Defender

II-Orphanage

I'm driving my car on my way home then I suddenly remember the woman on the witness stand. What is the trial all about? She doesn't have someone with her on the court. Or are the nuns are there to support her? Her eyes looks terrified with what's happening on her surroundings. She's wearing an orange shirt. If I remember it clearly it says 'Incheon Detention Center'. Isn't that where Jisoo unnie was assigned last week for her new workplace?

After few minutes I enter our driveway and saw Jisoo unnie playing with Dalgom in the garden. She looked at me and wave.

"Hi Jendeuk! How did the trial go?" She asked me with a smile on her face. She knew I'd never lost. She just wants to know if there's something uncommon that happened during the trial.

"Oh you know unnie. The usual." I shrugged it off and about to enter the house when she called me again.

"Jennie." She look so serious. Is this really my unnie?

"Jisooni? Is there something wrong? You look serious. I'm not used to it." I tried to lighten her mood.

"Yeah. You know I've been assigned to a new penitentiary right?" I nodded.

"There's this someone that I've been seeing every other day. Her name is Lisa."

"Hmm okay? What about her? Do you like her? Does she even like you back? Why is she in there? What did she do? Don't tell me you want me to get her out?" I bombarded her a lot of questions like what lawyers do.

"Woah woah, calm down woman! But yes, I want you to get her out of that prison." She looked intently into my eyes. Like I'm the only one who can help her. Something that you will see on rare occassion. She seldom ask for a favor. Because she is the unnie. She thinks that she should be the one helping me instead of the other way around.

"Okay. First things first, what is your relation with this Lisa, and why do you want to help her?" I asked her. She looked down, maybe thinking of the right words to say.

"I don't know how to explain what I am feeling and thinking about her case Jen. I know she's innocent. Something just doesn't add up. I have this gut feeling that she doesn't belong inside the prison. Together with the real inmates." I got surprised when I saw that she was about cry? Seriously unnie? Does Lisa affects you this much?

"Did she tell you that she's innocent? You know that to dismiss the case we have to present the evidences right? That's how it works. Not just because she told you so." We all know that's how the law works.

She shyly shakes her head. And it confuses me.

"She never talked to me." Jisoo unnie said.

"Unnie, can you please explain further? First you want me to help her dismiss the case because according to you, she is innocent. Then you will tell me that she never talked to you? What the hell? Are you pulling some tricks on me unnie? I am telling you right now that this is not funny. You know I came from the trial, have no proper sleep and I'm very tired right now. Please go straight to the point. I'm a lawyer, not a fortune teller." It starting to annoy me. Maybe because I'm exhausted with today's event. But I started to feel guilty. I never bursted out in front of my sister. And when I look into her eyes, tears started to run down on her cheeks.

"Ohhh unnie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be angry." I scoot closer to her and hugged her. She hugs me back.

"No, no. It's okay. It's just that, she never talked to anyone. She's been there for three years already and no one ever heard her say anything or even talk to anyone. She just lower head whenever she is walking or eating. I pity her Jen. I always see that she loves helping other people inside of that prisoner. Especially the elderly. They will smile at her and she will smiled back. But she never talks. That's why I am seeing her every other day, to start some sort of speech therapy. Or to make her open up to me. But until now, I haven't heard her voice. The chief believes that she has intellectual impairment. The nuns on the orphanage that she grew up with told me that Lisa is a very jolly person. She's very intelligent and gentle towards other people. She take care of the kids and always cooked something for them. They never told me that Lisa doesn't speak. But the day the incident happen, she started to push everyone away. Even the nuns. She shut them off. They don't know what really happened and they can't fight for her case. The police immediately arrested Lisa. They can't fight for it because they lack of knowledge about the law, and they can't pay for a lawyer to handle the case. The case was dismissed earlier today. So we only have thirty days to appeal in the court before the finality of the conviction." She told me what she knows about Lisa and the case.

"Wait, nuns? Does this Lisa perhaps a beautiful black haired woman with bangs?" I asked because I remember the woman on the other court room earlier.

"Oh beautiful? Yeah, she is." Jisoo unnie wiggling her eyebrows while smiling like an idiot. The duality of this chicken!

"Stop it. You look like a dumb chicken! Well, apparently maybe they are the one who happens to have a trial beside our court room. I saw a glimpse of what's inside. And I think she was the one I saw on the witness stand looking so helpless." I sigh, as I remember the pleading look on her doe sad eyes.

"Unnie, I don't know if it's just my imagination but I think she said 'help me' when our eyes met earlier." I know what I saw. Now, I'm certain of it.

"Jen, that's impossible. I told you, she never talked to anyone since the incident happened. The only time that she will open her mouth is when she is eating." Jisoo unnie stand and motioned me that we should go inside since it's getting dark.

After dinner, I went straight to my room to take a bath and do some research about Lisa's case that happened three years ago.

"Come in." I heard a knock and Jisooni peak her head on my door frame.

"Are you going to bed already?" She asked me.

"Well, I'm about to. Why?" She handed me the folder full of Lisa's information with some notes from her previous doctor.

"Take a look at this. This is her profile. Please consider taking this case Jen." I looked at her trying to read what's on her mind. Why is it important for her to reopen this case. And to prove Lisa's innocence.

"I guess, I will be having a trip to the detention center tomorrow." I saw how this chicken widened her eyes. She look genuinely happy. For her. For Lisa.

"Thank you Jendeuk! I owe you." She excitedly hugged me and I reciprocate it while tapping her back.

"Oh you owe me a lot." I jokingly said to her. She went out of my room, and I climbed up to my bed laying flat at the center of my queen sized bed with my comforter just above my stomach. Before I drifted off to sleep, the last thing that enters my mind was

What happened to you, Lisa?