A/N:
•A really long chapter, so some of you might feel bored.
•A very important chapter.
•Italic- Flashbacks.
♡
❝𝑊𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑢𝑠?❞
~•~
December 31st, 2016.
10:30 p.m.
LAST DAY OF HEARING;
Taehyung stood in the grand, majestic courtroom, his eyes fixed firmly on the judge. The silence felt tangible. Memories flooded back, as vivid as if they had happened moments ago, tearing at his very soul.
His voice was raw with emotion as he recounted the tragedy that had forever changed his life.
"My husband, Jungkook..." Taehyung folded his lips in,
"...and I were on the Iseul ferry that day," he began with a dense sigh. "We were travelling to Jeju Island for our much-anticipated destination wedding, filled with the hopes and promises that only our love could bring.
But that hope and promise were cruelly... snatched away from us in one fell swoop."
Taehyung paused, his breath caught in his throat, "Then, everything changed. In an instant, everything had changed," he pressed a smile, a particularly shammed smile.
"The ferry began to tilt, chaos ensued, and before I knew it, I had lost Jungkook, my then fiance."
Taehyung's voice grew hoarse, his body trembling as he recalled the terror that had consumed him. "I searched for him frantically, calling his name, but he was nowhere to be found. I tried to stay calm, but the knowledge that our lives were in grave danger was overpowering. I knew I had to find a way off the sinking ship before it was too late...but despite what I thought, we were, we were too late..."
Taehyung's hands clenched into fists enveloping the wooden barricade, his eyes shut tight as he revealed the most painful moment of all. "Jungkook had been too worried about me, to the point he robbed a bloke off of his life jacket to give it to me," a solitary nonetheless warm tear escapes the confinement, "I know. I know that was not what he should have done. That he deserved to be punished, to be held accountable because of his actions...but at least not in this way."
Taehyung allowed his tears to fall freely down his face,
"No matter how self absorbed Jungkook appeared to be, he was not heartless, he just always knew his priorities. And he would never ever compromise with what he chose to be best for him, with anything, anything at all...maybe Soojin is the consequence of some of the rarest acts of kindness he had done earlier," his breathing ragged with overwhelm.
"I know that I still haven't found Jungkook's body, but I refuse to believe that he is gone," he said, his voice filled with a fierce determination. "Right now, standing here, I refuse to give any clarification or justification about why I consider myself married to someone whose whereabouts are unknown. If anyone deems me mad, so be it, I am mad in your eyes, but at the end only I know what I really am.
I refuse to accept that Jungkook has been taken from me. And I will not rest until justice has been served for all the lives lost on that Iseul ferry."
Taehyung's words echoed through the courtroom, and everyone present was profoundly moved by his story. His love for Jungkook, his strength in the face of an unimaginable grief, and his unwavering determination to fight for justice for everyone impacted by the tragedy was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
"I would only beg everyone to follow one thing, don't see it as any unsolicited advice, but rather a pleading. Whatever anyone might say, please, please believe in your instincts, after all they are not there for no reason..."
And so as the trial continued,
Taehyung concluded his impassioned speech, the hush of a profound stillness descending upon the courtroom, punctuated only by the quiet sound of unvoiced emotional pain. Many individuals seated there are moved to tears, some sorrowing without reserve.
"Thank you, Jeon Taehyung," advocate Ji Yoon rose from her seat.
"Advocate Ji Yoon, may I please leave the court for a while? If you remembered, we have talked about this before. Sub-Inspector Kang would be accompanying me," Taehyung let know.
"Sure. You may now take your time," she then returned to the jury,
"Your Honor, I humbly request the presence of Yumi for the purposes of testifying on behalf of our case."
The young woman, scarcely more than eighteen, stepped forward, her eyes heavy and bloodshot from tears- for a moment, she stood silently, breathing deeply, before giving voice to her story.
Yumi and Sehyuk had been best friends for years, and their bond was unbreakable. They clung to each other, their bodies battered by the violent waves that broke inside the vessel- their eyes locked in a gaze that spoke not only of the fear and desperation of the moment, but of the deep bond forged by a lifetime of friendship.
Trapped in the depths of the ferry, Sehyuk and Yumi both knew that their chances of survival were slim. But still they held onto a hope that this was not the end...
