Lawless Lawyer 3.3 The Reason For The Mayor's Murder

THE REASON

FOR

THE MAYOR’S MURDER

THE LAP OF LUXURY Perched on a large expanse of land on a hillside was Judge Cha Moon Sook’s palatial mansion. The luxurious mansion had sweeping views of the hills. The expensive property must have been the product of Judge Cha Moon Sook and her father, Judge Cha Byung Ho’s hard work. Her father, by all reports, was a well-respected man.   Viewed from the opposite side, the mega-mansion, with its outlying outhouses, looked spectacular. Judge Cha Moon Sook enquired her right hand woman, Nam Soon Ja, if she had taken care of ‘The Golden City’, a redevelopment project which had been put on the back burner for 18 years but had now been revived. Nam Soon Ja, boasted that she wouldn’t do things half-heartedly. She claimed that there were tons of things to do and she, not anyone else, was the one doing them. It seemed that she was big in the brains department and the strong woman who held everything together for Judge Cha Moon Sook’s ‘empire’. Rightfully annoyed, Judge Cha admonished her for her loud complaints. She stressed that Nam could leave if she abhorred her work.  She warned her right hand woman not to take advantage of the fact that she trusted her. Having a dedicated and loyal assistant was important, not a self-serving one who would take advantage of her position. It was a slap in the face for Nam Soon Ja. Nam Soon Ja delicately expressed her hurt that Ha Jae Yi had taken precedence in her boss’s heart. Probably, her line of thinking was if she was not the more favoured one, it would mean that, in turn, her daughter, Kang Yeon Hee, the Prosecutor was even lower down in Judge Cha's hierarchy of favourite people. But, Judge Cha knew what Nam was up to. She just wanted confirmation that she was Number One in her boss’s heart.  The more powerful woman let her know in no uncertain terms that ‘Whoever I show my true feelings to is in the most difficult position. Remember that.’ The deeper meaning of her words was not too clear but Nam understood the gist of it. Nam Soon Ja was the close confidant of the judge and the one whom she trusted the most, not Ha Jae Yi.  Did it mean that Nam Soon Ja was in an unfavourable and tricky situation? It wasn’t a position to boast about. But, greed and ambition had made Nam Soon Ja blind to the judge’s warning. Ahn Oh Ju was making himself pleasant to the right hand woman of the judge. His aim was to get through her to talk to the judge.  Nam told him that Judge Cha was sleeping but he insisted on an appointment with the judge. He had something important to impart to the judge. Nam Soon Ja demanded to know what it was but it was beneath the gangster businessman to tell her since she was not the boss. When he abruptly hung up on her, she nearly lost her cool but she was mindful of Judge Cha Byung Ho’s portrait right behind her.  The fact that she bowed her head in deference showed her respect for the deceased judge.

HA JAE YI AND HER OPPA Ha Jae Yi was at her office desk reading a copy of the court documents on the murder of Mayor Lee Young Su.  She was reminded of her conversation with Bong Sang Pil. She had asked him about his determination to wrest away a client who was undoubtedly guilty from Go In Doo, the Criminal Defense Lawyer. His reply made her to think hard. ‘Isn’t it suspicious that there is so much evidence against the accused, Wu Hyeong Man? Wu Hyeong Man was a detective. If he was the murderer, he would would not have been so foolish or careless as to leave so much evidence behind. Was the evidence fabricated? Bong's trust in her made her even more determined to find out the truth.  She stared at Bong San Pil’s engraved name on the table. His mother had proclaimed him to be the ‘King of Lawyers’. From there, she came to understand his determination to be the best. In his prison cell, Bong Sang Pil lay awake. He was also thinking of Ha Jae Yi. He was at her graduation ceremony. He had tasked a little girl to hand her a bouquet of flowers.  Ha Jae Yi knew that it was from a certain ‘Oppa’ but the graduate did not know the identitity of her secret admirer. He also remembered Ha Jae Yi’s mother saving his life. Where would he begin - what would he tell Ha Jae Yi and how would he tell her about it?

A DYING WOMAN’S WISH Hae Jae Yi dropped in at the hospital. She was visiting Wu Hyeong Man’s sick wife. It seemed that she had been in poor health for a long time and Wu had taken care of her for at least five years. Ahn Oh Ju was there. He seemed to be her benefactor and was giving instructions to the hospital staff to take care of her.  What was the relationship between Wu Hyeong Man and the corporate gangster? It was food for thought. Ha Gi Ho, her father seemed to know Wu Hyeong Man’s family as he had taken photographs of Wu’s wife.  Wu’s wife had planned for her own funeral and wanted the final photographs to be taken. Apparently, the husband was distraught. Wu’s wife pleaded with Ha Jae Yi to prove her husband’s innocence so that she could die in peace. She could not believe that someone like her husband would have murdered someone, least of all the mayor.

