"What do you see?"
The lawyer's voice was tense as she asked.
I spoke with my eyes still closed.
"One moment."
I wasn't sure yet — I needed to see more.
Soon a scene unfolded. A courtroom. A man in his early thirties, maybe.
My eyes were drawn to the man sitting in the defendant's seat — his expression was rigid.
Rigid wasn't quite right — it was the look of someone who'd been wronged.
And not just wronged. He was on the verge of breaking.
'Is this the client?'
Just then, the courtroom doors opened and the judge entered.
"All rise, please."
Everyone in the courtroom stood in unison, and once the judge took a seat, the trial began.
"We will now commence the trial of defendant Park Minjun, indicted on charges of aggravated assault and false imprisonment resulting in injury."
Aggravated assault and false imprisonment?
Those were seriously heavy charges.
When the judge finished, the prosecutor rose and spoke.
"The defendant is accused of abducting victim Lee on March 14th, confining them, and inflicting bodily harm. The defendant's fingerprints found at the scene and threatening text messages sent to the victim have been submitted as clear evidence."
Fingerprints and threatening texts — the evidence was certainly airtight.
But the expression on the man sitting in the defendant's seat kept nagging at me.
That look of injustice didn't seem fake. If it was acting, he could've been a top-tier actor with talent to spare.
Still, I needed to confirm.
March 14th — the day of the incident.
I looked into his past, and there was Park Minjun.
He'd been lying on his sofa at home, watching TV, spending the day alone.
He couldn't prove his alibi?
But something was off.
He was clearly at home, yet there were records of threatening texts sent to the victim from his phone?
From what I saw, he hadn't touched his phone at all.
He'd watched TV the entire day.
So how were messages supposedly sent?
Something was wrong here.
It would be more draining than usual, but I needed to push harder.
"Phew."
I checked whether anyone else was connected to this case, and a different scene appeared — not Park Minjun's home.
A man who looked about forty was holding a phone, wearing gloves on both hands.
I studied him closely. He was typing a text — and the sender name was visible.
Park Minjun.
'This man sent the texts under Park Minjun's name?'
I didn't know why he'd done something like this, but one fact was now clear.
Park Minjun had been falsely accused.
I opened my eyes.
"Friday."
"Yes."
"If I told you your client was falsely accused — could you believe that?"
"......"
"What I can tell you is that this case is tangled up in something very complex."
The chat erupted the instant I spoke.
― There's a real culprit?
― He was framed?
― Is that even possible in 21st-century Korea?
― Of course it's possible
"......Can you tell me who the real culprit is?"
"I can tell you everything I saw."
There were things I could share and things I couldn't, but.
"What you need to understand is that none of this would count as evidence in court."
"I know that."
"A judge isn't going to accept testimony from a shaman."
But am I even a shaman?
I'm doing fortune-telling readings, so I guess I am?
― Lol, fair point though
― Shaman testimony has no admissibility
― But if Jinwoo tells her, it becomes a lead
― Exactly — she can dig from there, right?
"The real culprit is a man in his forties."
"Forties...?"
"Yes. He sent the texts under your client's name. On the day of the incident."
"Then that would be evidence that......"
"It should be in the phone records. The transmission tower location will be different from where your client was."
And the most important fact.
"That man wore gloves when he handled it. To avoid leaving fingerprints."
"Then the evidence found on my client was......"
"Planted by someone."
Silence followed, but I waited.
She needed time to collect her thoughts.
"Then who is this man in his forties?"
"That, I can't tell you."
"Why not?!"
"Because from here, it's your job."
Even a rookie was still a lawyer.
She needed to uncover it herself to grow.
"All I do is point the way."
I'd been ready in case she asked what I meant, but she didn't need me to explain.
"I'll start by checking the phone records."
As expected — lawyers were different.
"Good."
"I'll also need to file for re-examination of the physical evidence."
"You should."
"Thank you."
"I'll be cheering for you from behind the scenes."
