#joonsola

it was finally the day of graduation.

joon hwi was beyond excited. he was nostalgic, sad and emotional, for sure. but after crying so many tears yesterday and the past week, he found it useless to cry any further. he lets the adrenaline set in for his new chapter lying ahead.

joon hwi was finally going to be a prosecutor.

his letter came in a few weeks after the bar exam. he counts himself lucky, being one of the students that helped to capture assemblyman ko, solve his uncle's murder, prove his professor's and his own innocence. all in his first year. it was no surprise that when he applied, they immediately wanted him. his grades were just the cherry on top to his stack of achievements. he was certainly overqualified for a guy who just passed the bar.

(well, he did pass the second round judicial exam.)

further than that, he was crowned valedictorian and was tasked to give a speech to his fellow batch mates. he had practiced his speech countless times, and he could recite it in his sleep by now. but he can’t quite place the feeling that he feels. his thoughts are all over and he can’t seem to keep his heart rate constant.

a knock on the door of his now empty dorm room distracts him from his thoughts. there, dressed in similar graduation robes, with long wavy brown hair is kang sol a, or to him, his kang sol. she walks in with a small smile on her face, but her smile fades away to a face of concern after studying his face. her eyes dart to the door, and she strides back to shut the door, giving him and her the privacy that he needs.

"what's troubling you?" she asks gently, taking his hand into hers. a quiet, simple gesture done by sol could soothe him so much. joon hwi is silent, not knowing why he’s so nervous. he’s done speeches and talked to crowds bigger than this. heck, he has testified for court. yet, the knot in his stomach refuses to cease.

“i don’t know… it’s nothing new, yet…” he trails off, avoiding his eyes with his girlfriend. his thoughts race through his head, but it leads back to his uncle, his samchoon, the man that brought him up: seo byungju.

“joon. joon, look at me.” sol brings a hand up to his cheek, gently raising it so it meets her eyes rather than the floor. joon hwi promised he wouldn’t be emotional today, yet he found his eyes glassy when he met sol’s eyes. as a tear slips, her fingers wipe it away gently.

“your uncle… he would be so proud of you to see the boy he raised achieve his dream.” sol says, a voice so quiet and soft, it seems to echo to joon hwi. she always knew what to say and always knew what was troubling him deep down, even if he denied it.

samchoon… are you proud of me?

“i’ll always be supporting you, like how your uncle did. when you’re on stage, if you feel intimidated, just look at my eyes, alright?” sol says, rubbing his cheek. he gives a small smile and nods slowly. taking his hand, sol intertwines it between her fingers, an action that he knows she only does when they are alone. an act so simple, yet his heart was so soothed by then.

joon hwi’s free hand reaches to the back of her head, as he lowers his slightly, so their forehead rest against each other. he breathes her perfume in, the one he bought for her a few months into their relationship, the one that she always wanted but could never buy. he takes slow breathes with her, her thumb rubbing his knuckle gently.

sol pulls away, much to joon hwi’s disappointment. he wanted her skin ship even more, just savouring her touch under his skin. sol notices his disappointment and only gives him a smile.

“they’re waiting for us. come, let’s go.” sol says softly, letting go of his hand after giving him a squeeze. he knows she hates being affectionate in public, even in front of their close friends. he gives her a quick peck on the top of her head before following behind her, walking to the lobby where they were.

“yah, hyung!” bokgi waved with enthusiasm, gathering the attention of the group. joonhwi maintains his composure and lets out a deep breath.

“nervous, hyung?” yebeom asks, his fingers fiddling.

“tch, it’s me. i’ll be fine.” joon hwi replies. it’s a half truth, now that sol is by his side.

“that’s why sol-noona had to find you, right?” bokgi teases, earning a nudge from yeseul. bokgi looks in mocked offence, but he recovers. everyone eyes at sol with prying eyes, the look of teasing on their faces. she takes this moment to shut her eyes, bring her hands up to face and shakes her head while sighing. these kids have literally nothing better to do than to just tease her and joon hwi.

