The Accomplices

This was exactly the situation.
A lawyer and a detective, side by side as accomplices, seeking the truth through extralegal means.
I asked Jo Minsu in a polite manner.

“Mr. Jo Minsu, were you by any chance forced to confess under duress?”
“Well, not exactly duress? The detective here is just a bit on the rough side, you know? Attorney, you should have a word with him. I’m innocent.”

I adjusted my glasses with one hand and looked at Choi Suhyeok.
Then, I opened my mouth, my voice as cold as possible.
It was to meet the expectations of Jo Minsu, who was looking at me with an arrogant expression.

“Please guarantee my client’s rights, Detective. Now that he is accompanied by his lawyer, please remove his handcuffs as well.”
“…Hah.”

Choi Suhyeok turned his head and let out a disbelieving scoff.
To Jo Minsu, it must have looked like a scoff, but…

[Detective Choi is desperately trying to hold back his laughter right now.]

‘I’m about to lose it myself.’

Still, I was more confident than anyone in my ability to act unfazed.
I continued as calmly as I could.

“To protect my client’s due rights, I would like to speak with him in private. Detective, please step out for a moment.”

Choi Suhyeok reached out with a sour look on his face and unlocked Jo Minsu’s handcuffs.
Jo Minsu smiled with an ‘I-told-you-so’ expression and rotated his wrists.
Choi Suhyeok stared at him blankly for a moment before snapping at me.

“It would be better for your client if you got a confession out of him instead of having useless thoughts.”

Screech!

He deliberately pushed his chair back roughly as he stood up, playing the part of an angry detective.
At the same time, he lightly shoved the table with his hand.
As the table shook from the impact, Jo Minsu flinched noticeably.
But neither Choi Suhyeok nor I laughed.
With a desperate effort.

‘Don’t. If I laugh now, I won’t be able to stop.’

I threw my last line at the back of Choi Suhyeok’s head as he strode away.

“Ah. I request that you stop the recording, both audio and video. Though I’m sure you know it’s inadmissible evidence anyway.”
“…Money-grubbing lawyer bastards.”

Bang!

Choi Suhyeok, who had given a stellar performance to the very end, left.
Well, that last part might have been his true feelings.
Not long after the door slammed shut, the red light of the camera lamp went out.

Swoosh.

I deliberately raised my head to check the camera in the corner one more time.
Jo Minsu’s gaze followed mine perfectly.
Jo Minsu smirked, raising the corners of his mouth arrogantly as if to show off to the detectives beyond the mirror.

‘Looks like he’s let his guard down enough now.’

I sat down next to the triumphant Jo Minsu.
As soon as I sat down, he openly scanned me from head to toe.
My glasses, my clothes, the briefcase in my hand, my watch, my shoes.
It was a gaze that seemed to be appraising every single thing I was wearing.
After a few seconds of being observed, Jo Minsu opened his mouth.

“By the way, Attorney.”
“Yes, Mr. Jo Minsu.”
“I don’t believe we’ve met, but you look vaguely familiar. Did I see you at Justice? Where’s CEO Hyeon? Don’t tell me he’s not coming.”

We had only been face-to-face for a short while, but I could tell.
This wasn’t a question expecting an answer.
It was just Jo Minsu saying whatever he wanted to say.

‘So this is his usual pace.’

Jo Minsu was far more flippant than what Choi Suhyeok had briefly described at the cafe.
He was like a typical chaebol delinquent.

‘Still, there must be a reason K put Jo Minsu in this situation.’

Was he a disposable pawn?
Or was there another move in play?
Full of questions, I checked the time on my watch.

‘I have about twenty minutes to spare.’

Well, that was more than enough time to get the information I needed.
With a relaxed smile, I gave Jo Minsu the answer he wanted to hear.

“The CEO had an urgent matter come up, so he sent me ahead.”
“Hmm… How urgent could it be?”
“It’s for a trial. He asked me to convey his apologies for making you wait.”

