Only You✔️

Chapter 7 Verdict

Li spent the whole hour not speaking to anyone hardly. Her and Jimin went to a cafe across the street, but she didnt touch her sandwhich or drink any of her coffee. Her nerves wouldn't calm down. Her stomach twisted in knots. She couldnt help but to feel a sense of impending doom and dread. She just knew that the judge was going to give him parole. Or a lesser sentence that would have him out in a few short years.
"Li, are you alright?" she could hear Jimin call out to her.
"Mmm" she responded, but to be honest she had completly disassociated from her body. She felt like she wasnt really here. She felt like she was on autopiliot while she drifted off.
The whole ordeal seemed too surreal to her. Like she was still asleep and any minute now her mother would come wake her up and she woud be able to do this all over again. She would take time with her mother less for granted and appreciate her more. Especially the more she got sick. She would change meeting Taehyung. She would just simply walk away. And then everyone would be better off. Happier. Alive.
She felt the tears form in her eyes and she snapped out of it when she felt a light touch on her hand.
"Li, I know you dont want to go back, but its time to go back." Jimin says.
Li nodded absent mindedly and stood up to follow JImin as they walke back over to the courthouse.
As they enterned back into the building, she could feel her confidence coming back. She knew what to expect this time. She knew he would be in there, waiting.
"Just a few more moments." she thought to herself. "Just endure it a little longer, and you will never have to face him again."  she lied to herself. But deep down she knew that he was going to get out and once he did, he was going to make her life a living nightmare.
But as she enterned back into he room, she was not greeted with his eyes, nor did he turn to face her. He stood like a still statue, staring to the front of the room.
She wondered if her words earlier had gotten to him. But quickly brushed it off as nothing as she sat back down next to Mina's mother. Jimin quickly sitting down next to her.

As everyone rose for the Judge to come back in, Li sat on pins and needles waiting for what would happen next. She bounced her legs nervously and picked at her nails beds. Her heart raced in anticipation as she grew more and more anxious by the minute. Jimin looked down to notice her nervous habit and reached down for her hand once again and laced his fingers within hers. She felt comforted for a moment as she turned to him and smiled.
As the judge moved closer to his microphone, he cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I have been informed that Mr Kim Taehyung has a few things he would like to say to the victims and the victims parents that are here today. I will allow it so long as its not threatening or deamening in any way."
Tae nods and stands as two offficers walk over and handcuff him and walk him to the podium where everyone else was giving their tesstimonies.
Now he looked directly at her. No smile, no smirk, nothing. But cold, dead, sad eyes. Li felt a famaliar chill go up her spine. This was a similar look he gave her all those years ago whem he told her to stay away from Yoongi and she refused.
He was warning her again, and she knew at this moment without a doubt, that nothing within him had changed at all. He only had gotten better at charming everyone into thinking he was better, when in reality he wasnt. He was just more clever with the years. He has had time to plan and think carefully about he was going to go about this.
Li's heart began to race more as the feeling of impending doom returned to the pit of her stomach.

"I just want to apolofize to Kim Mina's parents who are here today. My irrational thinking took away your child, a child you will always wait forever to return home, but because of me.." he looks down, almost looking tearful and remorseful. "she will never return home." he then looks up and looks right into Li's eyes. "I also want to apologize to you the most. I didnt realize you had a son. I didnt realize at that time that my actions would affect so many. I wasnt thinking clearly. I let my anger blind me when I should have just sought help. But I am not like that anymore. I seen a pyschatrist daily, and have medications for my anger. I know it will never be enough, but I am very turly sorry." he says as he looks down.
"Oh please..." Li whispers.
Jimin squeezes her hand and she looks up at him with questioning eyes.
"Dont. Its what he wants." he whispers to her.

Tae is then ushered back down to where he was sitting and he doesnt turn back this time either. He sits straight up and looks forward.
The judge clears his throat agan and then flips through a few papers and then turns to face everyone in the room.
"After hearing everyones testimonies, reviewing the evidence, and taking into account the victims speech, I would have to agree that Mr Kim Taehyung can be rehabilitated and that he has shown all the neccesarry steps to do right in the society. So therefore, I am concluding that he be realesed on parole. If he breaks parole within the 90 day time frame, he will be taken back, and his sentence will be for life with no parole. Thank you all, and this concludes this hearing." the judge says and then immediatly leaves the room.

Li felt the whole room go dizzy. The last thing she remembred was seeing Jimin holding onto her shoulders, before everything around her turned black.