“it’s time. you should go.” jiho says as he nods towards the lecture hall. the ceremony doesn’t start till half an hour later, but being valedictorian, he had preparations to do. they send joon hwi their last words of encouragement, but joon hwi was not going to leave unless he embarrassed his girlfriend a little longer.

his hand reaches up to sol’s hair, sweeping the curls behind her and cutely arranging her fringe the way she likes it. sol blushes as the group ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ in front of them. joon hwi knows she hates being so affectionate in front of her friends, but it’s always fun to tease. sol’s bright red and her face forms the smallest pout. joon hwi knows he’s achieved his mission.

“i’ll see you later.” he says with a wink and walks away, hearing the tease from yebeom and sol squeaking back.

when he’s on stage later, giving his speech, the words fall out of his mouth effortlessly. but the only thing that changes is that his eyes are fixed on the warm brown eyes of sol. as he addresses his late uncle at the end, he pauses and takes a deep breath. sol looks at him and gives him an encouraging nod. he ends his speech, eyes never once leaving her gaze, as the student body claps for him and he takes a bow.

one by one, the students are told to line up and take their certificates on stage from dean oh. she gives the seven graduates a knowing smile when they step on stage, knowing how much they’ve been through, after being swept up by their problems in their first and second years. even after all that, they managed to graduate with excellent results.

when they gather to take their photos (taken by seungjae, who decided to attend their graduation. it was the least he could do to show his support.), joon hwi swears he sees his uncle standing at the rock by the entrance of the school. he swears he sees the knowing silhouette of the tall man, grey hair and his metal spectacles. but what warms him the most is the smile of seo byung ju’s face and the slight nod.

yes, my boy. i’m so proud of you.

with that, joon hwi lets himself smile as seungjae snaps the camera.

(he doesn’t notice his blurred vision from his tears, but rather blames it on the sun hurting his eyes.)

-----

the group takes individual shots of themselves, even jiho and sol b are smiling when their photos are taken. sol doesn’t lose a chance to tease her roomie about her cute smile, one she only reserved for limited situations.

joon hwi watches as his friends spread out across the field to meet their family, sharing the good news of graduation and their new starting jobs. the smiles on the parent’s faces warms his heart deeply, somehow, even though he’s standing alone.

jiho was going to be a prosecutor with joon hwi in their new office. jiho could care less about joon hwi, but he can’t help but admit that it comforted him knowing a familiar face to be in his office in about two weeks. after all, they did share a room for three years.

sol b, against her mother’s wishes, has decided to take a gap year. her mother initially planned for her to continue her training, securing her route to being a judge. but sol b has had enough of her mother’s toxicity. as they went through therapy as a family, sol b had expressed as best as she could her need to discover what she wants for herself, not what her mother wants for her. what she will be doing in her gap year is still undecided, but she has chosen to move out for the time being.

yeseul was going to be in a firm that mostly did cases of women rights. while she initially was hesitant, bokgi encouraged her to take this opportunity, using her experience and her trial as a voice to the other victims. from time to time, she promised professor kim that she would come back to help at the legal clinic.

bokgi, on the other hand, had finally achieved his dream of being a human rights lawyer. while he was upset that he couldn’t work near yeseul, his spirits were immediately lifted when he heard that yebeom was going to be working just at the building across from him, another big law firm. (it was settled that as much as they went through, the bok-beom duo was never to be separated.)

sol, on the other hand, accepted her first job at attorney park’s firm, ironically. just when she had her first internship, she remembers screaming that she would never work with crooked lawyers like him. sol chose to work with him, as a return of the many favours she owes professor yang, starting with the one from high school. it was the most she could do for her role model.

joon hwi observes as he notices the proud faces of mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, and spots the few sightings of grandparents. somehow, he can’t help but feel a little lonely. his parents, the two individuals he had a short-lived relationship with had long passed. his uncle, the closest thing he had to a father had too passed. he can’t even guess where his aunts or other distant relatives are. his distant relatives probably don’t remember him, and neither does joon hwi.

a small body crashing into him breaks his flow of thoughts, as he looks down to see who it is. byeol wraps her arms around joon hwi’s waist happily and joon hwi breaks into laughter, realising who it is and lifting her before spinning her. she’s giggling in a mess as joon hwi spots sol’s mother and her walking to them.