I bowed my head just enough.
This method usually worked with this type of person.
Jo Minsu was making it painfully obvious with his entire body that he hoped this young-looking lawyer wasn’t who Hyeon Yeongje had sent in his stead.

“He sent me first so that you wouldn’t be inconvenienced for even a moment. He should be arriving shortly.”
“Oh, is that so? Then I guess I should be understanding. We’re business partners, after all.”

Jo Minsu crossed his legs, placed his hands on them, and nodded.

[I think he fell for it.]

‘I think so too.’

[But I’ve always thought this, you have a real talent for acting, Attorney.]

‘Trials are all acting anyway. That’s probably why.’

The stage was set, so it was time for the next step. My purpose here was singular from the start.
I put on a slightly darker expression than before and turned my body towards Jo Minsu.

“Thank you for your understanding. But Mr. Jo Minsu, there’s a reason the CEO sent me in such a hurry. The situation is worse than you think.”

Jo Minsu was too busy examining his own wrists, where the handcuffs had just been, to pay me any mind.

“What do you mean? What could be worse than me being here right now? Ah, dammit, there’s a mark on my wrist. Can’t I sue for this?”
“…It’s possible if there was assault during the investigation process.”
“Hmm, I don’t want to go that far. So what’s the problem? Keep talking. I’m listening.”

Jo Minsu waved his hand vaguely in my direction, urging me on.
This time, I lowered my voice a little more and carefully continued the story.

“The police were secretly investigating a case, and it’s been revealed that it’s connected to ‘our’ case.”
“…What?”

Jo Minsu, who had only been looking at his wrist, whipped his head around to look at me.

‘He’s finally looking at me.’

“Because of that, this can no longer be wrapped up as a simple drug distribution case.”
“So, what. You want more money? Is that it, you’re saying the retainer fee isn’t enough?”

I slowly shook my head a couple of times.

“That’s not what I mean. However… our CEO is concerned that this situation might have repercussions for ‘him’.”

At the word ‘him’, Jo Minsu’s eyebrow twitched.

“Well, in that case, it would ultimately be beneficial for our law firm, but…”

I cast another line of bait and quietly waited for Jo Minsu’s reaction.

“Ha. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why is some paper-pushing lawyer worried about something that won’t happen, no. Something that can’t happen?”

Swoosh.

Jo Minsu turned his body completely towards me.
His shiny black shoes were now close enough to touch my pants.
Instead of backing away, I looked at him quietly.

“You don’t seem to know yet, but even if we assume the worst-case scenario and something like that happens, nobody can do anything.”

There was an unidentifiable certainty in Jo Minsu’s confidence.
It was accompanied by the kind of arrogance that comes from having a solid basis for it.

“…Is ‘he’ that powerful? The police will be searching for him with their eyes wide open.”
“Haha! So what if their eyes are wide open? What can the police do? Tsk, they should worry about managing their own bosses first.”
“What you’re saying is…”

Jo Minsu swept back his wax-styled hair and opened his mouth again.

“The police won’t be able to do anything in the end. Same for the prosecution. Do you know why I’m here?”

‘On his own two feet? He came in? He wasn’t arrested?’

I swallowed my shock and quietly waited for Jo Minsu’s next words.
Even without me asking, Jo Minsu excitedly rambled on.
I couldn’t tell if he was excited about the situation or the person he was mentioning.
But there was a strange air about him.
It wasn’t trust, but a madness akin to loyalty that was transmitted through the air.

“A few days ago, the ‘Head’ negotiated directly with ‘ES.’ He asked us to just make it look good, since they couldn’t do nothing at all. Of course, I was there too.”

Jo Minsu smiled, not hiding his pride.

‘The Head must be K, and ES… could he be referring to Prosecutor General Nam Eunsuk?’
(TL note: Nam Eunsuk -> ES)

[I think so. And you need to wrap it up now, Attorney. Hyeon Yeongje will be arriving soon.]

