INSIDE

 

No matter how perfect our lives are, we all must have our bad days once in a while. It is inevitable. For Taeyeon’s case, her bad day is basically well, every day. Taeyeon works as the leader of the sales department in a cosmetic company. The sales in the company is actually doing a pretty good job so it doesn’t sound too bad, doesn’t it? She’s basically the one who leads the sales department, so what could go wrong, right? Not if someone is constantly trying to frame her to get her name dirty.

Taeyeon had been suspecting that a few people in her department are trying to get her fired because they were jealous that Taeyeon got to be the leader in such a short amount of time. It had been quite some time since this started. She had been framed for stealing company products, threatening the other employees and someone even claimed that she pushed a little girl down the stairs.

But Taeyeon knew one thing for sure. She never committed any of those crimes before. The people just wanted to get rid of her. Day by day, her frame count got worse and worse. It seemed like someone desperately wanted her out. She sometimes find weird stuff in her locker such as dead rats as well. There was even a threat note asking her to go suicide. Knowing just how prideful she was, Taeyeon didn’t want to quit this job. She didn’t want this person to win over her using cheap tricks. Taeyeon tried not to bother so much about this matter but it was starting to terrify her.

It was a dark and cold night. Taeyeon just got off work and was walking herself back home as usual after a harsh day at work. She wasn’t entirely in her best of moods because someone claimed that she had stolen some money earlier. As usual, she shrugged it off and walked along the dark alley. She kept sensing that someone was following her the entire time when she couldn’t see anyone. Something felt really wrong. She felt chills up her spine suddenly, so she started running towards the end of the alley as fast as she could. Before she could reach the end, she was halted by the scene of a dead body on the ground. It was one of the employees in her company laying on a pool of blood. She seemed to be stabbed at least a few times on the chest.

“OH MY GOD!!” Taeyeon screamed in shock.

Coincidentally, the police arrived at that time. Everything was timed too perfectly. Someone was obviously trying to frame Taeyeon for murder. She just know it.

“Help! Someone got killed!” Taeyeon shouted at the direction of the police.

“Hands up!” The police pointed the gun at her direction.

“What!? Wait, I just got here! I’m innocent!”

“I said hands up!!”

Desperately, Taeyeon had both hands up in the air. “They’re up! They’re up! Don’t shoot!!”

“Now put them behind your back and face the wall. Don’t even try any funny moves.” The police warned.

“But I’m innocent! I just got here and saw the body!” Taeyeon tried to convince but to no avail.

“PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR BACK AND FACE THE WALL, LADY!” The police repeated but this time, even louder.

“Alright!” Afraid that the police will shoot her, Taeyeon placed both her hands behind her back and faced the wall. “I’m innocent. Don’t shoot me.”

The police then came over and cuffed her hands and escorted her into the police car. During her ride to the police station, Taeyeon started telling her side of the story. “I’m innocent. Someone is trying to frame me.”

“Keep quiet.” The police didn’t even bother to hear.

“Man… This is all wrong. Why does bad things always have to happen to me??” Taeyeon sighed.

Once they reached the police station, the police got off the car and went inside for a moment. A few minutes later, he was seen walking out with another higher ranked officer who looked directly at Taeyeon. After telling the police something, he got back into the police car and started driving off once again. It doesn’t seem like the police station was their destination after all.

“Uhm… Where are you taking me?” Taeyeon asked politely in fear of being treated badly.

The police took a peak at Taeyeon through the rear mirror and answered. “The authorities wanted you to be sent to S Mental Institution for a check-up.”

“What!? Wait, they think I’m crazy!?” Taeyeon was utterly shocked.

“Well, anybody who kills like that must not be in their right mind.” 

“I told you so many times that I’m innocent! I didn’t kill her and I’m most certainly normal! Someone is trying to frame me!”

“If that’s the case then you’d be alright with them doing a check-up on you. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“…” Taeyeon thought the police has a point too. She’ll go there and prove to them that she’s fine and get to the bottom of this as soon as possible.

Soon, they reached the mental institution. Taeyeon froze in her spot. She felt that she didn’t want to enter to a place like this. “I don’t want to enter…” 

“Move.” The police gave her a nudge and moved her towards the door.

From there, a nurse took over and escorted her into the main hall. She could see people with mental disorders walking around her and staring at her. The nurse sat her down on a table and gave her directions to her room and the toilet. “You will be undergoing some check-ups in the few days to come so you must cooperate with us. Understand?”

Taeyeon merely frowned at the nurse because of the way she was speaking. Her tone seemed as if she was talking to a mentally handicapped person. “Yes, nurse. I understand very well. I’m not crazy, so can you speak properly next time? I kinda feel a little offended.”

“…” The nurse didn’t say anything and just left the table, leaving her in the middle of a hall full of crazy people.

“…” Taeyeon was afraid to communicate with anyone there because well, it’s a mental institution. Nobody here is fit to talk to.

