11

       Holding her briefcase bag, Yujin walked with a not so fast pace through the pathway. A lot of guards greeted her with a full bow, but she neither greeted them back nor looked at them. She has the need to wear a tough mask for today.

Her feet stopped as she faced a particular door – door of the interrogation room. A guard then greeted her before letting her in,  but as soon as the door opened, she felt the need to inhale a large amount of air, which when she let out, came so rough.

She took a step inside and her eyes, without a second, landed on a woman sitting across the empty chair, by the other end of the table – head hanging low, hands are locked with a pair of handcuffs.

“Thank you, please close the door.”  The suspect’s head lifted up only to meet the gaze of her wife who, immediately noticed the raw wound on her lips.

Minjoo quickly averted her eyes somewhere else, basically just looked down once again, but Yujin…

The defense lawyer didn’t know the tough image she plastered would almost break the moment she saw the wound on her wife’s face. She wanted to get mad, to whoever caused that wound. Her grip on her briefcase tightened and even more when she saw how her wife lowered her head a little more, and how Minjoo her lower lip to lessen the blood stain.

Yujin stood there, frozen and mad. She should be mad on her wife for cheating on her, but why is she mad for seeing her suffer here?

“Ma’am? Good morning.” Yujin was cut off from her thoughts as a man entered the interrogation room, coming from the room behind the glass. Basing from his uniform, he must be a police captain.

“I am Danshi from the police department, the one you talked with on the phone regarding the evidence we found during the investigation.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“Should I start the recording?”  The man asked.

“Right, yes, please.”

“Okay.”

Yujin was about to take the empty seat, but was halted when she remembered something, “May I request everyone to leave us once the camera and the audio recording were settled, including the guards? I don’t want any disturbance as I do my job. Everyone may wait outside.”

Yujin requested with authority, and Minjoo had to take a look of her wife for a moment, realizing that she hasn’t seen this side, this side of Yujin which is so serious and professional. Right… it is quite a scene – Yujin wearing a semi-formal attire, a plain white polo partnered with a black fitted slacks.

It is attracting, well, it should be.

More when Yujin removed her coat and ed the first two buttons of her polo.

But…

“Okay, everyone will leave so feel comfortable talking. I heard from Sakura-unnie that you weren’t able to talk yesterday, that’s why I requested for us to be alone.”  Yujin spoke, her voice is calm and that’s not what Minjoo is expecting, what's more, she isn’t expecting for Yujin to be that considerate.

“T-Thank you.”  Frail, Minjoo’s voice is.

Yujin glanced at her wife who has her eyes down once again, and disregarding of the wound on her wife’s lips, Yujin just shrugged it off for now and prioritized things.

She took several papers off from her bag and aligned it orderly. Minjoo can see everything on the table and as soon as she did, fright, once again, poked her. She had to gulp and rest her eyes for a few seconds, to compose herself and at least, to make sure that she has enough courage.

She’s doing her best to be fine, but, “Have you eaten?” her wife’s first question made her snap her head up.

Minjoo was confused…

Bothered that her wife is even concerned about it.

“I’m asking because I have to make sure that you’re fine while we’re doing this.”

Minjoo blinked and shakily nodded.

“Alright, I’ll just check the camera and the audio recorder.” Yujin sighed deeply before standing up to go to the next room. She just fixed some things and went back right after.

“Are you fine? Should we start?”

“G-Go ahead.”

Yujin caught the stammer in Minjoo’s response, but she did begin regardless.

“I am Attorney Ahn Yujin, and I will stand as your defense lawyer,” What could be more shocking than that for Minjoo. Her wife, who she cheated on, is here, introducing herself as her defense lawyer without her asking for it, nor wishing for the woman to help her.

“You should state everything you think may help you in this case, for me to be able to help you as well, we will fight for your innocence. The information you will state will be used for your defense, even if it’s either a lie or the truth.” That pressed something within Minjoo that made her bow her head while listening to her wife continue.

“Now, the recording system is not for anyone’s reference but us, only us. I have to record each and every conversation that we will have for some other matters. Don’t worry, I will only let useful information, and the others that are personal or useless for your defense will remain confidential.”

“Okay, I’ll start asking questions.”

Minjoo took a deep breath, and gave a nod.

“You are Doctor Kim Minjoo, right? A Cardiothoracic surgeon of Fate’s Medical Hospital?”

“Please confirm your information.”

“Yes, I am.”

The atmosphere is terrifying, but for Minjoo, it is, somehow comforting that her wife… is here, looking okay (at least physically), working and helping her. But right, although she wants to be grateful, the next questions really can’t let her.

“So, what’s your relationship with Kim Chaewon, the victim?”

The question threw a huge compact mass towards Minjoo, and dried even more than it is already. The way the question sounds, and together with the fact that it is her wife, who she cheated on, was the one who asked, made it a little bit unbearable.

“W-We… are friends.” Dubious, it is, for Yujin, of course.

