Mental Asylum || PURINZ

011

I gathered all the items Yunjin requested and discreetly stashed them in a bag, concealing it under the bushes.

I had to exercise extreme caution, knowing that Hong Eunchae was keeping a close eye on me.

With the preparations complete, I moved forward with the rest of the plan.

That night, Yunjin, still weakened from her previous self-harming attempt, sat in a wheelchair, feigning a migraine. Taking advantage of the hospital's policy to transport all patients in a wheelchair, whether mentally healthy or not, this presented an excellent opportunity for whatever she had in mind.

As we descended to the ground floor, Yunjin scanned the hallway, anticipating the arrival of a doctor. Luckily, Dr. Rei, a kind and empathetic individual, coincidentally appeared during her usual rounds.

"Dr. Rei, it's a pleasure to see you after such a long time," Yunjin greeted her.

Dr. Rei, while maintaining a polite smile, searched for an answer that wouldn't provoke the crazy woman. "Likewise."

Yunjin laughed. "I never thought someone would say that to me. Doc, I'm still awaiting your response regarding our café date," she teased with a wink as we continued our journey.

"Well, Dr. Rei isn't crazy, so you should find someone of your caliber," I remarked.

"Someone like you?" Yunjin asked.

I snorted, turning the wheelchair towards the hospital yard.

Yunjin pulled a scalpel from her pocket as we reached the hospital entrance, catching everyone off guard.

She gripped me tightly, her arm coiled around my neck, and the surgical blade hovered just below my jawline, almost breaking the skin. "If anyone dares to call the police, Nurse Chaewon will suffer a slow and painful death."

I spiraled into hysteria, screaming, "Yunjin, no!"

She pointed the surgical knife at the audience. "Take out your cell phones and leave them on the floor where I can see them."

A voice in the crowd yelled, "Don't hurt her."

The horror was palpable on everyone's faces.

"Slowly," she whispered in my ear, took a few steps back, forcing me to follow her lead.

As we reached the hospital doors, she instructed the security guard to surrender his gun and open the doors. The guard, well aware that any resistance could lead to my throat being cut, complied. There was nothing to stop her.

The hospital doors swung open, and Yunjin dragged me outside, just as a blue Lexus pulled up at the curb, the door swinging open.

I stared at her. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I didn't escape from the asylum to play Candy Crush," she quipped.

Surprisingly, even in this dire situation, her sense of humor remained intact.

"Where are you going, Yunjin?"

"Home," she replied.

In our exchanged glances, it felt like we both knew this was goodbye. "Thank you for all your help, Chae," she said before sliding into her car.

"No! Wait, Yunjin!" I yelled, chasing after the car, but it disappeared down the road with a loud squeal.

I sat on the side of the road, panting, as the sun dipped below the horizon.

Covering my face with my hands, I was consumed by thoughts about what I had just done. Letting Yunjin roam freely would endanger innocent lives, but I felt helpless—I had no other choice. If I hadn't done what she asked, she would have harmed my brother.