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2024-10-29 19:42:56The girl San meant at that time was his junior. He was sure of it. However, he felt that it was his first time seeing her then. So, he relied on his memory of the girl with short curly hair, relatively short in stature, maybe up to her upper arm. He has pale skin and wears glasses.
"You mean Molly?"
"Molly?" San asked one of his acquaintances, who were also his junior. "Yes, Maybe."
"Wait a minute, I know her close friend. I'll call first."
San waited in front of the class, leaning against the wall close to the door. He stared at the cellphone screen that was already cracked at the top. There was a message from his uncle; the person said San had to come home with side dishes this afternoon because the uncle's wife was reluctant to cook.
San just stared at the message without replying. Today alone he does not know whether to go home or not. He has to work extra overtime to pay the compensation that Gio's parents have asked for. His savings have been drained because his uncle was stolen. He said it was for San's living expenses while living at his house.
Cost of living camel horn?! San can count when he 'succeeded' in his uncle's house in just one month. Santiago's name only plays a role in entering the population census list. With that, his uncle's family often gets social assistance because San is an orphan.
He can only enjoy government assistance. San doesn't even know if he is counted in his uncle's family.
Perhaps the right term for San's current situation is, "The rich get richer, the poor get poorer."
The world is indeed unfair.
No.
Even San doesn't know if there is still justice in this world.
"You the one looking for Molly?"
San gasped. He immediately straightened his back when he saw the figure of a woman with long straight hair with bright red lips as if she had eaten live chicken. "Yes. Is she there?"
"Molly isn't coming in." His hand pointed towards the classroom across from him. "Class over there."
"Why don't you come in?"
"She is sick."
San just nodded his head while muttering. "Can I have your home address, please?"
The girl's eyes narrowed, then looked at San from top to toe at her furry shoes, which seemed to be assessing her seriously. "Since when did my Molly have boy friends?" he asked skeptically.
"I'm not her friend."
"Crush?"
San waved his hand. "I don't have much time."
"Gosh…." She handed his cell phone to the man. "Can I have your number? I'll send you the address later. Take it as insurance that there's something wrong with Molly—no, it's not meant to be anything. But, yeah, what's wrong with being vigilant?"
It didn't take long for San to mention a series of numbers, then the girl sent Molly's address. "Okay, thank you!"
San just walked away, holding up one hand. At the same time, the girl was watching with a smile. "Handsome but hairy." He then returned to his class. She suddenly stopped when someone stopped her.
Gio and some of his gang friends greeted the girl.
***
That day, just before San went to Molly's house, he went to the toilet first. He was still in the booth, looking for the girl's address using the map application.
"You know Gio's parents go to campus, right?"
"It must be because of Orphan San. Did they fight?"
San took a deep breath. The two voices outside his cubicle were evident to his ears, but he tried not to care.
"About the girl who was said to be harassed by Gio and the gang. Have you ever seen the girl?" said the short youth.
"Listen, anyway. She was mute. Uh, but he said San challenged Gio's parents. San doesn't want to admit that he's the one who leaked Gio's head." His friend replied casually.
They both heard laughter.
"Just crazy, Man! What can San do? I'm willing to bet he will die! I can't stop thinking I'm the same kid. There's no fear!"
"It's not that there's no fear, but he's an idiot. Already like that, I don't know who the person he's fighting is."
"But if the girl gives testimony, will Gio be dropped?"
No answer. San, who was done with his needs, then came out of the toilet cubicle. The two young men who had been talking about it looked surprised and elbowed each other.
"If only I win," said San while walking towards the sink. "Is it possible they'll apologize?"
At first, the two young men were confused until, finally, one of them spoke up. "You'd better just give up and accept the punishment from the lecturer, San."
San laughed when he heard those words. "You don't need to pretend to care—yes, even though I know that your sentence just now is the same as looking down on me." San turned on the faucet and washed his hands. "I'm self-aware. Gio comes from an influential family, while? People think that I'm just a piece of society's trash. Disappear in a matter of seconds, no one will be looking for it."
