The Idol’s Confession

As if the moment he had raised his head and met my eyes was all a lie, Kwon Saeha lowered his head again.
His slow, drawn-out voice also stopped there.
In the case of a client like this, urging or rushing him was no different from making a foolish move.
I looked at Kwon Saeha, then briefly glanced at the door. Kwon Saeha’s gaze naturally followed mine.
Outside that door, Baek Soeun would probably be pacing anxiously, waiting for this situation to end.
In times like these, it was better to talk about this side of the story.

‘First, I need to make him let his guard down. I need to hear his story to be able to do anything. Right now, the police report is too clean.’

After a moment’s thought, I opened my mouth.

“I and Reporter Baek Soeun got to know each other through a case.”
“……”
“Reporter Baek Soeun saved a client of mine who was in a crisis. He was a person who was about to be wrongfully imprisoned.”
“I, I know too. That… that person’s lawyer, at our concert hall…”

I waited for Kwon Saeha, who was speaking in fragments.
It was enough that he was continuing his words this much.

“I looked up more articles, but the story after that didn’t come out… Has that person fully recovered? Is he okay now? Is he not in pain anymore?”
“Yes, he has recovered enough to be able to go to trial now.”
“Ah… that’s a relief.”

Kwon Saeha asked me questions for a while for the first time.
He showed a different expression for the first time at my answer.
It was a face of sincere relief. I couldn’t help but frown at that part.
Because I had noticed the part where Kwon Saeha felt relieved.

‘Is he not in pain anymore…’

Kwon Saeha didn’t seem to realize how accustomed he had become to his own pain.
But if he had the disposition to react like this to someone else’s pain…
As soon as I frowned, Kwon Saeha flinched, his shoulders trembled, and he lowered his head. It was a clearly learned, reflexive action.
I immediately softened my expression and spoke even more slowly.

“And thanks to the SNS posts that you and your members uploaded, our office has also become quite well-known. That’s how many people have shown interest in this case.”
“Ah…”
“So if you hire me, I won’t take a fee.”
“…What?”

His head, which had been lowered, looked up at me again.
I smiled slightly, raising the corners of my mouth.

“I’ve already received more than enough, so don’t worry about the legal fees. And I don’t think you did the things written in this report, Mr. Kwon Saeha.”
“…Do you believe me?”
“Yes.”
“…How? Even the police officers didn’t believe me. No one did…”

I lightly pointed to the door with my thumb.

“It’s simple. I believe that a person liked by a good person is also a good person. I was quite surprised when Reporter Baek called me crying and asking for help.”
“……”
“So if I’m to help you, you have to tell me. In detail, without leaving anything out.”

Kwon Saeha’s eyes wavered back and forth like a leaf in front of a storm.
At that moment, from beyond the door, where only occasional loud sobs could be heard, a conversation was heard.

“Reporter Baek, what’s wrong? Why are you crying here?”
“Detective Kim…”
“This is the first time I’ve seen you cry, Reporter Baek. What’s wrong, really, you’re scaring me? What is it?”
“Well…”

Baek Soeun couldn’t bring herself to speak.
If the information leaked, it would become a scoop, and then it would be an unfavorable fight for Kwon Saeha from the beginning.
It had been 12 hours since his emergency arrest, but not a single article had been published, which meant that someone was controlling it, and there was no way Baek Soeun didn’t know that.
I stared at Kwon Saeha, who was biting his lip and looking at the door.

“I’ll be frank with you.”

Then his gaze slowly returned.
There was no life in Kwon Saeha’s empty eyes.
It was just full of resignation and helplessness.
That’s why I couldn’t turn away from him.

“Hiring me is not for my sake, Mr. Kwon Saeha.”

I slowly clasped my hands, which had been on my lap.

“It’s not for the sake of Reporter Baek, who is crying for you outside that door. And it’s not for the sake of the many fans like Reporter Baek.”
“……”
“This is solely for you, Mr. Kwon Saeha. And that is ultimately for everyone who cares about you.”
“Ah…”
“So please tell me.”

I placed my clasped hands on the table and asked.

“What happened at that hotel?”

I want to refuse.
But I couldn’t.
I didn’t know what would happen.
For a while, I wouldn’t be able to go outside the dorm, no.
I wouldn’t even be able to step outside my room.
Kwon Saeha pulled the baseball cap, which the man called the manager had carelessly placed on his head, down a little further.

Ding.

With a short beep, the elevator doors opened.
Even Kwon Saeha, who had never been to a place like this, could tell.

‘The top floor…’

The manager, with a bored expression, knocked on the door, and someone from inside opened it.
Kwon Saeha entered as the manager pushed his back.
Inside, the CEO was sitting opposite a man.

“Oh, you’re here?”

The CEO waved at Kwon Saeha with a kind face that Kwon Saeha had never seen before.
It was different from his usual arrogant and gangster-like appearance.
The CEO stood up, bowed politely to the man opposite him, and spoke in polite Chinese.

[Have a good time, sir.]
[Alright. You can go now.]

The CEO patted Kwon Saeha’s shoulder a couple of times with a heavy hand, who was looking at him with a clueless expression.
Then he squeezed Kwon Saeha’s shoulder with even more force.

“Hey, be good to him. You understand?”

Thud!

The smooth door, which usually didn’t make a sound, opened roughly, unlike usual.
Kwon Saeha, who had pushed the door open, ran with all his might.
While the men who were standing guard in front of the door were flustered, he ran down the stairs.

