Drawing the Line

Won Youngoh, as if he understood, closed and opened his eyes and asked me.

“About how many people are there?”
“When I roughly checked in the classroom, there seemed to be about ten.”
“That’s more than I thought. It seems difficult for you to meet them all alone, Lawyer Cha. Let’s do it together.”
“What?”

As I asked back in surprise, Won Youngoh spoke again nonchalantly.

“I should have gone in the first place. And even if I had found out first, the result would have been the same. Because I would have tried to solve this problem too.”
“But you have a lot of trials you’re preparing for right now. Aren’t you overdoing it?”
“This is not overdoing it. And besides, if you’re an adult, you should try to solve it when you find out about something like this.”
“I think so too.”
“Me too.”

Jeong Donghyeok and Lee Ilwoo also nodded in agreement with Won Youngoh’s words and expressed their opinions.
Seeing that, I felt something sprout inside me.

‘I want to let the children know that there are adults like this.’

That thought came to me.
There might have been adults who turned a blind eye, but I wanted the children to know that there are also adults who look into it even more.
Because when children know that there are adults in the world they can lean on, their world expands even more.
I also thought that that was the most that adults could do for children.

‘Because I’ve already experienced it.’

I smiled, raising the corners of my mouth, and nodded lightly.

“Then, if you share the contact information, Lawyer Won, we can split up and contact them, and then we can proceed while discussing it.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”

As I was getting up from my seat, I asked Jeong Donghyeok for one more thing.

“Uh, office manager. Could you please look up the law firm that mainly handled Councilman Oh Uiseong’s cases? Then I think we can get a rough idea of what has been going on.”
“Ah, yes. I was already looking into it. I’ll let you know right away.”

As expected of Jeong Donghyeok.
It was quite reassuring to have a colleague who was on the same wavelength.

“Thank you. Then I’ll look into it on my own as well.”

I bowed my head once and entered my room.

[It’s a relief that everyone has the same opinion.]

‘It’s a relief that they’re good people,’

Because people like this make me want to continue living in this world.
They say that changing one person’s world is no different from changing the world.

‘When this is over, I hope that at least a few people’s worlds will be a little better.’

I watched the other three people moving busily beyond the transparent glass door for a moment.

Vroom.

‘This is a problem. I can’t be late.’

The warm scene from just now was gone, and I was now in the car, stepping on the accelerator with an urgent expression.

‘I thought he would be excited, but I didn’t think it would be this much…’

Screech!

As soon as I found an empty spot in the parking lot, I hurriedly parked the car and ran out.

Thump, thump, thump!

“Hey, there! Don’t run!”
“I’m sorry!”

The staff tried to stop me as I was running through the middle of the city hall, but I had no time to spare.
The cause of the incident was a single phone call about an hour ago.
The two families I had contacted earlier were also very angry after hearing what had happened in the classroom.
But when I presented them with a solution, they calmed down to some extent.
And I had ended the call by scheduling a visit to the office soon…

“Did you say your name was Cha Yohan? First, thank you for letting me know. But I can’t just let this go. I’m going to go and find that city councilman right now.”
“What? Sir, just a moment. Plea—”

Beep, beep, beep…

The protagonist of the last call was Choi Sanggyu, the father of Choi Wooyoung, who had bravely raised his hand and told the truth about the classroom.

‘I also learned that the reason that child was brave in that situation was genetic, but…’

Even when I called back several times, the other party was unavailable.

“I hope I came to the city hall for nothing…”

Since a city councilman doesn’t always reside at the city hall, there was a high possibility that Choi Sanggyu wouldn’t be able to meet Oh Uiseong.
I was hoping more that he hadn’t really put it into practice.

‘But my intuition has never been wrong.’

“Excuse me, where is Oh,”

I didn’t even have to ask the staff I encountered where Councilman Oh’s office was.

Bang, bang, bang!

“Councilman Oh Uiseong! Councilman Oh Uiseong, come out!”

I immediately ran towards the loud noise. As soon as I arrived, the scene I had been worried about unfolded right before my eyes.

“Let go of me! I’m doing this because I’m wronged! Is it okay to do this just because you’re a city councilman!”
“Sir! You can’t do this here! You’ll get into big trouble! The police will be here soon!”

Because I saw a middle-aged man pounding on the door and a security guard holding him back.
The man’s fist was already red from pounding on the door that wouldn’t open.

“Let’s call the police! I have a lot to say too! I know you’re in there, so come out!”

Bang, bang, bang!

“Sir!”

Just as I was about to step towards them, two police officers appeared from the opposite direction.

“We received a report. Sir, please calm down.”
“Whose side are the police on? The guy in there is the bad guy! My kid got hit by this guy’s son!”
“If you continue to cause a disturbance, we will arrest you for obstruction of official duties.”

The police officer took out handcuffs from his pocket with an annoyed expression.

‘This situation could get complicated if I’m not careful.’

“What?”

Choi Wooyoung’s father, Choi Sanggyu, asked back, his face even redder, as if he were shouting.

Creak.

It was then that the door, which seemed like it would never open, opened.

“Ah, you’re here? Please take good care of it.”
“Not at all, Councilman. You’re working hard.”

Oh Uiseong, in a neat suit with his few remaining hairs slicked back with wax, bowed his head once to the police officers and spoke politely.

‘I guess that’s what Lawyer Won was talking about when he said image management.’

I took a step back and watched the situation unfold for a moment.

“What do you mean, working hard? Our detectives who are running around are the ones who are working hard. Then I have an important meeting right now, so I’ll be going in.”
“Yes, don’t worry.”

