WAR OF WORDS
GANGSTER CHAIRMAN
AND
CHIEF
PROSECUTOR
It might have seemed odd that Ahn Oh Joo, accompanied by his secretary, had dropped in for a visit at the Prosecution Service. He was a gangster so why would he be at the Prosecution Office?
The explicit purpose of his visit was to inform the Chief Prosecutor of his intention to run for the Mayor’s post.
  
Jang Sang Ik, the Chief Prosecutor was on the phone and had been informed that the witness in the Mayor’s Murder case had changed his testimony.
       
Surprised by the presence of the gangster, Jang Sang Ik sarcastically voiced out that he wasn’t interested in talking to the gangster boss.
The truth was the gangster was beginning to grate on his nerves.  Ahn’s secretary declared that his boss had the intention of running for Mayor. Jang took exception to the interjection made by Ahn’s rude underling, his secretary.    
Prosecutor Jang was curious if Judge Cha had really appointed him as the mayoral candidate. Or, was he just delusional and mistakenly fancied himself as the most favoured one.
  Annoyed at his insolence, Ahn On Ju declared that other man should have known better. He admitted, with rather false modesty, that he may have fallen short in certain ways but he spelled out the fact that the judge herself was the one who had specifically instructed him to make sacrifices and devote himself to the city of Ki Seong.     
The Chief Prosecutor, duly concerned, laughed cynically at Ahn’s words. Sacrifice and Dedication? Ha. Ha. Even a cow would laugh at that. Why was he so mean? Envy was probably rearing its ugly head.
After the initial irreverent banter, Ahn got down to brass tacks; he wanted to be fully acquainted with the law and the rules of the game to ensure that there would not be any irregularities before he launched his mayoral campaign.
      
Judge Cha Moon Sook, the gangster Chairman explained in his solicitous tone, referred him to the seasoned Chief Prosecutor, ‘The Rule Book’, for advice for the campaign. Ahn needed to be educated on the ins and outs of political campaigns.
On hearing those words, the other man was greatly disappointed and yet, surprised. It was true after all. Ahn Oh Ju, someone from a plebeian background, not him, seemed to be the favoured one.
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DAZED BUT NOT CONFUSED
Bong Sang Pil had sent Ha Jae Yi to the hospital. The doctor had given her some sedatives and she was resting in bed.
He was on the phone with Geum Gang who was on the trail of the Fixer, supposedly a human smuggler, who had been hired to smuggle the Mayor’s murderer to China.
Geum Gang was discreetly tailing the man.
      Ha Jae Yi woke up, still dazed by the subway tunnel incident that had happened hours before. She gently sounded him off for going off the rails and for being so maniacal. He was a different person earlier on. If she hadn’t been there, she was sure he would be violent. But, it was ironical that she hadn’t realised that it was because of her that he was enraged.   
Inspector Min loomed large and requested that Bong Sang Pil to accompany him back to the police station for questioning.
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THE VIDEO EVIDENCE 
In Ki Seong District Court, the three judges for the mayor’s murder
case met to discuss the video evidence which had been presented by Bong Sang Pil.
  
There was little doubt that the video was genuine. By his expression, the unnamed third judge was certain about the tussle between Wu Hyeong Man and the witness, Kang.
When Judge Baek was asked his opinion, he claimed that he was not certain.
   Judge Cha watched the TV news on the suicide of a man in the subway tunnel. The police were questioning Bong Sang Pil and Ha Jae Yi since they were at the scene.       |
WAR OF WORDS 
Bong had informed Investigator Min that the man who was killed
in the subway tunnel incident had confessed to be the murderer.
It meant that the killer of Mayor Lee Young Soo was the hit man, not Wu Hyeong Man.  
The investigator stated that for the moment, they had nothing except for Bong’s word.
Bong argued that Wu Hyeong Man’s alibi had already been proven. But Investigator Min was dubious; he explained that the video evidence was still being evaluated.
   
