🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 45
“Defendant… no, Kim Seung-beom. This is the book you signed for the witness sitting over there, right? This looks like your signature, doesn’t it?”
“……”
Seung-beom didn’t answer Tae-joon’s question; he just glared silently.
“I’ll ask again. You, Kim Seung-beom, signed this book, correct?”
Tae-joon now held the book right in front of Seung-beom’s eyes.
“What are you doing? Stop playing around. Evidence! Present the evidence! If you keep this up—”
Lawyer Kim snatched Tae-joon’s hand holding the book irritably.
“Yes. I did sign it. But is that a problem?”
At that moment, Seung-beom suddenly spoke calmly.
“So it’s true that you signed it yourself, Kim Seung-beom. Then let’s ask the witness again. This book I’m holding—did the witness receive this book signed by Kim Seung-beom?”
Hearing this, Tae-joon lifted the book again toward the witness stand.
“Yes. This is the book I got signed on the day Mr. Kim appeared on our program. My name is even on it.”
“Witness, then this signature, as you testified before, was done with this fountain pen by the defendant, correct?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Your Honor, the prosecution is repeatedly asking the same questions, obstructing the trial.”
Lawyer Kim’s irritable voice echoed through the courtroom.
“Can you read the forensic results loudly?”
Tae-joon took another file from the envelope Joo-chul had brought and handed it to Lawyer Kim.
“What is this? Probably more of the same…”
Lawyer Kim received the file irritably and began reading the results, but his expression gradually twisted.
“Defense, read the forensic results there quickly.”
Tae-joon urged him.
“……”
But Kim scowled and glared at Seung-beom as if he could kill him.
“Defense, read aloud what’s written there immediately.”
Under the judge’s pressure, Kim opened his mouth with a trembling hand.
“From the ink used in the signature on the book… the blood and DNA of the victim, Hwang Jung-sik… were detected…”
“Oh my!”
“Ah!”
Suddenly, everyone in the courtroom shouted.
“This is impossible! It’s all lies! This is fabrication!”
Seung-beom jumped up and shouted.
He snatched the forensic report from Lawyer Kim’s hands and started reading it roughly himself.
“This is impossible…”
His eyes flickered as he read the report. Then, moments later—
“Hey, you bastard! What kind of trick is this!”
He threw the forensic report to the floor, leapt from the defendant’s seat, and grabbed Tae-joon by the neck as if to kill him.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
Then, Seong-jin, sitting in the gallery, roared like a tiger and rushed at Seung-beom, twisting his arm to restrain him.
“Let go! Let go, you bastard! Stop it!”
Seung-beom, pinned to the floor, struggled, but he couldn’t overcome the strength of a national judo champion.
“Officer, handcuff the defendant immediately. Prosecutor, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Tae-joon rubbed his reddened neck and glared at Seung-beom.
“Officer, detain the defendant immediately.”
The judge looked at Seung-beom with displeasure and spoke in a commanding tone.
“Your Honor, please allow the defendant to continue participating in the trial.”
But Tae-joon blocked Seung-beom’s detention.
Everyone here needed to see the real face behind that mask.
They wanted to witness the moment that ugly face faced justice, suffering and defeated.
This courtroom was where he would meet his end.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Yes.”
“Defendant, if you cause another disturbance, you will be immediately taken into custody. Officers, watch closely.”
“C—ha—ha—”
Seung-beom, pulled back into his seat, didn’t take his eyes off Tae-joon, baring his teeth like a predatory animal.
“Then we’ll continue the trial. Prosecution, proceed.”
“Yes. The blood detected in the signature on the book by the defendant Kim Seung-beom proves that the fountain pen he used was the murder weapon that killed Hwang Jung-sik.”
Tae-joon picked up the forensic report from the floor and spoke with conviction.
“What kind of absurd claim is this! Earlier, didn’t the forensic results show that no blood of Hwang Jung-sik was found on the defendant’s fountain pen, as the prosecutor himself stated? And now, suddenly, you claim that because the victim’s blood was detected on the signed book, the defendant committed murder? Where in the world does this contradiction exist?”
Lawyer Kim grabbed the report from Tae-joon’s hand, shaking it while shouting.
“Don’t you realize that by saying this, the prosecution is essentially admitting the evidence was manipulated?”
He launched into a passionate argument to nullify the forensic results in front of the judge and the gallery.
“Your Honor, these are the results from the National Forensic Service. They are absolutely not fabricated. The blood of Hwang Jung-sik detected in the signature, along with other circumstantial evidence, and finally, the defendant had the motive to commit the murder.”
Tae-joon, knowing Kim’s intentions, snatched the documents back and shouted firmly, refusing to be beaten.
“Prosecution, stop making baseless claims. Motives and stories can be fabricated at will. Stop talking nonsense and bring the actual evidence—the fountain pen used in the murder, the pen that has Hwang Jung-sik’s blood on it!”
“That is…”
Tae-joon hesitated mid-sentence.
“Speak quickly! Where is that evidence? Are you fabricating this case without actual proof?”
Cornered by Lawyer Kim, Tae-joon remained silent, nervously staring at the courtroom door, as if waiting for someone.
