Note: All the characters, places and scenes are purely fictional.

IRENE BOUGHT two hot coffees before she went to the prison. She vividly remembers Seulgi's favorite coffee flavor. It's espresso, without cream and sugar.

Irene wanted to meet Seulgi again. Even if she’ll deny it a thousand times, her heart always calls for Seulgi. But she hopes Seulgi will cooperate this time, so they could prepare for her upcoming arraignment.

"Attorney," one of the police officers greeted her. "It's passed visiting hours."

Irene nodded. "I know. Tell SPO1 Jaehyun about my sudden visit. He knows why I'm here. I already filed an excuse letter yesterday."

The police officer nodded to her. He then followed what Irene requested. He walked out. After a while, he came back bringing SPO1 Jaehyun with him.

"Attorney Bae." SPO1 Jaehyun greeted with a smile, opening the gate for her. "Is that for me?" The police officer was pointing the plastic cup fom Irene's hand using his lips.

"No, officer. I'm sorry. It's for my client." She laughed.

SPO1 Jaehyun laughed silently. "You know I'm kidding right?"

Irene nodded.

"By the way, you will be using the other room. The usual is occupied at the moment."

"As long as I can talk to my client privately, Officer, it doesn't matter at all." Irene said, following the officer in the hallway now. They were walking towards the interrogation room.

"Very well. Here." The officer was gesturing her to turned to the right. They stopped a few meters away from the door of the interrogation room.

The room is glass walled. By the look of it, it seemed like sound proof.

Out of nowhere, she took a glance at the room, and was quite surprised to see who's inside the room. She saw a familiar face. The familiar woman was standing and was facing her client. What is she doing here? Irene thought.

The door opened and SPO1 Jaehyun walked inside. Maybe to inform Seulgi that she has another visitor. That’s when the woman from inside walked out.

"Senior," Irene called the woman who look a little problematic when she came out from the interrogation room.

Krystal was visibly surprised when she saw Irene standing beside the room. "Joohyun." She called, painting a smile on her face.

"What are you doing here?" Irene asked firmly. It turned out not well.

The side of Krystal's lips curved up into a smirk. "I'm an investigator, Joohyun. I am investigating obviously." Is what she said.

"You should notify me." The veins on Irene's neck were showing now. "She will not accept visitors without me by her side."

Krystal's eyebrows lit up all of a sudden, surprised about what she just heard. She stared at Irene for a while before she chuckles. "And when that rules of yours started?"

"The day the court approved me."

The inspector just stared at her for a few seconds instead of talking. She put her hand on Irene's shoulder then smiled, "Don't worry, Joohyun. Your client didn't answer any of my questions." She tapped Irene's back before she left.

Out of her guilt, Irene speaks. "I'm sorry, Senior." She sighed heavily. As much as possible, she doesn’t want to doubt her friend, but it was a shocking for her to see her senior here. And there are so many questions running her in mind right now.

Krystal turned to her.

"I need to be careful." She said quietly. She hates it when someone hates her. Isn't it ironic? She hates being hated but she's a criminal lawyer, it's understandable that almost everyone on earth hated her.

Krystal just nodded her head, telling the lawyer she understands her. "I need to go." Krystal didn't wait for Irene's answer when she immediately left. She just prayed to herself that Krystal will forgive her for her actions later.

Irene breathe deeply, calming herself before entering the interrogation room. Seulgi’s eyes widen when she saw Irene’s presence entering the room. But her emotion changed immediately when she noticed the police officers coming inside with Irene.

"Just knock the door twice, Attorney." SPO1 Jaehyun reminded her. Knocking the door twice means their conversation is over.a

Irene waited for a while until it was only the two of them inside. "Don't accept visitors without me." She began by reminding the prime suspect, putting her things on the table, including the two plastic cups of coffee. "We have to be cautious, Seulgi. I need to be there when they are interrogating you."

"Why are you here again?" Seulgi asked, her eyebrows raised for inquiry. Her voice was cold as usual. Her face was empty. Irene still can't read what's on her mind.

