The Lawyer Who Reads Tomorrow - Chapter 65

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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 65

 

 

Child abuse crimes are not subject to victim non-punishment provisions.

In other words, even if the victim expresses their intention not to want the perpetrator punished.

Criminal proceedings will still continue.

 

“…I.”

 

Lim Do-i was no longer trembling.

She actually had a calm expression on her face.

In her hands, she was tightly gripping the handkerchief that had been mine.

 

I had given it to her beforehand in case she might cry during the police investigation, but instead of using it to wipe tears, she just held the handkerchief tightly.

 

“Not a single word. Yes. I haven’t told a single lie here.”

 

That’s right.

The reason I didn’t bother to stop the investigator’s questions was because Lim Do-i was doing better than expected.

 

Well, there were also a few ‘tips for police investigations’ that I had continuously drilled into her during our meetings.

 

Still, I stopped the detective to fulfill my duty as a lawyer.

Lim Do-i was also a patient lying down with a serious comminuted fracture.

 

“Have you secured Park Noah’s psychiatric evaluation or counseling psychology report?”

“Ah, yes.”

“That’s good. Considering that the child was brainwashed for a long period within the cult, it would be difficult to take that child’s statements at face value.”

 

It was an appropriate warning.

The investigator nodded with a slightly tired expression, as if he understood.

 

“Please don’t rule out the possibility of cognitive distortion in a child after brainwashing or trauma.”

 

I added one more comment.

This was essentially encouragement for Lim Do-i not to lose heart.

 

The investigator, knowing this, said nothing and flipped through several papers before moving to the next question.

 

“You’ve never seen any signs of abuse before. This is also true?”

“…Yes. I had no idea until this incident occurred.”

“Ha, hmm… You said you have no religion, so why did you let him get baptized at such a suspicious place?”

 

The purpose of these trivial questions is ultimately one thing.

It’s to see if she gives consistent answers to the questions.

 

Especially if the child’s statement differs from the circumstances of child abuse, the police would have no choice but to take an even more cautious approach.

 

“The baptism was….”

 

Lim Do-i’s voice trembled for the first time.

 

“I’m telling you again, I really… didn’t know it was that kind of place.”

“…Hmm.”

“My ex-husband persuaded me to give the child a choice.”

“…Persuaded?”

“…Yes. He said let’s have Noah get baptized first, whether he believes in God later or not. He said even if he doesn’t believe later, that was the blessing he wanted to give his child as a parent….”

“Hmm….”

 

It was incredible brainwashing.

To say such things while taking the child to a cult behind his wife’s back.

 

“At the time, I thought my husband’s words made sense too. What’s so difficult about that… Other people do it too, I thought like that.”

 

The investigator nodded.

 

It’s been quite a long time since the victim non-punishment provision was abolished for child abuse crimes.

As long as there’s sufficient other evidence, Park Mu-hyun’s guilt is practically a foregone conclusion.

 

Nevertheless, the reason the investigator bothered to bring up such things to Lim Do-i was.

 

“…I see. The bond between the child and father seems quite strong.”

 

Because the investigator wasn’t letting go of his suspicions about Lim Do-i either.

Well, the police were just doing their job diligently, so I had no complaints either.

 

Lim Do-i, who had cried endlessly in front of me and Noh Hae-min, didn’t shed a single tear in front of the police.

 

“Yes. Until the divorce, in my memory, my husband was a good father to the child. That’s why I gave up custody too.”

“About the cult called ‘Cardia’….”

 

Now the investigator looked like he had a headache.

 

“You really didn’t know?”

“…Yes.”

 

Lim Do-i’s face turned red.

 

“Well, Park Noah also testified… that his mother never went to church.”

 

The investigator muttered as if talking to himself.

 

“So, Ms. Lim Do-i, you never accompanied them to that cult’s events, not even once or twice?”

“Yes, not at all.”

“Then you wouldn’t know anything about the cult’s internal structure or people either?”

“…Except for my ex-husband, I didn’t know.”

 

Eventually, the questions rolled toward Cardia.

 

Kim Yo-han probably wanted to end it by throwing just Park Mu-hyun under the bus.

