ᴀᴅᴅɪᴄᴛᴇᴅ

【42】

by the time the court date arrived, it had become something bigger than any of them expected. not just mingi vs. his father—but a whole room full of people silently choosing sides. lawyers sat in sharp suits, child welfare officers present with folders tucked under their arms. teachers had written statements. a counselor from the school slipped yunho's mom a folded document and gave mingi's shoulder a soft, wordless squeeze before stepping back.

outside, the air was cold but still. it felt like the city was holding its breath.

inside, the courthouse was colder. old wood and too-bright lights. mingi's shoes clicked softly on the floor as they entered, and even that sound felt too loud.

everyone came to social support for mingi. seonghwa held a file as he was representing the group for mingi. they filed the gallery behind mingi, shoulder to shoulder, packed tight. their presence speaking louder than any type of words.

_____

mingi sat stiffly beside yunho at the long wooden bench. yunho was quiet, letting him hold on, his fingers warm and steady where mingi clutched the sleeve of his blazer. their hands stayed close, just touching, like an anchor. and his lawyer close by.

"the lawyer may start continue with her statement."

"your honor, ladies and gentleman of the jury, this case is about the unlawful harboring of a child. song min-ho, knowingly allowed song mingi a fifteen year old child to live in their home without proper parental supervision and abused mingi on multiple occasions." the lawyer turns to the jury.

"mingi's father did not give permission for his child to taken in. yet the he never once contacted the authorities or child services." after the lawyer stated his case he sat beside mingi.

"mr. song, you are accusing the defendants of kidnapping your son. is that correct?" the judge questioned.

his father answered smoothly. coldly.

"yes, your honor. they took him without my consent. he is still legally under my guardianship."

mingi flinched. yunho's thumb pressed gently against the side of his hand, grounding him.

"were you aware your son was staying with another family for several weeks?"

"i was not informed. i assumed he was staying with friends."

"and during that time, did you report him missing?"

a pause.

"no, your honor. i... assumed he would come back."

a beat of silence swept the courtroom. a few heads turned. hongjoong let out a breath that sounded too loud. jongho's jaw clenched.

then they began calling witnesses.

they first called seonghwa who was going to represent the group.

the defense attorney started, "seonghwa how long have you know mingi."

"i have know mingi since the beginning of the school year, we were both seniors and friends of friends so we gradually became friends and started to get close." hwa answered.