Irene's eyes widened by the image before her, the fresh bruises and cuts on Seulgi's face became visible when the bulb overhead them enlighten Seulgi's presence more. "What happened to your face?" Her tone needed an immediate answer.

Seulgi just turned around, looking away.

Irene ran to her. "You need to be careful, Seulgi. You need to be presentable in front of the court in your arraignment. It will give them a good impression from you."

Seulgi didn't answer, nor look back at her. She's clearly avoiding the lawyer. Seulgi thought that Irene was more concerned about how she looks in front of the judge than her health, than her situation inside the prison. That’s clearly the reason. And why does she expect anything else?

Irene sighed, making her way to her chair. She felt that Seulgi is not ready to talk anything else aside from her case.

Irene slid a paper on the table. "I would like to inform you, Ms. Emerson, that I am your official defense lawyer now. I promise to serve you with all the best of my abilities. I just want you to be honest with me."

Seulgi quickly shot up her head to her. "Are you dumb, Irene? Or did you knock your head to a wall?" Even if her tone was furious, her face remained calm.

Irene exhaled sharply. She expected this rant from her. That’s how they used to be.

Seulgi find this conversation useless. Irene will push the idea to her as her defense lawyer in the end. And that’s the thing she hated the most so it’s better to end this conversation as early as possible. She turned around, attempted to leave the place. Irene might give up in arguing if she will give up first. But much to her surprise, Irene speaks again when she’s at the door and ready to knock.

"I'm here to help you as your lawyer, Seulgi. Not as your ex or anything more." Irene said truthfully. Though she knew it was a lie, at least it will sound like a truth. "I noted the time frame you came in and came out from the building. I compared it to the victim's time of death. And I concluded, the victim was already in the verge of her death when you came inside the building for the last time. There was a seventeen-minute gap before you left the place for the last time too. You can't kill her and sewed her femininity with that short period of time. Unless you moved so fast. But if you are still the person that I knew, then you can't be the killer because you are the total opposite."

Seulgi paused by Irene's sudden discussion about her theory. Irene's theory got her full attention somehow. She was amazed how Irene produced such time frame in such a short period of time. After all, Irene is still a criminal defense lawyer.

A smile painted on Seulgi’s face when she suddenly remembered that Irene was a top ranker in their Law School before. She’s never known as a famous lawyer if she's not good.

Seulgi changed her expression before facing Irene again. She was not surprise to see the seriousness from Irene’s face. That’s when she got the chance to ran a look of Irene’s face. She notices the bags under her eyes. Her lips were quite dry though she drew a lipstick on it.

After a while, Seulgi made her way back to her chair then seated without saying anything. That made Irene smile. "Finally." Irene half-whispered, more to herself. She felt relief when Seulgi didn't fight back for the first time.

The woman in front of her seems thinking about something deeply.

"Seul," she began. It's been a while since she called the woman by its nickname. Her heart skipped a beat. And she was glad when Seulgi responded immediately from her call. "I want you to answer my questions honestly. I promise, I won't tell anyone about it. It will only be between you and me." Seulgi didn't answer, nor moved an inch but Irene was sure the woman was listening to her. She decided to continue, "Why do you claim the sin you did not do?"

Seulgi's face darkens. Finally! A reaction!

It felt like Irene saw a thousand fireworks at the night sky, and it was only her who witnessed it.

"Irene."

Irene got startled when Seulgi called her name all of a sudden, with a voice that Seulgi used to use in college, in times Irene was confused. Irene fixes herself on her chair, turned her full attention to the woman.

Seulgi raised her head. She’s looking straight at Irene’s eyes. Thinking about the competition ahead of her, of Irene, of them, it made her shut her eyes momentarily, hoping the problems could just simply go away.

Irene caught something from Seulgi's eyes, the girl is pleading for help.

"Are you sure about this?" Seulgi asked, pulling Irene to reality. Her voice and her eyes were concerned. "I don't want you to get involved with my case. This is different from all of your cases. Mine was brutal and inhumane."

