Chapter 22
No Hyung-jin shook his head as he watched the fools messing around with their cars, then turned back and headed into the mountains. He had to find the place where they might be to conduct a proper investigation, which meant covering quite some ground. The problem was that his radius of movement was gradually shrinking. Naturally, as his strength waned, he could only go so far.
“Could it be here?”
Following his memory step by step, he finally arrived at a shabby cave. Well, it was closer to a dugout than a cave. It might protect him from rain and wind, but not from the cold.
“Just wait and see.”
Closing his eyes and pressing his hand against the wall of the dugout, an overwhelming fear and dread washed over No Hyung-jin.
“God, these crazy bastards.”
Who would have thought they’d beat someone pleading for mercy, knock them out, and then steal their clothes? In three days, they could have helped him walk to a place with phone reception. But instead, they chose to kill someone.
“First… have we found the scene?”
No Hyung-jin scanned the surroundings. Blood was everywhere—both the victims’ and the perpetrators’. That much showed how desperate they must have been.
“Well, nothing can be done now.”
He pulled out a long yellow thread and tied one end there, slowly unwinding it as he moved. Since he had located the crime scene, it needed to be marked.
“Aiyo!”
At the scene of Kang Hyung-moon’s death, his mother wailed uncontrollably, while his father, Kang Sung-chan, ground his teeth in anger.
“Sons of b****es.”
When the investigation began, their excuse was simple: Kang Hyung-moon had been injured in an accident, and they wore his clothes to survive. But the murder scene told a different story. Signs of a brutal fight were everywhere, blood from Kang Hyung-moon and the other two scattered in all directions.
“Ahem.”
Even the investigative team, who tried to side with Lee Jae-myung, couldn’t argue against such clear evidence.
“This is serious.”
Nam Sang-ju, in charge of the Kang family’s lawsuit, frowned. The blood everywhere seemed to show the desperation of that moment.
“How did you find it?”
“I was abandoned here myself back then. So I thought, ‘Where would I go?’”
“I see.”
No further questions. The important thing was not how he found it, but that he did. Furthermore, they found not only blood but also Lee Jae-myung’s fingerprints on the rock used to knock down Kang Hyung-moon.
“Humans…”
“They’ve always been like this.”
No Hyung-jin muttered quietly as he watched the parents despair.
“So, what will you do now?”
“We’ll proceed with the lawsuit. We have the evidence, and we’ve found the crime scene.”
“Well, I suppose you’ll handle it properly.”
“Don’t worry. Who do you think I am?”
“That’s exactly why I’m worried.”
“Well, you speak well.”
“He’s aiming to be a lawyer, so he should. Half the battle is in the words, isn’t it?”
“That’s true.”
Once again, he turned his head toward the scene.
Afterward, No Hyung-jin returned to his normal life. As usual, he prepared for exams and studied diligently. He scored an overwhelming first in the midterm test, making his presence known, and his academy instructors were hopeful that the youngest-ever bar exam pass might come from him. Not wanting to waste time on further incidents, he avoided going outside as much as possible, immersing himself in books. But it seemed the case had other plans.
“What brings you here?”
Nam Sang-ju visiting the dormitory academy startled No Hyung-jin. He hadn’t expected to see him again before passing the bar.
“I’ve come for help.”
“Help?”
“Yes, regarding the Kang Hyung-moon case.”
“I don’t want to be involved anymore.”
“I know, but how desperate must it be to track you down like this?”
Ugh.
No Hyung-jin shook his head. Nam Sang-ju’s expression showed he had hit a wall.
“I don’t want to get involved… I’m not even a law student, just attending a legal academy.”
“I know. But your ability isn’t ordinary. I pride myself on being able to read people.”
Ugh, so what do you need from me?
Seeing that Nam Sang-ju would keep pressing until he helped, No Hyung-jin finally raised his hands in surrender.
“As the victim’s lawyer, you’re not directly participating in the case.”