The two of them glanced at each other.
"I'm not betting on myself. That girl, if I stay silent, she won't get justice."
After finishing his activities, San strolled away without caring about them.
***
The house is simple. The first thing on San's mind was when he arrived at the front of the iron-fenced house, which was overgrown with vines on both sides. The yard is large, but the house style is simple and minimalist. Several plants in the yard add to the cool and shady atmosphere.
San called, excuse me, at the slightly ajar gate. Since he didn't get a response and maybe the people inside didn't hear him, he stepped inside.
No one was in the front yard, a quiet and peaceful place.
"Horror." San has other words to describe this place. "Really there's no gardener or anything?" He muttered to himself.
When his feet reached the door, he knocked several times. "Excuse me, anyone there?"
He did the same thing over and over again, but still, no one answered.
"That girl with chicken blood lipstick didn't say that her child was hospitalized, right?" He assumed so because it was possible. Maybe the pain is bad enough to be treated.
He was about to ask the lipstick girl by calling her, but suddenly he heard a scream inside. San almost dropped his cell phone because the sound was quite loud.
"Ouch, what is this real horror house?" San doesn't believe in ghosts. Even if there is, he believes ghosts are harmless. Humans are far more dangerous to him.
It's impolite to enter someone's house without permission, but when he idly turned the doorknob, it turned out that the door was unlocked. "If I'm a thief, my life is fortunate, dude."
One second later, San felt something hard hit his head. That made his vision suddenly blurry. His head seemed to turn completely. Then it was dark.
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When San woke up with a very, very dizzy head, he blinked several times while adjusting the light that seemed to attack his eyes. Strange place. San was sure that this was a place he had never been before. Rising from the position he was lying on the hard surface, he glanced around. He just realized that there was someone else beside him, and at that moment, he realized something. "Why am I here?" "Oh, you've realized?" said the crew-cut man with a long scar running down his right cheek. "Sir-" San called as he approached with a shuffle. The young man's gaze began to panic. He hoped this was just a dream. It doesn't make sense, and it doesn't make sense. As far as he could remember, it was in front of his younger brother's house. Why is he suddenly behind bars? San was about to ask again, but a guard came and called out. San was confused, and even when he was dragged outside, he could only surrender. Now he is in a room with dimmer lighting, more isolated because all the walls a
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Not only the young man who came Gio's parents were also there. They smiled at San, who was still in shock. "Hello, Santiago!" Gio waved. "I know you're shocked—oh, my goodness, you've had such a miserable life, haven't you." His smile was sad, but one could see no sincerity in it. San stood up, approached the bars, and gripped the cold iron with burning anger. Her reddened eyes turned to the figure that was still smiling. "So you made me here?" Gio raised his hands to his ears. "Wait, wait! Why me?" San was about to reply but stopped when a grown man approached him. That face is not foreign to San's eyes because it has often been seen on television in the last few days and has become the subject of hot discussion. That person is Anthony Wibisono, Gio's father and candidate for mayor. A police officer approached the cell and opened it after a glance from Anthony. "Let's talk for a moment," said the man wearing a formal suit to San, who looked confused. San was taken to the inter
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Evidence? He went to the girl's house as well to prove that he was not wrong. He wanted to ask his junior to testify in front of Gio's parents. However, what happened was that he ended up being slandered. Moreover, the content of slander could be more generous. San will be subject to multiple articles, and who knows how long the sentence he will receive later. The problem is San has no evidence or witnesses. He came to the girl's house alone. The attorney adjusted his slightly drooping glasses. "You know? In a case like this, the possibility of winning is slim." He continued after a long sigh. "The victim's family asks you to be punished as severely as possible." Victim's family? Thought San. That is true. Instead of the girl's family, why did Gio's parents come to him yesterday? "They are the girl's close relatives." The attorney seemed to understand what San was thinking. "What?" "You have already dealt with an important person in this city. Mr. Anthony is the most respected p