"Sehyuk, we have to find a way out of here. We can't just wait for someone to rescue us!" Yumi cried, desperation lacing her words.
"I know, Yumi, but the water is too strong. It's impossible to get up those stairs," Sehyuk replied with an understanding defeat.
They knew that they were slowly running out of time- Yumi could not bear the thought of losing her best friend.
"I can't leave you here, Sehyuk," Yumi said, her voice trembling. "We have to find a way out of here, together."
"We will, Yumi. We have each other, and that's all that matters," Sehyuk reassured her, his voice dissipating.
But the ruthless water continued to rise, their conversation becoming more urgent.
"It's getting worse, Sehyuk. We have to find a way out, now!" Yumi shouted, in a state of panic.
For a moment, they were silent, just holding onto each other as the water rose around them. Then, Sehyuk spoke again.
"Yumi, I want you to know that you are the best friend anyone could ever ask for. I'm so grateful for the time we had together."
"Sehyuk..."
In the final moments, Yumi whispered, "I- I'm scared, Sehyuk."
But Sehyuk squeezed her hand tightly and replied, "Me too. But we're not alone. We have each other."
And then, as the water closed over their heads, they both closed their eyes and whispered their final goodbyes.
Ji Yoon traipsed towards Yumi, placing a comforting hand upon her shoulder in solace.
"Your bravery in standing up, Yumi, and stepping forward to give your account is a truly invaluable contribution to our quest for justice. Sehyuk and the victims of this tragedy deserve nothing less."
Between sobs and shudders, Yumi slowly began to break down, her loss and pain felt by all present.
~
Advocate Ji Yoon rose from her chair again, addressing the court with a firm, serious expression carved from her face. Her words cut through the tense atmosphere like a dagger hanging freely, her voice rich with gravitas and meaning-
"Your Honor, we have heard a story of immense sadness and devastation from Yumi about the Iseul ferry disaster.
But there is one more survivor whose story needs be told. This individual witnessed the rescue effort from the viewpoint of the rescue boat, a tale that is imperative to share as it sheds light on the chaos and confusion that surrounded the rescue operation."
At her command, a young braided woman nervously entered the courtroom, her eyes still weary, face twisted with an anguish unexplainable.
She made her way to the stand, her hands clutched tightly at her sides as she recounted her first-hand experiences on the rescue boat.
"I was there, Your Honor. I saw the passengers as they clung to the sinking ferry, vividly aware of the sheer sense of desperation emanating from each and every one of them. But it was what happened next that was truly horrific..."
"My friend was there too, clinging to a lifebuoy and calling out for help. She was waving her arms in a frenzied motion, shouting at the team to save her. But for some reason, they did not hear her, purposefully they did not hear. They just ignored her, or worse yet, they gave her nonsensical excuses as to why they couldn't help her," an enraged aura emancipated.
The crowded courtroom hung in uncomfortable silence as the young woman's words rang out, each syllable laden with grief and tragedy.
"Please, tell us more. What happened next?" Ji Yoon implored the witness gently.
The young woman drew in a deep breath to steady her nerves, her voice shaky and raw with emotion.
The sun was setting on the horizon, casting an orange glow over the rough waves of the ocean. The group of survivors from the capsized ship huddled together on the rescue boat, desperately clutching onto their last shred of hope. But their chances of making it out alive were dwindling by the second, and they could feel all around in the air.
Suddenly, a cry rang out from one of the survivors. "Please, you have to rescue my friend!" The woman's voice was filled with desperation and fear.
The boatmen shook their heads, their eyes hard and unyielding. "There's no more room on the boat," they insisted. "We've taken on as many survivors as we safely can."
"But my friend is injured!" the woman wailed. "She needs medical attention!"
"We're sorry," the boatmen repeated, their faces unmoved by her pleas. "We can't take any more non-essential persons on board."
"N- non essential?"
The survivors watched helplessly as the boat pulled away from them, leaving them floating in the middle of the ocean. Their hope fading, they began to despair. They had already faced near-death experiences, only to be betrayed by their fellow humans once again.
As they looked out to sea, they saw the volunteers who had boarded the boat only moments ago, chatting and laughing amongst themselves.