“ah, hello, mrs kang.” joon hoi greets with formality. sol’s mother playfully smacks his arm with a smile, clearly embarrassed from such formality.

“ah! how many times have i said to not call me that, joon hwi-ah! at this point, you should just call me halmeoni!” she says, earning a big laugh from joon hwi and sol’s face burning with embarrassment.

“umma! don’t say things like this!” sol squeaks back. joon hwi only smiles and insists to call her ‘mrs kang’. byeol is getting introduced to their friends as bokgi and yebeom play a game of tag with her. sol’s mother stands by sol, her hand on her back and her other rubbing joon hwi’s back.

“joon hwi-ah, i hope you know how proud i am of you. sol has told me your own fair share of troubles. i know... you don’t have much of a mother figure in your life, but as your girlfriend’s mother, i hope you know i treat you like my own.” sol’s mother comments to him, holding both his hands in her warm ones. “more than just tutoring my daughter and helping her, you got through your troubles on your own.” joon hwi can only smile as he suppresses the emotions.

“your parents must be so glad to have such a righteous son.”

joon hwi, for a moment, is reminded of his limited memories with his parents. he doesn't remember much, being so young when they died. but how his mother would teach him the importance of kindness and compassion. his father would teach him to be strong, to stand up for the bullies that picked on the poorer kids in his preschool.

hearing his girlfriend’s mother tell him that, he couldn’t help but just pull her into a warm hug. sol joins in from behind, enveloping them with a warm that joon hwi was unable to explain. burying his face into the older woman’s hair, he lets himself be a child, as she rubs his back and holds him lovingly.

for the first time in his life, he finally experiences the warmth of a mother’s hug.

-----

as the field starts clearing out, the seven graduates and seungjae are left behind. their families have gone home, leaving them on the field, laid down in a circle, heads together. there was just silence, as they breathed in the air of hankuk university once more.

once more, as students.

once more, as graduates.

once more, before they step into their next phase.

“i’ll really miss you guys.” sol says quietly. yeseul, lying next to her, nods, although no one can see.

“we’ll meet up. especially you, seungjae-hyung! don’t be shy to ask for babysitters!” bokgi announces, earning a smile from seungjae. they slowly got up from the grass, dusting off the dirt and making their way back once more to the university lobby.

this was the place where these eight students met, all with different objectives and from all walks of life. yet, as different as they are, they got along and went through hell together, for each other. the short lived three years were filled with so many troubles, yet they pulled through together.

truly, they were more than friends. they were family.

seungjae took his leave first, being the family man he was. yebeom had to rush to a family event, and yeseul was going to catch a meal with bokgi. (yeseul promised bokgi to give him a chance once they graduated, and so she kept her promise.) jiho and solb were silently headed off in the same direction with their only conversation being “i’ll drop you off” by jiho and solb nodding. (joon hwi and sol only eye them, making mental notes to tease their ex-roommates.)

“are you going home?” joon hwi asks as sol grabs her bag. after graduating, sol made the decision to move home for the time being, to pay off her loans and support her family and ease her mother of some financial burden. joon hwi has opted many times to help, even wanting to pay off her loans. he had no loans, and after he sold his uncle’s mansion, he had a huge sum of money along with the inheritance. but sol couldn’t do it, she needed to work for this herself.

