You Are Defended - Chapter 547



Only Noblemtl

Episode 547

“The lawyers were right. I don’t take it too seriously.”

Seongyoon Eom, who had been silent until he moved from the cafe where he was with Youngji Kim, spoke in a very lethargic voice as soon as he met us.

Unlike us who thought it was a 100% certain prediction, it seems that Eom Seong-yoon still had expectations for the group called Angel’s House.

Well, that makes sense.

He doesn’t know about the outrageous criminal enterprise going on there.

Even Angel Home was far removed from the violence and abuse that some daycare centers expose in the news, especially when it came to children who were not targets of criminal enterprise.

Conflicts that arose between children were often resolved, and there was no violence.

Of course, I think I may have emotionally abused my children without them even realizing it.

Some children even said they felt a sense of pride in being at Angel’s Home rather than at other orphanages.

Having grown up seeing that kind of thing all along, it wasn’t strange to believe that Angel’s House would keep its promises even though it was time-consuming and made me anxious.

“It happened as the lawyer said, but I think he said it like that because it was really impossible. That Jeongmin was using drugs… … . I still can’t believe it. It’s not like it’s easy to get… … . I didn’t take it seriously because it was so absurd.”

“That may be true, but then again, when you first brought it up, shouldn’t he have at least pretended to look for signs of drug addiction?”

“… … .”

“And if you’re feeling sick, shouldn’t you at least agree with the statement that your condition looks serious? Anyone can see that. It looks a bit serious, so you should at least say that you’re going to take him to the hospital.”

To others it just looks like body aches, but doesn’t it seem like you’re brainwashing them into saying that you’re the only one who says that because you’re so special?

I am sure that even that appearance of Son Jeong-min was the most normal time.

I was afraid that if I showed a more ruined appearance to Seongyoon Eom, he might become suspicious.

“And you said that Jeongmin didn’t have the conditions to do drugs. How can you be sure of that?”

“I asked how you knew since I wasn’t always by your side… … .”

“So. How do you know where and what they do in their free time to get drugs? You don’t necessarily need money to get drugs. Do the daycare workers just ignore that?”

“… … That’s right.”

“Besides, if they were really that sure, wouldn’t that mean they were holding Jeongmin captive? Unless they were controlling his every move, it’s possible. Either way, it’s clear that Jeongmin isn’t being properly protected.”

Seongyoon bit his dry lips and rubbed his forehead as if he was confused.

In his actions and eyes, one could read both anxiety and fear.

“Self-harm. Why did you do it?”

“… … .”

“You’ve come too far to think of it as your own action. The reason I showed you Jungmin, who I kept hidden away, is because you hold the key to blackmailing those people.”

“… … .”

Kang Min-jae, who had been silent, grabbed Seong-yoon’s hand that was on the desk and spoke.

“You two are both lawyers who were prosecutors. I’ve seen countless friends ruined by the greed of adults. Jeongmin is a typical case. If you don’t tell us, we can’t help Jeongmin. Jeongmin will continue to suffer at the hands of those people. If you want to save Jeongmin, you have to be safe too.”

“Phew… … .”

Seongyoon let out a long sigh.

“… … .”

We watched without saying anything.

“One day the director called me.”

And then he opened his mouth as if he had given up.

The principal said that he was troubled because the college students were committing a significant crime at Angel House and he could not get any outside help because he could not find any evidence.

I need to chase the college kids out before they get their hands on the Angel House kids, so I was wondering if you could help me.

Seongyoon, who heard about the director’s specific plan, replied that he couldn’t do that.

But the director, as if he had been waiting, made a call to someone and transferred the call to Seongyoon.

The voice heard from the other end of the phone at that time was Jeongmin’s.

Jeongmin persuaded him, saying, “There is no legal responsibility on your part, and if you just feel a little sorry towards those college students, you can move out of Angel House earlier than others, receive support money, and live together with them. So what are you worried about?”

After hanging up the phone, the director told them about the living expenses that would be paid to them in the future and stimulated his heart by showing them pictures full of the romanticism of high school students’ studio apartments.

After Jeongmin disappeared, Seongyoon felt even more lonely and worried about him because he had no place to put his heart in the Angel’s House.

