ᴘᴀɪɴᴛ ꜱᴛʀᴇᴀᴋꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʙʟᴀɴᴋ ᴄᴀɴᴠᴀꜱᴇꜱ 🖌 ʏᴜɴʜᴏ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

T H I R T Y - O N E

The crowd's whispers echoed the court; some of the people in the gallery who knew about the incident were in shock and trepidation. Jung Seojun's face visibly reddened at the sight of Seonghwa's mother, his fist clenched till his knuckles turned white as snow. 

"Miss Lee, could you please tell us about your son?" The prosecutor said calmly.

Her eyes began to well up as the memories came back, "Seonghwa.. Seonghwa, my baby-" She choked out a sob.

"I understand that this is a sensitive topic, but could you please tell us from your perspective what happened on April 25?"

Lee Hari wipes her tears with the cuff of her sweater before nodding and continuing, "It was dark outside; I was sick and couldn't move a lot, so I sent Seonghwa to get the groceries for the week. He was taking longer than usual, so I called him, and he wouldn't.." She sniffled, "He wouldn't pick up."

Wooyoung rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in defiance. His defense attorney saw this and was about to speak up when the judge shot him a look.

"After hours, I called the police station to tell them just to make sure he wasn't in trouble, and then.. and then-" 

"You don't have to proceed if you're uncomfortable." The prosecutor smiled kindly.

"No it's okay, I just..." Lee Hari fanned her face before continuing. "Later I got a call back saying they found him, but his body was in the river and there was red surrounding his body and... He had so much to live for, he.. he was doing well in school and he just had his 16th birthday a couple weeks before and I just-"

"Thank you, Miss Lee." Prosecutor Choi smiled at her and motioned for her to step off the witness stand.

As Lee Hari retured back to her seat in the gallery, prosecutor Choi rose from his and began pacing. "Your Honor, the prosecution would like to submit evidence piece B, a security camera recording taken in Dong-u Park in Incheon on April 25, 2024. We again call Detective Kim to authenticate this evidence."

"Ass kisser." Wooyoung's attorney grumbled to Taehyun's attorney, and detective Kim stood up from his seat and presented the mentioned evidence.

Describing the evidence as monstrous is an understatement. The people in the gallery couldn't bear the horror that they were seeing. It was truly fascinating how someone could have a mind so twisted that they continue walking guilt-free after what they have done. Wooyoung's and Taehyun's attorneys were getting visibly antsy as the video tape kept playing. Y/N covered her ears and eyes to avoid further turmoil to her mental state; her legs were shaking up and down, almost like a plead for help to make the video stop. Just as she was about to lose it, Seojin's attorney stood up. 

"Is there any way that this video was altered or edited?" He questioned calmly.

"Again, after thorough examination, this video is one hundred percent real." Detective Kim replied, seeming bored out of his mind.

"As you can see," The prosecutor said, "There is no denying that Jung Wooyoung and Kang Taehyun brutally murdered this innocent man in cold blood."

"Well actually," Wooyoung's attorney stood up. "It was an act of self-defense. Wooyoung said that Seonghwa attacked him unprovoked before he or Taehyun made any move. Your Honor, the defense would like to submit evidence piece A, a photo of Wooyoung's arm taken on April 26, 2024. We call Detective Song to authenticate this evidence.

A picture of a bloody bruised arm is shown on the projector screen. The people in the gallery started to whisper while prosecutor Choi squinted at the picture suspiciously. He stood up while signalling detective Kim.

"Your Honor, may we have detective Kim examine this photo?" He asked.

Wooyoung's attorney rolled his eyes as the judge responded, "You may."

Detective Kim took the flash drive and headed off to insert it into his laptop. He was hunched over looking at the photo for a good while before putting the flash drive back into the projector.

"Your Honor, from observing this photo, you can clearly tell it's a fake." Detective Kim zoomed in closer on the left side of the arm. "As you can see, there is clearly a watermark on one of the bruises, which would say that this photo is not real."

The crowd gasped in shock as the attorney and Wooyoung started sweating bullets. The judge banged her gavel loudly in order to silence the court. When the court quieted down, the judge requested closing statements from the two attorneys.

"But your Honor, we still have evidence to present." Wooyoung's attorney addressed.

"There will be no need. Prosecutors, please present your closing statements." The judge then grabbed a heavy book and a pen.

Wooyoung started panicking as his attorney delivered his closing statement. The crowd in the galler is awaiting the ruling as the tension in the court grows stronger. The judge looked up from the book and looked straight at the attorney.

"Attorney Jang, do you take this courtroom for a joke?" She asked.

The judge's cold voice silenced the entire courtroom. Wooyoung's attorney fumbled for words, sweat collecting at his temple. "It's not what it looks like, your Honor-"

"You knowingly submitted falsified evidence in an attempt to mislead this court." She continued, "This is not only an insult to the integrity of these proceedings but a criminal act. As of now, I am charging you with obstruction of justice and fabricating evidence."

Gasps echoed across the courtroom. The attorney's face turned pale as he turned to his client in desperation. Y/N looked somewhat relieved to see Wooyoung's future crumbling in front of him. She could see Wooyoung's face turn as pale as snow.

"And you, Jung Wooyoung." The judge turned her head sharply. "Not only are you facing your current charges, but you have now added perjury and conspiracy to your list of crimes. I charge you and Kang Taehyun with 15 years each of imprisonment for first-degree murder."

The gallery gasped, and whispers started to erupt as the bailiff went over to Wooyoung and Taehyun and shoved them into a separate room roughly. Y/N watched as she saw what she used to consider her one and only being dragged to the start of his new life.

Minutes, then hours passed by as the prosecutor started to investigate Y/N's case. She felt as if the world shifted beneath her feet, her brain slowly melting into a pile of mush. No matter how hard her attorney fought for her, there was simply too much evidence that she was guilty. She looked around as she saw the look of despair on her parents' faces and her friends, but the most soul-crushing reaction was from Yunho.

He watched her with tears brimming in his eyes and his legs shaking up and down. He knew what she did was obviously wrong. He knew that she should be charged, but he can't help but wish that she followed a different path and wasn't in this situation. He almost wanted to cover his ears when her charges were read.

"L/N Y/N, I charge you with 5 years imprisonment for battery, physical assult, and vandalism. Bailiff, please take Ms. Y/N into custody for immediate investigation into their actions. The court is adjourned until further notice."

Y/N was in tears as she was dragged from her seat into a separate room. Yunho immediately jumped from his seat and ran towards her despite the lingering pain in his leg. He pushed the bailiff away and hugged her as tight as she could. He could feel her gripping onto him like he was her life support, her soul slowly evaporating away as the seconds ticked by.

The bailiff then ripped Yunho and Y/N apart and continued to drag her away. Yunho felt a need to see her once last time as he ran back to her again.

"Will I ever see you again?!" He called out, his voice cracking midsentence.

She turned back to him, a slow, reassuring smile flashing on her face before she was shoved into another room.

Till this day, he hasn't seen her since.