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𝕿𝐇𝐄 𝕯𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐋'𝐒 𝕸𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒
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Song Ji Eun looked out through the window, lazy boredom writ across her face as she stared out at the city, it's lights bright against the night sky. She wasn't particularly happy that Yo Han wouldn't let her do the driving, but was satisfied with the second hand adrenaline rush as they sped through the streets of Seoul.
They were on their way to the Social Responsibility Foundation's event. Her face twisted with cold displeasure as they neared the venue, where the president of the nation himself was shouting himself hoarse of the achievements they've made and how well they handled the pandemic that wrecked havoc in the city, especially among the slums.
The event was attended by some of the most high ranking and wealthiest people in the entire country: Seo Jeong Hak, the Board Chairman of the Social Responsibility Foundation; Cha Gyeong Hui, the Minister of Justice; Min Yong Sik, the Head of Inbo Group; Park Du Man, the Chairman of Saram Media.
She quickly controlled her features, giving Yo Han a tight nod when he glanced at her inquisitively. They pulled up in front of the building, Ji Eun fixing a demure smile on her face as her colleague got out and opened her door, taking his outstretched hand. A silver cross hung from his right wrist, glinting in the lights as he placed her hand on his arm.
Neither of them were overly dressed. Yo Han wore a smart dinner jacket and slacks, a bow tie tied neatly in his collar and not a wrinkle in his neatly pressed shirt. Ji Eun, on the other hand, wore a crimson red suit, paired with a pair of black, needle pointed heels, her hair tied loosely and stylishly in a side braid. Red painted her lips and there was a glimmer in her eyes, not unlike that in her partner's.
Both of them stepped on the red carpet leading up to the podium, Ji Eun dropping her hand as she and Yo Han began to clap with a smile on their faces. Cameras flashed, making Ji Eun flinch ever so slightly but nobody noticed. Both of them shook hands with the president before taking the stage, or rather, Yo Han taking the stage with Ji Eun lingering behind him.
"Hello, I'm Kang Yo Han." He bowed to the crowd. Ji Eun reminded herself that this was being aired live and stepped forward, speaking softly into the mic, "Hello, I'm Kang Yo Han's partner and colleague, Song Ji Eun." She made her bow as well.
"Judge Kang," one of the reporters called, "what do you think of the controversy over the constitutionality of this type of trial?"
"What about the criticism that it's just an anti civil rights show?" Another reporter asked.
"Judge Kang and Judge Song are expected to be too punitive. We have a concern that you lack consideration towards the socially disadvantaged-"
"Who are the socially disadvantaged?" Yo Han interrupted, ignoring the sharp intake of breath by Ji Eun behind him.
"Pardon?" The reporter blinked.
"Which of the defendants we tried was socially disadvantaged?" He repeated.
"Umm, there was the juvenile offender tried by Judge Song, a homeless person and an impoverished mentally ill person that was tried by Judge Kang-"
"Who are the rapist of a classmate, happy-slapping thief and an outrageous murder," Ji Eun interrupted him coldly. "Socially disadvantaged?"
"Nevertheless, to some degree, they were socially disadvantaged-"
He was again interrupted by Yo Han, "They are just defendants. I have no interest in whether someone is advantaged or disadvantaged."
"So can you severely punish even the defendant in this live court show trial? Chairman Jo Il Do is notorious for his powerful connections." Another reporter piped up. "When the pressure comes down from that cloud-"
"We are the authority," Yo Han said firmly, clenching his fist and holding it up for sheer dramatics. Ji Eun barely managed to restrain herself from smiling and rolling her eyes.
"Us, us, us! We are the authority." Though he shouted, it was much more impactful and impressive than when the president had done it. People looked at each other, startled. But now, he had everyone's undivided attention.
He didn't say anything more, he didn't so much as look at her, but she knew it was her turn to speak. He shifted slightly as she took the mic.
"As delegated by the people who are the sovereign of this country, the Republic of Korea, we exercise our jurisdiction." Her voice was soft, but everyone heard her clearly. She surveyed the room coolly, eyes gleaming. "Who is above the people? The people, everyone, are the power."
