A New Player Enters the Game

“How did it go, Lawyer Cha? Are you okay?”

After meeting Chairman Jo, I immediately turned the wheel towards Won Youngoh’s hospital.
A familiar paper bag was visible next to Won Youngoh’s bed.
Lee Ilwoo gave me a nod and stepped aside.

“Thank you, Mr. Lee Ilwoo. Please rest comfortably.”
“Yes, lawyer.”

I plopped down on the auxiliary chair next to the bed. Although nothing major happened, I had gained some concerns.

“Nothing happened. I wasn’t hurt anywhere. Chairman Jo made a proposal. More of a command than a proposal, though.”
“What do you mean by that?”

I recounted my previous conversation and conveyed Chairman Jo’s words to Won Youngoh.

“He said he would cover all the costs related to the client. Even our legal fees, to a satisfactory extent.”
“From HanDi, all of a sudden?”

At my words, a glint appeared in Won Youngoh’s eyes.
Just like when I had heard those words from Chairman Jo.

“But that’s only if the HanDi legal team controls all responses, including interviews and statements that could become articles, from the client and us during the trial.”

Is that all?
I shrugged once and then spoke again.

“He also said that HanDi would completely deny any involvement in this case. He said he would take care of everything, so we should just take the credit.”

“Isn’t it a deal that doesn’t hurt the lawyers?”

Chairman Jo is a person who is overly obsessed with profit and loss. So in a way, this was close to a confession.
Judging from Won Youngoh’s reaction, it seemed that I wasn’t the only one who thought so.

“I told him that I couldn’t decide on my own and would discuss it with Lawyer Won and give him an answer. He uncharacteristically added that he would wait for a positive response.”

Won Youngoh, as usual, narrowed his brows and fell into thought for a moment.
It was a habit he had when organizing his thoughts.

“He wants to control it quietly. By pressing down on our breath to keep us silent.”
“Yes. It’s natural for a name to follow where the money goes, and it’s not a choice that people who know how to use that fact better than anyone else would make.”

Companies usually don’t embrace anonymity.
Because name and reputation are money.
In such a situation, a decision like this…
I looked at the paper bag and added again.

“The car that is thought to be the hit-and-run vehicle was also not in the garage. Chairman Jo was standing in the middle of where that car was supposed to be. He was looking at me with a look that said, ‘How much do you know?'”

I told Won Youngoh a story mixed with a little bit of lies and mostly truths.
But Won Youngoh was not one to miss that point.

“He would have disposed of the car somehow. It’s evidence of the case. But even if we assume that car wasn’t in Chairman Jo’s garage, what about the son you mentioned earlier? How did you know?”

I spat out the answer I had already thought of on my way to the hospital.
It was a question that would naturally come back if I wanted to share this situation and opinion.

“I had a friend in college who was a car enthusiast. It’s a well-known fact that Chairman Jo’s hobby is collecting cars, but…”

Won Youngoh stared at me intently.
Lies always leave a hint. I continued my story with a nonchalant expression.
Because pretending to be calm while hiding the truth was my specialty.

“A rumor circulated among supercar dealers that Chairman Jo would sometimes bring a man with him when he came to look at cars. A young man who looked exactly like him. Well, at that time, I thought it was just a rumor.”

Won Youngoh’s sharp eyes narrowed in an instant.

“Then I heard it. That the man was really his son, and that he would sometimes cause accidents that required a lawyer. Like that remote mountain incident earlier.”
“…Hmm. Well, rumors always circulate. That case was a bit difficult to handle. …So have you made a decision? The trial is the day after tomorrow.”

As Won Youngoh said, I had to choose my cards by today.
I nodded and spoke.

“In a case like this, it’s better to choose the side that wants to reveal rather than the side that wants to hide. Because the side that hides usually has a knife hidden too.”
“I think so too.”

I called Yeo Taerim in front of Won Youngoh.

“Hello, this is Cha Yohan. I’m sorry for the late hour.”
[Not at all. Thank you for the call.]
“Thank you for your understanding. As you know, the matter is quite serious, so we don’t have much time. I’d like to meet with you if you’re available.”

Yeo Taerim sent the address right away.
It was an ambiguous time of 8 p.m., but it was as swift as if it had been prepared all along.

“Good evening. May I have the name of the reservation?”
“Hello. ‘Yeo Taerim’.”
“Thank you for confirming. I will show you the way.”

The address Yeo Taerim sent was a cafe inside a hotel restaurant.
I was guided to a room by the staff.

‘This is serious.’

The room I arrived at was not only quiet and cozy, but also excessively quiet. As if they had paid special attention to soundproofing.
I bowed my head once to the staff.

“Thank you.”
“Please have a comfortable time.”

I took off my coat and left it on my seat, then came out of the room again.
Doesn’t everyone have a habit or two?
I had a habit of washing my hands before making an important decision.
Because it felt like it washed away the unnecessary thoughts that weren’t needed for the decision.

Swish.

‘Yeo Taerim… where have I heard that before?’

After washing my hands diligently, I straightened my clothes and was about to go back.
I heard a conversation nearby.

“Has the person who was supposed to come arrived?”
“Yes. I’ve shown them to the room you mentioned, miss.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”

The restaurant manager, who had been just standing behind the staff who had guided me earlier, was now serving directly.
I couldn’t see the face of the person who was turned away.
I could only confirm that she had good-quality short hair.

‘Miss? I’ve heard that voice a lot somewhere.’

With that thought, I checked my watch once and returned to the room.
There were still about five minutes left until the appointment time.
A short while after I sat down, a woman with short hair gently opened the door and came in.

Swish.

As I stood up, she bowed once and handed me her business card.
Her shiny black bob swayed with her greeting.

