April 21, Wednesday, STUDENT COUNCIL ROOM

It is the day of the trial. Everyone is gathered in the student council room. There is an atmosphere filled with anxiety, uncertainty, and tapping ballpens.

You are seated before the judge/student president along with Park Jungsu, your "lawyer". He gives you an affirming look.

"It's going to be alright, Haneul," he says. "Just answer all the questions with confidence. You can't be unsure about anything you say. We'll get you out of this. Trust me.'

Those words again... I wonder if the Jungsu is Flashlight guy. o_o

"Everyone please take your seats," Ryeowook says. "We will begin the session."

Siwon puts on his glasses clears his throat. "Let the accused and his representative rise."

Another student council member comes with a Bible. "Put your hands on it," he says. "Do you, Kim Haneul and Park Jungsu, solemnly swear to speak the truth and nothing but the truth so help me, God?"

"Yes," Jungsu says.

"Help me, God," you squeak.

"Be seated."

Siwon strikes the gavel and adjusts his uniform. "The accused, please rise."

You stand up nervously.

"What do you declare yourself to be?"

"Not guilty, Preside--I mean, Your Honor."

"Please step up onto the stand."

You sit at the stand beside the judge's area. This is the "guilty chair". I hate the feeling. Dx

Siwon calls up a student council member to come to the front and ask you questions.

"Kim Haneul," the student says. "where were you the night of the incident?"

"I was studying with the guys on the balcony and then I got burnt out so I went out of school to a cafe. When I came back, there was already a commotion."

"What time did you leave for the cafe?"

"Around... 10pm."

"What time did you go back to the dorms?"

"I remember intending to stay out for only an hour, and I did. I came back at 11pm."

"What happened when you got back?"

"Didn't you already ask me these questions before?"

"We need to review everything so that we'll also know if you have any inconsistencies, Mr. Kim. Please cooperate."

"Fine," you mumble. "I saw Kim Heechul when I got back and he told me that there was a commotion going on because someone had leaked the answer sheets to the midterm exams."

"What happened after that?"

"We saw student president Choi Siwon who just arrived from his jogging routine."

The student council officer turns to Choi Siwon.

"President-nim, when you arrived, what did you observe about the situation as it were?"

"I saw students running around the hallways but I had no idea why at that time. Kim Haneul and Kim Heechul spoke to me, telling me that I looked sick. I did not feel sick initially but after they offered to me back to my dorm room, I began to feel dizzy and feverish."

"What happened after they took you to your room, Your Honor?"

"I lay down on the bed and Secretary went out to make some tea. Kim Heechul had gone ahead, leaving me with Kim Haneul. I started to feel a bit better, but when Kim Haneul checked my temperature again, it started to go up like before."

"Do you think Kim Haneul may be doing this to you on purpose?"

Siwon's cold eyes settle on yours. You suddenly feel a little zap of electricity up your spine which makes you shiver.

"That is not something for me to give an opinion on," he answers.

"Very well, Your Honor," the student officer says turning back to you. "Kim Haneul..."

He paces back and forth in the middle of the room. All you can hear is breathing and the sound of his footsteps on the marble floor.

"How are your grades?" he asks, tilting his head at you.

"They're fine," you say.

"I've seen your records because we did some investigating ourselves. For people like you, I'm guessing they're good enough to get you by. However for... OTHER people... they're not something to be proud of or to be called "fine" in the least."

"THIS PUNK--" you hear Youngwoon start.

"Hyung, don't," Hangeng says.

"Ahem," the officer continues to sneer. "Logically, you have REASON to commit this act. A new student who wants to be accepted by his friends so he showers them in answers to get them through their last year without breaking into a sweat. Or a new student who wants to get by school with flying colors even though he has no capacity to do so. Or a new student who--"

"Mr. Gu," SIwon interrupts. "This is not how you question a suspect."

"I-I was just--"

"You are not being rational at all. These are all loaded questions, Mr. Gu. Sit down. NOW."

Mr. Gu sits down, embarrassed.

No wonder Choi Siwon is the student council president. I'll bet he can make everyone's ia fall off if he wanted to. o_o For a "holy" guy, he sure is hella scary.

"Representative Park Jungsu, please rise. You may begin the defense of your client now," Siwon says.

