Chapter 76
Kang Minjae was frozen stiff right now.
"You're Jeong Yeongjun, right? You've come to us... um, to entrust us with your case?"
"Yes, that's correct."
And I, too.
"Please, come in for now."
It would be a lie to say I wasn't flustered.
"Oppa, let's go in quick."
Jeong Yeongjun shuffled into the office, clinging to his younger sister.
During his brief—if not exactly short—marriage, the only lawyer's offices he'd ever seen were those of massive firms. He sat on the sofa, looking around the small space with childlike curiosity for a good while.
In stark contrast, his sister—who seemed to have dragged him here—had eyes full of conviction. She even poked his thigh as he suspiciously scanned the office.
"Here, have some drinks for now."
Kang Minjae served them aloe juice and sat beside me, looking more tense than usual. He leaned in and whispered so softly only I could hear.
"It's gotta be because of that video, right?"
"Quiet."
The video was one thing, but he'd probably come to us for his divorce case.
Neither Jeong Yeongjun nor Yangjin Group had issued any official stance yet, but that video had ultimately turned him into a divorced man.
A completely defenseless divorcee.
In truth, Jeong Yeongjun had smeared mud across his wife's face and her entire family with that "perverted" sex video going public, landing him in an irreparably broken situation.
From what I knew, Yangjin Group had wanted an unconditional divorce with no strings attached, while Jeong Yeongjun insisted on protecting his family.
Of course, he'd ended up taking all the public backlash and agreeing to a settlement divorce anyway.
It was one of the rare cases in the 21st century where the public sided with a chaebol.
Even I, who tried not to take the Ko family's side lightly, thought Jeong Yeongjun was in no position to even consider a lawsuit.
If you divorce a chaebol without demanding any asset split, that would be the weird part. When they kick you out nicely, you just quietly stamp the papers.
"I've heard of your reputation, Lawyer-nim. But... you haven't handled a divorce case before, have you...?"
Jeong Yeongjun opened his mouth cautiously.
Unless they were ready to fully clash with Yangjin Group, no major firm would touch him.
From Chairman Ko Sang-kyung's perspective, he'd already taken in this commoner son-in-law he didn't like much, only for the guy to repay kindness with that perverted sex video.
Far from enough to retaliate fully, he couldn't stomach watching Jeong Yeongjun dig in with a famous firm's help and refuse divorce.
"Oppa, it's only been a year since he opened his practice. Of course he doesn't have tons of experience."
"...In-ah, that's exactly what I'm saying."
"You think you're in a position to be picky right now?"
"I know, I get it, but..."
He'd clearly been dragged here by his sister against his will; he didn't look eager to entrust the case to me.
I nodded toward the balcony at Kang Minjae.
"Um, it looks like you two need to talk privately. Shall I step out for a bit?"
"Ah, it would be more polite if we stepped out..."
Jeong Yeongjun bowed his head apologetically and mumbled. Kang Minjae waved it off and stood.
"No, it's fine. Please talk freely, and just let us know when you're done."
Kang Minjae and I headed to the balcony. The moment he closed the door, he crouched down and pressed his ear against it.
"What are you doing?"
"Eavesdropping on what they're saying."
He whispered. I grabbed his shoulder, pulled him up, and handed him a cigarette.
Smoke rose from our shared cigarettes. Kang Minjae crossed his arms and muttered.
"Looks like the sister dragged her oppa here, huh?"
"Seems so."
"She probably brought him 'cause our office is famous or whatever, but he wants a big firm."
"Got rejected everywhere and ended up here."
"...Yeah, probably. It's been ages since that video leaked, and Yangjin hasn't lifted a finger. Makes it seem like they've cut him loose. Hell, maybe even hoping he gets fucked over."
Not that I was ignoring Kang Minjae, but even a green lawyer like him knew this much.
No major firm would take Jeong Yeongjun.
Online, it was hot topic that he'd been sacrificed as a commoner chaebol son-in-law to bury Chief of Staff Ji Myeong-ho's sex-for-favors scandal.
Everyone knew Ji Myeong-ho's case mattered more, yet they obsessed over Jeong Yeongjun.
Soon, the sister's voice came from inside.
Kang Minjae and I stubbed out our cigarettes and went back in.
"Sorry. Did we impose?"
She smiled awkwardly.
"Not at all."
"Oppa, tell him quick."
Jeong Yeongjun, perhaps finally persuaded by his sister, looked at me cautiously.
"Um, where to start... I'm Jeong Yeongjun. Husband to Ko Jin-ah, daughter of Yangjin Group's Chairman Ko Sang-kyung. You probably know, but... recently, my sex video leaked and became a huge issue. The content was pretty stimulating, so I got labeled a pervert too."
His face flushed as he spoke. His sister sighed beside him.