In addition, I realized that I could shake off all my worries about the future, such as having to move from one goshiwon to another as an adult, with just a brief pang of conscience.

In the end, he did as the director told him.

However, when the fact that Sungyoon had self-harmed was revealed by the camera, the situation at Angel’s House became complicated and they kept delaying sending him out.

I kept avoiding it because I was told that it would take a long time because the documents were complicated and there was a lot to prepare.

“… … That’s how it happened.”

“Based on Jungmin’s condition, it doesn’t seem like he’s been using drugs for more than a few days. When you spoke to Jungmin on the phone before you accepted the offer, what was his voice and tone like?”

“Back then… … . Even then, thinking back, it didn’t feel that straightforward. But it wasn’t like it was particularly annoying or strange… … .”

“Then let’s say he started using drugs at that time. Do you think he wanted to show you that side of Jeongmin? Even if he only saw you briefly when he was in a good mood, since you wouldn’t know, let’s say he did that. I don’t think he would have let you stay with him forever.”

“… … .”

“Besides, wouldn’t it be very difficult if it were revealed to the outside that you or Jeongmin were ordered to do that at the Angel House? If it had succeeded, wouldn’t you have known? You failed both times.”

Seongyoon Eom looked at me, biting his fingertips.

“… … Then what should I do? What about Jeongmin… … . What about Jeongmin? You approached me because there was a way, right? What is it? What can I do for you?”

Listening to Seongyoon’s urgent questions, I felt uneasy.

What should I do for you?

He doesn’t have to do anything.

Who would expect anything in return for saving a minor in danger?

I thought I knew how he had been treated up until now.

“You said you wanted to get out of there?”

“Yes. But Jeongmin… … .”

Is it Jeongmin again?

Moreover, seeing them worry about Jeongmin despite being repeatedly reminded that he was in a dangerous situation made me despise them even more for doing such a cruel thing to such a tender-hearted child.

“There are several ways, but I’m still thinking about what the best way is. The uncles will somehow save Jeongmin, so don’t worry too much and just relax. When I think about it, I think you’re a little neglectful of yourself because you’re worried about Jeongmin. I hope you don’t forget that you’re in a dangerous situation, too.”

Even though Kang Min-jae spoke affectionately, Seong-yoon still didn’t seem to feel at ease.

Since you didn’t tell me the specific method, it’s obvious.

But we can’t tell him right now.

There’s nothing more foolish than sharing something blindly and then being perceived as an adult who keeps changing their words when you’re still figuring out the best way to do it and plans may change along the way.

“First, you have to get off the rails.”

“A derailment?”

“You’re a runaway from home starting today.”

* * *

Seongyoon ended up staying in a 30-pyeong shared house where Taesik’s three employees lived.

From the moment I first decided to contact Seongyoon, I worried about how and where I should provide him with a place to stay. Since I had to be with the staff anyway, I concluded that I should choose the safest and best-conditioned place among the places they were staying.

Of course, because of that, the employee who had been using the cleanest and nicest room had to leave for a while, but it went smoothly because he decided to stay with Sang-gil, who was out of the house at night to protect me.

“It’s a better place than I thought.”

Even when I saw the pictures, I thought that this would be a good place for Seongyoon to live, but when I came here in person, it was even better.

I was particularly worried that the house would be filled with the smell of cigarette smoke, but one of the employees, a non-smoker, made a fuss and threatened to cut off his finger if caught smoking in the house, so even the bathrooms were not allowed to smoke.

“But I feel sorry towards my brother who left the room because of me. What should I do?”

I told him to leave early because I was worried that Seongyoon would feel bad if I showed him how to unpack, but Seongyoon hesitated and spoke without any consideration.

“It’s okay. I’m not going to stay here forever anyway.”

“That kid keeps nagging, doesn’t he? Seongyoon, stay here for a while. Don’t let him come back.”

I thought the staff were trying to reassure Seongyoon, but then I noticed the word [Truth] floating above his head.

“But I didn’t pack any of my luggage. What should I do? The lawyer said I should stay here until things get sorted out. I don’t know when that is, but it won’t be for a day or two. I can’t hold out like this… … Can’t I just go in for a bit?”

