Chapter 91 – A Great Tip

Whether he knew about Seong Seok-ju’s worry or not, Geum Nae-yeong continues the prepared questions.

“Then, just like the day of the incident, you are saying you walk to your own dormitory every day in the same routine?”

The coach opened his mouth again with a confident attitude.

“Yes, as I said earlier, like the players, I also keep the routine thoroughly. Keeping the tempo and time precisely.”

When the coach finished his explanation, Geum Nae-yeong handed over several prepared photos to the witness in turn.

“Looking at the photos of the dormitory here, the organization of clothes is extremely clean. They are divided by color and by length. Do all players originally organize like this?”

The coach immediately nodded.

“Of course. To ordinary people, it might look military-style, but it has to be at this level to be managed. People like you, Attorney, probably don’t know well because you haven’t done sports professionally… but player life is based on repetitive training, precise living habits, and routines.”

“Ah. In that case, are there no players who violate the organization of the dormitory, roll call time, or living routine?”

While maintaining a cold expression, as if to nail down his view on sports and philosophy once more, the coach said firmly.

“If they can’t even do that, I think their basics as a player are not set. That is why I am applying it strictly.”

“Do you also keep the repetitive training and precise living routines well, Coach?”

“Of course. Shouldn’t I be an example as a leader? I keep the training times and routines precisely.”

Geum Nae-yeong retorted, raising his eyebrows slightly.

“…Have you never violated it even once?”

The coach’s answer, full of conviction, followed.

“Yes. All the students under my guidance probably know what kind of person I am. I have never violated it even once until now.”

Geum Nae-yeong moved straight to the next question.

“By the way… around 9:50 PM that day, not long after the roll call ended, you instructed the captain to ‘circulate each room again to check if the kids are well.’ What is the reason for that?”

The coach replied without delay.

“The time when students are most relieved is right after roll call. Once the coach finishes the last room check and returns to his own dormitory, they run away a lot then. They go out to drink alcohol, and also secretly order and eat chicken.”

He said calmly without any disturbance.

“So, just in case, I check once more with a gap. In fact… it was because I instructed to ‘check again’ that day that we were able to discover the victim.”

Geum Nae-yeong nodded and turned the documents again.

“Yes. The victim looked to be in a state not long after being assaulted. The window of that room was open… and you also confirmed yourself the situation where the defendant, Mr. Bang Ki-yong, who was the victim’s roommate, was not in the room, right?”

“Yes. The captain called me, but he was probably flustered because he only stuttered and couldn’t speak. So I ran to the room immediately, and it was in that state.

Therefore, of course, I thought Bang Ki-yong beat him and ran away. I thought he ran away out of fear when a surprise inspection came in the middle of the beating.”

When the prosecutor nodded and agreed with the coach’s words, Geum Nae-yeong wrapped up the witness interrogation.

“That is all.”

Returning to his seat, Geum Nae-yeong rolled his thoughts while organizing the materials.

‘Since I have drawn out enough statements… shall I verify once if it is really a “perfect routine.”‘

The second public trial ended like that, ending with the interrogation of the coach.

The secretary sent by Bang Ki-yong’s mother, sitting in the spectator seats and writing down the contents of the trial diligently, tilts his head.

“No… Is that attorney… really doing well? Why on earth does he ask obvious things that are already in the materials? He should find suspicious things and ask them… Sigh… somehow I feel anxious…”

***

Returning to the office after finishing the trial, Geum Nae-yeong hands over the case document envelope to Ju Yong-hae and speaks.

“Office Manager Ju, would you go on a business trip with me tomorrow?”

“A business trip?”

“Yes. I must see the scene of the incident directly. Even if we cannot enter the dormitory… it seems we must see the university.”

“Ah… yes. Then, shall we go tomorrow morning?”

“Yes, that is good.”

At that time, Cha Ra-ri, who was listening to their conversation, stuck her head out.

“Oh my, Attorney. Are you by any chance doing that… inquiry of the surroundings, like the ones seen on TV?”

At Cha Ra-ri’s words, Geum Nae-yeong shook his head firmly.

