CHAPTER 11: DARK HOURS

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"Hello Yeonjun," Kim Soohyun greeted his new patient with a friendly smile and a calm voice

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"Hello Yeonjun," Kim Soohyun greeted his new patient with a friendly smile and a calm voice. The psychologist would be spending his first hour with the new patient today, finding out what his current condition was after Choi Yeonjun had had more than a week to settle in. The group therapy had also been necessary to prepare the 19-year-old young man for an individual session. And Kim Soohyun had, as promised, kept an eye on Yeonjun. "You and I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet. My name is Kim Soohyun, but you're welcome to call me by my first name."

Yeonjun's face was filled with uncertainty, questions about what to expect in this lesson and fear of saying the wrong thing. He rocked back and forth on the sofa before lying back on the armrest with a sigh. "Soohyun," he repeated the name, because he was sure he would have forgotten it again in ten minutes.

Smiling, the psychologist also leaned back, clasped his hands together and placed them on his lap. "How was the last week for you, Yeonjun? Did you make any friends?" were the first questions, because it was always easy to start with some small talk. After all, Kim Soohyun could see how nervous the boy was and wanted to lighten the mood a little.

Yeonjun nodded slowly and thought about his stay at the residence so far. He had experienced an amazing amount of things that he couldn't otherwise say about his life.

"I've made a friend, I think," he said in a serious voice. Yeonjun's cat-like gaze wandered around the room, seeing the trees behind the large window, smelling the coffee on the desk and hearing distant laughter. His gaze wandered around the room, but his eyes didn't stay on one spot for long. They wandered restlessly from one detail to the next, as if he was trying to find a distraction. The trees behind the large window caught his attention and his gaze was lost in the green leaves rustling in the gentle wind. There was a hint of melancholy in his gaze, as if he was thinking about something far away, perhaps memories of places he had left behind. The tension in his shoulders was clearly noticeable, even as he sat on the sofa. Yeonjun's hands moved restlessly, plucking at the fabric of his trousers or folding into each other, only to loosen again. His fingers played a quiet, nervous game, as if they were reflecting the restlessness within him.

A cautious smile finally flitted across Yeonjun's lips as he thought of the new experiences he'd had at the residence. It was a tentative smile, almost as if he was afraid that it might disappear at any moment. But at that moment, a trace of pride seemed to flash in his eyes as he spoke about the friendship he had made. His voice sounded serious, but beneath the surface, a certain excitement resonated as he recounted this special moment.

The sounds around Yeonjun filtered through to him, and he absorbed them as if to soak up the whole environment. The soft clinking of dishes from the cafeteria, distant laughter and the hushed conversations of other residents all blended into a soothing background noise that helped him relax a little.

"Very nice," replied Kim Soohyun with his sympathetic smile, "it's always good to make new friends. You're also in a room with Shotaro. Do you get on with him?"

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