"How can they just leave us here, stranded in the middle of the ocean like this?" whispered one survivor to another.
"It's not fair," replied the other. "We've been through so much already, and now we're being abandoned."
The sophomore Lee Kang-Bin, who had been quietly observing the situation, spoke up in a soothing voice. "I understand your anger and frustration. But it's important to remember that the volunteers are risking their lives to help others, just like you."
The survivors turned on Kang-Bin, their resentment discernible. "How can you defend them?" one shouted. "They don't even need rescuing! They're just here for the glory!"
Kang-Bin's calm and sensible tone only seemed to fuel their emotions- The survivors seethed with bitterness as the boat pulled further and further away from them, leaving them alone in the ocean to face whatever fate had in store for them.
In the end, however, the survivors were left to face their destiny alone. The volunteers had been rescued, leaving the trapped students inside to be sacrificed, but the survivors' anger and despair lingered, fueling their journey towards a bleak and uncertain future. It was a stark reminder of the cruelty of human nature in extreme situations, and the bitterness and resentment that it had engendered.
~
As the witness finished her testimony, Ji Yoon's learned friend rose to object.
"Your honour, with all due respect, I object to the line of questioning by the defence counsel. The witness's testimony is irrelevant and does not pertain to the charges against my client," he argued.
The judge looked at him with a stern expression, "Objection overruled."
After the judge had ruled in favour of the prosecution, Ji Yoon felt a flicker of hope in her chest. The witness's testimony was crucial in shedding light on the chaotic and devastating events of the Iseul ferry disaster, but she knew it would take more to hold the Captain accountable for his actions.
Turning to her own witness box, she called for the next grieving father to the stand. The man is hunched over, shoulders trembling with silent tears. Ji Yoon took a deep breath, her heart heavy with sympathy for the man's loss, as she approached the stand to begin questioning.
"Sir, can you tell us your name and your relationship to the victim?" Ji Yoon asks gently.
The man looked up at her, his eyes red and rimmed with a puff outline.
"My name is Lee Sang Chul, and my son, Sang Wook, was on board the Iseul ferry that day.
He never made it out alive..."
The courtroom fell silent.
"Mr. Lee, can you please recount the last time you spoke to your son before he boarded the ferry?"
His voice was shaking. "It- it was early in the morning. Sang Wook was too excited to be going on the first school trip of his life, and I remember telling him to be safe and to call me as soon as he arrived there."
Ji Yoon's expression curbed to be sympathetic. "And did you receive a call?"
The man shook his head,
"No. I didn't. I waited and waited, but he never called. And then I saw the news about the ferry sinking, and I knew..."
His voice trailed off,
"They lied to us..."
"Lied? Can you please tell us how?"
The parents sat on the bus in silence, their eyes glued to the TV screen as they waited for the latest news on the Iseul ferry disaster, the air contaminated with tension- as everyone feared the worst.
Suddenly, a newscaster's voice filled the air, announcing that all the students had been rescued, were safe and alive. The parents breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Howbeit, when the news report went on, the parents began to notice something strange; The images that were being shown did not match with what the newscaster was accounting for. They saw desperate families sobbing and wailing, and frantic rescuers pulling lifeless bodies out of the water.
"What's going on?" asked one of the mothers, her voice shaking with fear. "The newscaster said all the students were safe, but look at what's happening on the screen!"
The other parents murmured in agreement as they watched in horror at the discrepancies between the newscaster's words and what they were witnessing. They felt their hope for a happy ending slipping away, replaced instead by suspicion and confusion, and injustice...
~
Advocate Ji Yoon finished her speech, the courtroom was silent once again, save for the sound of Judge Kim shuffling papers on his desk- short lasting by a loud, clear objection from the other side of the courtroom.
"Objection, Your Honor!"
Ji Yoon's opponent, advocate Han Chulseok rose from his chair with an air of haughty authority, his voice ringing out with a measured, controlled tone.
"Advocate Ji Yoon's statement is accusatory and unfair. She has offered no concrete evidence to support her claims, and yet she expects the court to take her word as gospel. It is highly inappropriate and unfair to suggest wrongdoing on the part of the rescue team without any proof."
Chulseok continued to speak, his words advancing to be more and more forceful, his tone bordering on the aggressive.
