IWT 01

Chapter 01

“I submit that the defendant should be acquitted due to the lack of conclusive evidence and eyewitnesses.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

As soon as the defense attorney finished his closing argument, quiet sighs of disbelief spread throughout the courtroom.

Everyone’s resentful gaze turned toward the man sitting in the defendant’s seat.

His head was bowed, and he remained completely motionless. Yet the faint smile spreading across his lips was both chilling and repulsive.

“That bastard is the culprit! He’s the murderer!”

At that moment, an enraged voice erupted from somewhere in the gallery, expressing what everyone present was thinking.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Order! Order in the court! The prosecution may proceed with its closing argument.”

Taejun slowly rose from his seat at the prosecution’s table and looked toward the gallery.

The victim’s mother and her family were sitting there, shedding endless tears as though they had lost everything in life.

At the sight, a bitter feeling rose in his mouth, and his brows instinctively furrowed.

It was a contradictory scene: the victim’s family was drowning in tears while the perpetrator smiled.

He was in his third year as a prosecutor. By now, he should have been accustomed to situations like this. Yet he still couldn’t bring himself to accept them.

Especially when he was dealing with scum like that man.

“Your Honor, I would like to call one final witness.”

At Taejun’s words, the courtroom immediately began to stir.

“Your Honor! We were not consulted beforehand about this witness. We cannot accept an unexpected witness being called at this stage!”

The defense attorney, looking flustered, rushed toward the judge’s bench and protested loudly.

“This witness is a crucial eyewitness to this case. I respectfully request that the court accept the witness’s testimony.”

The more firmly Taejun pressed his request, the more the smile gradually disappeared from the defendant’s lowered face.

“The request to call the witness is granted.”

After a brief moment of consideration, the judge accepted the prosecution’s request.

The defendant, whose head had been hanging low, slowly raised it.

His eyes were filled with murderous intent. He glared at Taejun as though he wanted to slit his throat right then and there.

“Your Honor, pursuant to Article 165, Paragraph 2 of the Criminal Procedure Act, I request that the witness testify through a remote transmission system for their protection.”

However, Taejun simply met the defendant’s gaze without flinching and spoke with unwavering confidence.

“Granted.”

The atmosphere in the courtroom, which had previously been as cold as ice, quickly began to heat up as the situation took an unexpected turn.

“Furthermore, I request permission to conduct the witness examination using audio only, without any video transmission.”

“Wouldn’t it be sufficient to place a screen in front of the witness during the video testimony? Is there a particular reason why the testimony must be audio-only?”

The judge, flipping through the documents submitted by the prosecution, looked puzzled.

“Just a moment, Your Honor.”

Taejun approached the judge’s bench and handed him a small note.

“Hmm… Very well. Granted.”

After carefully reading the note, the judge gave a slight nod and accepted Taejun’s request.

The equipment required for the remote testimony began to be installed throughout the courtroom.

From cameras that would allow the witness in the adjoining witness room to watch the courtroom proceedings in real time, to speakers that would transmit the witness’s voice clearly—it looked almost like preparations for a live broadcast between two separate locations.

“It seems everything has been set up. The prosecution may begin its examination of the witness.”

The judge’s deep voice, like the whistle signaling the kickoff of a match, announced the beginning of the proceedings once again.

“Witness, can you hear me clearly? No, can you see me?”

Taejun spoke in a gentle yet resolute voice while looking toward the camera installed in the courtroom.

However, not a single sound came from the speakers.

“Witness? Can you hear me? Witness? Please respond if you can hear me.”

Worried that the witness might have changed his mind and decided not to testify, Taejun’s voice gradually became more urgent.

“Did the prosecution actually arrange a witness? If you’re just trying to waste time, you should stop immediately. This won’t change the truth. Your Honor, the prosecution is deliberately delaying the trial. I request that the witness application be withdrawn immediately.”

The defense attorney, who had been tense in the face of Taejun’s confidence, finally broke into a triumphant smile and spoke arrogantly.

He knew it. He had repeatedly checked and confirmed that there were absolutely no eyewitnesses at the crime scene.

And now, out of nowhere, the prosecution was claiming to have found one?

He was convinced this was nothing more than Taejun’s desperate and pathetic trick to somehow win the case.

“Is the prosecution ready to proceed with the witness examination?”

The judge urged Taejun, looking unconvinced.

“Please wait a moment. Witness! If you can hear me, please—”

[“…Yes. I can hear you clearly.”]

