(It had been a while..)

“What do you remember?” the prosecutor pressed, walking towards a frightened Gary.

“I don’t…” he murmured, cowering slightly.

Jihyo, his lawyer, shook her head gently at him. Don’t do that, Gary. Stay strong.

The prosecutor slammed his hand on Gary’s table.

“You were angry, do you remember? That’s why you shot the victim,” he snarled.

“Objection!” Jihyo yelled. “He’s making baseless assumptions.”

The judge nodded.

“Prosecutor, please question the defendant based on evidence.”

The questioning went on for several rounds. Jihyo watched as Gary get increasingly frightened, his eyes darting around nervously. This wasn’t going good. Jihyo requested for a court adjournment on the pretext of letting Gary rest.

“Are you okay? Can you continue?” she asked, her voice full of concern.

He nodded, but he was shaking.

She put her hand on his shoulder. Then, remembering that she is just his lawyer, she pulled back.

She was worried. This was a hard case. After a massive fight with his brother, Gary went missing over a year. Three months ago, his brother was found dead, and all evidence pointed to Gary. Two weeks ago, Gary was found, sleeping in the tunnel with the homeless people, after losing his memory and even his identity.

He even forgot her.

She wanted to defend him. She believed that he would never, never kill anyone. They’ve worked together for 7 years. She knew him well. But it was so hard. If she lost the case, it was 20 years in prison. 20 years…

But if he pleads guilty, he can get 10 years. And maybe if he behaves well in prison, he could be out in 8.

“Let’s plead guilty,” she concluded, after re-looking at the evidence. It was the best choice now, albeit unfair.

He nodded, still shaking.

“…And so, my defendant...” Jihyo paused, looking at Gary, who was still in a daze. “Pleads guilty.”

“Defendant, do you plead guilty for homicide?”

Gary remained silent. Jihyo nudged him.

“I…” he looked up, suddenly afraid.

“I love you,” he blurted, looking at Jihyo. Her eyes rounded in shock.

“Defendant, this is court. What are you saying!?” the judge exclaimed.

“I know,” Gary said, his eyes getting wet. “It’s a sacred place, that’s why I’m saying it here.”

“My mind doesn’t remember anything, but my heart remembers,” he said, looking straight into Jihyo’s eyes. “It flutters every time I see you. Although I can’t remember you now, your voice and smile is familiar to me. Although my life is a mess now, it’s better because of you. Although I am afraid now, I will be brave because of you. So, I trust you,” he said. “I am willing to put my fate in your hand. So, trust yourself. I will do what you ask me to.”

With tears in her eyes too, she announced, “My defendant pleads not guilty.”

(i dont study law, pardon me)