Chapter 33

Chapter 33 — The Second Legal Principle: Creditor’s Subrogation (4)

...Isu turned the whole case around.

Kim Jiseok calmly observed the atmosphere.

He had already suspected Doyul was plotting something, but he still didn't know exactly what the plan was.

So he carefully watched Doyul's reaction.

"..."

And when he saw Doyul smiling happily at Isu, Kim Jiseok quietly let out a breath of relief.

Good. It seems everything is going according to plan.

Kim Jiseok glanced toward Park Jeongdo.

Isu's deduction is probably correct.

There's no one else in this county who could have carried out something like this except Park Jeongdo.

But he couldn't recklessly accuse the man.

If I do, he'll undoubtedly drag the Ibang into it.

The problem was that the Ibang had actually been involved in the land fraud.

There was strong suspicion surrounding Park Jeongdo, but no physical evidence.

The moment suspicion turned toward him, Park Jeongdo would inevitably point the finger at the Ibang.

And the dead could not defend themselves.

Without hard evidence, accusing Park Jeongdo as the true mastermind could easily make the entire case collapse into confusion.

"..."

Kim Jiseok wasn't the only one who understood that.

Isu knew it too.

That was why he had only argued that someone familiar with the county must have participated in the fraud.

He had never directly named Park Jeongdo.

However...

Does Doyul truly see no problem with this?

Doyul kept smiling brightly.

So Kim Jiseok chose to trust him and ordered both sides to give their final statements.

"I have heard the defendants' representative's argument. Do you have anything else to add?"

"..."

Isu thought for a moment before answering briefly.

"Regardless of who may have assisted the plaintiff, the circumstances clearly show that the plaintiff committed fraud against the defendants."

"Therefore, the defendants demand that the plaintiff return the land."

"Understood."

Kim Jiseok turned toward Doyul.

"Does the plaintiff's representative have any final statement?"

"Yes."

Doyul answered calmly.

"The defendants' representative made an extremely persuasive argument, but there is one problem."

"And what would that be?"

"The plaintiff no longer owns the land."

Doyul's voice remained level.

"So even if the defendants demand that the plaintiff return it, there may be no way for him to do so."

"......!"

Isu quickly spoke up.

"M-May I add something?"

"You may."

"The defendants demand that the plaintiff return the land, and if returning the land is impossible..."

"Then they demand payment equal to the value of the land!"

"...Understood."

Kim Jiseok thought briefly.

Then he announced the end of the lawsuit.

Park Jeongdo, who had watched the entire exchange unfold, could no longer hide his displeasure.

Hah! All that impressive talk, and he lost in the end.

He had expected Doyul to resolve everything cleanly.

Instead, Doyul had been pushed back far too easily.

Park Jeongdo couldn't hide his disappointment.

Still, this isn't bad.

I can simply pretend that bastard has nothing to do with me and take what belongs to me.

"I will render judgment."

Kim Jiseok announced the result.

"After listening carefully to both plaintiff and defendants, I find it difficult to deny the defendants' claim that the plaintiff committed fraud against them."

"Therefore..."

"As the defendants' representative requested, the plaintiff shall return the land to the defendants."

"If returning the land is impossible, he shall compensate them with money."

"T-Thank you!"

"Thank you!"

Hmph! What a useless bastard.

Park Jeongdo cursed Doyul inwardly while immediately considering how to distance himself.

Lee Isu has made things annoyingly complicated.

But my own lawsuit only needs a judgment now.

I should finish it quickly and worry about the rest later.

Having reached that conclusion, Park Jeongdo spoke to Kim Jiseok.

"Ahem. Magistrate, may I ask something?"

"I've been waiting for a long time and have grown quite tired."

"Could you quickly deliver judgment in the lawsuit I filed?"

"Wait."

"...Hm?"

Doyul suddenly stopped him.

He turned toward Kim Jiseok.

"Magistrate, I humbly submit."

