My lawyer {BBANGSAZ}

Chapter 9

Warning: Depictions of attempted assassination and bloody imagery

Minji

"Han, I think you've got the wrong person," I state, frowning as I cross my arms, upset upon seeing the familiar face before me.

Mr Park is a friend of my dad's and a trustworthy business associate, there's no way he'd try and murder me. Mr Park himself looks absolutely bewildered and offended that he is being accused with the atrocious crime. Sunghoon only sits there, an unreadable expression plastered on his face as he stares emptily at the glass barrier. 

"You can see this footage," she says calmly. 

I blink at the grainy video. It's impossible to see the person's face, but that's clearly not Sunghoon and the man's build is similar to Mr Park's but that's not enough evidence. It could just be a simple coincidence and I refuse to trust it. I've known Mr Park longer than I can even remember, there's no way he'd do such a thing.

"This is bullshit, you can't make any conclusion based off this," I snapped, shoving her phone back to her. These days I've been really emotional, and it's hard to control my emotions. Maybe it's because of the prospect that my life is on the line, or maybe it's because our family's treasured business is an a rough spot, but it's driving me crazy to the point where I can't even recognise myself anymore.

I run a hand through my hair, staring at Hanni who simply stares back, her eyes void of any emotion as usual. She really confuses me. One day she seems to be opening up to me, seems to be acting like we can be friends. The next day she's the same unapproachable ice cold secretary who seemingly hates me. I'm trying to be patient but now there's this?? 

"Sunghoon says the car is his dad's," Hanni says, not breaking eye contact with me.

"And who's to say it's Mr Park who was behind the wheel? You have no proof Pham," I spat back, my voice filled with agony. 

Hanni tenses a little, her stare wavering until it finally breaks. She gets up, bowing and muttering apologies, leaving the visiting room without a word. Something invades my system and I find myself storming after her.

Why did my dad insist that she be my lawyer? Shit is already complicated enough and she's almost impossible to figure out! Plus she's not even really doing anything! It's like she just doesn't care and is making false accusations with no actual proof to back it up. She's acting so immaturely when my fucking life is on the line, she has nothing at stake!!

I see her retreating figure in the distance and I sprint after her like an angry bull, I don't even notice I've bumped into so many people, my world a whirl wind of anger and frustration. I don't know what's happening anymore, everything is just combining into one big mushy mess, a puddle that I'm trying to pull myself out of. But it's useless, because with each movement, I'm only sinking further.

When I finally reach her, I roughly grab ahold of her shoulder and spin her around like a spinning top. I can feel the anger coursing through my veins like waves in a horrible storm, and I'm sure if this was a cartoon, steam would be billowing out of my ears as I glare daggers into the depths of her very soul.

Hanni only stares at me. Fuck this shit! Can't she show me what she's thinking for once?! I'm starting to question whether she's a human or she's a robot. 

"Stop fucking staring at me like that Pham! My life is at stake, my company is at stake, and you're not even doing anything to help! You have little to no proof that Mr Park is the perpetrator! All you have is a grainy image and your stupid brain!" I lose my cool and start yelling at her like a parent when they get a call from their child's school about a controversial event their kid has been involved in. It's like someone else is possessing me right now, my mouth is running like a car with broken or faulty breaks and even I know what I'm saying right now it hurtful. But she just frustrates me so damn much and it's not helping my stress. 

Hanni doesn't seem to have heard me though, and her eyes are glued onto something or someone behind me. I have no time to see what the fuck she is so mesmerised by, because before I can question her, she wraps her arms around me and spins us around so that her body is covering mine.

Confusion and frustration boil over within me, and I try to push her away when out of my peripheral vision, I see a figure dressed in black flash behind her. 

The next thing I know, I stumble back as I see the shiny tip of a knife poke out of Hanni's chest, indicating the severe depth of the penetration. It's coated with blood, a contrast to the sight that looks like an innocent snowman's nose. Dread crashes into me like the car that caused all my current problems and my blood runs cold, my breathing coming in shallow gasps. I look up at the fucker behind this and as they pull the dreaded object out, I catch a glimpse of a familiar scar.

Wait a minute....

The figure doesn't seem to have noticed my stare and they simply retreat further deeper into the alleyway Hanni had led me to. Fuck, Hanni.

She's on the floor, leaning against the cold brick wall, clutching her chest and coughing up blood, her body writhing in pain. I collapse to my knees, taking off my jacket and tying it around her chest in a feeble attempt to stop the river of the warm red substance flowing out of her. I pull her close, feeling the pained vibration of her shaking body against mine as I call the ambulance.

"Don't die on me Hanni....please don't die," I beg weakly, tightening my grip on her as she continues coughing up blood.