The police officer, who had been saluting Oh Uiseong politely until just now, began to read Choi Sanggyu his Miranda rights as a matter of course.

“You have the right to an attorney…”
“This is ridiculous!”

Creak.

And so, the door was about to close again.

“Just a moment.”

I strode into the commotion.
Oh Uiseong, who was closing the door and about to go back inside, stopped and looked at me.
The police officers approached me with suspicious eyes.

Swish.

Not only that, but they subtly turned their bodies to block me from approaching Oh Uiseong.

“Who are you?”

Without forgetting to ask back with a wary tone.

“I’m ‘that’ lawyer. The right to an attorney, and this person’s lawyer.”
“…Are you really a lawyer?”

Instead of answering the police officer who was looking me up and down, I pointed to the lawyer’s badge on my coat with my hand.
And I also turned my body and bowed my head to Choi Sanggyu.

“Wooyoung’s father, hello. I’m Cha Yohan, the lawyer who called you.”

Choi Sanggyu, who had a bewildered expression until just now, nodded his head in a daze.

“Let’s go together. I have something to tell you.”

Choi Sanggyu finally suppressed his anger at my words and nodded. I briefly looked at his red, veined fist.

“I’m asking you politely, detectives.”
“Ahem.”

I turned around when the three people who were walking ahead had gone a few steps away.

‘I knew he’d still be here.’

Because Oh Uiseong was still standing in front of the door, holding the doorknob.
Befitting his profession as a city councilman, his expression barely changed.

“Then I’ll see you again, Councilman Oh Uiseong.”
“Haha, where would I see a lawyer again?”
“You will have to, Seunghyeon’s father.”

And so, I left.
I didn’t look back, but I could tell that Oh Uiseong’s poker face had broken.
Because my back was so hot in this middle of winter.

I left the police station with Choi Sanggyu and headed to a nearby cafe together.
As a lawyer, I argued that Choi Sanggyu had not caused any direct harm.
Thanks to that, the police officers’ reaction was not favorable.
I looked at his hand and opened my mouth.

“Is your hand okay?”
“Ah, yes. It’s fine now.”
“That’s a relief.”

There was still a little bit of redness left, but at least it didn’t look like a bruise or a contusion.

“In a case like this, excitement can be a poison.”
“I didn’t even realize my eyes were rolling back…”
“It’s an unavoidable situation. Because it’s about your child, of all things.”

The obstruction of official duties was fortunately canceled.
The police officer with a disgruntled face said it was not because of my argument, but because Oh Uiseong had expressed his intention of leniency.

‘It must all be intentional.’

I could tell just by meeting him briefly.
How terribly Oh Uiseong thinks of his image.

“As a father, I was so busy with my business that I didn’t even know my child was going through such a thing at school…”

Choi Sanggyu’s voice was filled with anger and guilt.
I paused for a moment and then opened my mouth again.

“They say it’s harder for a child to bring up a difficult topic to their parents than for the parents to bring it up to their child.”

I don’t know if this story will be a comfort to Choi Sanggyu.
I did my best to defend Choi Wooyoung.

“The reason he told me was a bit of a special situation. Because we were in the same space, the classroom where the incident had occurred.”
“But how could he not say a word…”

I slowly added a word to Choi Sanggyu, who was hiding his pained expression by lowering his head.

“Sir, I think Wooyoung had told his homeroom teacher about this fact several times.”
“Wooyoung did?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my, what does that little thing know…”

He must have been bullied even more because of that, but to have asked for my help right away without giving in, he was a really strong child.
I handed Choi Sanggyu the coffee I had ordered and told him about that part.

“When I was just starting out in this field, a senior once asked me a question.”
“……”
“Where is the place where a person first sees the hierarchy in their life?”
“Ah…”
“Yes, as you guessed, sir, it’s school.”

A person is constantly belonging somewhere throughout their life.
School, company, group, organization…
As if to prove the fact that humans cannot live alone.
Where people gather, power arises, and various aspects are revealed by that power.

“But Wooyoung did not succumb in that moment, in that space. In fact, he was clever.”

In a space where both the victim and the perpetrator were present, he accurately informed a third party of the fact and asked for help.
To the extent that it was a great fortune that my profession was a lawyer.
I took a sip of coffee to reassure him and then gestured for Choi Sanggyu to do the same.

Clatter.

Only after Choi Sanggyu had put down his cup did I continue.

“He must have been disappointed when he realized that the homeroom teacher couldn’t help him, but he didn’t give up. That other adults would be different. I was very lucky that it happened to be me.”
“…Thank you, lawyer.”
“I’m the one who should be grateful. If it weren’t for Wooyoung, I wouldn’t have known.”

Choi Sanggyu’s expression had completely changed from before.
It was the face of a parent thinking of their child.
When the atmosphere had relaxed to some extent, I explained the situation once more.

“…Therefore, we cannot punish the perpetrator students right now. But we can handle it in a civil suit. Evidence is also very important in a civil suit.”
“Evidence?”
“…Yes, sir. This may be a difficult thing for you as a parent, but may I say something?”
“If there’s a way, please tell me anything, lawyer.”

Choi Sanggyu looked at me with a determined expression.
I opened my mouth with great difficulty.
Because it would be a terrible thing for a parent.

“…I think there will be traces of Wooyoung being assaulted. So first, you need to go to the hospital and request a medical report. We’ll be able to determine the time from the traces.”
“…Ah.”

I added, as if to urge the dazed Choi Sanggyu.

“That will be the beginning of this.”