02 18 | j.hs [three] √

Epilogue

A knock resonated on the wooden door, echoing quietly across the quiet space. Noona's knuckles lifted off the door and reached for the door handle. Just then, the door flew open and revealed him. He beckoned her to come in as he walked in, leaving the door open. Noona entered, feeling the cold air prickle at her skin as she closed the door behind her. He pointed towards a chair in front of him as he sat on his, pulling out papers from a drawer below.

"Jung Hoseok's sister, am I right?" He looked towards her for confirmation. She gave a terse nod. He hummed and flipped through the papers, jotting a few notes down before standing up to get some files from the shelves beside. Noona's hands fidgeted as her eyes trailed after his figure. It was making her nervous, and that ominous bad feeling the moment he made eye contact with her was doing nothing but making it worse.

"He's crazy, isn't he?" she burst in a whisper, her eyes wide with distress. He clasped his hands together and laid them on the table. "He told me he isn't mad, he's sane as fuck. He wanted to escape the cell, and begged me to help him prove his sanity." He pursed his lips, seeming hesitant to say more. Noona just looked on and waited for him to continue.

"He seems sane, and his mind believes he is sane. In actuality, he's insane. It's a good thing your mother sent him in early, so we could treat him before he worsens. Yet these few weeks of therapy and treatment seems to make his condition deteriorate further. I'm sorry to say, but what we can do now is only try to stabilise his condition. The figures, though, are not very optimistic." he said, tapping his pen against the table.

He paused to scribble a few words on the papers. He looked up, and levelled his gaze to her. "I know you still have that feeling to protect or defend him. But as his doctor, I advise you to not believe him. And most importantly, stop giving him false hope." He reached across to place a hand on her shoulder, softly squeezing it before his hand returned to its clasping position. "He might use this against you, so I'm going to leave an order for him not to have visitors over." He finished, feeling the air grow heavy as his words set in.

"But, he's my brother! I can't just leave him here alone.." she protested. "I believe he'll get better with us here. It's best to isolate him for a while, so do refrain from visiting him these few weeks." He placed a form in front of her. "Now, if you can sign this form, we're trying a new treatment. We're positive this might actually help him." He mustered a smile, trying to administer hope in her.

She picked up the pen. As she uncapped the pen, she paused. "Will he...recover?" she tentatively asked, her eyes flitting to him. He coughed. "I cannot give you an absolute answer. This case was hard enough to begin with. Too many factors and too much wasted time."

She was about to sign when the telephone on the table rang. He picked it up. She paused again to stare inquistively, trying to read his expression. She registered shock for a brief moment, then a mask of blank as he placed the phone down.

"He's dead." was all he said before he stood up and left the room.

She was stunned. Why?