"A legal representative must consider the interests of the person he represents."

"I have no objection whatsoever to your wise judgment."

"However, for the sake of plaintiff Jeongmu, there is something I must discuss privately with the defendants."

"Would you grant me a brief moment?"

Before Kim Jiseok ruled on the dispute between Park Jeongdo and Lee Isu, Doyul requested time to speak with Isu.

"...Very well."

Kim Jiseok granted permission.

Doyul smiled brightly and led Isu to a secluded corner.

The two exchanged a brief whisper.

Then...

"W-Waaaah! Yulli! As expected, you had everything planned out!"

"Shh! Quiet! Quiet!"

The excited boy's voice rang loudly from the corner of the government office.

A short while later, Kim Jiseok called Park Jeongdo and Lee Isu forward again.

"I ask your understanding for the delay in judgment caused by the preceding lawsuit between Lee Isu and Kang Doyul."

Both Isu and Park Jeongdo bowed respectfully.

"...It is fine."

"Thank you!"

Kim Jiseok turned toward Park Jeongdo.

"I ask the plaintiff. Before judgment is given, do you have any final statement?"

Park Jeongdo thought for a moment.

...Something about this feels wrong.

But as long as I say what I need to say, it'll be fine.

Damn it. I shouldn't have let Kang Doyul talk me into making things more complicated.

Annoyed, Park Jeongdo searched for Doyul so he could glare at him.

Hm?

But Doyul was nowhere to be seen.

...What?

An uneasy feeling slowly crept over Park Jeongdo.

Still, there was only one argument he could make.

"...Ahem! I understand that the circumstances have become somewhat complicated."

"However, what I have to say remains the same!"

"No matter how plaintiff Jeongmu acquired those lands..."

"I purchased them lawfully!"

"So I do not believe I have any obligation to return them to the defendants!"

"Is that not so?"

"That is all!"

"Understood."

Kim Jiseok turned toward Isu.

"I ask the defendants' representative. Before the lawsuit ends, do you have any final statement?"

"Yes! I do!"

Isu's eyes shone.

"As the magistrate said earlier, the defendants' transaction was with Jeongmu."

"Therefore, the defendants cannot directly demand the return of the land from Elder Park Jeongdo."

Why is this brat suddenly taking my side?

Park Jeongdo stared at Isu in confusion.

"...However."

Isu smiled.

"What if the person who does have the right to demand its return asks us to exercise that right?"

Kim Jiseok asked for clarification.

"What... do you mean?"

"I just had a brief conversation with the man acting as Jeongmu's legal representative."

"......!"

Park Jeongdo frantically looked around for Doyul.

Kang Doyul, you bastard!

Don't tell me...

"Jeongmu's representative told me this."

Did you... deceive me?!

"Since Jeongmu lost the lawsuit, he is now obligated to return the land."

"But because he no longer owns the land..."

"The only thing he can do is repay the defendants with money."

"Correct."

"But then Jeongmu's representative said something else."

"Apparently, Jeongmu doesn't have enough money to compensate them."

"...Hm?"

"That man... no, he said this."

"Isu, making Jeongmu repay all that money doesn't seem like the right solution."

"Yulli? What do you mean?"

"So how about this?"

Isu barely managed to suppress his laughter.

"Jeongmu obtained the land through fraud, which means he could never have been its rightful owner."

"And when he later sold that land to Elder Park, knowing he didn't hold valid ownership..."

"That transaction was another act of fraud."

"...Wh-What?"

Park Jeongdo's face went blank.

"What did you just say?"

Isu looked at him and snickered.

"Therefore, the plaintiff's representative said that since Jeongmu cannot repay the defendants in money..."

"Instead of paying them, he will cancel his transaction with Elder Park and give the defendants the right to demand the return of the land."

"What kind of nonsense is that?!"

Park Jeongdo's face turned red with fury.

Isu cheerfully ignored him.

"Therefore, I, Lee Isu, representative of the defendants, humbly submit to the magistrate."

