But i wasn't a liar ✔️[ENG ver]

Part 56

Part 56

We always wonder – if given a second chance, would we repeat the same mistakes? Could we truly change things? Or would we break their hearts all over again? Perhaps some wounds cannot be mended, no matter how many times we relive them. This is why we fear turning back. Instead of drowning in past regrets, shouldn't we pour that energy into building a better future?

The bitter truth had settled like ash in their mouths, yet none had fully processed its weight. Who among them could claim peace now? The division was clear: those with clean consciences had never harmed Hyunjin. But what of those who had cursed him ? What absolution existed for them?

Felix's mother staggered from the courtroom, her husband's hurried footsteps echoing behind her. Her knees buckled – not from physical weakness, but the crushing guilt. As she swayed, her husband caught her, guiding her to a bench with trembling hands.

"How..." she choked, "How could I have been so cruel to that angel?" Her fingers clutched at her chest as if trying to claw out the memory. "Hyunjin tried to tell me... begged me to listen... and I called him a liar! I spat on his purity!" A broken sob tore through her. "His name... it's too sacred for my filthy mouth to even speak..."

Her husband wrapped her in an embrace, his large hand rubbing circles on her shuddering back. "You didn't know, love. You acted on what we believed was true. Had you known—"

"He died," she whispered, the words dripping with anguish, "without ever hearing my apology." The finality of it hung between them – some regrets, once carved into history, could never be undone.

The families emerged from the courtroom like ghosts of their former selves, their faces hollowed by grief. The verdict had been delivered, the criminals sentenced, yet no semblance of peace touched their broken spirits. The bitter truth had carved permanent wounds in their souls.

As they stepped into the blinding daylight, a swarm of journalists descended like vultures, microphones thrust forward with predatory eagerness.

"Was justice served today?" shouted one reporter, shoving a recorder in their faces.
"Tell us why they targeted your son!" demanded another, camera flashes exploding like gunfire.

The parents flinched as if physically struck, their pain laid bare for public consumption. In that moment, the cruel truth became undeniable - mankind remains Earth's most vile creation. These creatures of ink and lenses understood nothing of shattered hearts, of tears that never cease, of pain that rewires the very soul. They cared only for their filthy appetites - for scandal, for headlines, for the next sensational morsel to feed their ravenous audience.

No compassion tempered their hunger. No decency stayed their questions. They would gladly pick at these open wounds until nothing remained but bones, then move on to the next tragedy without a backward glance.

The grieving family remained silent as stone, their hollow eyes staring through the shouting journalists. Guards formed a protective barrier, shielding them from the onslaught of questions until they could escape to the waiting car. "Take us to Hyunjin," Hwang murmured to the driver, his voice barely audible.

At the gravesite, the white flowers trembled in their hands like surrendered flags of peace. Mrs. Hwang collapsed against the cold stone, her arms wrapping around the grave as if she could somehow reach her son beneath the earth. "I'm... so..." Her words dissolved into wet sobs, fingers scraping against the unyielding marble. "Please... forgive... me!" Each fractured syllable cost her breath.

Ni-Ki knelt beside her, tears falling freely onto the engraved name. His hands pressed so hard against the grave his knuckles bleached white, the pain in his throat strangling any words he might have offered.