“yeah. i promised byeol i’ll help her with her work and catch a movie with her too. it’s been long since i could just spend time with her.” sol says. the lobby was now empty, with a few students walking in and out. sol looks at the lady justice statue, almost reminded of the many times she stared at it to remind herself of why she chose law. why she chose this profession.

together, they walk out, holding hands for the first time openly in their school. they were no longer students, and there was no point hiding from others anymore. she was just kang sol; he was just han joon hwi. no more ‘second round judicial pass’, no more ‘uncle killing nephew’, no more ‘klutz’, no more ‘twin failure’. just them.

joon hwi takes the bus to sol’s home, still in the ground floor apartment by an alley. sol’s mother invites him in, but he quickly declines, saying he needs to run some errands back at his own apartment. well, it wasn’t a lie. he just shifted in and he certainly had to clean and unpack.

when the apartment is packed with law books stacked neatly in his bookcase, the floor dusted and mopped, furniture clean and the fridge stocked with fresh groceries, he picks his phone to find seungjae sending the group their photos. there’s numerous comments on how yebeom is already missing us, and even jiho gives a ‘tch’ as a reply in the chat. he notices an unread text from his professor and opens the chat box.

you’re on my speed dial for cases. don’t ignore me.

joon hwi scoffs. he sets his phone aside as he flops back on his bed, for the first time processing all that has happened.

he can’t wait for the future.

(on his wall, he hangs a childhood photo of him and his uncle. on the frame, it has a tag with his daily reminder to judge fairly, and to make sure no one suffers unjustly.)

-----

the next few years for joonhwi are an adventure. his experience in the prosecution office is busy and stressful, but with jiho working just next door, he finds comfort in having him by his side. he battles many cases, slowly but surely, making a name for himself. instead of being known as the man that solved his uncle’s murder, he was now known as the prosecutor that never loses.

the study group kept in touch, meeting every two weeks for dinner at a barbecue place. somedays, they drank. on others, they just chatted and kept the plates of pork coming. seungjae did his best to join, but with his toddler kid, things were difficult.

seungjae took a year after his hearing to be with his wife, and take care of her during her pregnancy. he then decided to work as a forensic examiner. if he couldn't practice law and help people with it, the least he could was to uphold it and enforce it. his job was new and interesting, but he humbled himself to push through his training. he meets the group when they are dealing with criminal cases and helps them out as best he can.

the study group also took turns meeting his kid, and would always love babysitting. sol, as expected, was the best with chaotic duo bokgi and yebeom. instead of dinners some nights, they met at his house to catch up with him and spoil his kid. (seungjae couldn’t stop it. when the kid was born, he immediately gained 7 new aunts and uncles, ready to spoil and pamper him.)

his relationship with sol grew as well. working such long working days was tough, but they tried their best. sol would sometimes deliver homemade stews to his apartment and joon hwi would deliver jjajamyeon with her extra pickles on some nights. they met on the weekends, where they would just go to the park and take strolls or hole up in joon hwi’s apartment to work on their cases together.

sol was doing exceptionally well as a new attorney, almost successfully appealing to all her clients. her clients love her, not only for winning, but for always being so caring to them. many say she still keeps in contact with some clients, even after the case has been closed. while she thinks it is no big deal, sol’s career was climbing up. her loans were fully paid, and she has begun looking into apartments for her family and her to shift out of. that alley brought too much danger, especially with byeol growing into a teenager and her mother’s joints weakening.

sol b took that gap year to work at an administrative office at a law firm, before deciding to continue her law career to gain experience before moving forward to be a judge. throughout the gap year, she split her time on herself and therapy, as well as on her study group. she found herself wanting to be a judge, not for her mother, but for herself.

jiho and sol b also started dating each other shortly after they graduated, when joon hwi spotted sol b and jiho holding hands when he was leaving his office. they only told the group a few months later. but of course, everyone knew by then. ever since then, they caught sol b and jiho smiling a bit more, even if their smiles were just the slight curl at the corner of the lips.

