An Unexpected Attack

When I saw Lee Ilwoo’s career on his resume, I thought he was impressive, but experiencing it firsthand was even more so.
National athletes are really different.
I had lost some stamina since becoming Cha Yohan, but I had also mastered various martial arts.

‘I was good enough to open my own dojang for Taekwondo, Judo, and even Jujitsu.’

Before I could even show off my skills, I had been thrown to the ground several times.
I would think I had been caught, and at the same time, I would be lying on my back, looking at the ceiling.

“Oh, my back…”
“But you knew how to fall properly. I was surprised.”
“I think I broke something. I need to go to the hospital. I think it hurts more than that day.”
“You’re also a bit of a crybaby, more than I thought.”

Tap.

I took the hand that Lee Ilwoo offered with a smile and got up.

“I felt it that day too, but you’re not completely unable to use your body. It wasn’t just empty confidence. But it’s not enough right now.”
“I’m feeling it firsthand again today.”
“Yes, but no matter how well you use your body, you can’t beat numbers. There’s no master against a gang. You saw it with your own eyes a few days ago. The most important thing is to buy time until then.”

That’s right. I saw it too clearly with my own eyes.
Because there was still a scar on the cheek of this incredibly skilled Lee Ilwoo. And on my forehead, of course.

“If you encounter an assailant, you shouldn’t give them any distance. If your back is against a wall, you have to escape somehow.”

I nodded and followed Lee Ilwoo, who was getting into a stance again.

‘He must have really only guarded VIPs.’

I had been practicing martial arts for years, but there were one or two movements that were difficult to follow.
I also learned a few new ways to use my body more effectively.

“Haa…”

I lay down on the sweat-soaked mat and checked the time.
The afternoon had already passed.
Lee Ilwoo extended his hand again. I felt like I didn’t even have the strength to grab it and get up.

‘Isn’t this a skill scam?’

[No, it’s not!]

But why is it so hard?
I can’t even breathe properly, really.

[That’s because you’ve been exercising for three hours straight.]

Gram, you’ve been talking back a lot lately.
This time, no answer came.
Instead, Lee Ilwoo handed me a towel and asked.

“First, wipe off your sweat, lawyer. Shall we wash up and go back to the office now?”
“We should. I left my things there. Oh, do you exercise like this every day?”
“Yes. But not for several hours like today. You were following along so well, lawyer, that I didn’t even realize…”

A pleasant smile was certainly on Lee Ilwoo’s face.
It was close to a look of satisfaction.

“Among the people I’ve taught, you were the most surprising, lawyer. There aren’t many people who can follow along this well. Thanks to you, I got a little excited too.”
“I feel like I’m about to die, but I’m also a little proud.”

As I was about to return to the office with my wet hair with Lee Ilwoo, his phone rang.

“Just a moment, lawyer.”
“Yes, feel free to take it.”
“Thank you. …Oh, okay. I’ll be home soon. Ah. It’s my younger sibling. My mother said she wants to have dinner together.”
“Then you should go right away. Thank you for today. See you tomorrow. Next time, I won’t go easy on you either.”
“I’m always welcome to it.”

Was it because I had been engrossed in exercise for several hours after a long time? I was incredibly hungry. And it was that time of day.

‘Should I buy something simple for dinner? I wonder if my senior is back. I think Office Manager Jeong Donghyeok will be there.’

He’s probably reviewing past cases and getting a grasp of the work.
Jeong Donghyeok’s work process was quite meticulous.
Enough to satisfy the picky Won Youngoh in one go.
Then, the hologram gave me a hint about Office Manager Jeong Donghyeok and the menu at the same time.

[Office Manager Jeong Donghyeok is particularly fond of Snacks. Among them, he likes fried dumplings the most.]

‘Really? Senior Won likes snacks too, so that’s great.’

When we had to work late on a case, we would sometimes eat together.

“Hello. I’d like to order three servings of tteokbokki, one serving of sundae, and two sets of assorted fried snacks to go. And an extra serving of dumplings, please. Ah, and some eomuk soup, please.”

There are three guys, so I should buy this much. I wonder if it’s not enough.

“Here you go. Goodbye.”
“Thank you.”

I had just finished packing the snacks from a nearby place and was almost at the office.

“Huh?”

I was about to greet Won Youngoh, who I saw climbing the stairs of the office, when I had to let out a scream-like call.

“Lawyer Won!”

Because in front of my eyes, Won Youngoh had been attacked by an assailant.

A man in a black hoodie, a black mask, and sunglasses was following closely behind Won Youngoh.

‘Why sunglasses at this time of night?’

I just thought he was a passerby.
Until I saw the blade he took out of his pocket.

“Watch out!”

Won Youngoh turned around at my call, but it was already too late.
The knife, which was shining brightly under the streetlight, had pierced Won Youngoh’s stomach.

“Ugh!”

The assailant, who was flustered because Won Youngoh had turned around, pulled out the knife and raised his arm to stab him again.
But Won Youngoh was not a person to just take it.

Thwack!

While Won Youngoh kicked the culprit to create distance, I ran across the street like crazy.

Whoosh!

In the meantime, Won Youngoh pressed his stomach with both hands to stop the bleeding. The assailant, who had been knocked down, approached Won Youngoh again and raised his arm.

Tap!

Won Youngoh, without a moment’s hesitation, raised his hand and tried to grab the assailant’s arm with his bloody hand to take the knife.

“What the hell are you doing!”

Swish!

“Ugh!”

