Thespians | Kim Taehyung

Chapter Fourteen

Four days had passed since Rain Rojas had visited Kim Taehyung at the BigHit Entertainment headquarters.

     Rain found herself sitting across from a psychologist who was deliberately listening and writing down her every single murmur.

      "Hmm, I see... you've suffered a lot; not just because of circumstance, but because of past traumas and an excessively nihilistic and deeply existential outlook on life.

     "You have a beautifully analytic and logical way of thinking. You're very rational and aware of your illnesses. I can tell that you're highly intelligent, too; it takes a lot for a depressed person to be so aware of their symptoms. Plus, the way that you express yourself and articulate your thoughts shows that you are no average patient; you are extremely eloquent and meticulous. You are what I would call an ideal patient. You completely skipped the hardest part of treatment, and that is a huge step."

     "What is difficult for other people is not necessarily hard for me. Everyone's different," Rain commented with a tired expression.

     "Hmm, true. You are correct. I can't even imagine the pain you must be going through, Rain, but we must work together to help you get, at least, a little better. You've suffered enough."

     "I agree. I'm willing to comply with anything except medication."

"And why won't you comply with medication? I do believe this might be a clinical case..."

"It is a clinical case. But I've already gone through this process more than once before and it only made things worse for me. Medication is not for everyone. It's not a one-size fits all or a one-dimensional thing... My body didn't react well to the things I was prescribed. I will take full responsibility for my actions; please, respect my decision."

     "Fair enough, then. I do think that it is a huge step for you to recognize and seek the help you need. Now, let us converse..."

***

"Hey, how are you? Before you answer: when are you picking me up? My appointment ended early," Rain said to her phone while standing outside of a medical building, shivering because of the bitter cold. Autumn was getting chillier by the passing of each day.

"I was already on my way. I will be there in about four or five minutes," Haneul answered. "I'm good, by the way."

"Where exactly are you?"

"Why?"

"I want to guess how long it's really going to take you to get here," Rain quipped while she hugged herself with her warm tanned coat.

"Hmm, about six blocks away."

"That's about... 2000 feet, isn't it? How fast are you going?"

"Almost 20 miles per hour."

"Considering that there is traffic and traffic lights in the way, you will get here in exactly three and a half minutes. You owe me more than a coffee, if that's the case. If not, well, I'll treat you today."

     Just as the genius engineer had predicted, Haneul arrived exactly three minutes and thirty-two seconds later. Rain had recorded the time with her phone chronometer. The charcoal SUV pulled up and one of the windows went down, revealing an utterly shocked Haneul.

     "Yah, are you a witch?!"

     "I'd prefer the term genius, thank you. Greetings, Mr. Lee," Rain replied while opening the passenger's door and sitting down. She fastened her seatbelt and smiled innocently at her friend. Haneul chuckled deeply and shook his head while a toothy smile etched its way onto his pink lips. Rain gestured him to drive and he did; his grin never faltering as he did so.