TASTE | KTH

prisoner

Yura has known what it feels like to be a prisoner. Maybe not in the literal sense, but figuratively, she knows better than anyone how it feels to be trapped. She was caged in by Wonho's manipulation and threats, by his heavy hand against her skin, by the rose colored glasses she tried to see him through for such a long time. For too long of a time. She was prisoner at home, and the relentless thoughts of what happened at home kept her a prisoner of her mind when she left. 

But, genuinely in custody, Yura doesn't feel the restless urge to get out as she did before. The whole ordeal feels like a terrible dream, one that will end any minute and she'll be able to wake up and see Taehyung beside her in bed like she did back at Seokjin's place. But as time progresses, the horrible reality is setting in-- Wonho is pressing charges for what she did to him at the apartment the night she left him. She spent the night in her cell at the precinct staring at the ceiling and attempting to process the incredulity of it all. She even found herself biting back bursts of laughter over the entire situation.

Her abuser is putting her behind bars for "abuse." How ironic.

Now, she sits alone in a room with an officer she vaguely recognizes from work. Namjoon had escorted her here, and it had been an awkward interaction to say the least. 

"How are you feeling?" He asks, and part of Yura wants to scream at him. She wants to yell in his face at the audacity of that question just how incredibly awful she feels, but she knows just as well as he does that he has no choice but to do this. Protocol is being followed, and Namjoon can't make it personal. Yura is trying her best not to take it personally. 

"I'm not sure, to be honest." She says softly, and watches the guilt flash across Namjoon's features.

"Well, you can be mad if you want. I would." He replies. Yura sighs and rolls her neck, sore from the uncomfortable mattress. "Taehyung's absolutely furious. So are Hoseok and Jungkook. And... Jimin." Namjoon grimaces at the mention of Jimin. A ghost of a smile crosses Yura's face. She has been on the receiving end of a pissed off Park Jimin. "Jimin's scary when he's mad."

"Good." Yura says, and Namjoon lets out a couple sharp breaths just short of laughter. They reached the room she now sits in, and a silence falls over the two of them. They connect eyes, and Yura can see the genuine remorse in Namjoon's caramel colored irises. There are dark circles beneath them, and she can tell he slept about as much as she did.

"Do you have a lawyer?" Namjoon asks, all business once again, as he has to be. 

"No, I'll need one." Yura sighs, and Namjoon looks almost relieved at that.

"Alright, I'll--I mean, we'll get you one. Sit tight." Namjoon says awkwardly, and like that, he's rushing out the door. That was just short of an hour ago, and Yura is beginning to wonder how long she'll have to sit here and ponder Namjoon's strange behavior when the door opens again. Namjoon is way too cheerful upon entry for the situation they're in, but he smiles nevertheless.

Following him is a shorter, dark haired man in a sharp grey suit. He carries an official looking briefcase, and he walks with a confident air about him. "Yura. So unfortunate for you to have had to call, but I'm glad to see you again regardless." When Yura gives the man a confused look and opens her mouth to inform him that he must be mistaken, since she hasn't seen the man before in her life, he cuts her off. "How are your parents? I haven't seen them in ages." Yura is dumbfounded by the man with his pale skin and dark, intense eyes, but there's one thing Yura can sense he and Namjoon are trying to communicate to her: play along.

"They're, um...well. They're good." Yura stammers, scrambling considering she hasn't spoken to her parents in years. The man discreetly slides a business card across the table, and Yura's eyes scan the information.

Min Yoongi, Human Rights Lawyer

"That's great to hear. Our families need to get together again, we haven't since we went on vacation together all those years ago. Still, even though we haven't kept in touch, I'm glad you called me to represent you. I normally only handle human rights cases, but I'm more than willing to make an exception for you. If it counts for anything, I only represent people I believe are innocent, based on the facts of the case, of course. In my professional opinion, you deserve someone a tad more...skilled than a public defender. You know what I mean?" He says, and though he speaks one thing, meaning is layered beneath his words. Translation:

We're pretending to be family friends. That's how you know me, and how you knew to call me to be your lawyer. I know you're innocent, Namjoon told me the true story. I'm here because you're gonna need someone stronger than a public defender to keep you out of jail. Got it?

Yura glances over Min Yoongi's shoulder to see Namjoon hopefully smiling. It doesn't take much to connect the dots--Namjoon recruited Yoongi himself to prevent her from ending up with a public defender. She could cry happy tears. Namjoon may be following protocol technically, but he still found a way to help her and be on her side.

"I've briefly looked over the casework regarding your situation, so I know the direction I want to take your defense regarding evidence. However, a good defense doesn't just appeal to the facts and figures. It uncovers new evidence that the prosecution isn't expecting us to have, while also appealing to the emotions of the jury. I can emphasize the ethos and logos to the court, but you're gonna need to provide me the pathos." Yoongi says, and Yura can tell he's a force to be reckoned with in the courtroom just by the way he speaks. He's captivating, all wide hand gestures and piercing eyes and pure passion. "So, in short...what's your story, Li Yura?"

Before, when asked to speak about herself, Yura would have been inclined not to. She would have attempted to get out of it, would have tried to gloss over the intimate details. She would have been ashamed of who she is and what she has been through. But now, now is not the time to hold anything back. This is her experience that Wonho is trying to twist into some fabricated narrative, but it isn't his story to tell. He's not the protagonist, but the antagonist. Yura won't let him win, won't let him make her a literal prisoner when he has made her a figurative prisoner for years.

If she has learned anything these past few months, it's that she is much stronger than that. He is underestimating her immensely, and he's in for a rude awakening in court.

So, Yura clears her throat, and begins to tell her story, unabridged, unfiltered, and unashamed. 

HEY SQUAD I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS, IT WAS A WEIRD LITTLE FILLER CHAP BEFORE WE GET DOWN TO JUST TWO-THREE MORE CHAPTERS OF THIS BOOK!!!

YOU ALSO MET YOONGI YAYYY TOLD Y'ALL I WOULDN'T FORGET ABOUT HIM!

lmk what you think!