A New Ally

“Detective Choi, here’s the towel you asked for.”
“Ah, thank you.”

I took the towel from a fellow detective and gave an awkward smile to Choi Suhyeok, who was staring at me.

“So you went in there after all?”
“Haha…”
“With a civilian?”

Lee Ilwoo couldn’t withstand the sharp gaze of the veteran detective and turned his head.

Swish.

I gently took the towel from Choi Suhyeok’s hand and spoke.

“Because I knew you would come, Detective Choi.”
“What would you have done if I hadn’t come? Tell me your escape plan.”
“Haha… Thank you for this.”
“Anyway, really. Tsk.”

As I wiped the blood from my face with the clean towel and thanked him, Choi Suhyeok clicked his tongue with a resigned expression.

“Go to the hospital after the investigation.”
“I will.”
“The fight in the building will be recognized as self-defense. You can even sue if you want. Very ‘fortunately,’ the recording from the building’s internal CCTV has disappeared, so the scene captured on my bodycam is everything.”

That ‘scene’ would probably be me and Lee Ilwoo rolling on the floor, threatened by gangsters with weapons.

“But if they file a complaint for trespassing, then I have nothing to say.”
“The door was broken. We didn’t intentionally break in.”

I answered with a smile after wiping off some of the blood.
Well, this evidence is gone too.
Though the witness named Lee Ilwoo remains.

“This is enough, so you can go now. I’ll say it again, go to the hospital first. You might have a concussion.”
“Yes, I will. Thank you so much for today, Detective Choi. I’ll buy you a meal next time.”
“What kind of trouble are you planning to stir up next time we meet?”

I tilted my head once at Choi Suhyeok’s question and spoke.
With a smile.

“Enough to get your hopes up?”
“Please, let’s not see each other again.”
“Yes, see you again soon.”

Lee Ilwoo watched the conversation between me and Choi Suhyeok with a look as if his soul was leaving his body.
Then, as I got up, he bowed his head and greeted Choi Suhyeok.

“…Thank you for saving me, detective.”

Choi Suhyeok waved his hand as if it were no big deal and added a word to Lee Ilwoo.

“Ah, let me give you a piece of advice. You should also avoid getting involved with Lawyer Cha as much as possible. You saw today, right? He drives people crazy.”
“Oh, then the three of us can have a meal together next time. I recently found a very delicious restaurant.”
“Lawyer Cha Yohan, have you been listening to me from the beginning?”
“Of course. It seems my hearing is fine, right?”
“Haa…”

Choi Suhyeok let out a long sigh as if he had lost and then added.

“The victims will be able to get their money back. For the most part.”
“Really?”
“I received a call as we were coming in. The money hidden in the internal safe and throughout the building roughly matches the amount of the damage.”
“It seems they were really preparing to move. They said something like that to me too.”
“Probably.”
“It was worth risking my life for today.”

I was serious.
Because if it wasn’t for today, I might have really missed them.
After some thought, I handed the blood-stained towel back to Choi Suhyeok.

“Should I wash it and give it back to you?”
“It’s fine. What’s one towel.”

Choi Suhyeok took the towel without a second thought and rubbed his forehead as if he had a real headache.

“Haa, do you know how many times I’ve sighed since I saw you, Lawyer Cha Yohan?”
“About eight times?”
“I shouldn’t even bother talking…”

Choi Suhyeok let out another sigh and spoke.

“Try to spare your life as much as possible, and take care of ‘that’ yourself. I’ll go back to the scene to see if I missed anything.”
“Thank you.”

With that farewell, Lee Ilwoo and I left the police station.
Lee Ilwoo, who had been suppressing his curiosity, finally asked a question when we got to the car.

“Lawyer, what is ‘that’ the detective was talking about?”

I mouthed the words silently.

‘The hard drive.’

Then I put my index finger to my lips.

“First, let’s go to the hospital.”

Earlier, Choi Suhyeok had shot the man’s shoulder without a moment’s hesitation.

“Does it hurt? You scream pretty loudly. I’m really curious who the bastard was who said such things to a thug like you. Let’s talk about the other things at the station, you and I. Affectionately.”

After that, other detectives had rushed in immediately.
Choi Suhyeok said he had deliberately entered with only two people to make the guys let their guard down.
After the men were arrested, during a brief lull, I had pocketed the hard drive that had been storing the CCTV footage.
If the footage revealed that we had picked the lock and entered, all the evidence inside could lose its evidentiary value as illegally obtained evidence.
Not only that, but Lee Ilwoo could also get into trouble.
Choi Suhyeok, who knew that fact, had also turned a blind eye.
So I had to use this evidence even better.

‘He’s just the type to talk tough.’

“Aren’t you afraid for your life, Lawyer Cha?”

Won Youngoh asked as soon as he saw me, who had gone to the hospital for stitches, dropped off Lee Ilwoo at home, slept like a log, and then came to work like it was a working man’s fate.
There was no fragrant coffee smell today.

‘Isn’t it a good thing that I’m disappointed about this?’

At least, thanks to Won Youngoh’s consideration, I was able to come to work late in the afternoon and rest.
I put my bag on my seat and spoke.

“Even if I’m afraid, if it’s necessary, I have to do it.”

The gauze on my forehead felt 괜히 itchy.
Won Youngoh stared at me.

“…When I see you, Lawyer Cha, I’m reminded of a junior. That’s why I’m saying this. I don’t want to lose another person like that.”

Huh? Could this be… about me?
Not Cha Yohan, but me when I was Yoon Eunho.

