Together As One

Is there more? Part 2

[Moonbyul's POV]

"Wrongly diagnosed?! What do you mean Wheein ah?" Sujung unnie and I both exclaim at the same time.

We were both shocked when Wheein came back with Yongsun unnie and told us about her suspicion.

"Come come let's sit down first then you can explain to us Wheepup." Yongsun unnie gets all of us to sit down first before we all start to fire questions at the puppy.

"Basically... I think Hyejinnie doesn't only have depression and anxiety problems. I'm sorry I didn't tell unnies earlier but over the past few weeks, Hyejin had been showing some unusual behaviour... She kept talking to herself and getting anxious about things that never happened..." Wheein starts her explanation.

/WHEEIN'S FLASHBACK/

[Wheein's POV]

We were in Hyejin's apartment on one of our days off during the weekend. Originally we had planned to go out and eat some gopchang, but after we left the house and got seated, Hyejin said she urgently needed to go home with a hint of anger in her voice, so we had to get our order as takeout instead of dining in. Throughout the way back, Hyejin kept mumbling to herself and gesturing with her hands. I try to keep up with her but she was walking in such a hurry and fury.

"Hyejin. Hyejin look at me please. What's going on?" I hold down her hands by her side, trying to get her to look at me while we were waiting for the lift to arrive.

"Didn't you hear them? They were talking negative stuff about me. They were pointing at me and discussing about my weight and appearance." Hyejin frustratedly says a little too loud.

We exit the lift at her floor and proceed to go into her apartment.

"Hyejin. Who are you talking about? There was no one in the restaurant. Only the owner who was in the kitchen cooking alone. Are you imagining things? Are you okay?" I reply her, trying to calm her down.

"No! They were there! I could hear them! Do you not believe me? You're like one of them aren't you? Out to get me?!" Hyejin angrily cries out as she throws one of the cushions across the living room.

I was stunned and taken aback. Obviously I had seen my best friend get angry before which was extremely rare but this was completely different. Her eyes looked so lost and hurt and the way she spoke was as though she was being trapped in a room with no escape.

"Okok.. I believe you. No Hyejin ah... I'm not like one of them okay... I'm not out to get you. I'm always going to be here for you. Come, have a sip of water. Then let's eat okay?" I quickly grab a bottle of water from her coffee table and open it for her to drink. Drinking water helps to calm people down I heard, and at least it usually worked when I tried it myself.

/END OF WHEEIN'S FLASHBACK/

[Moonbyul's POV]

When Wheein finished telling us about what had happened, we were all super shocked. We didn't know how to react.

"Okay. Actually... I have something to say also... when I met with Hyegi just last week, something similar also happened. She kept talking to herself also and then she was yelling at an empty space telling it to stop talking to her. I was in the kitchen getting some snacks but when I came back out, she was smiling and just sitting there as though nothing of that sort had just happened. I wanted to speak to her about it but didn't get the chance to." Sujung unnie shares as well.

Just then the surgeon comes out with a very neutral expression that I could not figure.

"Ahn Hyejin ssi's family?" The surgeon asks calmly.

We nod our heads.

"We're her members. Is she okay?" Yongsun unnie asks him.

I see the surgeon take a deep breath and my heart just dropped.

"The surgery went smoothly. But because she lost a lot of blood, like a lot, and she is suffering from anemia, her body is extremely weak right now. We are transfering her to the ward for those in critical condition as she still needs to be monitored closely. She should be waking up in a few hours but because of the weak state she is in, it might not be so soon. One of our psychiatrist will be speaking with you all very soon. If you have no other questions, you can wait for her wake up in her ward." The surgeon says slowly but with some hesitation in his voice.

"Were the wounds very bad?" Wheein asks.

"Well maam, the wounds on her feet and hands were still okay, not requiring stitching. However, the wounds on her stomach and thighs were extremely deep and well, for the lack of a better word, they were much more bloody. Those wounds were the ones that had caused critical damage to her body." The surgeon answers and bows politely before taking his leave.

We proceed towards the room our Hyejin was in. Outside the room, our Manager unnie was waiting.

"Sujung... great to see you again. Sadly in such a place... have you girls taken your dinner?" She asks us.

We shake our heads.

"Well okay. I'll leave you girls to go in and see Hyejin first while I go grab some food for yall. If anything happens or yall get any updates about Hyejin, please give me a call okay." She says comfortingly before going off to help buy some food for our empty bellies. Not that we had much mood to eat though.

[Wheein's POV]

My baby Hyejin was in critical condition. Sigh, I could have done something to prevent it. Dammit, you were one step too slow as usual Jung Wheein. I chide myself internally as Sujung unnie pushes open the door of Hyejin's ward.

I see a very fragile looking Hyejin lying on the hospital bed with numerous tubes connected to her body. My tears cascaded down my face at the sight of her. Her feet and hand were full of cuts but the scariest of them all were the thick bandages wrapped around her thigh and tummy area. I walk over to Hyejin's bedside and kneel down holding her hand tightly.

"Hyejin... you scared me... I'm sorry I didn't realize you were suffering so much more than you showed. I promise you we will get better together okay. Just please don't leave me here alone. I need to fight our demons together with you Hyejin ah. I need you in my life. I promise you we will get you all the help you need okay." I manage to say as I start to sob louder.

I feel my unnies trying to get me to stand up and supporting me by placing their arms around me. I couldn't help but cry harder.

Knock Knock

The door opens and I quickly wipe my tears.

"Hello. I am Doctor Ha, the psychiatrist assigned to Ahn Hyejin ssi. I need to update yall about somethings first. I think you all now know that the hospital will be considering this as a suicide attempt by Hyejin ssi and as a result, she will be under suicide watch for now. So the cuffs to her hands must never be removed by anyone except me. This is to ensure her safety and to prevent another of such an incident from happening. Next, I see Hyejin ssi has been taking antidepressants, as I have checked, nothing is wrong with the dosage and type of medication, she will continue to take it. However, after she wakes up, I will need to speak to her to find out more about what had happened to see if there is something that has been missed." Doctor Ha tells us.

"Doctor Ha, actually, we have something to say. Recently we have observed that Hyejinnie seems to be acting very unusually and talking to herself or talking to someone that doesn't exist. Is there something there that should be taken note of?" Sujung unnie brings up our discussion earlier.

"Hmm... if that is the case, then my suspicion would be that she is experiencing auditory hallucinations. Based on the information you have just shared with me, it seems like she may be schizophrenic. But nothing can be confirmed until she wakes up and I speak to her. But thank you for this information, it is extremely important for me to properly diagnose her condition." Doctor Ha thanks us and leaves us alone in the room.