“There are few cases where actual attorneys go out for a field investigation directly. Mostly, the schedule is tight just from reviewing and refuting the evidence collected in the investigation stage.

However, since this case has many parts where we must directly check data like statistics or movement paths… exceptionally, I am going myself.”

Cha Ra-ri nodded and then laughed.

“To speak frankly… wouldn’t Attorney Geum find such an inquiry a bit difficult? You have to get close to someone you see for the first time immediately to extract anything. But then, I am amazingly good at making the security guards open their mouths.”

Geum Nae-yeong contemplated for a moment and then nodded.

“Very well. Then, let us all meet at Gowon University at 10:00 AM tomorrow.”

***

Vrooom.

When Cha Ra-ri’s car stopped in front of the school gate, the entrance guard stepped closer and spoke to her.

“Where are you visiting?”

Whirrrr.

As she rolled down the window, she sent her characteristic bright smile.

“Hello! Oh my, the weather is cold, but you are really working hard to manage this! My younger sibling is scheduled to enter the sports department here, so I came to get some counseling.”

Seeing Cha Ra-ri’s bright smile and bright expression, the staff’s expression softened in an instant.

‘S-She’s pretty.’

A smile spread on the guard’s face without him knowing. And the gate barrier quickly slid up.

“If it’s the sports department, you have to go behind that building you see over there. If you enter the basement building parking lot, a parking fee will come out.

So don’t go down immediately, but take this road all the way to the end. The parking area at the inner end is free, so you can park there.”

“Oh my! You are so kind, thank you very much!”

When Cha Ra-ri greeted him with a smart smile once more at the kind explanation, the staff scratched his head for no reason, laughed bashfully, and returned inside the guardhouse.

5 minutes later.

A black BMW stops smoothly in front of the school gate.

Sssllliide.

The window rolls down, and Ju Yong-hae opens his mouth while pretending to pull out his ID with an expressionless face.

“Aigoo, thank you for your hard work. I came from a law firm. They told me to come to the sports department side here, where should I park?”

“…A law firm?”

The guard’s eyes widen.

“Ah, I came for an interview regarding the dean’s work.”

“Ah! The academic affairs office?”

Ju Yong-hae slyly puts on a smile.

“Yes, yes, it is scheduled.”

The guard immediately adjusted his posture, nodded politely, and raised the gate barrier.

“Ah, yes, yes… go in and if you go down to the basement, there is a parking lot. Go there.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

The car naturally flows into the campus.

A little later.

A small van keeps hovering around, circling in front of the school main gate.

The car looked to have turned about two laps already from a few minutes ago. The guard made a suspicious look and eventually walked out to the road.

Knock, knock. The guard knocks on the glass door of the van.

“Excuse me. By any chance, what business did you come for?”

As the guard spoke while looking inside the van, the car window slid down with a clack.

Inside, a middle-aged man well advanced in years, Geum Nae-yeong’s father, is looking at the guard with a slightly flustered face.

“Ah… hello. Because it is written here that it is a no-stopping-or-parking zone. This car cannot go inside, right?”

“You can enter… but if you park inside, a parking fee will come out.”

Then, Geum Nae-yeong, who was sitting in the passenger seat, replied in a calm voice.

“Dad, since the parking fee can be claimed as an actual expense, just go in.”

The father waved his hand and shook his head.

“No. Even if it is the company’s money, you are the one earning it all… So you get off first, and Dad won’t go inside, so call me when you are finished. I will come to pick you up.”

Geum Nae-yeong’s father, fearing that his son would spend money for nothing, had been circling the school gate several times from earlier.

“Yes, I will get off. And you do not need to come for no reason. When it finishes, I can go by taxi.”

As Geum Nae-yeong said flatly, the father laughed heartily and nodded.

“Okay, I got it. Well… I should buy a large car or something. I shouldn’t have said I would give you a ride in a wallpapering car for no reason. It must have been cramped for you. Anyway, contact me if it doesn’t work out.”

“Yes.”

Geum Nae-yeong closed the passenger door and walked inside the school. From behind, the sound of his father’s car slowly moving away was heard.

***

Soon, Cha Ra-ri, Ju Yong-hae, and Geum Nae-yeong gathered in front of the school sports department building.

