CHAPTER 1

A swell of half hushed voices murmured through the room; some in sharp debate, others with even sharper condemnation. Hearing them all, she hadn't even realized she was shaking until she felt the gentle squeeze of the hand on her shoulder.

"This will turn for the best. There's no need to worry."

Her grey eyes drew to the recently familiar figure next to her, a portly older man. All she could do was nod in response. She nearly scoffed at the words. It was easy enough coming from him; his life wasn't the proposed collateral in this situation. A creak came from the far corner of the room as she looked up, noticing the chatter behind her instantly ceased.

She could feel herself fidgeting again. Fingers tapping nervously on the cold table, she watched as a dark robed figure passed through the audibly heavy double-door. She could almost feel the room's walls tremor from its abrupt absence of sound. Dark irises turning to the man beside her, Yang Dahye took a deep breath as they both began to stand from their seats. It was time.

"All rise for the Honorable Judge, Kim Liu-Jeiong, now presiding. Today's calendar date, the 23rd of May, 2017. "

"Thank you bailiff. Court is now once again in session; you may be seated." The honor sat waiting for the courtroom to settle while she smoothed the sleeves of her garment. Throat clearing, the frames of her glasses slid into a greying hairline as she spoke again, "Would the defendant and her representation please rise for her sentencing."

Dahye straightened the knee length grey skirt her attorney advised her to wear. Neutral dark colors suited best for defense cases such as these. Plus, he had explained, the length would appeal to her youth, earning some empathy for her age. Pivoting, her eyes briefly caught her sister's sitting behind her before facing forward. If Minhye's grim expression was any indication, Dahye didn't dare look for her father's.

"Yang Dahye, in my recent decade of service to this court, I have not found myself wrought with such immeasurable conflict concerning a defense as I have in these past few weeks." The heavy fabric bunched around the honor's elbows as she rested on the bench.

"On the one hand, you have been shown to be a top rate student with much promise who has accumulated an impressive roster of honors and accolades for one at your age. Your peers both admire and respect you, and you have been revered as an irreplaceable asset to your instructors and administrators alike."

There was a brief pause as the judge leaned forward in her bench. "Under different circumstances, I would have considered you an easy candidate for any one of the numerous prestigious programs we hold available for gifted young scholars."

For a moment, Dahye hoped she had seen what appeared to be some sympathy in her honor's face, though it froze like a statue. The woman's voice quickly turned to ice, "On the other, Ms. Yang, you have knowingly and purposefully endangered the care and safety of a minor. One you had apparently taken under your wing and had previously vowed to protect. You took advantage. Though it was apparent that she developed a strong bond and reserved a great deal of trust in you, you placed her into the hands of a predator." The table pushed into her knuckles as she flinched at the judge's words. She knew the girl's parents were there. She could feel them boring holes into her back from across the courtroom.

"And yes, there may have been a benevolent consequence from your actions, resulting in the apprehension and detainment of a violent criminal. Ostensibly, I am the one who put that predator away. But if there were ever a case study on ends not justifying their means, this would be that thesis."

Though it wasn't the first time, Dahye couldn't stop from once again sifting through the broken debris of the single question she still couldn't seem to answer: was it really worth it? That answer seemed so clear before.

Dahye's eyes focused on the table.

Weak. She was reckless and weak. She'd allowed that psycho to break her, to get into her head. And as a result she slipped; Yang Dahye rarely ever slipped. She had played this, so well thought out and planned. Even now though, it was still growing, the egregious laundry list of holes and oversights riddled throughout her plan. She simply didn't cover her ass properly.

"Though I can't punish you for your betrayal of a young girl's trust," the honor continued, pulling her specs down from her forehead, "I can punish you for the danger and harm you've inflicted."

Dahye closed her eyes. This is what happens when you allow your patience to wane. She was just too focused on ending Baek Yeonwha. And now, at the mercy of this court, here was its end result. A somber huff flitted from her nostrils as she held her head low. It was over.

"However, the damage, has already been done."

Soft murmuring began to fill the room. Wait, what? Dahye peered up, the hum from her attorney mimicking her dismay.