“Hello. I’m Yeo Taerim from the HJ legal team.”
“Hello. I’m Cha Yohan.”

I also took out my business card from my pocket and handed it to her. Yeo Taerim, who took the card, added in the same accurate pronunciation and powerful voice as on the phone.

“Thank you for your time at this late hour.”

Her voice was a little huskier than what I had heard over the phone.

‘Ah, this voice is…’

It was the voice of that ‘miss’ from earlier.
I briefly recalled a story I had heard during my Yoon Eunho days.

“Will the HJ succession battle intensify now? I heard that the rumored youngest daughter gave up on the succession and joined the legal team.”

But instead of questioning Yeo Taerim’s identity, I sat down and took a sip of coffee.

“Let’s sit down and talk more.”

Yeo Taerim also picked up her cup.
I stared at Yeo Taerim.

‘How much does she know?’

With HJ’s information network, they would have already found out that HanDi had approached us.
From Yeo Taerim’s appearance, an inexplicable tension had been lingering in this space.
I couldn’t easily guess the source of that tension.

‘In times like these, it’s better to ask directly.’

I might be able to find a momentary flicker of emotion in her expression.
I spoke with a firm expression.

“Is there something that HJ wants from us and our client?”

At my question, Yeo Taerim slowly blinked her sharp eyes and answered.
It was a consistent face without a single flicker of emotion.

“We at HJ consider this a calling.”
“A calling?”
“Yes. As you know, lawyer, there are countless ways for a company to give back to society. The most representative is donation. But people always crave for ‘jeong’ deep down.”

‘Jeong’.
It was a vague yet certain answer.

“And now, Mr. Lee Hyeonsu is the righteous person that the public wants more than anyone else. We simply want to help him on behalf of the public.”

Her gaze, which held no ulterior motives, was upright.
It was a stark contrast to the gaze of Chairman Jo, who was constantly sizing me up.
The fact that she had arranged a meeting so quickly at this late hour was also a sign of HJ’s deep interest in this matter.
Yeo Taerim, who was gently stroking the rim of her cup with her soft hands, spoke again.

“At least, we at HJ think so. Such righteous people should not suffer unfair things.”
“You’re talking about Mr. Lee Hyeonsu’s current situation.”

Yeo Taerim nodded once and added.

“We at HJ have never spared human support as well as material support for ‘righteous people’. This applies not only to Mr. ‘Lee Hyeonsu’ but to everyone who has received the ‘Righteous Person Award’.”

So it was as if she was telling me to let go of my suspicions.
I nodded and stood up from my seat.

“I’ve heard you well. Thank you for your time even at this late hour. I will discuss it further with Lawyer Won Youngoh and contact you again in an hour or two.”
“Thank you again for your time. Please contact me at your convenience.”

Tap.

And so, Cha Yohan left the room with quiet steps.
Yeo Taerim glanced at Cha Yohan’s empty cup and then smiled with interest.

‘Strange.’

Usually, people who hear the name ‘Yeo’ Taerim and see her face for the first time can’t hide their agitation.
But the lawyer just now was different.

‘I heard his nickname was Zero-Wins until recently.’

Can he have such a nickname with that kind of attitude?
But everything was too seasoned for that.
His gaze, his speaking speed, his expression.
He seemed like a person who had been expertly trained.
To the point where I became curious about why he had such a nickname.

The busy day passed in a flash, and it was the second day again.
I bowed several times to Mr. Lee Hyeonsu, who was repeatedly bowing to me in gratitude.

“Thank you, lawyer. Thank you…”
“Not at all. It was the right thing to do. You’ve been through a lot.”
“It was only a few days. More than that, is that child really okay? My son…”
“Yes, he’s fine. You’ll be able to see your son soon too. Your family is waiting outside.”
“Ah… Thank you so much, lawyer.”
“It’s not all resolved yet, but if you rest comfortably for as much as you’ve suffered, I’ll bring you more good news.”

The trial was not that difficult.
It was due to the public opinion that had been boiling for several days.
The prosecution and the court, instead of continuing to detain the client in the detention center, immediately switched to a non-custodial investigation.

‘The most decisive thing was that the bumper fragment had evidentiary value.’

I had filmed the entire process of me acquiring that bumper fragment, and as a result of examining the paint left on the client’s truck, it was determined to be a match.
Perhaps because they were conscious of public opinion, it was an unprecedented speed.

‘Office Manager Jeong Donghyeok also found the peculiarity of the person who didn’t want to settle alone.’

After a short thought, I left the detention center with Lee Hyeonsu.

“Let’s go out first.”

The young child who was waiting for Lee Hyeonsu ran towards him, shouting.

“Dad!”
“Juhyeong!”
“Dad…”

Lee Hyeonsu held his crying son in his arms and buried his head in his small shoulder for a long time.
It must have been like hell for the past few days.
Because that’s what prison life is like for an ordinary person.
Lee Hyeonsu’s elderly mother, who had been taking care of her grandson alone, stroked the cheek of her son, who had grown thin, with a fond expression.

“Oh my, Hyeonsu. You’ve suffered… You’ve suffered, my son… To have gone through such a thing after doing such a good deed…”
“No, mother. I’m fine. The lawyer helped me a lot.”
“Thank you so much. Thank you, lawyer…”

I held the wrinkled hand that was holding mine with a trembling hand.

“You don’t have to worry anymore, mother. Nothing will happen. Mr. Lee Hyeonsu, I’ll contact you again.”
“Thank you, lawyer.”
“I’ll see you next time with better news.”

I left the family reunion behind and headed to Won Youngoh’s hospital.
Because there was still work to be done.