Finally, I could give MountainIsMountainWaterIsSelfServe his consultation.
But she wasn't leaving the call room?
"Could I ask just one more thing?"
"Of course."
"Will I be able to clear my client's name?"
I looked into her future — and there she was in the courtroom, making an impassioned argument.
"Your Honor, this case is......"
The judge reviewed the materials she'd submitted, then turned to look at the client sitting in the defendant's seat.
"The court finds the defendant not guilty."
BANG! BANG! BANG!
At the verdict, her client burst into tears. Watching him, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Mr. Park Minjun. It's not over yet. The prosecution may appeal. But don't worry — I'll be with you until the very end."
"Thank you...... thank you so much......!"
After that final scene, I opened my eyes.
"Yes."
"Really?"
"But it won't be easy."
"But it's possible?"
"As long as you don't give up."
"I won't give up."
"Then that's all that matters."
With that, a click, and the sound of her leaving.
The chat came alive as if it had been waiting — perhaps because she was a lawyer, the energy was different from before.
― Our lawyer noona is so cool!
― Sir, you're going to get reported for that
― The person in question isn't even here
― Don't you know the law is closer than a fist?
― Whatever, if I get sued Jinwoo will help me
"Me?"
― Anonymous donated 10,000 won! ―
[You'd help, right?]
"Of course I'd help — they're one of my viewers!"
― Anonymous donated 1,000 won! ―
[This kid is refreshingly honest]
"Hahaha, I'm kidding. Now then — it's finally MountainIsMountainWaterIsSelfServe's turn!"
***
Late at night, past midnight.
Park Siyeon sat alone in the law firm office.
"Phew......"
Her desk was buried in documents — all phone records.
She never imagined these would be stored as paper copies. If they'd been digital files, she could have found what she needed with a single search. But that wasn't an option.
Still, she didn't give up, and after comparing each record one by one —
"Found it."
Just as the shaman had said, the transmission tower locations were different.
Park Minjun had been in Jongno-gu, but the texts were transmitted from a tower in Mapo-gu.
Park Siyeon circled that entry with her ballpoint pen.
"It was real."
She muttered to herself — because honestly, she'd been half-skeptical.
She'd never believed in faith or anything of the sort, so trusting a shaman's words was never in the cards.
She'd fired off that massive donation in sheer desperation, grasping at straws — never expecting it to actually be true.
Should she go back and apologize?
No — once the case was settled, she'd express her gratitude with another big donation.
And maybe get another reading while she was at it.
'......Let me finish the work first.'
The next document was the re-examination results for the physical evidence.
Park Minjun's fingerprints had been found on the evidence at the scene, but the re-examination told a different story.
The prints were too clean.
If someone had actually handled the items naturally, the prints wouldn't come out this pristine.
[Based on the pattern and pressure distribution of the prints, they are suspected to have been deliberately pressed.]
A forensic examiner's expert opinion was attached — usable in court.
She read the phrase "deliberately pressed" over and over.
With this much uncovered, even a child could figure it out.
Someone had tried to frame her client.
Park Minjun.
Just then, her phone rang.
Ring!
Ring!
Ring!
She checked the number — the detective agency.
"Yes."
"Counselor, about the case you requested."
"Did you find something?"
"There was CCTV within a 500-meter radius of the tower location. A convenience store camera nearby."
"Hold on."
She checked her documents.
"Did you get a face?"
"Yes. A man in his forties. Wearing a cap, but the outline is clear."
"Send it to my phone."
"Will do."
Click.
She set her phone down and stared at the ceiling.
The man in his forties, the gloves, the tower location — everything the shaman had said was correct.
'This man is the real culprit, and he pinned it on Mr. Park Minjun.'
But why?
The issue was the connection between Park Minjun and this man.
She pulled herself together, spread out the documents, and reviewed her client's personal connections.
Family, current workplace, former workplace, even passing acquaintances.
Cross-referencing every name her client had listed, one by one —
Her hand stopped on one person.
"This is him."
She circled the name with her pen and called the detective agency again.