"My in-laws want a divorce, but I want to protect my family. Because... I still love my wife. Since we married, I've never willingly been with another woman, not once. I don't even know how that video happened... Honestly, you probably won't believe me, but really, I..."
The characters floating above his head made my shoulders twitch slightly.
This was an unexpected turn.
If he'd never been with another woman since marriage, then what the hell was that video?
"So how did that video happen?"
"I don't know. I don't even remember it. Honestly, the guy in the video looks like me—I can tell that much. But... I don't know when it was filmed. I have no memory of it. I don't have that kind of hobby. I'm not a pervert!"
Jeong Yeongjun cried out in injustice.
The [Truth] still hovered above his head.
In his previous life, even after the settlement divorce, he'd probably gone around law offices like this, pleading his innocence.
But no one believed him, or if they did, they were lousy lawyers.
In the end, branded a pervert with those tastes, he'd vanished after the divorce.
"...You don't believe me, right? I get it. Honestly, a few lawyers said they'd take the case, but none believed me. More just coaxed me into a settlement, saying I could be honest with them. So I don't expect much."
Jeong Yeongjun hung his head in resignation.
"You just said you've never willingly been with any woman besides your wife. Does that mean involuntarily?"
After becoming the Yangjin Group's precious only daughter's husband, he'd been promoted to executive director at Yangjin F&B, an affiliate.
A position like that naturally drew sycophants eager to entertain.
If he'd been dragged to a second round unwillingly, he might see it as involuntary.
From my view, only being forced into sex against one's will—rape, sexual assault, or harassment—qualified as involuntary.
Language nuances could cause misinterpretation between what I asked and what he answered.
But my ability judged the truth or lie as the speaker perceived it.
"The involuntary one is that video. Nothing else. I'm in it, sure, but I have absolutely no memory of it. Not once."
"So it happened while you were drunk and blacked out?"
"Probably... I drink, after all. I've gotten totally wasted plenty of times. But I swear on my life, I've never done anything like that because I was drunk!"
"Yet somehow the video exists. That's strange."
At my words, Jeong Yeongjun clamped his mouth shut. Veins bulged on his clenched fists over his knees.
"You don't believe me either, Lawyer."
"That's not true."
"If it's just polite talk, it's fine. You don't have to."
He squeezed his eyes shut.
"Honestly, that murder case last year you handled. No one believed the adopted little brother, but you did and took it on. I read it in an interview. So I had a bit of hope..."
He grabbed his sister's arm beside him. She looked up at him in surprise, and he tugged it.
"Get up. Let's go somewhere else."
"Oppa..."
Kang Minjae hurried over to the agitated Jeong Yeongjun and spoke soothingly.
"Please don't get upset... Our lawyer is a bit blunt. So—"
"Mr. Jeong Yeongjun."
I could tell where his anger stemmed from.
My "that's strange" had offended him.
I'd meant it literally, but he'd taken it as sarcasm.
Of course, I understood his sharp reaction.
He'd endured public flogging for so long, his obscure face now known nationwide.
Mocked as the "national pervert," and none of the countless lawyers he'd met had believed him.
"Do you have more to say?"
He shot back sharply.
His sister kept urging him not to be rude and calm down; Kang was at a loss.
"I know you're not lying, Mr. Jeong."
"..."
"Calling it strange despite that wasn't mocking your claim. If you're telling the truth, I was just wondering why such a video exists."
"Then..."
"Honestly, synthesis came to mind first when I heard you, but since you didn't mention it, you've probably already confirmed it's not."
"..."
"So we have to consider someone slandering you—dragging a drunk Jeong Yeongjun somewhere and filming that on purpose."
Jeong Yeongjun's eyes widened in shock.
"...You really believe me? Not just saying it?"
"Why wouldn't I, if you're not lying?"
My counterquestion made Kang Minjae gape at me in horror.
He scooted closer and poked my side, signaling it was too soon.
But it wasn't premature at all.
"Why? ...Why do you believe me?"
"You were blaming me for not believing you a second ago, and now you're asking why I do?"
At my question, Jeong Yeongjun deflated onto the sofa.
"...You're right. I did. Sorry."
He steadied his ragged breathing and took a sip of aloe juice.
"Why I believe you doesn't matter. That I do is what counts."
"...Yes."
"You want to protect your family, so your wife—who wants the divorce—will file suit."
He nodded heavily.
"Yeah. My father- and mother-in-law never liked me from the start, so they might even be glad to have an excuse... My wife, I don't know..."
He raked back his hair with a troubled face. His bloodshot eyes suggested days without proper sleep.
A truly good lawyer would consider the client's position and converse delicately.
If I could do that, I wouldn't have needed Kang Minjae from the start.
If he found me rude, I wouldn't deny it.
Hard to count how many times I'd heard that in my life.
But I knew how to make up for such rudeness.
"I'll take the case. Ah, if that's what you want, Mr. Jeong."
By delivering the result the client desired.