The Student Therapist

Chapter 3

I stacked the last set of CDs on the shelf in the back of the radio hall before heading to the front. I was shuffling through the shelves and boxes of records and CDs, exhausted from my nine hour shift at the radio station. When I reach the front, I see grace one of the aanouncers, through the glass of the soundproof room and she waves goodbye. I barely muster a smile up and a wave back before heading out.

Before I could make escape, the voice of my boss stopped me. "Jen, hold up."

I turn around and force a smile through my exhaustion. "What's up?"

He holds up an envelope and smiles back at me. "You wouldn't want to forget this, would you?"

My smile turns genuine when I reach for the check in his hands. "Thanks sir."

"No problem." He nods. "I'll see you next week."

I turn around and this time my escape is successful. I manage to slip out of the radio station, this time with a check in hand and begin my long walk back to my dorm room. Almost immediately, I reach into my pocket ang pull my phone out to dial my mothers number with one hand as I tear open the enevelope with the other.

As I hear the line ring, I glance at the check satisfied to see that I had made close to 948,000 won in the past two weeks.

"Hello?"

My moms voice startled me and I jump a little before answering. "Hey, mom."

"Jennie, this isn't really a good time." My mom starts and it's then that I notice the exhaustion in her tone. My stomach drops when her weary voice continues. "I'm at the hospital with Jisoo and the doctors are about to come in."

My heart starts kicking into overdrive. "Why are you there? Jisoo usually does chemo on Tuesday and Thursday. Did something happen? Is everything okay?"

"If it was an emergency, I would've called you." She replied tiredly then I hear a voice in the background speak. "Jennie I have to go. Dr. Kim just walked in. I'll call you after my shift, arasso?"

"Alright." I manage to choke out. "I love you. Tell Jisoo I love her too."

She hangs up without another word and I feel my head start to spin. It was moments like these that I hated myself for choosing to go to school miles away when my little sister was at home, sick. I should be there at the hospital with them, holding Jisoo's hands and listening to what Dr. Kim has to say.

I felt myself get light headed as I continued stumbling towards my dorm. My legs feeling like jelly as I try to carry myself further. My mind still swam with the unaswered questions I had asked my mom. Did something happen? Is Jisoo okay?

And then without realizing it, I felt myself falling. My vision spotted with black before I hit the ground and was consumed in darkness.

•••

"... no food in her system. She most likely fainted because she was exhausted." An unrecognizable voice explains.

I feel myself slowly come to, like I was floating towards my body unable to move or speak.

"Is her head okay? I saw her fall, she hit the ground pretty hard." A soft voice questions but it isn't a tranger. It sounded oddly familiar.

"There's just a bump but other than that, there's no damage." The first voice says.

Finally I feel some strength flow into my body and I manage to wiggle my fingers. Next, I try to pry my eyes open but the weight of my eyelids makes the task difficult. I try again and this time I'm successful, but the bright lights makes me groan and shut them again.