Byulyi is busy with work when her phone vibrates aggressively on her tabletop. She shoves sheafs of papers away to find the darn thing buried under a stack of pending paperwork. She taps the green answer icon and presses the phone to her ear, using her free hand to shuffle her papers back into their original state of organised chaos.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Psych.”

Byulyi pauses, her tongue darting out to swipe across her lips. She lifts the phone away from her face slightly, the screen still lit and showing the name ‘Kim Solar’. And that name would hold true if, one, Solar calls her Psych, and if, two, Solar’s voice suddenly sounds a lot darker and more seductive.

“Um, is this Yongsun?”

“No, it's the president of South Korea. Obviously it's me, Psych.” Yongsun’s deep chuckle crackles over the line and Byulyi tenses slightly.

“Why’re you calling? Is something wrong?”

“Ah, not that I know of. I'm just curious to know how everything's been going on your end. I'm aware that I've forced you to shoulder quite a bit of responsibility. So, what have you decided?”

Byulyi swallows painfully, abandoning the paperwork and sliding up onto her sofa from her previous sitting position on the ground. She pulls her knees up to her chest, free arm wrapping around her legs. The hand holding the phone shakes slightly, but she holds on to keep it from slipping. She takes a breath.

“I'm helping you, Yongsun.”

She senses that Yongsun is about to make a rebuttal, but Byulyi plows on quickly before Yongsun can interject, because the older woman's voice somehow has a way of making Byulyi feel like her chest is on fire.

“I don't care what you say, I'm saving you. You, Kim Yongsun, are the host personality, and it's my duty as a psychologist to help host personalities, not other personalities. Because Solar,” Byulyi breathes out slowly, “Is just another personality of yours. Besides, perhaps you may not be aware of this, but Solar registered herself for my sessions under your name. So, technically, her registration name and the name on her identification card rightfully binds me to helping you.”

“Hmm,” Yongsun’s breaths crackle over the line. “I suppose you're right, Psych. Well, in any case, I shouldn't be complaining about it. So, what have you got up your sleeve so far?”

“I've…thought about it for a while. The past few days. It's not easy, because Solar has been a main part of your life for so long that she's the one with more ties to this body than you. There's Jaehyuk to think about, first of all. Then your parents? Wheein and Hyejin? I don't know. I know Hyejin will take it well since she's a psychology student and she knows things like this happen, but the rest?” Byulyi leans back against her sofa cushions. “I can't do this by myself.”

“So what are you suggesting?”

“I'm suggesting that you help me. There are some avenues of Solar’s life that I cannot reach because I am not you or Solar. Like Jaehyuk. And your parents.”

“Jaehyuk and my parents, eh? Well, I suppose you're right again. Of course, I will be helping. After all, this is myself that we're saving here. I can't let you have all the glory.” Byulyi can almost imagine Yongsun’s grin. “So, what is it that you need me to do?”

“First and foremost I need you to tell me everything you know about Solar and Jaehyuk’s relationship currently. Anything you know. Anything that we can exploit to as to be able to break the - oh, the wedding, Gods damn it! This is a mess. But anything to exploit so that we can break their relationship apart. Preferably leaving both their reputations unsoiled.”

“You seem to be of a very calm disposition. I'm assuming that you're either numb to your feelings about Solar now or you've given up on them entirely?”

Byulyi pinches the bridge of her nose. “Honestly, Yongsun, I don't know. I don't want to mix work with personal affairs. Which is why I did not take my feelings for Solar into consideration, or do something that would make me happy. For my professionalism’s sake, nothing related to me will be included here. So, continue.”

Her reply is followed by silence, but it isn't a condemning or even uncomfortable silence. It's just silence. Then she hears Yongsun sigh quietly - a sound she wouldn't have picked up had the line not crackled as she did.

“Ugh, speaking of that male who has probably touched more of me than I'd prefer makes me disgusted.”

Byulyi pauses, losing her train of thought. Her own lip curls, imagining Jaehyuk’s hands on Solar. Or Yongsun, whichever. She doesn't even know anymore, which is rather frightening.

“Jaehyuk and Solar. Oh, where do I begin? I think I told you before that they got together sometime in my college or university years, and they've been together since. Jaehyuk’s always been nice to her, nice to everyone, really. Just your typical nice guy, you know? But from what I've gleaned lately from my increasingly frequent ventures back onto this planet, there's been some tension. Rather…palpable tension.”

“Tension?” Byulyi latches onto that fact sharply,  her brain working in overdrive computing possible plans of action. “What tension? What happened?”

“Well, from my investigations, it appears that although Jaehyuk and Solar are very compatible, Jaehyuk’s dear mother doesn't quite think as such.” There's no mistaking the smile in her voice now - but it's not a nice smile, no. It's definitely an evil smile.

“Jaehyuk’s mom doesn't approve of their relationship? Or them getting married?” Byulyi sits up slightly, her arm sliding from around her legs. She settles with sitting cross-legged.

“No, she doesn't. Jaehyuk’s been moping around lately because he doesn't want to disappoint either his mother or his fiancée. I think he mentioned something about it being because Solar isn't of his social status, no offense, or something.”

“How do you even know all of this, again?” Byulyi quirks an eyebrow, before remembering that no one's around to see her expression anyway.

