Chapter 99
The discussion with the opposing counsel at Taegwang Law Firm didn't drag on for long. I simply asked them to hold off until I could secure proof of Jeong Yeongjun's innocence, while they grew frustrated and tried to convince me why a mediated divorce was the only option. I had no intention of listening to whatever they said from the start, so I just brushed them off appropriately.
The meeting broke up after I told them, "If you need a contested divorce that badly, go ahead and file the complaint."
That set off the opposing team—they huffed and puffed, then stormed out. No doubt, after we left the Taegwang office, they griped to Yoon Wonhyeong about what a stubborn bastard I was.
On the way back, we called Jeong Yeongjun. We needed to quickly confirm the owner of that ring I'd encountered.
Jeong Yeongjun suggested we talk at his place since it was empty, so we headed straight there.
"Wearing glasses, wavy hair down to the shoulders, high-pitched voice, about this tall... and what else did you say?"
"She had a prominent mole near her mouth."
The moment he heard about the mole, Jeong Yeongjun didn't hesitate.
"That's Secretary Jinah. Juminji, Secretary Joo."
But the answer was unexpected. Go Jinah's secretary? The woman who'd been Jo Hyeonseok's lover and present when that video was filmed wasn't Go Sangkyung's right-hand woman, but Go Jinah's?
"You mean Go Jinah's secretary? Not Chairman Go Sangkyung's?"
"Yes, Secretary Jinah. But why are you suddenly asking about Secretary Joo...?"
Jeong Yeongjun looked anxious as he asked. I didn't answer right away. If Juminji was Go Jinah's secretary, it opened up a whole new set of possibilities—and all of them pointed in a very bad direction.
"When you asked if she was the father-in-law's secretary, it jogged my memory. She used to work in the chairman's secretarial pool. Then, about two years ago, Jinah's personal secretary quit, and they needed a replacement. The chairman said she was capable and sent Secretary Joo over to Jinah. I think she said she'd been under him for about six years..."
Jeong Yeongjun added hurriedly. I could read Kang Minjae's twisted expression: he was hoping Juminji was tied to Go Sangkyung. I looked at Jeong Yeongjun, who was still watching us nervously, and asked,
"So the chairman said Secretary Joo was capable?"
"Yes. I was there when he introduced her to Jinah. I'm sure of it."
"And after Secretary Joo started as Go Jinah's personal secretary, how was their relationship?"
"Well, at first, Jinah didn't like her much. She thought her father-in-law had planted Secretary Joo to spy on her. She even deliberately excluded her from work sometimes."
"Why did Go Jinah think that?"
"Secretary Joo got caught reporting Jinah's every move back to the chairman. Jinah was furious. I remember one day she stormed off to the chairman's study, saying she'd have it out with him once and for all. A few hours later, she came back saying they'd talked it over and sorted it out."
"And after that, Secretary Juminji kept shadowing Go Jinah?"
"Yes. But even then, Jinah kept calling her the chairman's spy."
Today's meeting had been set up in advance as lawyers only, excluding the clients. That's why Go Jinah and Jeong Yeongjun hadn't come to Taegwang. Juminji had been there because Go Jinah had sent her to check on things and report back quickly.
If Go Jinah's personal secretary—who was supposed to stick by her side all day—had come to Taegwang alone, it meant she had permission. But the person Juminji was reporting to wasn't Go Jinah... it was Go Sangkyung.
"Kang Minjae."
"Yeah?"
"After I said I was stepping out to wash my hands, how soon did the opposing counsel arrive at the meeting room?"
"Pretty much right after you left. Like two minutes?"
That lined up with when I'd bumped into Juminji on my way out. At that moment, she'd called someone "Chairman" and said, "We're about to start discussions."
Putting the timeline together, what I'd overheard was a call she made right after the counsel headed to the meeting room. She'd reported to Go Sangkyung first, before Go Jinah.
That means she's closer to Go Sangkyung than Go Jinah.
In the worst case, Go Jinah might have ordered Juminji to film Jeong Yeongjun's sex tape. But right now, it seemed more plausible that it was Go Sangkyung's doing. If Go Jinah just wanted a divorce, she wouldn't have escalated it this far. Jeong Yeongjun was refusing now largely because he wanted to clear up her misunderstanding. If she'd truly wanted out, she'd probably have let him go cleanly without dragging it out.