That was when a lady with long raven hair sat down opposite Taeyeon. She looked incredibly beautiful. Too beautiful to be residing this place. “…”

“Uhm…” Taeyeon blinked.

“So… What’s your name?” The raven haired girl smiled. She had an incredibly sweet smile that almost melted her heart.

“K-Kim Tae Yeon…” Taeyeon stuttered.

“I see… I’m Tiffany. Nice to meet you.”

Taeyeon hesitantly continued. “So…how did you end up here? You…uhm…don’t seem like you belong in a place like this.”

Tiffany merely laid her chin on her palm and smiled back at Taeyeon. “What makes you think I don’t belong here?”

Taeyeon gulped. “I…I don’t know…”

Tiffany leaned forward and whispered in the softest tone. “I was admitted here for murder. Because I was pushed way past my limit.”

One word sent chills down Taeyeon’s spine. She immediately stood up and took a few steps back. “You…what?”

“Apparently they thought it would be too dangerous for me to be sent to the jail because they are afraid that I would actually kill someone. You see, I can’t handle anyone pushing me past my limit. I might end up hurting someone unintentionally.” Tiffany replied with a smile.

“H-How can you smile while telling me something like that!?” Taeyeon was freaked out.

“Don’t worry, Taeyeon. I’m not going to hurt anyone. Besides, there’s nobody to push me around in here. It’s literally the best place for me.”

“…”

Tiffany continued. “You haven’t told me yet. Why are you here?”

Taeyeon got angry all of a sudden. “I was framed for murder…”

“So… You actually think you’re framed?” Tiffany asked.

“I know I was framed! Nobody in my department likes me! They’ve been trying to get rid of me for a long time. I just didn’t expect them to use something like this to get rid of me!”

“Aww… Poor you. You should have done something about it.”

“I didn’t want to… I want to show them that I wasn’t afraid of them. I won’t let something like that take me down.”

“Hmm… Maybe that’s why you ended up in here…” Tiffany stood up and continued. “How did you manage to cope with all these mess? I mean, don’t you feel like you want to kill them when they do things like that to you?”

“No!” Taeyeon was enraged. “I would never kill anybody!”

“You sure you didn’t do it…unconsciously?” Tiffany continued doubting her.

“You…you think I’m crazy too, don’t you? I’m telling you that I’m innocent. Don’t make me repeat again.”

Tiffany smiled. “Alright. Calm down, tiger. I believe you.”

“Finally! Someone actually believed me… Eventhough it’s someone from a mental institution…”

“Did you say something?”

“Oh, nothing.” Taeyeon suddenly felt her shirt being pulled. She turned around and saw a slightly small and chubby girl. She looked no younger than Taeyeon herself. 

“Hey, you wanna play with me?? Come on, play with me!” She tugged on Taeyeon’s shirt.

Taeyeon looked at her nametag and cleared . “Well, Sunny. I’m so sorry but I don’t feel like playing with you now.

Sunny started sobbing. “You don’t like me?”

“Nonono. Stop crying. It’s not that I don’t like you… It’s just that I don’t feel li-”

“You don’t want to play with me… You don’t like me…” Sunny started crying. 

“I’d play with her if I were you, Taeyeon.” Tiffany said.

Taeyeon sighed. “Alright. I’ll play with you. Just for a while.”

Sunny became bright again. “Yay! Come come! Let’s go to wonderland!”

“Wonderland?” Taeyeon wore a confused expression as Sunny dragged her towards a wall.

“Yes! This is wonderland!” Sunny pointed at the wall. “Just stand here and you’ll be transported to wonderland! Weee~” 

“Uh? Stand here and face the wall?” Taeyeon frowned.

“Yes! Yes! See! Seohyun there likes to go wonderland.” Sunny pointed at another lady who seemed to be just standing at the corner of the hall and facing the wall silently.

“…” Taeyeon felt like she needed to quit playing with Sunny because if she play with her too much, she might end up crazy for real. Just to end this weird game session with Sunny, Taeyeon reluctantly cheered. “Yay…… I am in wonderland……”

“Yay!!!” Sunny laughed cheerfully.

“Alright. I’m done with wonderland. Time to rest.” Taeyeon said.

Sunny pouted a little. “Aww… Well the next wonderland session is at 3am~ Make sure to come and play again~”

“Of course of course…” Taeyeon merely brushed Sunny off and walked back towards the table Tiffany was sitting at.

“You seem to be having a lot of fun with Sunny.” Tiffany smiled.

“I think ‘weird’ is a better word to describe the session.”

Out of nowhere, Seohyun suddenly sat on their table and stared directly at Taeyeon’s face silently. “…”

“Uh… Hello.” Taeyeon started a conversation.

“…”

“I believe you’ve met Seohyun?” Tiffany introduced. “She’s not much of a speaker.”

“Uhm… It’s getting creepier…”

Tiffany continued. “Oh right. And she likes to stare…a lot.”