"The role of the Court at sentencing is to follow the roadmap our criminal justice system sets out, constrained by the Rules of Court. I understand that Baek Sohwa's life has been devastated by these events. Not only the incidents that happened, but the criminal process itself has had a debilitating poisonous impact on everyone's lives, most notably Sohwa and her sister."

Dahye could make out the voices of Mr. and Mrs. Baek among the crowd, obviously unhappy with where this was going.

Waiting for the room to quiet down the judge gave a minute of silence, before she continued, "In my decision, the question that I have to ask myself, consistent with those Rules of Court, is: Is a long-term sentencing for this defendant an antidote to that poison? Is a heavy punishment the right answer for the poisoning of Baek Sohwa's life?"

"I think one must take the whole picture in terms of what impact imprisonment has on a specific individual's life. Given the magnitude of your potential, as evident of your outstanding academic performances leading up to this incident and the otherwise pristine model of your character, I cannot in good conscience maim yet another young woman's chances at succeeding in this world, thereby only creating another victim in this tragic story. Too many have already been harmed.

"Yang Dahye. For the convicted charges: two counts of privacy law violations, two counts of reckless endangerment of a minor, one count of fraud, two counts of filming a minor without their consent, and one count of aiding and abetting the sexual assault of a minor, this court is willing to lower these offenses to one single count of reckless endangerment of a minor."

Several cries let loose in the courtroom, most notably her mother sitting behind her. Dahye released a breath she wasn't aware she'd held in. It was just a little too good to be true.

"However, as atonement for your crime you will serve eight months as a student-inmate of Saint Agate's Correctional Program and School for Young Girls. Given your schooling background, this facility should best suit your acclimation into a juvenile detention facility. Sentencing is to be served in full until the date of your release. It should go without saying, there will be no prospect of parole.

There it was the other shoe dropping. Dahye nearly lost her support on the table, her eyes almost wide as saucers. Eight months?

"Upon release all records of this incident, its verdict, and your sentencing will be expunged from your juvenile criminal record. The only remnants of this hearing will be your charge and the court date itself, which will, fortunately for you, be sealed away in your juvenile records once you reach the age of 17 in the following year..."

Eight months.

The lawyer clapped her shoulder in excitement. His face said the obvious, she should be rejoicing.

"Ms. Yang. You will be spared this permanent mark on your juvenile records provided if, and only if, you serve the full length of your term with zero incident. As for the parole, I saw no purpose in offering the possibility of prematurely ending what, in my opinion, would be a modest sentencing for this kind of an offense.

I hope the lesson you gain from this experience provides you with incentive to continue being a productive member of society upon your release. You, young lady, are very fortunate to have been gifted with such a loving and devoted family. Had it not been for their considerable vouching on your behalf, this court hearing would have ended much differently. You will have two weeks at the closing of this hearing to prepare for your term. Best of luck to you Ms. Yang."

Dahye stood dazed as her mother ran around the bar, surprising her from behind in a tight hug. The woman was trembling. "Christ, my heart had been in my throat all these months. I'm just so relieved. My baby girl is safe." Even more surprising was the somber appraising look coming from her father. One could say the old man looked satisfied.

"Mr. Yang, Mrs. Yang, I'm pleased to say that Dahye has faired tremendously well with this hearing's outcome. As always, it has been a pleasure serving you."

Another cuff linked peon kissing her father's ass.

But the picture wasn't complete. Looking around she'd realized why. Minhye hadn't moved from her seat. The young woman just sat in silence staring right at her.

Finally, she turned around, looking in the one direction she'd avoided til now. Yeonwha and Sohwa's parents shared layered looks of disbelief, sadness, and hatred. Every emotion was another tattered page in that book of anguish. They stood alone with the nuns. She'd heard Sohwa wouldn't even come to the sentencing. Dahye at least had the grace to not smile and appear smug in front of the distraught old couple.

Two families, paralleled with two daughters each. Yet only one family would return home tonight fully intact.

It was probably best that Sohwa didn't come to the sentencing.

"Dahye. We've made reservations at Vino's to celebrate." She wanted to decline. The trial had been exhausting. Now she just wanted to go home and sleep. But Minhye would be there, packing for her summer semester. Running a hand through her blond hair, she just couldn't shake that haunting expression on her sister's face.

