AN: As per my professor, defense lawyers and prosecutors may or may not meet before trials, to discuss the case, an study each other’s ability while having a casual conversation. I just wanted to let you know, just in case of any questions.

Important Note: This chapter, together with the 17th, had been waiting to be published out from my drafts for days already and no, it's not because of what you think the reason is, I'm just really busy in reviewing stuff to make sure that the following chapters are perfect since the revelation is about to come. But yes, I'm publishing this now in the middle of the wave, because I saw a lot of authors discontinuing their works, I'm just taking the step forward on my own. If you're an AU writer, and still contemplating whether to continue your works or not, take this as a sign and continue as long as you know that you're not crossing the line.

And I want to let you know, I've been writing AUs for three years and a half, I started in wattpad, and this is the first time I've seen several fans being highly sensitive about many things. So, if there's anything in my pieces that you have concerns with, you can dm me - my twitter @ is DmndFt, talk to me privately. I'm accepting discussions. Anyway, that's all, have a good day.

16

      Both staring at the foods lying on the table, one is confused while the other one is anticipating. The defense lawyer signaled the accused to go ahead, take a bite, on what seems to be a set of meal, but the inmate, being confused, didn’t take any and just asked…

“Isn’t this forbidden here?”

Yujin let out a very soft chuckle, “No…?”

“We’re not in the interrogation room, this is the visiting room, and so bringing food is fine.”

“But it’s not visiting hours…”

“Yeah, but I’m your lawyer. It’s okay, I can visit you anytime.”

“Are you using your powe-…”

“Minjoo, it’s okay. The only wrong thing here is that we’re here, in a prison with you wearing that blue uniform and me, standing as your defense lawyer.” Minjoo then shut , eyes travelled down in an instant and lips parted as her lungs released a faint sigh.

Silence…

And it’s a little suffocating this time, because Yujin is trying, while Minjoo… doesn’t look impressed. It looks like Minjoo just want to go, avoid her presence and just go alone for now, but can do nothing as she steps higher than her on this place.

“Come on, eat. I know the food here is not as pleasant as the food outside.” Minjoo’s hands started to fidget, again, her walls are shaking, and her eyes began to feel the burning sensation.

She had to remain silent, not moving on her spot, her head hanging low, not willing to show her face or, more likely, not willing to show the tears that had started to roll from her eyes, down to her cheek and dropping on her lap as it reaches her chin.

Yujin then heard sobs, sobs that sounded like they’re being prevented to be released, and there, at that moment, the defense lawyer lost her confidence. Hearing the painful tiny whimpers, seeing a lonely soul, it feels like she suddenly did nothing better today.

One line flashed in her mind, “You contributed in her loneliness.”

And though she knows, she can’t do anything. Her body numbed on her seat, her hands and feet’s temperatures dropped, her eyes just stared at her wife who... can’t lift her head up.

“Minjoo…” Every sob, every hiccup, Yujin wants to utter her name. She wants to stand and comfort the woman, but she can’t, she just can’t bring herself towards her.

“Why are you doing this?” Until she heard the question, she was finally able to open to speak.

“What do you mean?” Her voice is so small, as if being submissive to a partner who’s upset, suddenly holding no authority, and as if… she didn’t get cheated on.

“Why are you even doing these things?”

There again, Yujin recognized how Minjoo is looking at herself unworthily.

Sinned = Unworthy

“I get it…” Minjoo inhaled a huge amount of air and relaxed her respiratory system along with her suddenly tensed body muscles, “You’re standing as my defense lawyer to find justice for Chaewon…”

“But why are you…”

“Acting like I didn’t cheat on you?”

“Can’t we just…”

It’s not that she cheated yet she still has the audacity to complain or to shoo her wife away. Everyone knows, even Yujin herself knows that Minjoo loves her and these questions are not because of anything else, but not-so-simply because of feeling worthlessness due to her own past actions. Yujin knows that, finally and gladly.

“Why bring foods? Why be concerned about me here?” Minjoo lifted her head, eyes are totally red and dimmed, face is fully messed up with tears, lip are dry, quivering…

Seeing it, seeing this appearance, this side of her wife, Yujin realized…

The effect of everything towards Minjoo.

She lost weight, there are bags under her eyes, her usually toned cheeks are a little loose, and her natural pinkish lips are pale, very pale. Yet when did she last saw her wife blooming? When was the last time she saw Minjoo healthy, physically and mentally, including emotional part?

When was it? – She can’t remember, and that’s her bad.

“You should be mad…” Minjoo breathed roughly, “You should be mad a-…” The doctor was stopped, didn’t know the defense lawyer had stood up from her chair already until she felt a hand grabbing her wrist.

“Shh…” And heard a low toned hush right behind her ear, right when she also felt a body, scooping hers and a pair of arms wrapping around her.

The inmate tried to shove her wife away, tried so hard to push that warm body off of hers, why? Because this isn’t supposed to happen. She cheated on Yujin, and doing these things makes her feel even guiltier. She caused Yujin so much trouble, and that should validate the lawyer to act cold, or be mad, but no…

She’s even embracing her, engulfing her into a very… very warm hug.

“Why are you h-here?” She cried out, her voice is shaking, and the younger didn’t respond, her eyes squeezed shut instead, feeling the devastation she’s holding.

“Why are you… so kind?”

“Why are you acting like this?”

Questions were asked, and there are more, but…

“Shh, enough…” Yujin can’t bear it for now, not now.

“Enough.” Because if Minjoo can’t be firm, then she should fill the jar on her own, and be the one to guide Minjoo to stand.

The answers to those questions were found, Yujin knows everything, confusion is no longer hugging her, there’s no hesitations bugging her anymore. But she can’t do it now, she can’t fix things between them now, not now that her wife is still too occupied with the criminal case and past events, not now that Minjoo is still swallowing everything.

And so, instead of speaking, she just placed her palms on the back of her wife, gave the woman soft rubs and assuring hushes.

While the doctor let herself feel it, there’s no use of pushing the lawyer away anyway, as usual and always expected, Yujin is stronger. Yet while feeling the body of the younger deeply pressed against hers, she felt guilt choking her, making her sob even more, giving her more deep hiccups while her fists clenched as she did her best not to touch Yujin…

Afraid that the latter will pull away, disgusted. Thinking that despite the lawyer's evident will to hug her, there is still that amount of hatred inside Yujin, disgust and disbelief. And even feeling disgusted about herself, feeling unworthy, dirty.

It took the two a few minutes till Minjoo’s sobs had subsided, and upon feeling the heaviness fading, as Yujin felt her wife loosen up, she pushed the latter and instinctively, her thumbs brushed off the tears that are still rolling on Minjoo’s cheeks, making the inmate shut her eyes, feeling that soft, warm palms cupping her cheeks as well.

No words came out for a couple of second, until it’s Minjoo who moved her head to bow down, which made the defense lawyer to retrieve her hands back and say, “Let’s eat? The food is getting cold.” With a so much low toned, soothing voice.

The doctor nodded, and they both fixed their chairs, faced the table, preparing to eat. Yujin, after not doing it for so long, did assist Minjoo in fixing her foods, gave her everything she needs – chopsticks, opened all the disposable containers and showed her each food, even filled a cup of water.

Minjoo watched all the actions made, and again, the woman is getting confused yet instead of swallowing confusion and guilt, this time, he shrugged it off and ate when Yujin told her, “Go ahead.” To do so.