ATTEMPTS TO BREAK THE SILENCE It was meal time. The team of thoughtful thugs helped to clear the space for Bong Sang Pil to talk business quietly with Director Oh. Bong questioned Oh on whether he had wondered about how he had ended up in prison, an unpleasant place where he ate unpalatable prison food.  The man told him to leave. Bong pointed out that he did not ask if Oh knew anything. The lawyer alleged that Oh had forged the deceased Mayor’s signature to steal 150 million won from the city’s coffers.  That had been reported in the newspapers. It was odd that Oh readily admitted to his crime.  The crime that he had committed was, in fact, related to the on-going trial. That was why he had ended  up in the prison. Bong sang Pil's words upset Oh, who then got up to leave.  To compel him to break his silence, Bong goaded him further.  ‘Considering your substantial ability, I think the amount you stole seems to be smaller than what I had expected.’  What Bong meant was that the man was a financial expert, and the 'miniscule' sum that he had stolen was inconsistent with his degree of shrewdness and capability. He thought that Oh had the competence and skill to drain out more public money.  Eager to emphasize Oh's financial wizardry, Bong cheekily made an ‘O’ with his fingers to indicate that Oh could have added another zero to the amount that was embezzled. Bong Sang Pil continued to goad him. His jail sentence would not be that long; it would be as long as the duration of the on-going trial. Then, Oh would then be able to walk off the prison scot-free.  For the time being, he just had to retreat into his shell and bid his time. Oh was so furious that he swept all the dining utensils off the table.  The guard was alerted to the commotion. Bong smiled complacently knowing that he had stepped on the man's toes. He looked mischievously at the criminal.  Oh had gone ballistic. He would be on a warpath if Bong was not careful. Bong, who had already risen from his seat, drew nearer to him to goad him further.  ‘That report was written by you, wasn’t it? You wrote the report to incriminate yourself so that you could escape with your life. Bong Sang Pil had hit bullseye. The man raised his voice. Bong was not going to leave it at that. He asked, ‘Are you sure you’ll be safe in here?

THE ALIBI Hae Jae Yi decided to meet Wu Hyeong Man once more.  She told him that she had visited his wife to find out the truth. She had wanted to find out who he really was. Many people seemed to be hiding behind a mask. She wanted to know the real truth - the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  Was the witness, Mr Kang, with him at the time of the Mayor’s murder? He confirmed that Kang was. The question she next posed was why wasn’t Kang testifying for him. Ha Jae Yi popped in at Kang’s amusement arcade. The man was annoyed that the lawyer acted as if she had the right to barge into his shop any time she wanted, and take him by surprise. Undaunted, she asked him directly whether he was with Wu Hyeong Man at 11.30 pm on 30 March 2018, the night that Mayor Lee Young Su was killed.  She insisted that Kang was with Wu Hyeong Man. She emphasized that she sympathized with him; she knew that Wu Hyeong Man had bullied him in the recent past. But, his bullying should not be Kang's justification to frame him of murder. Wu was innocent. The furious man lifted up his shirt to show his belly injuries which had been inflicted by Wu Hyeong Man.  The vengeful amusement arcade owner asked her whether Wu was really innocent. Her naivety grated on his nerves. She was told to leave.  Kang's irrationality was worrying.