In Korea, criminal cases are handled by prosecutors. Victims are generally kept out of proceedings. This often leads perpetrators to try to impress prosecutors while ignoring victims. And because prosecutors are reluctant to relinquish power, problems arise.
“They’re claiming emergency self-defense.”
“Emergency self-defense?”
“Yes. You know what it means, so no need to explain. The problem is that the court is likely to accept it. If it’s valid, they’ll walk free.”
Emergency self-defense applies to acts committed during urgent situations where immediate action is necessary to prevent harm. For example, if a lifeboat can only hold ten people and someone tries to board, the ten already in it can prevent it, even if that means the outsider dies. In such cases, the ten are not punished.
“They claim it was a life-or-death situation. The court may accept it because it was unavoidable and there was no way to call for help.”
“Then the murder charge won’t stick.”
“Exactly.”
Hmm.
This was a problem. Lee Jae-myung would surely bear a grudge and try to harm him. The issue isn’t murder but kidnapping and attempted assault, which max out at about a year.
At least I need to stay until I’m done here.
If he quit, it would be difficult for Lee to track him. But if released beforehand, trouble was inevitable.
No choice.
For his own safety, he had to step in. Shrugging, No Hyung-jin accepted.
“I’ll help you.”
“Thank you. With your mind, you’ll be of great assistance.”
“This… this…”
Now he understood Nam Sang-ju’s predicament.
“Park & Sun.”
“It was that urgent.”
Park & Sun was undoubtedly Korea’s top law firm—expensive and well-connected with the government, sweeping up major cases.
“They’re not sitting idle either.”
“They prepared meticulously. I can’t handle it alone.”
Nam Sang-ju, working solo, had no way to counter a massive, coordinated firm like Park & Sun.
“At this rate, emergency self-defense will likely be accepted.”
“Yes.”
Park & Sun’s submission detailed everything from the day’s weather to survival probability in that temperature—utterly meticulous.
“Money really does help.”
“Not laughing matter. That’s why I came to you.”
Nam Sang-ju had faith in No Hyung-jin’s brilliance and wanted his help.
“Is there a way?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“No point keeping you in suspense. I’ll tell you—but stop bothering me.”
“Bothering?”
“I want to pass the bar in one shot.”
“In one shot?”
Only true geniuses could manage that.
If it’s him…
No Hyung-jin was indeed a legal prodigy, potentially capable of setting the youngest-ever record.
“Alright, for now…”
Planning his future law firm, Nam Sang-ju decided to leave him alone—for now.
“Agreed. Promise?”
“You promised.”
“Swear.”
“The method is…”
No Hyung-jin whispered into his ear. Nam Sang-ju’s expression shifted.
“That’s all?”
“It’s the basics. If the foundation is flawed, all the evidence is meaningless.”
“But…”
“What would you do if the other side brought this evidence?”
“I… have nothing to say.”
Exactly. If the basics fail, defense crumbles.
“Indeed, no words left.”
“Right?”
“Heh… you really are remarkable.”
“Thanks. I’m off to study.”
After leaving, Nam Sang-ju quickly grabbed his phone.
“Nam Sang-ju speaking. We have a method.”
On the day of Lee Jae-myung’s murder trial, Park & Sun’s lawyers claimed emergency self-defense with exhaustive scientific and statistical evidence. Even the judge had nothing to counter.
“Nam, if you’re done, let’s stop here.”
Nam Sang-ju remained silent. The judge assumed the defense had given up, but he hadn’t.
It’s the basics.
Remove the cornerstone, and the tower collapses. He just needed that stone.
“Your Honor, here is new evidence. Clear proof that Lee Jae-myung intended to kill.”
“Evidence? Who even saw this?”
“No one.”
“Without witnesses or traces, how can intent to murder be proven?”
“You’ll see when you review it.”
All he handed over was a single sheet of paper and a photo.
“What is this?”
