Trouble With the Truth

1

Beautiful

adjective
having beauty; possessing qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind: a beautiful dress; a beautiful speech.
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Veritie sighed, eyeing the exceptionally large stack of papers on her desk. Her coworker, Seong-Kim, put his lanky legs across his desk, watching her slumped and tired form. "Shouldn't have missed those two days, Ver," he said, glancing at the overwhelming pile. She huffed, reluctantly grabbing the top file and glaring at Seong-Kim. "I don't get the flu on purpose." He raised his arms in fake surrender, turning his attention back to his own work.
Min Sung-Ki
Twenty-three year old male. Korean. Born in Daegu. Resides in Seoul. Accused of first degree murder. Witnesses saw him shoot a cashier in a gas station and then shoot up a nearby restaurant. Firearm was found in Imjin River. (A4 Magnum.) Fingerprints were not found. Sung-Ki pleaded innocent. Was taken into custody on November 25th, 2017.
Otherwise clean record. Expected 25 years in prison.
Prosecutor: Veritie Creed of the Seoul Counsel in Criminal Cases.

A picture of Sung-Ki was on the first page and Veritie cocked her head to the side. He didn't look like a criminal, although they rarely did. With his black shaggy hair, scar on his neck, and thick eyebrows, he almost looked sinister. But his eyes were kind, and his lips were pulled in a sweet smile.
Pages went on, describing his insurance and then, at the very bottom, Veritie read:
Defense attorney: Kim Soo-Jung.
"Ugh, why me?" she whined, dramatically weeping. Seong-Kim looked up, a smile tugging at his lips. "The DA is Soo-Jung, isn't it?"
"Yes! I'm sick of her. She acts like every time she gets my defendant acquitted she can just rule the whole unit." He laughed, his head tilted to the ceiling.
"She's not that bad," he stated, raising a dark eyebrow at her. She grabbed her tissue box and tossed it across her desk at him. It hit him right between the eyes and he fell back. "Ouch! What the heck, Ver?" It was her turn to laugh and she did so, tears spilling from the corners of her eyes in amusement.
Seong-Kim picked up his stapler, shaking it and watching her. Veritie violently shook her hands. "The stapler is too much! I'm sorry, Seong-Kim! I won't abuse you anymore!"
He seemed pleased enough and, with slight reluctance, set down the dark green stapler. He quickly held up a finger. "But, you must take me to that Italian restaurant tonight."
"Matriarch? Why?"
"Isn't that the place that's full of just women? That's reason enough."
Veritie rolled her eyes, tempted to launch something else at him. "Fine, whatever. We'll go tonight. I'll pick you up at," she looked at her watch, "7:30." He let out a dramatic, feminine squeal and it took all of her willpower not to grin.
A sudden banging on their office door startled them both. "I hear too much chit-chat. Get to work," the pompous voice of Kim Soo-Jung announced. Veritie gave Seong-Kim a long look. "Okay, okay. She's kind of annoying."
He leaned back in his chair, eyes closing. Veritie cleared her throat and he shot up, wide-eyed and awake.
She glanced at his desk in jealousy. It was empty of papers, and the stuff that was on his desk was neat and orderly. She looked at her own desk, files strewn across its surface, two coffee cups sitting precariously on the edge, forming dark rings on the light wood. Three sticky notes were attached to her purple pencil holder, reminding her of miscellaneous things. She even blushed at the lack of color coordination. Purples, greens, yellows, and browns glazed her desk, while the strict greens and whites of Seong-Kim's desk matched the cream colored walls.
He noticed her scrutiny and once again, a smile spread across his sharp features, the dimples in his cheeks appearing. His dark brown eyes lazily crawled to behind her, looking out the large window. "It's finally getting dark. Thought this day would never end."
Veritie turned around in her black swivel chair to gaze out the same window. Their view was beautiful. Since the district attorneys' office was sat at the top of a hill, and with their office in the back of the building, they had a view of the Aleumdaun Lake. It was named well, 'aleumdaun' translating to 'beautiful'. It was very small, the opposite side easily seen, but it made up for its meager size. The water was normally a translucent, deep sky blue, but with the sun fading, it now reflected the pinks and yellows of the resting sky.
She found herself watching it for a while. It was entrancing. The small ripples of fish, the glitches of the sky on its surface.
A presence behind her made her rip her gaze away. Seong-Kim stood there, looking over her shoulder.
"I've always held that lake in high regards. It's actually a nice reminder for me that life is beautiful. I'm stuck in an office, but that lake still shimmers. There's always positivity."
Veritie stayed silent, soaking in his words. They were true. So true. She turned her chair back around, once again watching the lake. The sun had dipped lower behind the horizon, reminding her that work was over and she had to get ready to go out with Seong-Kim.
"Matriarch tonight, remember?" She looked up at him, eyebrows raising. He snapped out of his trance, violently nodding. "Certainly!" He straightened his tie, walked over to his desk, retrieved his coat, and left. Veritie stood up, the odd silence unnerving her. After her things were collected, she left the room too, giving one last look to the lake.