"Good day, Your Honor. First of all, I would like to say that there were several people who were with Kim Haneul before the alleged time of the leakage. We were studying on the balcony when he fainted due to being overworked. After that, he went out to a cafe. I saw with my own eyes that he left the school grounds."

"However, he could have gone out to photocopy the answer sheets, Mr. Park," Siwon remarks.

"He left without carrying anything. Kim Heechul told me that he came back without carrying anything as well. You must have seen that."

Siwon nods in confirmation.

"Before Kim Haneul arrived at the dorm, someone had already slipped the answer sheets under people's doors."

"He could have secretly done that though and pretended to have 'just come back' from his trip to the cafe."

After several minutes of restating the alibis and investigation findings, the council still could not come to a verdict.

"This is a problem that can be solved only by an eye-witness who saw the real culprit," Siwon says. "I am sorry but we will have to pronounce you, Kim Haneul, as gui--"

You close your eyes tight and wait for the final judgement.

"What? Okay," you hear Siwon say.

What happened? 

You open your eyes again and see a guy you had never seen before standing in front.

Or have I seen him before? I think I saw him in class before...

"This is student council officer Kim Kibum," Siwon announces. "He will step up as a witness to the crime committed."

You open your eyes wide in shock.

There is a witness? There actually is a witness?? Oh, haraboji...

"I was in Cho Kyuhyun's room when he entered holding a thick brown envelope. This caught my attention but I paid him no mind. This I saw earlier in the afternoon of the day of the leakage. He stayed out of his room until about 10:10pm when he came back and took the envelope out again. He kept going in and out of the room. This proves how he was able to slide the answer sheets under the doors without anyone seeing him. He only settled back into his room at around 11:30pm."

"But how can you ultimately say that Cho Kyuhyun is indeed the culprit and not Kim Haneul?" Siwon asks, with his hand on his chin.

"That afternoon, after Cho Kyuhyun left his envelope in the room, I found it. It had the photocopies of all the answer sheets plus the original copies themselves."

Everyone in the courtroom starts whispering to each other. Siwon pounds the gavel. "Order, order!"

"What the @$&* are you talking about??" you hear a voice shout from the back of the room. It was Cho Kyuhyun.

"Cho Kyuhyun, you have the right to remain silent," Siwon says.

"I should have the right to keep talking too! You can tell this four-eyed nerd that he's got the right to remain silent, horse face."

Everyone becomes noisy. Siwon pounds the gavel harder. "ORDER, I SAID ORDER! Cho Kyuhyun, come forward please." 

A couple of student council officers take Kyuhyun by the arms and take him forward. As he passes by, Donghae shouts, "Oh, Haneul-ah, FUR!" He points to Kyuhyun's shirt.

You take a closer look at Kyuhyun's shirt and sure enough there was orange, black, and white fur all over it. You look at him straight in the eye with a surprised expression.

This guy has been going to Kyuhyun the beagle? This heartless jerk?? Wait, what am I thinking? He's obviously the culprit!

"Permission to speak, Your Honor," Jungsu requests.

"Granted."

"As mentioned earlier, there was beagle fur found at the table where the answer sheets were originally placed before they were taken. The same kind of fur that is now on Cho Kyuhyun's uniform."

There is some discussion that goes on among the jury and other student council members. One of them gives Siwon a nod and a hand signal.

"The jury has decided. The verdict is: Kim Haneul, you are declared innocent from all charges. Cho Kyuhyun, guilty of leakage and an attempt to frame another student. The punishment for Kim Haneul is now transferred to Cho Kyuhyun, who will be facing two weeks of suspension. Court dismissed."

Everyone jumps up for joy and pulls you into a group hug. You are speechless and it takes time for what they said to sink in.

I'm... not leaving?

I... I've still got my scholarship?

Haraboji, I'm so happy I could cry!! But I can't cry here because... because...

"Why are you crying, Haneul-ah?? You should be happy!" Youngwoon says, shaking you up.

"I-I AM happy! I'm so *sob* happy~" you can't hold back the tears anymore and just explode into someone's arms. Everyone gets quiet.  You realize that you're hugging Choi Siwon who now seems to be palpitating.

"P-president-nim! I'm sorry, I was overwhelmed! Uhh..." you slowly let go of him and he faints.

"PRESIDENT-NIIIIIM!!!!" Ryeowook shouts.

"I think we better get out of here," Heechul says.

I think we should...