"Furthermore, it is important to note that the situation on the rescue boat was chaotic and rapidly evolving, with multiple lives in peril. The rescue team was doing everything in their power to save as many lives as possible, and to focus on one individual to the exclusion of others would be a dereliction of their duty."
He paused for a moment, then took a deep breath before continuing.
"To imply that the rescue team was negligent or indifferent towards any individual is not only disrespectful, but also deeply unfair. Advocate Ji Yoon's accusations are unfounded and must not be given any further credence by this court."
As he concluded his objection, Chulseok settled back into his chair with a self-satisfied smirk, confident that he had made his point effectively.
The courtroom was once again- Judge Kim weighed the words of both advocates carefully. For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was the ticking of the clock on the wall.
Finally, with a slow, measured voice, Judge Kim spoke, his words penetrating and domineering the atmosphere,
"I will accept the objection. Advocate Ji Yoon, please focus your arguments more specifically and provide concrete evidence to support your claims. We must be fair to all parties involved in this tragedy."
Ji Yoon stood up from her seat, her voice strong and unwavering as she began her response.
"Your Honor, the accusation of wrong-doing is not unfounded. The evidence we have presented, the witness testimonies, the CCTV footage from the exact time of the incident and that recorded communication between the rescue team members themselves point to a grave act of negligence."
She paused momentarily to gather her thoughts.
"As Advocate Chulseok pointed out, the situation on the rescue boat was indeed chaotic and rapidly evolving, and it is precisely because of this that the rescue team had a heightened responsibility to ensure the safety of all the individuals on board of Iseul-Ho.
Instead, their actions resulted in the death of many individuals, who were trapped and left to drown while the team focused on filming and snapping pictures of the scenario, to air that how much they were sparing efforts to rescue the passengers."
Ji Yoon took a deep breath before continuing.
"The rescue team had a duty of care toward every individual on that boat, not just the ones who had a better chance of survival.
They could have taken measures to prioritise students' rescue above their own since that was what they were initially there for, such as using equipment like a diving mask and snorkel, which was readily available on the boat. Instead, they chose to abandon them and leave to die."
"Furthermore, the recorded communication between the team members themselves reveal their callous disregard towards all the on boarders.
Their flippant remarks about students' lives being 'not worth' risking their own lives for, is not only insensitive but also a direct violation of their duty of care."
Ji Yoon's voice grew louder and more forceful as she spoke.
"The rescue team was not doing 'everything in their power to save as many lives as possible,' they were selectively prioritizing certain individuals over others based on their own subjective assumptions of who had a better chance of survival. This is not only unethical but also dangerous, as it sets a dangerous precedent for future rescue missions."
"To brush aside these accusations as mere lack of evidence is to deny justice for all the lives lost aboard Iseul that day, and to ignore the systemic issues within the rescue operation that need to be addressed."
Ji Yoon finished her argument with a confident and unwavering tone, holding the courtroom spellbound with her powerful words.
~
"To reinforce my claims, I would like to invite Mr. Lee Gyun Hanjoo, a local fisherman who had faced a lot of criticism for apparently no reason.
Ji Yoon called upon the next witness on her list- the said fisherman who was out at sea during the time of the fatal drowning. The fisherman, Mr. Lee, took the witness stand while Ji Yoon ran by a series of questions.
"Mr. Lee, can you walk us through what you saw on the noon of that incident?"
"I was out fishing when I saw a large boat capsized in the distance. I immediately steered my boat towards the scene," Mr. Lee responded, ruefully, innocently...
"And what did you observe once you got closer?" Ji Yoon questioned.
"A huge ferry, the renowned Iseul ferry, with people aboard were in the water, struggling to stay afloat. It was partially upside down, cargo was being scattering in the Yellow Sea, numerous individuals clinging to it," Mr. Lee explained.
"And what did you see the people from the rescue team doing?" Ji Yoon asked, her voice steady.
"They were doing anything but trying to save the trapped people, any of them. I saw none of them using any of their their convenient equipments," Mr. Lee replied.
Ji Yoon forged a simper- an undesirable.
"Mr. Lee, is there anything else that you noticed during the rescue operation?" Ji Yoon inquired. "Please share with us."
Mr. Lee hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Well, yes. I did notice that most of the people on the boats were holding cameras and filming the incident.
