Chapter 47
They didn't file a motion to reopen arguments. Instead, they simply left word that they needed to discuss a settlement with Blue Island Media and Jeong Hyejin.
Yu Jeongwon seemed to think they were grasping at straws, hoping to withdraw the lawsuit in exchange for the 300 million won they'd discussed before.
"Sure. I'm curious what you have to say. But keep in mind the bus has already left, Attorney Cha."
Her triumphant voice still rang fresh in his ears.
"Ah, Na Eun-seong! Over here."
Na Eun-seong, dressed in a suit for their meeting in front of the Blue Island Media headquarters, appeared before them.
"Let's head in."
The morning at Blue Island Media was hectic. Employees rushed by without so much as glancing at the strangers who'd appeared out of nowhere.
Even though they'd scheduled this in advance, the reception desk staff made no move to guide them—clearly ignoring them on purpose, not out of ignorance.
It felt like the humiliating reception reserved for envoys from a defeated nation begging for terms.
"They said to go to the seminar room, so that's probably where we head, sir," Kang Minjae said.
As they walked, Cha Juhan couldn't shake the feeling that this was a stage Yu Jeongwon had set up for revenge after being outmaneuvered verbally in front of Na Eun-seong.
The seminar room was empty. Suppressing a sneer, he took a seat at the table.
"Attorney."
Na Eun-seong, seated between him and Kang Minjae, spoke quietly.
As they turned to her, she blushed faintly and asked in a small voice, "…Do you think it'll go well?"
She looked anxious. Kang Minjae grinned and replied, "Of course. No doubt about it."
But Na Eun-seong's expression didn't brighten. She turned to Cha Juhan. "What do you think, Attorney?"
"Na Eun-seong."
"…Yes."
"I explained everything thoroughly before we came here. At the time, did you think our hand was too weak?"
In the distance down the hall, he spotted them approaching. Tracking them with his eyes, he continued.
"No."
"Then there won't be any problems."
Na Eun-seong nodded with a smile. "Yes. I trust you, Attorney."
Kang Minjae leaned back, shooting Cha Juhan a puzzled look behind her back—what gives? She seemed skeptical of you but jumps at your word like that?
[Beats me.]
Cha Juhan mouthed back.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
The door opened, and Yu Jeongwon's voice filled the room. She led the way, followed by the Blue Island Media CEO, Jeong Hyejin, and the associate attorney. The associate's smug expression screamed, 'My boss is about to crush you—get ready.'
Kang Minjae had once been an associate at Taegwang too, but thank goodness he wasn't the type.
"Since we're all aware of the situation, shall we skip the preliminaries and get to the point?" Yu Jeongwon said.
"By all means."
"It looked like you were planning to file a motion to reopen arguments, but you've withdrawn that intent."
To her confident question, Cha Juhan gave a curt reply. "Yes."
"That speeds things up, then. In this situation, don't you and I know best what the court will decide?"
He knew full well. Since he hadn't submitted any of his cards, if the case reached the judgment date unresolved, the court would naturally dismiss their claim.
"Indeed."
"A bit late in the game, but do you have interest in a settlement?"
Yu Jeongwon eyed Na Eun-seong. Caught off guard by the sudden question, Na Eun-seong glanced at Cha Juhan. He nodded.
"Yes. We do," she answered.
Yu Jeongwon smirked. "Good. But we've already been through one hearing, and our client has suffered unjust public backlash due to Na Eun-seong's reckless accusations—you're aware of that, right?"
She pressed Na Eun-seong hard while scanning her documents.
"Normally, we'd be the ones claiming damages, but Blue Island Media and Author Jeong Hyejin take pity on you as a young aspiring writer fresh to society."
What boundless mercy. Cha Juhan let her ramble on uninterrupted.
"So, if Na Eun-seong withdraws the complaint, declares the whole mess a misunderstanding and coincidence, and publicly confirms that The Distance Between You and Me has no connection to her Between Us… they'll offer about 50 million won in creation support funds to wrap this up nicely."
If they truly had nothing to hide, they could've countersued for damages. After winning, they could foist all litigation costs on her and play the victim in the press.
And paying her under the guise of "creation support funds" was laughable. No matter the label, it was still settlement money at heart.