“I have my ways. Anyway, so yeah, that's what I've learned so far. And I think that Jaehyuk’s been drinking a lot more lately, and he's probably kind of ually frustrated right now, because Solar is the type who'd wait till marriage, which is a virtue I approve of. Thank the gods above for virtuous young maidens who'd keep their innocence intact until marriage!”

“Yeah, thank God for that.” Whatever the reason, Byulyi feels relieved. Somehow.

“Yes, thank God. I don't ever want to think of other parts of his male anatomy touching me in unsavoury places,” Yongsun says, her soft laughs crackling over the line. “Anything for us to exploit yet, my comrade?”

“Well, besides killing him or doing something that would soil his reputation slash make his parents disappointed in him, I can't think of anything else that is non destructive.”

“Oh, Psych,” Yongsun drawls, “You should know that I don't give a rat's what happens to Kang Jaehyuk.”

“Look, you may be evil, but I try not to be, Yongsun. Yeah, evilness is primal human nature, but people do try to suppress it.” Despite herself, Byulyi smiles slightly, because she isn't of the latter group either. She's developed a healthy dislike of Jaehyuk simply for dating Solar, so, honestly, she doesn't really give a rat's either.

“Don't lie to me, Psych. You're a horrible liar.”

“Yeah, Gods, I know. Well, since I can't think of anything, either you tell Jaehyuk that actually Solar is your DID personality, you pretend to be Solar and tell him that you don't love him anymore, or you just poison his drink and kill him.”

“Or I could talk to his mother.”

Byulyi pauses again, her fingertips sliding over the smooth surface of her IPhone. She holds her phone more firmly. “Talk to this mother?”

“Gods, yes, don't you see? If I go to his mother as Solar and tell her that actually I respect her decision not to marry Jaehyuk, she can exercise her power to cancel the wedding entirely, without any of our reputations getting soiled or Jaehyuk getting harmed, unfortunately. But that's what you want, right?” Yongsun sounds mildly excited now at the prospect of a plan.

“Oh,” Byulyi raises her eyebrows again, this time in surprise. “That would actually work well. You can tell her that you don't want to marry Jaehyuk if she doesn't want it, because you don't want any tension between you two. And his mother would accept it. Wow, you actually have a good idea.”

“I always have good ideas, Psych. Good ideas are my forte. So, seeing as you could only scheme up destructive ideas, I think I can safely assume that you have a lot of inner evil.”

“We all do.” Byulyi smiles for the first time that night. “Gods, you're a genius.”

“I know, thank you very much. I'll get about to doing it as soon as I can. His mother is probably really busy being the wife of the electronic store's CEO, so I'll have to make an appointment. I'll do it right after this. But I want to know what you'll do about those friends you were talking about?”

“Wheein and Hyejin,” Byulyi deflates slightly. “Ah, them.”

“Ah, them. So, anything?”

“Not as of now, anyway. I don't know what to do except just tell them that actually Solar is an alter personality. Hyejin is a psychology student, so she should understand. It'll be hard for the both of them, but…” Byulyi takes a deep breath, forcing her thoughts to stay on track, because lately, she's been losing her train of thought really often.

“They'll accept it because they have to, right? But you're worried that they'll be uncomfortable around me, which they will be, because I'm like Solar but I'm not her?”

“Well - yeah.” Byulyi exhales, the scintillating spark of pain in her head increasing. She's been getting headaches more frequently too.

“Look, Psych, it doesn't matter whether they like me or not. I have to thank you for wanting to help me at all.”

“I'm just doing my job,” Byulyi mumbles, slouching more into the couch and pressing fingertips against her forehead. She in a quiet breath.

“Sure you are not attracted to my wondrous beauty and my seduction? That could be a reason too.” Yongsun laughs over the line, sounding a lot more like Solar than ever, and Byulyi doesn't know. “Okay. But yeah. I'll try to get some time with Jaehyuk’s mother and you do your thing with your friends. I think we're getting somewhere.”

A thought suddenly sparks in Byulyi’s mind - with so much to think about she'd forgotten this completely.

“Wait - but your eyes.”

Yongsun sounds confused.  “What about my eyes?”

Is she ting with me, or did she forget that she has acid yellow eyes? Jeez, this woman!

“Um, they're, like, yellow?”

Another spark of pain ignites in Byulyi’s head and her vision swims slightly. Gods, these headaches are getting annoying. The line is quiet as she waits for the painting on the wall opposite her to stop moving, the pain intensifying. Finally the world settles again and she sighs.

“Oh, yeah. Well, I'll think of something.”

“Yeah, okay. Fine. Shall we set a deadline to get all this done? I think I can try to get Wheein and Hyejin out to that café we always go to on Sunday.” Byulyi closes her eyes to the world, the darkness helping to soothe her headache slightly.

“Sounds fair. I'll try to speak to his mother as soon as possible.”

“Okay, okay, we got this,” Byulyi says. “Honestly though, I'm surprised that you're even here. I thought you decided to stay away from this cruel world?”

“Some things are worth staying here for,” Yongsun says, and Byulyi can almost see her smile.

“You're insane, you know that, right?”

“Of course I do. Well, I'll see you on Saturday then, Psych. I'll bring you cookies as a thank you gift.”

“You don't have to thank me with store bought cookies, Yongsun.”

“I'm offended! Who says they're store bought? Just because I'm an evil person and it seems like more of