The Confession of a Broken Lawyer

He spoke. And in reality, he was confused. The woman standing before him, the one who claimed she wanted to sleep with him, had accused him of a crime? Where, with what, and how?

"To think I’d stand in a courtroom for such a shameful matter. At the very least, I expected to be indicted for tax evasion, labor law violations, or environmental issues... Ah, I can't remember. What exactly did you accuse me of?"

If it wasn't that, then what was it? The woman’s hands twitched for a moment as she hesitated, but soon—

"..."

In reality, he would have told her to stop, but the woman reciting the statutes before his eyes was rattling off his charges as if she had memorized the entire penal code.

"Criminal Act Article 32, Rape..."

"I looked it up, and it said imprisonment for three years or more. There was no 'less than.' I almost started at three years flat."

"...Adultery by professional power,"

"That one was seven years or more. I don't know the law well, so the lawyer would know better. Do you combine those two, or calculate them separately?"

"...Since different legal principles are applied, they are treated as concurrent crimes, and the remaining sentences can be added up to one-half of the heaviest crime's sentence,"

"Then I'm looking at 8.5 years."

Wait, if time has passed, does that mean I went to prison? No, the woman who sent me to prison is this bitch?

"...But it was resolved well."

"It was resolved well. Not because of you, but thanks to the other women."

"But I also..."

She continued, "I also, you and I had something too."

"..."

"I also slept with the Vice President... that happened too, and I testified..."

"That was an act of distorting the truth from the start. The accusation you made. What, that I raped several women?"

"..."

No, never mind the several women... first of all, did she and I sleep together?

"Still, if I hadn't testified properly, a crime is a crime even if it's just one person..."

"Ah~ so you're saying you wanted to make me a criminal, but it's a shame it didn't work out."

"No! Absolutely not, that's not what I mean, Vice President... Please, okay? I was wrong."

The more she spoke, the more she tied herself in knots; this woman was just as bad as the others. By the way, he, dreaming in reality, realized that the 'he' in his dream was a bit different. He spoke with conviction, hitting the nail on the head. He didn't waste time on useless thoughts, and he felt more logical... that kind of vibe. He wasn't being pushed around by the woman, either. He was in a calm, undistracted state. Feeling like he had become someone who could heartlessly discard the woman standing before him, he smiled slowly in his sleep, secretly praising the 'him' in the dream.

Around that time,

"...Sir, really... please, I was wrong. I really mean it."

"..."

"I'll issue a correction in the media. I'll say clearly that I was out of my mind and falsely accused the Vice President..."

"That's already been broadcast everywhere. My secretary took care of it."

"..."

"There isn't a single person who sees you in a good light. Do you know that every employee in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the company thinks you're insane?"

"...I didn't intend for it to be that way,"

"...I only had you come here because I was told to check on you. Right. That girl is grateful to you. She just said you were nitpicky... actually, thanks to you, she and I became closer."

"Honestly, I was most worried about that. It seemed like she hated me. But you saw it, too. She brought the evidence herself and even testified in front of the judge. 'This is not sexual assault; I wasn't raped, I did it of my own free will. I wanted to, so I bought dinner, bought drinks, and went to his house.' Seeing her say that, I was so grateful. She even shed tears in the defendant's seat."

"..."

The woman clenched her hands tight once more. "My father said that if I sent you to rock bottom, the women around you would all fall away... he asked what woman would like someone treated as a criminal. He said if I approached you then and did something... I thought the Vice President would stay by my side. If everyone cursed you like that, I was going to step in then and say it wasn't true..."

"Don't talk nonsense. Does a lawyer's brain really not work that way? Now you're even selling out your parents. You threatened me and put me in the defendant's seat to stand trial just to think of something that pathetic—"

"Because I like you!!"

What. Because you like me... you made me a criminal? What, I mean, what does this even mean...?

"I did it because I like you, because I like you... Do you know how nervous I was, do you know how I felt?"

"We ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just had a drink and did it... that was my first time. It's not something to brag about, being over thirty and doing it for the first time... but I thought I wanted you to look at me a little more in the future..."

"I'm still an older sister to you, right? Okay? I thought you would treat me better, but you're only playing around with that crazy ex-wife... that... that secretary of yours who makes me want to die of anger every time I see her, and finally..."

"You're ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠only playing around with that foul-mouthed researcher, why won't you look at me? I want to too, and... I'm a woman too. What am I, a toy? If you slept with me, you have to take responsibility, was it just a one-night stand? Huh?"

...He was tired. Even though it was a dream, it was exhausting.

"Don't speak emotionally. It's distressing."

Even with that plea, he wouldn't listen.

"I was even investigated by a prosecutor because of you. You don't know what kind of experience that is."

"..."

"Even before the trial was over, people were busy cursing me out."

"..."

"It was shocking that a famous person like me was on trial for a sex crime, and they broadcast the trial live. Oh, of course, it was a blessing in disguise."

"As soon as the trial started, hearing the prosecutor argue that I should go to prison, those three women rushed at the judge as if they were going to beat him up."

The woman couldn't say anything. She just seemed to be listening to his story.

"But what did you do?"

"..."

"Ah, right. Like you said, you said you did it because you liked it. ...You crawled in toward the end of the trial."

"...I was wrong, really... the timing wasn't right then,"

"Timing, bullshit."

The woman eventually hugged him tightly, begging him not to be angry, but he wouldn't listen. As he pushed her away with his shoulder as if he didn't even want to touch her, he saw the woman looking as if she were crying.

"A female lawyer over thirty... it's hard to get married."

"..."

"Men don't like women with higher educational backgrounds than them. Even when I try to meet people, if I tell them I'm thirty-two and working as a lawyer, they feel burdened."

"..."

"When they find out I earn more money, they try to leave their seats... And my father, you know. My parents really blocked me from meeting men... They told me to just study hard alone. Then, when I got older, they suddenly told me to get married... I don't know how to date, and I'm not good at saying 'I love you'..."

"But the Vice President was different. When I solved a case and won, you hugged me suddenly, saying I did a great job... I mean, that was the first time I'd ever been held by a man. You greeted me every time you saw me in the hallway, you're rich, handsome, and smart too... You're good at your job, and sometimes you even drove me home..."

"Because ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I was a lawyer, men avoided me, but the Vice President said it was amazing how I could win so easily... and it was revealed that you were divorced... So after that, I thought that even if you were a divorcee, if you had this kind of personality, we could live well together if we got married."

"Then... we drank, and eventually we did it, what are you doing, what are you doing! You're too good at it..."

What is she good at, no, why is she good at it? Why are you like this, no, seriously—I have no idea what kind of things I've been doing. How on earth did I manage to change the tone of this woman, who used to speak so quietly, all at once? Is this some kind of emotional gradation of excitement caused by sexual activity... I don't know why she's suddenly using such a fluttering tone.

"After we did it, you hugged me, and I cried because it was so good... There was nothing lacking, so I wanted to have you so badly."

"My father told me to inherit the law firm later, but I said I wouldn't. I just wanted to keep working at the company and meet the Vice President..."

"...Honestly, since you're divorced... I knew it would be hard to get married again. Even if you didn't want to get married, I was trying to understand. I knew there were other women... even if I knew, I wouldn't have told you not to meet them. I just wanted you to love me equally, like those women... that's all."

While dreaming, he was twitching as if he were having a seizure. Why, because he was confused? No. It was just... because everything seemed wrong. This dream was too much like reality... and that was the problem.