“…” Seohyun wasn’t even starting a conversation. She was just straight up trying to burn a hole through Taeyeon’s face with her stare. It was amazing how she wasn’t even blinking at all.

“That’s…uncomfortable…” Taeyeon felt incredibly awkward with someone staring at her from this close.

“…” Slowly, Seohyun started standing up and walked somewhere else, leaving Taeyeon in confusion.

“Phew, glad that’s over.” Taeyeon sighed in relief. Those few minutes of awkwardness were torture for her.

“Hey what’s up, people!!” Someone called out from behind.

“What’s up.” Tiffany replied in a cool manner.

“…” Taeyeon merely stared back at her.

“…” The lady blinked at Taeyeon before repeating. “What’s up!!”

“Meet Hyoyeon. She’s a goofy one. And she absolutely loves dancing. Once she starts dancing, nobody can stop her.” Tiffany introduced.

“H-Hello…”

Hyoyeon pointed at Taeyeon. “You. Let’s have a dance battle!!”

“Nonono I can’t dance.” Taeyeon denied. “How about you have a dance battle with yourself.”

“Dance battle with myself!? No way! That’s a great idea! Brilliant! You think it’s brilliant? I think it’s brilliant! Let’s have a dance off! Let’s go!” Nyoyeon then hopped away and started dancing by herself in the middle of the hall.

“…” Taeyeon blinked. “She’s literally speaking to herself and having a dance battle…with herself…”

Tiffany giggled. “Did you expect to find someone normal in a place like this?”

“You’re right… This is a mental institution… What was I thinking?” Taeyeon realized.

That time, a woman walked through the main hall. Taeyeon could tell she’s a doctor from the coat she was wearing. And she looked incredibly professional with it.

“Kim Tae Yeon.” The doctor called out.

“Here.” Taeyeon raised her hand.
“Come over here. Let’s have a talk.” The doctor gestured her to come over and sat down at a table. Taeyeon obediently walked over towards the table and sat down in front of her. After looking through some files, the doctor looked back at her and shook her hand. “Hi, I’m Jessica Jung. You can call me Dr. Jessica. I’ll be your personal psychiatrist.”

“Dr. Jessica, right? No offense but I’m not crazy. So you can save your time and let me out of this place now.”

“That’s what everybody says when they enter a mental institute, Taeyeon.” Jessica placed her hand on Taeyeon’s. “Don’t worry. I can help you.”

Taeyeon pulled her hand back. “I told you I am fine! I didn’t kill anybody! I was framed!”

“…” Jessica leaned back on her chair and crossed her legs. “So…about this…person who tried to frame you… Do you know who that is?”

“Well, I don’t know who but I’m sure-”

Without even allowing Taeyeon to complete her sentence, Jessica wrote down some notes. “Interesting…”

“At least let me finish first!”

Jessica tilted her head up a little. “Are you getting angry?”

“Of course I am getting angry! You think I’m crazy!” Taeyeon argued.

“Were you feeling this angry when you stabbed the employee to death?”

“I told you I didn’t do it! Are you deaf!? Someone wanted to frame me!”

Jessica moved back a little, alerted by Taeyeon’s anger. “Alright. I heard you. Just calm down. We’ll talk properly. Okay?”

“That’s more like it.” Taeyeon finally calmed herself down.

Jessica continued. “From the time you entered this institution till now, have you encountered anybody whom you can relate to? Like someone whom you can comfortably speak to and even tell your stories to?”

Only one person came to Taeyeon’s mind that time. “Well… only Tiffany I guess?”

“I see…” Jessica nodded and wrote something down. “Can you point her out?”

“Yeah of course.” Taeyeon and pointed at the direction of Tiffany. “That’s her.”

“Ah yes, that Tiffany.” Jessica nodded and wrote something down. “So why do you think you can speak to her so comfortably?”

“I don’t know… I mean her character is similar to mine.”

“And may you describe more in detail?”

“She’s a nice, friendly and calm lady.”

“Nice.” Jessica nodded and wrote something down. “But if she’s nice and calm, why is she here?”

“Uhm… Murder… She told me someone pushed her past her limit.”

“I see. Do you think someone may have pushed you past your limit till the point where you felt like murdering them?”

“I DID NOT DO IT!” Taeyeon slammed the table and stood up. “Stop saying that!”

“…” Jessica took one last note and stood up. “Today’s session is over. We shall continue this tomorrow.”

“…” Taeyeon merely glared at the doctor’s back silently as she walked away. She then walked towards Tiffany and sat down. 

“So how did it go?” Tiffany asked.

“Damn it, she isn’t even trying to help me! She’s just straight up trying to make me admit something that I didn’t do! Everybody is trying to frame me! Even here!”

“Hey.” Someone called out to her from behind. “It’s not good to be angry all the time. It spoils your skin.”

“…” Taeyeon frowned back at the lady.

The lady shook her head. “Nonono. Don’t frown. Frowning creates more wrinkles on your face. Take a deep breath and remove that frown from your face.”

