Chapter 242
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 242
Chapter Title: The Juror
-----------------------------------------------------------------
*Ping!*
At the BananaTalk notification, Seojun pulled out his phone.
> Jiho: Where are you?
> Jookyung: Everyone’s here but you.
> Jaehan: Cafe, 2nd floor. Seminar Room 3.
> Joohee: What do you want to drink?
Choi Daye, the publisher's employee, and Kim Hyungwon stared blankly at Seojun as he moved about, not making a sound. After messaging his friends, Seojun smiled and spoke.
“I have an appointment. If you give me your number, I’ll contact you later.”
“Yes, yes!”
“Here you go!”
Taking the business card Kim Hyungwon offered with a trembling hand, Seojun put his glasses back on and pulled his hat down. Even with his face partially covered, his aura was palpable, leaving both Choi Daye and Kim Hyungwon in awe. They couldn't believe they hadn't recognized him until now.
“Today was really fun.”
With those words, actor Lee Seojun bowed, slung his bag over his shoulder, and left the room.
Choi Daye and Kim Hyungwon could only stare dumbly at the back of the superstar who had appeared and vanished like the wind.
“Excuse me, you need to clear the room now.”
Who knows how long they had been spaced out. It was only when a bookstore employee came in that author Choi Daye and Kim Hyungwon managed to pull themselves together.
“...It wasn't a dream, was it?”
“...It might have been.”
With Seojun gone without a trace, Choi Daye and Kim Hyungwon had to pinch their own cheeks.
* * *
“One orange smoothie, please.”
After ordering his drink and getting a pager, Seojun headed to the second-floor seminar room. Among the several closed doors, he knocked on the one for Seminar Room 3, which Jaehan had mentioned.
“You’re here!”
“Welcome!”
The members of Group 3 welcomed Seojun into the seminar room. Group leader Yang Joohee, Kim Jookyung, Kang Jaehan, Han Jiho, and Lee Seojun. It was a wonder how they all ended up in the same group, even though it was decided by drawing lots.
“It’s only one-thirty. Aren’t you all a bit too early?”
The others laughed at Seojun’s words as he took a seat.
“Better than being late.”
“I just happened to get here early.”
“Now that Seojun’s here, should we start the discussion?”
At Jaehan’s question, Seojun and the others simultaneously shook their heads.
“We agreed to start at two.”
“Let’s start at two.”
The kids, wanting to put off their homework as long as possible, all replied at once. Finding their identical reactions amusing, they all burst into laughter.
“What should we do then?”
“I’m going to eat lunch. I haven’t eaten yet.”
At Seojun’s answer, the others’ eyes widened. To kids at an age where they get hungry the moment they turn around, the news that he hadn't eaten lunch was like a bolt from the blue.
“What? What were you doing that you didn't even eat?”
“I stopped by a bookstore and was watching a book talk.”
“A book talk?”
“First, Seojun, go get some lunch. I hear the sandwiches here are good.”
“Okay.”
Just then, the pager buzzed.
Going down to the first floor, Seojun picked up his orange smoothie and ordered two sandwiches and four small cakes. Unlike the drink, which had taken a while, the food was prepared quickly.
Returning to the seminar room, Seojun placed the tray of drinks and food on the table.
“It’d be weird if I ate alone, so let’s all eat together.”
“Oh! Thanks for the food!”
“Thanks, Seojun.”
The kids each chose a cake they wanted and picked up a fork. Seojun also took a bite of his ham and cheese sandwich. Just as Joohee had said, the sandwich was delicious.
“You were so cute when you were little.”
“I saw it too. Your cheeks were so chubby.”
*Munch, munch.*
Seojun silently ate his sandwich. He thought the seven-year-old Lee Seojun was cute too, but it was a bit awkward to say it himself.
“So you must have known the ending, Seojun.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“How did you keep it a secret for nine years? I would have bragged to all my friends.”
Sipping his orange smoothie, Seojun shrugged.
“Because revealing it now is more moving than it would have been back then. If I had said it then, it wouldn’t have had the same impact as it does now.”
“That’s true.”
“And the ending could have been changed if the plot leaked.”
“It might have become a sad ending.”
A sad ending.