Irene blinked, and blinked. Seulgi knew about her cases? Does Seulgi stalk her?

Irene just smile, hoping Seulgi could get the point that she's giving her an assurance. She fished out her voice recorder from her bag and put it on the center of the table. She pressed the record button. "Did you do it?" Irene wanted to know the true now!

Seulgi looked at her for a few seconds before she shook her head lightly. "No. There's no way I could do that to Sunmi." Seulgi whispered hopelessly. The side of her eyes are glistening because of tears now. The image of Sunmi when it was alive and the image of her when it was dead flashed to Seulgi’s mind. She bit her lower lip, fighting back her tears that are attempting to fall.

Irene was right! The girl was innocent! But, Seulgi called her Sunmi. They're must be closed to each other. Irene put that in her mind.

Irene was about to reach for Seulgi’s hand, but she paused halfway when realized Seulgi's hands were cuffed behind her. She reclined it immediately. "Calm down." She said, hoping to give a little comfort. "Tell me, why are claiming it?"

"I did not claim it." Seulgi raised her head. She's crying now. Her lower lip is trembling too. "I planned to leave my place immediately but Sunmi's face at that moment told me to stay with her for a few minutes. To be with her. Then to run away. To never come back and escape to rescue myself." Seulgi was visibly hurt. The pain she felt was painted on her face.

"Do you know who killed her?" Irene asked.

Seulgi shook her head hastily. "No. The killer wasn't there anymore when I came back. I panicked too when I saw Sunmi's body on my bedroom. I didn’t check. I don't know what to do."

"Why you didn't call the police? Why did you left the place without telling anyone?"

"I don't have time for it anymore. I need to go somewhere as soon as possible."

Irene's eyebrows furrowed into a frown. "Go where?"

"I can't tell you."

Irene's words stuck to . Seulgi don't trust her fully, that’s it. She is her attorney; she needs to be honest with her so she could save her. But it hits her pride when her clients won't tell her the truth. Seulgi is no exception to that case.

"Do you believe in me, Irene?" Seulgi asked quietly, so sudden. Irene just came back to earth again. "Do you believe that I don't kill that woman?" Her tone was serious now.

Irene was taken aback when Seulgi bombarded her with questions. She wasn't able to answer her client immediately. She cleared . "Of course. I have to, Seulgi. I am your defense lawyer." Irene said.

Seulgi sighed, then smiled defeatedly.

"You hesitated."

"Yes, I do, but not because I don't believe in you. It's because yo-"

"Withdraw now, Irene. I don't want you to get involved with this."

"No, Seulgi. I will help you to have the justice you deserved."

"You..." Seulgi pause, pressing her lips. "You don't know your opponent. That person is smart."

"In what terms, Seul!?" Irene challenged. She automatically understood that the that person Seulgi was talking about is the murderer. Even if she hates it, she accidentally raises her voice. "Why would you say that!?"

"Even if you will prove to the people that I am innocent. I will still be stuck up in here forever." Seulgi fought back with the same level of voice Irene had. "So, withdraw." A tear fell from her right eye. "Withdraw." She repeated.

Irene wasn't able to answer back because the view in front of her just break her heart. She never saw Seulgi beg like this before, or cried like this before. Seulgi's tone told Irene that Seulgi is desperate. But she doesn't know why won’t Seulgi let her defend her. If her instinct is right, she doesn’t want to feel happy and she doesn't want to assume. She inhaled. "I always thought that you always believe in me, in my abilities, in my talents. But today, I found out that I was wrong."

Seulgi forced herself to nod in agreement so their argument will end immediately. But she was surprised to hear Irene's next words. "But that doesn't mean that I lose the confidence in me. You helped me when I was in my worst. You helped me to stand up on my own feet without my parent's guidance. You became my wings. You became my hero." Irene leaned her face closer to Seulgi's. "Now that you needed a shoulder to lean on, a foot to stand on, and wings to help you fly. Now is my time to pay you back. And I will