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...
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Jong Woo stared right back. It was strange; how they were staring each other down from couch to doorway, neither making an attempt at movement.
It was like they were an ocean apart, rather than a few feet away.
Jong Woo broke the odd silence. "That is not what I was told."
Jung Hwa appeared next to Jong Woo out of nowhere. Moon Jo swore that woman faded right into the furniture. "Moon Jo, Jong Woo," she said. "My office, remember? There's no need to stand in the middle of the room."
No, there really was no need to stand here amongst the people Moon Jo did not wish to relate to or to be look at—in that strange condescending way. Leaving a pocket of distance between himself, Moon Jo with his long leg brisk walked—leaving Jung Hwa, Jong Woo and everyone else in the damned place, he walked to that same office and away from the eyes of others. The door shut, and once again, they were alone—as alone as they could be, anyway.
Moon Jo knew he should be happy, but all he truly wanted to do was go back to bed. He found nothing to say, so he sat down wordlessly.
"You look very tired."
The concern in Jong Woo's voice was enough to make Moon Jo look up.
Was it really that obvious?
Moon Jo's limbs felt entirely too heavy, his head pounded with every beat of his heart, and occasionally it even hurt to breathe, but he did not realize it was visible. That would need to change. "Oh," he said. "No, I am fine."
Yes, he was fine.
He had to be, because he was not like the others. He was not delusional like Deuk So, he was not unstable like Jea Ho, and he was not completely, undeniably insane like Ki Hyeok.
"You don't look fine." Jong Woo stopped speaking midway through his last word as if he had said too much. He took a long, audible breath and sat down on the sofa, as far away from Moon Jo as he could. "Why did you think I wouldn't come?"
It came as a shock when Moon Jo realized he wasn't sure. He was not sure much of anything, really. He had not been for a long time. It almost amused him, now that he thought about it. Finally, he took a cleansing breath and met Jong Woo's eyes for more than a brief moment. "That doesn't matter." He realized his chest, specifically his heart was too tight, so he loosened it with a light laugh. Maybe an explanation would not hurt anything.
"My roommate, he is an odd one. He says many upsetting things, crazy things." And how ridiculous it was to listen. Moon Jo laughed again, amused with himself, amused with Ki Hyeok.
Jong Woo pressed his body into the corner of the sofa, his hand gripping the arm. He blinked away his inexplicable bewilderment and said, "What is your roommate like?"
"I have two, actually." Moon Jo wondered what they were up to. "Deuk So, his also odd. He likes to shout at no one in particular. It wakes me up sometimes and he always asked me about his twin brother, which I am guessing was not real." He thought back to the previous night, when Deuk So asked about his brother's where about and after asking he had taken to mumbling to himself for what felt like hours. "Then there's Ki Hyeok." The very name burnt Moon Jo's tongue. He narrowed his eyes and forced himself to go on. "His a completely insane person. He always tries to hurt his arms. He calls me 'peasant,' and he calls himself 'emperor.'" He chose to omit all Ki Hyeok had said days ago. Jong Woo did not need to know about that, and he certainly did not need to know Moon Jo's reaction.
"Wow." Jong Woo shook his head, seemingly out of disbelief. "That sounds... overwhelming. How do you deal with it?"
Moon Jo was glad that Jong Woo did not have to witness such things. He tilted his head, chuckled and pressed his fingers against his ears in place of an answer. There was no other way to deal with those two.
"That would drive me insane." Jong Woo tensed and quickly added, "I mean, it sounds upsetting. Why does he call you that?"
Moon Jo shrugged. "He doesn't like me, I guess."
"Why would he not like you?"
"Actually he doesn't like many people. His a total nutcase." Moon Jo thought back to the first time they spoke. What a disaster that was.
Jong Woo opened his mouth only to quickly shut it. He picked at the upholstery of the sofa and crossed his legs. "Do you call him insane to his face?"
"Of course, because he is."
"What?" Jong Woo practically shouted the word. Moon Jo was almost confused. It seemed like such an obvious thing. It took Jong Woo a moment to reel himself back, to get over the shock that seemed completely misplaced. "That's probably why he doesn't like you. You can't just call people crazy, Moon Jo."
Moon Jo narrowed his eyes. "But he is one hell of a crazy person. Why can't I call him that? I am just being honest, dear."
"Maybe he is, but..." Jong Woo broke off, glanced quickly at Moon Jo, and then stared into his hands. "What if I called you insane?"
A painful shock of panic hit like a bullet. Moon Jo's hands went numb, his mind following suit a moment after. "I am not insane."
"I know," said Jong Woo quickly, too quickly. "I wouldn't call you insane, because it would be upsetting. It's insensitive."
Of course it was upsetting. That was precisely why Moon Jo said it. Ki Hyeok had insulted him, insulted Jong Woo, and he wanted to hurt him back.
He needed to...
There was nothing else he could do. It lit a fire in his mind when he managed to break Ki Hyeok, and for just a moment, he felt in control.
Powerful.
It broke up the empty void in his mind. But Jong Woo did not need to know that. "Maybe I'll stop, then."
It was a lie.
It didn't matter.
No one will know.
"Alright. Good." Jong Woo exhaled heavily as if he had been holding his breath. "Can you tell me about your family?"
Well, that was an abrupt change of topic. It almost seemed as though someone had told him to say it. Moon Jo dismissed the odd suspicion and instead focused on the question. He did not want to speak about his family. They rarely even spoke to him. He curled his fingers anxiously.
They had forgotten about him. "Why?"
"I was curious," said Jong Woo. "I want to get to know you."
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