Taeyeon looked back at Tiffany confused. “Who’s this?”

“This is Yuri. She’s a beauty freak. So once in a while, she will walk around and boast about how beautiful and perfect she looks. And also she will try to sell you some cosmetic products.” Tiffany then leaned closer and whispered. “When she does, just buy them. She gets all worked up when you don’t purchase her products.”

Yuri took out a small mirror and began admiring her own beauty. “Just look at me. I look simply beautiful... I deserve some compliment for my beauty, don’t you think so?”

“Right. You’re beautiful. Big deal...” Taeyeon rolled her eyes.

Yuri placed her arm over Taeyeon’s shoulder and couldn’t keep her eyes off the mirror. “I know I’m beautiful.” Yuri then continued. “You seem to have wrinkles on your forehead from all the frowning. Would you like to purchase our new product?” She held out a spoon.

“…” Taeyeon blinked at the spoon before looking back at Tiffany.

Tiffany moved her lips to form the words silently. “Just buy it.”

“I’ll buy this then.” Taeyeon grabbed the spoon from Yuri.

Yuri brightened up. “Thanks for purchasing this product from SNSD Cosmetics. We hope you stay bright and pretty. Please come again~!” She then hopped away cheerfully.

Taeyeon frowned. “SNSD…Cosmetics?”

“What’s wrong?” Tiffany asked.

Taeyeon placed her fingers on her forehead and rubbed on it. “Nothing.”

That time, someone tapped on Taeyeon’s shoulder. “Hey, how do I look?”

Taeyeon looked up and saw a tall girl posing like a model in front of her. Of course she wouldn’t have any comments. “…”

“What do you think of my fashion? Good?” The tall lady asked despite wearing the same white hospital gown as everyone else.

Taeyeon rolled her eyes at Tiffany. “What now?” 

Tiffany answered. “This is Sooyoung. Her fashion sense is the best.”

“Her fashion sense is the best?” Taeyeon looked at Sooyoung from head to toe with a weird expression.

Tiffany chuckled. “I know what you’re thinking. She’s wearing the same hospital gown as everyone. Well, his isn’t your normal hospital. Deal with it.”

“Ugh…” Taeyeon kept rubbing her head.

“Hey…” Sooyoung tapped on Taeyeon’s shoulder again. “I look good on this dress right?”

Taeyeon reluctantly nodded. “Yea yea, you look absolutely fantastic. Best ever.”

“How about this hat?” Sooyoung posed again. There’s definitely no hat but Taeyeon had to play along to brush her off.

“Yes yes. The hat is beautiful. The dress is beautiful. The shoes are beautiful. You’re beautiful. Happy?”

“Yup!” Sooyoung then went away and showed other people her fashion.

“Ugh… This is giving me a headache…” Taeyeon sighed and spotted a lady sitting at the far sit of the room, glaring back at her from a distance.

“Who do you think you’re looking at, punk!?” The lady stood up from the table and walked over.

“Nonono I wasn’t looking at you.” Taeyeon was surprised with the lady’s sudden outburst.

“There’s something on my face? HUH!?” She raised her voice.

Tiffany tried to calm the situation. “Now’s not the right time, Yoona.”

”Shut your bloody mouth, Tiffany! I wasn’t talking to you!” Yoona shouted right at Tiffany’s face before staring back at Taeyeon.

Taeyeon was freaked out. “Hey, calm down. I don’t know what’s gotten into you but you need to chill.”

“I need to chill?” Yoona scoffed and grabbed Taeyeon by the collar. “I’LL CHILL YOU IN THE FREEZER INSTEAD! HOW’S THAT SOUND!? CHILL ENOUGH FOR YOU!?”

Taeyeon panicked. “Seriously, what is your issue with me?? I didn’t do anything to you! Why are you doing this to me!?”

“Oh? You’re getting pissed at me now? YOU’RE GETTING PISSED AT ME NOW!? COME ON! STAND UP THEN!”

“Nonono! I’m not! I’m just asking you a question!”

Yoona scoffed and grabbed Taeyeon’s nametag. “Kim Tae Yeon… That’s a nice name…for a loser.”

“Hey, I’m warning you. Don’t-” Taeyeon didn’t even get to finish her sentence.

“Don’t what?” Yoona pushed Taeyeon. “DON’T WHAT!? GO AHEAD! FINISH YOUR SENTENCE!”

“…” Yoona’s anger made Taeyeon hesitant to answer.

“Oh I know you, Taeyeon… I know you very very well…”

Yoona’s sentence shocked Taeyeon badly. “What do you mean you know me?”

Yoona immediately grabbed Taeyeon by the collar once again and slammed her onto the wall. She seemed displeased with Taeyeon’s answer. “DON’T ACT DUMB WITH ME, KIM TAE YEON!!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about! Let me go!” Taeyeon was on the verge of crying because she was so scared.

Tiffany pulled Yoona away from Taeyeon and calmed things down. “Yoona, stop it. Taeyeon doesn’t know anything.”