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"It seems you two are not on good terms." His hands that, used to rub between his toes are now crossed in front of his chest.San chose not to answer."Ah, that's bad, it turns out.""Sir," San called. After receiving permission to continue, he asked, "Is life in prison that bad?""That's what you mean?""The worst of all bad things in this life.""Hm... maybe yes, maybe not." Pause for a moment. "Look, son. Our being in prison is a punishment. What kind of punishment do you think is fine?"But San is not being punished. What mistake did he make to have to live in prison? Was it because he was an orphan?"Life is... choice, right?" San said again after a long silence."Not all. Some things happen in this world because they have to happen. Without any natural choice from humans." The person touched his chin and looked up. "Hm... like we were born to our parents. It wasn't a choice. It was destiny."San chuckled lightly. This guy is pretty intelligent, too, he thought. He thought a vill
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Prosecutors don't only bring in witnesses to the crime that San is accused of. The man in the red heart robe brings evidence that he is somehow related to San.A baseball bat, a kitchen knife with the victim's blood on it, and San's fingerprints. His background was opened up to his uncle's family upbringing."From the testimony of residents, Santiago often gets bad treatment from his uncle. He often sleeps outside the house because his uncle doesn't answer the door after Santiago works part-time.""Even on the campus where Santiago studied, he is known as a private person," added the Prosecutor. "Your Honor, this pattern often occurs in perpetrators of violence. The absence of supervision from parents or guardians, living as an orphan, and being mistreated by relatives—could be a trigger for the defendant's crimes."Among the reporters watching the trial, one lawyer seemed to notice what was happening. Vera seemed to jot down something in her notebook."The prosecutor is very cunning,
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That night, Gio was summoned by Anthony to the study. The young man's heart was pounding wildly. Nevertheless, he tried to stay calm by taking deep breaths. In the room, there was already the dashing figure of his father sitting in a swivel chair. "Dad," Gio called after standing right in front of his father's desk. "Is this how you should behave?" Cold, deep, and intimidating. "Dad—" "Stop messing around, Gio. I'm sick of your attitude!" This time with a slightly higher intonation. His head was lowered, his hands clasped in front of his body. "Sorry," he said quietly, a little choked up. "Watch your attitude while I'm still campaigning—can't you follow your brother's example, huh?!" The man exhaled roughly. "Don't just hide behind your mother's back! Make me a little proud, and don't regret having a son like you, Gio." His molars collided, and his gaze, which was initially afraid, now turned dark and hateful. Gio hates being compared like this, but he can't hate the figure tha
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San was awakened earlier than usual. He was summoned to carry out the second trial—this faster than expected. "I think it will take time for the second call to come," commented his cellmate. San didn't answer because he didn't know himself, but what was clear was that he was nervous and afraid. He was sent to the prosecutor's justice office, where many news hunters had gathered. Faintly as he passed a group of journalists, they heard them talking about something. "The trial was carried out sooner than it should have been. Isn't this quite odd?" asked one of them. "No, if the judge has decided based on concrete evidence. If the verdict has been decided, the public will feel satisfied, and the prosecutor's office will receive a positive score. Know for yourself that his victims carry the names of big people. Mr. Anthony and his staff will not let this case drag on, bearing in mind that the gubernatorial election will be held soon." The answer came from one of the camera operators.
