DESK MATES ✔|SOPE|Yoonseok

35. Lost and Forgotten

Last school year: May

Doctor Jeon's house was the largest in the entire city. No matter how many times Jimin went over to visit, he still never got used to the intricately built water fountains on either side, or the way the walls seemed to stretch on for miles and miles. It was amazing to think this man got rich off of simply listening to psychotics talk for eight hours straight and then prescribing them medicine. If Jimin were being honest, the job seemed like one huge scandal.

Nevertheless, Jimin liked him. Doctor Jeon was always straightforward, and he listened to whatever he had to say, no matter how weird or crazy it sounded. Best of all, he couldn't say anything that might upset his patients, so Jimin could mess with him to his heart's content. Just when would he finally see Doctor Jeon break his perfect composure? This was the game he played each and every time he visited.

"Your aunt told me you were melting your belongings again in your room yesterday," Doctor Jeon said, tapping his pen against his shoulder. He was sitting across from Jimin in his black leather chair, gazing at him with the same, careful expression he always had. Jimin felt like he was being studied like a book each time he looked at him. 

"Yes, and?" Jimin said, leaning back in his corduroy chair that squeaked with every movement. He leaned his elbow onto the arm rest, putting his face in his hand.

"I'm curious, what made you decide to melt them?" he asked, staring at him in wonder. "Was it you who did it? Or was it your alter?"

Jimin couldn't help but laugh ever so slightly. His alter? Melting things? There was no way in hell that would ever happen. That Jimin was much too sweet and innocent to do something so completely demented. Besides, his alter had been gone for almost a month now. He was in control, and he didn't plan on letting that Jimin ever return.

"Who do you think?" Jimin scoffed, looking at him as if it were obvious. "You know I like looking at flames."

Doctor Jeon smiled, sitting up a little straighter now.

"That's interesting," he said. "The other Jimin told me he hates fire, as in he can't even stand the site of it anymore. Did you know that?"

Jimin just shrugged his shoulders.

"How would I?" he asked, his face completely tranquil. Doctor Jeon responded by writing something down on his clipboard, nodding his head like this was very fascinating to him. 

"Is it satisfying? When you melt things, I mean," Doctor Jeon asked, looking up at him now.

Jimin wasn't sure if satisfying was the right word. Of course, he did get some pleasure out of it, but it was more like he was just intrigued by the site of innocent matter being burned into nothing. Every time he lit a match and watched as the ashes fell, he wondered if it was the same as when his parents had been killed. In some strange way, the flames allowed him to feel closer to them. After all, that was the last thing they'd felt when they were alive.

"Let's not talk about this anymore," Jimin said, starting to feel flustered. He didn't like speaking about anything that had to do with his parents, and he had a feeling that was what Doctor Jeon was trying to get at.

"Okay," Doctor Jeon said, crossing his left leg over his right. "What would you like to talk about then?"

Jimin thought for a moment, a million different ideas racing through his mind at once. But out of all of them, one thing always stuck out the brightest. Suddenly, he leaned forward, his heart starting to beat ever so slightly faster.

"Your son," he said, a smile lighting up his face now. "Let's talk about him."

Doctor Jeon stared at him confused, then eventually nodded his head in agreement. It was what the patient wanted.