What irked Bong Sang Pil was Investigator Min’s investigation was a slipshod piece of work and he apparently did not break a sweat in finding out the real truth about the murder.
Bong tried to straighten him up. He was wondering if the man was so wooden that he couldn’t smell a rat in the case.
It was strange that an experienced investigator like him wasn't suspicious or concerned about the presence of the huge and ready pool of evidence that pointed to the guilt of the accused.
Could the store of evidence be planted or fabricated? Didn't it seem odd that a seasoned detective like Wu Hyeong Man would leave such a huge amount of evidence that could be easily discovered?
And furthermore, those pieces of evidence could easily be proven beyond reasonable doubt that Wu Hyeon Man was guilty. Was Investigator Min’s investigation so easy to conclude?
Investigator Min explained that Wu Hyeong Man was the one and only suspect. But still, he wanted more information on the hit man.
    
The investigator suddenly suggested that Bong could have pushed the man to his death or persuaded him to commit suicide.
The accusations were so preposterous that it almost floored the two lawyers. He had transgressed accepted lines of questioning.
  
Ha Jae Yi, if she was another woman, would have been speechless.
She shot the investigator an incredulous look. For the first time, she rose seriously to Bong’s defence. She had taken on the role of his protector. She warned Investigator Min to watch his mouth. He was too presumptuous and insolent. If they were to be arrested, they would have to be served first with a warrant.
Like a strict principal admonishing a wayward child, she advised him to do his job thoroughly.
She told him how to do his job. He had first to collect the security footage of the subway tunnel. Then, he should to examine it properly instead of rushing to jump to conclusions. The way she said it left no room for misinterpretation. But, what she did not say aloud was he might just be jumping to his own conclusion, his own end.       
Put off by Investigator Min's prejudiced attitude and not wanting Bong to be abused
further, she urged Bong Sang Pil to leave.
Prosecutor Kang Yeon Hee was not going to let them off so
easily. She had been listening to the interrogation in the observation room.
She was the no-nonsense type. In an accusatory tone, she stated that the deceased hitman’s phone was not with his possessions when the police found him.
Her question was point-blank, ‘Did you take it by any chance?’
Bong stared at her complacently and smiled jovially.   
Again, Ha Jae Yi, having turned female warrior, sprang quickly to his defence. She had assumed the role of his defender and protector. He had always protected her but now, they had switched roles. She declared that he was no pushover. They couldn’t just walk all over him as if he was an easy mark.
The investigator thought he was a murderer and the prosecutor thought he was a thief!
‘He’s not a ball to be kicked around.’
  
Bong was not to be outdone. He stood up for himself claiming that Prosecutor Kang was too suspicious of him.
Prosecutor Kang, softening her tone, pandered to his ego, flattering him.
‘It’s just that you’re not like the other lawyers that I’ve encountered.’
   
Then, she turned to Ha Jae Yi, her rival, to express her surprise that she seemed overly invested in the case. Ha Jae Yi's interest in Detective Wu’s trial bordered on obsession.
Ha Jae Yi retorted that a lawyer wanted to win trials, implying that lawyers must have an all-consuming passion for their work.
Bong was so proud of her feisty response and her fast and rapid-fire style in expressing herself. Attagir! He smiled at her indulgently.
     
The public prosecutor exclaimed that originally, she was only slightly curious. But now, her interest in the real reason behind their obsession with the case had spiked considerably. Her curiosity had got the better of her.
Bong agreed to tell her the reason when he won the case. He did not say ‘If I win’ but ‘When I win’. He was smugly confident of himself.
   