yebeom was doing well in his law firm, handling mostly small cases, but he was content since he had a fun time handling the many cases and making visits to meet clients instead of being stuck in the office. bokgi was a human rights lawyer, with most of his cases about the discrimination of citizens in any aspect. he fought for the rights of those of different sexual orientations, races and religions and was extremely happy being able to do that.

yeseul was defending women of all walks of life, from their unequal treatment to domestic abuse. she was passionate and has made headlines a few times over the years when she chose to speak out about her story. she was well known in this area, being the first few lawyers to be a victim of domestic abuse and defending them. she also kept in contact with professor kim and made regular visits at the legal clinic.

bokgi and her only started dating a year after the graduated. bokgi respected the reasons and her space and yeseul found herself falling in love with him. after all, he stood by her all this while for the whole three years and have seen her at her worst. more than that, he treated her with respect and loved her equally, even after all that.

one day, as joon hwi and sol spent their day on the sofa at joon hwi’s apartment, joon hwi was nervous to ask this question. sol was busy looking at different apartment listings.

“sol, can i ask you something?” joon hwi asks, grabbing her hand. sol nodded, eyes still focussed on her screen.

“would you... would you want to move in with me?” sol’s hand stops scrolling as the words sink in and she slowly faces her boyfriend.

“i... i don’t know. i mean, byeol and umma will be left alone, right?” sol says, her voice quiet and soft.

“we can live near them. i think the lease of the apartment is ending soon, anyways.” joon squeezes her hand.

“but... i don’t know if i have enough money to get an apartment for them and us. joon, i really want to, i really do. but...” sol’s eyes are uncertain, and joon hwi sees her eyes guilty, almost like she feels bad for saying that.

“we can get the apartment in instalments. you can buy one for your mom and byeol first and we will slowly pay for ours.” he says. placing a finger under her chin, he raises it so her eyes meet hers. “sol, they are going to be alright on their own.”

sol nods her head and reaches up to pull her boyfriend’s face to hers, letting their lips connect. his lips are soft against hers, as she taste the slight coffee taste from his mug. it’s almost frenzy, from what started as a simple kiss lead to a fight for dominance. without knowing, sol is straddling joon hwi, as his hands pull back her long hair.

when they pull away, he feels her hot breath on his face, and her face burning red, embarrassed at how she acted.

“should we get back to looking at apartments?” joon hwi asks, a small smile on his face, ultimately an act of tease to her. she quickly nods and climbs off of him as they look at apartments together. joon hwi gives her a knowing smirk, before sol swats his arm and they resume scrolling.

and it was true, when professor yang had him on speed dial.

he was just about to leave for a coffee and bother jiho for a bit at his office one day, when a call came in from professor yang.

“han joon hwi.”

“professor.”

“you’re needed, now. meet me at hankuk university in thirty minutes.” and the call disengages. it was a habit of his professor’s, to give blunt replies and just cut off without saying goodbye. he slips on his blazer and grabs his briefcase before picking up the call from sol instinctively. so much for listening to orders, even though he wasn’t a student anymore.

“called you too?” he asks once he picks up, scribbling on a post it note, noting his early leave from the office.

“what else? gosh, i really hate it when he hangs up like that.” sol replies, a twinge of annoyance in her voice.

“i’ll pick you.” joon hwi says, as he leaves his office, then knocks on jiho’s door. jiho’s head pops up from his laptop, before nodding in acknowledgement.

“no, don’t bother. i’ve already caught the train.” sol replies and joon hwi hears the familiar beeping of train doors. sol knows she’s got to hang up soon, if she doesn’t want to irritate other commenters on the train.

“love you.” he says back. sol’s face is blushing red, but she’s lucky everyone on the train was busy on their phone.