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The frown on Nila's forehead deepened after hearing the woman's words. She put down the spoon and wiped his lips with a tissue. "Wait, why did you say that?" A faint shake of her friend only answered Nila's question. "Don't make it up." She let out a long sigh. "If no one helps him from the start, that means they know the consequences that can be accepted later." "Coward, you mean?" "Eh?" Suddenly Nila blinked, a little confused by Vera's sarcasm. "Yeah… your vocabulary is terrible, but—" She had a hard time continuing because he was confused. Vera's words were not wrong, but they were too 'cute' if the person in question heard them. "I'm just asking. No need to think about it." Vera replied nonchalantly. Nila breathed a little relieved. It would be a problem if Vera's words came true. *** "In the end, we parted ways like this, sir?" It was not a question. San was just confused about starting to say goodbye to the man. The person spoken to did not answer. His eyes were full of
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While Vera was organizing files related to a domestic violence case, one of her informants told her that Jonathan had connections with Anthony Wibisono, who was currently running for Mayor. There was no further explanation about the nature of their relationship; however, Vera felt something was amiss. Jonathan was a prosecutor who had previously handled a case concerning the death of a relative of the mayoral candidate.Damn! Why am I only remembering this now?! Vera cursed herself for being so preoccupied that she forgot this important detail. Jonathan surely had good connections with Anthony because of that.Then, for some reason, everything became clearer to Vera. "Such a disgusting coincidence!" she cursed again, but there was a faint smile on her lips.Without waiting long, she immediately went to the office where Jonathan worked. She wanted to verify a few things there, especially what kind of cooperation they might be doing. She had started her car, but suddenly something stopp
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There was a struggle between Vera and Jonathan, but Vera tried to avoid excessive physical attacks as much as possible because it could lead to legal issues later on. From her experiences, Vera couldn't be violent beyond what was necessary to save a victim or defend herself. She already had evidence in her hands and she couldn't afford to dirty her hands.Vera stared at Jonathan expressionlessly, as he tried to ambush her, she managed to dodge and threw her body backward. She successfully launched a kick to Jonathan's back."You damn bitch!" Jonathan cursed as his body collapsed forward, landing on the floor. Before he could get up, Vera restrained his hands behind his back. Then, she felt something hooking onto her wrist. "What are you doing, you bitch?! Let me go!"Vera tied a brown scarf around Jonathan's wrists. "Stay quiet while I'm still being gentle with you," she said emphatically. She tightly bound his hands and fastened the remaining scarf to the dining table leg. "Just beca
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Santiago watched Vera leave as the evening approached. He wondered what the woman had been doing to spend quite a long time in a place like this."You said you talked to her, didn't you?" Bobby approached Santiago, who had been standing silently by the corridor, his gaze directed towards the woman earlier.Santiago blinked, momentarily confused about what Bobby was talking about, but seeing the man's gaze directed at Vera, who had now disappeared around the corridor, Santiago could guess where Bobby knew about this from. He sighed deeply. It was indeed hard to believe; next time, Santiago wouldn't speak carelessly to Sandy."Yes. I did talk to her." Santiago then turned around, walking away with Bobby following behind him."And then? Is she willing to help you?" Bobby looked very curious. His short steps quickened to keep pace with Santiago. "She's a great attorney. I've seen her on some TV news. She always wins every case, even though she's still young, she's very professional and bri
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Santiago appeared agitated, his face reflecting immense confusion. He knew that languishing in prison was one of the many hardships he had to endure in life. His world had already turned dark, devoid of hope, and the only reason he clung to life was because he still breathed. The rest of the time, he only thought about finding a place to sleep, eat, and relieve himself every morning.His body remained motionless as Vera resumed her investigation in the room. Santiago pondered repeatedly on what he had just heard from her. "What if I accept your offer this time?"Vera fell silent for a few seconds upon hearing this, then proceeded to ignore Santiago again."What if I rely on you to free me from this garbage place?" Santiago's hands clenched tightly. His words were not just empty talk; he even dared to hope for a better life."I'm busy," Vera replied shortly."I'm not asking for it now. After you're done with all this, I will--"Vera stood up, turning to face Santiago with her eyes wide
