The trial continued.
It was a trial conducted based solely on circumstantial suspicion, without any concrete physical evidence.
Because the vehicle was not equipped with a black box, it was impossible to know what had happened inside.
The prosecutor and the defense attorney argued fiercely without yielding an inch, while the reporters seated in the gallery wrote down every single word without missing anything.
Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik glanced around at the reporters and let out a quiet sigh.
"Why? Are you worried?"
At Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok's words, Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik nodded.
"If you look at the trial as it stands now, won't there be no choice but to declare the defendant not guilty due to lack of evidence? But if that happens, Judge Lee Han-young will likely become a target of public opinion. Judging from the circumstances, it looks like the defendant killed the victim and pocketed the insurance money."
Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok formed a faint smile.
"Are you afraid that Judge Lee Han-young will become the target of arrows fired by public opinion?"
"Honestly, yes."
"You worry too much. And if Lee Han-young is the kind of judge who would be beaten to death by a trial of this level, it would be better for his future to leave the battlefield early."
His voice was calm.
But Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik felt a chill run straight down his spine.
What Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok meant was that he could abandon Lee Han-young over just this single trial.
Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik shifted only his eyes to look at Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok.
Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok was still wearing that unreadable smile.
The clash between the prosecutor and the defense attorney continued.
"The defendant sent threatening messages saying he would kill her if they didn't meet again!"
"While it may not be common, there are cases where people send such messages after lovers break up. You cannot treat text messages as decisive evidence. Please present more precise circumstances and evidence!"
"Then why was the defendant named as the insurance beneficiary!"
"That is something even the defendant did not know!"
As the courtroom heated up, Lee Han-young slightly raised his hand.
"Just a moment."
At his single remark, the courtroom fell silent.
In the quiet, the defense attorney glanced at Lee Han-young.
'Didn't he just become a sole presiding judge?'
Judges are people too.
If someone had just started life as a sole judge, and especially in a trial drawing intense media attention, it would be natural to be overwhelmed by the pressure and appear flustered.
But something was strange.
There was no tension in Lee Han-young's eyes. Rather, he looked like someone who had been rolling around in this world for decades.
Even his voice was relaxed.
"Listening to both of you, I notice there's been a lot of discussion about text messages. So, the prosecution is saying that the defendant sent threatening messages to the victim, correct?"
"Yes,"
the prosecutor replied.
"And the defense is saying that such messages could be sent under certain circumstances."
"Yes,"
this time the defense attorney replied.
Lee Han-young's gaze stopped on Kim Sun-hee's family seated in the gallery.
"I would like to check the mobile phones of the bereaved family. I've heard that Kim Sun-hee often shared many things with her parents. There may be some clues left in the messages Kim Sun-hee sent to her family. For the same reason, I would also like to check Kim Ga-young's phone."
Lee Han-young turned to the defense attorney and asked,
"Would it be all right if I temporarily check all of the bereaved family's phones?"
The defense attorney nodded.
Lee Han-young turned his gaze to the prosecutor.
"I have no objection."
Lee Han-young looked back at Kim Sun-hee's family.
"Family members, this is a sudden request, but in order to leave not a single injustice regarding Kim Sun-hee's death, may I check the phone messages? Any messages unrelated to this case will not be considered, no matter their content."
And the family's phones were gathered in front of Lee Han-young.
He began to skim through the messages Kim Sun-hee had sent.
—Mom, happy birthday.
—Mom, how about pork belly today?
—Dad, I love you.
—Tonight's dinner is dad's favorite, blue crab stew!
—Ga-young, what time do you get off work today? Late-night movie? I'll treat you, unni's buying.
Lee Han-young put the phone down.
"Just from these messages, you can tell how much Kim Sun-hee cared about her family."
At the sigh that escaped Lee Han-young's lips, Kim Sun-hee's parents began to cry.
At that sorrowful sound, the defendant Park Hyuk-jun lowered his head deeply.
The defense attorney asked,
"Are there any messages related to the incident?"
Lee Han-young shook his head.
"No, there aren't. In none of the messages do I see any indication that she felt threatened, or any mention of the defendant Park Hyuk-jun."
The corners of the defense attorney's lips lifted slightly.
"Your Honor, we understand the sorrow over the tragic death of a young woman with a bright future ahead of her. However, all of this is merely circumstantial. The family is simply resentful of Park Hyuk-jun, who was with her at the time. Park Hyuk-jun has said that even after this trial ends, he has no intention of filing a lawsuit for false accusation. That is because Park Hyuk-jun also understands the bereaved family's grief."
As the long-winded defense finished speaking, Lee Han-young once again slightly raised his hand.
"Counsel, I understand. Please save those remarks for your final statement. The trial is still in progress."
"Pardon?"
The defense attorney, who had been confident the situation was tilting in he his favor, was momentarily left speechless.
Lee Han-young looked back at the bereaved family.
No—more precisely, he was looking at Reporter Song Na-yeon, who was sitting beside them.
"I clearly asked if it was all right to check all the phones, and the family gave permission. But there's still one phone that hasn't been brought. I saw phones being passed around before entering the courtroom. There's one more, isn't there? Please bring it. The phone."
At those words, Reporter Song Na-yeon stood up as if she had been waiting for this.
At the same time, Kim Ga-young's eyes shook uncontrollably.
"U, unni…"
"Ga-young, I think the judge is talking about this."
Reporter Song Na-yeon showed the phone she was holding to Kim Ga-young.
Kim Ga-young's face twisted.
"Unni!"
Ignoring Kim Ga-young's voice, Reporter Song Na-yeon walked up to Lee Han-young.
