Concerned Soldier? Concerned Officer! (3)
Noh Hyeong-jin smiled slyly. Seeing that, Jang Gab-soo felt infuriated. He never expected that his own attack would backfire on him.
“I don’t know.”
“Oh, you don’t know? Understood. Defendant, I invoke your right to remain silent.”
With that, Noh Hyeong-jin ended the questioning.
“Is that it? We’re done?”
“Yes, you bastard. Well, since you’re invoking your right to remain silent, what power do I have? Isn’t that right, you bastard?”
Jang Gab-soo glared at him, who continued to provoke him, and then stormed out.
“Can we let him go like this?”
Sergeant Yoon Bo-mi spoke up, looking frustrated.
“Even if we hold him, will that bastard say anything?”
Noh Hyeong-jin knew he would invoke his right to remain silent. After all, this was a battle where both the judge and the lawyer were enemies.
‘There are no allies in court.’
That was Noh Hyeong-jin’s thought. Everyone is an enemy. If you prepare carelessly thinking they might be allies, you will inevitably lose. And in reality, everyone except him was trying every possible method to release Jang Gab-soo. It was only natural to apply pressure on the victim.
“Well then.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going home.”
Noh Hyeong-jin tapped his watch.
“Soldiers are public servants too. It’s a virtue to leave work on the dot at 6 PM.”
“Who?”
“I won’t say. Just a soldier…”
“Why that person?”
“Apparently, he has something to discuss with you, Congressman Yoon Taeman?”
“With me?”
Although he was a lieutenant, he was not of a very high rank. A three-term congressman like him wouldn’t normally talk to someone like that.
“Send him away. I have a lot of people to meet anyway.”
“He says he has something to say regarding the governor’s issue.”
At those words, Yoon Taeman flinched.
“The governor?”
“Yes.”
If it’s the current governor, it’s Jang Gab-soo. However, Jang Gab-soo has nothing to do with him. They belong to different political parties and have different opinions. No, there is one thing they might have in common.
‘The position of the governor of Gyeonggi Province.’
What he was aiming for was the position of the governor of Gyeonggi Province. And Jang Gab-soo was currently aiming for re-election. As a result, one of them had to fall.
“Let him in.”
At that, the secretary nodded and went out. A moment later, a man entered, and Yoon Taeman tilted his head.
“Who are you?”
“Nice to meet you. But I’d rather not disclose my name.”
But it was strange. No matter how he looked at it, the man appeared to be no more than a high school student. Well, Noh Hyeong-jin was now twenty years old, so there wasn’t much difference. Moreover, since his hair was still short, it was even easier to mistake him for a high school student.
“I am a soldier. Should I show you my ID?”
“No, please sit down for now.”
Yoon Taeman offered him a seat.
“You have something to say to me, right?”
“Yes.”
“What is it…?”
“You’re planning to run for governor, right?”
At that, the ends of his eyebrows twitched. It was understandable, as he had made the decision but hadn’t told anyone.
“Not yet…”
“Not yet? But you’ve already made up your mind, haven’t you?”
“Did you come from the National Intelligence Service?”
No, even if it were the National Intelligence Service, how could they know his innermost thoughts without being psychics?
“Oh, I just want to say I was lucky.”
If Noh Hyeong-jin’s memory was correct, Yoon Taeman would be elected as the governor of Gyeonggi Province by a narrow margin in the upcoming election.
‘Well, if it’s for victory…’
If they try to bring out the older brother and shield him, then they can just send out a new line of attack to break that shield.
“Ahem, not yet…”
“Is that so? What a pity. I know a definite weakness. Well, if you think that way, the information I have is useless. Then I’ll take my leave.”
As Noh Hyeong-jin stood up, Yoon Taeman jumped to his feet. The weakness he mentioned couldn’t possibly be his own. And considering that he asked if he was running for governor, it was obvious who the target was.
“Can we talk for a moment?”
“For a moment, sure.”
“Kim, bring some juice here.”
“Yes, Congressman.”
Yoon Taeman gestured to the woman who brought the juice. The secretary, understanding the meaning of the gesture, went outside. Now, no one would come in.
“Who are you…?”
“I think it would be problematic if I disclose my identity.”
“Then what do you want to talk about?”
“Don’t you want to be the governor?”
“How do you know that?”
“Well, there are ways.”
“……”
Yoon Taeman could tell that he wouldn’t reveal it. But by doing so, he felt a sense of trust. If he had a purpose, he would try to take advantage of him.
“What’s your purpose?”
“I’d like you to play the role of a human rights advocate.”
“A human rights advocate?”
“Yes.”
“Our party has always respected human rights…”
“Let’s not play word games.”
At that, Yoon Taeman felt a bit annoyed. The way he spoke seemed very rude. After all, a twenty-year-old coming in and speaking like this would naturally come off as disrespectful unless he was extremely humble.
“What are you asking for?”
“It’s simple. I want to talk about human rights in the military.”
“What on earth are you talking about…?”
“For example, how about this?”
“What kind?”
“This is just a simple hypothetical. Suppose you go to inspect a unit and discover records related to a sexual crime. Moreover, if you find out that those records are related to the crime of a friend of the current governor, Jang Gab-soo, and that Jang Gab-soo is trying to cover it up, what would you do? And if you, as a congressman, end up opposing Jang Gab-soo, what would happen? And if someone discovers that Jang Gab-soo is receiving bribes in preparation for the election, what would happen?”
“If… you mean?”
“If, hypothetically.”
Hypothetically speaking…
‘If that happens.’
In fact, Yoon Taeman was slightly less well-known compared to Jang Gab-soo. However, if he fought against Jang Gab-soo over such a significant issue, Yoon Taeman’s recognition could surpass Jang Gab-soo’s. Moreover, if it’s not a bad thing but a good one. If a bribery scandal were to break out in that situation.
