeong could've just denied it. But how'd you get them to flip too?"
Dongjin wiped his tears, unable to hold back the giggles bubbling up. Good to see his mood lifting.
"Wasn't exactly flipping them. Just, you know."
"You're amazing, seriously. Should've known when I saw you on TV."
"Cut it out, man. Don't let your guard down completely yet. This'll be reclassified as attempted murder, so you'll probably have to give a witness statement to the prosecutors once."
"Yeah, I'll deal with that."
"Won't be too bad. From their perspective, you're just some poor guy who got wrongly pegged as a suspect."
I planned to ask Park Younggi separately not to grill him too hard, but better to give him a heads-up anyway. Being a prosecutor felt so restrictive back then—no favors like this. Feet tied at the mere whiff of influence-peddling.
"Yeah. Ha. How do I even repay this, Juhan? Oh, right—the fee. Thing is, this isn't your standard lawyer gig, so I wasn't sure how to pay. Asked around, but no one knew."
"Fee? Don't be ridiculous."
Since he was bringing up fees, I definitely couldn't tell him I'd promised to join Prosecutor I Se-hwa's campaign team for this case.
"Still, top-tier talent like you doesn't move for free, even for friends. I'd charge you for surgery, right?"
"No trial, no paperwork—hard to even price it. And I only stepped in 'cause it's you. Anyone else, no way. Plus, yeah, you'd bill me for surgery—you need hospital gear and staff."
"Spoken like a true lawyer, never backing down. But still, you passed on other cases 'cause of me. Time is money, especially for lawyers."
"Nah, just used you as an excuse not to take 'em."
Dongjin shot me a mock glare, then shrugged.
"Fine, I'll take care of it then."
"I said no."
"Not taking pocket change, huh?"
"Right. No pocket change."
"You bastard, filthy rich as expected."
Regardless of chump change, this was me repaying a debt to him anyway. Him being alive was reward enough.
"Anyway, we'll go over the remaining procedures later. I called you here today mainly to hear her apology and get the full story. Head on in now. It's getting late, almost dinner time."
"Busy today? Least we can do is grab a meal. Told the wife I'd be late."
"Nah. Got more to discuss with Gu Sojeong. Next time."
He'd come in with a face full of worry; leaving with brighter spirits was a relief. After forcibly sending off Dongjin, who insisted on waiting unless our talk dragged on, I sat back down across from Gu Sojeong. She'd cried so much in the interim that her face was flushed red, half-slumped on the sofa.
"Shall we get to the rest?"
"......Yes."
I fetched the file folder from the desk—the text message logs between her and Kim Seongu that I'd told her to bring today.
"Looking at the texts you brought, there's some circumstantial evidence that Kim Seongu conspired with Seol Hyoseok to stage the incident."
"Can we use them as evidence?"
"We can, but it's a bit underwhelming."
Gu Sojeong sighed, her shoulders slumping further.
"Of course, your confession clears Dongjin's name, and following the leads will expose the link between Seol Hyoseok and Kim Seongu. But starting with solid evidence upfront could streamline things. You'd probably prefer a swift resolution over being tied up with investigators for ages, right?"
"......Yes."
"More importantly, Kim Seongu might try destroying evidence or dragging it out to save his own skin. He won't succeed ultimately, but I doubt you want to watch that play out. Sound good?"
Gu Sojeong clenched her fists tight, veins bulging on her slender knuckles.
"Absolutely not. No way."
"You haven't told him you know what's going on yet, right?"
"......Yes, he probably thinks I'm still totally fooled."
"Then we can maneuver him into admitting his ties to Seol Hyoseok and instructing you to administer the cephalosporin. Record it, submit as evidence—blocks any funny business."
"Shouldn't be hard."
She'd have to watch her words at the hospital, but they were a couple. Plenty of chances alone, and drawing out those admissions wouldn't be tough, as she said. Nail him on tape, and he's done.
"I'll do it."
Gu Sojeong stared blankly at the calendar on her vanity. This coming Saturday marked their 300th day together. Kim Seongu had said they couldn't celebrate properly until things settled after Seol Hyoseok became vegetative, but meeting up shouldn't be an issue. She was off anyway, and so was he—no shifts.
"Hello, oppa?"
"Yeah, Sojeong-ah."
Ever since he'd asked if she could take the fall alone if Seol Hyoseok got nabbed, Kim Seongu hadn't ignored a single call or text from her. Texts used to end with him vanishing first, but now he persisted until she replied. Probably fretting that his words might backfire if overheard, making him extra attentive lest she get ideas.
"Oppa, can I come over this Saturday?"
"This Saturday?"
"Yeah. We haven't dated in forever. I'll come to your place, cook something yummy."
"Sure. Let's do that."
"And...... about that thing I couldn't answer then. About me talking to Seol Hyoseok directly—"
"Oh, that? "
Kim Seongu cut her off mid-sentence, jumping in quick. Was he already wary of recordings? Gu Sojeong swallowed her unease and forced a bright tone.
"Yeah. We'll talk then, okay?"