“i love you too.” she whispers before hanging up and storing her phone away in her handbag.

when they meet at the doors of hankuk university each time they are called in for a case, they can’t help but to think of how far they’ve come. sol, the girl with bad grades and on a scholarship. joon hwi, the top student with a hidden secret. yet in a matter of years, they blossomed together with their friends on their routes.

professor yang is by the lady justice statue, and when he looks up to see his students stroll in with authority and confidence, he gives a knowing smile.

His Kang Sol was on a date?! But how did she find time to go on a date? Didn’t they all have to study for an upcoming exam? Well, maybe it was Kang Sol B- Joonhwi froze in his place as his mind started whirling with questions.

“I mean, it’s not an actual date, but yes. He’s the guy who sits right behind us in our class- I can’t remember his name but unnie said he’s cute” he frowned at Yeseul’s answer.

It was most definitely his Kang Sol, on a “date”, with someone else. But since when did she find someone cute? He had never heard Sol referring to someone as being cute other than her sister Byeol…

“She even asked if she could borrow one of my blazers last night, she seemed excited…” SolB’s addition made everyone stay momentarily silent.

“Oh! I remember who he is now!” Bokgi exclaimed “he’s the guy that’s always keeping noona behind when we’ve waited for you after class, isn’t he?”

“Him?” Yebeom added with mirth in his voice “the one who’s scared of our Joon Whipped hyung?”

He’s scared of- wait, what did Yebeom say? Joonhwi perked up his head at the nickname for him and right away what sounded like a precedent book smacking against something resounded through the copy room. And then-

“Ya! Seo Jiho!” Yebeom’s pained whine reached his ears “What’s with you hitting people?!”

“We’ve told you not to call hyung that aloud” Jiho scolded “what if he hears you?”

And Joonhwi took that as his cue to turn the corner and appear in front of his friends. There was a chorus of yelps and gasps – minus SolB who just gave him her signature piercing stare – and everyone looked at him like kids caught stealing candy. And they stood frozen like that for what seem like an eternity.

“How much did you hear, oppa?” “You heard everything, didn’t you?” Yeseul and SolB’s questions overlapped.

He avoided their questions and tried to appear as nonchalant as possible when he asked, “Is Sol coming to study later on? Her date isn’t taking her whole afternoon, is it?”

His answer were five pairs of eyes fixated on him and suddenly he felt very small as he sat down at his usual spot by the end of the table. Bokgi and Yebeom were grinning from ear to ear, Yeseul was smiling and Jiho threw his head back as he sighed. SolB’s eyes somehow said you deserve what’s coming your way.

“What?”

Jiho turned his head to look at him “Hyung, please don’t embarrass yourself by talking any further”

“I don’t know what you mean” he kept trying to maintain a cool demeanor as he reached across the table to pick some pickles to put on his plate.

“Hyung, stop trying to fool us” Yebeom kept eerily grinning at him “we all know you’re whipped for Sol noona and you just proved it to us”

Joonhwi dropped his chopsticks, splashing his soup everywhere as he half sputtered/half choked with the noodles he had just put in his mouth. Jiho sympathetically patted his back as he tried to regain his composure.

Once he was able to breathe again, he pondered his options: he could try to play dumb and get teased or he could admit the truth… and still get teased. And since the first option sounded too much like lying and he was no liar, he was left with no choice but to confess.

“Am I that obvi- yeah, okay, wrong question” he backtracked when he saw SolB’s looking at him with an arched eyebrow “since when do you know?”

“Wait, Joonhwi-ah, you’re not denying you have feelings for her?” Yebeom gaped at him, honorifics forgotten.

“Are you answering my question?”

“I’ve known something was up since you were teasing noona that one morning about her remembering something” Bokgi shrugged “I just silently observed you afterwards… but do tell, hyung, did something happen between you two around that time?”

Yeseul smacked his arm and Jiho tskedat him. Joonhwi cleared his throat and ignored Bokgi’s question.

“So, uh- who is… who is Sol-ah on a date with?” he could feel his ears go warm.

