Collision of Verdicts

A Voice from the Shadows

The next day, the air in Jungkook and Taehyung's office was filled with a quiet intensity as the team reviewed their strategy for the upcoming trial. The weight of the past few weeks was palpable, but their determination remained steady. Suddenly, the quiet hum of the office was interrupted by a slight commotion at the front desk.

A girl wearing a mask, her eyes darting nervously around, had appeared at the entrance. Security had stopped her, unsure of her intentions, but when Beomgyu spotted her, his face lit up with recognition.

“Wait, I know her!” he called out, rushing to the entrance. “It’s Seo Yuna, one of Min Jiha’s bandmates.”

At Beomgyu’s assurance, the security guards let her in, and Yuna hesitantly entered the office, her steps slow and wary. She pulled her mask down, revealing a pale, tense face. Dark circles hung under her eyes, and her expression was a mix of fear and determination.

Jungkook and Taehyung exchanged a glance before approaching her.

"Yuna," Jungkook greeted her gently, "we know this must be difficult for you. Thank you for coming. Please, have a seat."

Yuna nodded, nervously sitting down in one of the chairs. She clasped her hands together, fidgeting as if trying to gather the strength to speak.

"I—I had to come,” she began, her voice shaky but resolute. “I want to help. I need to tell you the truth about Jiha… about everything that happened to her. This… this agency, it’s not as perfect as they show to the world.”

Taehyung leaned forward, his expression compassionate. “Take your time, Yuna. We’re here to listen.”

Yuna took a shaky breath and nodded. “Jiha… she was one of the strongest people I knew. She was fierce, protective… and she stood up for us whenever she could. But that’s what made her a threat to them.” Yuna’s eyes darkened, her voice growing heavy with emotion.

“Working as an idol under this agency is like living in a gilded cage. From the outside, everything seems glamorous, perfect. But inside… we’re treated like tools, not people. They don’t care about us; they only care about how much money we can bring in.”

Jungkook clenched his fists, his jaw tight as he listened. “What did they do to you?”

“They… they pushed us to limits we never agreed to,” Yuna continued, her voice trembling. “We were forced to perform at exclusive VIP nightclubs, sometimes in outfits that made us feel humiliated. And if we resisted, they punished us.” Her gaze dropped to her lap, as if recalling painful memories.

“One time, they even ordered us to go on staged dates with wealthy clients' sons—men we didn’t know, people who saw us as objects. We were told it was for publicity, but we knew what it was really about. Jiha, she… she always spoke up, told the agency it was wrong.”

Yuna’s hands trembled as she continued, her voice breaking. “Once, when we were at the airport, a sasaeng fan grabbed me… inappropriately. I was frozen, and he just laughed, kissing his hand, like he’d won something. I was disgusted. But Jiha… she pushed him away, stood in front of me, and demanded more security for us. She was furious, and she made such a scene that the agency couldn’t ignore it.”

Yuna’s eyes filled with tears, and Taehyung reached out, offering her a tissue. “Jiha was always there for me, for all of us. She didn’t let them treat us like we were worthless.”

Taking a deep breath, Yuna looked back at them, her voice now thick with sorrow. “But that’s what got her into trouble. After that, they started treating her differently. They saw her as a threat, and they wanted her to be quiet, to stop making problems. But she didn’t.”

Jungkook’s gaze hardened. “What did they do to her?”

Yuna swallowed, her hands gripping each other tightly. “They… they beat her down in every way they could. She would come back to the dorms some nights with bruises, and when I asked her, she just… she said it was a ‘warning.’ They wanted to scare her, to make her stay silent. But she refused.”

Yuna’s voice grew softer, sadness filling her words. “There was a final fight between her and the agency. I don’t know all the details, but it was big. They threatened her. They said if she didn’t ‘fall in line,’ they’d make sure she’d never be able to stand up again.”

She hesitated, then continued, her voice cracking. “The night she died… she had told me earlier that day that she wasn’t feeling well. She thought it was just exhaustion from everything she’d been through. But looking back… I think they gave her something. Something that would look like an accident, like… like she just took too many sleeping pills.”

Taehyung’s face darkened with rage, his heart aching as he listened to Yuna’s account. Jungkook reached over, placing a reassuring hand on Yuna’s shoulder.

“Yuna,” Jungkook said, his voice steady, “thank you for trusting us with this. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure Jiha’s story is heard and that justice is served.”

Yuna nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. “She didn’t deserve this. None of us deserve this. Jiha fought for us when no one else did, and I can’t just stand by while they paint her death as a suicide.”

The room fell into a heavy silence, each team member processing Yuna’s story, the horror of what Jiha and her friends had endured. Determination burned in their eyes, and Jungkook and Taehyung exchanged a firm look.

“This is it,” Taehyung said quietly. “This is the final piece we needed.”

Jungkook nodded, his voice filled with conviction. “We’re going to expose them, for Jiha and for everyone they’ve silenced.”

Yuna looked at them, a glimmer of hope in her eyes for the first time. “Thank you. Thank you for not letting her be forgotten.”

With newfound determination, Jungkook, Taehyung, and their team prepared to continue their fight. They knew the path ahead wouldn’t be easy, but now, with the truth unveiled, they were more ready than ever to bring Jiha’s story to light and ensure justice was served for the brave soul who had never stopped fighting for what was right.