Seongyoon said, shaking the uniform he was wearing.

“You’re packing your bags. Do you think Angel House will just send you there? If you need anything, buy it here. It’s still dangerous for you to go out on your own, so if it’s not urgent, go online and choose what you want and buy it. If it’s urgent, ask your hyungs to buy it for you.”

I handed the card to Seongyoon.

Then, Seongyoon didn’t seem to accept it and looked at me with a bewildered expression.

“You can take it. The lawyer has a lot of money.”

Kang Min-jae said with a smile on his face.

“Still… … .”

“I will testify that the director ordered me to do it.”

“……yes.”

“I think we just give and receive what we need from each other. If you really care about it, you can pay it back when you’re an adult.”

“Oh, yes. I will do that.”

Only then did Seongyoon accept the card and scratch his cheek awkwardly.

“Just in case, leave your phone with your brother. If you get bored, I can give you another phone, but can you promise not to contact your friends?”

Seongyoon shook his head at my question.

“No, just… … . You don’t need a cell phone.”

Seongyoon took out his already turned off cell phone and handed it to the employee standing next to him.

“If I contact someone, I might not be able to save Jeongmin.”

“that’s right.”

“Would you mind removing the computer from the room? You never know. I might suddenly turn around and want to contact someone.”

Seongyoon said, pointing to the desktop computer on the desk.

“I think you guys will feel more comfortable that way too.”

“Hmm, you must be bored. Well, let me know when you need something, but for now, there’s a TV in this room, so just watch that. The cable password is 0000, so if there’s anything you want to watch, just pay for it and watch it.”

The employee said, unplugging the desktop power cord that was on the desk.

“……thank you.”

“If you need anything, just tell me now. My brother will go out and buy the basics right now. A few comfortable clothes, some underwear, um… … You can use the toiletries you have at home.”

“No, that’s enough.”

“And I should buy some snacks for Seongyoon. Do you like comic books? Should I lend you some comic books?”

The employee began writing down the things to buy on his cell phone.

It seems like the conditions are such that Seongyoon will not have any inconveniences in living there.

I’ll contact you if I need anything else.

“If anything happens, tell your brothers and they’ll connect you to me or that old man.”

I pointed to Kang Min-jae, who was sitting on Seong-yoon’s bed, rocking back and forth to check if he was comfortable.

“Yes… … . Thank you. And I’m sorry.”

Seongyoon nodded and said.

“What is this?”

“Still. I’m the son of a bitch who tried to frame Teacher Hyeonjong… … .”

“I will apologize to that student separately later.”

“……yes.”

“Okay then. And you missed school because of us. Even though it’s almost summer vacation, an absence is an absence. If you think about it that way, we feel bad too.”

“It really doesn’t matter, anyway. I didn’t have enough attendance to get a perfect attendance award, and my studies were just so-so, so I had no intention of going to college. I was even thinking about dropping out, you know. And it’s not because of the lawyers. If I hadn’t fallen for the director’s words in the first place, this situation wouldn’t have happened… … .”

“Don’t blame yourself. We’ll try our best to make sure that your school life is not a problem.”

A few years ago, when I was in charge of a school violence case involving a student named Jincheol Park, I think I heard that he had to complete two-thirds of the total attendance days to avoid repeating a grade.

Now that we’re halfway through the semester,

In the second semester, you should at least be able to fill the required number of attendance days.

“Don’t worry about that, really.”

Seongyoon waved his hand, but he couldn’t help but feel concerned.

“Be nice to Seongyoon.”

I put on my shoes and spoke to the staff.

Then the employees responded with a snicker.

“Of course. Hey, Sungyoon. Do you play LoL? Do you want to play LoL together later? My top lane is 1,500. I’ll carry you.”

“I have 1,700… … .”

“What? Hey, then you carry it.”

Well, I think you’ll do it well even if I don’t say anything.

Even though the children had a rough time, they will not have a bad influence on them because their minds have been reformed under Taesik.

Taesik told his employees that I was some kind of devil assistant, so he’ll be even more careful just to keep an eye on me.