The culprit pushed Won Youngoh with all his might. The sharp blade grazed Won Youngoh’s palm.
As I got closer, the culprit looked at me once and then immediately started to run away.

Thump, thump, thump!

“Lawyer! Are you okay? Ambulance! Someone call an ambulance here!”

I pressed on the stab wound, following Won Youngoh who was pressing his stomach with his bloody hands, and looked around.
The guy was already getting that far away.

“Oh my, what happened? He must have been stabbed!”
“Ambulance, 119!”

People gathered at the untimely commotion.
The owner of the 1st-floor store, who was acquainted with us, recognized us and called an ambulance.

“Here, here at the Sejin Building in Hongju-dong, someone’s been stabbed! Please come quickly! Oh my, Lawyer Won! Are you okay?!”

As more and more people surrounded us, the guy’s back was hidden.
Won Youngoh spoke with a pained expression.
More and more blood was flowing from Won Youngoh’s stomach. Enough to make my hands wet with blood.

“Go, get him.”
“What? But in your condition, lawyer,”
“I’m fine, so go and get him!”

I quickly checked the surroundings and entrusted Won Youngoh to the owner who was watching anxiously from the side.

“Ma’am, please take care of the lawyer!”
“Uh-huh! Go and catch him quickly!”
“Excuse me, just a moment, please let me pass!”

And I started running like crazy.
He wasn’t as far away as I thought.
I could still see his running back.
But something was strange.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

The guy just kept running.
He didn’t get on a subway, a taxi, or even a prepared car to escape, he just kept running.
Thanks to the skill, even though I had been running for a while, I wasn’t that out of breath, and the distance was slowly closing.

“Hey, please catch that person! Please!”

I chased after the guy who was running here and there only in deserted places.
I asked the few people I saw for help, but no one helped me because of my appearance.
I guess I looked scary, running with blood on both my hands and shirt. They probably didn’t want to get involved.
Still, a little…

‘…This is sad.’

I remembered Won Youngoh’s white shirt turning red with blood and his pained expression.
I gritted my teeth and moved my legs faster.
But I couldn’t catch up to that guy completely.
Because I still didn’t have that much stamina.

Thump!

The guy suddenly changed direction and ran into an alley.

‘Was there a side street like this here?’

As I chased the guy through the deserted park, I couldn’t help but be flustered at the end of the park.

“…This is.”

Because it was a concert hall.
The concert must have just ended, because no matter where I turned my head and looked, everyone was wearing the same clothes.
There were only people in black hoodies everywhere.

[…Can you find him?]

‘I don’t know. But what’s certain is that this was a planned crime.’

A planned crime, with the victim, the weapon, and the escape route all rehearsed.

“Haa…”

A large crowd of people, all wearing the same black hoodies, looked at me with the same expression.
It was a questioning look.
I sighed and looked down at my palms, which were now stiff to the joints with dried blood.

‘I should either come back and ask for cooperation or contact Choi Suhyeok, but first, I need to go to the hospital.’

And so, I turned my steps.
It was a deep sense of emptiness that I hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Guardian of the patient Won Youngoh?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“The organs were spared, but the wound is deep. There was also a lot of bleeding.”

The doctor lowered his surgical mask and explained the precautions again.

“If he moves too much, the wound could open or he could get sepsis, so it would be best for him to be hospitalized for at least a month to monitor his progress. The surgery was successful.”
“…Thank you.”

Jeong Donghyeok was already guarding the operating room.
After waiting with Jeong Donghyeok in front of the operating room for several hours, I called Lee Ilwoo after Won Youngoh was moved to a hospital room.

“Mr. Lee Ilwoo, I’m sorry to call you at this hour.”
[It’s fine, lawyer. Is something wrong?]
“Well, that is. Lawyer Won Youngoh is a little injured. He’s at the hospital right now. Could you just watch the front of his room for the night? I have something I want to check.”
[What? I’ll be right there.]

Lee Ilwoo, who came running in the middle of the night, already had a considerable amount of guilt on his face.

“What is… What is going on?”
“His life is not in danger, but he was attacked. I don’t think the guy will follow us here, but just in case. Please. I’ll go and check around the office a bit more and come back.”
“…Please go. I’ll be here. Office Manager, you should go home now too.”
“Yes, Office Manager. See you in the morning.”
“What is really going on… I’ll be here first thing in the morning.”

After leaving the hospital with Jeong Donghyeok, I carefully checked the area around the office and the concert hall once more.
The place where the crowd had all disappeared was just quiet.
After some thought, I called Choi Suhyeok.

Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, click.

[What is it at this hour? Don’t you sleep, Lawyer Cha?]
“Detective Choi, I need your help. Lawyer Won Youngoh has been stabbed.”

Choi Suhyeok’s voice on the other end of the line changed in an instant.

[What are you talking about? What happened?]
“He just finished surgery. Fortunately, he missed the vital organs, so his life is not in danger, but it was a planned crime. I chased after the guy, but I lost him.”
[Hey, Mr. Cha Yohan. Why are you always so reckless? How did you know it was a planned crime?]
“The culprit had prepared an escape route in advance. Could you please check the CCTV along the guy’s route? Please.”
[Send me the location. I’ll send someone right away.]
“Thank you.”

When the call ended, the surroundings became quiet again.

‘There’s definitely an accomplice.’

Even when I walked the path again, it was complicated.
Turning corner after corner, and again.
It wasn’t a route you could just take without practice.

‘If I can find the people who repeatedly walked this path for a few days, the range of suspects would narrow a bit.’

As I was thinking that, the hologram appeared before my eyes.