Chapter 269
A little before Kang Minjae was due to head to the office, breakfast was laid out right on time. Kang Minjae dragged me to the table despite my lack of appetite, then locked eyes with Kang Gwanung, who had just arrived and taken his seat at the head.
"Grandpa, the Iljungilbo..."
"Yeah, I saw it."
Kang Gwanung picked up his spoon and replied flatly. Kang Minjae seemed to be waiting for some kind of reaction from him, but it looked like that wasn't happening. I wasn't expecting anything else from him either. He'd already done plenty by providing this hideout—we owed him big for that alone.
"Reporters are swarming the office, so be careful out there, Kang."
I took a sip of the fresh fruit drink the housekeeper had poured and changed the subject. I'd figured the press would flood my office the moment the embargo lifted, but apparently it was even worse than I'd imagined—a full-blown mob scene. Oh Yanghun, who'd gone in early, had called to say he'd already spotted about twenty on his way in, and more would surely show up soon.
"We'll tell them we can't reach you, Lawyer Cha."
"Stonewall everything else. Just say you don't know."
"Got it."
"They're probably flocking to the office instead of the house because they think I've bolted. Hoping to snag an interview from you or Oh."
"Cops'll come with a search warrant soon enough. Stick around the office till then and head home after. Tell Oh the same."
"And tomorrow?"
"Any cases left on the docket?"
"Nope, luckily. Wrapped the last ones the day before yesterday. Holding off on new ones till Dongjin hyung's case wraps, planning to take 'em on with you."
"Good. Shut the doors starting tomorrow then. No point keeping it open with the boss AWOL—it'd look suspicious having just you two running things."
"I'll pass that on to the manager."
As I finished giving Kang Minjae his instructions, Kang's manager walked into the dining room, phone in hand.
"Lawyer Cha, call from Chief Park."
"Hand it over."
Park Younggi said search warrants for my house and office would issue that afternoon, and contacts to my associates would start soon. It wasn't a surprise—I'd braced for it—but I was a bit taken aback that they'd only just applied for the warrants. The fact that the people who'd fingered me as a suspect since yesterday were only now going for them meant they hadn't anticipated the story breaking so soon. If even they hadn't known Iljungilbo would bust the embargo, maybe the top brass at the police weren't taking direct orders from Wooshin. Otherwise, it was weird that they hadn't prepped for Iljungilbo going rogue on Wooshin's say-so.
Maybe they were playing it safe, fattening up the case for handover to prosecution, where they could pull strings. Meaning they'd force the police to send it over with no choice. Could be other evidence planted too—like a fake witness.
"I'll head to the office first."
Kang Minjae stood up.
"I'll see Kang off to work, sir."
"Sure."
Leaving Kang Gwanung to his meal, Kang Minjae and I left the dining room.
"Let's smoke one."
"Manager Oh's waiting..."
"No rush. Looking panicked just makes you look more guilty."
"...Right."
I handed him a cigarette.
"You'll tell them you were with me at the scene that day when they question you, yeah? You're already on my side, so that'll draw suspicion. Don't let emotions show. Every word, every expression—think how it'll play to outsiders."
"...Got it."
"And use that. Turn it around—mislead, confuse. It's like poker, basically. Been to a casino overseas?"
"Yeah. Got cleaned out."
"That's why."
Kang Minjae smoked in silence, lost in thought, then spoke slowly.
"So I should act pissed right now. I know you're innocent, but this shit's happening."
"Again?"
"Desperate to prove your innocence somehow."
"Again."
"Worried if you're okay, pissed you vanished without a word, wondering what I don't know."
"That's the normal take. But what if you act totally chill?"
"...To the cops?"
"Publicly."
He pondered, then nodded as realization dawned.
"Wooshin'd get nervous. They're watching me somewhere, and if I'm unfazed, they'll think I've got evidence."
"Exactly. So what do you do?"
"Act unfazed."
"Like my hiding..."
"...Has a reason."
"Good. Now go."
I clapped his back. He bowed his head to me and bolted for the garage.