“Tch-“ Yoona pointed at Taeyeon in a rude way. “You better disappear from my sight. The next time I see you, you’ll be six feet under!” With that said, Yoona flipped the entire table and walked away angrily.

Taeyeon shook in fear after what just happened. She didn’t even understand why Yoona did that to her. “W-What’s with her?”

Tiffany calmed Taeyeon down. “Don’t worry too much about Yoona. She’s a hot tempered person. She causes trouble and even picks a fight even with the littlest of things. So try to avoid being in contact with her.”

Taeyeon realized something. “No wait. She seemed like she knew me.”

“Of course she knows your name. You’re wearing a nametag aren’t you?” Tiffany shrugged. “You should stop thinking too much.”

“…” Taeyeon rubbed her head. “Ugh… I feel like I’m gonna go crazy for real if I continue staying here. I want these all to end.”

“Well, you can sleep it off. It’s almost time for bed anyway.” Tiffany yawned and stretched.

“You’re right…” Taeyeon sighed and started walking to her room. Noticing this, Taeyeon questioned. “Why are you following me? Go back to your room.”

Tiffany blinked. “Uh, but I am going back to my room. I stay in Room 502.”

“Huh? Isn’t that my room?” Taeyeon frowned.

“We share a same room. Didn’t the nurse tell you that?”

“Did she?” Taeyeon was giving it a thought. “I don’t remember.”

“Yes we do.” Tiffany giggled. “I think we’re meant for each other, don’t you think so?”

“Uh…” Taeyeon tried not to be too close to anybody here because of obvious reasons. “Let’s just go sleep.”

That night was silent and calm. Taeyeon could barely get any sleep because she felt like someone was keeping an eye on her the whole time. One night in this institution felt like a year for Taeyeon. She doesn’t belong here for sure. Her insecurities were keeping her awake all night long.

When Taeyeon opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Tiffany on top of her with her hair dangling down. “What the…”

Tiffany greeted with a smile. “Rise and shine, sleepy head.”

“What do you mean rise and shine. I didn’t even get any sleep.” Taeyeon groaned. “And please get off me.”

Nothing special happened throughout the whole morning. The only thing worth noting is Sunny rolling herself all over the floor and laughing. For some reason, Taeyeon felt a little cheerful watching Sunny playing happily with herself. “She’s always happy, isn’t she?”

“Of course. There’s nothing else in her head other than playing. It’s fun.”

Taeyeon sighed. “How I wish I could be like that as well… Just be happy and not thinking about anything else…”

“Then you should express your feelings more often rather than keeping them inside. It’s stressful on you, don’t you think so?”

“I know…” Taeyeon sighed.

“Speaking of which, it’s time for your second therapy session.” Tiffany gestured at the lady doctor walking through the main door and towards Taeyeon.

“…” All Taeyeon could do was just sigh at the sight of Jessica walking towards her.

“Good evening, Taeyeon.” Jessica smiled. “How’s your day?”

“Not too good…”

Jessica nodded and gestured. “I see. Come over here and sit with me at the table.”

“…” Taeyeon went over quietly and sat down.

“So why aren’t you feeling too good?” Jessica started.

“I didn’t get any sleep at all. There’s been a lot going on during these 2 days here. Some patients here kept on talking to me and making me do weird things with them. And I’m starting to get a headache. I need to get out of this place fast.”

Jessica smiled. “Well, you can’t expect normal things to happen here in a mental institution, right? So, tell me more. Who are these patients?”

“Well, there’s Sunny, Yuri, Hyoyeon, Sooyoung, Seohyun and Yoona. They’re the ones giving me a lot of stresses.”

“What about Tiffany? She’s not giving you any stress?” Jessica asked.

“Not really. She’s the only one I can talk to.”

Jessica nodded. “So tell me more about these patients.”

“Sunny keeps asking me to go to wonderland with her. Yuri kept on admiring her own beauty and trying to sell me cosmetic stuff. Seohyun is simply creeping me out by staring at my face for few minutes without even blinking and speaking. Hyoyeon kept dancing with herself. Sooyoung is always bugging me about how good her fashion is when she’s wearing nothing but hospital gown. The scariest one is Yoona. She’s extremely hot tempered and keeps on losing her on me. I didn’t even know what I did to her!”

After noting down everything Taeyeon said, Jessica asked. “Can you relate to any of these patients you just mentioned?”

“What!? Of course not! I can’t relate to them in any way!” Taeyeon retorted.

“Interesting.” Jessica crossed her leg.

“So you’re telling me that only these few patients are the only ones bothering you? Nobody else?”

“Yeah.” Taeyeon then frowned. “But what does this got to do with anything?”

“I need to know your stress level to conduct this examination.”

“Alright then, I already told you everything I can. Now when can I leave this place?” Taeyeon asked.

“What’s the rush?”

Taeyeon sighed. “Look. I don’t feel good being here, doctor. Every second I spend in this place is slowly turning me into one of them.”

