As I've been informed, Mikayla was supposed to be taken into custody last night but since that would mean overnight questioning, her parents paid her way out of it. That means she's being questioned now instead. Lorraine and I slept much better knowing she had been apprehended. Plus, we had the added comfort of knowing Woojin was nearby should anything have gone wrong. I'm back at work since the school couldn't arrange cover in time and I haven't been called in for questioning yet. I expect the police will likely want to hear from Doyeon too. Therefore, it comes as no surprise when two policemen enter my classroom mid-lesson.
"Good morning officers, how may we help you?" I say, pausing the class to address them.
"Mr Bang?" One of them asks.
"Yes" I confirm.
"You're under arrest for suspicion of inappropriate relations with a minor" The other begins as they both approach me with handcuffs in hand. "You do not have to say anything but anything you do say may be held against you in a court of law" My jaw drops as I look between them in the class. What on earth has Mikayla accused me of doing to her? I hold my wrists out and allow them to handcuff me. Whispers and mutters begin to spread through the students as I continue to attempt to comprehend the situation. Then it suddenly occurs to me, maybe Mikayla knows about Lorraine. Maybe she didn't accuse me of doing anything with her but exposed how Lorraine and I got together. Either way, my career could be over. I follow the officers to the door, pausing as they do.
"Is there a Song Doyeon in this class?" One of them asks.
"That's me" She says quietly, obviously knowing what this is about.
"We need you to come to the station for questioning" Great, now the whole class is going to think that I've been sleeping with Doyeon. Nothing spreads as fast a rumour, so pretty soon that will be the word across the whole school.
The officers take my phone and other personal belonging and place me in the back of the car. They allow me a moment to say something to the head. I insist that I'm innocent and I'll have that proved in no time but it's hard to know if he believes me. I guess he knows that Mikayla is problematic but it's too early to take sides. He knows she's been causing me problems but as far as he knows, that could be an affair gone wrong. But I know I'm innocent, even concerning Lorraine. Sure, our relationship didn't start out as the most appropriate, but she was always of legal age. I just hope the police see it the same way.
I'm escorted to a private room and seated at a table for questioning.
"Is there anyone you'd like us to call to inform them that you're here?" One of the policemen asks as he is about to leave.
"My girlfriend, Lorraine Gibson" I request. I know she'll freak out when she hears why I'm here but I'm freaked out too.
"So, Bang Chan" The interrogator begins, leaning forward across the table. "Do you know why you're here?"
"My girlfriend and her family have been harassed by who I believe to be one of my students. But I'm not sure how that has lead to my arrest" I say, trying to stay calm. I'm innocent so I've nothing to fear, right?
"Mikayla, who I assume is the student you are referring to, has confessed to sending the harassing and threatening messages to your girlfriend, Lorraine Gibson." He informs me. I exhale in relief, at least she's not trying to fight it. "However, she has informed us that she did so under your order. She claimed that you have been inappropriately messaging her for months and she has evidence to support such an accusation. What do you have to say on the matter?" I wait a moment before answering as I'm so stunned. I can't believe that she hasn't given up yet.
"That certainly isn't true. I was informally assigned to help Mikayla in her transition to Korea from overseas. I'll admit that I did spend more one on one time with her than other students but that was only because she asked for tutoring and came to me for support. I've never texted her before, only emails which have been strictly professional." I explain.
"Is it true that the two of you took a trip to Indonesia?" He asks with a blank expression.
"Yes, it was a school trip. There were around 30 students and 4 staff present"
"During this trip, Mikayla hurt her leg and required hospital treatment. Correct?"
"Correct"
"You and Mikayla travelled to and from the hospital alone, correct?"
"Correct. I was the designated first aider so it was my job to deal with injuries"
"When the two of you returned from the hospital to the vehicle, you kissed Mikayla. Correct?"
"No?!" I exclaim in confusion. "We got into the van and drove back to the hotel. Why on earth would I have kissed her?"
"According to Mikayla's account of the event, you kissed her then proceeded to inform her of how you wished to be with her instead of your current girlfriend, Lorraine. Subsequently, the plan to push Lorraine away through threatening messages was created."
"That's not true. I only found out that Mikayla was behind any of this when Doyeon came to my office yesterday. I love my girlfriend and she's the only person I want to be. Plus I worked hard to get this job and I wouldn't throw it away for something so ridiculous. Whatever evidence Mikayla claims to have, it must be faked" I say confidently.
"I can show you" He says as he hands me an Ipad. It displays texts from Mikayla's phone, received from a number saved at Mr Bang but that obviously isn't mine. Some of them depict how I apparently want to leave Lorraine whilst others go into detail about the things I supposedly desire to do to Mikayla.
"This is fake. You can check my phone. I don't have Mikayla's number" I defend.
"The officers are checking it as we speak"
I'm asked some more pointless questions then left to wait alone. I don't know exactly what I'm waiting for. I guess for them to realise that I'm innocent and Mikayla is bullshitting.
