Depreciation (Criminal AU) (WayV x Reader)

Remote Advocate

Chapter warnings: none

Word count: 1076

-----

"8 p.m.? Alright, sounds good." She hung up the phone with the contractor, thankful that he had answered so quickly. Now that it was becoming evening, she had plenty of time to clear anything important out from the basement before they arrived to seal the location up. Just in case, though, she instructed them to make sure they knew exactly where she was before pouring the cement. She didn't want to be trapped.

She had spent the earlier day moving money around, as banks were some of the first businesses to close on any given day. Thankfully it all went off without a hitch. People ask surprisingly few questions about where these enormous sums of money come from. She herself was utterly perplexed by the sheer volume of liquid funds they had on hand, as well as the fact that Kun had trusted her with it. She supposed it was his last hope, but still.

She took a few careful hours to package Lucas's things into cardboard boxes, making sure that nothing would be damaged. All of the girls' clothing stayed, as the area would be sealed for a long while. She felt bad tearing his room apart, but if he wanted his stuff anytime soon, she'd have t remote it from the basement. It almost took her longer to load things onto the elevator and take it to her bedroom than the actual packaging took. She figured he wouldn't mind her holding onto it until he was fully recovered.

Once the contractors showed up, they spoke to her, confirmed their plans, and discreetly began sealing the bottom floor. While it would take a day or two to completely set, the pouring would only cost a few hours. There was no way they could come up with a search warrant that fast, so she wasn't too troubled. That left one major task.

The part she was dreading... The lawyers. She needed to find someone willing to defend all 7 men in court well enough that they would walk completely free, both physically and in terms of allegations. They could not afford a scandal. Anything of the sort and their careers could be over, ruining the underground business as well. That kind of pressure- it was immeasurable, no matter the amount of money that was being offered.

The first call she made, the woman who picked up was clearly a secretary. Y/N asked to speak to the lawyer directly, stating to say that it was a call from Kun, but the woman responded that they'd get back to her as soon as possible. He was clearly running a reputable business, whether or not Kun knew it. Regardless, she didn't have time to wait. She called the next lawyer.

This one was quite different. The first time she called, she received no answer. Confused, she called a second time, double checking the number to make sure she had punched it in correctly. On this round, a cracking, male voice picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hello sir, I-"

"I'm not interested in whatever you're selling. Good day-"

"Wait!" She tried to exclaim, but the phone was hung up. Growing irritated, she called the number a third time, keying in "*67" beforehand to hide her caller ID. The same voice answered, clearly also as irritated as she.

"Sir, I'm not a telemarketer."

"I don't-"

"I'm calling for Kun." She slid in quickly before he had the chance to argue. The line went silent for a moment, probably as he tried to figure out whether or not she could be lying.

"Oh yeah? What does he want?"

"He's in a bit of trouble." She started to explain.

"Ah, figures. What's going on?" She told him about the arrest, leaving out the specific charges and mentioning that Kun had requested he defend them in court.

"No need to beat around the bush, kiddo, I know about his little... side job. I'm curious as to why you're calling, though. Are all of them being detained?"

"Yes."

"And how do you know him?" Her eyes flit to the side even though she knew no one would be standing there.

"They kidnapped me." Another silence.

"Interesting. And now you're coming to me for help defending them in court?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you. Will you do it or not?" The man laughed, throat sounding dry regardless of the static.

"You're quite the curious little girl, aren't you? I would love to act as their attorney, we've been friends for a long time. Unfortunately, I'm in a bit of a bind. I don't think I'd be able to make it."

"Bind?"

"House arrest. Long story, no need to bore you with the details. The point it, I have no way of showing up to court, so unfortunately, I don't think that'll be possible." Her heart dropped. She was beginning to run out of options. She only had one number left to call, and she didn't know what she would do if she couldn't follow Kun's instructions. "It's a shame, really, I'm the best criminal defense lawyer on the face of the Earth." He left off with.

"I... I guess that's fine." She had no choice but to be fine with it. "I can try and find someone."

"Unless..." Unless? He was clearly trying to bait her into asking the question, as Kun did earlier. It must have been an effective tactic of convincing someone, though, because she fell for it a second time.

"Unless what?"

"Unless you let me build the case, and then you present it." He couldn't see it, but her mouth was strewn slightly ajar, heart stopping.

"P-present the case?"

"Sure. You'd need to be a little more confident, but if it's my work, I'm sure it'll be doable. Hell, you can even keep a bluetooth in if you want me to guide you through the process."

"I- I can't- I'm not a lawyer, I-"

"You don't have to be a practicing lawyer with a business to defend someone in court. Of course, they're generally better at it, but there's no rule. You could have Ronald McDonald defend you if you could get your hands on him." This was insane. There was no way she could stand up in court in front of hundreds of people and present a legal case based around saving her kidnappers. It was so insane that she was just willing enough...

"I'll do it."