The Lawyer Who Reads Tomorrow - Chapter 45

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 45

“This is breaking news.”

A major scandal had erupted.

How many days had passed since Nexaroom Bio’s president Min Jong-pil’s press conference?

The police could no longer delay their investigation.

Hwan’s surrender and Min Jong-pil’s press conference.

On top of that, several videos released by 404 had gained media attention and blown up significantly.

“In connection with this incident known as the ‘Nexaroom Gate,’ police conducted surprise search and seizure operations this morning at Elus Entertainment’s main office in Seoul, pharmaceutical company Nexaroom Bio, Assemblyman Kim Wan-gil’s office, and NOVA’s main office.”

Several detectives got out of a van.

Soon they entered the building where Assemblyman Kim Wan-gil’s office was located with stern expressions, carrying boxes.

Cameras followed them and soon the office door opened.

“We’re conducting a search and seizure. Please evacuate.”

Following the police announcement, people with cameras were pushed out, unable to enter the office.

The door closed, and while the search and seizure was in progress, the camera screen kept filming in front of the office door.

However.

“Citizens of Korea-!”

Suddenly the office door opened and someone made a scream-like noise.

It was Kim Wan-gil who had rushed out of the office.

“Citizens! I am innocent!”

As if they had been waiting, several broadcasting station cameras burst with flashes.

Kim Wan-gil’s eyes were blackened underneath as if he had stayed up all night.

Perhaps he had an intuition that his political life would end here.

He didn’t avoid the broadcasting cameras.

Instead, he pushed his face close to the lens and shouted loudly.

“This is political oppression! Citizens, watch closely!”

Kim Wan-gil sat down on the street with tears flowing and shouted loudly.

Police officers carrying boxes filled with office items glanced at him.

However, their actions didn’t stop.

Kim Wan-gil couldn’t prevent the boxes from being loaded one by one into the van the police had brought.

“Please save me, citizens! If this Kim Wan-gil has any sin, it’s only the sin of dedicating my life to serving you, the people!”

His blood-curdling cry echoed loudly even through the video transmitted by the cameras.

When the camera that had been filming him continuously turned to another direction as if flustered, Kim Wan-gil jumped up and followed the camera.

Kim Wan-gil’s face, uncomfortably close, filled the screen.

“I will fight to the end! This is clearly! Political retaliation using even public authority! A clear! And malicious! Attempt to frame and eliminate me-!”

Cut.

As Kim Wan-gil’s cries continued endlessly, the screen returned to the studio.

The anchor with a stern expression opened his mouth.

“Yes. We apologize to our viewers for the slight confusion in the broadcast. Let’s move on to the next news.”

An official approached the anchor who was looking at documents with other news and whispered.

The anchor, who had paused briefly, took new documents from him and opened his mouth.

“Breaking news again. We’ve received word that City Councilman Kang Hwan-pil, who had been in hiding under suspicion related to ‘Nexaroom Gate,’ has been arrested at his family home in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.”

The screen switched and new footage was broadcast.

An apartment located in Pyeongtaek.

As if a typhoon had already swept through once, all the police shown on screen looked exhausted.

“Councilman Kang Hwan-pil! Do you admit to the charges?”

A reporter ran up to Kang Hwan-pil, who was being dragged out with his arms restrained by different police officers, and thrust a microphone at him.

Kang Hwan-pil was wearing underwear and slippers.

His hair was completely disheveled and his face was very red as if he had been wrestling.

“Councilman! Is the Nexaroom list true? What do you have to say to the victims?”

Kang Hwan-pil kept his mouth tightly shut and got into the car relying on the blanket the police had covered him with.

“Councilman-!”

The passionate reporter thrust the microphone forward until the end, but Kang Hwan-pil’s gaze remained fixed on the ground.

I turned off the TV in the office.

This should be enough.

Though it was surprising that Kim Wan-gil had remained in his office, and that Kang Hwan-pil, who was supposed to flee to San Francisco, was caught at his family home.

Public opinion was truly chaotic.

[404]: Look, when people get arrested by the police, they all say they’re innocent

[404]: Where do they learn this kind of manual???

404 seemed to have forgotten that his brother had been arrested on assault charges, appearing to simply enjoy himself.

He even went as far as taking screenshots to send them.

I looked through the comment reactions 404 had sent and put down my mobile phone.

[404]: Hey why do you always read but never reply

[404]: Hey

[404]: Lawyer Sung Tae-hyun

[404]: The 1 disappeared

[404]: Sung Tae-hyun!!!

404 was often out of contact.

He had informed me that the time he could be reached was limited, and that was indeed the case.

When he did contact me, an hour was the maximum, and even then it was only about work-related matters.

[404]: I will definitely get revenge someday

With 404’s last words glowing on the screen, the light on my mobile phone screen disappeared.

“How are you feeling physically?”

I turned my gaze toward Sage and Shin Da-ye, who were sitting on the office sofa.

Shin Da-ye, who had been hospitalized and protected for some time, was discharged yesterday.

Sage had also been staying by Da-ye’s side the entire time.

“…I’ve been… thinking a little.”

The woman with a pale, wan face quietly opened her mouth.

Apart from her blood test results, she didn’t seem to be in good health.

Well, she had been exploited by Ellus for quite a long time, so it was understandable.

But perhaps not having a breakdown despite her long trauma and watching all the news was proof of how strong she was.

