chapter 37
6. Truce
Contrary to what he was worried about, Kyung-hee didn’t show any strange behavior.
He simply hugged my arm and didn’t move.
It could be said that he was asleep, except for his body often leaning around corners.
Then, I ended up in the hospital.
Looking out the window, I saw the name of a famous university hospital.
The agents were familiar with this job and skillfully called and handled the job.
Soon after, the two of us entered the doctor’s office without any waiting.
The treatment room was quite spacious.
It was about three times the size of an ordinary hospital office, and the middle was divided by a wall.
The doctor in charge was a young female doctor, and her eyes seemed to be tired.
Shaggy hair, eyes full of anxiety, and even a stutter.
I didn’t think this person would be able to see the doctor properly.
Still, I thought that he must be a competent person when I saw him here, and I stayed still.
The doctor in charge raised himself up hunched over.
He then boiled water in the electric pot behind him.
It was as if they had forgotten that we were there.
The doctor in charge, who was boiling the water, gave a short aching sound and said,
“Cheer, coffee. It’s ground coffee, would you like some?”
“Fine.”
“That’s right? Well, it can’t be helped…”
Kyung-hee seemed familiar with the doctor in charge.
As if the conversation had already ended, Kyung-hee, in the form of a rabbit, hugged me tightly.
The doctor in charge slowly ground the beans and brewed the coffee.
Then, as usual, he added sugar cubes and mixed them, then added plenty of ice.
Even during that time, his actions were erratic.
To what extent, I thought that even if Kyung-hee drank coffee, he would be able to drink it better than that.
But when the doctor in charge drank the Ahh, the mood changed dramatically.
The slouched posture straightened out.
A mysterious gun soon lingered in the tired eyes.
The doctor in charge said, tidying up the crumpled gown with a single gesture.
“Nice to meet you, housemate. I am Choi Kyung-mi, the psychiatrist of Mr. Choi Kyung-hee.”
“Ah, yes. My name is Park Si-woo.”
“Yes, Mr. Park Si-woo. You just have to choose an appropriate title and call it. Shall we start with the main topic?”
“Yeah…………”
The doctor in charge took out an A4 paper and a ballpoint pen and smiled at Kyunghee.
Kyung-hee trembled while holding me tight, then looked at the doctor in charge.
I seemed to know what it meant. I thought I was begging you to be nice to me.
But the doctor in charge couldn’t accept it.
As soon as Kyunghee entered the room across the room and closed the door, the doctor in charge said.
“To begin with, I have never fabricated a medical certificate for Mr. Choi Kyung-hee.
“Then what was put in the notebook was…”
“If it’s difficult to persuade Park Si-woo, he told me to hide it in a frequently used item. It must have been a notebook.”
“……………………………”
“Because Siwoo is interested in Kyunghee, he must have been looking at things, right?”
“………..Yeah.”
“Okay, Ms. Kyung-hee is in a very serious condition and needs both medication and counseling.”
“And that means you need my help?”
“Okay. So, shall I tell you what I know first?”
The doctor in charge with a sinister smile began to speak slowly.
He said he didn’t know everything about Kyung-hee either, but he did know about his family and past.
The doctor in charge calmly said that Kyung-hee did not just run away, but swung a cleaver at her father and ran away.
Other than that, it’s probably similar to what I know.
So glad it was. Because it was still within the scope of what I could think of.
“It’s a monster, not a human. It’s not a woman. You must have heard those words from your father first.”
“then……..”
“Since parents, who should have been strong fences, failed to become fences, they have no choice but to find new fences.”
The doctor in charge described Kyung-hee as a wounded rabbit that was attacked by its mother.
I was a refuge for Kyung-hee, who ran away because she did not receive affection and distrusted her family.
It did not end as a refuge, but became a new family and idol.
If you need food, give food, if you need affection, give affection.
It even shows the future if you need it.
It was obvious that simple admiration and friendship quickly grew stronger.
“Since I was abandoned once, I would have assumed that I would be abandoned again after that. Then I have no choice but to squeeze my head.”
“To not be abandoned…?”
“Yes. Even a trivial action can be a fatal blow to Mr. Kyung-hee.”
Certainly, it seemed so. The same goes for when I drank and stretched out.
I guess that’s why he was so quick to follow what I suggested.
Shrinking and hiding the dependence that is growing day by day, clinging to pictures and writing to relieve the desire.
The reason Kyunghee didn’t express likes and dislikes was that it wasn’t particularly important.
Because my likes and dislikes were more important than my own likes and dislikes.
And I said it slowly after I was sure that I wanted to know Kyung-hee’s likes and dislikes.
I continued to build and build the confidence that I would not be abandoned, and then exploded.
‘Cause I know I’m good Because I know that I can’t abandon Kyunghee.
So, unlike Kyunghee, I moved on to the next one.
If you ask me to look only at you, I knew I would do that.
But I had no intention of doing that, and responded by saying that I would be treated as an invisible person.
It was only then that Kyung-hee, who realized that she had done something wrong, was paying attention to me with all her might in order not to be abandoned.