"Lawyer, is Secretary Joo connected to the case?"
Jeong Yeongjun couldn't stand the silence any longer.
"Yes. But we can't draw firm conclusions yet. I'll contact you the moment something solidifies or a new issue arises."
What we had solid so far: Jo Hyeonseok and Juminji were the ones who filmed the video. And Juminji was Go Sangkyung's person.
But that wasn't enough. We couldn't prove Juminji had received orders from Go Sangkyung to frame Jeong Yeongjun.
Of course, if I met Juminji and used my ability, my personal doubts would vanish. But what we needed now was evidence.
If Jo Hyeonseok and Juminji claimed under oath that they'd been having sex parties with Jeong Yeongjun all along, it would all fall apart. He'd just be the guy who fooled around with his wife's secretary.
We needed proof that Juminji took orders from Go Sangkyung. The fastest way to find it...
"Search and seizure."
"Huh?"
Kang Minjae, who'd been quietly focused on driving, turned to look at me.
"We need to search Juminji."
"...We're not prosecutors. How do we pull off a search?"
"We have the prosecutors."
I pulled up Lee Ye-jin's number on my phone and called. It rang for a while.
-This is Prosecutor Lee Ye-jin's phone.
Oh Team Leader picked up.
"Team Leader, it's Cha Juhan."
-Yes, Lawyer. The prosecutor's out right now, but since it's you calling, I took it. What's up?
"I'd like to meet with her now, if possible."
-Right now? Is it urgent?
"It's urgent for me, but it'll be even more so for both of you."
-...Something about Jo Hyeonseok?
"Yes."
-Looks like you've dug something up.
Oh Team Leader's voice sounded a bit excited.
-She's in an interrogation right now. I'll pass on your message.
"If it's an important one, tell her it's not a split-second emergency—suggest meeting after she wraps up."
-Got it. I'll call back.
Juminji probably had no idea she was under suspicion. Whatever evidence was left now would still be there tomorrow. If she planned to destroy it, she would've done so long ago. Rushing to meet Lee Ye-jin wouldn't lead to an immediate search anyway, so no need to panic.
"So your plan is to share with Senior Lee Ye-jin that Jo Hyeonseok's girlfriend is Go Jinah's secretary, publicize Jo Hyeonseok's ties to Yangjin Group, and go for a search warrant?"
I nodded.
"But will we get a search warrant for Juminji?"
"Public opinion on Jo Hyeonseok is terrible right now, and they came up empty on his house search. Then news broke that when he showed up at the prosecutors' office, he bragged about buying luxury goods."
"Yeah, that happened."
"The article from the day before yesterday said he's a confirmed criminal now, casually talking about shopping for luxury items like it's nothing, and it pissed everyone off. Plus, they publicly admitted investigating his known girlfriend with zero results. The prosecutors are getting hammered for incompetence."
"I saw that. Senior Lee Ye-jin is such a sly one—feeds us good intel, then only shares the stuff that's already set for public release. So annoying."
It was true. Just days after our chat at my place, everything she'd told us hit the media. She hadn't given us a single piece of internal info.
But we'd gotten the tip about the luxury bag fast, so no real loss. Especially now that we'd ID'd his girlfriend via the ring—the bag info might not even matter anymore.
"Anyway, the prosecutors think that college girl they called in as a witness is his real girlfriend."
"Right."
"I'm about to tell them she was a smokescreen."
"Ah. Then hiding the real one behind a decoy makes it super suspicious—there has to be a reason."
"Exactly. And get this: the hidden girlfriend turns out to be from the Yangjin Group owner's inner circle. It stinks. That should kick off a preliminary investigation at least. Even without a warrant, they could demand her phone or hard drive voluntarily. But with all the heat on them, I bet they'll push hard for that search warrant."
In 2011, search and seizure laws were amended to limit them to situations with clear suspicion of crime and direct relevance. But this was 2009. As long as it was necessary for the investigation and a judge issued the warrant, they could proceed. The bar was lower.
If Lee Ye-jin could persuade the judge, the search would go through.