The Lawyer Who Reads Tomorrow - Chapter 18

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 18

 

 

“Why?”

 

Lim Do-hyuk remained silent.

The reason why Lim Do-hyuk contacted me in this situation was obvious.

 

However, for some reason, despite being the one who called first, Lim Do-hyuk wasn’t saying anything.

 

“Did you call the wrong number?”

-….

 

Only the sound of sighing came through the mobile phone. Anyway, he’s the one with something to say, not me.

 

“I’m hanging up.”

 

I hung up the phone just like that.

It seemed like Lim Do-hyuk shouted something urgently just before the call ended.

Well, it probably wasn’t particularly important news anyway.

 

However, the mobile phone soon started vibrating again.

 

[Senior Lim Do-hyuk].

 

“Seriously.”

 

How persistent.

 

Then shall I hear his reason?

I slid the call button on my mobile phone again.

 

-Sung Tae-hyun!

 

As soon as the call connected, Lim Do-hyuk’s voice rang loudly in my ears.

This guy, now he’s finally speaking directly.

 

I answered leisurely.

 

“Yes, senior.”

-Yes, senior? You bastard, what kind of phone call do you—

“I thought you called the wrong number.”

-Have I ever called you by mistake before?

 

That’s something I wouldn’t know.

How long have I known Lim Do-hyuk that I would know such facts?

The trembling voice from the mobile phone soon quieted down.

 

-Aren’t you even curious about what I’m calling for?

“It’s obvious.”

 

Lim Do-hyuk swallowed.

A slight tension flowed from the voice coming through the mobile phone.

 

-You… expected it?

“Yes.”

-What is it then?

“You say it first, senior.”

 

I leaned back deeply in the chair, cramming my body that was about to leave work back into it.

Like all furniture at Law Firm Ilchul, this chair was comfortable for the spine even when sitting casually.

 

Soon after, Lim Do-hyuk continued with a trembling voice.

 

-That case you’re… no, let me ask this first. Did you really enter the law firm—

“Law Firm Ilchul.”

-…Ilchul, under Kim Ho-shin? Is that true?

“Yes.”

 

For a moment, I felt like I could see Lim Do-hyuk’s face turning pale.

 

It’s fun to tease him because he doesn’t look like that type.

Why didn’t I know there was such a fun person to tease at Haeil until now?

 

I suppressed the laughter that was about to escape through my lips and waited for Lim Do-hyuk’s response.

 

-…You knew I would contact you?

“Yes.”

 

Lim Do-hyuk, who had been silent for a moment, let out a long sigh.

 

Since Lim Do-hyuk was from Haeil, he naturally wouldn’t be pleased that I joined Ilchul.

Kim Ho-shin was one of the people their representative lawyer terribly disliked.

 

But there was another reason why Lim Do-hyuk contacted me today.

 

-…Sung Tae-hyun.

“What is it, senior?”

 

I could hear the sound of him swallowing several times, as if reluctant.

 

Of course, what he was about to say was overstepping his bounds.

Even though I was his direct junior, it would be awkward to say this now that I had left.

 

-Stay away from that case.

 

Yes, that was exactly it.

 

Lim Do-hyuk’s voice, which had instantly darkened, rang in my ears.

 

‘That matter’ could be understood without needing to be spoken aloud.

 

The single case that Ilchul had taken on, the Kim Jae-yoon murder case.

 

“Why?”

 

I asked, trying to appear calm while swallowing the laughter that was about to burst out.

 

It wasn’t pleasant that Haeil had caught on to my movements faster than I’d expected.

However, the fact that they were focusing on my actions made me want to laugh.

 

-…Sung Tae-hyun.

“There needs to be a reason to consider it. Senior, didn’t you learn that during undergrad?”

 

At my deliberately teasing words, Lim Do-hyuk closed his mouth.

 

“It’s not your business anyway, senior.”

– You, what do you mean—

“It’s Lawyer Jung Ki-won’s case.”

 

It was a direct hit.

 

No words flowed from Lim Do-hyuk’s closed mouth.

In the atmosphere that had grown cold as if frost had settled, I had to suppress my laughter once again.

The puzzle pieces were gradually finding their proper places.

 

The moment Lim Do-hyuk had contacted me, it was making my suspicion that Park Hyung-il was related to the Kim Jae-yoon case even more solid.

