Her Tempestuous Villain

Sunye's nostrils flared. She quietly put her lunch aside and stood up. SD was smirking at her, flashing his perfectly white teeth.

"I know we got off on the wrong foot," he was saying. "But-"

His words were cut off by a loud slap to his cheek. Sunye glared at him in fury and if murder was not illegal, she would have killed the guy on the spot. SD, however, did not even flinch when the slap landed on him.

"I might have deserved that," he agreed, nodding his head. There was a red handprint on his cheek but he ignored that. Sunye shook her head and began to walk away but he grabbed her arm.

"Let me go!" she cried but SD merely smiled at her.

"Listen girl, if you wanna win this case, then you better listen to me," he stated.

"Why should I believe you?" she sneered. "You lied to me last night. And even…"

She could not bring herself to say the rest. It was her first time and he tricked her into sleeping with him so that he could hack her phone! She had never felt such insult in her entire life and seeing that smirking face only made her want to throw up.

"Yes and I remember you moaning quite hard in enjoyment," he grinned. "Clearly, it was a win win."

"No it was not!" Sunye growled. "Now unhand me!"

"Not before you open those documents and check the receipt from the beauty parlor Jinhee had visited that night," he stated coolly.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked in a scathing tone. "Aren't you helping her? Why should I believe you?"

"That bitch didn't pay me in full and refuses to do so," SD shrugged. "So I gave her half the information. The other half is still out there for grabs. Unless you don't want to win."

Sunye frowned at him. Was he whacked in the head? What the hell is that logic?

"I'm not interested," she said curtly. "I don't want your help."

"Let's just say that if you take this information, I can make you the star of this courtroom circus," he said in a cryptic tone. "You'll win the case for sure."

"You said you never got paid by Jinhee," Sunye accused. "Which means that you'll obviously charge me a lot of money for it."

"Hmm…"

SD leaned closer but Sunye did not back away. She glared at him like an angry cat which was ready to pounce. She was usually a stoic and composed person but he brought out the anger in her. And they had just known each other for one day!

"Tell you what," he said. "If you step up to fight the case, then I'll give you the information. That's my payment."

Sunye blinked at him. Was the guy crazy?

"I'm a rookie lawyer!" she protested. "I can't take cases without my supervisor's permission!"

"Go and ask him then," SD shrugged. "But I'll only give the info if you are the one cross examining Jinhee."

"I'm not trusting you," she stated firmly. "After how you tricked me last night, I can never trust you again."

SD glared at her for a few seconds before letting her go. "Fine," he said. "Let's see how long you can last there."

"We'll see," Sunye said before turning away. He watched her walk away from him, fully determined not to take his help. He had to admire her ego which she adhered by. But SD knew people's psyche well and he knew that she would break.

"This will be fun!" he said in a cheery tone.

….

When Sunye reentered the courtroom, Yang was already there. He looked worried about the turn in the case while the Defense was elated. They grinned at the Prosecution team which only made Sunye feel guilty. She did not dare to admit to Yang that SD had stolen the data from her phone nor did she plan to reveal it to Yang.

The Judge entered the room and everyone stood up in respect once again. He took his seat.

"Resume the proceedings," he commanded.

The Defense lawyer stood up to present their side of the case. Sunye dimly heard footsteps shuffling behind her and her instinct told her that SD was sitting there.

"You still have time," he whispered, leaning forward. She ignored him and focused on the Defense lawyer. SD smirked and sat back, watching the drama unfold.

"Your honor," Lawyer Jung began. "As I have already stated the victim, Mr. Heenim, had a gambling addiction. He had bet his wife's money for his gambling and accrued a huge amount of debt of nearly five million dollars. The mafia lords to whom he had owed the money had hired a hitman to carry out the murder."

"The servant who was hired a month prior to the murder had deliberately spilled juice over the CCTV's controls and caused them to break down that day," Jung went on. "It was to prevent the crime from being recorded."

"Objection your honor!" Yang spoke up. "The servant in question has no links, whatsoever, to the mafia."