After Kang Minjae left for work, he sent photos via Kang's manager—shots through the blinds of reporters camped out front. It wasn't the first time they'd staked out my office, but the numbers were way up. The building owner, Lee Yeongho, had grabbed a broom at Kang's request and charged them, but no dice.
I kept the TV and laptop on all morning, checking for updates.
"Lawyer Cha."
Feeling cooped up after holing up all day, I'd stepped out to the garden when Kang's manager approached.
"Call from Chief Park."
"Put him through."
"Nah, he just wanted to relay a message—hung up already."
He'd called that morning about the warrants; if rushed, they'd be issued by now. Probably that's what the call was about.
"Any new developments?"
"A witness came forward."
"Whose side?"
I stubbed out my cigarette in the ashtray. Kang's manager sighed.
"Someone who claims they saw you kill Lee Jungchan."
I'd thought of this just this morning. Wooshin was doping the prosecution case; police probably weren't getting direct orders. So they'd spoon-feed evidence to cops to force a handover. And hours later, here it was. I couldn't hold back a scoff.
"Impressive. Guess anyone with an imagination can be a witness these days."
"...Lawyer Cha."
"Fisherman at Hwagun Reservoir?"
He looked startled at my guess.
"How'd you know?"
"Makes sense. Only person I saw there was a fisherman. Everyone else was at the entrance, in the lit area."
"You're not even surprised. This could get really dangerous. Chief Park would've chewed you out for staying so calm."
"Getting surprised changes nothing."
"What now? Got a plan?"
"Not yet..."
He sighed in frustration.
"Lawyer Cha, this isn't one of your cases—it's you."
"I know."
"But you're treating it like someone else's problem."
Treating it like someone else's actually helps solve it better. You get distance to think clearly. Emotions just fuck things up—especially against Wooshin. And honestly, I wouldn't be shocked by whatever else they pulled. If they'd planned to frame me for murder from the start, it wouldn't stop at accusations.
Now I had extra homework: prove perjury once the liar surfaced.
"What exactly did they claim?"
"Described your looks, height. Matched the CCTV guy. Didn't hear details from afar, but said you argued with Lee Jungchan."
With a witness locked in, it looked airtight on the surface. Big stories like this get briefings often; the news would hit evening broadcasts at latest, morning otherwise.
"Wooshin's going all-in."
"Does Kang know?"
"Told you first. Heading up to brief the boss, then Minjae."
"...Hold off on Kang for now. I'll tell him when he gets back."
He was pretending otherwise, but this weighed on him. Even this morning, he hadn't settled on how to act. He needed more time to process. Dropping a perjured witness confirmation now would rattle him. No harm waiting till he got home.
"Haa... Fine."
Kang's manager looked like he had more to say but sighed and headed back inside. I stayed in the garden.
Thoughts swirled, but I shook my head. Better this way, right? In my past life, Wooshin drowned me personally—felt the cement in my lungs, writhed in agony till the end. Couldn't do a damn thing. But now? They weren't killing me outright. Gave me room to fight back. Should I thank them?
"I'm back."
Kang Minjae got home around 8.
"How'd the office search go?"
I asked as he kicked off his shoes and flopped on the sofa. I'd expected warrants today, so a search seemed inevitable. No word from him had me curious.
"Didn't happen."
"Didn't?"
"Yeah."
"Cops called. Asked if I knew where you were."
"What'd you say?"
"No clue. Said they'd come to the office tomorrow, told 'em fine."
He looked beat. Probably hounded by reporters. Dark circles hung low, but he ignored them, groping for the TV remote.
"Any other news?"
Figured the witness bombshell was best over food, so I shrugged. He sighed, finally nabbed the remote, and flipped on the TV. Some daily drama was on.
"Why are you doing this to me! I'm so wronged I could die! What did I do so wrong?!?"
A breaking news ticker scrolled rapidly under the screaming actor's face.
Flipping channels, every station ran the same urgent alert.
"Fuck, what the hell is this..."
Kang Minjae muttered under his breath just as his phone exploded with calls.