【Episode 35 – Basketball Game Tickets (3)】
“Anyway, there’s something wrong with the American presidential election system! It needs to change. I mean, how can a candidate who got 47.2% of the popular vote lose by 126 votes?”
McCliff’s words weren’t entirely without merit.
If you collected and tallied the votes cast by U.S. citizens eligible to vote, Barack Obama should have narrowly won, 51.1% to 47.2%.
This was similar to the early voting results as well.
But another unique feature of the U.S. presidential election system is the winner-take-all method.
Electors are chosen by state, and regardless of whether the residents of that state overwhelmingly supported one candidate or if the race was neck-and-neck, the winner takes all of that state’s electoral votes.
Thanks to this system, President Barack Obama won narrowly in the national popular vote but was able to secure an overwhelming electoral vote victory.
“Thomas.”
“What?”
“So when are you stripping down and running?”
*Ugh—*
“You never specified a time.”
“If you can’t do it, you can just provide coffee and bagels to the whole school instead. But put them in envelopes with Obama’s face on them.”
“...Saturday night at nine. Starting at the courtyard in Vanderbilt Hall.”
Honestly, I couldn’t understand why American kids streaked so much.
They seemed to do it to send some kind of message, but...
Anyway, it was an act with history and tradition(?).
The University of California had an event called “First Rain,” where students ran naked in a group on the first heavy rain after the semester started, and the University of Chicago had an official streaking event called the “Polar Bear Run.”
There were many others besides those.
Even at this very moment, somewhere on a North American college campus, someone might be running completely naked.
At nine on Saturday night, Thomas McCliff, with “Fxck Obama” written on his back, ran across the NYU campus as promised.
Protecting his privates with his hand.
“Why don’t you take your hand off and run?”
“Shut up!”
And the next day, photos of his streaking were posted on Twitter.
But unfortunately, they didn’t make the news.
It seemed there were many angry Republican-supporting college students who had done similar things that day.
---*---
A few days after the election, the school’s Pro Bono Director, Kyle Peyton, called us in.
“Come on in.”
After the
He apologized for ignoring us and recognized that we were serious about pro bono work.
“Why did you call us?”
“Ah, it’s nothing special.”
He had called to offer us a new pro bono case.
“We usually don’t assign pro bono work to 1Ls because they’re new students with a lot to learn and they need to adjust to school life...”
We had done too well on our first case.
And,
“Actually, I thought it would be too much to ask since you already handled one case, so I refused on my end, but the client keeps demanding a lawyer who can speak Korean...”
“We’ll do it.”
“Really?”
“Yes, we’ll take it.”
“Then I’m really grateful. Okay, I’ll hand over the case file after preparing the pro bono retainer agreement. The case happened early this year, and the trial is already in progress. The next hearing is in early December.”
“That’s soon.”
“Yeah. Ah, but don’t worry too much. There’s already a lawyer on the case, and you’ll be coming in as assistants. Ah, right, did I mention this is a criminal case?”
A criminal case?
***
After leaving Kyle Peyton’s office, I headed to Gould Lounge with Sein, Donguk hyung, and Michael.
“Don’t they normally not assign criminal cases to law students?”
Usually, yes. It wasn’t impossible, but even when they did, the opportunity generally went to graduating students.
“I think it’s because a lawyer is already retained on this case.”
“Then do we just go and interpret?”
“No way. If that’s all it was, they wouldn’t have called all four of us.”
“Because we’re a team.”
Everyone tensed up slightly at the words “criminal litigation.”
“What kind of case is it?”
“I don’t know. They said they’d contact us by tomorrow, so we’ll find out when we get the case file.”
“It’s not a murder case, right?”
“Hey, Michael, who would assign a murder case to a 1L?”
“I feel like a murder case would be interesting. Or maybe armed robbery?”
Michael, who dreamed of becoming a criminal defense attorney, was the most nervous and simultaneously excited.
“Why?”
“Because. It’s like a scene from a movie.”
“What is?”
“An innocent suspect falsely accused of murder. The only ones who can save him are four passionate law students, dot dot dot. Bum-bum. Coming this summer.”
“Michael, don’t do that when we go meet the client.”
“Who do you take me for, an idiot?”
“Aren’t you?”
At that time, we had no idea at all.
That the case we would take on would turn out to be a real murder case.
“Ah—it’s already gotten so late. Want to all go eat together?”
“Sorry, I’ll pass. My in-laws are visiting from Korea.”
“What about you, Heon?”
“I need to head to the library later, so I can’t go either.”
“What the hell, you guys. O Sein, what about you?”
“Let’s go.”
“Awesome. What should we eat?”
Just as we were wrapping up and about to go our separate ways, I remembered the New York Knicks game tickets Donguk hyung had given me last week.
“Michael, what are you doing this weekend?”
“Next weekend? Ah, let’s see—Friday there’s an NYU LGBT party, Saturday there’s a med school dorm party, and Sunday...”
*Why is this guy going to an LGBT party?*
I had been planning to ask if he wanted to watch the game together when he had time, but I became more curious about that instead.
Thankfully, Sein asked first.
“Hey, why are you going to an LGBT party? You don’t mean...?”
“O Sein, let me be clear: I’m not gay. Ah, of course, I don’t hate gay people or anything. Therefore, there would be absolutely no problem even if I were gay, but to state it clearly... because, wouldn’t it be a disaster if Donguk hyung or Heon hesitated to introduce me to attractive women in the future? So what I’m saying is, I’m not a homosexual.”