Holding the phone that Reporter Song Na-yeon brought, Lee Han-young asked,
"Who are you?"
"I'm Sun-hee's friend. I also know Kim Ga-young, her cousin."
"Why are you holding Kim Ga-young's phone?"
She had obtained Kim Ga-young's phone at the request of Lee Han-young, whom she had thought was a detective.
But now she continued speaking as if she were seeing Lee Han-young for the first time.
"Ga-young asked me to hold onto it for a while."
"And the reason?"
"She said there were private conversations and photos with her boyfriend, and she didn't want the police to check them."
"I understand."
Reporter Song Na-yeon returned to her seat, and Lee Han-young fiddled with the phone.
It was locked with a password.
"Kim Ga-young, I said I wouldn't concern myself with messages unrelated to the trial. What's the password?"
"..."
She didn't answer. Only her flustered eyes darted back and forth.
Lee Han-young's voice turned cold.
"Unlocking it won't be difficult. Tell me."
"I! I killed her!"
What rang out urgently was Park Hyuk-jun's voice.
At the same time, the defense attorney's eyes instantly became bloodshot.
It seemed he had never imagined that his client would cause such a scene.
"M, Mr. Park Hyuk-jun! What are you saying right now?"
Ignoring his attorney, Park Hyuk-jun continued.
"I'll tell you everything honestly. I really didn't know that Sun-hee had taken out an insurance policy. She suddenly said she wanted to break up, and in a moment of anger I turned the steering wheel, but I never thought she would die like that. It's true. I'm sorry."
Lee Han-young drew a faint smile.
"You knew the direction you turned the wheel was toward the reservoir, didn't you?"
"Yes. But I didn't know it was that deep."
"You said you were driving under the influence, correct?"
"That's right! I drank alcohol too!"
"Then why are you saying this now? Until now, you claimed it was to avoid another vehicle coming toward you, didn't you?"
"Because I felt sorry! I felt sorry for Sun-hee!"
Kim Sun-hee's father lunged toward Park Hyuk-jun.
But he was restrained in the middle and couldn't get any closer.
"You son of a bitch! I'll kill you!"
The courtroom began to descend into chaos once more.
Seizing that moment, Park Hyuk-jun opened his mouth again.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I've admitted it, so the trial is over, right? I'll live with a repentant heart toward Sun-hee. I'm sick of lying after sending away the person I loved. Please stop. I want to stop now!"
Lee Han-young shook his head.
"Defendant, the trial does not end until I say it does."
Kim Sun-hee's father was still shouting.
"You bastard! Let go! Let go! How am I supposed to live if I let that bastard live! Sun-hee! Sun-hee!"
Amid the commotion, Lee Han-young's gaze passed Park Hyuk-jun and landed on Kim Ga-young.
Kim Ga-young sat frozen like ice, alone in the chaotic courtroom.
By her ear, Lee Han-young's cold voice rang out.
"Kim Ga-young, the password."
Kim Ga-young's gaze moved from Lee Han-young and Park Hyuk-jun to Kim Sun-hee's father.
Kim Sun-hee's father was spewing curses at the top of his lungs, his eyes bloodshot red.
Kim Ga-young's lips trembled.
Then a powerless voice, as if her soul had left her body, flowed out.
"0315. The day I met Oppa Hyuk-jun."
"…!"
In an instant, the courtroom fell silent.
Even Kim Sun-hee's father, who had been shouting curses, stared at Kim Ga-young with shocked eyes.
At the same time, Park Hyuk-jun dropped his head as if the string holding it had snapped.
Everyone in the courtroom stood with mouths agape, alternating their gazes between Park Hyuk-jun and Kim Ga-young.
In that silence, the voice that was heard belonged to Kim Sun-hee's mother.
"O, Oppa? W, what are you talking about? Ga-young, what do you mean!"
"I'm sorry."
"What are you talking about! Why would you…!"
Kim Sun-hee's mother grabbed Kim Ga-young by both shoulders and shook her.
Kim Ga-young swayed back and forth, dragged by Kim Sun-hee's mother's arms like a reed blown by the wind.
Lee Han-young entered the password and skimmed through the call logs and messages on the phone.
The prosecutor stammered as he asked,
"Your Honor, what is it?"
"Call records with her beloved oppa, and evidence of a planned murder by an ex-boyfriend and a cousin."
"P, planned murder?"
"Prosecutor, you'll have to dig into this case again. I'm afraid it'll be some hard work."
Lee Han-young casually tossed the phone toward the prosecutor.
Holding the phone, the prosecutor merely blinked, unable to comprehend what was happening.
Lee Han-young stood up from his seat and spoke.
"Then we'll adjourn for today. We'll resume in a week. Since the nature of the case has changed, it looks like it will move to a panel trial. In that case, a judge other than myself will be presiding."
Judges who had been watching the trial along with the spectators headed out one by one.
"Lee Han-young really hit the jackpot today, didn't he? A case that only had circumstantial suspicion gets cracked open like this?"
"Did you see the Chief Justice's expression earlier?"
"I did. He looked completely satisfied. Heh heh, aren't you going to get shaken down by Lee Han-young now? I might be fine since there's a difference in seniority, but you're not, right? You'll be taking off your robe?"
"Why would I take off my robe? Even if I get pushed aside by a junior, I'll stay until the end. I hear that even if you go out to become a lawyer, you need the title of chief judge to be recognized."
"Oh? You think you can stay here until you get that title?"
Among the judges exchanging such trivial banter stood Kim Yun-hyeok as well.
As the judges walked ahead down the hallway, Kim Yun-hyeok remained standing there, turning his gaze back toward the courtroom.
He said nothing.
He merely wore a faint smile at the corner of his lips.