BTS Eighth Member | The Life: Year 2016

Chapter 59- The Verdict

October 31st, 2016:

The foreperson of the jury, a short middle-aged man, stands up when the judge asks them if they had come to a unanimous decision about each charge.

"We have," he nods.

"How do you find the defendant on the charge of trespass," the judge asked.

It felt like time had slowed down. I could hear my heart pounding.

"Not guilty," the man said, not looking at me. Chatter erupted in the gallery.

"How do you find the defendant on the charge of stalking," the judge continued loudly so as to kill any of the chatter.

"Not guilty," the man repeated.

Even louder pencil scratching and murmurs flared up once more.

"How do you find the defendant on the charge of theft," the judge asked.

"Guilty," the man nodded after a glance back at the other jury members.

Audible conversations and shouts of surprise and excitement filled the courtroom.

"Silence!" the judge shouted, hitting his gavel a couple of times. The courtroom silences with the odd conversation slowly dying out.

"How do you find the defendant on the two charges of sexual battery," the judge asks the final charge.

You could have cut the tension in the courtroom with a knife. I didn't realise I had stopped breathing and was holding my hands together so tightly my knuckles were white.

"Guilty," the man states confidently.

I let out a deep, shaky breath and put my head in my hands. Tears of joy were coming out fast. Yoongi wrapped his arms around me, hugging me from behind over the barrier. Excited chatter had overtaken the room. 

I had gotten justice. Daeseong wouldn't get away with it.

"Silence!" the judge shouted once more, slamming his gavel several times. It took much longer for the voices to subside this time, "if this continues, I'll have to clear the gallery!"

After a few more seconds, the judge deemed it quiet enough to continue.

"Thank you to the jury for listening so intently these past couple of days and giving us their valuable time," the judge smiles at them, "I appreciate the work and role of the jury in the judicial system, however, in this particular case I fear they may have been overwhelmed by the number of charges to decide on as well as the publicity of the trial. As a judge of many years, I feel it is my duty to ensure that the outcome is as fair and just as possible. As a result, I must remind you all that the jury verdict is advisory and, after having listened to all the evidence and witnesses, I am having to disagree with the jury on one of the counts".