CHAPTER 7: MISTER TURKEY, FOLLOW ME!

SolHi's eyes welled up with tears at the moment she heard the ringtone of a received text message, somewhere in the distance: ,,I love you! I miss you! Watch me!" but she hadn't enough time to exit the elevator and run away because the doors closed once DooSan entered and he stopped behind her. Not to be seen crying, SolHi avoided his glance and looked at a blind spot in the mirror and the memories took completely over her.

***

6 YEARS AGO. COURT OF LAW. MOOT HALL.

  She heard all this like in a dream, from the bar: "...and, for lack of evidence, the defendant Ian SolHi is declared innocent…," and the rest were just words because she heard the most important… the important words for her.

  Somewhere in the moot hall, Mina's whisper was heard: ,,finally! We did this!" and SolHi looked at her friend. But she didn't see Mina because her mind was completely not there and, instead of Mina, she saw Yun Marie leaving and she saw Han DooSan staring at her as if he was watching the devil: he unhappily grimaced while his eyes were piercing her as if his biggest desire had been to cut her in thousands of pieces, right there, in the moot hall, whatever the consequences. But she didn't care about his feelings, not anymore because she was free at that moment and a Court Statement declared her innocent.

  And SolHi smiled… and her eyes had been covered by a pool of tears. But those were tears of happiness, tears she didn't shed the last year since that nightmare started and she has been dragged in that muddy world where all over was dark and cold.

  ,,No cold cell anymore," SolHi whispered and she started to cry even louder, with all her body. But nobody approached to tell her that everything will be fine… the witnesses were leaving, disappointed with the result. Those, however, weren't her witnesses. So, SolHi hadn't to care about them anymore, as she didn't have why to care about what will happen to her next. She hadn't time to think about this at that moment… she just wanted to live the moment… and she wanted this so badly, for the first time actually since she had been born.

  ,,Congratulations, Miss Ian! I hope that you won't ever return here," and SolHi saw detective Kan in front of her, stretching his hand to greet her and, to SolHi's surprise, she saw no hate or disappointment in his eyes… he was watching her with the eyes of a man that knew what sufferance means and this was for SolHi equal to empathy.

  ,,Thank you, detective! Thank you very much!" SolHi mumbled, and, after wiping her tears, with wet palms, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it as if she was in a trance because he was the first person who approached her and wished her good luck, after a long and painful trial for her and also after a long battle. And, when she finally noticed that her palm was wet, she quickly withdrew her it, hiding it at her back. ,,I'm sorry, detective! I just...," SolHi muttered, trying to excuse herself. But Kan smiled at her, kindly.

  ,,Don't worry! It's nothing… just tears… and they can be wiped," and he smiled because he didn't know what else to do in such cases. He had been to trials before, but there were criminals sitting on the stand trial against whom he testified. But this time was different… for the first time, he testified for the defense and this was something weird for Kan - to defend the one accused of taking someone's life - the life of the General Attorney's elder son, and he did this against all those who tried to stop him, doing this because he felt that this was what he had to do and that this was right.

  ,,Well, I have to go now. So… once again, Miss Ian, good luck, and as I said: I hope to never see you here again," and, bending a little his head, in a sign of greeting, he turned his back to her and took a few steps to leave.

  ,,Won't you ever regret this, detective?" SolHi asked, looking at his back.

  Her words made Kan hesitate and he stopped. ,,To be honest… I don't know the answer to this question," he said, without looking at her. ,,But I hope I won't regret it… hope so," and he left without watching her again.

  ,,Friend, so happy for you!" Mina yelled while approaching SolHi and she hugged her. But SolHi wasn't ready for that happiness. Her mind was still somewhere, looking for an answer while she was watching Kan and DooSan leaving the courtroom.

***

  What happened inside the Court had been nothing compared with the madness that was waiting for SolHi outside. And the most frightening thing was the fact that SolHi was facing that crowd of hungry wolves alone, a crowd that was waiting for her… the journalists. And she started to regret now, that she didn't wait for Mina to finish her job in another trial and to leave together, as she was regretting her freedom too while all those cameras… blitz… and shouts... were addressed to her.

  This made SolHi close her eyes for a few seconds, bothered by the lights. And this happened because she had been closed in a dark room for days while she was waiting for her trial, in the Main Jail for Women. But, at that moment, the noise and so much attention around her were something unexpected and scary.

  ,,Did you have an affair with the victim? Was he your lover?" these were just a few of the questions that made her open her eyes and look in front of her, at the journalists that were piercing her with their hungry for ,,bomb-news" eyes. But she looked past them and she saw Han DooSan behind them, staring at her with his eyes similar to of a criminal and she has remembered that look, from the Intensive Care Room, when he tried to asphyxiate her.

  ,,Miss Ian, why did you kill him?" was the next question heard. But SolHi couldn't answer this, for the simple reason that she didn't know the truth about all that was happening to her or why she has been dragged into that trial, even if she knew that this happened because the victim's family insisted, considering her a liar, who was trying to fool everybody with her so-called ,,amnesia." But, in the end, they've lost the case because they couldn't find anything that was bonding her to the victim and, because all these were so weird, the judge declared her innocent. She, however, was still a suspect because no other one was found, and so it is this process: even if you are declared innocent, you are still a suspect… in front of the law and in front of people, at least until the guilty person is found.

