Dear Lawyer | Jikook ff

11 - Evidence (ii)

Jungkook paused for a moment, then looked up and added,

"Or rather, which side do you want to believe?"

The words sounded oddly familiar, stirring a sudden wave of nostalgia in Jimin.

It was from a lecture many years ago—not at Maze University, but at another well-established university on another planet, a two-day shuttle ride from De carma. Jimin had taken several professors from the law faculty there to give talks.

As for whether law students would attend, that was entirely up to them. Those interested could register at the faculty, and the school would form a travel group to go together.

The lecture was open to all, with no restrictions on the audience. People from various systems and planets came—men, women, the elderly, and children. The large auditorium was packed to the brim.

Most of the professors gave excellent talks, informative yet humorous. Only one elderly professor suffered from the climate change and fell ill—his energy was low, and his speech was slow.

It happened to be a spring afternoon, and with so many people in the hall, drowsiness spread like a wave. By the time the old professor finished his lecture, the entire auditorium had dozed off, except for the first two rows, who were struggling to keep their eyes open.

Jimin was the final speaker—lucky him, scheduled right after that elderly professor.

He placed both hands on the podium, glanced at the sea of drowsy heads, and chuckled to himself. A flourishing era, indeed.

But he never had the habit of forcing people to listen to long speeches. He didn't mind the sleepy crowd in the least. In fact, he even joked to a student near the front who was nodding off, "I haven't said a single word yet, and you've nodded at me twelve times already."

That sparked laughter from the students nearby, instantly waking some of them up.

Among them, there was one student who didn't laugh. He just lifted his eyelids and cast a glance at those who had fallen asleep. Half his body sat in a beam of spring sunlight, yet he still looked cool and detached—like mint soaking in a glass cup.

He stood out sharply from the crowd.

After glancing around, he calmly turned his eyes back to the stage—and met Jimin's gaze.

At the time, Professor Park wasn't particularly focused on any one student. He simply smiled with crescent eyes and began his lecture.

By the time he started discussing the first case, most of the audience had woken up. Coincidentally, the first student to raise a hand to ask a question was sitting right next to that mint-like figure.

"Professor, in a case like this, when the defendant's statement and the prosecution's evidence completely contradict each other, who should we believe?"

Jimin's lips curled with a faint smile.

"Which side do you want to believe?" he asked.

The girl opened her mouth. At first, it seemed like an easy question. But after a moment's hesitation, she grew conflicted and finally shook her head.

"I... I don't know."

When students first chose to enter law school, most did so with a desire to uphold justice.

Wanting to believe the defendant meant having to question the legitimacy of the prosecution. And if even institutions like the police or prosecutors—symbols of justice—were seen to fabricate lies, it would be deeply disheartening.