They seemed more invested in capturing the moment than actively aiding with the rescue."
Ji Yoon leaned closer to the witness stand, her eyes locking with Mr. Lee's, she tilted her head,
"Can you please elaborate on that, Mr. Lee? What exactly did you see?"
"I saw a few individuals on one of the boats with cameras, recording the scene. They were not actively engaging in the rescue effort and were even obstructing a few feet of space that could be used to save someone. It did not seem right to me," Mr. Lee explained.
Ji Yoon leaned back with a compensating nod.
"No further questions, Your Honor."
The judge looked at Chulseok knowingly before turning back to Ji Yoon.
"Well then, Chulseok, would you like to cross-examine the witness?"
Chulseok took a moment to gather his thoughts before stepping forward.
"Mr. Lee, did you see if anyone from the rescue team was also holding cameras?" Chulseok asked.
Mr. Lee paused for a moment before responding.
"Yes, I did see. Barely anyone was properly focused on the rescue operation," Mr. Lee reported.
Chulseok rubbed his back absurdly, an obvious defeat.
"Thank you, Mr. Lee. No further questions."
Ji Yoon raised her hand, asking for a rebuttal.
"Your Honor, I would like to ask Mr. Lee one more question if I may?"
The judge nodded his head, indicating that Ji Yoon could proceed.
"Mr. Lee, did you witness any of the rescue team members prioritizing certain individuals over others?" Ji Yoon inquired.
"Uh- I am not sure...they were barely doing anything in the first place, excluding some of them, they were all making merry about the situation...I had go interfere and save as many as I could..."
Ji Yoon daubed her barren lips, and parched throats by swallowing, "Please tell us more about it."
The sun was blazing down on the water, as a fisherman named Lee Gyun Hanjoo, who was out for his usual catch, witnessed a scene of horror unfold before him. The Iseul ferry was sinking, and the staff on board refused any help from nearby cruise ships, even the ones coming from Japan and the USA. Kim's hands trembled on the oar as he gazed in disbelief- He had to do something.
Lee knew he did not have long to help, so he rowed as fast as he could to reach the ferry. When he arrived, he saw students standing on top of the boat, screaming and crying for help. They threw their phones in the direction of Lee, pleading him to call their parents. He could hear their fear, their anguish that coursed through their voices.
Lee did not hesitate, he used his fishing net to climb up the side of the boat to reach the panicked students. But instead of being welcomed, he was met by furious Iseul staff who demanded him to step back.
"What are you doing?" yelled Lee, his voice filled with disbelief and anger. "You're going to let all these students die?"
"We are handling the situation," replied one of the staff with an icy voice. "We don't need your help."
"But, they need help! They're dying! You bastards!!" Lee cried out, gesturing to the terrified students who were clinging onto him for dear life.
"We don't need your help," repeated the Iseul staff member, his tone growing more menacing with each word. "You're just getting in the way."
Lee grew more and more outraged as he witnessed the unwillingness of the Iseul staff members to help the students. He could not sit back and allow this disaster to claim any more lives than what already had been.
He pushed the staff members aside and grabbed more students into his holding net, pulling them towards safety.
"How could you be so heartless?" Lee shouted, his eyes blazing with fury. "These students need our help, and you're just standing there doing nothing!"
The staff members kept obstructing him, but Lee didn't back down. He continued to grab the students from the ferry one by one, pulling them towards his boat to keep them safe.
"You're risking their lives even further!" he shouted. "All of you should be ashamed of yourselves, jerks!"
As the Iseul ferry sank further into the abyss of a dark swirling water, and more students clung on to Lee's net, he rowed back to the shore as fast as he could, determined to save as many lives as possible. As he looked back to the ferry and saw the Iseul staff stepping into lifeboats and abandoning the ship, his bitterness and fury grew more and more profound.
As he sank down on the shore with the rescued survivors, Lee couldn't shake off the anger and sense of betrayal that haunted him long after the disaster had ended, and it had been already two years...
~
"The Iseul, a ferry that capsized and sank on, was carrying more passengers and cargo than it was designed to hold, ultimately causing the lose of 304 innocent lives.
