Chapter 18

The Red Notebook — Episode 18: (The Choice)

Yuri closed the black folder.

She had finally learned the truth.

Seven years ago, someone had come to Room 214.

Someone had threatened her father.

“Quit the case, or your daughter will be dead.”

And her father had been forced to stop.

But Yuri wasn't going to make the same choice.

She walked downstairs with Ji-hun.

Her parents were waiting.

Her father immediately noticed the folder in Yuri's hands.

“You opened the room.”

Yuri nodded.

“I did.”

Her mother looked worried.

“Yuri, please. We already told you. Leave this case alone.”

Yuri shook her head.

“No.”

Her father sighed.

“You don't understand how dangerous this is.”

“I understand perfectly.”

She placed the folder on the table.

“Someone threatened my life just to stop you from finding the truth.”

Her father looked away.

“That is exactly why you need to stay away.”

Yuri's expression hardened.

“Dad, if I quit now, then whoever threatened you wins again.”

Her mother stepped closer.

“We're trying to protect you.”

“I know.”

Yuri's voice softened for a moment.

“But I can't spend my whole life being protected from something I don't even understand.”

Silence filled the room.

Then Yuri said something that surprised everyone.

“I want to become a lawyer.”

Her father immediately shook his head.

“No.”

Her mother looked at her.

“Yuri…”

“I'll study law. I'll become a lawyer. And one day, I'll take Mrs. Han's case myself.”

Her father stood up.

“Absolutely not.”

Yuri crossed her arms.

“I'm not asking.”

Her father stared at her.

“You're stubborn.”

Yuri smiled slightly.

“I know.”

Then Ji-hun stepped forward.

“Then I'll become one too.”

Everyone looked at him.

Yuri blinked.

“You?”

Ji-hun nodded.

“If Yuri is going to fight this case properly, she needs someone who understands the case from the beginning.”

Her father frowned.

“You're both underestimating the danger.”

Ji-hun's expression became serious.

“No. We're not.”

He looked directly at Yuri's parents.

“We know exactly what happened to the last person who tried to expose this case.”

He paused.

“But letting fear decide our future isn't going to change anything.”

Yuri's father remained silent.

Ji-hun continued.

“Let her fight the case.”

He looked at Yuri.

“I'm always with her.”

Then he turned back to her parents.

“She won't face this alone. I'll study law too. I'll stand beside her through every step, and I'll make sure we handle this case carefully.”

Yuri's mother looked at him.

“You're willing to put yourself in danger too?”

Ji-hun nodded.

“Yes.”

Her father studied him for several seconds.

“You're serious?”

“Completely.”

Yuri's father finally sat down.

For the first time, he wasn't arguing.

He was thinking.

After a long silence, he finally said:

“Then promise me one thing.”

Ji-hun nodded.

“What?”

“Don't let Yuri take unnecessary risks.”

Ji-hun glanced at Yuri.

“That might be difficult.”

Yuri immediately glared at him.

“Excuse me?”

Ji-hun smiled.

“But I'll try.”

Yuri's mother finally smiled too.

“Then both of you will have to prove that you can do this responsibly.”

Yuri's eyes widened.

“Does that mean…?”

Her father sighed.

“It means you have our permission.”

Yuri smiled.

Ji-hun held out his hand.

“Partners?”

Yuri looked at it.

Then smiled.

“Partners.”

They shook hands.

The Years That Followed

Yuri studied harder than ever.

Ji-hun did the same.

They spent years learning law, studying cases, and preparing themselves for the day they could finally return to the mystery that had changed their lives.

They never forgot Room 214.

They never forgot the threat.

And they never forgot Mrs. Han.

Then, one day, Yuri returned home with a law degree in her hand.

Ji-hun came back too.

Both of them were finally lawyers.

The first person Yuri wanted to see was Mrs. Han.

When they met, Mrs. Han looked at Yuri for a long moment.

“You really did it.”

Yuri smiled.

“I told you I would.”

Mrs. Han slowly placed a small black object on the table.

Yuri's expression changed.

The USB.

The same USB that had been at the center of everything.

Yuri looked at it.

“It's still here?”

Mrs. Han nodded.

“I kept it safe all these years.”

Yuri picked it up.

She looked at Ji-hun.

He gave her a confident smile.

“Ready?”

Yuri smiled back.

“Let's finish what they tried to bury.”

She placed the USB beside the red notebook.

The case that had started seven years ago was finally back in her hands.

And this time—

Yuri wasn't the girl being protected from the truth.

She was the lawyer ready to uncover it.

To be continued…