“Hey! Catch that bastard!”
“This bastard! Don’t you stop there?”

Kwon Saeha ran down the stairs and hid in the bathroom of a subway station he saw in front of him.
He leaned against the stall and panted for a long time.
He couldn’t breathe properly, crushed by fear.
He didn’t know if a few hours had passed, or a few minutes.
His phone had already been taken, and he couldn’t go to the dorm.
He didn’t have a wallet or any cash either.
At that moment, Kwon Saeha accepted the truth he had been denying and denying.

‘Complete isolation from the world.’

And isolation.
Even in a situation like this, there was nowhere to go.
His family was in the countryside, and if he went to the police station, his agency would be contacted.
What could he prove without a common phone or an ID?
He was so helpless that he couldn’t even wipe away his flowing tears.

“Wow. I’ve been looking for you for a long time, and you were hiding here.”

It didn’t take long to be caught.
The place he was dragged to again was not that hotel or the dorm, but a shabby motel.
A motel with mold in the corners and a stale, musty smell.

“Get in.”

Kwon Saeha knelt before the shod feet and begged, his whole body trembling.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, manager.”
“The CEO is very angry. You should have just endured it once. Why did you have to act like that? It’s not our fault, is it?”

Soon, a familiar kick followed.
His vision blurred.
Someone shook him awake as he was passed out.
By the time his faint consciousness returned to its place, his wrists were already in handcuffs.

“Mr. Kwon Saeha, you are under emergency arrest on suspicion of drug use and distribution.”

“…And so, when I opened my eyes, there were white powders all over the room. And syringes.”

As I listened to Kwon Saeha’s words, I also checked the police report.

‘Kwon Saeha’s account is missing from the CCTV footage.’

Kwon Saeha clearly stated that he had been dragged there by gangsters, but there was no record of that.
However, a scene was attached showing a man wearing the same clothes and hat as Kwon Saeha now, paying for the room where Kwon Saeha was arrested.
The man, whose face was covered by sunglasses and a mask, had a similar build to Kwon Saeha, even in my eyes.

‘After that, many people went in and out of that room, and a large amount of cash was found all over the room. That’s why the distribution charge was added.’

It was a story more like a movie than a movie.
I thought I wouldn’t be surprised by whatever Kwon Saeha said, but I had to work hard to maintain my composure.
But I had no choice but to believe him.
Because not a single warning sound had gone off while Kwon Saeha was speaking.
I thought of a question that suddenly came to mind.

“I need to check the police report again for a moment.”
“…Yes.”

Of course, before that, I asked for Kwon Saeha’s understanding and fixed my gaze on the thin piece of paper.

‘What happens if I can’t win even once?’

[As I mentioned before, Lawyer Yoon Eunho’s soul will go to the afterlife. Why do you ask?]

‘Because the circumstances and the evidence are too precise.’

It was a well-made frame.
So much so that any lawyer who came would have to ‘consider’ a suspended sentence as a victory.

‘Looking at it now, it seems like even drug-dealing gangsters are involved. But… I can’t go back like this.’

[Are you thinking of taking the case? Even for you, lawyer, this case seems a bit difficult.]

I sighed inwardly.

‘I’ve been curious all along, but you asked me if I still wanted to achieve the true justice I had once dreamed of.’

[Yes, I did.]

‘Then what about a case like this? It’s not like you’re telling me to just take on cases where I’m bound to win and just survive.’

As long as my life was held hostage, there were not a few things I had to consider.
Until now, I had been lucky to meet truly wronged clients, and it was a situation where I could win with my skills, but what if it’s different from now on?
The hologram, which had read my thoughts, was silent for a few seconds.

[…Please wait a moment.]

‘Why?’

[Don’t ask for the reason.]

‘I’m asking what you mean by that.’

No answer came back.
In the meantime, Kwon Saeha, who had been quietly holding his breath, placed his hands on the desk and spoke with a worried expression.

“…If I get involved with you, you could be in danger too, lawyer. I don’t want that. I really don’t.”

If only a warning sound had gone off, I would have felt a little more at ease.

Swish.

I reached out and gently patted the back of Kwon Saeha’s hand a couple of times.

“You’ve been through a lot, Mr. Kwon Saeha.”
“……”
“It must have been very hard. So much so that I’m sorry to even try to imagine it.”
“…Ah.”
“Are the other members in a similar situation?”
“I, I don’t know. This is the first, the first time this has happened to me.”

Kwon Saeha then raised his cuffed hands and rubbed his already messed-up eyes.
Tears spread across his cheeks and then gathered on his chin and fell.
It must have been a very difficult situation for a twenty-three-year-old to endure.
At that moment, a voice was heard in my ear.

[It should be fine this time.]

‘What do you mean by that? This time?’

[…….]

This guy only talks when he wants to.
But that was enough.
I took out a handkerchief from my pocket, handed it to him, and spoke.

“I was serious when I said I wouldn’t take a fee. Mr. Kwon Saeha, will you formally appoint me?”

Kwon Saeha, who couldn’t stop crying, nodded his head.

“Yes, yes. Please… please help me, lawyer…”
“Yes, I will. Not only will I prove your innocence, but I will also compensate you for the past time.”
“…What? What do you mean by that…”

Was it because he heard something surprising while crying?
Kwon Saeha started to hiccup.
I tapped the desk with my fingertips and spoke.

“It’s not my preferred method, but sometimes the best defense is an offense. And I think I’ve found a way.”