Cha Ra-ri, as if she had obtained information from somewhere in the meantime, spoke while looking at her cell phone screen.

“When I parked and asked the person doing security. It seems there was no change of the building or structure here. The sports department has been in that same location from several years ago.”

As the three hovered around the entrance of the sports department, the building guard walked out quickly.

“What business do you have?”

Geum Nae-yeong answered immediately.

“Yes, we are the attorneys who came to investigate the assault case that occurred here—”

But even before he could finish speaking, Ju Yong-hae stretched out his arm and blocked in front of Geum Nae-yeong.

However, the guard’s expression had already stiffened as if he had heard the word ‘assault case.’

“Ahyu… it cannot be done. As you know, we cooperated sufficiently with the police too. An instruction came down from the upper side to strictly ban entry of outsiders. Since it is during the semester, absolutely no entry is allowed except for students.”

It is a firm tone.

Then, Ju Yong-hae smiled subtly and took one step forward.

“Aigoo, you are working hard. It is nothing, but is it okay if I just use the restroom for a moment…?”

“It cannot be done.”

The guard shakes his head.

“If talk comes out about this kind of thing, I will also get troubled for no reason. I am really sorry. Entry is impossible.”

In the end, the three were driven out near the entrance of the sports department building without even being able to enter.

Ju Yong-hae shrugged his shoulders and said.

“Tsk… Originally, in places like this, if you speak honestly, there is no way they would let you. Hahaha.”

Geum Nae-yeong tilted his head as if he did not understand.

“To refuse entry to the building when I have not committed a crime… legally…”

Ju Yong-hae added with a laugh.

“…It would be good if the world only went legally, but what can we do even if it is a pity. Let’s first sweep through the surroundings, and when a gap appears, let’s enter then.”

At Ju Yong-hae’s words, the three naturally moved their steps. They began to check the surroundings of the sports department building one by one while circling the school campus.

As they were checking the surroundings to some extent, at that time,

Growlll—

Cutting through the quiet campus air, a sound rang out loudly from Ju Yong-hae’s stomach.

Cha Ra-ri opens her eyes wide.

“Oh my, Office Manager… are you hungry?”

“Ah… since I didn’t eat breakfast…”

Ju Yong-hae strokes his stomach sheepishly.

“Then let’s do it after we eat! It is already past 11:30 now. There is a soft tofu stew restaurant in front of here, how about that place? Maybe because it is a university district, the menu was also diverse. Of course, they also sell pork bulgogi.”

At Cha Ra-ri’s proposal, Ju Yong-hae and Geum Nae-yeong nodded.

Just at the moment they were heading toward the soft tofu restaurant at the school main gate to eat lunch, Cha Ra-ri suddenly stopped her steps as if she saw something, and spoke quickly to the two.

“You two eat first! I… will have a brief information time. You can order kimchi fried rice for mine.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she ran off quickly toward a student coming out of the sports department building wearing a school jacket.

Ju Yong-hae laughed looking at that back.

“Ra-ri is indeed… active. Attorney, let us first go to eat by ourselves.”

Like that, the two entered the restaurant first.

“Boss, one soft tofu, one hot pot pork bulgogi, and one kimchi fried rice, please!”

A few minutes later, the ordered food was placed on the table in turn.

“Here is your meal.”

Hot steam was rising from the newly served food, and a savory smell drifted.

Just at the moment Ju Yong-hae and Geum Nae-yeong were about to raise their first spoons. Cha Ra-ri ran into the restaurant panting for breath.

Looking at her expression, it is a look as if she has obtained some great tip.

However, as soon as she saw the food on the table, Cha Ra-ri’s face stiffened in an instant.

“Gasp… the food came out already?”

“Uh-huh. Ra-ri, I ordered kimchi fried rice for you. Eat quickly.”

Unlike Ju Yong-hae who spoke welcomingly, Cha Ra-ri, with her expression darkening in an instant, whispered in a very small voice.

“…Excuse me. The students say… here… it is terribly tasteless.”

In an instant, a strange silence flowed between the three.

The color of the food that looked delicious with steam rising suddenly began to feel dull.