 

-….

 

The silence was growing longer.

I spoke in a gentle voice as if to soothe him.

 

“If you have nothing to say, I’m hanging up.”

-Hey!

 

Perhaps my gentle words didn’t sit well with him, as Lim Do-hyuk finally opened his mouth.

 

-I’m saying all this for your sake! Just drop that case, you bastard.

 

Of course, I had no grudge against Lim Do-hyuk.

Even so, I welcomed the slight ripples this might cause on Haeil’s side.

 

“Why? Lawyer Jung Ki-won handles civil cases anyway, and they probably connected a different lawyer from their side.”

-How can you call that…!

“Since it’s criminal… like before, Lawyer Kim Sung-woon? Lawyer Min Se-ra?”

-Sung Tae-hyun!

“Either way, it doesn’t really affect you, senior.”

 

This was about Park Hyung-il’s father, Park Ji-hyung.

 

This was from before Park Ji-hyung had even taken the position of CEO of Sanghwan Construction.

The person who had taken on his case as an economic criminal and been active in various civil lawsuits was Haeil’s Jung Ki-won.

So the name was familiar.

 

In fact, it’s nearly impossible to remember every single lawyer who enters the courtroom while working as a judge.

 

The same was true for me.

I only knew my classmates from the same judicial training institute class, as I had no interest in other lawyers.

However, Park Ji-hyung’s case was a bit different.

 

‘That tiresome man.’

 

Park Ji-hyung was an insane person who would come and go from the courtroom once every few months, brazenly even offering his business card.

 

Since Park Hyung-il was that man’s only son, Haeil’s approach to the Kim Jae-yoon case actually strengthened my suspicions about Park Hyung-il.

 

-I warned you.

 

A low voice continued.

 

It seemed he had no intention of giving up.

 

Neither did I.

 

Since I was stirring things up here and there, Haeil probably wasn’t feeling too good about it.

The more that was the case, the more I wanted to tease them.

 

“If you want to see me, come to Seoul, senior.”

-….

“Don’t bother me with phone calls.”

 

At my provocation, Lim Do-hyuk was silent for a moment.

However, the words that followed were surprisingly unexpected.

 

-I’m already in Seoul.

 

For the first time, I closed my mouth.

 

* * *

 

…Crazy bastard.

 

He’s really in Seoul?

Since this was the first time I’d been rendered speechless like this, it took some time before I could open my mouth again.

 

Unlike me, Lim Do-hyuk, who had been nagging me to give up the case, regained his pace as if nothing had happened.

It seemed that after being worked hard at Haeil, he had become somewhat accustomed to teasing.

 

My disappointment was brief, as the story Lim Do-hyuk told me made me worry about Haeil Law Firm’s personnel system.

 

Even though companies tend to operate haphazardly, how could a big law firm like Haeil have such a strange personnel system?

 

‘I got transferred to Seoul.’

 

Even though Lim Do-hyuk was Sung Tae-hyun’s senior, he was still a junior with not much experience difference.

But just because he wanted to go, a transfer to the main office was immediately possible?

 

Pleased again by my suspicion, Lim Do-hyuk readily spilled about Haeil’s chaotic situation.

 

‘I told you it would be possible.’

‘When?’

‘…You still don’t remember anything at all…? Never mind. Make some time next time.’

‘If I have time.’

‘Right.’

 

That was the entirety of our conversation.

 

There was no particular reason for Lim Do-hyuk to return to the main office.

Though I didn’t know Haeil’s circumstances inside and out, Lim Do-hyuk’s sudden transfer to Seoul was extremely unusual.

 

‘Thinking about it will only give me a headache.’

 

It seemed certain that Park Hyung-il was involved in this case.

 

[I’m serious.]

[Don’t do something you’ll regret.]

 

Ignoring Lim Do-hyuk’s message that arrived with a vibration, I gathered the remaining documents and put them in my bag.

 

The next visitation day was coming soon.

 

* * *

 

[Jung Seung-jun is scared.]

 

Until the day of the visitation, only a single sentence was written in Sung Tae-hyun’s diary.

 

Come to think of it, that was natural.

 

Jung Seung-jun is scared.

At this information that even a passing dog would know, I shook the diary vigorously.