"Your honor, the Defense never said that the servant was connected to the mafia," Jung stated. "We said that the juice was deliberately spilt in order to sabotage the cameras. The servant himself could not kill the victim, escape through the garden and come around the mansion to rejoin the other servants before discovering the crime. He could not do it alone."

"There was a second person involved," the Defense concluded. "The servant was a mere vessel. The hitman was an outsider."

"Objection overruled," the Judge declared. "The Defense may continue."

Jung took out a document and presented it to the Judge.

"This clearly states that the servant took a bribe of one hundred thousand dollars from an offshore account sometime last month," Jung informed the jury. "Someone paid him to make sure that the cameras were ruined on the day of the crime."

Yang cursed under his breath. He glared at SD who merely shrugged.

"That slimy ass!" Yang scowled. "He really has no morals, does he?"

"Are we really going to lose the case?" Sunye asked in worry.

"The Defense will now pin it on that servant and claim he has an accomplice," Yang gritted. "It's all over if the Judge and Jury are convinced by that argument."

"The victim was the target of an organized crime lord," The Defense continued. "The servant has already been taken into police custody this morning and very soon, confess to his part in the murder."

"By confess, you mean he'll be tortured into giving one," Yang muttered. Meanwhile, SD was shaking his head and let out a loud sigh for Sunye to hear. The latter clenched her fists, trying to control her temper.

"If the offshore account is tracked, then I'm sure it will be traced to a mafia gang," Jung stated. "Until then, it will not be prudent to keep my client in jail! There is no concrete evidence against her."

Sunye bit her lip and looked at the Jury. They nodded in agreement which meant that they were almost convinced by that possibility. Yang wanted to coerce out a confession from Jinhee that very day because if the Judge announced a new date or gave her bail, she might try to fake evidence and blame an innocent person for the murder.

SD was enjoying Sunye's dilemma. He could feel her conflicted emotions and the way she was fighting her inner conscience. It amused him that she was holding out for so long but she was at her breaking point. He did not say anything but stood up and began to walk away.

Sunye felt his presence fading and she knew that she must make a decision.

"Sir, can you request for a short break?" Sunye whispered. "I think I might find a lead!"

Yang frowned at her. "You found a lead?" he inquired.

"Yes, but I need a few minutes to confirm it!" she hissed. "Please sir!"

Yang furrowed his eyebrows before nodding. "Okay," he said.

Turning to the Judge, he stood up and said, "Sir, the Prosecution would like to request for a short recess to analyze the new evidence which has been submitted."

"Your honor, the Defense sees no reason for another break!" Jung argued. "The Prosecution clearly missed out on many of the proofs which were in front of them and turned a blind eye!"

"In light of the new evidence and information submitted, the court grants the Prosecution's request," the Judge said. "The session will resume after ten minutes."

Jung scowled while Yang felt reassured. He turned to his assistant and ordered, "Do what you have to."

Sunye nodded and rushed outside.

"SD!"

He was almost at the court's gates when he saw Sunye running towards him. She stopped short, huffing for breath.

"My my the way you were running towards me, I thought you'd jump into my arms and kiss me!" he winked. "Not that I'd mind."

"Never again!" she snarled. "Tell me. What's the clue?"

"So you're gonna cross examine her?" he smirked.

Sunye debated for a while before replying, "I will ask Mr. Yang if he'll allow me."

"Fair enough," he sighed. "Take out those documents and read out Jinhee's salon receipt from the day of the murder."

Sunye took out her phone and scrolled until she found the receipt.

"It says that she went to Amie Salon and had her hair straightened," Sunye told him. "So?"

"According to Jinhee, after she returned home from the salon, she took a shower," SD pointed out.

Sunye blinked in confusion. "So?" she asked again.

SD gave her a 'are-you-kidding-me' look. She was still confused and she re-read the receipt again.

And then it hit her. SD watched as realization dawned on her.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed, her mouth opened in shock.

"Yeah, now go throw that ungrateful bitch in jail!" SD cheered for her. "Best of luck!"

Sunye's mouth was still gaped open when SD winked and left the court, happily whistling away.