{ Don't Do This }
"I'll give you half of the money."
"And when will I get the rest?"
"The moment you get him acquitted of the charges."
"Heh… and what's with this great confidence in me? Are you really convinced I can get him out of this accusation?"
"You have the money, and you want it. That's enough for me to believe in your ability. After all, you sell your humanity every time."
He looked at him with disgust.
"Don't worry. I trust you greatly. Just remember that you'll receive a huge sum once he walks free… a gift for you along with the payment."
His phone began to ring.
"Just a moment. I'll be right back."
"Alright… let's review his file again. A murder case. The perpetrator is a man with powerful underground influence — one of the biggest drug traffickers. The victim… a ten-year-old girl."
"What a poor child. I feel sorry for her… and for her parents. Their enemy happens to be one of the most powerful men in the city."
"I know… he killed her in a drunken moment when he saw her returning from the grocery store. He lured her into one of the houses and killed her without mercy."
"He told me this himself earlier… and he was laughing before anyone even reported him."
"Mercy… huh… something you won't find in places like this."
"I'm someone who neither sees nor hears. My only role is to give the lightest possible sentences to whoever pays me the most."
A man who sold his humanity to darkness will feel nothing now.
"Well… I'm used to this. Before this case, I judged many murder and rape cases where the criminals were people from the upper class… all wanting to escape punishment, or at least reduce it."
"How disgusting humans can be."
"…And who am I to say such things?"
"In the end, I'll simply do what's required of me, take my payment, go back home, and sleep."
Sleep?
"If I can sleep peacefully after all this… then there's no difference left between me and the devil."
"What a miserable creature I am."
"Did I keep you waiting?"
"No, take your time."
"Well… I reviewed the case. I think I can get him acquitted."
"Really? The boss will be very happy to hear that."
"Let me finish. His acquittal comes at a heavy price. Can you really pay it?"
"I can trust your boss because I know him… but what about you?"
"I already told you. Carry out the orders, and you'll get whatever you want."
"Fine. I'm leaving now before I rot any further. Your coffee is on me."
"Really? Well then, thank you, honorable judge."
Honorable… huh… what hypocrisy.
"Anyway, tomorrow I'll contact you about the case. For now, go and rest."
"I won't rest until the boss walks free again."
"You're such a loyal person."
Of course… dogs always remain loyal to their masters.
"Goodbye."
{ Don't Do This }
Half an hour later…
"I finally arrived home. A house anyone my age might dream of… but who cares? I built all of this with bribes."
"I asked the maid for a cup of coffee and went to my office."
"The trial will be in three days."
"Let's think again…"
"A murder case. The victim was a little girl. There was a witness… but he disappeared under mysterious circumstances."
He started laughing.
"A week ago, the girl's parents came to the court demanding justice for their daughter — the execution of the killer."
"Well… there's no witness anymore, and no evidence proving he's the killer."
"A lost case."
"Poor people."
"I remember the face of the girl they brought with them."
"She was thin… and looked like her deceased sister. I think she couldn't have been more than seven years old."
"I guess losing someone dear to you must be painful."
I don't care.
The maid entered with the coffee.
"Here is your coffee, sir. Do you need anything else?"
"No, thank you."
She looked at him with sadness.
"Is something wrong, sir? Forgive me if I'm interfering."
"Why do you ask?"
"I noticed that in the last two weeks you barely eat and you seem lost in thought most of the time."
It seems I've become pitiful.
"Don't worry. Work has simply become heavy lately."
I'm lying… for some reason there's something wrong with this case. But I don't know what.
"If you need anything, I'm always at your service."
"Thank you."
She left and closed the door behind her.
"Humans are strange creatures."
"She comforts me even though she lost her husband in an accident just a month ago."
"Did I comfort her? Did I do anything for her at all?"
"No… yet she still worries about me."
"I guess that's human compassion."
Did you hear that, you money-hungry dog?
{ Don't Do This }
Two hours later – 00:45
"I think that's enough."
"After calculating all the risks and possibilities, there's nothing left to fear."
"The maid usually leaves at 8:00 PM, but lately she stays later since I started working on this case."
"My miserable appearance must be painfully obvious."
"Well… who cares?"
"She told me dinner was ready before she left."
"But I didn't go eat."
"Why? I don't know. I just didn't feel like eating."
"I'll go to sleep. I'm tired of thinking."
5:00 AM
A phone call woke me up.
"Who on earth would remember me this early?"
Unknown number.
"I might have an idea who it is."
He answered.
"Hello."
"Sorry for calling at this hour."
"As I thought… it's you. Didn't I tell you I'd call when the time comes?"
"I'm sorry, but some things happened tonight."
"The father of that girl attacked one of our men."
"And what do you want from me? I'm ending the call."
"Wait… my men took care of him."
The sleepiness instantly vanished.
"What?! What did you do?! Have you lost your minds?!"
"Calm down. He came in the darkness of night, so I doubt anyone saw him. We also hid the body somewhere no living creature will ever find it."
"Wait… wait… why are you telling me all this?"
"We think his wife might go to the police and accuse us of killing her husband. Should we kill her too?"
"I swear I will end this call if you say another word."
"Stay away from his wife. Stay away from anything that could attract attention. Stop all your usual activities until your boss gets out."
"Goodbye."
"You scum… what a terrible morning."
{ Don't Do This }
"I couldn't sleep since that morning."
"I don't know why, but it feels like I'm bleeding inside."
"I took some pills, yet I feel like I'm about to collapse."
"Tomorrow is the trial."
"I told that criminal's assistant I'd handle his acquittal."
"I don't know if it's blind trust or a subtle threat… but they already gave me the rest of the money."
Along with a note:
"We are waiting for the good news, kind judge."
"Damn it… I think I'll go out for a walk."
"What time is it now?"
02:00
"My work starts at nine."
"But it doesn't matter… I can't sleep anyway."
He walked outside.
"Hmmm… the weather is cold. Good thing I wore my coat."
"Where am I going?"
"I don't know. Wherever my feet take me."
"I remembered something that happened a year ago."
"I declared a man innocent in a case of raping a minor."
"He was a bank manager near here."
"I never spoke to him again. The case ended quickly."
"Luckily for him, the girl was mentally unstable, so no one could prove anything."
"How shameful."
"But who cares?"
I sat on a bench in the park, looking at the vast city.
"A city whose inner ugliness no one can see unless they spend their life here."
"Maybe when I retire… I'll change it."
"Well… that's still far away."
Time passed, yet my eyes refused to rest.
"Are my final days beginning?"
"Maybe."
"No one would care anyway."
"An orphan like me would be buried in a miserable funeral."
Orphan…
"My father killed my mother in front of me while drunk when I was a child."
"Later they found him… I think he had hanged himself in a forest."
"If it weren't for my uncle, I would have ended up on the streets."
"He and his wife treated me like one of their own children."
"But… did that horror I witnessed ever disappear?"
"Of course not."
"Since that moment, I felt as if the light had vanished from my life."
"But I learned how to act normal."
"So there's no problem."
"No problem at all… you walking corpse."
"The night breeze awakens old memories."
"But I don't want to remember anything."
While staring at the clear sky, I saw two little girls crossing the street.
"I don't know… maybe one of them thought I looked like someone she knew."
"One of them kept staring at me before running after her sister."
"But isn't it too late for children to be outside alone?"
"What time is it now?"
04:18
"Strange… but it doesn't matter."
"It doesn't matter at all."