“We are…” She breathed out and removed her eyes off from the lawyer, “Longtime friends, ex-lovers…”

“When was the last time you saw each other before the incident?” Yujin was certain she’s clueless about this one, and she wants to know not just as a lawyer, but also as the one whose honor was stepped on.

“We never met until the small reunion we had for the former student council members. The one you weren’t able to attend due to a court trial you have to attend.” Yujin was offended, but felt guilty as she remembers…

“Yujin?” Right after she walked out of the shower room, Minjoo approached her, dressed and groomed.

“Oh, are you off to work?”

“No…? I… am going to our reunion.” Yujin’s brows twitched.

“You don’t remember? Eunbi-unnie invited all of us supreme student council to eat at her house.”

Yujin took a moment to remember, and it’s a bit too long that Minjoo almost spoke but, “Ah, right! I forgot about that…”

The Lawyer headed to their wardrobe and took working clothes, Minjo, upon seeing the clothes her wife chose, knew that the lawyer won’t come and she’s right, “I have a court trial to attend. Until what time is it?”

“The time is indefinite…”

“Hmm, I’ll try to go after the trial, at least to see them.” Yujin faced the woman who she immediately recognized the expression, “I’m sorry, this was scheduled a week ago, so I really can’t excuse myself, they’ll understand, don’t worry.”

“Yeah, we always do understand.”

“Okay, just text me when you’re coming.”

Even Minjoo reminisced how everyone else gave their eyes and attention to her, some are showing disappointment while the others are disbelieving, when she came alone, and how she met Chaewon for the first time after the latter’s graduation.

“Oh, Kim Minjoo~!” A delighted voice was heard from the former President, “Unnie~” Minjoo smiled and gave the woman a hug.

“Where’s Yujin?” Yena asked who’s already munching a food.

Everyone noticed that the Doctor is alone, yet they are expecting for the mentioned woman to come in, they all assumed but, “Ahh… she has a court trial, but she said she’ll come.”

“Ey, that kid, is she a workaholic or what?” Yena commented, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Hmm, well, Yujin eats in her office, that kid doesn’t even bug herself to go out to eat. She’s so… into her work.” Eunbi herself, answered, and Minjoo could just shape a faint smile.

Which was, surely, noticed by almost everyone once again, “Okay, so, why don’t we order something now?” So Eunbi just went on, to shrug the building tension.

The former members sat on a long table, some were sitting on a separated chairs. It was a good day, if Minjoo will minus that even after hours, Yujin is still not coming.

She, for a few times already, stared at her phone, contemplating whether to send a message or call, or just wait for her wife. Yet this time, she can’t stay still, she unlocked her screen and typed a message to her wife, yet midway, she was halted, when a particular person sat beside her while everyone else are busy doing stuffs…

“Min…” Oh, that nickname, created by this specific person.

“O-Chaewon-unnie.” Minjoo mustered a warm, friendly smile.

It has been years since they last saw each other, the younger heard that the older one took her career seriously, had been busy and was also crowned as one of the best lawyers in the same field as Yujin. And of course, they really couldn’t contact each other, as even Minjoo was busy for the past years continuing her med proper.

“How’s life?” Simple question, but impactful.

“Hm, fine~” Minjoo replied, shrugging her shoulders a bit while putting back her phone on her lap.

“I see. Yujin is a good competitor in the field, the two of you must be rich now, you’re a doctor anyway.” Minjoo hissed and chuckled, looking at the older one, disbelieving how the lawyer complimented her and Yujin.

“Haha, why? Isn’t it true? I heard you also have your own clinic? Isn’t that for rich ones?” Minjoo could only shake her head and give out soft laughs.

“So…” Here it comes, “How are you and Yujin?”

That question has more impact than the first one, and Minjoo, of course, can’t hide her emotions even if he would want to. Too pure, too sincere, too transparent, still – she is. And the older one, even after several years of not being that anymore, still can recognize loneliness from the prior’s eyes.

“Hmm, what’s with the sudden long face?” The lawyer looked in front, watching their friends goof around like how they all do before, and waited for the Doctor to respond.

But her eyes were brought back when she heard another set of soft laughs beside her, yet this time, it doesn’t sound so charming.

The lawyer is certain that something between the married couple is wrong, and… although it’s wrong, there was a light that flickered inside her.

“We’re fine… I guess.” Minjoo answered after a moment, and lifted her eyes to distract herself by watching those who are creating a mess with the owner of the house.

“Hmm, I see…” Chaewon wanted to dig deeper, but this is not the right time, she knows, so the best action is to, “Give me your phone…”

Wrong, really wrong, but…

“Why?

“Just.”

Minjoo did give her phone and the Lawyer typed her phone number.

“There, if you ever need anyone to talk to…”

“I’m just a call away.”

Minjoo didn’t mind that at all, and she thought it’s just a gesture of a real friend, because… they are friends anyway, at least for her, even after breaking up, even after Chaewon and Yujin’s fight before, back in their college days because of her… she still accepted the ex-lover as a friend. She’s just too kind to hold her pride.

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