What the wounds on my body and the wounds on my heart have in common

[Episode 7]

이지호

"Would you like to trade?"

민윤기 [판사]

"Are you crazy? Do you think I'd accept a deal like that?"

이지호

"Hey, you're being harsh... This is really a good opportunity..."

민윤기 [판사]

"Please leave."

이지호

"yes..?"

Is he a peddler? That was Yoon-gi's first thought when he saw Lee Ji-ho.

민윤기 [판사]

"Can't you hear me? Take that money and get out of here right now."

Judge Min Yoon-gi is so honest and unyielding that he's even been criticized for being inflexible. There's no way he'd accept such an outrageous proposal.

Lee Ji-ho's grandiose plan came to nothing.

※There is no photo of the court, so we will replace it with a photo of the church.

today.

The trial that has captured the attention of the entire nation has finally begun.

민윤기 [판사]

"The trial will now begin."

※Please understand that the author is ignorant of trials and may differ from reality.

전정국

"Does the defendant, Lee Ji-ho, admit to bullying the victim, Park Ji-min, who was in the same class in the past?"

이지호

"That has never happened."

전정국

"No. The defendant was a perpetrator of school violence."

변호사

"Prosecutor Jeon Jeong-guk is now coercing the defendant."

변호사

"And the victim, Park Jimin, and the prosecutor, Jeon Jungkook, know each other..."

전정국

"That's not a problem, is it?"

변호사

"Judge..."

민윤기 [판사]

"Everyone, be quiet!!! Even if we know each other, there's nothing we can do right now. Please continue."

전정국

"thank you."

전정국

"Let me ask again. Defendant Lee Ji-ho committed school violence against Park Ji-min seven years ago. Is that correct?"

이지호

"I told you no."

Unlike his eyes that were glaring at Jeongguk as if he was going to kill him, his answer was surprisingly calm.

이지호

"It's already been seven years. There's no evidence, is there? Please don't dwell on the past."

전정국

"You said there was no evidence? Victim Park Jimin has been gathering evidence just for this day he dreamed of."

Jungkook pressed the button in his hand.

전정국

"Please look at the screen."

전정국

"Park Jimin always took pictures or wrote down in his diary the bruises and wounds he received from Lee Jiho."

전정국

"What did Lee Ji-hoi do to himself? How badly he bullied and tormented him."

전정국

"The defendant and the victim. I was a classmate of both of them, and a victim of school violence like Park Jimin. I can never forget those terrible days."

전정국

"Defendant. Are you still going to deny it?"

이지호

"I said no... I said no!!!"

Lee Ji-ho tried to assault Jeong-guk using a chair as a weapon, but fortunately, the bodyguards stopped him.

이지호

"Ugh..."

민윤기 [판사]

"defendant!!!"

민윤기 [판사]

"This is a sacred court. Please observe dignity."

전정국

"...That concludes it."

민윤기 [판사]

"Yes. Then, Mr. Park Jimin, please tell us."

박지민

"First of all, I want to tell Lee Ji-ho that I had a really hard time and was in pain..."

박지민

“I’m human too… I feel the same emotions, I get hurt, I have the same difficulties.”

박지민

"Actually, I prayed to the heavens every day. Please let me die today. I don't mind getting in a car accident, I just want to get out of this darkness."

박지민

"After graduating from high school, I didn't have any reason to see Lee Ji-ho anymore. I only saw him in newspapers or articles, and I never met him again."

박지민

"It's already been seven years since I escaped the bullying. When I look at the scars on my body, I still remember that day."

박지민

"The day you drove me to my death, the day you took my life away..."

Jimin closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.

박지민

"I thought everything would be okay if I never ran into Lee Ji-ho. I thought I could forget all those incidents."

박지민

"I thought it was over when people forgot about it and treated it as a done deal. But it's still so painful."

박지민

"I remember every single detail: the expression on Lee Ji-ho's face as he harassed me back then, the cold stares of the onlookers as they looked at me."

박지민

"Even if the pain goes away, the scars will remain."

박지민

"Even if the scars on your body are erased, the scars on your heart won't be erased."

변호사

"That's because Lee Ji-ho was so immature in high school..."

민윤기 [판사]

"Attorney, I didn't give you the right to speak. Mr. Park Jimin, please continue speaking."

박지민

"Yes. Thank you, Your Honor."

Jimin bowed his head to Yoongi and then glared at the lawyer.

박지민

"Lawyer, you're saying it was because I was immature?"

박지민

"Then what am I... what am I! Do you know who has matured?"

박지민

"You don't know how hard it was for me. How could you say something like that when you don't know?"

박지민

"How can you say this so calmly?!! Is it because of money..? Did everyone crumble like this in front of the power of money?"

Liquid flowed from Jimin's eyes. His heart ached so much. It felt like it was being torn apart. He was so saddened by this world that didn't follow his every whim, by this reality where even the right words were ignored.

박지민

"I thought I had a true friend in my own way... It was so hard to be forgotten in an instant like that."

박지민

"And I was so scared and afraid of what they would think of me when they saw me. How could I not be seen as different? How could I not get cursed at by them?"

박지민

"When I actually looked at them, they didn't seem to care about people like me. I was the only one who was anxious and uneasy. I was the only one who hid."

박지민

"That's when I realized how pathetic I was. I thought I could be a little more confident, but that was difficult."

박지민

"The bystanders aren't here right now, but I really want to tell you. Your cold gaze back then drove me to my death. Your murmurings drove someone mad."

Jimin wiped away his tears and spoke.

박지민

"I have a question for Lee Ji-ho."

박지민

"I was so happy when I was ditching Park Jimin. I was so happy when I was taking away the people around me one by one."

박지민

"How was it when you were harassing me?"

이지호

"I don't really remember anything... because I was young..."

이지호

"I guess it was fun, you know."

Lee Ji-ho's last words shocked Jimin.

박지민

"I won't bother you today. It's time to stop bothering you."

박지민

"I lived each day with this thought in mind, but it seems like it was all futile."

박지민

"I should just die. I should die before it gets any more painful..."

전정국

"Hey, Park Jimin..."

박지민

"Well, if I had died then, everyone would have said this. Is that all there is to life? Why would you die for something like that?"

박지민

"But even while I'm alive, I hear things like this. Would it have been better to just die? Or would it have been better to just give up and live without any motivation?"

전정국

"Park Jimin!! You're the best..."

민윤기 [판사]

"Park Jimin."

박지민

"sorry."

박지민

"There's nothing waiting for me, so what was I expecting? That's what I thought."

박지민

"Even now, years later, I can't sleep because of that incident. I feel ashamed and wonder how the perpetrator can live so comfortably."

Jimin's eyes, staring ahead, were unfocused. He looked like someone who had given up on everything in the world.

민윤기 [판사]

"Still, you've held on well so far, haven't you? Everything will be okay, so don't worry too much. You've worked hard. You've done well."

민윤기 [판사]

"There are many people who believe in Jimin... so don't be too sad. I hope you continue to do well in the future."

박지민

"...thank you...."

박지민

"Lee Ji-ho. You did something unbearable while wearing human skin, so I hope you pay the price."

박지민

"Live your whole life carrying a heavy burden on your heart... just as much as I suffered."

Jimin's voice was powerless. To be precise, his body felt powerless. Still, his eyes, glaring at Lee Ji-ho, showed no signs of losing their strength.

*The story is longer than I expected, so I split it into two parts. Please understand! I'm glad I reached my maximum character count today, hehe... (?)