Iseul-Ho was carrying more than three times its recommended cargo limit, which caused it to become unstable and difficult to control," The professional demeanour allured Ji Yoon,
"On top of that, the cargo was not evenly distributed, and heavy weighted objects were placed on the upper deck, further destabilising the ship. The ship had also undergone major structural modifications which were illegal, that decreased its stability, including the addition of an upper deck," She flipped through the pages of a black leather bound folder,
"The ferry had also undergone numerous unauthorised renovations that affected its stability, including the addition of passenger cabins and modifications to the ballast tank system."
Ji Yoon swapped through one more page of the documents, "Iseul had not been through adequate safety inspections due to lax enforcement of regulations. The rescue operation was lousy and the Captain, Mr. Yoon, who took a sharp turn towards right for reasons unknown, capsized in the water off the coast of Jindo. Captain Yoon Jong-Seok made a sharp turn off the southwestern coast of South Korea, near the island of Jindo. This turn cause the ferry to capsize and sink, resulting in one of the deadliest maritime disasters in modern South Korean history, plundering 304 lives out of 476 passengers and injuring everyone who boarded the passage."
"Objection, Your Honour!" Chulseok flared up.
"Objection overruled."
Ji yoon curtsied, lowering her chin in a humbled display of appreciation,
"Thank you, Your Honour.
Now, additionally with all the facts I have stated so far, the IAS, which stands for Integrated Automated System of the ferry was also found to be a contributing factor. The IAS was responsible for monitoring the ballast tanks, and adjusting the ships stability accordingly. However, it was discovered that the IAS was turned off during the incident, and thus the system did not alert the crew to the fact that the ferry was listing dangerously. The procedural signal or SOS was not sent at a proper time, but the first distress call was recieved from a student, neither the Captain, nor the crew."
A cold sweat broke out, but Ji Yoon withstood, a hundreds of hopes were edging on her,
"The exact coordinates of the sinking are 34°17'13"N 125°53'28"E. The Captain made the turn too quickly, causing the cargo in the ferry's hold to shift and destabilize the vessel.
From his history too, that we have dug, Captain Yoon has a history of committing numerous safety violations earlier as well. Not only that, one of the lesser known details include that the ferry had previously been involved in an accident that damaged its bow, and caused it to list to one side, the records have wrongly being tampered with to clear its reputation, but videos from the erstwhile accident soon emerged which I have submitted to the court. Cheonghaedan Marine Co. Limited, the owner of Iseul-Ho, too, is found to have engaged in illegal business practices, such as excessive overloading of cargo and other safety violations."
Ji Yoon rested the black leather bound on her desk, "Additionally, Captain Yoon had been found consuming alcohol before the trip. But since there is no clear evidence, I would not use it against him."
She blew out,
"And that is all, Your Honour."
The courtroom was filled with an intense buzz of anticipation and unease as the judge prepared to deliver the verdict. All eyes were on Ji Yoon, who had tirelessly gathered and presented all the evidences, from testimonials of witnesses, dashcams to recordings that emerged after a thorough investigation.
It was crystally clear that the Captain and his crew were not only negligent but had also failed to discharge their primary obligation of ensuring the safety of the passengers on board. Justice needed to be served, and the victims and their families deserved nothing less.
Just when the judge was about to pronounce his verdict, Taehyung stormed into the courtroom with an air of urgency. His eyes fixed on Ji Yoon, he quickly strode towards her seat.
"Ji Yoon, I have something that could change the entire course of this case," Taehyung spoke in a hushed yet urgent tone.
Stunned, Ji Yoon looked up, trying to discern the nature of Taehyung's interruption. She couldn't help but wonder what the young man found that was so crucial as to delay the proceedings at such a critical juncture.
"What is it?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
In a trice, Taehyung pulled out a folder from his briefcase and handed the document inside it over to the judge. The contents of the letter were earth-shattering. It was written by Mrs. Yoon, the wife of the Captain of Iseul, addressed to their Captain- the letter exposed an institutionalized culture of corruption, greed, and gross neglect that had inadvertently brought about the disaster.
Ji Yoon felt her heart race as she rapidly glanced over the judge's shoulder at the letter. Its contents were truly incriminating, revealing a host of systemic issues that had a direct impact on the disaster.