At that moment, the trembling voice of a young man came through the speakers.

“Phew… Witness, thank you for making such a difficult decision.”

Taejun let out a deep sigh of relief.

“Are you really an eyewitness to what happened that day?!”

However, the defense attorney suddenly shouted, his face filled with disbelief.

A witness? That was absolutely impossible. No, it was something that simply could not happen.

“Witness, you are here because you saw the murder that took place at an abandoned factory in Eunhyeon-myeon, Yangju City, on November 14, 2018. Is that correct?”

In response to the defense attorney’s bewilderment, Taejun deliberately picked up the thick case file and walked to the center of the courtroom. Looking directly at the camera, he began firing questions at the witness.

[“Yes.”]

“Then did you see the defendant, who is sitting over there, at the scene that day?”

[“…Yes.”]

The man’s voice trembled slightly, but it carried an unmistakable sense of certainty.

The courtroom began to stir once again.

“Then could you explain in detail what happened that day?”

[“…”]

But silence followed once more.

“Witness?”

Worried that the witness might have fallen silent again, Taejun swallowed nervously before cautiously calling out to him.

“Witness, can you hear m—”

[“There’s a small fishing spot called Doha Reservoir near the abandoned factory where the incident took place.”]

Hearing the witness’s trembling voice once again through the speakers, Taejun breathed a sigh of relief.

“Take your time. Please describe in as much detail as possible what you saw that day.”

It felt like walking on thin ice. He had no choice but to choose every word carefully.

[“I often go to an open area a little distance away from there to fly my drone. That day, I saw the defendant sitting alone at the fishing spot.”]

“But how can you remember the defendant so clearly?”

[“Even though it’s called a fishing spot, it’s a remote place that hardly anyone visits. I found it strange that someone had come there alone to fish, so I remember him clearly.”]

“Was the defendant actually fishing there?”

[“No. He had only set up his fishing rod and left it there. He spent quite a while looking around the factory before going inside the abandoned building.”]

“Then did you personally witness the defendant committing the murder inside the factory? If so—”

“Your Honor, objection! The prosecution is leading the witness by presenting an unverified situation as though it were an established fact!”

Before Taejun could finish his question, the defense attorney interrupted him in an agitated voice. He had decided that he would no longer allow the prosecution to dictate the pace of the trial.

“Sustained. The prosecution is advised to exercise caution.”

“Then let me ask it another way. Witness, did you happen to hear any screams coming from the abandoned factory? Or did you see the defendant leaving with any suspicious object, such as a weapon?”

[“Well… I didn’t hear anything, but I think I did see him coming out with something…”]

“Fuck! Stop talking bullshit! Everything that bastard is saying is a lie! A fucking lie!”

Unable to contain his anger any longer, the defendant suddenly jumped out of his seat, rushed forward, knocked over the speaker, and began shouting.

“Defendant! What do you think you’re doing in this courtroom? Bailiffs, restrain him and put him in handcuffs immediately!”

Caught off guard by the sudden outburst, the judge urgently called for the court bailiffs.

“Let go of me! I said let go! Hey! If you really saw me kill someone, then come out here and show your face!”

They barely managed to handcuff him and force him back into his chair, but that did little to calm him down.

As he thrashed about like a wild beast, the entire courtroom froze.

“Be quiet! If you cause another disturbance, you will be removed from the courtroom. Defense, you may proceed with your cross-examination.”

“At approximately what time did you see the defendant?”

The defense attorney’s face was already twisted with frustration. The situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable, and the defendant’s outburst had only made matters worse.

[“I think it was around six in the evening…”]

“Six o’clock? Are you absolutely certain it was six?”

However, as soon as he heard the witness’s answer, the defense attorney’s crumpled expression gradually relaxed.

Taejun, on the other hand, couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

[“Yes.”]

“On November 14, the sun set in Yangju at 5:21 p.m. You’re claiming that you saw the defendant at six o’clock in the evening. How can we possibly trust your testimony when you claim to have identified him in the pitch-dark surroundings of an abandoned factory without even a single streetlight?”

The defense attorney shouted while waving a stack of documents in front of the camera.

[“No, that’s not what I mean. I definitely saw him with my own eyes…”]

“I’m not interested in your personal suspicions. Present concrete physical evidence proving that the defendant is the culprit.”

[“Well, what I mean is…”]

“That is all.”

Cutting off the witness’s words as sharply as a knife, the defense attorney returned to the defendant’s seat.

With a satisfied expression, he gently placed a hand on the defendant’s shoulder and nodded.

