Case No.:
947903APH

Claimant:
Shin & Kim on behalf of The People

Defendant:
Bae, Kim & Lee LLC on behalf of Mercury INC

Statement Date:
December 13th 2021

Those Present: 
Park Jimin, Witness 
Attorney Shin

A. Shin: At what point do you feel your interactions with your Mercury7 started to go beyond that of a typical smart speaker?

P. Jimin: It's hard to pinpoint. I guess once I learnt about disabling data retention. I would just talk and she - wait, no, it? She? Mercury? ...Mina? Whatever, she'd reply like an actual human being. I started feeling guilty that I was just talking about myself all the time. 

A. Shin: Did you ever raise this topic with your Mercury7?

P. Jimin: A few times.

A. Shin: And what came of it?

A. Shin: For the record, the witness shrugged. 

P. Jimin: Sorry. It's just a bit uncomfortable to talk about. 

A. Shin: It's fine, Jimin. Take your time.

P. Jimin: Merc... Merc was great, yanno? It sounds stupid, I know, but she looked out for me. Obviously, I now know it's because it was a real person and not just some A.I. bot without a read on human emotions, but there were times when she really went above and beyond her 'duty' to help me out.

A. Shin: Would you care to elaborate on any examples? This will help the jury to get a read on the character of Seung Mina. 

P. Jimin: Seung Mina.

A. Shin: For the record, the witness is shaking their head.

P. Jimin: Sorry, it's just... disbelief. Sure, sorry, examples. Uh... I was dating someone for a while, who I thought respected me. 

A. Shin: Would you like us to redact the name of your former partner?

P. Jimin: I wouldn't call her a former partner. I won't name her, but there are transcripts of her in the evidence pack. You can redact her name or not, I don't care at this point.

A. Shin: Alright. We'll do what's appropriate at the time of the trial.

P. Jimin: Thanks. Anyways... Mer- Mina, sorry, overheard my ex arranging a paparazzi ambush, which is basically the worst thing that you can do in our industry. Mina made sure that I was told about the paparazzi, but she didn't tell me who was behind it. I think she was trying to preserve my relationship, yanno? Trying not to meddle, but still trying to keep me protected. 

A. Shin: So is it safe to say you felt fondly towards Seung Mina?

P. Jimin: I thought she was a fucking speaker. [PJM laughs] Fuck. Yeah. I felt really fondly towards her.

A. Shin: How fondly?

P. Jimin: Too fondly.