"According to the confession of Jeongmu's representative, the transaction between Jeongmu and Elder Park Jeongdo was itself based on fraud."

"So Elder Park never lawfully acquired ownership of the land."

"If Jeongmu admits the fraud and seeks to invalidate the transaction, then the proper course is for Jeongmu to return the money to Elder Park..."

"And for Elder Park to return the land to Jeongmu."

"What kind of bullshit is this?!"

Isu ignored him again.

"However..."

"The plaintiff has transferred to the defendants his right to demand the return of the land."

"W-What... what is this?!"

Isu turned toward Kim Jiseok, his eyes shining.

"Therefore, I, Lee Isu, representative of the defendants..."

"On behalf of Jeongmu..."

"Demand that plaintiff Park Jeongdo return the land."

"Kang Doyul! Where is that bastard Kang Doyul?!"

Park Jeongdo screamed and searched wildly for him.

Doyul was nowhere in sight.

By now, everyone in the government office understood what had happened.

"D-Don't tell me...!"

"Yulli Kang did all of this on purpose!"

"Does this mean..."

"We can get our land back?!"

"You baaaaaastard!"

Realizing he had been deceived, Park Jeongdo completely lost his composure.

Unable to contain his fury, he shouted toward the magistrate.

"That argument is absurd! Absolutely absurd!"

"What are you talking about?"

Kim Jiseok also struggled not to laugh and pretended not to understand.

"How strange."

"Jeongmu's own representative has admitted that Jeongmu defrauded you."

"Why is the victim getting angry and calling that absurd?"

"Are you playing word games with me?!"

"Whether Jeongmu defrauded me or not..."

"No, I don't even know whether that bastard truly had the right to represent Jeongmu!"

"Whatever the case!"

Greed burned in Park Jeongdo's bloodshot eyes.

"I'm the one who loses everything!"

"Why should I return the land to the defendants just because Jeongmu committed fraud?!"

"This is not fair!"

As Park Jeongdo screamed, someone suddenly appeared.

"Why would Elder Park Jeongdo suffer any loss?"

"...Y-You bastard!"

Park Jeongdo felt genuine murderous intent rise within him when Doyul suddenly reappeared.

"You deceived me!"

"You lied about wanting Jeongmu's share just to trick me!"

"Hm. I'm not quite sure what you mean..."

Doyul scratched his head.

"You damned bastard! I'll... I'll make sure I get revenge on you...!"

Doyul wore an amiable expression.

"Elder, there's no reason to be angry."

"If you think about it, the matter is actually very simple."

"You merely believed you held lawful ownership."

"In reality, you were deceived by that vile fraudster Jeongmu and had your money stolen."

"You lunatic!"

"You just said you represented Jeongmu's interests!"

Doyul answered shamelessly.

"How was I supposed to know Jeongmu was a fraudster?"

"Even if I agreed to represent him, that doesn't mean I should blindly defend a criminal."

"I should instead minimize the damage."

"Elder, I understand you're shocked, but please calm yourself."

"All of this..."

Doyul emphasized each word.

"Is!"

"Entirely!"

"Jeongmu's!"

"Fault!"

"You bastard! Stop talking nonsense! I'll... Aaargh!"

Park Jeongdo clutched the back of his neck as his blood pressure surged.

Doyul immediately pretended to worry.

"Oh dear!"

"But don't worry, Elder. You won't suffer any loss at all."

"It's quite simple."

"Both the defendants and you were victims of Jeongmu's fraud."

"The defendants merely receive their land back from you."

"Stop spewing nonsense!"

"Then what about my money?!"

Doyul looked perfectly innocent.

"Hm?"

"Naturally, you should recover it from Jeongmu."

"......!"

"The original victims have rightful ownership, so they recover the land from you."

"And you recover the money Jeongmu stole from you."

"Simple."

From Park Jeongdo's perspective, since he knew the whole truth, the argument was complete nonsense.

