✖「YOUNG GOD 」✖ Serial Killer!AU [COMPLETED]

15 | the devil's advocate.

"Is Miroh Heights rallying for the death of a 20-year-old orphan? Is justice always this heartless?

"The only existing psychological analysis of alleged serial killer Han Jisung has now been revealed to the public eye, painting a stark contrast with the image of the stone-cold murderer we were all introduced to before. What else is the prosecution hiding? Is Han Jisung at the mercy of a system that has failed him once — and will it fail him again? More on this complex case, next week."

You set the school paper down on the diner table. Across from you, Bang Chan gave a low whistle. "Lee Felix, is it? You really outdid yourself, kid."

Felix grinned. He was glowing, not just from the detective's praise, but with a light sheen of sweat — you two had woken up at the crack of dawn to deliver the newspapers around town, Felix on Jeongin's bike, and you and Chan in Woojin's police cruiser. The delivery boy had even drawn out a map of all the shortcuts he knew, and so you had all made it back to Glow Cafe — where Hyunjin was waiting with fresh mugs of coffee — before noon.

Jeongin scanned the front-page article again, nodding excitedly. "I read the local press' papers every day while I was in the hospital — this basically goes directly against everything they've been saying." He still had weeks before he was allowed to be discharged from the hospital, but had managed to bribe a nurse into letting him take 'short walks for fresh air' during the day.

"Why're we fighting against the local media, though?" Hyunjin asked. The barista looked much better now that Jeongin was awake — the colour had returned to his once-pale cheeks, and he had opened the cafe back up for business again. "I mean, what does the news have to do with the trial? Knowing the prosecutor, he probably doesn't even care."

Chan shook his head. "The media plays a huge role in cases like these — mass murder allegations, things that'll implicate the entire town. In smaller cases, yeah, no one would look twice at the news. But for cases like Jisung's, they're going to bring in a jury for the trial — and most times, what the jury agrees on ends up being the final verdict."

"But the jury isn't supposed to have heard of the case beforehand."

Woojin grimaced. "In theory. Miroh Heights is a big town, but it's old — not to mention it's a campus area." When Hyunjin still looked confused, Woojin continued, "That all makes it a close-knit community. There's only so many people who qualify for jury duty — and I'm willing to bet that there's not a single person in Miroh Heights who isn't keeping up with Jisung's case by now."

"Kang's a top-tier scumbag, but he's far from stupid," Chan mused, reaching for his mug and frowning when there was no more coffee left. "It definitely wouldn't be beyond him to pull some strings to make sure he gets to choose the people on the jury: the ones exposed to the case — the news — the most—"

You finished his thought for him. "Students. Professors. Citizens."

"Exactly."

There was a brief silence. Chan began a side conversation with Felix, and you snuck a look at Hyunjin. He had disappeared behind the counter, and was fiddling with the cash register with his head down.

You glanced back at the table. Woojin and Jeongin were sitting in a strangely awkward silence — the delivery boy's expression was oddly closed off, you thought to yourself. It was almost...cold, a side of Jeongin you had never seen before. Shrugging, you excused yourself from your seat and retreated behind the bar to where Hyunjin was standing quietly. The barista was idly unrolling packets of coins to refill the cash register, and didn't look up at you.