"The crew was under tremendous pressure to get to Jeju Island on time, so they disregarded all safety protocols to make up for the lost time," she read, through the gruesome lines, but yet managing her professional stance. "The Captain and his crew were up to their necks in a scheme that forced them to take on excess cargo beyond the standard limit set by the government. They were on a mission to reach the destination and unload as much cargo as possible to make a tidy profit."
The courtroom fell into a deafening silence, Ji Yoon spoke her words.
It dawned on everyone that the crew was driven purely by their self-interest, seeking to bolster their pockets at the expense of the passengers' safety- The tragedy was no longer just an unfortunate accident but a direct result of pervasive negligence and corruption at the Iseul company's highest ranks.
The judge read the letter with a marked sense of astonishment, an incredulous expression forming on his face with each sentence he perused.
"This is a staggering revelation," he pronounced, "It changes the nature of the case."
There was an instant clamor among the onlookers at the meaning of these words, and the full implications of Taehyung's discovery were now being realized.
Ji Yoon turned to the judge and spoke confidently, in a voice filled with conviction,
"Your Honor, the contents of this letter corroborate our beliefs that the Iseul crew was grossly negligent, not only in their obligation of care but also in their compliance with safety regulations mandated by the government. They put the lives of many people in peril for their selfish monetary gratification. This cannot go unnoticed and unpunished."
The judge's countenance expressed his agreement, and he nodded decidedly, "I wholeheartedly agree. This letter is a fundamental exhibit in this case. It exposes a culture of institutionalized corruption that must be addressed."
Ji Yoon looked over at Taehyung with deep gratitude mixed with admiration.
"Thank you. You have gone above and beyond the call of duty," she said with profound sincerity.
Taehyung flashed a dimpled smile, "I would do it again, and again, for the cause of justice."
"Taehyung, let us hope the verdict would be in our favour, right?"
Taehyung's chest expanded, "They ought to be!"
~
The atmosphere was heavy with sadness and despair, the evidence presented over the course of the trial highlighting the immense tragedy of the Iseul ferry disaster.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the judge rose to his feet, his expression grave and serious- to announce his verdict.
"Considering all evidences, the witness, and the events leading to a horrific tragedy, and to this case, the court finds the defendant, Captain Yoon Jong-seok, guilty of gross negligence and willful misconduct resulting in death, injury and abandonment of passengers. He is sentenced to life imprisonment."
"The court also finds the defendant, the ferry operator, Cheonghaedan Marine Co. Ltd., guilty of willful negligence resulting in death. The company is fined 10 billion won that is equivalent to dollar 8.9 million."
"The court finds the defendant, the Iseul's chief engineer, Park Kim-ho, guilty of murder without intent. He is sentenced to 30 years in prison."
"The court finds the defendant, the Iseul's first officer, Wang Won-sik, guilty of causing injury resulting in death. He is sentenced to twelve years in prison."
"The court finds the defendant, navigational officer Cho Jong-ki, guilty of causing injury resulting in death. He is sentenced to twenty years in prison."
"While these sentences would never be enough to amend for the lost lives, it would still be presented as a closure for everyone grieving. To all the heroes of Iseul-Ho, they will be honoured very shortly. And to all those who had lost their lives, our well wishes are always with you. Please rest in peace now, and come back stronger.
We have to ensure from now on, nothing similar ever happens again. Let us all take an oath of following safety protocols, and pledge to take proper precautions, to save disasters such as Iseul disaster.
Court dismissed. "
The judge's words hung in the air, each syllable heavy with a sense of finality and gravity. The rulings handed down by the court were a clear indication of how seriously the disaster was taken, as well as of the responsibility felt by those in power to hold those responsible accountable for their actions- while no retributions would be ever enough, the face was justice was at least coherent now.
There were no cheers or applause as the verdicts were handed down. Instead, the sense of grief and loss that permeated the courtroom seemed to deepen as the reality of the sentences hit home. But ultimately, the verdicts were a strong reminder of the importance of safety, of accountability, and of the value of every single human life.
In that instant, laden with solemnity and raw emotion, the power of this tragedy and its lasting repercussions on all those impacted is laid bare. The words and sentiments expressed were potent enough to stir even the most intransigent hearts, leaving a mark that will be felt long after this high-profile case had concluded...
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