At any rate, it was clear Jeong Hyejin prioritized rehabilitating her thoroughly trashed reputation.
"What do you say, Na Eun-seong?"
Yu Jeongwon prodded as Na Eun-seong hesitated.
"That's something we need to discuss with our client. So before we answer, allow us a few questions," Cha Juhan interjected.
Yu Jeongwon smiled at him. "Go ahead."
"It's only proper to verify facts before settling. Jeong Hyejin."
He shifted his gaze to her. "A quick question about the inspiration notebook you wrote during your visit to Yi Yang-gu in Samchang-dong."
"Yes."
"It describes the Myeongseong Building. Ah, that's this building."
He placed a photo of the Myeongseong Building on the table. Jeong Hyejin glanced at it and nodded.
"You wrote that it had fifteen red exterior lights."
"Yes, that's right."
"On the day you visited Yi Yang-gu in Samchang-dong, the Myeongseong Building had sixteen exterior lights. The only time it had fifteen—due to a temporary malfunction—was the month before trial, in the building's entire history."
He laid a written statement from building management on the table.
"…"
Her face drained of color at the unexpected blow. She shot a desperate look at Yu Jeongwon, who scrutinized the document in evident panic.
"Listen while you look. And Jeong Hyejin—when ballpoint ink bleeds through to the back, you have a habit of skipping that page and starting fresh on the next."
He spread out the copy they'd obtained.
"…So what?"
Her voice trembled more with each word. She knew exactly where this was going. She was well aware of her own habit—and that she'd exploited it to pass off the inspiration notebook as an old diary.
"This spot has bleeding ink too. Putting all the facts together, your inspiration notebook couldn't possibly have been written in 2006. It's fabricated."
Yu Jeongwon's face flushed crimson. "Even if she skips bled pages, it could've happened in a rush. You can't declare that proof of forgery."
"Fine, we'll disregard that. The light fixture count alone proves fabrication."
He stated it flatly. Yu Jeongwon let out a hollow laugh, caught off guard by his quick concession.
But he had another way to prove it; no need to bicker over one point.
"May I ask the next question?"
"…"
"I'll take the silence as yes. Did Blue Island Media advance our client Na Eun-seong's manuscript to the second round? And did Author Jeong Hyejin review it personally?"
"I already told you clearly: no," Yu Jeongwon snapped irritably.
"Then why did Unil Culture House—Blue Island Media's contracted printer—print Na Eun-seong's manuscript?"
"What are you talking about? We never printed it!"
"Is that so? Then why is Na Eun-seong's manuscript in Unil Culture House's external storage?"
Kang Minjae pulled out his laptop and queued a simple video.
It showed Na Eun-seong's manuscript among others Jeong Hyejin had plagiarized, stored at the print shop. Of course, they'd disguised it as an accidental undeleted remnant to hide the owner's deliberate collection.
"The very existence of Na Eun-seong's manuscript at the print shop means it made the second round and was printed. Yet Blue Island Media falsely claimed it didn't advance. Your thoughts?"
A heavy silence fell.
Then Jeong Hyejin, who'd left everything to Yu Jeongwon until now, blurted desperately, "Must've slipped through by mistake. I've never seen it!"
"I see. Well, the other four works in that folder—also reviewed and all rejected in the first round—had no reason to be printed. All mistakes too?"
"…Probably. That's the staff's job; I wouldn't know."
Despite needing her agent's help, Jeong Hyejin was blurting answers in panic. Yu Jeongwon signaled her under the table to stop, but neither posed a challenge to Cha Juhan.
"Then how do you explain the excessive similarities between all those stored works and Jeong Hyejin's past publications? Here's the similarity breakdown."
Kang Minjae pulled a thick binder from his briefcase and set it down. It was the full analysis of the other works from that USB, completed just before they arrived—with crucial help from the assistant director, or they might not have finished in time.
"To summarize: The evidence is forged, so you can't prove The Distance Between You and Me was written before seeing Na Eun-seong's manuscript. Contrary to your claims, her work did advance to round two. There are numerous similarities. Moreover, excessive overlaps exist between her work, other contest submissions, and your past works. I'll be contacting those authors for testimony too. Of course, if they wish, they could pursue separate suits."