‘Right, this is enough information for today.’

I nodded silently as if agreeing with Jo Minsu’s story.

“…I see.”

As if I were overwhelmed by his story.

“So stop with the useless worrying and just get me out of here quickly. The air in here is suffocating.”
“I will do my best.”
“By the way, when is CEO Hyeon getting here?”
“He will be here soon.”

Squeak.

I stood up from my seat and bowed to Jo Minsu once more.

“Thank you for your words, Mr. Jo Minsu.”

And I walked towards the door.

“What is it? Where are you going? If you’re going to the bathroom, bring me some water when you come back. I’m thirsty.”

Jo Minsu shrugged nonchalantly.

‘He’s so used to ordering people around, even someone whose name he just heard.’

It seemed I needed to find out more about Jo Minsu.
Instead of answering his arrogant words, I grabbed the handle and pushed the door open.

Thump.

Hyeon Yeongje was standing right in front of the interrogation room door.
He had his hand outstretched as if he too was about to open it.
Hyeon Yeongje saw the door opening, took a half-step back, then recognized me and took another step forward.

“You, right now…”
“Oh, CEO Hyeon. You’re here? Did you finish your urgent business?”

Hyeon Yeongje glanced between Jo Minsu calling him from inside and me walking away.
Then, instead of chasing after me, he immediately entered the interrogation room and closed the door.

Bang!

‘He’s still quick to assess a situation.’

I didn’t look back. I took off my glasses, put them in my inner pocket, and kept walking.

I deliberately didn’t meet with Choi Suhyeok again. The camera was off, but he must have been watching the whole situation.
I got straight into my car and drove away from the police station.
Then, I called the person I needed right now.

Ring, ring, click.

[What’s up?]

Im Suho’s voice came through the receiver after just one ring.

“Mr. Im Suho, is it a good time to talk? I just confirmed that K was in Korea a few days ago. I called you as soon as I found out.”
[Where did you get this information?]

I turned the steering wheel and answered awkwardly.

“Uh… directly.”
[Directly? How?]
“Um, it just sort of happened.”

Even if Im Suho was friendly towards me, there was no need to reveal that I had illegally infiltrated a police station.

‘Although he’ll probably find out soon enough.’

Screech.

The traffic light changed. I brought the car to a smooth stop and spoke again.

“He met with Prosecutor General Nam Eunsuk then, so if we trace the Prosecutor General’s location, we should get a rough outline.”
[Are you saying there’s a connection between Prosecutor General Nam Eunsuk and that guy?]
“It might not be just the Prosecutor General.”
[Hmm, that seems likely. I’ll check Nam Eunsuk’s movements first. Hold on.]
“Okay.”

The car fell silent as the call ended.
I stared straight ahead, my hands on the steering wheel. Countless people crossed the crosswalk and passed by.

Click.

A few more minutes passed, and the light changed again.
I turned the car, diverging from the familiar road.

‘The timing is too coincidental.’

To hear the Prosecutor General’s name twice in such a short period.
Since this has happened several times, it couldn’t possibly be a coincidence.

‘If K is manipulating high-ranking figures in politics and business… I need to find a way too.’

[Deviating from the route. Rerouting.]

After the loading symbol disappeared, a new blue path appeared on the screen.
It was a route that added ten minutes to the estimated arrival time, involving going straight for a while and then making a U-turn to get to the office.
I moved my hand and touched the screen.

[Route canceled. Ending navigation.]

I knew the way even without an address.
Because I had been to where I was going now before.

Squeak.

The worn-out door of the restaurant, where I was the only customer, flapped open to welcome a new guest.
I stood up from my seat and bowed to the approaching person.

“Congratulations on your appointment, Your Honor.”
“Spare me the empty pleasantries. And you can skip the greetings. Let’s sit down first.”

The person I had come to see was none other than Hwang Yoonhak, who had recently been appointed as a Supreme Court Justice.