But if he tried to reveal why, he would also reveal that he had participated in the fraud from the very beginning.

So he couldn't expose the truth.

This is outrageous!

There's no greater swindler under heaven than this bastard!

"You damned brat!"

"Jeongmu isn't even in Yeongsan right now! How am I supposed to recover my money from him?!"

Doyul fell into thought.

"Hmm... Is that so?"

"That's truly unfortunate."

"U-Unfortunate?"

"Uuuuunfortunate?!"

"Did you just call this unfortunate?!"

"Yes."

Doyul tilted his head.

"But forgive me for saying this..."

"Why should I have to worry about that too?"

"A-Aaaaagh! You damned bastard! I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you!"

Doyul clenched a fist enthusiastically.

"Still, Elder!"

"I sincerely!"

"Support!"

"Your efforts to track down that fraudster Jeongmu and recover every last coin!"

"Y-You... damned... damned..."

Park Jeongdo turned desperately toward Kim Jiseok.

"C-Cancel it!"

"Cancel what?"

"There's no proof that bastard is actually Jeongmu's representative!"

"Why would Jeongmu ever appoint that damned brat to represent him?!"

Truly...

How far back did he plan all of this?

Kim Jiseok could only marvel at the precision of Doyul's design.

Then he struggled to suppress his laughter and replied.

"How strange."

"Your argument does have some merit."

"But if you truly doubted Kang Doyul's authority to represent Jeongmu, you should have objected before the lawsuit began."

"Instead, you were the one who insisted that Kang Doyul should be allowed to act as representative."

"Now that the case is over, you suddenly claim the entire proceeding was invalid."

"What exactly would you have me do with that?"

"H-Huh... Huuuh!"

Realizing how completely he had been maneuvered, Park Jeongdo collapsed to the floor.

"That damned brat..."

"That bastard..."

"There's no swindler like him anywhere under heaven..."

"M-My money..."

"My mooooney..."

"Elder."

Doyul approached him.

"Why...?"

"Do you still have something else to say, you damned swindler?"

Rustle.

Doyul pulled something from inside his robes.

"I came over with good intentions. Why are you getting angry again?"

"I merely wanted to show you something."

"...What?"

[Power of Attorney]

[Jeongmu agrees to appoint Kang Doyul as his legal representative.]

What Doyul had done back in Eonyang when he approached the unconscious Jeongmu...

Was create a power of attorney.

At the time, everyone had been confused.

"Hm. Even if he borrows the hand of an unconscious man to make the seal, it would be difficult to treat that as reliable evidence if authenticity were disputed."

"Why would someone as intelligent as Yeongsan's Yulli do something like that?"

Doyul, of course, also knew the document could never serve as decisive evidence in a lawsuit.

Still...

Having a power of attorney was better than having nothing.

And more importantly...

There had been another reason Doyul wanted to make it.

"You damned bastard! The lawsuit is already over!"

"What am I supposed to do with this now?"

"Did you somehow trick Jeongmu into signing it?"

"Hah! Someday I'll catch the lot of you and..."

"Oh, nothing like that."

Doyul stepped closer to Park Jeongdo and whispered in his ear.

"I happened to learn from someone how to borrow the hand of an unconscious man and stamp a fraudulent paeji."

"...?"

"So I thought I'd show you how much I've improved."

"......!"

Park Jeongdo suddenly remembered the first time he had encountered Doyul.

The case involving his servants, Dolmok and Ppaengi, and the fraudulent paeji over the illegal tangerine transaction.

Back then, Park Jeongdo had drugged Ppaengi into unconsciousness and used his hand to place a seal on the fraudulent document.

Doyul beamed at him.

"What do you think, Elder?"

"I learned by watching you."

"...My technique isn't bad, is it?"

H-He prepared even this... just to mock me?!

"You... you..."

"Aaargh...!"

Unable to withstand the surge of blood pressure...

Park Jeongdo collapsed unconscious on the spot.