Did you realize your crime? (2)
“By the way, what are you going to do today?”
“Well, I guess I have to go out first.”
No Hyung-jin spoke nonchalantly as if he didn’t know anything, but Sergeant Yoon Bo-mi knew that he wouldn’t go out without preparation.
“I’ll see you later.”
No Hyung-jin picked up his bag and smiled.
“If we summarize the previous evidence…”
The newly appointed judge was a fairly fair person. It couldn’t be helped. Since this had become a core issue in politics, it was impossible to favor one side over the other.
“Therefore, this prosecutor submits other evidence in the form of surveillance camera footage that can prove the defendant’s criminal facts.”
“But prosecutor, I heard that the defendant’s former lawyer deleted all the footage?”
“Not all of it.”
No Hyung-jin inserted a small memory card into the television and activated it. The footage was quite clear, showing the entrance of the karaoke.
“What’s that?”
“That’s the camera installed on the ATM at the convenience store in front of the karaoke.”
“Ah!”
The former lawyer had only looked up to find the camera. Because of that, he missed the small camera that was installed in the ATM. And due to security features, that camera provided high-quality footage.
“Let’s look at the time of the incident.”
No Hyung-jin adjusted the time control key on the screen to play the video. He paused at a certain point and waited for a moment, then a woman was seen rushing out of the karaoke. The upper part of her military uniform was shaking, clearly showing that it had been torn. Not even 20 seconds after she left, a man rushed out as well. He awkwardly tried to pull up his waistband while attempting to button his pants, but his pants kept slipping down, and he eventually fell over. As he struggled to get up and looked in the direction the woman had run, she had already escaped far away, and realizing this, the man began to panic and made a phone call.
“And here’s Exhibit 7. A photo enlarged to show the faces of the man and woman.”
When No Hyung-jin handed the printout to the judge and the lawyer, everyone’s faces stiffened. On the small monitor, they hadn’t noticed, but when enlarged, it was clear that it was the victim, Oh Yoon-mi, and the perpetrator, Jang Gab-soo.
“I acknowledge this.”
Because it was evidence that could not be denied, the military lawyer was slightly flustered. Suddenly, he had received a case that was burdensome, and the opposing side had absurdly strong evidence.
“Does the defense have anything to say?”
“No.”
There was nothing to refute, so there was nothing to say.
“Additionally, I submit other evidence. The call history of the defendant, Jang Gab-soo. On the day of the incident, looking at Gab-soo’s call history, there is a record of him calling his brother, Governor Jang Gab-man, around 11 PM. And the originating area is ○○ area. In other words, it indicates that it is around the karaoke in the military base’s jurisdiction. Finally, as you can see from the evidence…”
No Hyung-jin presented the time displayed on the screen to the judge and the lawyer.
“This man, the defendant, is recorded as having called someone exactly at 11:01 after leaving the karaoke. This indicates that the defendant was at that location that day, but there was no intention of sexual harassment or rape, and everything ended peacefully. That’s all.”
The final piece of evidence that sealed the case made the lawyer sigh.
‘What am I supposed to do?’
The opponent was not just some rookie. He was an experienced person in all aspects, including legal processes, evidence collection, and evidence interpretation.
‘Is he really twenty years old?’
He had heard that he was a twenty-year-old rookie who had just graduated from law school, and this was officially his first case.
‘But how could he…’
He found testimonies and evidence that he had never thought of, connected them to prove the criminal facts, and even managed to arrest his senior, who was like a mentor to him.
“Lawyer!”
“Yes?”
“Do you have nothing to say?”
“Well…”
This was not a case he had been handling from the beginning, and he had suddenly received this case after his senior was arrested. So, what could he know?
“Your Honor, I request a change of the trial date. I have not had enough time to review the case since I just received it.”
“Hmm.”
The judge nodded after thinking for a moment.
“I acknowledge this.”
The military lawyer sighed in relief, as he had at least bought some time, but he felt lost about how to face that monster.
“It seems we can’t avoid this situation, can we?”
“Usually, that’s the case.”
“Usually?”
“After all, the opponent is the brother of a politician. Moreover, this has become a core issue in the political arena, so they must win this trial by any means.”
That’s how they could reduce the attacks against them. Especially with the upcoming local elections, the opposition was attacking fiercely, making it burdensome.
“Then what are you thinking, prosecutor?”
“Politics is not my concern.”
Politics is just a tool he uses. His ultimate goal is victory.
“In the next trial, they will surely come out with new evidence by any means. Our biggest weakness is that we only have circumstantial evidence.”
There is Oh Hasa with her torn clothes and Colonel Jang who followed her, but that is merely circumstantial evidence, and they needed clear evidence that violence had occurred or that there had been an attempted rape.
“Prosecutor.”
“Yes?”
“Please make sure to win this case.”
Sergeant Yoon Bo-mi looked at No Hyung-jin intently as she spoke.
“There are many female soldiers watching this case. No, all the female soldiers in this country are probably watching.”
South Korea is a country with many cases of sexual harassment. However, in the military, which is a closed organization with an overwhelming male ratio, and when women are only considered based on being officers, it can be said that there is hardly a woman who does not experience sexual harassment. In such a situation, the story of No Hyung-jin, who is trying to catch sexual offenders without succumbing to power, could not be ignored.
“If this goes on, maybe I’ll be set up for a blind date. Hahaha.”
“If you want, I can arrange it. But most of them are older, are you okay with that?”
“Well… hmm… let’s think about it later. If I go on a blind date, there’s someone who will probably cry a lot.”