Park Mu-hyun, who had no history of child abuse and had been good to the child until then, became more immersed in Cardia’s doctrine after the divorce and abused the child.

 

‘He even confined the child.’

 

So this unfamiliar name ‘Cardia’ had no choice but to keep appearing in this interrogation.

The investigator sighed and nodded.

 

“Yes, well. I understand. If you remember anything, please tell us right away.”

 

In the end, Park Mu-hyun’s choice to send even the custody change agreement to persuade us on the day I escaped from the religious order.

It was for the religious order, not for the child.

 

“Um, did I… make any mistakes?”

 

When the police left her hospital room, she whispered with a face that had lost all color as if all the blood had drained from her body.

 

“No, you did well.”

 

Lim Do-i seemed noticeably relieved.

 

“…I didn’t know Noah would say such things…”

 

However, she shed tears as she reflected on what the police had let slip during the investigation.

The tears that had dried up when the police came seemed to start flowing again.

I handed Lim Do-i a bottle of water and sat down in the chair before she could suffer from dehydration.

 

“He probably received continuous brainwashing from the religious order since childhood, which you weren’t aware of.”

“…Ah…”

 

Lim Do-i, who looked as if her world had collapsed at my words, bit her lips and held back tears.

 

“The cult leader Kim Yo-han said that Satan had possessed the child.”

 

I spoke with cold composure.

 

Lim Do-i is definitely my client.

So I am completely on Lim Do-i’s side in this case.

 

However.

 

Just as ignorance of the law cannot be forgiven, Lim Do-i’s ignorance cannot be forgiven either.

Because her ignorance must be forgiven by the child.

 

“Sa…”

 

Lim Do-i trembled as if hearing this for the first time.

I answered calmly.

I adopted a gentle tone so she wouldn’t be more shocked.

 

“Yes. Kim Yo-han said that Satan had possessed Park Noah, so he abused him to purify that.”

“…That’s… what kind of nonsense…”

“It is nonsense, isn’t it? But Lim Do-i, you should have known that such danger could exist.”

“…”

“I almost crossed the line. Anyway, since you’ve regained custody of Park Noah, I thought you should know, so I told you.”

 

Because that’s how healing will happen.

I’d rather not have another person like Sung Tae-hyun who just collapses from abuse flashbacks.

 

Lim Do-i closed her lips.

She would need time to recover for a while.

 

* * *

 

Of course, needing time to recover was Lim Do-i’s story, and I was a bit different.

 

“Senior, have you thought about it?”

 

I came to find Lim Do-hyuk.

I came to persuade him to go after his father Lim Sang-jin’s neck too, who had already been pushed from Haeil’s throne and remained as a retired king.

 

However, the door to Lim Do-hyuk’s studio apartment wouldn’t open, as if he had changed the entrance password.

 

“Senior! Senior!”

 

There’s no way this guy would act this quickly, right?

I wondered as I banged on the door.

 

“Senior!”

 

But I never expected to encounter such a scene.

 

The front door of Lim Do-hyuk’s house, which had been quiet as if no one was there, opened.

 

But his face when he opened the door looked a bit strange.

Clear bruise marks were visible around his eyes, cheekbones, and neck area.

 

Did robbers break in or something?

When I looked at him questioningly, Lim Do-hyuk sighed and stepped aside.

 

“…You’re the one who…”

 

Oh my. I never thought we’d meet like this.

 

Had I ever seen Lim Sang-jin in person before?

I couldn’t remember exactly.

 

I might have encountered him in passing after being appointed as a new judge.

Even then, Lim Sang-jin was already talking about retirement.

 

“Ah.”

 

Lim Do-hyuk’s house was in chaos.

Even the cereal I used to eat was all broken and scattered on the floor.

 

Just how much of a ruckus did he cause.

The curtains were torn and the sofa had holes in it.

 

The old man sure has good strength,

I chuckled and greeted Lim Sang-jin.

He was grinding out his cigarette on Lim Do-hyuk’s sofa.

 

“Who are you?”

 

I felt Lim Do-hyuk’s body freeze up.

What can I do. He may be his father, but I’m a stranger to him.