The kids, eating their sweet cakes, tilted their heads. They couldn't imagine a sad ending for the *Shadowman* series. Perhaps it was because they had already seen the magnificent conclusion.
“What do you think it would have been like?”
“Well. I don’t know about anything else, but Jin Natra probably would have died, don’t you think?”
“That seems likely, right?”
The conversation about a sad ending quickly shifted.
“Which high school are you guys going to?”
Having neatly finished his ham and cheese sandwich, Seojun unwrapped a chicken sandwich and took a bite.
“Well, Mirinae Arts High is the best option.”
At Jiho's words, Seojun and the others nodded.
Mirinae Arts High School, a school under the same ATR Foundation as Yeoul Arts Middle School.
With the mention of their most desired high school, the kids excitedly shared the information they knew.
“The curriculum is similar to our school’s, but it’s even better.”
“Right. It’s the same in that students can get together to create projects, but if the project is good enough, it can get an official performance.”
“And if it’s a movie, they’ll even screen it at an affiliated theater.”
“And for a fee!”
“We can also use the Galaxy Center, which is bigger and better equipped than the auditorium.”
“I really want to go!”
For student-made projects to be staged and screened in theaters was a dream come true. Plus, they could even earn a small profit.
“But the evaluations are just as harsh.”
Everyone nodded at Seojun’s words. Since people were paying, they couldn’t put up a low-quality production. They would expect a high-level work, something beyond a high school student's level.
“Still, there’s probably no other arts high school that provides this much support.”
“The entrance exam for Yeoul was competitive, so the one for Mirinae must be insane.”
“The second semester is going to be busy. The graduation performance, high school entrance exams… What kind of acting should I do this time?”
“I know, right? Even choosing a free acting piece is hard.”
“Isn’t Seojun just going to do another movie?”
“Hahaha.”
Seojun just laughed at his friends’ words.
*It’s not like that’s going to happen again, right?*
* * *
With their stomachs full and the clock striking two, the kids began their summer vacation homework.
Seojun and the others took out the book for discussion, a notebook to jot down their points, and writing utensils from their bags and placed them on the table.
“I might not be able to write everything down, so I’m going to start recording now.”
“Okay.”
Joohee took out her phone and started recording.
“First, let’s decide on a topic for discussion.”
“I think it’d be good to base it on whether the verdict Park Gyeongwon received was appropriate or not.”
“You mean we become the jurors? I’m in.”
“That sounds good, but… who thinks the verdict was appropriate?”
At Joohee’s question, Jookyung, Jaehan, and Jiho raised their hands.
“So it’s just me and Seojun who think it wasn’t appropriate. That’s a good split.”
3 vs 2.
Joohee beamed, pleased with the perfect split for a debate.
“Alright, let’s begin the discussion. The side that thinks it was appropriate can go first.”
Among the three, Jookyung raised her hand first.
* * *
[*The Juror*]
The story unfolded from the third-person observer perspective of a juror at the trial of ‘Park Gyeongwon,’ who had accidentally killed his father.
Since the trial was viewed through the juror’s eyes, the only information available to the readers was the statements made by the prosecutor and the defense attorney, and the testimonies of the witnesses and ‘Park Gyeongwon’ in response to their questions.
Thus, the juror’s perception of ‘Park Gyeongwon’ shifted slightly throughout the trial, depending on the arguments made by the prosecutor and the defense attorney.
[A Cruel, Premeditated Murder]
[An Accidental Incident]
As the conflict between the prosecutor and the defense attorney intensified, the Park Gyeongwon imagined by the juror seemed like a completely different person. The book described this transformation.
*It was interesting.*
Although the story seemed complex, it was easy to follow, likely thanks to the author's excellent writing skills.
Seojun, who had been momentarily lost in thought, refocused on his friends’ voices.
As expected of acting students, their character analysis was on another level. They scrutinized and analyzed every sentence in the novel.
Jookyung, who argued that the reduced sentence due to past abuse was appropriate, spoke.
“His hands tremble under the prosecutor’s questioning. Isn’t that because of guilt? It means Park Gyeongwon is fully aware of his wrongdoing.”
“I see it a bit differently. Look at the testimony of the doctor who appeared as a witness.”
As if she had prepared for this, Joohee flipped to a page marked with a sticky note.
