dura lex, sed lex

Part 3

You normally entered your lecture halls earlier than everyone else. It was quieter, more peaceful and unlike the library—you could take a power nap. It was this very reason why you got your scholarship revoked in the first place. You were going about your usual routine when you witnessed the sexual harassment of Han Mirae in the hands of Go Minhyun. At that moment, it didn't even register to you that you were going to attack a professor, a lawyer. All you could see was a man who was sexually harassing a woman. It didn't occur to you that the man was a very powerful man who could damage your career, your entire life. You just did it because you knew it was right. Because you knew that if you were in the position of that woman pressed up against the desk, tits groped by a man and a horrified expression plastered on your face—you wished someone would help you too.

Being a woman was tough in general. To go into specifics would take years, if not more. If there even is a more. But to be a woman in an arena of male-dominated players—it was fucking impossible sometimes. Hangguk University, no matter how much they claimed to be progressive, was still very much patriarchal. They only tolerated Dean Sim because of the foreign investors and the positive feedback they were receiving of having a woman as a dean. But everyone knew she really had no power.

Even when it came to honors, Hangguk made sure there would be more boys than girls. Kim Taehyung was probably the only exception because he truly deserved to finish on top. Everyone else? Not so much.

It irritated you so much. Sometimes, it beats you down. Because no matter how much you worked hard, it wouldn't matter anyway. A man would always beat you up. It was always Soeul who would tell you not to give up and to continue beating them at the game that was yours too. See, in this profession, women were never treated as equals of men. Even with that "Atty." before their name, women were treated as inferiors.

You tapped your pen on your Consti 2 law book, looking at the time on your phone which was on do not disturb. You loved Soeul and you knew you were gonna have to explain everything to her sooner or later but right now, you just didn't have the energy to. You knew Soeul wouldn't judge but unlike her twin, she would have questions and you just didn't have the answers at the moment.

Your mind was running wild with everything. The dinner. Kim Taehyung. The fucking job proposal. It only dawned upon you that what you signed up for was really fucking dangerous. You weren't confident in Taehyung's plan. Like what he said, the court of public opinion and the court of justice were two drastically different arenas. Tonight, at dinner, the lines between the two were going to be blurred. The people there weren't just civilians. They were fucking politicians and a fucking Justice in the Supreme Court. You were on fucking edge. What the hell would happen if they saw right through you and Taehyung? Taehyung would probably leave that dinner unscathed but you—you would be ruined. Why? Simple. You were the woman in the equation.

You could already see the headlines. "Desperate woman ruins engagement party of renowned defense trial lawyer Atty. Kim Taehyung and fashion icon Jennie Kim!"

Shutting your eyes tightly, you took a deep breath to calm your nerves and clear your thoughts. It really didn't work though but smoking would. So, you grabbed your things and was about to leave the lecture hall when a voice stopped you.

"You seemed to be in deep thought there." You narrowed your gaze on the figure sitting on the teacher's desk, dressed in a brown suit and with their arms crossed over their chest. Looking closely, you realized it was Taehyung.

"What are you—How did you know I was here?" You asked, furrowing your eyebrows.

"I asked your friend, Jeon Soeul." He stated. "She texted you that I'll be coming. I asked her to tell you."