“So, you actually believe that you would end up crazy if you continue your stay here?” Jessica asked.

“Where are you trying to bring the conversation to? I mean who would feel good living together with a bunch of crazy people in a mental institute??” Taeyeon retorted.

“You just said you’re slowly turning into one of them. Means there’s something wrong with you.”

Taeyeon rolled her eyes. “Here we go again. I’m not crazy, okay? Period. No more. Now stop accusing me of being crazy.”

Jessica shrugged. “I didn’t accuse you. You said it yourself that you’re turning crazy.”

“Ugh! It’s so frustrating talking to someone who doesn’t listen to me!” Taeyeon got so fed up.

“Then release that emotion. Don’t hold it in. Show it to me.” Jessica told.

“I know what you’re trying to do… You’re trying to make me hit you so that you’ll have a reason to hold me back here don’t you? I’ve seen through your tricks! You’re not gonna convince me to hit you!”

Jessica sighed and leaned forward. “Sometimes, it’s best if you could express yourself better. When you feel something, let it out. Holding onto all these emotions within you is very dangerous. It might lead to something very……unfamiliar to you. It’s just a friendly advice.”

“Yeah, thanks for your advice but I think I can handle myself…” Taeyeon rolled her eyes. “Now when can I leave this place?”

Jessica closed her notebook and stood up. “Tomorrow I will decide if you’re fit to leave…”

“Hah. I’ll be waiting for tomorrow to come so I can leave this place once and for all.”

“Have a good night sleep.” Jessica smiled and walked away.

Tiffany came over and asked. “Well, what did the doctor say?”

“That I’ll be leaving tomorrow. What else?” Taeyeon shrugged.

Tiffany shot a doubtful look. “That sounds like a lie to me.”

“Just wait for the good news tomorrow.”

Sunny suddenly hopped on Taeyeon’s back. “What’s the good news? Share share share share share.”

“Nothing. Go to sleep, Sunny.”

Sunny’s eyes became watery. “Why are you pushing me away?”

“I just need some time alone, Sunny. Can you go fins someone else to play with?” Taeyeon looked really tired.

“But... I only want to play with you...” Sunny pouted.

Taeyeon sighed. “Why me out of everyone here, huh?”

“Because... I only want to play with you...”

Taeyeon started raising her voice. “You’re not answering the question, woman. I’m tired of conversing with you people. I’m getting severe headaches from the minute I stepped into this place, so please don’t bother me.”

“...” Sunny sobbed and walked away disappointedly. 

“Way to go, Taeyeon. You made her cry.” Tiffany shook her head.

“Hey, I need some time alone alright? I can’t stand having so many crazy people talking to me so often.”

Yoona then walked over and grabbed Taeyeon up be the collar. “You think you’re all powerful, yeah? King of the world? Losing your over small matter like this? I would drop you on the ground, you hear me? I will drop you so hard, you won’t be able to feel your head after this.”

“I’m not really in the mood for this, Yoona. Can we like not do this now?” Taeyeon was showing signs of fatigue. She didn’t felt like doing anything at all. All she wanted to get now is some sleep.

“I wanna do this. What are you gonna do about it? Come and punch me on the face, trash!” Yoona dissed.

“Get away from me.” Taeyeon felt her anger coming up.

Yoona got even closer. “Make me.”

“I SAID GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU PIECE OF !!!” Taeyeon pounced on Yoona and started smashing her fists on her.

It only took a few seconds for the people in charge to pull Taeyeon away and dragged her back into her room. Tiffany too went into the room and looked at her with a worried expression. “Taeyeon...”

Taeyeon laid on the bed with her back facing Tiffany. “I’m not in the mood to speak at all. Don’t talk to me for the whole night.”

Tiffany sighed and shook her head before heading to bed. She couldn’t help but to worry about Taeyeon’s behaviour. The next day has arrived. As usual, Taeyeon didn’t get any sleep at all. Her eyebags got worse by the minute. Tiffany wasn’t around, but that didn’t bother Taeyeon at all. She dragged herself out of the room. It was unusually quiet. Nobody dancing, nobody screaming, nobody running around, nothing. The only person Taeyeon saw today was Seohyun who seemed to be occupying herself with her daily schedule of staring at the wall.

“Kim Tae Yeon?” One of the nurse called out.

“Yeah?” Taeyeon answered.

“The doctor has arrived. She wants you to enter that room over there and wait for her. She’ll be a little late.” The nurse pointed at a room.

“...” Taeyeon then made her way to the room and sat down on a chair. The nurse then closed the door. That’s unusually early for Jessica to do a check up on Taeyeon. It had always been in the evening. Probably Jessica is occupied later on.

Then the door opened to reveal Jessica. “Hello, Taeyeon.”

“Hi.”

“Boy do you look extra tired today.” Jessica noticed Taeyeon’s eyebags.

“Get me out of this place, doctor.” Taeyeon said.

Jessica frowned. “Why are you so rushing? These things can’t be rushed.”