The president smirked, but it went unnoticed. Having said her piece, Ji Eun bowed, Yo Han doing the same as he said, "We'll see you in court." They walked off the stage, clapping along with the audience. Both wore identical smiles, knowing they had done their jobs well.
"They're really good," the president told his wife, a little awed despite himself. His wife agreed.
Seon Ha took two glasses of champagne from the table, sauntering over to the Judge Kang, Ji Eun nowhere to be found. "Congratulations, our star judge." She held out a glass to him, which he took wordlessly, going back to surveying the room. Some of them raised their glasses in greeting, Yo Han doing the same to acknowledge them.
"Shall we have one as well?" Seon Ha asked, her voice sweet. Deceivingly sweet. Yo Han still didn't say anything, but tapped his glass against hers.
"To sexy power." She smiled.
Yo Han simply turned back to the room, raising the champagne to his lips as Ji Eun came to stand beside him once more, holding her own glass of champagne.
"And so the game begins," she muttered, taking a sip of the drink.
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Yo Han stood in front of the window wall that looked out into the city. Their office looked more like a library than an office but Yo Han and Ji Eun liked it that way. She was contemplating which book to pick, and hence was hidden from view when Kim Ga On, their secondary judge came in to greet them.
"Nice to meet you," he said formally, bowing. Ji Eun looked up with interest as Yo Han went over to him. She was about to make her presence known when she caught sight of Ga On's face. She took a sharp breath, staggering slightly.
"What's wrong?" Ga On asked Yo Han, still oblivious to Ji Eun's presence. The judge had been staring at his face with an unreadable expression on his face.
"It's nothing," he said lightly. He looked over at Ji Eun and beckoned her. Composing herself, she strode forward as he turned back to Ga On. "You said you were Judge Kim Ga On, correct?"
"Yes, please take good care of me." He made to bow, but Yo Han held out his hand.
"Welcome. For coming to the war zone." He smiled as Ji Eun came up beside him, extending her own hand with a friendly smile.
"Welcome, I'm Judge Song Ji Eun." Ga On couldn't help but smile back as he took her hand.
"Sorry about him, he tends to be dramatic." She gestured towards Yo Han, who had turned away and walked over to his desk after shaking Ga On's hand, or rather, squeezing it for a nanosecond.
"No, I don't." He glared at Ji Eun over his shoulder even as he stood facing away from them, hands in his pockets, clearly dismissing the boy.
Kim Ga On smiled slightly, but said nothing as he bowed to them before leaving. After he left, Yo Han opened the file on his desk, Ji Eun walking over to perch on the edge of his desk.
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that?" Yo Han said, not looking up from the article in the file. Ji Eun took no notice as she peered at it, noticing that it was about the suicide of a couple that had owned a restaurant, defrauded by a swindler.
"Are those his parents?" She asked. He nodded, pulling the article down to show her Ga On's personal record.
"When did you get that?" Ji Eun demanded.
"As soon as I heard he was assigned to the live court show," he replied calmly, not looking away from the photo on the record. "They look alike," he muttered. "More than I thought."
Ji Eun nodded in agreement as Yo Han turned back to the window wall.
"Dramatic asshole," she muttered under her breath.
"I heard that."
"Good."
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"Did you reconsider choosing JU Chemical's Chairman Ju Il Du's case first?" The Chief Justice asked.
"That case is the most suitable." Yo Han replied.
"There are plenty of simple and easy cases, why go through the hassle?"
"It's not complicated. We'll just go according to the law," Ji Eun assured him.
"The best law firms in South Korea will be called in to help." He pointed out.
"Of course."
"You know that trust in the judicial system fell to 10% right?"
Yo Han and Ji Eun smirked slightly. "Yes."
"Cases like this where the emotions of the public and the conclusion reached by the court can easily different are very difficult, so is there a need to do it so publicly-"
"Chief Justice," Ji Eun interrupted softly. "The Live Court show is not a kangaroo court."