Or am I? I’ve never investigated whether Sung Tae-hyun had ever encountered Lim Sang-jin before, so I don’t know.

Still, there was one reason I came out so brazenly like this.

 

“…Lawyer Sung Tae-hyun, what a joke.”

 

It was because he pissed me off.

 

“A joke? I still haven’t heard who you are.”

“….”

“Since you already know my name, this should be quick. I’m Sung Tae-hyun.”

 

I imitated Noh Hae-min’s bright expression.

His stomach must be boiling inside.

Even so, Lim Sang-jin received the business card I handed him with an unchanged expression.

 

“I know you well, Lawyer Sung Tae-hyun. Our son is quite desperate, isn’t he?”

 

I don’t know what bullshit he’s spouting like it’s the truth.

There was nowhere to sit except the sofa where Lim Sang-jin had ground out his cigarette, leaving a black hole.

Having no choice, I sat on Lim Do-hyuk’s bed, a little away from the sofa.

 

“…!”

 

Lim Sang-jin’s face was colored with surprise.

 

“I’ve been retired for quite a while so I didn’t know… but young people these days are always so… refreshing every time I see them.”

 

That’s what the old man ended up saying.

I was the kind of person who would be inappropriate to call ‘young’ by Lim Sang-jin’s standards though.

Still, he doesn’t seem to want to give up on the conversation.

I decided to play along with his rhythm and nodded.

 

“Yes, I know from watching the news too.”

“…!”

 

Lim Do-hyuk stood there unable to join anywhere in the conversation between me and Lim Sang-jin.

He looked like he had gotten a beating from his father, but you wouldn’t know unless he said something.

 

“…Yes, I’ve heard about you often from our son and from Haeil too. Lawyer Sung Tae-hyun.”

 

Anyway, Lim Sang-jin is one of the people who rolled around dirty in the legal circle.

Even with the confusion I deliberately created, he quickly composed his expression.

 

“You flatter me.”

“How is our Do-hyuk? He’s a good kid, right.”

 

It seems like he’s already shown every unseemly side there is.

True to his reputation, he was a raccoon-like old man.

 

“Yes, though I have no personal feelings toward my client.”

“…That’s unfortunate. If only you were a few years older-“

 

If I wasn’t annoyed by the subtle desire I heard in his words.

That would mean I either have terrible intuition or no thoughts at all.

 

“Father.”

 

Fortunately, Lim Do-hyuk wasn’t lacking in intuition.

With his bruised eyes, he cleared his throat quietly as if warning.

 

How funny, when he got beaten up thoroughly himself.

 

“I understand what you’re saying, so please leave now.”

 

Lim Do-hyuk took a few steps toward Lim Sang-jin.

The old man burst into laughter instead, as if he was making a fuss over nothing.

 

“What do you think of our Do-hyuk’s case?”

 

Lim Sang-jin asked provocatively.

On the day I was kidnapped by that fanatic cult and escaped, Lim Sang-jin was also at the religious order.

So he’s asking while already knowing.

 

“I have a policy of not revealing my client’s stories to outsiders.”

“Personal information protection law, I see, but I’m that kid’s father-“

“Father, grandfather, even if our ancestors came, I couldn’t tell you.”

 

When I imitated Noh Hae-min and spoke brightly, Lim Do-hyuk’s face slightly contorted.

 

I guess he noticed I was imitating Noh Hae-min?

Still, this kind of bright speech pattern tends to easily provoke anger in raccoon-like people like him.

 

“…Our Lawyer Park Ji-hwan was right. Being a back room old man, sometimes news comes late like this.”

 

Lim Sang-jin stopped speaking in roundabout ways.

 

“Lawyer Sung Tae-hyun. I’m not usually the type to meddle in such affairs. I’m telling you this because I’m worried you might misunderstand.”

“Is that so?”

 

He wouldn’t admit he was involved even if his life depended on it. I nodded as if listening attentively.

 

“It’s my former son-in-law, you see. The water’s already been spilled, so let’s say that’s that.”

“Yes.”

“But wouldn’t touching that religious order become quite tiresome for you too, Lawyer Sung Tae-hyun?”

 

The old man’s eyes gleamed as if he was trying to negotiate.

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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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