  In the end, Han DooSan approached her, passing through that crowd of journalists, and stopped in front of her, madly gazing at her, while the journalists, feeling the next scandal on the first sheet of their journals, were there… ready for not losing any detail and, if possible to destroy somebody, better.

  ,,Are you happy now?" DooSan simply told her. ,,Do you think you are innocent only because a judge said so?" he growled.

  ,,I don't care about what you think, Han DooSan. I am free now and I won't accept any other accusation or offense from you," SolHi answered, trying to be as calm as possible. But her answer enraged DooSan, who grabbed her by arms, squeezing them with all his strength.

  ,,You are just a criminal, you… bitch. Don't think that it's over. If the law didn't punish you, then I'll be your karma and I'll hunt you till the last breath. Do you hear me? I'll make you regret getting involved with my family, assassin," and he pushed her so hard that SolHi stumbled to her feet and fell in the end… those hyenas, with the sophisticated name ,,journalist" on their IDs, surrounded her in seconds, taking pictures of her and yelling their questions… questions that didn't have an answer. SolHi, however, suddenly stood up and ran down the stairs.

***

  She was running onto the pavement… pushing the passers-by from in front of her and looking for somebody… and she finally saw him… at the crosswalk… waiting for the traffic light that was still red, forcing him to wait thus when everything that he wanted was to walk further and to leave that muggy place, which he hated so much.

  Suddenly - the green light was seen and DooSan walked away. But somebody pushed him and right away grabbed his arm, pulling him back and, watching at that person, he saw SolHi… she was furious, looking like a Pitbull ready for attack and this drove him crazy, forcing with her to release himself. But she wasn't seeing anything, as she didn't hear him yelling at her to let him go.

  ,,Do you think you are a God?" SolHi yelled at him.

  ,,What? A God? How the Hell do you dare to ask me…?"

  ,,Then, who the fuck do you think you are to call me ,,assassin"? If you hadn't been there that night, when it is supposed that I killed him, and if you hadn't seen me doing this then you can't call me ,,murderer."

  ,,I have this right, ok? The one you've killed was my brother, ok? I won't stay still and wait…"

  ,,And the same I tell you, mister motherfucker. I was declared innocent today and, till new evidence, I am free and you have no fucking right to accuse me of anything."

  ,,I'll find the evidence and then…"

  ,,Then find it first and if you can prove that I'm guilty then I'll accept what I did and... I'll ask you an apology on my knees if you want this. But till then… just stay away from me or I swear I'll crack your head and I'll send you next to your brother and then, yes, you will have the right to call me ,assassin." SolHi slapped him eventually, taking him by surprise. Then she moved away, without paying attention to the drivers'yells and the klaxons while she was crossing the street passing between the cars that were passing by her.

  DooSan was still in his place, watching behind her… he was confused… he hadn't expected such a reaction from her, and, for the first time since they knew each other, something inside him moved, but he can't understand what it was.

***

  ,,Should I turn? For a good sight I mean," SolHi said without watching DooSan, who was still behind her, in the elevator, staring at her well-outlined ass.

  ,,Not necessary. It was just a look," DooSan answered. But he felt so miserable, being caught by her looking at her ,,attributes". ,,Damn, is she seeing through space or what?" DooSan thought while staring at a blind spot on the elevator wall.

  ,,It can't be only a ,,look". Someone's eyes can reveal everything: hate, love, disappointment... Interesting, what are your eyes revealing: a desire to hunt?"

  ,,Was it sarcasm?

  ,,You can call it like this if you want, but if I were you, I would have definitely tried to slap your butt. Wow, don't tell me, have I just read your mind?!"

  ,,Yeah, who do you think I am? A psycho or what? I'm not so desperate to slap someone's... butt... in the elevator."

  ,,So, you saw ,,Fifty shades of Grey." Well, I'm sorry to tell you this, but I won't repeat that scene. Not for nothing, but today I'm not wearing sexy underwear. Red, right? Your favorite color, I mean".

  DooSan was about to yell at her when the elevator doors opened and an old lady entered. After pressing 10 and the elevator started to move, the lady watched them and smiled: ,,Newlyweds, huh?! So nice to be young," and, after smiling again, she watched in front of her.

  SolHi smiled. But DooSan wasn't so happy with the lady's remark, and, looking unhappy at SolHi, he caught her smile and made the sign, of a falling head, toward her. SolHi approached him, whispering in his ear: ,,Now we have a witness too. The perfect moment to repeat that scene and, yeah, next time you want to stare at my butt, just tell me… I can offer you a better view," and she exited first the elevator that stopped.

  DooSan mumbled while following her: ,,Sarcasm, huh?! Damn witch. How can she see everything? Has she an eye on the back of her head or what? I'll buy you a broom, witch. At least you'll be able to fly."