“But why are you going?”
“Career management? Do you know how many gay or lesbian partners there are at New York law firms...”
“Ah, forget it. This is exactly why I warned you earlier. Because I had a feeling you’d spew this kind of nonsense when we go to meet the criminal case client.”
“Come on, as if I’d... *huck!*”
While Sein and Michael passed the ball back and forth like Xavi and Iniesta, Thomas McCliff entered the lounge.
McCliff looking around the lounge.
The moment Michael saw his face, he covered his face with his bag and backpedaled toward the stairs.
“Hey, where are you going in the middle of a conversation?”
“Sein, let’s get out of here quickly.”
“Heon asked what you’re doing Sunday.”
“My brother’s coming on Sunday. I have to see him. Sein, I’ll head out first, so follow me...”
Right then,
“Hey, you!”
From across the lounge, McCliff spotted Michael.
“Oh shit.”
“Hey, what’s with you? Did you do something wrong to that guy?”
“Yeah. I did.”
“Huh? What?”
“I Photoshopped Ken Jeong’s penis onto that bastard’s streaking photo that was posted on Twitter and re-uploaded it.”
“What?”
Ken Jeong was a Korean-American Hollywood actor who appeared as a supporting actor in the megahit
He performed passionately in full nudity in that film.
It was one of the most shocking scenes in the movie.
McCliff ran.
Michael was already running.
***
After parting with my classmates, I went to the library to check the case law and paper citation materials Mia had organized.
That was the work of a research assistant.
*Knock knock—*
I don’t know how much time had passed when it grew dark outside the window.
Someone knocked on the desk where I was sitting.
“Hi.”
It was Eleanor.
She gestured to ask if I would be staying here longer, and at her question, I checked the clock.
It was past nine o’clock.
I packed up and left the library with her.
“What brings you to the library?”
“I had a brief due for lawyering class, so I’ve been here since earlier, but I saw you before I left.”
“I see.”
She always appeared with a sophisticated look radiating model vibes, but today she looked a little different.
Levi’s jeans and a hooded sweatshirt,
hair tied tightly back,
a dark blue baseball cap with an LA logo.
A face that looked makeup-free.
She was still beautiful, but that day she looked like an ordinary college student.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
Eleanor asked.
*Growl—*
My stomach made noise saying so before I could even answer.
We left Vanderbilt Hall and started walking toward 6th Avenue where
The cold late-autumn night air of New York hit my face.
“Eleanor.”
“Mm?”
“What are you doing this Sunday?”
“Are you asking me out on a date right now?”
“Huh? Ah... uh...”
“Sure.”
“You don’t even know what it is?”
“Whatever.”
“Do you happen to like basketball?”
“Basketball?”
“Yeah. I ended up with two tickets to the New York Knicks game next Sunday...”
“You’re asking me to go with you?”
“If you like it. If you don’t really, you can refuse...”
“I like it.”
She had been walking about half a step away, but suddenly linked her arm through mine and drew close.
“It’s cold.”
I think that was the moment.
“I said I like it—basketball.”
The moment I first felt her warmth.
The moment my heart first fluttered for her.
It was the second November 11, 2012.
If a Case from Extraordinary Attorney Woo Happened in America (1)
If someone asked me to pick the most New York-like place in New York, I think I’d answer Madison Square Garden.
There are so many iconic places—the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Broadway, Times Square—but if you want to visit the space that feels most “New Yorker,” I’d recommend “the world’s most famous arena,” Madison Square Garden.
*Beeeep—*
The arena packed with nearly twenty thousand people.
With the buzzer sound, an orange ball soared into the air above the court.
That day was the game between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks.
“Hey, Melo!”
He was a player with his ups and downs, but no matter what anyone said, the face of the New York Knicks was No. 7 Carmelo Anthony.
The female spectators who came to the arena that day were largely there to see him—he was that popular.
“Jaida, the game started. Calm down.”
“I saw! I saw! Did you see Melo look my way just now? Oh my god, he’s so cute! Melo!”
Jeff, who bought the tickets from Thomas McCliff, had brought a girl he’d met at a party not long ago.
He did like basketball, but today he was more interested in the girl sitting next to him than the game.
His head was filled with nothing but thoughts of how to bring her back to his apartment after the game.
“By the way, how did you get courtside tickets? Aren’t these expensive? Are you rich?”
“Huh? Ah, well, I like basketball so much that sometimes...”
“What! Kevin, look over there. Look who’s over there.”
“My name isn’t Kevin, it’s Jeff...”
“It’s Chris Brown! Oh my god!”
The girl chattered away without giving him a chance to appeal.
He had a feeling he somehow wouldn’t be able to score today.
Jeff Maine reluctantly looked where she was pointing.
But...
“Huh?”
The faces sitting next to Chris Brown caught his interest more than Chris Brown himself.
“Eleanor Young?”
And that Asian guy, Heoni.
*Pfft.*
“What’s so funny?”
“It’s nothing.”
Jeff laughed. He already looked forward to seeing McCliff’s face turn to shit when he told him this.
*That’s why I told you to just give me the tickets you weren’t going to use anyway, you bastard, but you had to sell them again.*
He immediately turned on his phone. He would just take a picture. Because he wanted to see the bastard’s changing face firsthand.