“Why, are you jealous hyung?” Jiho pushed his glasses up his nose with the corner of his mouth turned slightly upwards.

Joonhwi fully smirked at him, mischievousness present of his face “out of all people, you’re the one I have more leverage against roomie… are you sure you want to tease me?”

“Is that a threat?” Jiho arched an eyebrow.

“No no, just merely stating facts over here” Joonhwi gave him an innocent smile “you talk an awful lot while you sleep”

“That makes two of us, hyung”

“Ya! Don’t you know it’s disrespectful to talk about something secret in front of other people if you don’t share?” Yebeom whined.

Joonhwi scoffed although he wasn’t angry “it is equally disrespectful to talk about someone and give them nicknames behind their back”

“Touché”

They finished what was left of their lunch in silence. After that they divided what they needed to revise for their upcoming exam and diligently got to work in small groups, purposefully leaving Joonhwi on his own so he could work with Sol once she decided to show up to their study session.

A few hours went by and Joonhwi couldn’t focus on what he had to do anymore. Sol hadn’t show up and his mind started running wild with thoughts about his Kang Sol doing… things, with another guy. Get a grip, he thought, it is none of your business if she- if she…

He had sighed for the umpteenth time when Yeseul addressed him “Oppa, it wasn’t an actual date- not a romantic one anyways. He’s unnie’s partner for our class project, the professor randomly paired us up. Sol unnie agreed to grab something to eat with him so they could discuss the project after”

“Besides, he’s scared of you, hyung” Bokgi added “you have nothing to worry about”

“Scared of me?” his eyebrows shot up in surprise “Why would he fear me?”

“Hyung, Sol noona is the only one who hasn’t realised-”

~

"Who is it?" the prosecutor urged.

Han Joonhwi knows that Jin Hyeong-u would never let him off the hook if he didn't answer. That if the man on the opposing side of the courtroom didn't ask now, he'd just ask again later. So as much as he hated it, he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Prosecutor Jin is cunning, Joonhwi will give him that. And after all that the law student has done to rile up this supposed well-meaning law enforcer in the past, it was pretty much inevitable. The man has him right where he wants him.

Joonhwi swallowed his pride. One deep breath, and then, "Kang Sol."

From the audience, he could see his long-haired brunette friend perk up, stealing a very long and very obvious glance at their black-haired classmate with the bob.

Of course she thinks it's B, Joonhwi thought. Always the selfless Kang Sol A. He made a mental note to make fun of her for it later, but not until —

"Which one?"

The dreaded follow-up question.

"There are two Kang Sols in your study group," the prosecutor started. "Yes or no?"

Joonhwi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes."

"So which one is it? A or B?"

Prosecutor Jin's eyes were unyielding on Joonhwi's, so he knew this was a challenge. If he were doing this on his own, he'd be quick to respond. But after that mishap with Seungjae, he's learnt his lesson: never run your mouth mindlessly. That's how Prosecutor Jin gets you. That's how he wins.

Breaking eye contact first, Joonhwi looks towards the platform. "Judge, I don't see how this is relevant."

And before they could even say a word, Jin was already quick to retaliate. "When the defendant was hospitalized, you called on a friend to assist you with obtaining photographic evidence to prove that Ms. Jeon wasn't trying to flee. That friend was Kang Sol – A, was it?"

Turning to the jury, he continued, "Depending on his answer, we might have to call on Ms. Kang to the stand to verify her relationship with Mr. Han, and depending on her answer, she could either be acquitted, or be a secondary accomplice for attempted murder."

The jurors nod while Jin wraps up his explanation. “But if it were Kang Sol B... that might be enough to clear the suspicion."

Joonhwi mentally cursed. He was running out of cards to play, and Prosecutor Jin's little nod towards his direction, mouth smeared with a bragging smirk, was not helping.

The judge pulled his mic close to him. "Witness, please answer."

