tagged | skz

eighteen

two months later,
day of verdict

the courtroom was loud. minji counted at least five news reporters with their huge camera crews. sooyun was sitting next to her at the plaintiff table, both of them looking around. some of their classmates were sitting nearby, looking at them and whispering to each other. minji knew by now that they weren't saying good things about them.

a couple months ago, minji and sooyun had been standing in this very courtroom for the first time for the first hearing. their lawyer, kim yuji, had been sitting with them when felix and his lawyer came into the room.

the judge had read out his charges followed by his rights. then the judge asked how he'd like to proceed. felix had looked over at the girls and given them a nasty smirk before looking back at the judge.

"your honor, my client would like to proceed with a long cause trial."

there was immediately some chatter and hushed whispers. minji's mouth had watered at the time and she felt like she was going to be sick. sooyun grabbed ahold of her hand and squeezed hard. the judge smacked his gavel down and the courtroom quieted down.

"very well. mr jung, prepare your client for trial," the judge had said then looked at the girls' lawyer. "mrs kim, you do the same. we'll meet here again in exactly a month."

it was in the news by the next hour and minji had to force herself not to look at the comments. when minji and sooyun had gotten to school the next morning, they were immediately harassed by a group of girls that had become felix's little fans, calling them attention seekers and liars.

a month later, the trial began and witnesses were called to the stand. minji and sooyun were both part of those witnesses. it was hard for them to talk about what had happened to them but they managed to get through it.

when felix took the stand and his lawyer started asking him questions, sooyun had picked up that his lawyer wasn't even asking any questions about what happened. he kept asking questions about minji's relationship with chan instead. it was clear that his lawyer was trying to make him look innocent.

then the girls' lawyer started asking him questions and things had gotten really intense really fast. with every question, felix would respond with an "i don't remember" and she would present evidence to "freshen up his memory". felix's lawyer kept trying to interrupt and say that she was harassing felix, but the judge had quickly shut that down.

within a couple weeks, all of the evidence was shown and all witnesses had taken the stand. even jeongin had taken the stand to explain how he found out about the zoo.

it had been a few days since the last hearing and they had just been waiting for what seemed like weeks. then their lawyer had called last night saying the jury had made a decision and to show up at the courthouse 8:30 am sharp. so that's where they were now.

the courtroom was getting fuller by the minute and minji looked over at the clock on the wall. it was 8:25 am.

"morning ladies," their lawyer said as she sat her briefcase and a takeout coffee onto the table. the girls bowed out of instinct and she waved them off. for the time they'd known her, she'd never been one for formalities. she'd even told the girls to call her by her first name.

"do you know what's gonna happen today?" sooyun asked and yuji shook her head. she picked up her coffee and took a long sip.

"i don't. unfortunately, i'm not given that information," yuji shifted her weight onto the other foot and placed her hand on her hip. "but i do think we have a really good chance here. if the jury finds him guilty, he won't be getting out for a long time."

"i really hope so," minji mumbled and sooyun was about to lean closer to comfort her when she noticed felix's lawyer sitting his briefcase down. she watched as a police officer escorted a handcuffed felix over to him. felix's eyes flicked over to her and he smirked.

sooyun narrowed her eyes at him before turning toward minji. "i just want this over with already," sooyun said. minji and yuji both nodded their heads at her.

the jury walked into the room at exactly 8:30 and everyone started taking their seats as well. the judge was the next to come in and sooyun noticed how quiet the room became. the judge sat down and smacked his gavel.

"the supreme court of south korea is now in session," he spoke loudly and clearly. minji could hear the sounds of the cameras flashing and her heart was beating hard. the judge looked at the girls, then at felix. then he looked down at his desk.

the whole courtroom listened as the judge read out the presentence report. then he looked at felix and his lawyer. "mr jung, do you wish to make any final arguments for your client?"

"i only have one thing to add, your honor," his lawyer said and sooyun noticed that there was a cocky grin on his face. "although my client is being charged with multiple counts, i would like to point out had miss kim not had an affair, he may not have done what he did."

"objection!" yuji gritted out. "your honor, we are talking about the actions of minors here." yuji turned to look at felix's lawyer. "you cannot just put the blame on miss kim for having an affair and not have mister lee take responsibility for his actions. a crime is a crime, mr jung."

mr jung glared at her but yuji just turned to look at the judge. "mr jung, if there's nothing left for you to add, mrs kim you or your clients may take the floor."

yuji looked at the girls and nodded at minji. minji nodded, swallowed, and stood up from her chair. "your honor, i would just like to say that i know it was wrong of me to cheat on felix and be dishonest about it. but i will not take responsibility for the things that felix has done to me, and to sooyun. i think i can speak for both of us when i say we will never be the same and will struggle to feel truly safe for a long time. thank you."

minji bowed deeply then sat back down. sooyun reached over and squeezed her hand. the judge nodded then looked at the jury. "i believe the jury has come to a decision," he said and one of the women in the front stood up.

"yes, your honor," she said. she stepped down from the jury box and walked over to the judge. she handed him a piece of paper then bowed before walking back to her seat.

the judge lifted the piece of paper up and read. "for the charges of blackmail, stalking, animal cruelty, arson, and first degree attempted murder, we find lee felix guilty."

minji had looked over at felix just as the smirk on his face faded. his lawyer did not look happy either and there was a lot of whispering throughout the courtroom. a woman was sitting behind felix and she was sobbing into her hands. only when she lifted her head did minji realize it was felix's mom.

the judge smacked the gavel down and the courtroom quieted down. "i'm sentencing mister lee felix to forty years without the chance of parole," he stated then continued. "bang chan and hwang hyunjin will serve twelve years without the chance of parole on the charges of animal abuse, arson, and aiding to mister lee felix's crimes."

the rest of the hearing was a blur to minji. all she could think about was how relieved she felt. she was sure sooyun felt the same. they could finally start feeling safe again. or at least minji hoped so.