 

“Is this all?”

 

Until now, the diary had mainly described actions I wouldn’t likely take.

For example, yes.

 

[It seems like following Attorney Kim Ho-shin was a good choice.]

 

Thoughts like this from the beginning.

 

[I witnessed an accident.]

[It’s fortunate the victim didn’t die.]

[…What should I do about going to work.]

 

Well, actions like these.

 

Looking back, these were definitely not thoughts or actions that I, ‘Kim Wook-han’, would take.

So ultimately, ‘Sung Tae-hyun’s’ diary tells me about tomorrow’s events from ‘Sung Tae-hyun’s’ perspective.

 

If it was going to tell me anyway, it would be much more convenient to tell me from my own perspective.

As if trying to prove that the recording subject was Sung Tae-hyun himself, it didn’t lose its sense of self.

 

“…But, Jung Seung-jun is scared.”

 

This sentence must also be written from Sung Tae-hyun’s perspective.

However, the sentences recorded in Sung Tae-hyun’s diary had something in common.

 

“Not ‘can be changed’… but ‘must be changed’. Is it this way?”

 

Even if the facts were recorded observationally from Sung Tae-hyun’s perspective, the diary’s contents could change.

And according to my experience so far, the changes were always favorable to me.

 

“It’s fine as long as Jung Seung-jun isn’t scared.”

 

That would be better. No lawyer would welcome their client being scared and shrinking back.

Most importantly, I also had something I needed to hear from Jung Seung-jun at this point when there wasn’t much time left.

 

* * *

 

Today’s Jung Seung-jun was different from before.

 

The boy in the visitation room wasn’t crouched up like before.

In a way, it was an attitude different from what was written in the diary.

 

[Jung Seung-jun is scared.]

 

From the outside, he didn’t look that way at all.

 

“…Attorney.”

 

The boy sitting in the chair opened his mouth without trembling.

With an attitude that even others wouldn’t notice, I stared at him intently for a moment.

 

As if wearing a mask of something, Jung Seung-jun spoke calmly.

 

“I want to stop this.”

 

[Jung Seung-jun is scared.]

 

As Sung Tae-hyun had mentioned in the diary, Jung Seung-jun was frightened.

 

“Please tell Grandfather for me too… I’m really okay.”

 

Instead of answering, I looked at Jung Seung-jun.

 

“Thank you for all your hard work until now. I really mean it.”

“…”

“But, but if a person… commits a crime, they should be punished…”

 

[Jung Seung-jun is frightened.]

 

I had the illusion that the words from the diary were scattering and flying around in the empty air.

Seung-jun spoke calmly again.

 

“I did wrong too… so I want to be punished.”

 

In fact, Seung-jun had been making consistent statements.

In the previous meeting, he had also said that he killed Kim Jae-yoon.

If there was no lie in those words, then what I was about to say would also be overstepping my bounds.

 

Trusting the client is also part of a lawyer’s job.

 

“Really?”

“Yes.”

 

Seung-jun spoke without hesitation.

The boy seemed to have sorted out his feelings to some extent and even looked relieved.

 

“…Really.”

 

The boy, who spoke as if confirming once more, continued without looking into my eyes.

 

“I killed him… I…”

“…”

“I killed Jae-yoon… I, I did wrong so I got caught.”

“…”

“If I’m punished… perhaps the sentence will…”

 

Of course it would be quite heavy.

Probably a quite heavy sentence would be demanded compared to other similar cases.

 

Because Kim Wan-gil, the father of victim Kim Jae-yoon, had been putting out articles almost daily.

 

Moreover, Seung-jun had no backing whatsoever.

As Kim Jae-yoon and Park Hyung-il had intended, Seung-jun had no teeth to bite back with even when cornered.

 

Was that all?

Even the judiciary couldn’t ignore public opinion.

 

“…Mr. Jung Seung-jun.”

 

I opened my mouth toward the boy who was pretending to be calm and straightening his body.

 

“I know that you’re innocent. And…”

 

Seung-jun’s eyes widened as if bewildered.

 

“Don’t mock the judiciary.”

“…What…?”

 

The boy froze and blinked his eyes.

Anyway, talking with kids is the most difficult thing.

 

“As long as I’m here, there won’t be a trial that punishes an innocent person.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————