Taeyeon felt a sharp pain in her head when she heard Jessica’s sentence. She sounded desperate. “You told me yesterday that I would be released today so let me out now.”

Jessica corrected. “I didn’t say I would release you, Taeyeon. I said that I will decide whether you’re fit to leave this place or not.”

Taeyeon could feel the stress within her piling up but she tried to calm herself down by taking a deep breath. “So what’s the decision?”

“You’re not leaving yet.” Jessica answered straight.

Taeyeon was wearing a shocked expression. “Excuse me? I think I heard you wrongly. Can you repeat that?”

Jessica answered. “I’m afraid you might have to extend your stay here, Taeyeon.”

“What!? Why!?” Taeyeon was pissed off.

Jessica hesitated a little. “Because…there is something wrong with you.”

“There’s something wrong with me!? I think there’s something wrong with you! You’re trying to convince me that I’m crazy when I know I’m not? What kind of doctor are you!?”

“Taeyeon, just calm down.”

“Those people back in my company are trying to frame me for a crime I did not commit! They’ve been doing that for years! And now you’re here accusing me of being crazy!? How can I stay calm!? You need to believe me!! I’m innocent! Just get me out of this mental institution! You’re going to drive me crazy here!!”

“Taeyeon!” Jessica raised her voice just enough to intercept her dialogue. “Taeyeon please listen to me.”

“…”

“…” After a brief moment of silence, Jessica let out a huge breath and rubbed her forehead. “Taeyeon… The names you mentioned to me yesterday… The patients who gave you a lot of stress while you’re here in this institution… None of those people existed. Tiffany, Sunny, Seohyun, Yoona, Yuri, Hyoyeon, Sooyoung… There were no records of these people you mentioned.”

Taeyeon’s eyes widened in shock. “You must be kidding me. I know what I saw. They were right there!”

“Taeyeon, listen to me.” Jessica had a serious expression. “All these people are simply inside your head... You have multiple personality disorder.”

“No…” Taeyeon shook in fear. Her knees became weak as she fell back down on the chair. “No… I’m not crazy…”

“Taeyeon, calm down.” Jessica said. “Let me explain.”

“…” Taeyeon stared back at Jessica blankly as if her soul just left the body. Strangely, it looked almost exactly like how Seohyun always stared at her.

Jessica looked and the file and continued. “You were a victim of bully back in high school, remember? They did really really bad things to you… Really bad things… Till one day you just sort of snapped. You almost beat someone to death with a brick. You won’t remember that for sure. Because that was when you already developed split personalities. But the memory was still locked deep inside your brain. The combined stresses you got at home, at school, at work…and your parent’s death. It made your sickness worse and worse. You couldn’t adapt to so much stuff going on in your mind, so you unconsciously created these few personalities to cope with them.”

“…” Taeyeon’s eyes started welling up with tears.

“Whatever happened back at work was all you. You placed the dead rats and the suicide note in your own locker. You burned your own paperworks. You fell down the stairs yourself. Nobody framed you at work, Taeyeon. It’s your split personality. Your paranoia made you think they framed you because you don’t remember what you did. And the dead employee that you claimed found in the alley?” Jessica paused for a short moment. “You were the one who killed her, Taeyeon. Someone saw you stabbing her to death and called the police. You came back to your dormant personality right when the police arrived. That was why it seemed like a coincidence that the police arrived there at the same time.” Jessica grabbed both Taeyeon’s hands. “You need to realize that in order for me to help you, Taeyeon. You need to realize it and you must face it. You must accept this fact. As long as you’re in denial, I cannot help you.”

“…” Taeyeon jerked her hands away from Jessica silently.

“I need you to hear me out. I studied the information you gave me. The names you mentioned to me yesterday are none other than your own split personalities, Taeyeon. Sunny represents your suppressed inner child. She’s the side which wants to think of nothing and just be happy like a child always. Yuri represents your confident character when you’re working at SNSD Cosmetics. Hyoyeon represents your goofy side and always wants to play. Sooyoung represents your pride and self-insecurities. She’s the side that always cares about how you look when you meet other people. Seohyun represents your inability to comprehend things and the tendency to forget things. When you do something, you feel nothing. You feel blank, even after you killed someone. Yoona represents the anger within you. All your suppressed anger and hatred towards those bullies and the loss of your parents manifested itself into this scary and violent personality. And finally Tiffany. Now, Tiffany is the most dormant of your personalities… A kind and friendly person until you snapped. That is why you told me that you could relate to her so much instead of the others. Because you…are basically the Tiffany you told me about.”

“I’M NOT CRAZY!!!” Taeyeon slammed the table hard. “YOU’RE THE CRAZY ONE! YOU’RE THE CRAZY ONE!!! STOP ACCUSING ME OF THIS!! I WILL PUNCH YOU SO HARD!!” In that brief moment of Taeyeon losing her temper, Yoona could be seen doing the exact same motion just right beside her.