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Chapter 25
Santiago was forced to leave his old prison cell. He and his companions moved to a new cell. Throughout it, Santiago showed no concern whatsoever with what was happening, even though their new cell seemed narrower and in quite poor condition.The roof was cracked, with water seepage likely from the water pipes because it wasn't raining outside. Then, the walls were already moldy, with disgusting greenish spots, not to mention the bathroom which resembled a garbage disposal. Whatever this place used to be, it was truly inhumane."I prefer our old place," Sandy began to complain. He leaned his head on Bobby's shoulder, who also showed disapproval of their current situation."Why is the world unfair, even when we're serving time in prison?" Sandy continued with teary eyes."Because this is a prison, so we are indeed punished with what you call unfair, stupid!" Bobby stepped away from Sandy's side suddenly, almost causing the young man to stumble. "Enough, this has become our fate."In th
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Chapter 24
This time they managed to evade the prison guards. Santiago's injuries weren't too severe because he dodged nearly every blow. He had been a punching bag so many times that he could anticipate the direction of each punch thrown at him. He dodged several times, pretending to be hit until he groaned in pain. He even threw himself to the ground when about to get kicked in the back and head. He did all this almost half-consciously as if his body could read every move of his enemies."I think that's enough," one of them said. His face looked satisfied seeing Santiago lying curled up, protecting his head. "See you another time, punk!" The man's departure was followed by his friends.Santiago, who had been pretending to close his eyes while groaning in fear, suddenly changed his facial expression. He sighed while sitting up, propping himself up with both hands behind him. He looked up at the darkening sky. "Damn Bastards!"He stretched his stiff neck, then did a little stretching on his arm
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Chapter 23
"Miss Vera!"The woman stopped in her tracks as she was about to leave the prison corridor. She and Santiago both witnessed their hurried arrival."Miss Vera," he called again."What?""Explain everything to me."Vera glanced at the Guard who had accompanied her during the visit. She signaled for him to leave them alone. Initially, the man seemed reluctant, but after Vera convinced him, now it was just the two of them.After the gate was closed, Vera began to speak, "What do you want to hear?""Is it true that Uncle Agus did it? That's impossible, isn't it?"Vera sighed deeply. "I can't discuss this with you.""Why? I've told you everything I know. Now it's your turn, Miss Attorney!""Hey, troublemaker. That's not how it works—oh my! I'm tired of all this case, why are you adding to the fuss?" Vera started to get annoyed with Santiago's temper."I have the right to know.""No. From the beginning, this case has nothing to do with you. You only involve yourself because of useless empath
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Chapter 22
That morning, Santiago and his four inmate friends went out of their cells to do morning exercises together. Inmate number 1333, Agus Suryanto, asked for permission not to go out, citing illness.No one thought much of it until Sandy went to check on Agus to make sure he ate and took his medicine, and everything happened. Agus tied his neck with a thin blanket and hung himself from the ceiling.Of course, this was very shocking and distressing for Sandy. Santiago felt sorry for Sandy, who still looked gloomy."I thought he just had the flu as usual," Sandy said as they were on the field. Rio, Boby, and Santiago also looked remorseful and couldn't believe that this would happen to their fellow inmate."I feel sorry for Uncle Agus. He hasn't been talking much lately, and I should have talked to him more often." Sandy's tears were about to fall, but he tried to hold them back. He had cried too much today."It's not your fault. Who would have guessed that someone next to him would die lik
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Chapter 21
"So?" Vera still waited for her client to speak. It turned out that the woman's family issues were not as simple as she had thought. After a long silence, Vera finally prodded gently, "Remaining silent won't bring any changes, Mrs. Andeen. You—forget about yourself, have you ever thought about your daughter's fate?""What? How do you—""Your own daughter is speaking to me. She's asking for help to save you, Mrs. Andeen."Instantly, tears flowed down Mrs. Andeen's cheeks, and sobs filled the air. It seemed that the woman didn't know that her daughter had been observing her and her husband all along."How can she say such things?" she cried in anguish. "I have tried to appear fine in front of my daughter. I have always told her to stay in her room with earphones or play outside with her friends. But—""It's possible that your daughter has seen and heard your arguments and your injuries." Vera glanced at the bruises on Mrs. Andeen's wrists and neck."Oh, my poor daughter! Oh, dear God..