At that moment, the courtroom door opened. Chae-rin entered, followed by Chief Choi, carrying a small wooden box.
Seeing Chief Choi, Tae-joon’s expression brightened.
“What’s going on? Who’s this girl?”
Seung-beom watched them entering with a displeased look but soon turned his attention back to watching Tae-joon being cornered by Lawyer Kim with a satisfied smirk.
“Your Honor, may we have a moment?”
“What now?”
“We have an important piece of evidence to present.”
“What are you trying to do this time? Are we just going to keep receiving evidence until the trial ends?”
Lawyer Kim shot Tae-joon a glare.
“This is truly the last crucial piece of evidence.”
“You said that before. Are you going to stall time again?”
“Just a moment, please allow it.”
Despite Kim’s sarcasm, Tae-joon spoke with earnest but firm determination.
“Fine—receive it quickly.”
Chief Choi handed the box to Tae-joon and whispered something.
Chae-rin sat beside Seong-jin and In-hye, watching silently.
“I understand.”
After hearing Chief Choi, Tae-joon brought the box to the judge.
“Prosecutor, what is this?”
“Your Honor, I will submit decisive evidence proving the defendant Kim Seung-beom committed the murder of Hwang Jung-sik.”
Tae-joon stared at Seung-beom through his glasses with burning eyes.
“What the hell! What is he bringing this time? Endless stuff… Lawyer Kim, do something!”
Seung-beom, sensing the box might corner him, nervously urged his lawyer.
“I know, I know. Just stay calm.”
Lawyer Kim, irritated by Seung-beom’s whining, replied sharply.
“Your Honor, the prosecution is continuously presenting witnesses and evidence without consultation to force the defendant into the role of the murderer. Under these unreasonable circumstances, we cannot accept any of this evidence.”
Regaining composure, Kim addressed the judge firmly.
“Prosecution, what is this evidence? If it’s similar to the previous items, it may not be accepted.”
Tae-joon silently opened the lid of the wooden box.
“Your Honor, the truth of this case is in here.”
From the box, he lifted a small white porcelain object, still covered by its lid.
“Ah!”
At the sight of the porcelain, a small gasp escaped Seung-beom’s lips.
His eyes flickered with unease and shock.
“Chae-rin, what is that?”
Seong-jin and In-hye simultaneously asked Chae-rin beside them.
“The last piece of evidence to end Kim Seung-beom.”
Chae-rin said softly, her eyes filled with unforgiving resolve toward Seung-beom.
“What kind of evidence is that?”
“……”
As Tae-joon was about to open the lid, Seung-beom shouted:
“Don’t—open it!”
He glared at Tae-joon with a murderous fury, veins popping in his eyes.
But Tae-joon, undeterred, opened the lid.
“Everyone, what do you think this is?”
He raised the porcelain toward the gallery.
“Oh my, what is that?”
“What is it?”
The spectators murmured.
“Is that… an urn?”
Someone whispered the word.
“Yes. That’s correct. It’s an urn.”
Tae-joon enunciated each word carefully.
“Wait, you’re holding an urn? How is this the decisive evidence in this case?”
Lawyer Kim shouted, but her eyes were fixed on the urn in Tae-joon’s hands.
She sensed the trap Tae-joon had prepared inside.
“Fine. Let me show you.”
Tae-joon reached into the urn.
“What could be in there? Everyone knows what’s in an urn. What kind of evidence—”
When Tae-joon pulled out his hand, Lawyer Kim was speechless.
In his hand was another fountain pen identical to Seung-beom’s pen.
“Your Honor, this fountain pen is the murder weapon used by the defendant to kill Hwang Jung-sik.”
Seeing the second fountain pen, Seung-beom’s face contorted, and with his cuffed hands, he grabbed his hair roughly.
“Chief, what’s going on? Chae-rin, what’s happening?”
Seong-jin was equally shocked, trying to understand the situation.
“Just watch. You’ll see soon enough.”
Chief Choi looked down at Seung-beom’s bowed face.
“Why… are there two fountain pens…?”
Lawyer Kim stammered in disbelief.
“Your Honor, I submit this fountain pen as new evidence. The forensic results of this pen will be submitted later. Of course, the pen will show 100% detection of Hwang Jung-sik’s blood and DNA.”
Tae-joon confidently glanced at Seung-beom as he submitted the evidence.
But Seung-beom still kept his head down, motionless.
“How can you claim this fountain pen belongs to the defendant? It’s not unique to him, and even if blood or DNA is found on it—or even his fingerprints—someone could have stolen it and committed the crime.”
Lawyer Kim, realizing that staying passive would end everything, jumped up and shouted at Tae-joon with a determined expression.
“Do you know whose names are written on this urn?”
Tae-joon showed the names written on the urn to Lawyer Kim.
“How should I know? Stop changing the subject. Can you show me any concrete evidence that this pen belongs to the defendant?”
Lawyer Kim’s hysteria peaked.
“These names are the defendant’s parents, who died years ago in an unexplained fire.”
Tae-joon’s words caused the courtroom to stir once again.
