9

       She walked into their house with heavy, silent steps. Slowly, she closed the door, and her eyes scanned the place, the empty living room, the dark way to the kitchen, the dark corridor to the rooms. It feels discomfiting to enter her own house.

And it feels more wearisome as her wife is now at the place where she was, just moments ago.

“Doctor Kim Minjoo,”  the police officers calmly approached the former witness,  “Turn around and put your hands on your back,”  and all of them can only watch, including Yujin whose hands are already freed from a pair of handcuffs,  “You are being arrested for a murder case, you have the right to stay in silence, unless questioned as it may be used against your defense.”

Minjoo obeyed, didn’t utter a word and just let the officers lock her wrists together with handcuffs behind her.

Yujin is there, sentenced as not guilty, but no one from their side can rejoice. One of their friends died, and now “The Embodiment of Perfection” is accused of murder.

Minjoo was then guided out by the officers, there were no commotions, but heavy hearts are hardly beating, and Yujin gazed to her wife…

She caught how Minjoo hesitated to look at her when she was about pass by in front of her, but Minjoo did glance, and upon catching her wife's eyes, she saw it...

The same thing she saw that day…

Together with the golden sunset, the day she was the happiest yet the most confused person in the university. The day Minjoo confessed to her. And now her wife, is again, showing a no-so-tough image yet can’t muster to cover fear and doubt in her eyes.

Yujin may not usually be around her, but she still knows her…

She’s still Kim Minjoo.

Yujin sat on the couch and there, the emotions she has been holding, poured out.

Tears flow out of her eye ducts, her sobs came out of her lips, her lungs are heavy, her heart is clenching, her muscle are shaking.

What should she think of first?

What she did to Chaewon?

Chaewon’s death?

Her wife in jail?

Or her wife cheating on her?

“Minjoo…”  She uttered with her frail, rough voice, calling out the name she didn’t think would cause so much pain just by pronouncing the two syllables.

She loves her, she’s the dearest person to her, her treasure, her family… her wife, the love of her life.

She gave everything, worked hard for her. She sponsored her medicine proper years while working as a new licensed lawyer in the field of law and justice. She did everything, gave her everything…

She married her, thinking that it’ll settle them, but why?

“Why am I experiencing this? What have I done to deserve this?”

She cried her heart out, and she can't hold her body up anymore, she needed to rest her aching body on the couch, while still letting her emotions go ran out of her system even more.

Memories were coming back, the good ones. Images of her wife smiling at her genuinely, memories of them teasing each other, playfully and naughtily tickling each other’s side, while sweetly and gently giving pecks to each other's lips.

What happened?

“What happened to us?”

Yujin curled her body, hugged her knees and clenched her fists, making her nails dug into her palms deeply.

The pain is too much, excruciating enough for her to fall asleep with a tear stained face and a worn out heart.

“Kwon Eunb-…”

“What!?”  Annoyed, or more like mad, Eunbi turned and faced the person.

“We need to talk.”

“About what!?”  The criminal defense lawyer is tired…

“About the case? It’s already done, Sakura, what do you want to talk about?”  Sakura can sense nothing, but displeasure from her former head of the Supreme Student Council.

“Yujin is not guilty, that’s it!”

Eunbi was about to enter her house when Sakura questioned,  “Do you really think, it is Minjoo?”

The wind passed by them, cold, but wasn’t enough to send shivers as the tension that has been built up, is what freezing them both.

“We all know Minjoo, the kid won’t be able to do it. She may be a cardiothoracic surgeon or a doctor, but we all know how pure of a soul that woman is.”  Sakura stated, defending the, supposedly, witness.

“She is our perfection, Eu-…”

“But she cheated.”  Sakura wasn’t surprised, but she wasn’t really expecting to hear that, especially with how Eunbi toned it - emotionless, as if she doesn't care.

“The embodiment of perfection, yes…”  Eunbi deeply breathed out and nodded.

“She’s our secretary, the purest person we know, the best role model for everyone. She’s honest about everything, she’s kind and humble. She acquires every good thing a human being could have, but Sakura… she cheated. And a person’s white side will never prove that she doesn't have the dark one.”  Sakura listened, and gazed to the defense lawyer’s eyes.

“Maybe we’re all not just aware of her dark side before, maybe we’re all just blinded by the white, bright light she has. Perhaps, this is the only time she let out the beast inside of her because… who would expect that the person who proved that perfection exist… would actually stain her purely, white own reputation?”

“Just by committing that one sin, we already can’t say if she really isn’t the suspect. She’s already perfidious.”

“That’s it, Sakura. The case is already concluded, and my duty is finished. We don’t have to talk about anything anymore, if you’re concerned about her then, offer yourself as the prosecutor in her case and find the real suspect if she isn’t. Why even bother me?”

Sakura inhaled the cold wind and gulped, soaking her dry throat before responding,  “Duty…”

Eunbi felt confused hearing that one word, and she was a bit taken aback to see the faint smile on the prosecutor’s lips.

Sakura lifted her eyes up and met the perplexed stare of the defense lawyer…

“It’s always the duty.”

“Do you know why Minjoo cheated?”  The prior asked, still wearing that tiny smile on her lips.

“Because it is always the career that comes first.”

“I don’t mean that Yujin is at fault, I know how she’s passionate about being a lawyer, that one is already fired up since day one, but…”  Memories are starting to gather up, but Sakura continued…

“She married Minjoo and we all thought, they will be the perfect couple just from the day they became officially in a relationship back in our college days, but you see… the lack of time completely ruined what was once perfectly molded.”  Eunbi felt bad butterflies in her stomach as memories are forming in her head as well…

“This is the same reason why the two broke up, Chaewon and Minjoo…”

“And the same reason for us.”

“Are we going to fight about this again?”  Eunbi, exasperatedly questioned, walking towards her office chair.

“I just want us to be official, Eunbi. Why are you so mad about it?”

“Official? Miyawaki Sakura, we’re not even officially dating.”  Sakura swallowed the pang of pain, but the annoyance due to the continuous rejection has topped her mind,  “Then what are we doing!?”

“What are those cuddles? Those kisses? Those make outs?”

“Am I just your make out friend?”

Who would’ve thought the two highest heads of the Supreme Student Council are making out?

All the students know is that Miyawaki Sakura and Kwon Eunbi are good friends, close to each other and are that models of “perfect friends with perfect goals in life”.

“No, you’re-…”  Eunbi shakily sighed, her eyes suddenly can’t look up to the Vice President, guilt had stricken her soul.

“I’m not viewing you that way, Sakura, I’m just…”

“I’m just being careful with everything, we’re in college, remember? Our future depends on what we’re doing now.”  Eunbi caught how Sakura’s shoulders dropped as that word was mentioned, “future”.

“Future? Future what? Career? Again?”

“Eunbi, you’re always thinking about your career, we’re always thinking of our future, but should that be a reason for us not to have what we want here in the present? Can’t we really consider being together, at least to enjoy our today, while building up the things for tomorrow?”  Sakura is right, but Eunbi has been just really blind.

“I’m tired of being your pastime, Eunbi. You will just come and approach me when it is convenient for you, only when you want to. Don’t you think I deserve a little more? At least, a label, especially that I’m giving you almost everything that I have, even if my own needs are being compromised?”

Eunbi can’t answer, her tongu