A Complicated Defense

Like all cases, it was always a race against time.
The detention period for an emergency arrest is 48 hours.
When this meeting is over, Kwon Saeha will be moved to a detention center.

“Mr. Kwon Saeha, I will come again before the detention period is over.”
“Yes, lawyer.”
“Yes. A warrant will probably be issued from the prosecution before then. Because the evidence is so clear.”
“Yes…”
“But I will try to come before that. The situation is difficult, but please wait. And no matter what happens, do not change your statement.”
“Yes, lawyer.”

Once it becomes known that Kwon Saeha has hired a lawyer, the other side will also make a move.
I deliberately tapped the police report slowly and spoke again.

Tap, tap.

Kwon Saeha’s gaze followed my fingertips.

“Absolutely, no matter who comes and what they say, you must not change your statement. I will try to resolve this as quickly as possible.”
“…Yes.”
“Ah, and please wear a hat and mask in the detention center as well. If anyone recognizes you and tries to talk to you, don’t answer.”
“Yes.”

Kwon Saeha answered, nodding his head obediently.
I let out a sigh of concern and added one last thing.

“It pains me to have to say this, but please refuse meals as much as possible.”

Even when I told him to starve for at least a few tens of hours more, Kwon Saeha nodded without any suspicion.
So I had no choice but to add.

“If your face is revealed and the situation becomes a news article, it could become difficult. I’m worried that you’ll be hungry.”
“Ah, you don’t have to worry. I’m fine with starving for this long. I’m used to it…”

Kwon Saeha answered, rubbing his eyes with a face that said it was a common occurrence.
His nonchalant answer made me determined to throw these bastards into the mud.
And so, I stayed by Kwon Saeha’s side until he stopped crying, left him with a few words of advice, and then left the interrogation room.
My, I’ve just calmed one down, and now another one is crying.

“Lawyer!”

Baek Soeun, who had been squatting in front of the door, got up as soon as I came out.
Her face was even more of a mess with tears than before.
I checked the time on my watch.
It had been about an hour and a half since I had met Baek Soeun in front of this place.

‘Has she been like this the whole time?’

Baek Soeun asked cautiously.

“How, how did it go?”
“Mr. Kwon Saeha has appointed me.”
“Ah, that’s a relief… a real relief.”
“Reporter Baek!”

I caught Baek Soeun, who was staggering with weak legs, and sat her down in a chair again.
I sat down next to her and carefully explained the situation.

“However, given the nature of the case, it will be difficult to get a non-custodial investigation.”
“I guess so…”
“If it were just drug use, I could try something, but distribution is also involved. Looking at the police report, it will be difficult to avoid a prison sentence.”

With every syllable I uttered, Baek Soeun’s expression changed.
I smiled, raising the corners of my mouth, to reassure her.

“So we have to clear his name first.”
“Do you, do you really think he’s been framed?”
“Yes, so wasn’t that what you asked for, Reporter Baek?”
“That’s right, that’s right. Of course, I think so, but the situation is…”

As she continued to speak, Baek Soeun’s tearful face gradually changed.

“Since the situation is like this, I can’t just stand by. From now on, just tell me what to do. I’ll help in any way I can.”

Baek Soeun roughly wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
All her tears transferred to the back of her hand.
Baek Soeun’s face, now dry with only the traces of tears, was resolute.
As if I had been waiting for those words, I nodded and spoke.

“First, please investigate Mr. Kwon Saeha’s agency. The other members’ situations might be similar to Mr. Kwon Saeha’s. There are signs of continuous abuse.”
“…Yes, I will.”
“Then I’ll go to the motel where Mr. Kwon Saeha was arrested.”

It’s probably better not to talk about the hotel.
First of all, it’s not in the police report.
And not only for the sake of confidentiality, but since it’s not clear who the person behind this is, it would be better to investigate on my own.
It was just as we were about to get up.

“The investigation of that motel is already over. There’s nothing more to come out. We’ve turned over every speck of dust.”

Choi Suhyeok, who had been leaning against the wall, pushed himself off and approached us.
Instead of shaking my head, I spoke with a calm expression.

“Hearing you say that reminds me of the day we first met, Detective Choi.”

On that day, the investigation of the PC bang, which was the crime scene, was also finished, but the real culprit was someone else.
Choi Suhyeok’s face immediately contorted.
There’s no one else as fun to tease as him.
I shrugged once, smiled, and spoke again.

“It seems we’ll have to have lunch next time. The owner sometimes asks about you, Detective Choi.”
“About me?”
“Yes. She asked if that handsome detective is busy. Then I’ll be going now.”

At my words, Choi Suhyeok shook his head.

“Let’s go together. It’s better for my well-being to go with you than to be anxious about what kind of trouble you’ll stir up at the scene. We’ll eat after that.”

As expected, Choi Suhyeok was just a little sharp with his words, but his personality was the opposite.

“I’m fine with that. Shall we go then? I’ll drive. Let’s go in my car.”
“Isn’t that a given? I just came in this morning after finishing my stakeout.”

I cleanly ignored Choi Suhyeok’s complaint-like remark.
And I turned my head to say goodbye to Baek Soeun.

“I’ll contact you when anything comes up, Reporter Baek.”
“Yes, lawyer. I’ll contact you right away too.”

As Choi Suhyeok and I were leaving, I could hear Baek Soeun talking to someone on the phone.

[Turn left in 200 meters.]

An announcement appeared on the navigation, saying that we would arrive in ten minutes.
Choi Suhyeok, who had briefly checked the screen, spoke with his eyes fixed on the front.

“Do you know how many times an average person is captured on CCTV in a day?”

[Be careful of the curve.]

