New Start and Making Decisions
Mansae!After group therapy, MI Yeon made her way to the phone by the Nurse's desk. Once she was connected, her father answered on the second ring.
"Yoboseyo?" He asked.
"Father, it's Mi Yeon. I need to know what to do with the release form."
"Sign it!" He commanded.
"But why? I just arrived here. I can't just leave."
"You will leave. I will not have my daughter in that kind of place."
Although Mi Yeon wanted to leave, she thought about her roommate and how much she wanted to help her and see her healthy. "What if I don’t sign it?" She countered.
"Then, you cannot live here when you are released."
Mi Yeon froze. If her father was serious, which he often was, then she really would be abandoned.
"Mi Yeon-ah," he said, sensing her hesitation. "If you leave that place this week, I will get you a private psychiatrist. You can get help from home."
She considered the offer, but needed more time to assess the situation. "I'll get back to you, Father."
After she hung up, she realized that not once had he asked about how she was coping or how she was feeling. He was just concerned with her getting out of there quickly, whether she was better or not.
Out in the sitting area, Mi Yeon joined Na Ra on the couch. She wanted to tell someone about the form, but thought it best not to until she made up her mind. On the other side of the room, Seung Cheol sat playing a game of dominos with one of the other boys. When she sat down, he looked at her but continued with his game.
Na Ra got up to go to the bathroom. Once gone, Seung Cheol rushed to take the spot.
Mi Yeon looked at him, shocked and confused.
"Mi Yeon-ssi, I think we got off on the wrong foot," he said. This time, he was offering a gentle smile that countered his usual glare.
"Oh, have we?" Mi Yeon replied, sarcastically.
"I was wrong to bombard you like that about your brother."
"You had questions to which only I knew the answers. It was understandable."
He smiled deeper at her and stretched out his hand. Mi Yeon took his hand and they greeted each other formally for the first time. Finally, Mi Yeon was becoming less tense around him.
"Ah, I have something for you," he suddenly said. He proceeded to take out a small item from his jeans pocket. In front of Mi Yeon, he held out his palm, face up, and offered her a candy that was wrapped in red foil paper. She smiled at the gesture and took the candy.
"Thanks."
He nodded and returned to the table to play.
Na Ra returned from the bathroom and Mi Yeon hid the candy, not wanting to get any unnecessary questions from her roommate.
Later that day, in personal therapy, Mi Yeon showed Doctor Kwon the release form, trying to get some insight on what she should do.
"Well, the choice is entirely up to you, Mi Yeon-ssi," he told her.
Mi Yeon sighed, disappointed by his response.
"If you feel like you don’t need to be here, then you should sign it."
Mi Yeon nodded and let the silence engulf them.
"So, for today," Doctor Kwon continued. "How about we talk about why you tried to kill yourself?"
Mi Yeon sighed. This wasn’t a big deal to talk about. She knew exactly why she did it.
"I got rejected from every school out there. My father is abusive and demanding, and my twin brother just killed himself. That mix kinda gets to you." Mi Yeon was calm and blunt as she spoke.
"You don’t seem fazed by this at all."
"Well, you asked a question and it wasn’t too difficult of an answer."
"Mi Yeon-ssi, I'm going to be honest with you. I don’t think you need to be here. In fact, more than anything, I think you need help with how to manage your urges. You seem knowledgeable about why you do things, but have no control over them. So, this place isn't really suited to you."
Mi Yeon was speechless. In a matter of minutes, Doctor Kwon seemed to put her juggled thoughts into perfect sense and reaffirmed her inner thoughts; she didn’t need to be there.
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