No Going Back

40

Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.
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The Art of War
Sun Tzu

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The trial for Korean National Oil v. Golden Oil Corp., Park Bogum, Kim Namjoon had lasted far longer than Taehyung initially anticipated.

Sure, his assumption that multiple criminal charges could be tried in just one day had probably been naive. His belief that years' worth of both legitimate and falsified evidence could be worked through in a single sitting had been a bit off-base. And his hope that multiple witness accounts and testimonies could be presented in a matter of hours had been a little illogical.

Clearly, Taehyung's inexperience with legal procedures had created highly unrealistic expectations for how things would unfold. He should have known a case this convoluted would take time; he should have known there wouldn't be an instant resolution.

But an unjaded part of his heart had hoped.

Taehyung had hoped for honest depositions and unquestionable proof. He had hoped for the instant recognition of Namjoon's innocence, for the acquittal of each one of his charges. He had hoped that this whole process would conclude sooner rather than later, allowing everyone to begin their long-awaited journey towards healing.

At no point had Taehyung expected to spend the better part of two weeks in the gallery of a courtroom. He hadn't expected to hear charge after charge after charge tied to Namjoon's name. He hadn't expected Korean National Oil's lawyers - representing the interest of the company rather than its CEO - to be so unyielding. He hadn't even expected Golden Oil's attorneys to fight as dirty as they had, to tamper with so many pieces of documentation and call it proof.

And Taehyung hadn't expected to continuously wonder which day would conclude the hearings, which day would dictate his brother's fate.

Most of the proceedings had been beyond Taehyung's comprehension; seriously, was he supposed to know what legal terms like subpoena or summons meant? It hadn't helped that the court strictly prohibited the use of phones, so most of the time, he had sat in a confused stupor. But he had understood two things without any hint of doubt:

First, Golden Oil had relied on the exclusive tactic of pinning the entire blame on Namjoon.

And second, Korean National Oil hadn't given two shits about the relation between its CEO and the former bodyguard. The company's lawyers had viewed Namjoon as an enemy to the whole organization - regardless of the protection he'd once offered Taehyung - and had chased complete retribution.

That first fact hadn't come as a surprise to Taehyung; everyone had known the competing company would attempt to free itself from all culpability. Golden Oil had brought in alleged witnesses, had destroyed any records that linked Bogum to his crimes, and had even claimed Namjoon brainwashed its trusting and unassuming heir. Apparently, all parties involved with that company had had no qualms about lying under oath.

While Taehyung had been somewhat prepared for those schemes, he hadn't really been ready for Korean National Oil's positioning. Over the course of the investigation, Chinhwa had openly stated that he didn't want to press charges against his son. But that hadn't been his call to make. No, the decision had been made by his company's Chief Legal Officer, who had chosen to pursue legal action against Namjoon without remorse.

And there had been no remorse. There had been no form of leniency or compassion as the company's lawyers worked to take down Namjoon. They had presented irrefutable arguments to the judge, advocating the urgent need to put the former bodyguard behind bars.