“Oh? A girlfriend?”
“Not a girlfriend… but there is someone like that.”
It might not just be crying; she might even stop eating.
‘How did I end up with a rookie like that…’
No Hyung-jin sighed.
“By the way, why hasn’t the record come in?”
“What record?”
“I had something I asked to be investigated.”
“Investigation?”
“Oh, there’s something like that, hehe.”
It’s not possible to proceed with the case just with the video. He needed to find out exactly what happened inside.
Drrring.
“Communication security, Prosecutor No Hyung-jin’s office.”
At that moment, Yoon Bo-mi answered the phone. However, she tilted her head.
“Are you talking about the genetic testing laboratory?”
“Ah, that’s my call. You can pass it to me.”
No Hyung-jin asked for the phone and quickly took it.
“The call has been switched. Has the result come out? Yes, yes, yes.”
A smile appeared on No Hyung-jin’s face as he focused on the voice coming from the other end of the line.
“Understood. Let’s go pick it up.”
“Isn’t this too big of a deal?”
“Work should be done on a large scale.”
“Yes?”
“Work should be done on a large scale. If you try to solve problems at a small level, they won’t be resolved. You have to solve them in the most grand and spectacular way so that there won’t be any issues later.”
No Hyung-jin drove his car towards Seoul.
“But why do the tests externally?”
“Who can you trust in this situation?”
If someone can be trusted, it means that the law is functioning stably. But right now, it was absolutely not a situation where anyone could be trusted. So, No Hyung-jin used his own money to have the genetic testing done externally.
“But not every case has to be like that, right?”
“Not every case has to be like that, but image is important. For example, if it becomes known that I am going to such lengths to uncover the truth, would anyone dare to act recklessly if they become my opponent?”
“Wait… so all this time you’ve been causing problems…”
“Since they have become my opponents, it’s a matter of creating an image that they should be prepared for.”
Yoon Bo-mi’s mouth dropped open. She thought it was simply out of a sense of justice, but it turned out not to be the case. Of course, as someone who studied law, there was a sense of justice in No Hyung-jin’s heart. In fact, it had even cost him his life. But on the other hand, he also pursued extreme efficiency.
‘Those who only preach peace with their mouths are never peaceful.’
That was his usual creed. To uphold justice, if he judged that the opponent was not just, he had to step on them by any means.
“We’ve arrived.”
Upon entering the genetic research laboratory in Seoul, after verifying their identities, the door opened, and the two entered.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Yes, nice to meet you. By the way, I heard the test results are out?”
“It was a bit of a hassle.”
A researcher pulled out a piece of paper.
“If this gets out, it will be quite a big deal.”
Yoon Bo-mi, who received it, muttered worriedly. She didn’t know the figures, but if this issue were to explode, it would be a huge problem.
“If we fear such things, who will we protect? We are soldiers, right? If the soldiers risk their lives to protect the country, we must risk our lives to protect them.”
No Hyung-jin smiled as he took the paper.
“Shall we end this tedious fight here?”
All preparations were complete.
“The review of the evidence submitted by the prosecutor has confirmed that the person in the photo is Colonel Jang Gab-soo. However, that is only circumstantial evidence. There is no clear evidence that the defendant attempted to commit rape.”
As expected, the opposing side denied the charges, stating that it was only circumstantial evidence. No matter how much they tried to maintain neutrality, they could not violate the protective order issued by the Ministry of Defense.
“Hmm.”
The judge fell into thought while listening. The Ministry of Defense’s orders were clear, but it had become too big of an issue to protect Jang Gab-soo according to their orders. Moreover, there was bound to be morale issues within the military. It was clear that the morale of female non-commissioned officers and officers would plummet.
“Prosecutor, do you have anything to say?”
He hoped that No Hyung-jin had more definitive evidence. However, realistically, it was not easy to have that.
“Dear Your Honor.”
No Hyung-jin stood up. Continuing to drag out the case would only increase fatigue.
“I submit Exhibit 9. The results of the genetic test from an unidentified male extracted from the military uniform and bra of Sergeant Oh Yoon-mi at the time.”
“Genetic!”
At that word, the military lawyer’s face turned pale.
“In the investigation of this case, Sergeant Oh Yoon-mi’s statement is as follows: ‘The defendant invited me in saying welcome and we met alone at a bar. The intoxicated defendant, Jang Gab-soo, ordered oral sex at the karaoke. However, when I refused, he tried to knock me down, and the military-trained Sergeant Oh Yoon-mi kicked the genitals of Colonel Jang Gab-soo and escaped.’ Additionally, as seen in Exhibit 7 submitted last time, Sergeant Oh Yoon-mi clearly fled with her clothes torn.”
“Ckhem.”
In sexual crime cases, the first thing people think of is semen. However, in cases like this attempt, there can be no semen. That’s why it’s called an attempt. But human DNA is not only found in semen.
“If, according to the defendant’s claim, there was no sexual harassment, it means that the victim tore her clothes and fled by herself. If that’s the case, the DNA taken from the victim’s bra cannot match the defendant’s DNA.”
Hearing that, Jang Gab-soo’s face suddenly turned pale, and he began to tremble. Seeing this, the military lawyer squeezed his eyes shut.
“I see. Then I will request a genetic test from the defendant for comparison with the defendant’s DNA.”
The judge nodded as if he understood. The presence of DNA on the underwear leaves only two possibilities. There was either consensual sexual intercourse, or there was indeed an attempted rape. However, logically, if they had consensual intercourse, they would certainly target the panties, not the bra.
‘That’s why I rushed over so quickly.’