“Please go ahead.”

Noh Hae-min, who had been sitting quietly without even breathing, gulped.

He must have been quite shocked while digging into the case that connected Kim Wan-gil, Kang Hwan-pil, Nexaroom, and even Ellus.

Even though he insisted he was my senior, Noh Hae-min was still just a kid in my eyes.

It must be difficult for him.

“Back then…”

Shin Da-ye opened her mouth with difficulty.

Sage’s hand was holding hers.

The trembling vibration of her shaking hands made even Sage’s arm shake along with it.

I glanced at Deputy Yoon Ha-young.

She was brewing chamomile tea with her usual emotionless expression.

“Back then, I’m really… sorry.”

Shin Da-ye bowed her head deeply.

The girl was so thin that her spine showed through her t-shirt, looking devastatingly pitiful to watch.

“The fact that I lied…”

Shin Da-ye continued speaking with a trembling voice.

“Kim, Kim Wan-gil… said that. If I just delivered that list… he would secretly… create a new identity and let me live abroad…”

This was already a fact I knew from what Hwan had told me.

When Noh Hae-min and I went to the house where Shin Da-ye supposedly lived.

Her father thought Shin Da-ye was already dead.

He said he had sold Shin Da-ye with his own hands.

The leather bag full of money and the liquor bottles scattered carelessly on the sticky ground.

It was a memory that stuck like gum on asphalt, not easily forgotten.

“So I… lied to you, lawyer…”

Before I knew it, tears were streaming down Shin Da-ye’s face.

I took out a handkerchief from my jacket pocket and handed it to Shin Da-ye.

Her face was flushed and she seemed unable to breathe easily, making choking sounds.

The handkerchief was quickly soaked through, and Sage barely managed to embrace and support Shin Da-ye.

For some reason, I glanced at Deputy Yoon Ha-young.

“What’s wrong?”

The chamomile tea Deputy Yoon Ha-young had brewed was very dark from being steeped too long.

“…It’s nothing.”

Before she could hand me that chamomile tea, I showed her the mug in front of me.

It was already full of green tea.

Deputy Yoon Ha-young nodded as if she understood.

When I turned my head again, this time Noh Hae-min was handing Shin Da-ye a new handkerchief.

I asked Shin Da-ye calmly as she cried without being able to lift her head.

“Is that your answer?”

Was it an unexpected question?

Shin Da-ye froze while wiping away her streaming tears.

“Ah, that, that’s…”

She desperately rolled her eyes, trying to find an excuse.

Her mind must be in complete chaos.

I know.

Generally, those who have committed great sins tend to be loud and boastful instead.

Like Kim Wan-gil captured on camera.

Or like Kang Hwan-pil, who remained silent to reporters’ questions.

I spoke to Shin Da-ye, whose eyes were so swollen she was starting to look like a goldfish.

“Your decision to give a victim’s statement.”

“…”

“You did well.”

Shin Da-ye looked bewildered, as if she didn’t understand what she was hearing.

“I said you did well.”

When I affirmed it once more, her expression crumbled a little more.

“Sob… I didn’t do… anything…”

“You said you’d submit Kim Wan-gil’s system authentication key too, didn’t you, Ms. Shin Da-ye?”

“…That’s, just… I was originally going to… submit the ev-evidence… list anyway…”

Right, the authentication key had passed into Shin Da-ye’s hands.

And she was soon planning to submit that authentication key and the entire laptop to the police.

It would have been too risky for me to submit it directly.

What I received from Hwan was originally for preserving evidence.

In the end, I too had become indebted to her.

“Ms. Shin Da-ye, you did nothing wrong.”

The manipulated list that Kim Wan-gil had given to Shin Da-ye was incinerated.

So Shin Da-ye, who was crying about lying to me, had essentially done nothing wrong either.

* * *

A few days later, news coverage showed Shin Da-ye appearing at the police station with Sage.

「[Breaking] Sage-Shin Da-ye appear at police station as ‘Nexaroom Gate’ victims… ‘We won’t hide anymore.’」

Media reports followed.

[The two had been embroiled in various rumors since the beginning of the incident, causing public concern…]

[Through today’s appearance, they officially revealed themselves as victims and conveyed their intention to cooperate with future investigations…]

Also, in a follow-up interview, Shin Da-ye stood before the cameras without covering her face.

Sage did the same.

They appeared confident, as if the events of the past few days were ancient history.

“We plan to cooperate with the investigation honestly until the end.”

The investigation proceeded smoothly with the evidence Shin Da-ye submitted.

The same went for the remaining people who were on the Nexaroom Gate list.

Thanks to handing over the entire system, there wasn’t even any interference.

Only the authors of the daily apology statements were being updated.

And today.

I burst into laughter upon receiving an unexpected message.

“And he didn’t even look at the contract.”

Ten million won.

The follow-up message was also very much like Sage.

[Thank you for everything.]

[…Um, if it’s not enough, please contact me separately.]

“Haha. He doesn’t know how things work.”

With the news that Kim Wan-gil’s lawyer had submitted a resignation letter, I turned around with much lighter steps.

For the first time in a while, I planned to rest with coffee at a cafe near home instead of the office.

While I was at it, I’d also research why Sung Tae-hyun’s diary wouldn’t burn.

However.

[Lim Do-hyuk Senior]

Not long after, my mobile phone began to ring.

It was a name I hadn’t seen in a very long time.

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