Case 002: Attorney Kim (Trial and Error Series)

20

Lee Aera, who was anxiously fiddling with her fingers, sat timidly across Jimin and Taehyung. Not once did she look up to meet their gaze. She simply came to only give her accounts and not exchange inspirational talks with them. Clearly, she wanted it to be over and done with because reliving her traumas were never on her things to do ever.

However, it's not every day you meet people that genuinely want to put the people who wronged you behind bars. She doesn't really know why the two lawyers were so persistent with pushing the case to a victorious close, but she knows it would be a lie to say she didn't share the sentiments with them.

If the walls of her room could talk, it would probably speak on her behalf from the pain Jinyoung had put her through.

"I know how uneasy it is for you to be filmed, but we need a recording of your account for this case," Taehyung calmly says, understanding the discomfort of what being interrogated feels like. "Whenever you're ready, Ms. Lee," she took a deep breath before finally starting.

"I am Lee Aera. I was one of the high school students invited to the party where I met Atty. Park Jinyoung at a house party. It was the 5th of August when he assaulted me," her hands trembled as she slowly recounted the incident. "My friends and I were invited to come and although I'd have to admit that I went to meet other people, being filmed against my will was not one of them," she makes herself clear.

"Can you tell us your relationship with Jinyoung? Were you friends?" Aera shook her head when Jimin asked.

"No, I met him for the first time there. He introduced himself and had a small talk with him"

"How did you end up with Jinyoung that night given that the two of you weren't friends?" Taehyung asked. Her voice started to tremble as she spoke, trying to rely on her memory, hoping that it wouldn't mess up the integration.

"I remember him getting me drinks. That's how I assumed he slipped a drug in because I'm only on my first cup of alcohol, and I don't get drunk fast," she takes a deep breath as she readied herself, "I also know I was drugged because my body felt numb, but I can still clearly remember how he insisted on bringing me upstairs to sober up until my legs gave out."

She sobbed as she continued telling her story, "He forcefully removed my clothes and t-touched me. I...I was there on the bed, naked and cold, while he filmed me with his phone"

"Ms. Lee – I'm sorry for my vocabulary – but we just need a clear answer, did he finger you?"

Slowly, she nodded with a blush of embarrassment creeping across her cheeks, "Y-yes, yes he did. He filmed it while he said how I was as tight as a virgin and uploaded it on a porn site for everyone to feast on."

Her tears started to fall even more as her breathing pattern erratically changed, "I was just 15 at that time! I was basically a child, who didn't know much of the world around her, yet he robbed me of living my life normally! He said that if I told anyone about it...I'd bring shame to my whole family, and for the longest time, I believed him."

Both men looked at her with sympathy as she cried uncontrollably. They wished it was only just filming. Sadly, they know to only expect the worst in cases like these. The worst part of it is having the unconsented videos uploaded online. But from a lawyer's perspective, this is a good lead to gather important evidence they can use against Jinyoung.

"Sorry to ask you about this, Ms. Lee, but do you know which sites he uploaded the videos too?" Taehyung asked, still mindful of her current state, but Aera tried to collect herself and nodded.

"I only found one website where he went by the username GirlsOnCam. He blurred out our faces and kept himself anonymous behind the camera." Clearly, he had planned his dirty secret very well. He knows how to be careful as it might be used against him if he gets caught.