framed

"How dare you! So this is what you've been doing, giving my foodstuff to your wretched sister?" Mrs. Chae scolds.

He kneels down, stammering, "I am... sorry. She hasn't eaten, and..."

She cuts him off, "And so? Go back to your work. I'll know what to do when you get home."

He leaves the room and heads straight to his work, focusing on the tasks Rex had given him. After several hours, around evening, he finally finishes, and his stomach grumbles with hunger.

Then Rex drops another file in front of him, saying, "Deliver this to the destination on the file. Be quick."

"But I just finished this..."

"Are you refusing?" Rex challenges.

He exhales deeply and reluctantly agrees, "Okay," picks up the file, checks the address, and goes on his way.

The address indicates a hotel.

While rushing, he accidentally bumps into someone, causing the file to slip from his hand. As he bends to pick it up, the person calls out, "Attorney Lee?"

He turns to see Prosecutor Alyson, who scoffs, "Is this what you get for defending them?" He ignores her and retrieves the file.

She continues, "Must you do this? As talented as you are, you even turned a rape case into something else," she says, smiling.

He starts walking away, arriving at the hotel. He is directed to a room number.

When he gets there, he knocks on the door, but there is no response. He tries again, and this time, the door opens.

His head spins as he widens his eyes, his heart skips a beat, and then races faster.

The person in front of him is Sydney, wearing a bathrobe, and she is equally shocked to see him.

"Babe, what's wrong?" a man hugs her from behind, and at that moment, he trembles. The man is Andrew, his best friend. His wife is cheating with his best friend, the two people he trusted the most.

"Whoa! You look like you've just seen a ghost. Aren't you here to give me the file?" Andrew says, smirking.

As Lee hands him the file, Lee mumbles, unable to say anything.

Then, shockingly, Andrew kisses Sydney on her neck.

"How... How could you?" Lee stammers.

"It's simple... because you're a lowlife, Sydney doesn't deserve you, she deserves better," Andrew says.

Sydney stands there, speechless, unable to respond.

"There's a divorce file in the house. I've signed it; you should too," Sydney finally says and retreats into the room.

Lee is left in shock and disbelief.

"Thanks for this... take and manage this," Andrew says, handing him a bundle of money.

In his dazed and overwhelmed state, Lee accepts the money without much thought.

Andrew abruptly slams the door, leaving Lee alone in the dimly lit hotel room.

For an hour, he sits there, staring at the closed door, the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Tears flow from his eyes as he eventually gathers the strength to leave the hotel, feeling like a mere shell of his former self.

Lee's life has been a series of misfortunes, starting from the loss of his father when he was just two years old. His mother went blind, and his sister had to drop out of school, leaving their family in dire straits.

He met Sydney while working part-time at a café, where she was the one who approached him and professed her love. Lee, starved for affection, fell for her. Only later did he discover she was the daughter of the influential Mayor Chae.

Her parents instantly disliked him, solely because of his modest background. Despite being a skilled lawyer who had won cases for Mr. Chae, they still rejected him. The only solace he found was in his wife.

"This is just a little misunderstanding; she loves me," he told himself repeatedly, clinging on emptiness hope.

As the day turns into night, he wanders into a bar, orders a beer, and drinks himself into oblivion. After many cups, he passes out, lost in his own despair.

{The next morning},

the banging on the door jolts him awake. His eyes feel heavy, and his head throbs as he struggles to regain his bearings.

"Where am I?" he mutters, disoriented in a strange room that appears to be a hotel.

The door is banged on again, this time with force, as if someone is trying to break in. Lee hurriedly gets up, his heart racing, wondering what has transpired. His gaze falls upon the bed, and his breath catches when he sees a girl lying unconscious, Maybe dead.

Before he can comprehend the situation, the door is forcefully kicked open, and police officers storm in, aiming their guns at Lee, who stands there electrified.

"Lee, you are under arrest for rape. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney," one of the officers declares.

They approach him with handcuffs, and as they are secured on his wrists, Lee notices something in his hand—a button. He immediately recognizes it as belonging to Dylan. It dawns on him that he has been framed.

After the cuffs are on, Lee is taken into interrogation.

"You raped the girl, right?" Shawn, the police officer, asks.

"No, I didn't. I just woke up in that room, and I don't even know the girl," Lee replies, his voice trembling with fear.

The detective slams his hand on the table in frustration. "We found you in the room, we found your DNA in her, and the hotel attendant claims you entered with the girl. Yet, you're claiming not to know her?"

"Sir, I swear I don't know how I ended up there... I... I..." Lee stammers.

"Denying won't do you any good. It will only lengthen your sentence," the detective warns, his gaze unwavering.

"Please, ask the girl," Lee pleads.

"The girl is in a critical condition. You raped her into unconsciousness, and the doctor says she won't wake up anytime soon," the detective says, sending a shiver down Lee's spine.

Just then, another officer enters and whispers something to the detective.

"You better open up," he says, and they both leave the room.

Surprisingly, Sydney walks in.

Although the investigation room is not meant for just anyone, it seems that there is no place where the Chae family couldn't enter.

Sydney takes a seat in front of Lee and asks, "Why did you do that?"

"I didn't, Sydney. Believe me," Lee replies, desperation in his voice.

"Stop lying... Just because you want to get back at me, you raped a girl?" she asks, her disbelief evident.

"I said I didn't... I swear," Lee cries.

"Mmm... I had expected this. I knew you would deny it. I'm just disappointed in you. I couldn't believe you would do that," she says, her disappointment weighing heavily.

He reaches out to hold her hand, "Please, help me out."

She jerks her hand away, "You, this lowlife. I raised you from the dust to success, and just because of a little thing, you rape a girl."

"A little thing? Making love with my best friend is a little thing?" he questions, his voice filled with sternness.

"Yes, that is the real you. That's what you really are, and that 'real you' raped a girl into unconsciousness," she states, anger in her eyes, and she angrily stands up to leave.

"Here," Lee says, opening his palm just a little. There, Sydney catches a glimpse of a button, which she quickly recognizes as Dylan's.

"I found it at the crime scene... you know what I mean? I know your father can get me out of here, and in exchange for that, I won't tell," he says.

Sydney looks in surprise, unable to believe that her family has framed him for something his brother had done.

She storms out of the room, her mind racing with disbelief and anger.