The Chief Justice bristled at her words but she continued on. "It's just a transparent court. In front of all the citizens."
"We're satisfied with that," Yo Han said with a smile.
As they got up to leave, the Chief Justice asked, "You still haven't explained to me why you need Judge Song as Chief Judge as well. You know well enough, there is only one Chief Judge and two Associate Judges."
Yo Han looks over at Ji Eun, "It evens things out. Two men and two women, one of each in each position. Besides, not only is she capable of working with me," he placed his fingers gently under her chin, making her look up into his eyes, "she'd look stunning in black and white."
"Do you have a death wish? I am not a doll for you to dress up for your pleasure," She hissed once they left the office, glaring up at Yo Han fiercely.
"Did I offend you, darling?" He chuckled, unfazed even when she punched his shoulder.
"Don't. Call me. Darling."
"Why not, darling?" He teased, bending down mockingly to her height.
"If we weren't at work right now, I'd strangle you."
"You'd have to be able to reach my neck first." He purred, eyes gleaming as a smirk came over her face.
"That can be easily solved." She tried to kick him but he easily sidestepped, laughing at Ji Eun's annoyed grumbling.
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Kim Ga On was more than just shocked the gunshot sounded. The bullet went through the bus's windshield, barely missing the driver. He looked up to see Kang Yo Han holding one of the guard's gun, cocking it to shoot again, but Ji Eun beat him to it. Ga On didn't miss the smirk on her face, like she was... enjoying it?
Her shot missed again, but the bus driver turned the wheel haphazardly, barely missing Ga On and the girl as it turned over. When she lowered the gun, her face was expressionless, making him wonder if he had imagined it.
"The guns were provided in order to be used," Yo Han said sternly as he handed back the gun to the guard.
"I'm sorry, Judge."
Ga On's stare met Ji Eun's. She handed the gun back it's guard and walked over to him. Kneeling down in front of him, she gently took the girl from his arms.
"We should get her off the road. Unless you plan on sitting here all day?" She lifted the girl into her arms, standing up and waiting until Ga On got to his feet too.
A crack hit the air, Ga On whipping towards the bus. It was about to blow up. Before Ji Eun could stop him, he rushed to the vehicle. Deciding to take the child out of harm's way first, she rushed to the other side, handing her over to her teacher just as the bus burst into flames. She looked back in panic, before wiping her face of expression once she saw that Ga On was safe.
The next day, when Ga On stopped Yo Han in front of his office to thank him, he noticed that Ji Eun was missing.
"Thank you for saving me yesterday," he told him.
"Don't mention it." The judge made to enter his office but Ga On stopped him once more.
"You shot without hesitation. And so did Ji Eun."
Yo Han smirked to himself before turning to face Ga On. "Did we?"
"Were you thinking of killing the driver?" Ga On asked.
"If there was a need to."
"The need?"
"It was likely that the bus would have kept going straight ahead even if the driver had died instantly."
"So the two of you shot to make him turn the steering wheel instinctively." He realised. "So that he would be the only one to die if he crashed."
"Isn't that basic arithmetic? One is lesser than two." Ga On stared in disbelief before pulling himself together.
"Thanks to you two, I survived."
"You're welcome." Yo Han waved him off.
"I guess I shouldn't become the lesser number when you're involved, Chief."
"Don't do that then," was all he said before closing the door in his face..
"You have a really weird way of saying thank you." Ga On jumped, startled by the sudden appearance of his other Chief.
"Pardon?" He asked but Ji Eun didn't seem to hear him.
"You should go get ready," she said abruptly. "The Chief Justice wants to see us." Without so much as another glance at him, she entered the office, closing the door a lot more gently than Yo Han had.
"Chief Kang, regarding the preschool bus driver from yesterday, how about indicting him without detention for now and putting him through a trial later?"
"Why do you want to do so?" Judge Kang asked bluntly.
"Is there really a need to receive the public's attention over this shameful matter now? There's also the matter of what the two of you did yesterday as well. First impressions are important, don't you think?"
Yo Han chuckled while Ji Eun didn't seem to even be listening, too busy texting someone on her phone.