“Then where would such an incident occur?”
“If such an incident were to happen, it would likely be at the ○○ unit. I heard your younger brother is leading it.”
“Oh?”
“That place is nice. Good mountains, good water, and many beauties.”
“Many beauties?”
“Yes, especially there’s a sergeant with the surname Oh who has just been assigned, and she’s quite beautiful.”
“Alright, I understand.”
“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
“Not going far.”
The conversation itself was short. But after Noh Hyeong-jin left, a smile appeared on Yoon Taeman’s face.
“How can a soldier protecting the people of South Korea commit such a shameless act!”
Yoon Taeman denounced in front of the reporters. And they captured him on camera. As he spoke, he took a moment to calm his chest and shed tears.
“My daughter is a female soldier. I told her not to go, but she applied to be a female soldier with the belief of protecting the country. She must be undergoing tough training somewhere right now. What she wanted was to protect this country, my homeland. But I never thought that she would be treated like a sexual slave by someone. Why? Because she went to protect the country, but on the other hand, she is a precious citizen under the protection of this country and will one day become someone’s mother.”
Having said that, Yoon Taeman wiped his tears and tried hard to hold back his sobs.
“But the military of this country has thrown a woman’s life into the abyss for their own greed. How can someone who tries to rape a sergeant, who is the backbone of national security, be in the military? She is not just a soldier. She is a young person who will carry the future of this country, a shield protecting the nation, and a woman who will give birth to the future of this country! As long as there are such red bastards in the military, we cannot defeat North Korea. This is akin to treason! It’s an act of selling the country to North Korea!”
Watching the news, Noh Hyeong-jin smiled and turned off the TV. Seeing that, Sergeant Yoon Bo-mi tilted her head.
“Is this okay?”
“What have I done?”
“No.”
He hadn’t said anything or made any requests. He had merely indicated that there was some kind of incident. Yoon Taeman had heard that and formally visited the unit. A friend’s son was serving there, so he visited. And when he barged in, the military was thrown into chaos. A congressman had appeared. Naturally, Sergeant Oh Yoon-mi was confined to her quarters. And just in time, she met Noh Hyeong-jin, who had come for an official investigation. Recognizing Noh Hyeong-jin, she pretended not to know and asked questions, and the next part was obvious. He was making a scene, denouncing and shouting in front of the reporters.
“This is an act of treason! A treasonous act!”
His outburst was somewhat different from usual. It was understandable because his script had been written by Noh Hyeong-jin.
“Why is he denouncing treason?”
“Oh, that? It’s a kind of issue preemption.”
“Issue preemption?”
“The biggest weapon of the founding party, which includes Jang Gab-soo, is the red threat, national security, and anti-communism. If they plan to cover something up, they will push the opponent into the category of reds or those who threaten national security. It’s a kind of strategy.”
“And?”
“So, they have preempted the issue. Once Yoon Taeman preempts the issue of being a red like that, he cannot be labeled as a red who shakes the regime. Moreover, Yoon Taeman happens to be in a situation where he is furious about the incident in the military. In other words, the most commonly used methods of issue preemption and image manipulation become impossible.”
“Oh!”
“If that happens, Jang Gab-soo will have no choice but to withdraw.”
Since his younger brother has been labeled a red, if he takes action to protect him, he will also become a red protecting a red. And claiming to be the spearhead of the conservative regime, that would be a fatal blow for the founding party.
“Moreover, Yoon Taeman’s daughter is a female soldier. She has the authority to attack the military’s sexual offenders while being angry, and she can attack the reds. Since the issue has been preempted, it’s not appropriate to label either him or the victim as reds.”
It was too obvious how Jang Gab-soo’s side would react, so they blocked it in advance. If they shielded like this, even if they wanted to play the media game and label someone as a red, it would become impossible.
“Then why mention women and mothers?”
“Because the Ministry of Gender Equality is not doing well these days.”
“Really?”
“There’s that.”
The Ministry of Gender Equality had been criticized for not doing anything lately. So, at a time when an issue was needed, a perfect issue had arisen. Originally, the Ministry of Gender Equality and the Ministry of National Defense could not get along. But now, it had been revealed that a woman they needed to help was suffering greatly within the Ministry of National Defense, so they would aim for that.
‘Moreover, since Yoon Taeman is a woman, appealing to emotions as a mother makes it difficult for the Ministry of National Defense to speak decisively.’
If the Ministry of National Defense were to obstruct the Ministry of Gender Equality’s efforts to help the sergeant, it would raise suspicions that they were trying to manipulate the case. If that happened, the Ministry of National Defense would not be able to cover it up as a simple internal matter. A three-term congressman taking the lead to protect his daughter, along with the Ministry of Gender Equality demanding a thorough investigation, would naturally attract media attention.
“Wow, how…”
Yoon Bo-mi looked at Noh Hyeong-jin.
“In the legal field, media play is also a skill.”
Yoon Taeman didn’t just approach because he remembered him as the next candidate for governor of Gyeonggi Province. He had labeled him as the father of a female soldier, thus attaching the image of all female soldiers’ fathers to him. Conversely, by attaching the image of Yoon Taeman’s daughter to Oh Yoon-mi, they made it impossible for Jang Gab-soo and the founding party to exert pressure.
“Now, it’s almost like the trial is over, isn’t it?”
“No, the trial is just beginning.”
“Really?”
“Now we’ve only blocked the pressure. The weapons we need to use in court are not the people but the evidence.”
Media play is just media play. Blocking external pressure doesn’t guarantee victory; it merely means things have become fairer.
“To take down the opponent, we need to wield weapons, right?”