THE REASON FOR THE MAYOR’S MURDER ‘GOLDEN CITY’ Wu Hyeon Man limped over to Bong Sang Pil’s table and he grumbled that Bong had promised to get him out of jail and yet, he himself had landed in prison. Bong was irritated. Wu had little understanding that his lawyer had been working day and night to help him. He was ignorant of the fact that Bong had volunteered to come into the prison to search for the truth.  Some people really couldn’t see beyond their noses. Wu mentioned that Ha Jae Yi dropped in to visit him. He was surprised that Bong had a lawyer who worked as his Office Manager.  Bong boasted that she was doing a wonderful job by herself. But, little did he know that she was having a hard time trying to persuade Kang, the owner of the amusement arcade, to change his mind about his false testimony, and to provide an alibi for Wu Hyeong Man. During the prisoners' leisure time, Director Oh was singled out to be bullied by some prisoners. He was roughed up by them. Tae Kwang Soo, Geum Gang and the rest of the thugs pretended to save him. It seemed that they were able to placate the ruffians. Bong Sang Pil swaggered up to the bruised Director Oh to show his sympathy. They brought him away from the scene. It was a plot by Bong Sang Pil to get the ex-director to spill the beans on the murder of the Mayor.  Wu Hyeong Man observed the incident with interest and he was suspicious. It was similar to the situation in which he was attacked by an aggresive inmate.  He recognised one of the trouble makers to be the attacker whose face he had previously slashed with a broken toothbrush. Bong Sang Pil squated on the ground next to the very important seated prisoner.  Did Director Oh regret volunteering to enter the prison? The prisoners were violent towards him.  Bong Sang Pil took advantage of his fear and questioned him on the relationship between Chairman Ahn Oh Ju and the death of the Mayor of Ki Seong.  Although Bong Sang Pil already knew the answer, hewanted confirmation from Director Oh's own lips. He had done all his research beforehand.  Director Oh was shocked that Bong Sang Pil was so well-informed about his secrets. He was itching to know Bong’s 'real' identity but Bong ignored the issue. Bong continued. The Ohju Group rose in prominence when Mayor Lee was in office.  Thanks to the Mayor, the company’s assets and revenue quintupled within a few short years. The rapid expansion of the company was the result of the Mayor’s policy of channeling all major businesses to the Ohju Group. The thrust of the discussion was the reason why Ahn Oh Ju murdered the Mayor and then, lay the blame on Woo Hyeong Man. Oh did not know whether Wu Hyeong Man was guilty or not but he knew why the Mayor was killed. Director Oh revealed a shocking secret about the ‘Golden City’. He asked Bong if he had heard of the project.  The ‘Golden City’ was going to be the biggest urban redevelopment project since the beginnings of Ki Seong. The lawyer was confounded.  The project was abruptly disrupted 18 years ago. The idea was raised once more but the Mayor, who had objected to its revival, was murdered. But, now after his death, the project was alive and kicking.

ROOM WITH A VIEW THE CAMPAIGN SITE Ahn Oh Ju had ginormous political ambitions. He was running for Mayor of Ki Seong. He looked out of the window of a building and surveyed the area, a fish market. It was his campaign site. He had risen as the gangster boss of the fish market but now he was the Chairman of a legitimate business. He had returned to his roots to campaign for the most important job of the city as he had been inspired by Judge Cha Moon Sook. Seok Gwan Dong was assigned the task of Campaign Manager, a very important job. The gangster Chairman had already forgiven Seok for messing up his plan of destroying Bong. Seok Gwan Dong was obviously daft; he had little idea that if he flew with the crows, he would get shot with the crows. Ahn Oh Ju asked Seok how he should repay him the favour. Seok's reply was that he would do anything for his boss but Ahn stressed that the perfect answer should be 'Doing things that made his boss, Ahn Oh Ju happy'.  The younger gangster swiftly got down on his knees despite the painful knee injury which had been inflicted by his boss not so long ago. His words were shocking, ‘I’ll make you the Mayor of Ki Seong even if it means having blood on my hands!’ ‘Show me what you can do!’ was Ahn’s immediate response.

THE REASON FOR THE MAYOR’S MURDER THE POST OF MAYOR OF KI SEONG Director Oh was puzzled about Bong Sang Pil's interest in the case. With a pained look, he expressed his wish to live a quiet life once he got out of prison. Bong stared at him with knitted brows. He was probably chagrined that the man who had been involved in public corruption and the destruction of lives could just walk away from it all without being pricked by his conscience.  Oh stated clearly that he didn’t want to have anything more to do with him. Bong Sang Pil was flabbergasted that Ahn Oh Ju was vying for the Mayor of Ki Seong post. He was burning with curiosity. Why? Director Oh soon joined the dots for Bong Sang Pil. What did everything boil down to? The Mayor was murdered because he had opposed the ‘Golden City’. His death paved the way for Ahn Oh Ju to become the new Mayor so that he could revive and implement the project ‘Golden City’ that had been shelved 18 years ago. Ahn Oh Ju, with his violent gangster ties, was seen by Judge Cha Moon Sook, as the only one who could bulldoze his way into achieving the vision of redeveloping Ki Seong as the ‘Golden City’.