<“I never heard anything about abuse. He simply said his hands would tremble when he was tired. I advised him to reduce his stress.”>
“His hands are trembling simply because of stress. And Park Gyeongwon is a madman who’s using even that in the trial. He might have even fabricated the trembling.”
In response to the rebuttal from Joohee, who argued the verdict was inappropriate, Jiho raised his hand.
“I don’t think he’s that bad of a guy. He answers sincerely throughout the trial. So much so that the juror, our protagonist, finds it strange how readily he answers every question. The fact that he even answers the prosecutor’s incriminating questions according to the prosecutor’s intent, doesn’t that show an attitude of acknowledging his fault and reflecting on it?”
Jaehan and Jookyung nodded in agreement with Jiho, and Joohee put a hand to her forehead.
“Ugh. No, I’m telling you, it’s all part of Park Gyeongwon’s plan!”
*This is fascinating.*
Seojun watched his friends passionately state their opinions. Even though they had read the same book, their interpretations of the character were all slightly different. This was true even among those who shared the same opinion.
If Jookyung’s ‘Park Gyeongwon’ had the courage to live on, Jaehan’s ‘Park Gyeongwon’ seemed to have given up on everything, and Jiho’s ‘Park Gyeongwon’ appeared a bit fierce.
*Joohee’s version of Park Gyeongwon seems like someone who went mad from abuse.*
And this madman was smart enough to use his history of abuse to get a lighter sentence—that was Joohee’s ‘Park Gyeongwon.’
Finding the different interpretations amusing, Seojun smiled faintly and threw his support behind Joohee’s opinion.
“I also think it’s right that there’s something strange about Park Gyeongwon.”
However, Seojun’s idea of ‘Park Gyeongwon’ was not the same as Joohee’s.
Seojun began to talk about his own interpretation of ‘Park Gyeongwon.’ Some parts of his explanation made the others nod, while other parts made them tilt their heads.
“So, I think Park Gyeongwon genuinely considered being beaten by his father as just a ‘tiring thing.’ Throughout the trial, Park Gyeongwon seems calm, right? Being beaten by his father, starving, even killing his father. He refers to all of it as just a ‘tiring thing.’ Besides, there’s the final sentence.”
The final sentence.
It was the first time the story, which had been developing from the juror’s perspective, revealed Park Gyeongwon’s inner thoughts.
<Leaving the courtroom, Park Gyeongwon thought. Why are those people crying.>
“What about it? I thought it showed Park Gyeongwon’s resentment toward the hypocritical people crying who hadn’t helped him when he was suffering. Like, ‘Why are those people crying, when they didn’t even help me?’”
“I got a slightly self-pitying vibe from it. ‘Why are those people crying? I’m the one who wants to cry.’”
As Jookyung and Jaehan recited the lines, Seojun, Jiho, and Joohee applauded.
“Spoken like true acting majors!”
Jaehan smiled shyly and scratched his cheek, while Jookyung shrugged as if it were nothing.
Seojun, who had been clapping, spoke with a smile.
“This is how I interpreted it.”
His smiling face changed in an instant.
Joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure.
His face, devoid of them all, seemed less than human. Goosebumps spread down the arms of the kids watching him.
“‘Why are those people crying.’”
Seojun’s voice was the same as usual, but the feeling within it was completely different. Unlike Jaehan and Jookyung, he didn’t need to add any other lines for them to understand.
A complete lack of understanding.
Incomprehension.
From the very beginning, Park Gyeongwon could not understand people.
Why do they cry and laugh, feel pain, get annoyed, get angry, hit, and resent? Since he couldn't understand emotions, everything was simply a physically arduous and tiring affair.
“But that doesn’t mean his body was fine. If you keep taking shocks, something is bound to break. That’s why his hands were trembling during the trial.”
At Seojun’s explanation, Jookyung, Jaehan, and Jiho nodded with subtle expressions. They looked slightly chagrined.
“I don't know. If I just heard the words, I’d have counterarguments, but…”
“When you see Seojun’s acting, it feels right.”
“Convincing us with acting… you’re a scary one.”
Only Joohee, who was on Seojun’s side, clapped enthusiastically.
“That’s the ace of the acting department for you!”