Taeyeon’s rage made Jessica stand up from her seat and backed off a little. “Taeyeon, please calm down. I’m just trying to help.”

“…” Taeyeon started crying all of a sudden. Sunny was standing there crying with her. “I’m so sorry… Please forgive me… I won’t do it again… Don’t be angry with me…”

“I forgive you. Now just sit down and calm down.” Jessica said softly.

“Okay…” Taeyeon then rested her chin on the table along with Yuri who was doing the exact same gesture. “But do you think I’m pretty though?”

“Yes I do.” Jessica smiled. “You’re absolutely beautiful.”

Taeyeon then crawled onto the table before laying down and posed with Sooyoung. “How do I look?”

“As confident as ever, Taeyeon.” All Jessica wanted to do now is just to encourage Taeyeon as much as possible so that she will want to receive a proper medical examination in the end.

“Really? Now come. Let’s dance!” Taeyeon dragged Jessica and started dancing.

Jessica danced along with Taeyeon for a brief moment. “You’re a good dancer aren’t you?”

After dancing, Taeyeon just went back to her seat silently. “…”

“Have you had fun?” Jessica asked nicely.

“…” Taeyeon nodded softly.

Jessica clasped both her hands together and leaned forward. “Now tell me. What is your name?”

“…”

“It’s alright. I will help you. Just talk to me.” Jessica convinced.

“…” Taeyeon merely stared back at Jessica silently.

Realizing Taeyeon’s behaviour, Jessica knew. “Seohyun? Is that you?”

“…” Not even a nod or any reaction.

Jessica was right. It has to be Seohyun residing Taeyeon’s body right now. “Seohyun, I need to speak to Taeyeon now if you please.”

Taeyeon suddenly leaned forward and smirked. “Taeyeon isn’t here…”

That sentence gave Jessica goosebumps. “Who is this?”

“Let’s play a game called guess the person. If you get the answer wrong, I’m gonna hit you with this chair and I’m gonna strangle you. How’s that sound?”

“Yoona. I know it’s you from your violent speech. Please. I want to speak to Taeyeon.”

Taeyeon stood up all of a sudden. “Hey yo what’s up!”

“Let’s go play!”

“I’m feeling fabulous today!”

“I feel fine.”

“Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream~”

“TAEYEON IS NOT HERE YOU SILLY DOG!!”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” Taeyeon grabbed her head.

Sentence after sentence, Taeyeon seem to be a completely different person. At that moment, Sunny, Yoona, Yuri, Seohyun, Sooyoung, Hyoyeon and Tiffany was seen standing behind Taeyeon at the same time. The seven of them were arguing with each other, trying to take over Taeyeon’s body at the same time. It became louder and louder. Jessica noticed the pain in Taeyeon’s eyes. She was grabbing her head tightly and mumbling some weird stuff. Taeyeon’s mind seem a little too crowded and Jessica saw that. Her personalities were messing up her mind badly. So badly that Taeyeon couldn’t react to them anymore. Tears kept on flowing down her cheeks non-stop. Jessica knew she had to do something.

Jessica slammed the table and shouted at the top of her lungs. “ENOUGH! ALL OF YOU!”

One scream brought Taeyeon’s head back up, staring at Jessica. Her other 7 personalities stopped arguing and immediately kept quiet. “…”

Jessica took a deep breath and looked right into Taeyeon’s eyes. “Screaming and shouting inside a poor girl’s head isn’t going to help her at all! I know all of you are stuck in here and it’s crowded. The only way for you all to get out of this is by working together. So please… All of you… Help me save this poor soul.” She pleaded.

“…” With the blink of an eye, the 7 ladies standing behind Taeyeon disappeared like magic.

“…”

“…”

“Now…” Jessica crossed her legs. “Tell me your name.”

“…” Taeyeon’s voice was shaking. There were still tears in her eyes. “Kim…K-Kim Tae Yeon…”

Jessica smiled and nodded. “It’s good to have you back, Taeyeon.”

“It’s good to be back.” Taeyeon was still shaking.

Jessica grabbed Taeyeon’s hands and assured. “Don’t worry, Taeyeon. I will do my best to make you better. I promise you.”

“…” Taeyeon nodded.

“Alright. Stay here and don’t go away. Okay?” Jessica smiled and stood up.

“…” Taeyeon silently watched Jessica exit the room.

About a few minutes after Jessica left, a new doctor came into the room and smiled at her before sitting down. “Kim Tae Yeon?”

“…” Taeyeon nodded softly.

“I hope you’ve been doing well these past few days. I’m Dr. Lee. I’m your personal psychiatrist.” The doctor smiled.

A mysterious hand came from behind Taeyeon and placed on her right shoulder. From the corner of Taeyeon’s eyes, she could see Jessica. She placed her lips near Taeyeon’s ear and whispered, “It’s good to see you, doctor.”

Staring back at the doctor sitting before her, Taeyeon slowly opened . “It’s good to see you, doctor.”

THE END