‘You asked why I quit being a prosecutor and came to ‘Justice’. I came because of that side of you. Because you care for the victims more than anyone else. Even if that method sometimes wears you down.’

Suddenly, those words of Won Youngoh came to mind.

‘Words I had forgotten for a while.’

Won Youngoh let out a sigh and then spoke again.

“I’ll go and finish up Mr. Han Junyoung’s case now. You get some rest, Lawyer Cha. Your appearance is, well.”

Do I look that bad?

[It wouldn’t be strange if you were carried away on a stretcher soon.]

I scratched my head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Then I’ll just organize some documents. Shall we have dinner together at ‘Family Diner’ later? There are some people I want to invite.”
“People you want to invite?”
“They’re the people who helped with Mr. Han Junyoung’s case.”

I had roughly told Won Youngoh the story over the phone last night.

“Ah, let’s do that. I’ll go first, so come when I contact you.”

Won Youngoh, as if he had been waiting to check my condition, got ready and left the office soon after.
I scrolled through my call history, pressed the name at the top, and made a call.

Ring, ring, ring, click.

“It’s me.”
[What have you gotten yourself into in just one day?]
“What do you mean, what have I gotten myself into? I told you, I’m buying you a meal.”

“Welcome, everyone.”
“Hello, ma’am. The others will be here soon.”
“I heard from Junyoung. You’re Lawyer Cha Yohan, right? Thank you so much.”

<Family Diner> opened its doors to only four customers tonight.
Surprisingly, the first to arrive, Choi Suhyeok, sat down quietly without saying a word.
I had been prepared to give a prepared answer if Choi Suhyeok had asked something like, “You’re treating me to a meal, and it’s just a diner?”
Choi Suhyeok didn’t say anything special until the others arrived. It was an unexpected side of him.

“Eat up, everyone.”

Soon, more side dishes than the number of people appeared in front of us.
A bowl of spicy and deep-flavored yukgaejang for each of us, shiny galbijjim, grilled cutlassfish, vegetable side dishes, and then several more plates poured out, filling the table.
Not just me, but everyone’s jaw dropped.

“No, ma’am. When did you make all this?”
“I made it while the restaurant was closed today. I was so happy that I kept making more and more, and it ended up being this much. It’s okay to leave some, so don’t feel burdened and eat up. I hope you like it.”

The owner waved her hand with a shy expression.
And the person serving the endless stream of food was a tearful Han Junyoung.
After the seemingly endless serving was over, Han Junyoung approached with a hesitant expression and immediately bowed his head in greeting.
Tears streamed down Han Junyoung’s cheeks, which were still bruised.

“Thank you, thank you. I really don’t know how to repay you. Thank you. I’ll pay the legal fees somehow. I’ll definitely pay them.”

I patted Han Junyoung’s shoulder.

“I said I wouldn’t take a fee. Just being able to eat this delicious food again was enough, but now I see. I’ve already received more than enough of a fee. It’s really enough.”

Choi Suhyeok watched my reaction with interest.
Lee Ilwoo was the same.
The only one who was watching me without any reaction was Won Youngoh.

“Thank you so much… If you need anything, please let me know. My mother has made a lot. She said she really wanted to treat you.”
“Please tell her that I’ll eat it all today. I was very hungry.”

Han Junyoung nodded with a tearful smile and disappeared into the kitchen.

“Now, everyone has worked hard, so let’s eat. Food should be eaten before it gets cold.”

I naturally served a generous portion of galbijjim onto everyone’s plates.
We focused solely on eating.
Because it was so delicious.
It was a taste that made me think, ‘what’s a little cut on the forehead?’.
The galbijjim melted in my mouth, and the yukgaejang, which cut through the richness, was spicy and refreshing.
Even the rolled omelet melted in my mouth.

“…Ah, I’m full.”

Everyone had finished at least two bowls of rice.
As the food that seemed like it would never disappear began to hit the bottom, Lee Ilwoo spoke.

“Lawyer Cha Yohan.”
“Yes?”
“I haven’t known you for long, but I’m curious if you’ll continue to work like this.”
“Like this?”

Lee Ilwoo hesitated and then added.

“Like yesterday. Do you have to work like that in the future as well?”
“Well, I wonder.”

It seemed as if everyone in this place was waiting for my answer.
I thought for a moment and then added.

“Still, if it’s necessary for the client, I will do the same thing. As a lawyer.”

A brief silence followed.

“It takes a lot more than you think to win a trial.”

It really took so much. And it had to be more than the opponent’s.

“Among them, a very trivial piece of evidence can reveal the victim’s innocence and prove the crime. We usually call that decisive evidence. Regardless of its importance.”
“……”
“For my clients like Mr. Han Junyoung, this small action of mine might be no different from that decisive evidence.”

The gazes that were all on me were piercing.
This time, Lee Ilwoo asked a question to Won Youngoh.

“Is there a position available at the office?”
“What kind of position?”
“I also want to repay my gratitude to the lawyers, just like this delicious meal today. So you don’t have to pay me.”
“What?”
“If it weren’t for Lawyer Cha, I would already be in prison.”

For some reason, Lee Ilwoo’s faint smile felt bitter.

“I don’t have anything else to do during my leave of absence anyway. I want to help you two during that time. Like yesterday. If you’re okay with it, I’d just like a place to sit in the office.”

Simultaneously, Won Youngoh and my gazes met.
Without a doubt, we were both in agreement.

“There’s no reason not to.”
“You’re welcome.”

And so, we gained a new colleague who was tight-lipped and trustworthy.