"Are you asking me to show compassion to a terrorist?" Yo Han asked.
"It's not about compassion, but about appearance. In that case, there's nothing bad about it."
Ji Eun looked up just in time to see Ga On's barely concealed displeasure in the conversation that was taking place.
"The noisier it gets, the more attention it'll garner. We're making noise marketing here. For a case like this, imprisoning him is the fair thing to do," Yo Han said coolly.
"Excuse me... may I say something?" Ga On finally spoke, acutely aware of the fact that Ji Eun had been watching him closely for quite a while now. "The three year old daughter of that bus driver is one of the dead victims of the JU Chemical accident. And her grandmother killed herself over the matter." Ji Eun tensed, her hands beginning to tremble ever so slightly. She hid it well enough that nobody noticed. Nobody except Yo Han.
"So?" He asked Ga On. To everyone else, it seemed cold hearted and unsympathetic, but Ji Eun knew, despite her slowly increasing instability, that he was provoking the boy on purpose.
"I'm a little concerned that rejecting Chairman Ju Il Do's arrest warrant while imprisoning the bus driver might not be fair." Anger burned in the younger male's eyes, despite the levelness and calm in his voice and manner.
"Judge Kim," Judge Oh said softly.
"Jo Il Do is a defendant whose trial is to decide whether he is guilty or not, while the bus driver was caught in the act. Don't you know that much?"
"Judge Kang," Ji Eun spoke for the first time, her voice as soft as Judge Oh's, except it held a warning. "That's enough."
Ga On, however, wasn't going down without a fight. "But shouldn't we take motive into consideration-"
"Do you think you obtain the right to harm others if you are a victim yourself?" Ji Eun snapped.
"That's not what I meant," he defended, "but he is injured, and-"
"There is a doctor in the detention centre too." Yo Han shut him down firmly. "Let's go by the rules," he said, turning back to the Chief Justice.
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"Are you alright?" Yo Han asked Ji Eun, who had been staring at her desk blankly for the past half hour since they got back from the meeting.
She nodded mutely, not so much as looking at him. Yo Han didn't like it when she got like this. He didn't like it when she pushed him out, despite having done it many times himself.
"Did I mention how stunning you look in that outfit?" He purred, leaning on her table, eyes glinting. Come on, they insisted, no trace of the cold cruelness that usually resides in them. Play with me. Say something, smile, smirk, anything.
Ji Eun slowly looked down at what she was wearing. "Yo Han," she said, voice shaking a little with amusement despite herself.
"Mm?" He smiled.
"I'm wearing a button up shirt and slacks, like I always do." She pointed out, her eyes regaining their gleam.
"I know." His smile widened. The smile he had only ever worn for his brother and niece. And his best friend who now returned his smile faintly.
It was strange, really, their relationship. They were best friends, have been since middle school, but both knew they were more than that to each other. And both were a little afraid to touch the subject. It hung between them, obvious to both. Fleeting kisses on cheeks or foreheads, rare hugs when one of them had a nightmare, little displays of affection when no one was looking. But nothing was official. But everyone knew, for it was obvious, that despite Ji Eun's sweeter disposition, she was a lot like Kang Yo Han. From the way her lips curled up in the same devilish smirk, the dangerous glimmer in her eyes to the way she knew exactly how his mind worked.
Now, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead, taking her hand in his, providing such comfort that no one would believe him capable of. But Ji Eun knew him better than anyone, she knew him better than himself. Both have been through terrible things, both have done terrible things for vengeance... but they've been through it all together. And the bond borne of such circumstances is not one that is easily broken and neither is it an ordinary one.
"You can go home and rest if you like," he murmured.
"I can handle it, Yo Han. I'm the Devil's Mistress remember?" She smirked.
For that was indeed her title. Kang Yo Han was the Devil Judge, unforgiving, unrelenting in dealing justice and Song Ji Eun was the his Mistress, who was his only equal.
"That, you are, darling." His eyes glinted darkly as he returned her smirk, raising her hand to his lips.