Breathe | Jensoo

Ch02

As someone who had never voluntarily taken a day off from work, Jisoo was going nuts from boredom for the past 3 days. To think she could barely make it through one counselling session, let alone eight for her to be unsuspended.

She growled and sprinted the last mile to vent her frustration. Clicking her stopwatch at the finish line, the timing was at least something to be pleased about, but sadly it didn't help to curb the annoyance building inside of her. She scratched her head and really, really wanted to shout out loud in this serene park and drive her fists into the tree trunks; that was until the doctor's words abruptly came to mind.

Deep, conscious breathing. And count to 10.

Right, I can do this.

Taking in a deep breath, her lungs expanded and stretched against her ribs, and she held it there for a second, before releasing it and repeating the cycle until she finished counting to 10. She didn't realise she had closed her eyes in the process and when she reopened them, the grass seemed surprisingly greener and the breeze cooler against her flushed cheeks. She was suddenly aware of the fresh scent of morning dew lingering in the air.

Her suspension from the police force was still bothering her, but her mounting anger and tension had subsided. As much as she didn't want to admit it, perhaps this deep breathing technique was doing her some good after all.

She sighed. A session a week would mean 8 sessions in 2 months, that was way too long for her sanity to endure. And since she had no way around this, she might as well make the best of it -- cooperate as best as she could and get out of there as fast as she could. Pulling out her cell phone from her windbreaker, she dialled and waited to speak after the receptionist's template greeting.

"Hey, this is Inspec... I mean, this is Kim Jisoo. I know I'm scheduled to be in next week, but I was wondering if I could be slotted in today or tomorrow? Anytime at all. Whenever the doc is free."

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"Well, look who's here today," was the first thing the doctor said upon seeing Jisoo enter the room. She was on her tippy toes, stuffing stacks of folders between more stacks of folders on the shelf, and she had turned around for a second to beam at Jisoo. It was a warm, welcoming smile that Jisoo skeptically categorized as well-practised, but she didn't blame Jennie -- it was, after all, a doctor's job to make patients feel better.

"Hey, doc. Need a hand?" She wasn't much more in height but she likely was in strength.

"It's," the doctor gave it a hard shove, "fine, I can," and another shove, "manage, I think."

The folders were precariously close to launching a vengeful attack and hence, Jisoo stepped forward with an inward sigh, unhooking her thumbs from her pants pockets. Her fingers gripped the folders just above where Jennie's hands were and slid the stack back into place with a controlled, steady push.

She must have surprised the doctor quite a bit who had swiftly retracted her arms and jumped a foot aside.

"There you go," she dusted her hands off and gauged the doctor, whose face appeared redder than normal, and Jisoo chalked it up to physical exertion and probably her sudden intervention. "Sorry if I shocked you."

The doctor waved a hand dismissively, "No, not at all. Thanks for the push, literally." She gestured to the recliner, "So, what brings you here today? Chaeyoung, oh the tall receptionist, said you sounded rather... eager, with the reschedule."

Lying down and crossing her feet on the recliner, Jisoo exhaled in comfort with an impish grin, "Nothing, I just missed this couch."

She watched the doctor chuckle and almost roll her eyes, "Oh really? I could tell you where we bought this, you know, you needn't have to make a special trip here."