Seo Moon Jo was wondering why he was in an asylum when he felt perfectly normal. He was as sane as they can be. Why can't they release him? And now, the doctor wants him to return to his room.
Yoon Jong Woo came to the hospital to pick up his brothe...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Jong Woo's legs felt entirely too unsteady as he exited his car and stood in the hospital parking lot. For a long moment he just stared at the building, wondering why he was subjecting himself to this. Maybe he belonged here too, considering he was entirely certain he had lost his mind. Still, it was too late to go back. He had made a commitment, and dammit, he refused to admit he was afraid.
Of course he was not afraid, but the long walk to the psychiatric unit felt like one to the guillotine. He kept himself occupied through navigating the twisting hallways, making sure to avoid the hospice unit and convincing himself this was no big deal all at the same time. He succeeded in all but the last. Before he had time to register the situation and long before he was ready for it, he found himself knocking on So Jung Hwa's office door. Thankfully, the hallway was vacant of patients this time around.
Jung Hwa opened the door with a smile, but Jong Woo was not easily fooled. He could see that faint stich of apprehension in her eyes. Jung Hwa was obviously nervous, though she was just as obviously trying to hide it. That was less than reassuring. Jong Woo tried to ignore the nearly overpowering urge to break off in a run. Instead he said, "Good afternoon, Dr. So," as if this was completely normal.
"Afternoon, Jong Woo." Jung Hwa ushered him through the door and shut it behind him. "Thank you again for coming. I know how bizarre this is."
Did he really know? Jong Woo nodded anyway. He let his eyes drift about the office, searching for a distraction when a sudden thought entered his mind and passed his lips almost simultaneously. "Does he know?"
Jung Hwa met his gaze, her lips slightly parted. "No," she said. Jong Woo was not sure whether to be more or less anxious. "Moon Jo doesn't know."
"Ah." Jong Woo told himself again that this would be more of an annoyance than anything. After all, they would not be alone. In a place like this, it was impossible. "What will I be doing, exactly?"
"All you have to do is talk to him. The goal is to get Moon Jo to open up."
Jong Woo just nodded, still somewhat confused and skeptical but unwilling to express it. He supposed that sounded reasonable. It had to. "Alright." He glanced towards the office door, only able to wonder what awaited him right down the hall. "Should I go, then?"
"I'll walk you there." Jung Hwa went to the door and opened it, but hesitated before she took a step outside.
Jong Woo glanced over her shoulder, and it was not until then that Jong Woo realized he had frozen in place. He forced himself to meet his gaze anyway, but Jung Hwa seemed to see right through his stoic expression. "Are you sure about this, Jong Woo?"
Of course Jong Woo was not sure. This was insane. "Yes, I am sure." ...But that apparently did not matter, because this—whatever it was—was happening.
The walk to what was supposedly the common area was far too long and much too short at the same time. Jong Woo felt his stomach flip over and over on itself with every step he took, but he still refused to admit to himself that he was afraid. There was nothing to be afraid of, absolutely nothing. How ridiculous to be feeling this way. However these rational thoughts did nothing to stop the flurry of irrational ones, and Jong Woo could not stop himself from biting down on his inner cheek when Jung Hwa's voice broke the silence. "Moon Jo, you have a visitor."
And that was when he saw him. Despite thinking those two minutes of insanity weeks ago was the last time they would ever cross paths, Jong Woo somehow found himself staring straight at the man for the second time. Moon Jo was sitting on the sofa, seemingly occupied by staring outside the window. Funny... Jong Woo remembered him as much more intimidating. Then, Moon Jo looked up. When Jong Woo caught sight of those same unmistakable black eyes and realized they were locked on him and nothing else, he realized he had remembered correctly.
"Darling." Moon Jo spoke softly, too softly. He stood up as if his legs were unsteady, his face softening in light shock. "My dear." When he smiled, he looked as though he was fighting back tears. Jong Woo straightened his back and stayed completely still. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a man looking through strands of black hair to stare at him incredulously, as if Jong Woo was an urban legend come to life. The man with the short hair a few feet away carried a similar expression.
Once he got over being stared at, Jong Woo was surprised at how calm the place was. At least part of him had expected mass hysteria, patients in various stages of breakdowns rocking in corners, and incoherent screaming. A small, childish part of him had almost expected to see at least one straightjacket. Instead, he saw patients visiting with family members, friends and significant others, most looking fairly calm. While some of them looked troubled, for the most part they just appeared to be normal people. Jong Woo almost felt ashamed for expecting anything different.
Jung Hwa must have noticed the disturbance this was apparently causing. She glanced at Moon Jo, who was still standing motionless like he entranced, then back at Jong Woo, who felt as if the very ground beneath him was threatening to split. "Why don't we step out?"
They ended up back in Jung Hwa's office. Moon Jo kept his distance, surprisingly, but Jong Woo could still feel his eyes on him. It was a slightly unnerving, conscious fact that he tried and failed to ignore. He settled on pretending he didn't see. "I'll be outside," said Jung Hwa. She looked directly at Jong Woo as she spoke. The moment she stepped out and closed the door, Jong Woo suddenly became hyperaware that he was now—to some extent—alone with Moon Jo.
What was there to say? Jong Woo instantly forgot everything Jung Hwa had told him and perhaps the entire English language. He only remembered when Moon Joo took a step forward and realized he was probably going to hug him again. Jong Woo took a quick, instinctive step backwards and held up his hands. "Don't."
Surprisingly, Moon Jo complied. He clasped his hands behind his back and smiled in that same innocent, unassuming way. "You came back, darling," he said. "I knew you would. Eventually."
Jong Woo did not trust his legs, so he sat stiffly on the arm of the sofa. "Is that so?" Silence. He glanced at a nearby clock and saw with a jolt that less than two minutes had passed. If he didn't know any better, he would have said time had stopped in its tracks. A million questions spun in his mind. What was there to say? What was he supposed to do? And most prominently—why the hell did he agree to this? Having given up on finding answers to any of those questions, he could think of only one thing to say. "How have you been doing?"
Moon Jo sat on the other side of the sofa, uncharacteristically keeping his distance. "The past does not matter." He curled and uncurled his hand anxiously. "You are here. That means I am fine."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