Because she knew what Yang Minhye knew, which was that none of this would be possible if any of the other things she'd done ever came to light.

 .

.

Birds chirped along with the tempo of rubber hitting pavement as a group of girls exchanged a ball back and forth. What should have been the swoosh of a nylon net was instead replaced by the occasional clang of a ball hitting metal backboards and naked hoops. Nearby could be found a collection of outdoor exercise equipment, separated by grass and a few stragglers using the lighter gear for cardio reps of jump-rope. The bulk of the girls in this section of field were using the weights.

Save a few dark-attired officers either standing guard or doing rounds, everyone else wore the same uniforms: a blue and white track shirt with matching sweat pants. But some girls were clad in either undershirts or bras, it was too hot to be exerting so much energy with heavy garments. Mostly everyone focused on their individual reps, but a few were more occupied with staring at a particular handful of girls working the bench presses.

Rhythmic huffs matched in time with the steady rise and fall of a 155 pound barbell hoisted above ghostly white biceps. The pale girl on the bench strained with a light gleam of sweat collecting under the hem of her sports bra.

Yeonwha had to admit, despite the obvious major drawbacks of this place, it had a perk; this was the best shape she had ever been in. Just a handful of months and she was already lifting past her original body-weight. Bringing the bar to her chin, she peered over at the stares lingering just a little too long in her direction, a few even coming from the guards. The girl smirked to herself. Okay, maybe that wasn't the only perk.

"Oi."

The albino looked up at the much darker girl standing over her.

"If I'm going to spot you, the least you could do is pay attention instead of ogling your fans. I could be doing other things, you know."

Hoisting the weight and slowly lowering it again, her silver eyebrow arced in response. "I may be... the one without my shirt on at the moment, but ...they're definitely staring at the both of us." She heard a snort.

"Oh really? Didn't know you were willing to share the wealth. That's five, Baek. Time to switch."

Yeonwha sat up, silently thankful, it was a bit of a strain lifting the bar to its hooks. "Alright. But, Q, after your 10, I gotta step into the shade for a bit." She took a deep breathe, peering at the other girl.

Qui-Yong Monica. The American transplant had been at St. Agate's about a few months before Yeonwha arrived. The girl eventually grew to be the closest thing she had to a friend here, which was amusing, the two almost got into a scuffle on her second day after bumping into each other in the mess hall.

Monica stretched before bending to switch out the weights on one side. She peered across the bench, "You have enough sunblock from commissary?" Yeonwha nodded, pulling off a weight on the other side. "Yeah, because of my condition, it's sold to me at a discount... 125?"

"135, actually." The girl moved the additional weight before reclining on the bench.

Impressive. Yeonwha mused, it wasn't too long ago when the two sized each other up. She couldn't wait for the boxing ring to open for the spring and summer seasons. She was in sore need of some entertainment, and without a doubt Monica was a healthy competition. She might have had a height advantage, but the girl was fast. And she'd seen her fighting skills, they were probably toe to toe with each other. Equals in many ways but almost polar opposites. Which is why Yeonwha gave up any and all chance of a hook-up ages ago.

While she had marble white features and straight silver hair, Qui-Yong Monica was much darker in complexion with black curls, sometimes in braids. Her features were girlish but refined by just the right angles. The girl was gorgeous. And though she was muscular, she had a soft figure. The older but shorter girl also actually enjoyed reading and school subjects though she never showed it, which reminded Yeonwha, fondly, of a certain redhead.

Yeah, she definitely considered it.

But the shorter girl could be a tad pushy and impatient, both figuratively and literally. She was still convinced that it was the older one who shoved into her first. Plus, she was hardly mailable in any ways that would have proved easy for the albino to manipulate. Qui Monica was a little too strong willed for Yeonwha's tastes. But as a result, she regarded the girl with far more respect than she granted most people. It was quite interesting having an actual friend who she didn't think of as a toy.

About halfway through Monica's third and final set, she paused to nod towards the building entrance where a small commotion was forming. "Looks like it's visiting hours." The two lifted the bar onto its hook as a guard holding a clipboard came center of the field.