"One more request."
"Yes."
"Could you cross-reference the man in the CCTV footage with a name I'm sending you?"
"Who is it?"
Park Siyeon stared at the circled name.
"My client's former supervisor."
His former supervisor — and an executive at the company that had fired Park Minjun two years ago after he'd blown the whistle.
That's right. This case involved far more people than just one or two.
'Just like the shaman said.'
The deeper she dug, the more chilling it became. She'd had no idea someone could go this far to destroy another person's life.
"Understood."
Click.
She hung up and looked at the documents again. Now, finally, the full picture of the case was visible.
"My client blew the whistle, got fired for it, and his former boss took revenge."
She picked up her pen and jotted down on a notepad.
Motive.
Opportunity.
Evidence.
She had all three.
She set the pen down, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes.
"Phew......"
The shaman's words echoed in her mind.
"All I do is point the way."
The end of that path was here.
No — it wasn't the end yet.
This was only the beginning.
She opened her eyes, checked the clock — already past 2 AM.
"I won't be going home for a while."
With a wry smile, she clicked a file on her desktop.
[Park Minjun Acquittal Brief — Based on Phone Records and Evidence Re-examination Results]
And began typing.
There was still so much to do — but she had a promise to keep with the shaman.
The promise not to give up.
***
― Anonymous donated 1,000 won! ―
[If someone donates 500K again, will you bump them ahead?]
"Absolutely not. He's already waited long enough. And after SelfServe, I'll do one more for free."
― Yes! I knew I could count on you!!!!
― Me! Me! Me please!
― So two more and then you're done?
― Looks like it
[Viewers: 291]
The moment I mentioned a free session, viewers surged.
Who's spreading the word?
At this rate, I should do the free one in the middle instead of at the end.
Or would people just leave then?
This is hard.
Click.
"Hello......"
The voice was low and quiet — thirties, maybe.
Deeply fatigued.
"You've waited a long time."
"It's fine. It was enter... well, 'entertaining' doesn't feel right, does it? The sessions before mine were pretty heavy."
"They were. So what's troubling you, SelfServe?"
"I'm studying for the civil service exam."
Ah — he wants to know if he'll pass.
"How long have you been preparing?"
"Four years."
― Four years?
― That's no joke
― That's just life, isn't it?
― I was like that too
I closed my eyes and saw a tiny gosiwon room. Looking into what seemed to be his space, textbooks were stacked on the desk.
Civil service exam prep books, worn to tatters — proof of how much he'd studied.
"You've been holding out alone in a gosiwon for four years."
"Yes."
"It's been really tough."
"It's whatever."
The "whatever" bothered me.
I looked into his future — an exam hall. He was seated, receiving his test paper.
His expression was different from the gosiwon. Nervous, or was it confident? Hard to tell.
He picked up his pen. A wall calendar told me this was the upcoming exam.
Looking deeper, the results announcement day drew near, and examinee numbers scrolled up.
I checked his number.
"You're taking the exam soon?"
"Yes. Next month."
"Nervous?"
"Honestly, I don't have confidence. I've been at this four years and I keep failing......"
Nothing is more anxiety-inducing than uncertainty.
I looked into the future again, scanning the pass list for his number.
"SelfServe."
"Yes."
"No matter what I say, can you promise me you'll keep working as hard as you are now?"
"......"
He was quiet for a moment — but when his voice came back, it wasn't the low, tired one from before. It was the voice of someone who'd steeled himself.
"Go ahead."
"You pass this time."
Thunk.
Something dropped, and a trembling voice answered.
"For real?"
"Yes."
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
― Ohhhhh
― For real?
― He passes after four years?
― Thank god
After a long silence, his voice came through, breaking.
"Thank you...... thank you so much......"
"One more thing."
"Yes, yes!"
"Keep doing what you've been doing. Don't try to change anything."
"What I've been doing?"
"Yes. The approach you've had for four years is the right one. Don't waver — just keep studying."
"Understood."