It was almost like a celebratory gesture, as though he were already congratulating him on his impending acquittal.

At that moment, everyone’s gaze in the courtroom turned toward the defendant.

The corners of his unpleasant mouth began twitching again.

Would they never be able to erase that disgusting smile from his face?

Just as everyone was lowering their heads in despair and helplessness—

[“I saw it!”]

A man’s desperate voice suddenly rang out through the speakers.

“What did you see?”

Taejun hurriedly rushed toward the camera and shouted.

Perhaps this was his last chance to win the trial and wipe away the tears of the victims’ family.

[“The knife! I saw where that man threw the knife!”]

“Your Honor! The witness is fabricating testimony simply because his previous statements failed to hold up!”

Flustered by the witness’s sudden revelation, the defense attorney shoved the pile of documents on his desk onto the floor and rushed toward the judge’s bench.

[“No! That’s not it. I even saw where he hid it!”]

But the man’s voice coming through the speakers refused to back down.

“Witness, don’t lie! Do you have any idea how serious the crime of perjury is?”

[“I clearly saw him throw the knife into the rainwater gutter on the factory roof and hide it there!”]

“Witness, stop lying! There’s no evidence! You have no conclusive evidence, do you?!”

The heated exchange between the defense attorney and the witness continued.

Then—

“It’s all lies! All of it! You bastard! I’ll kill you!”

Without giving anyone a chance to stop him, the handcuffed defendant suddenly charged toward the front of the courtroom.

As though venting all his rage, he began furiously kicking the speaker and camera while screaming at the top of his lungs.

He looked like a wild beast that had completely lost its reason.

“Bailiffs! Get the defendant out of here immediately!”

The judge’s furious shout echoed throughout the courtroom.

“Let go of me! Get your hands off me, you bastards! It’s all lies! Every fucking word is a lie!”

The courtroom descended into complete chaos.

“I’m sorry. I’m a little late.”

Just then, Seongjin hurriedly opened the courtroom door, breathing heavily. He handed Taejun an envelope containing documents.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

After giving him a brief greeting, Taejun hurriedly opened the envelope and checked its contents.

A smile spread across his lips before he even realized it, and he clenched his fist tightly.

“Order! Everyone, maintain order! It seems we will be unable to continue today’s proceedings. We will resume at the next trial—”

“Just a moment, Your Honor! I have here the conclusive evidence proving that the defendant is the perpetrator of this murder!”

Just as the judge was about to suspend the trial, Taejun confidently raised the envelope in his hand and shouted.

In an instant, the courtroom, which had been in complete chaos just moments earlier, fell so silent that one could hear a pin drop.

Everyone’s eyes turned toward the envelope in Taejun’s hand.

“Your Honor! We cannot accept evidence that has not been discussed with the defense in advance—”

“This envelope contains the murder weapon recovered from the rainwater gutter of the abandoned factory, exactly as the witness described. It also contains the forensic examination results confirming the defendant’s and the victim’s fingerprints and blood DNA on the knife.”

The defense attorney, who had been stubbornly arguing until the very end, finally slumped into his chair as though he had given up on everything.

“And, as everyone might have expected, the forensic results show a 99.99% match with the defendant. Your Honor, I hereby submit this knife and the forensic examination results as evidence.”

Taejun handed the documents to the judge before turning to look at the defendant, who was being dragged out of the courtroom.

The disgusting smile had finally vanished from his face, replaced by an expression twisted with agony, confusion, and utter despair.

“That’s right. That expression suits you much better.”

Taejun muttered quietly as he walked back toward the prosecution’s table.

“I hereby deliver the verdict. The defendant’s crime was particularly heinous due to the cruel nature of the murder and his complete lack of remorse. Considering the severity of the offense and the defendant’s failure to repent, this court sentences him to life imprisonment pursuant to Article 250 of the Criminal Act concerning murder.”

After the judge finished speaking, a heavy silence that was difficult to describe briefly filled the courtroom.

“Wow!”

Soon afterward, applause and brief cheers erupted from various parts of the gallery.

Just then—

“Phew…”

Amid the celebrating crowd, Chief Choi stood up, letting out a deep sigh with an exhausted expression.

He then approached a young girl who had been sitting at the far end of the gallery, watching the entire trial with an expressionless face.

“You worked hard again this time.”

Chae-rin responded to Chief Choi’s awkward smile with a slight nod.

Then she stood up and, wearing a cold expression, walked toward the courtroom door and opened it.