Black & White [COMPLETED]

Epilogue

"How does it feel like to be free?"

I laughed. "Free? I've heard that word so many times this past year, but it's still crazy to believe that I went through so much."

The journalist made notes as we spoke. She looked back up at me to ask another round of questions.

"You used to know Junsu before all of this happened, right?"

"That's right," I said, "We didn't exactly have the best first impression of each other."

"How so?"

"Long story short, we got robbed a few years ago by him and his father."

"Do you mind sharing the longer version of that story?"

I told the robbery story to the journalist. I took on this final interview as an attempt at closure. The trial wasn't exactly the closure I needed. On the contrary, it ended up reopening wounds that I thought were finally starting to heal. Although it's been many months since the trial, I was still struggling once in a while with everyday activities. Even the most mundane things such as going to the bathroom was hard for me.

"I'm so sorry for the loss of your mother," the journalist said.

"It's okay, it's been a while," I said, glancing down at my hands which were cupped around a mug filled with tea, "At first, I didn't take Mom's death well, as you can imagine. I locked myself up in my room for months. My father decided it would be a good idea for us to move. He figured this could help us start over, because when Mom died it felt like everything came to a stop. So we moved."

"What happened after you moved?"

"That was when I got reunited when Junsu."

"How did you feel?"

"I thought I was never going to see him again," I admitted, "It was not... a pleasant sight to see that he was my new classmate. He tried scaring me back to my hometown, probably so that I wouldn't talk again, but I didn't go anywhere. I didn't want Dad to worry, so I didn't tell him about the things that I was going through at school. I wish I had. I should have trusted him more."

I continued by telling the journalist about how my fear for Junsu grew into love, and what led to my kidnapping. I told her every single detail about what Junsu did to me, including Jiho's betrayal. It was far too late now to worry about Jiho's safety.

When I was finally done with my story, I took a deep breath. The journalist smiled at me.

"How did you feel when that hospital door got opened and you saw the person standing at the door?" she asked me.

I grinned. "Of course, I was thrilled! It was my dad! I thought he was gone, but he was still alive. I couldn't believe it. It was such an emotional reunion. Dad has helped me through a lot. I should have relied on him much more than I did in the past. But ever since his return, I made sure to change my approach towards my dad. We're closer now than ever."

"I remember being at the trial last month. That must have been nerve-racking."

"It was... one of the worst days of my life," I said, looking down at the recorder that was placed on the table, "I wanted Junsu to be convicted of his crimes. To think I was so close to a serial killer and wasn't aware of it... At first everything was so confusing to me. I wanted to try and understand what went through his mind. I wanted to accept who he was. But you reach a certain point where you can't keep being blind to his actions anymore. Reality truly settled in when I was sexually molested by him, but Dad's disappearance also had a huge impact on me. You see, teens like us, we just want to fall in love and have a good time. I wasn't like that. I wasn't searching for love. It just happened. I hate myself for that."

"Do you still have feelings for him?" the journalist asked me curiously.

I smiled. "No, not anymore."

I could remember clearly when I saw Junsu again on the day of the trial. He looked like a completely different person. His voice, his eyes, everything about him became cold and emotionless. He had no remorse at all for murdering so many people, let alone for my kidnapping. Aside from the three people I knew of that he had killed, there were more people that he killed because of the gang he was in. Whenever he spoke, everything sounded logical for him. He must have thought there would be someone there who would understand him. But the chilling, cold-blooded aura he emitted made it impossible for anyone to understand him. And that crazy, cocky smirk of his...

The worst part of the trial was having him stare at me the entire time we were there. I tried ignoring him, but it made me feel incredibly uncomfortable. Despite his attorney visibly telling Junsu to stop looking at me, he ignored his warnings and did so anyway. Imagining what might have gone through his head made me sick to my stomach.

Jiho also testified in court. Junsu's eyes shot daggers at Jiho as soon as he showed up in court. It seemed he hadn't expected his best friend to be his downfall. The truth was that if it hadn't been for Jiho, I would have never found Dad again. I was grateful for that. He still got sentenced to six years in prison, but it was nothing compared to Junsu who received the death sentence. I remember crying when I heard the final sentence, but Dad held me tightly in his arms. His warmth and soothing voice reminded me that this was how it was supposed to be in the end. His crimes couldn't go unpunished.

Apparently he was placed in a prison that was nowhere near Jiho's for Jiho's safety. But oddly enough a few days later Jiho was found dead in his prison cell. They ruled it out as suicide, but in my heart, I knew that Junsu had something to do with it... But the truth of Jiho's death was never revealed.