I was ecstatic when Jimin agreed to proceed with the lawsuit. I was afraid that he would not want to do it and that everything would fall through, but that didn't happen. Scared as he was of what could happen, he said he'd do it.
I showed him everything I had, just to keep him in the loop. He listened to all the tapes as well and was furious about being blacklised as if she hadn't done enough already.
But now I have it all. I have the evidence, documents, people... and I have my main point of the trial. Jimin.
Well, I need one more thing. Just a single small one. I need a lawyer.
I am only a law student, so I can't practice law or represent anyone in the court of law until I pass the state bar and get my degree. The only way for me to do so would be to have a liscenced attorney with a degree on the bench to support me. And I know exactly where to find one.
I waited like a dog for my father to come home. I paced around in circles, running the length of a marathon as I waited for him to walk through the door. I watched the sun set down, and just when the last ray of sun disappeared behind the horizon, the front door opened, and a sound of sturdy steps echoed on the tiles.
I nearly died from nerves the moment I saw him. I never asked him for help, not ever. Not even when I was a child. I'm stepping over myself here, but if this is what I need to do to help Jimin, then I will gladly crush my pride.
'Father, do you have a moment?'
He sighed deeply, 'If it is something silly, please-'
'I need your help.'
He stopped walking, the lowly echos of the shoes disappearing with it. His face was the one of surprise and shock as I spoke the words I never spoke before.
'You? You need help? From me?'
'Unfortunately.'
'Hmm. I'm not in the helping mood, but I will listen to your request out of pure curiosity.'
'That's all I need. Would you mind coming with me? There is something that I need to show you.'
'Lead.' He gestured, and walked after me to our dining table which had every file and the tapes and every spec of document I had laid out on it. 'What is all this?'
'Take a seat.'
He raised an eyebrow, but he sat down, putting his briefcase on the table as well. Without a word, I passed him the first file.
'Huh.' He made some weird face, his mouth twisting downwards and his eyebrows furrowing. He then kept opening file by file, skimming through the words. 'Is this the same research you have been working on before?' He asks, looking up at me and then back at the red file in his hands, containing all the emails.
'Did you collect all of this yourself?'
'Who else would do it?' I sigh
'I thought you were doing this for research only.' He chuckled a little, sounding like he is actually teasing me
'Does it matter?'
'Not to me, but to you apparently it does. A lot. This is an incredbile amount of information to find within a few weeks. And on your own. I am... impressed. You have a complete case.'
There was no mockery in his voice. He was genuinely pleasantly surprised, and praising me.
'I assume this Jimin person is the main focus?' He asks as he keep going through things, finding his name on everything
'You would assume correctly. He got fired because he refused to have sex with his boss, and then she blacklisted him in the industry, so he can't even find a job.'
'Why this person? Who is this?'
'A friend.'
'A friend?' He raised an eyebrow, slightly squinting
'A very good one, too. And I want to help him.'
'I see.' He chuckled and threw the file on the table gently, crossing his arms. 'You need me to represent him.'
'Not exacatly. I need you to sit on the bench and support me while I do it.'
'Hmm.' He tilted his head, looking at me as his tongue poked the inside of his cheek in amusement. 'You want to run a case?'
'Yes. But we both know that I can't do it without a liscenced attorney.'
'Well, I don't see how this is benefiting me. I have nothing to gain here. I am not interested.'
He was about to get up, and I kind of stopped him by putting my palms on the table, looking directly at him. 'I am not asking this so we could benefit. We don't have to benefit a thing. But your job is to help people, isn't it? So help me help him.'
'If you found all of this and made such a big case for yourself, then you shouldn't have a problem finding yourself someone who will be your support. I won't do it.'
He got up and started walking away, but I'm not done here. The last of my pride can go. I don't need it.
'Dad, please.' I never call him dad. He didn't really deserve it. 'Can you just once in your life act like a parent?'
He turned around in his spot, looking at me.
'When have I ever asked you for help? Ever. And I'm asking you now, so you know it's important. I never would have asked otherwise.'
'Hmm.' He hummed and walked back a bit towards me, stopping only a few feet away. 'I need something in return.'
'As expected. What do you want?'
'You must marry Namjoon.'
I knew he would ask for something. I knew it would be something that would be hard. Although, I'm not all that surprised. But I am something, because my heart is beating out of my head.
'You agree to the terms, and I will guarantee you he will get the best possible outcome. I will do over what I need to do to help you. That's a promise.'
'But?'
'But if you don't, not only will I not help you, I will make it so you never reach the trial. I will report you for giving legal advice without a degree, and then you won't even graduate. And that is another promise.'
'I don't want to marry Namjoon.'
'And I don't want to help some guy that you are in love with. But here we are.'
It felt like a massive slap to the face that woke me up from a deep sleep. My stomach clenched in a tight knot while my heart smashed against my chest so hard that I could barely breathe.
I watched him take another step, with a slight, cocky smile on his face. 'You don't have to act so surprised. I am a lot of things, but blind and stupid are not one of them. No one will go to these lenghts and put in countless hours of work to help someone out of the pure goodness of their heart. Not unless it involves something more. And the sole fact that you are begging me for help tells me more than I need to know.'
'If you know so much, if you are so sure that I love someone else, why are you forcing me to marry another man?' I grit my teeth, at this very moment thankful that my anger is taking over my other emotions so I'm not a crying mess
'Because I have the power to do so.'
God I want to punch him.
'Now,' he looks at his watch, 'I will give you 24 hours to come and tell me about your decision. Unless you can find another lawyer within the time, or he simply gives up on it, your last name will be Kim. That will be all.'
The sounds of his footsteps as he walked away rang away in my mind, the sound mirroring the loud slamming of my heart. And the moment he was out of my sight, I took the deepest, sharpest breath, feeling it slightly hitch in my chest.
I crouched down and hugged my knees, crying into my arms.
One thing. I ask him one thing, and he finds a way to destroy it. And out of all the choices, I have the hardest one to make.
Help Jimin and lose the rest of my life and my heart to someone I will never love, or lose everything I worked so hard for, let Jimin down, and in the end lose him, too.
Like choosing between the two evils. I need to choose the lesser one.