"Chan" An officer says as he enters.
"Yes?" I reply eagerly.
"We've interview Mikayla again as well as her classmate, Doyeon, and your girlfriend, Lorraine. We've investigated the authenticity of the evidence Mikayla provided also. We've concluded that Mikayla's accusations of an affair were a false attempt to incriminate you instead of her. We retract the accusation of an inappropriate relationship with a minor and find you innocent. We'll be in touch with your school head to ensure minimal damage to your reputation"
"Thank you" I reply somewhat bitterly with a huge sigh of relief. "What about Mikayla? What happens to her now?"
"The investigation into the threatening messages is still on going so she will remain in our custody. It should be easy to convict her since we know she lied and she confessed to sending the messages. But I wouldn't count on anything since she has a wealthy family"
"Right. But even if she doesn't go to juvie, can you gaurentee that she won't be able to bother Lorraine and I and our families again?"
"Yes. Measures will be taken to ensure your safety. I can't promise she'll do time, but there's no amount of money that can stop it going on record"
"Well that's good" I say, though obviously I'd hope for a gaurenteed punishment.
Lorraine's POV
I'm at Ali's, playing with the twins, when her phone rings. She leaves the room to take it and returns a moment later.
"Lorraine" She says, anxiously tossing the phone between her hands.
"What?" I say as I look up.
"It's Chan..." She slowly sits down opposite me. My heart sinks along with her expression. What if Mikayla got to him and hurt him? Or worse? "He's been arrested" She says quietly.
"What?! Why!" I exclaim as I jump up from the floor.
"Inappropriate relations with a minor"
"What? What does that mean? That's ridiculous"
"I don't know... They want you to go to the station for question regarding the Mikayla and the text situation so I guess you'll find out then"
"This makes no sense" I shake my head as I put my shoes on.
"Do you think it's to do with Mikayla? Like something went on between them?" She asks, following behind me with Junhae on her hip. "I know you guys got past all that but that kind of accusation-"
"There's no way Chan did anything. Either Mikayla is lying out of her ass, which is quite likely, or she somehow found out about how Chan and I started and is using it against us. Either way, I know he won't have done anything with her" I insist.
"Okay. Well, I'll have to stay here with the kids but you can call me if you need me. You're welcome to come back over if you like"
"Thank you. I'll be in touch"
I reach the station but before I can see or speak to Chan, I'm taken in for questioning.
"Miss Gibson" the investigator begins, watching me sternly from across the table. "I'd like to inform you that Mikayla has confessed she is responsible for sending the threatening messages that you received"
"Good" I reply with my arms folded across my chest.
"But Mikayla claims Chan asked her to send the texts because he would rather be with her than you. She claims they have been sending explicit messages, which she has proof of, and kissed whilst in Indonesia"
"Bullshit" I spit. "Chan would never. It's Mikayla that's obsessed with him. She's been trying to get with him since they first met, as Doyeon will confirm"
"Have you ever had any suspicion that Chan may cheat on you?"
"No, never. We've been through a lot together and I know he wouldn't do that. Especially not with one of his students. He's really passionate about his job and wouldn't risk it for that" I lie.
"Officer Ju?" Another officer sticks his head around the door.
"Excuse me" The other leaves to speak to him outside. He returns a moment later, seeming much less interrogating.
"Miss Gibson, Mikaylas evidence has been proven to be fabricated. Doyeon and Chan's stories match your well therefore your boyfriend is acquitted of the accusations. We'll need to keep you a little longer for questioning regarding the texts though" He says.
"As expected" I tut.
The following questions appropriately treat Chan and I as the victims rather than accusing us of having more sinister involvement. Once I'm done, they let me out into the reception where Chan is waiting for me.
"Hey" He exhales, quick to embrace me.
"Hey" I reply. "Are you okay? This is all so stupid"
"I am now, yeah it is. Still, at least she's admitted to everything" He says as we head out to the car.
"Everything?" I question.
"Yeah. They told me just now that she admitted to faking the evidence too. Wait... Did they tell you what she accused me of?"
"Yeah. They told me you were arrested for inappropriate relations with a minor. For a second I panicked that she'd exposed me and you. But then they explained that she claimed you were trying to sleep with her" I say bitterly.
"Wait... You didn't think...?" He pauses and turns to me.
"No, of course not. I trust you. I'm mad at her, not you" I assure him before climbing into the car.
"They said it's unlikely she'll do time in juvie since her parents are so loaded. It's a good thing we have Doyeons testimony otherwise it would be difficult to convict her at all"
"Yeah. As long as she never bothers us again, I don't think I care what happens to her." I sigh.
"Me either. She definitely won't be coming back to school so that's the main thing"
"I just want to forget about all this and move on"
"Me too. I'm sorry all of this happened, baby" He apologises, laying a hand on my thigh.
"It's okay, it's not your fault. I'm really looking forward to our holiday now." I link his fingers with mine and squeeze his hand. "We need it"