When they left the office, Bong teased her about having jumped so swiftly to his defence during the encounter.
‘Who'd have known that you’d defend me today?’ But, what he did not know was in the near future she would turn out to be his Defense Lawyer. 
Ha Jae Yi knew that Bong had hidden the truth about Ahn Oh Joo’s involvement in the murder. It was an intentional omission. The hit man had accused Ahn Oh Ju, the Chairman of the Ohju group, of ordering the mayor’s death.
Ha Jae Yi, by now, was a changed person. Perhaps, the subway tunnel incident had enlightened her somewhat about Bong Sang Pil.
Her life had taken a sharp turn and she had unwittingly become his strong supporter.
 
Upon exiting the building, Bong spotted Ahn Oh Ju, his mother’s
murderer.
Bong couldn’t help himself; he had to confront the evil man. Ha Jae Yi tried to prevent the confrontation but Bong couldn’t be stopped.       
Bong Sang Pil introduced himself to Ahn Oh Ju. The latter recognised him at once as the Defense Lawyer for Wu Hyeong Man. He had heard a lot about Bong’s exploits. Fighting skills and lawyering skills.
Bong snidely remarked that it was strange that his face instantly registered on the evil man’s mind.
    
Ahn declared the place was Ki Seong and he knew everything that went around the place. Nothing escaped his notice, so it was easy to recognise him. He sentimentally declared that he had been good friends with the deceased Mayor Lee. And so, it was awkward for them to be in a conversation since Bong was trying to free Detective Wu from the murder charge.
      
Bong Sang Pil intention was clear; he was not going to hide under a cover. Clearly, his enmity with Ahn was not going to be a cloak-and-dagger business.
In an accusatory tone, Bong declared that Ahn Oh Ju was known to be very close to Detective Wu Hyeong Man. It meant that he was friends with both the decedent and the defendant. What was their true connection?
Did he imply that Ahn was a possible suspect?
 
‘Is that what Wu Hyeong Man said?’ Ahn was imperturbable. He flippantly dismissed Wu Hyeong Man as someone whom he had probably met in the passing, a mere acquaintance. Wu Hyeong Man might probably have blown everything out of proportion.
Ahn insinuated that Wu must have exaggerated about meeting him. What was he saying? He was a wealthy and eminent personality in Ki Seong. Wu might have made a mountain out of a molehill. People like proclaiming they have connections to so and so.
He finally stated that Judge Cha would get to the truth of it.
   
Bong proclaimed dramatically that the truth had just been buried. Much to Ahn Oh Ju’s relief. The hit man had died in the subway tunnel incident.
      
Right before he died, he had revealed the name of the person who gave him the order to kill the mayor.
Bong goaded him. ‘Aren’t you curious who ordered the killing?’
Ahn was irritated. ‘Did he mention my name? These days people don’t even believe those who are alive. Who’d believe what a dead guy said?’
He was right. Who’d believe? Certainly, dead men tell no tales.
Ahn admonished Bong Sang Pil for not being smart enough to differentiate between the truth and the lies.
                
Bong Sang Pil laughed uproariously. Raising his eyebrows to express mock surprise at Ahn Oh Ju's cleverness, Bong pointed out that when people were staring death in the face, that is, when they were about to face their Maker, they would tell the truth.
The evil Fox was trying to outwit the legal Hound. Did he know who his opponent was? He wouldn’t be able to hoodwink the intelligent lawless lawyer.
       The immoral businessman mumbled about doing something for the late mayor so that he could rest in peace.  
But, something told Ahn to turn back to ask a question. He wanted to know if they had met before. Was it because he had heard so much about Bong? Bong looked familiar even though he wasn’t from Ki Seong.
Bong Sang Pil raised his eyebrows at the question. He descended the short flight of steps to where Ah Oh Ju stood so that they stood face to face.
He declared that they had met before.
Ahn wanted to know when they had met. Bong gritted his teeth. His startling response that he was originally from Ki Seong must have knocked Ahn off, who then removed his sunglasses to look at Bong Sang Pil more clearly.
             
Bong looked coldly into Ahn’s eyes willing him to remember his mother's murder 18 years ago.
When the older man left, Bong’s face was twitching in frustration and anger. The rage and bile rose.
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