Lawless Lawyer 2.4 The Startling Revelation

THE 
STARTLING
REVELATION

THE STARTLING REVELATION Bong Sang Pil was single-minded and indefatigable in his aim of wearing down Wu Hyeong Man with his daily visits. He had mastered the art of hustling; he did not wait for inspiration, he lunged at it. He would changed tactics if his first tactic didn’t work. He visited Wu Hyeong Man once again to weaken his resolve. He continued to try to establish rapport and hustle to sway his client.  The lawyer brought devastating news.  His wife was critically ill. Wu should try to get out. There was only a shadowy hope that things might improve for him if he remained obstinate. By then, Wu Hyeong Man was stumped by Bong Sang Pil’s dogged determination and persistence. He was, in fact, more curious than the most curious cat about the lawyer from Seoul. Who was Bong Sang Pil and why was he so fascinated with his case?  Why, Bong seemed to have a vested interest in him, a captive within prison walls! His very own lawyer did not even try to feign interest. The lawless lawyer felt the ache of his emotional wounds. He had dwelled on his mother’s murder for years. Even in the best of times, the dark weight of that memory haunted him. He was not going to whitewash his unspeakable sorrow. Since he could not change Wu’s mind using friendly persuasion, Bong finally decided to remove his mask.  A change of tactics would work. Persuasive words were not enough.  Wu Hyeong Man needed a healthy dose of threatening words and a bit of reality. The weight of his eyes was on the accused. He smirked and asked the former detective about his scars from the forceful teeth bites of a determined little boy many years before.  Some people had a selective memory. 18 years had passed. However, it seemed unlikely Woo Hyeong Man would have forgotten his ugly past. He couldn’t forget even if he had wanted to. Bong Sang Pil had a crazy look in his eyes.  Bong revealed the heart-wrenching truth about the courageous lady lawyer who had been killed by their group of crooks led by Ahn Oh Ju.  He was the son of that courageous lawyer. Bong Sang Pil’s grand plan or mad obsession, if Wu Hyeong Man didn’t know already, was to kill him when Bong got him out of jail.  Vendetta. He drove home the point that he was going to kill him, not inside but outside the prison. He viciously spat out that it was the reason why he wanted so badly to take on the case. Vengeance shall be his. Bong Sang Pil got up close to the accused. He was almost unglued; he stared unwaveringly and with such a frightening savagery directly into the eyes of the accused that the latter was shaking in his shoes. Did Wu Hyeong Man have a choice? Die inside the prison or die outside of it. It was Hobson’s choice.  But, there was a possibility that if he chose the second one, he might come out of it alive to see his wife.

BONG SANG PIL ANGUISH Later, Bong Sang Pil was watching Ha Jae Yi and her father when they were getting out of the car in the rain. He received a call from Wu Hyeong Man. After thinking about his harrowing experience with the hitman who was hired to eliminate him, the accused finally decided that his chance of getting out alive was better with Bong as his lawyer. Bong Sang Pil promised to get him out with everything that he had. The heavy rain pummelled the ground. Bong Sang Pil was affected by the rain.  An image of his mother came unbidden into his mind. He remembered that night that his mother died. It was also raining heavily.  The only difference was that night, the thunder rumbled and roared; the office windows were shaken by the tremendous crash of thunder. And forked lightning had flickered across the skies. A horrible night. With a bottle of soju in his hands, he staggered to the building where his office was located.  He sat, quivering, on the five-foot way in front of the building, drenched by the rain.  That was the place where his mother had died. The place where he witnessed the death of his mother at the hands of the evil gangster, Ahn Oh Ju.  Flashback. With her dying breath, she had advised him to live bravely.  How could he ever forget? At that moment, alone, he wanted his fury to rage through him but he could only feel despair and desolation. A mask slipped from his face. He was struggling with his agony. Vulnerability enveloped him. The terrible pain, which he had tried to conceal so well, poured out.  He was no more the witty, cheeky, strong, masculine, smart and intelligent lawyer who was swift with his repartees.  He sat on the pavement. he seemed to feel his mother's presence. It was a spiritual moment. He seemed to have walked back to the night 18 years ago when he was just 10. He missed his mother. His mother’s spirit seemed to hover over him. He poured her spirit a soju drink.  Tears spilled down his cheeks and blended with the rain. Although he was drenched to the skin, he was unaware of nothing except his pain and suffering. He was so helpless.  He regretted that he did not have the strength to stop her murder. He wept. He was consumed with grief. He was at the lowest ebb of despair. The rain poured down. It was as if the heavens also mourned his mother. His maternal uncle, Choi Dae Woong had come to town. He had appeared in Bong's darkest hours.  His uncle took him back to his office. Choi Dae Woong asked about his sister's death. He was uneasy about his nephew’s determination to avenge the death of his mother.  Bong Sang Pil was intent on sending the criminals on the road to perdition.  His long road of preparation to bring the criminals to justice had started long ago when he was ten years old.  In the scheme of things, 18 years of waiting and living out his nightmare was longer than necessary.  He was now 28 years ago. The time was right and ripe. His fury knew no bounds. His eyes took on a determined gleam. He was going to ‘kill’ them all to avenge his mother’s death.  A tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye. He would take the one in the jail out and put the outside people in, one by one with his own hands!  He was going to make them taste living hell. Their trial would soon begin.