I answered, turning the steering wheel smoothly.

“Well, I’m not sure. Wouldn’t it be around seventy or eighty times? Is it more than that?”
“When you consider the average working hours in South Korea as activity time, a person is captured about a hundred times a day from commute to work and back. When you’re walking on the street, it’s usually about once every ten seconds.”
“Ten seconds…”
“In a place like Gangnam-daero, it takes less than half that time for the same person to be caught on the next CCTV. It’s between four and five seconds.”

I narrowed my eyebrows to guess why Choi Suhyeok was suddenly bringing this up.

“…You’re talking about the CCTV in the police report.”
“Yes. Currently, Mr. Kwon Saeha is not only denying his charges but also claiming forced confinement. Consistently since his arrest.”

Whatever it is, a statement must be consistent for it to be credible.
I was silent for a moment, and Choi Suhyeok also kept his mouth shut.

[You will arrive at your destination soon.]

A dry, monotonous announcement informed us that we had arrived.
I waited for Choi Suhyeok’s next words as I turned the steering wheel into the last alley.

“If Mr. Kwon Saeha’s claim is true, and even if someone had tampered with the motel’s CCTV as he stated.”

Choi Suhyeok asked, his eyes narrowing slightly in question as to why I wasn’t doing the obvious.

“There’s nothing we can do about the external surveillance cameras. You must have seen the police report. Why aren’t you asking anything?”

Screech.

I put on the handbrake and then answered nonchalantly.

“Because it’s useless. Whether you’re a lawyer or a detective, time is a precious commodity in our profession.”
“What do you mean by that?”

Choi Suhyeok asked back, his sharp gaze fixed on the motel visible outside the window.

“It’s hard to say that South Korea is a drug-free country anymore, right?”
“You’re asking me a question that makes me doubt my profession all of a sudden. You, you seem to forget sometimes, but I’m a detective.”

I laughed a little at Choi Suhyeok’s words and then continued. His joke had worked to some extent.

“I was just saying that the methods are developing day by day, and the law is always too slow to catch up.”
“……”
“Throwing, delivery, errands. These are common things now. Even if we do find the original CCTV footage, it will be useless as evidence in a trial if the prosecution claims it was ‘staged’.”
“…Not just the prosecution, but the police too.”
“Yes. If such a precedent is set, drug dealers will all hire actors from now on.”

Because the speed at which methods develop is surprisingly fast.
Because crime always preys on the weak.

“It will become a situation where they pretend to have acted under duress, whether it’s drug use or distribution, sell the drugs as they are, and then get released.”

Choi Suhyeok’s brow furrowed as if he were imagining a situation where he had to release a criminal after working hard to catch him.

“That’s why cases like this are the trickiest. Unless there was a camera in the room and the situation was all recorded. Let’s get out for now.”

After finishing my words, I opened the car door. Choi Suhyeok, who followed me out, quietly stood next to me.
Anyone could see that he was looking at me with interest.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s strange at times like these, Lawyer Cha.”
“What is? My face? I sometimes get surprised when I look in the mirror too.”
“And the way you’re so smooth about it.”

This wasn’t a joke, but half-serious.
Choi Suhyeok, who took my words as a joke, added as he started walking.

“Do you think I’ve only met one or two lawyers? They’re all so worn out and seasoned that it makes you shake your head.”

Choi Suhyeok, as if recalling a bad memory, really clicked his tongue and roughly ran his hand through his hair.

“But you, Lawyer Cha, are not that old or experienced, yet it’s strange that you think and act like those lawyers.”
“What?”

At those words, I stopped in my tracks.
Choi Suhyeok turned around and tilted his head.

“What’s wrong? It was a compliment. Did I offend you? Then I’ll apologize.”
“Ah, no.”

At Choi Suhyeok’s words, I shook my head and started walking.

‘Is it that obvious?’

Well, just because my body has changed doesn’t mean my habits have disappeared.
Choi Suhyeok continued to speak only after I had reached his side.

“Well, then again, a rookie is a rookie. ‘A lawyer who runs around’ is a spirit that only exists in those days. After a few years, they all just pass it on to an investigator.”

There was a hint of pure admiration in Choi Suhyeok’s tone.
It wasn’t wrong.
A detective who runs around is a given, and a prosecutor who runs around is rare but exists, but a lawyer who runs around is not common.
I nodded and then spoke.

“…Thank you for the compliment. I didn’t know you thought of me as that seasoned.”
“You’re probably not the only one who thinks that.”

I heard a sigh in my ear.
I know I made a mistake, so will you stop nagging me?

[Sigh.]

It seemed that Gram’s rebellion was getting worse day by day.
Is she going through puberty?

The exterior of the motel was ordinary.
It wasn’t too old, but it wasn’t new either, it was the image that immediately came to mind when you thought of a motel on the outskirts.

“According to what you said just now, Lawyer Cha, it seems difficult to find decisive evidence at this scene. What do you want to check?”
“There’s something that’s been bothering me.”
“Are you confident this time too?”
“Yes, well. To some extent.”
“I don’t know how you can be so confident in everything.”

[I’m curious too.]

I answered both Choi Suhyeok and the hologram, who were expressing their doubts.

“If the lawyer is not confident, they can’t save the client. So I always have to be confident. I’m no longer ‘Zero-Wins’.”

The last part was as good as said to the hologram.
I grinned and walked ahead to open the door of the motel.

Jingle.

A wind chime swayed above my head.

‘Here too, a Daruma doll.’

As Choi Suhyeok and I entered, the man sitting at the counter looked at us.
Then he looked Choi Suhyeok up and down, checked my face for a moment, and then turned his head away and spoke.

“We’re not open.”

Wow, he’s an open person.