Chapter 121
There were always people on top and people beneath them, no matter what industry you looked at.
But whenever I heard stories about someone exploiting another person’s labor by using their dreams and hopes against them, I couldn’t stop the bitter feeling rising inside me.
While Woo Seungcheol explained everything that had happened before and during the assault incident, the lawyer representing Writer Chopung arrived at the police substation.
“Kibaek, shouldn’t we hire a lawyer too?”
Do Kijeong glanced toward Chopung and his lawyer in the distance and lowered his voice nervously.
They were far enough away that I couldn’t hear exactly what Chopung and his lawyer were discussing.
But every now and then, Chopung’s voice carried across the room.
“There will be absolutely no settlement.”
“I’ll make sure they never work in this industry again.”
Judging from remarks like that, this clearly wasn’t going to end easily.
“We were the ones who threw the first punch.”
I kept my voice low.
“Even if we call a lawyer, there isn’t much they can do besides trying to negotiate a settlement.”
I glanced toward Chopung.
“And judging from the mood over there, I don’t think they have any intention of settling.”
“Then what are we supposed to do?”
Do Kijeong looked worried.
“They’re still young. If they end up with criminal records...”
“I know.”
I sighed.
“We need to come up with something.”
At that moment, Chopung’s lawyer finished speaking with him and approached the police officer.
After exchanging a few words, the officer looked toward us.
“Excuse me. Could you two come over here?”
We quickly approached.
The officer introduced us.
“These two are here as companions for the suspects.”
Then he gestured toward the other man.
“And this is the victim’s attorney.”
The lawyer handed us his business card.
“I’m Joo Geunhan from the law firm Victory. I represent Mr. Kim Hyuntak.”
“Ah, yes.”
I pulled out my own business card.
“My name is Min Kibaek.”
The lawyer looked at my card.
“Ah... you work for a drama production company.”
He seemed surprised and alternated his gaze between the card and my face.
“Yes.”
I then gestured toward Do Kijeong.
“And this gentleman is Writer Mabongchun, the writer of the MBS drama currently airing, Father, In Your Name.”
“He’s close enough with those two over there that they treat each other like brothers.”
“Ah... I see.”
The lawyer looked slightly unsettled.
He exchanged a glance with Chopung, whose real name was Kim Hyuntak.
Well, their reaction was understandable.
They had probably heard that the two suspects were nobodies with no money or connections.
But now people with at least some social standing had shown up to sit beside them.
Naturally, they were probably reconsidering how to handle the situation.
I could practically see the calculations running through their heads.
After exchanging that look with Chopung, the lawyer spoke again.
“Our client is demanding severe punishment for both Noh Geumbong and Woo Seungcheol.”
He spoke firmly.
“He also has no intention of accepting any request for settlement.”
As expected.
I had known that was how they would respond.
“Then what happens to those two now?”
Do Kijeong quickly asked the officer, his face full of worry.
“At this point, since the victim is demanding strict punishment, they’ll first be transferred to the police station.”
The officer explained.
“They’ll be questioned again there, and depending on the circumstances, they may be held in detention...”
The moment he mentioned transfer to the police station and detention, Do Kijeong’s face stiffened.
“Kibaek... what do we do?”
He lowered his voice even further, clearly conscious of the lawyer nearby.
“Isn’t there anything we can do?”
I answered just as quietly.
“Somehow, we need to reach a settlement before the case is forwarded to the prosecution.”
“Ha... I know that.”
Do Kijeong looked frustrated.
“But you heard him too.”
He glanced toward Chopung’s lawyer.
“He said there would never be a settlement.”
The truth was...
I already knew a way to force Chopung toward one.
2018.
That incident involving Chopung...
Right.
If I expose that now...
I slowly looked at Do Kijeong.
“It won’t be easy.”
His eyes moved toward me.
“But that doesn’t mean there’s absolutely no way to get him to settle.”
Do Kijeong’s eyes widened.
Leaving him behind, I quickly walked toward Noh Geumbong and Woo Seungcheol.
“Mr. Noh Geumbong.”
Noh Geumbong, who had spent the entire time staring blankly into space, barely reacted.
But when I spoke the next words, his eyes finally moved toward me.
“Listen carefully to what I’m about to ask.”
“If you want to reach a settlement with Chopung, or even punish him for what he’s done, this is important.”
The word punish seemed to pull him back to reality.
I continued.
“Were you the only assistant working there?”
He blinked.
“Was there perhaps a female assistant too?”
“A female... assistant?”
“Yes.”
“No. I was the only assistant.”
Then he suddenly paused.
“Ah... wait.”
He frowned, trying to remember.
“Before I joined, the assistant was a woman.”
Found it.
The way to force Chopung into a settlement.
The hashtag movement #MeToo, which began in the United States in 2017, had a major influence on Korea as well.
In early 2018, a female prosecutor appeared in an interview on a general programming news channel and revealed that she had once been sexually harassed by a senior Ministry of Justice official.
That disclosure became one of the sparks that ignited Korea’s MeToo movement.
The movement quickly swept through the cultural and artistic industries.
Playwrights.
Theater directors.
Film directors.
Actors.
Famous people from one field after another were exposed, shocking society.
The truth was, many people had simply pretended not to know.
Back then, there had also been a strong public reaction that something everyone knew about had finally exploded.
Among the people who eventually received legal punishment because of the MeToo movement, one unexpected name had been webtoon artist Chopung.
At the time, a producer I was close with had purchased the adaptation rights to one of Chopung’s webtoons for a large amount of money.
But once the scandal broke, the production company became involved in a legal dispute.
Because I had watched the entire situation unfold from nearby, I remembered the details fairly clearly.