The doctor in charge sighed deeply and chewed on the ice.
“Actually, the secret Kyung-hee hides isn’t that big either. You probably guessed it roughly, right?”
“That, like putting blood in food?”
“Yes. Most of the facts you already know, but I think obsessively to myself.”
“ah.”
“Thoughts go on and on and off, and then it becomes dangerous.”
“why?”
“Because I don’t know how it will develop. I’m afraid of Mr. Kyung-hee, but could you open the door for me?”
“Yeah?”
“Come on.”
The doctor in charge pointed at the door with the tip of a ballpoint pen.
Instinctively, I walked away without making a sound, then opened the door.
Then Kyunghee fell inside.
It seemed that he was trying to eavesdrop on the conversation by forcing his limp ears up against the door.
And since it seemed to smell like blood, both hands were already tattered.
“Perhaps in Kyunghee’s head, Siwoo and I were making love.”
“……………………………”
“Even if you say no, it’s useless, Mr. Kyung-hee. And it’s okay. But please clear your eyes there.”
“…………..Yeah.”
Kyunghee nodded.
But the madness that filled his eyes did not disappear at all.
I don’t know what I was thinking as the doctor in charge said, but it was clear that I went with negative thoughts.
Because Kyung-hee hugged me tightly and began to sniff me.
It seemed that he was trying to check with his sense of smell to see if something had happened.
Realizing that nothing had really happened, Kyung-hee was relieved for a moment, then glared at the doctor in charge.
He was baring his fangs and glaring at the doctor in charge with red eyes.
It was a life-threatening look that he would kill if he carelessly struck his tail.
The doctor in charge calmly chewed the ice and laughed as if I was right.
Seeing that expression, Kyunghee opened her mouth and growled, so I had no choice but to pay attention.
“Mi-I’m sorry… Siwoo. That’s why…”
“It’s okay. You came all the way here to know about that, right?”
“Yeah…but…”
“If you keep doing this, I have no choice but to treat you as an invisible person, Kyunghee.”
“No, that’s it!”
Kyunghee exclaimed nervously. My ears trembled all the time.
Then, as if she understood the situation, Kyunghee cried.
“I-I know I’m serious… Siwoo… I’m sorry… but, still…”
“You said you came all the way here to consult because you know.”
“Yes………”
“If I really hated you, I wouldn’t be here, right?”
“……….yes.”
“Because I love you, I’m sure you’ve come all the way here to understand and convince me why you’re making a fuss.”
“……….yes.”
“I’m out. I think I need to talk to the doctor some more.”
“…….city.”
Kyunghee tried to open her mouth, but then closed it.
Seeing my resolute gaze, he seemed to realize that now is not the time.
Behind me, the doctor in charge was brewing fresh coffee.
He was also seen rubbing his eyes as if he was tired.
I personally took Kyunghee outside. And when I closed the door again, the doctor in charge said as if he had been waiting.
“During that process, Kyung-hee often gets depressed, so I’m prescribing medicine for depression first.”
“Is that the end?”
“No, uhm… I need to take a few more medications. Several types? You know the characteristics of psychiatric medications, right?”
“……Should I keep using it until I find the right medicine?”
“That’s right. So it will take more than half a year at the earliest to get better with medication. It’s that serious.”
“ah.”
“It’s okay. Siwoo agreed to cooperate, so we can do counseling and treatment at the same time.”
“Hey, are you okay?”
The doctor in charge looked at him as if he meant something.
I quietly pointed towards the door.
The doctor in charge nodded and opened his mouth.
“I’m on a full life allowance. And my position at the University Hospital is growing.”
“aha.”
“Above all, I’m on paid leave, so I’m thinking of hanging out with my boyfriend when it’s over.”
“……….Yeah?”
“Why? I have a boyfriend. Rather, give me your hand. Let’s do a simple handshake.”
The doctor in charge held out his hand. It was ominous, but I held out my hand too, and that’s how the handshake ended.
The doctor in charge added sugar cubes and ice to the freshly brewed coffee.
Then he began to explain step by step.
He said that in the future, he should give Kyung-hee the recognition that contact with people in this way is not a big deal.
Relationships can be broken and continued, but it is not that they will never be broken.
“The goal is to get to a level where hugs between friends are acceptable.”
“So, friendship level?”
“Yes. If you are allowed to be more than just a friend and less than a lover, it seems that obsession and obsession have been resolved…”
The doctor in charge pointed at the door with the tip of a ballpoint pen.
I had no choice but to open the door because I was afraid to open it myself.
And as soon as I opened the door, Kyung-hee, whose expression had died, was staring at me.
There wasn’t anything that could be called a weapon, but if it were Kyunghee, that arm would be able to kill the doctor in charge.
While thinking that, I hugged the flustered Kyung-hee.
Only then did Kyunghee let go of her expression. Then, as if he smelled my hand, his expression hardened again.
The protruding ears sat down as they were, and a squeaking sound similar to the cry of a rabbit was heard from deep in the throat.
A little tired.