Think carefully, Han Joonhwi.

He could feel the entire audience's eyes on him — which usually doesn't scare him, but right now he feels boxed in. Cornered. The smallest he has ever felt, and not because it was his own life on the line, but because he fears dragging the person he loves into this mess.

It's funny how a simple letter can make or break this case. A or B. Fact or fiction, true or false. Love or not.

If he told the truth, he'd be setting himself up for failure. But if he lied, he'd be committing perjury.

Prosecutor Jin is good. He's managed to slip into the cracks of Joonhwi's personal life and possibly ruin any chances he has at a lovelife. Needless to say, as a 28-year-old man who is still single to this day, his self-esteem has taken a hit.

But there's no way Joonhwi is letting that happen. This is a trust fall exercise between him and the person he cares for. If she cared for him back, even just a little bit, he'd have nothing to worry about. He could just protect her the moment he gets called in again.

Now is not the time to falter. If she feels the same, he'll know when she testifies.

On the plus side, her parent is here so it's like killing two birds with one stone.

Joonhwi straightens his back, and with a wave of confidence he leans into the mic, finally answering, "I'm in love with Kang Sol A, your honor."

—

Joonhwi sat at the very back of the courtroom, ridden with anxiety.

With Sol A being called in as a witness last minute, he couldn't catch her at the right moment to apologize for what he did. For publicizing a confession, for making her go to the stand a second time, for everything.

This must be the end of our friendship, seems to be the only thought in his mind. And that's the thought that scares him the most. Not going to jail, but the thought of possibly losing Sol A in the process.

He watches her take her oath, demeanor blank unlike the first time she was there. Joonhwi's fear was taking over — was she annoyed? Was she mad? He couldn't tell. Her face normally said it all, but right now he can't read her whatsoever.

All of Prosecutor Jin's questions flew over his head, especially the ones about the night of Ko Yeongchang's accident. All, except for one.

"Han Joonhwi's feelings for you..." Prosecutor Jin trailed off. “Do you reciprocate?”

Sol A scoffs. "You tell me, big shot. You're the one who forced a confession out of him and made me go up here."

Joonhwi's lips twitched into a small smile. She's defending him.

"Just answer yes or n—"

"I wanted to protect Yeseul so badly,” she began, "that when she fainted, I was dead set on following her to the hospital no matter what. But when Joonhwi said I shouldn't, I didn't even question it. I trust him that much."

Silence enveloped the courtroom, but Sol A didn't even pause one bit. "Don't misinterpret my actions. I care about Yeseul, but I care about Joonhwi more."

And Joonhwi knew that wasn't true, that Sol A definitely loves Yeseul more, but that was enough to solidify their narrative to the jurors.

—

Despite the empty seats in front, Joonhwi spotted Sol A walking towards him with her head down. She didn't even look him in the eye as she sat next to him, their shoulders barely touching until she cleared her throat and inched closer.

Joonhwi did a double-take when he saw that her ears and her cheeks were red, but he chose to ignore it for now.

"Sorry for making you lie on the stand," Joonhwi apologizes.

Fiddling with her nails, she mumbles, "I wasn't lying."

Then, she added, "Unless you were."

He scoffs half-heartedly. Until now she's still doubting his sincerity. "I would never commit perjury. Not when I'm still trying to impress you."

Sol A scoffs in return, covering her face in her right hand, embarrassed. Like she couldn't believe this was happening. She lightly bumped his shoulder with her own. "I'm impressed."

Joonhwi may not have completely overturned the case in Yeseul's favor yet, but he was extremely lucky to have at least outsmarted Prosecutor Jin in the process. More than that, he was lucky to have the quick-witted girl right next to him. To have not just her trust, but also her heart was enough luck for more than a lifetime.

Joonhwi was right.

This was a trust fall exercise, but instead of him catching Sol A, turns out he was the one who fell instead.

Thank God she caught him.

~