Her heart stuttered when her name was called. She thought she would be alright, that this decision would change her life for the better, but why was she hesitating?

She stood up from the couch, already missing its warmth and comfort. This was it, the moment she had been waiting for. Hopefully her mental preparation for this day was not gone to waste and she will actually feel a difference in her.

One word to describe the room she stepped into was cosy. She expected a boring, monochromatic place that was as depressing as a hospital or a clinic, but to her pleasant surprise it’s warm and inviting and she felt a little of the nervousness she felt leave her body.

The man she would be meeting that day was quite casually dressed- clad in some jeans and a blazer thrown over a plain shirt. He had a nice silhouette, she noticed as she stared at his back.

He was busy looking for something in his drawers, too immersed to notice her standing awkwardly in front of the closed door. The moment he realised there was someone in the room with him, he jumped in a startle, making Kira embarrassed, her cheeks turning pink.

"I didn't notice you were already here," he rubbed the back of his neck and adjusted the frames of his glasses. He looked young and undoubtedly handsome. He was quite fashionable as well, his glasses carefully picked out to match his face and the design of it is in trend as of current. Kira was surprised she wasn't affected by his looks because a man this good looking could make any girl nervous.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, Mr. Byun," Kira apologized when they were both seated. She squirmed a bit and couldn't stop playing with her fingers.

"No need for that." Kira took a glance at him before dropping her line of sight to the coffee table in front of her. "You can call me Baekhyun. Formality isn't practiced in this room." She nodded in reply.

"Would you like to take a look around?" He inquired and Kira was once again surprised. Is it normal to ask a patient if they wanted to look around their office? Nevertheless, she said "Yes," after doing a once over of the room and training her eyes at the window seat.

"That place is a favourite among many," he provided as he watched her walk to the famed window seat.

There were two cushions, one was brown and had a colourful owl print in the middle of it and the other was dark blue with a beautiful white wolf in a howling stance. The seat itself was turquoise and was very soft to the touch (yes, she poked it with a finger). There was nothing that was obstructing the magnificent view of the concrete jungle outside.

"You can sit there if you want to. Hug a cushion, take off your shoes, lie on the floor- do whatever you want." He asked from his new position which was on top of his desk at the other side of the room. She took his offer and removed her shoes and sat crossed legged on the window seat, hugging the wolf cushion to her chest.

"So tell me, Kira, what makes you happy?" He asked in a soft tone as he watched her unmoving figure.

It took a little time for her to answer and Baekhyun almost thought she didn’t hear his question. "That moment when your head hits the pillow after a long day," Kira unfolded her legs and carefully placed her feet on the seat. "When I wake up and the sound of rain hitting the ground is the first thing I hear." A fond smile started to form on her face. "I like food. Food makes me happy too." She added, bringing her knees up to her chest as she turned her head so that she was now looking at him.

Baekhyun was looking at her, theories started forming in his head. He noted how she didn’t mention a person, not even her family. He nodded at her and leaned on his right hand. "Simple and straightforward; I like you."

Kira avoided his eyes and kept quiet, clearly shy from his words.

"Tell me about your friends." Baekhyun was now back on the couch, patiently waiting for her to continue.

"I don't really like the term 'best friend' so I’ll use ‘close friend’ instead. Her name is Jihyun. She really lets loose if there's no one around and she really stands for what she believes in. She’s quite talkative as well ,and I guess we have more differences than similarities." She got distracted by a few birds flying by and Baekhyun mentally recorded everything in his head. "I have a few other friends that I'm not that close to and they're all a mix of characters. I notice that I make them uncomfortable so I try to stay away."

"I see. So Jihyun is comfortable with you?”

“I guess so. There are times where I keep my mouth shut because I simply have nothing to say, but she always has something to say to fill up the silence. I guess I’m complicated?”

Baekhyun tilted his head, “I don’t know much about you yet, but I know you aren’t. You’re just making yourself more complicated than you really are, which is normal human behaviour.”

Kira had no reply and so Baekhyun continued the conversation. "So you're not a people person?"

"I guess not. I'm not anti-social, at least I think I'm not." She twisted her lips in deep thought. "I do prefer being alone on some days," Kira was now facing him clearly, her hands gripping the edge of the seat, and her feet swinging subtly.

"I get you," he nodded understandingly. "I'm assuming you don't own any pets?"

Kira shook her head. "I wish I did, a cat or a dog, maybe, but I don't spend that much time at home." What kind of human would leave their pet at home all alone and just leave it be? She would love the company but she just couldn’t promise it a happy life.

Baekhyun attentively nodded. "So what are you doing now? Working? Studying? Nothing?"

"I'm taking dentistry. I'm starting the third year soon."

"Wow!" Baekhyun looked at her in disbelief. "You look really young, though." Kira blushed yet again. "This could be a personal question so just say ‘skip’ if it is. Was it your choice?"

"It's a long story, but no. It was too late to back out of it especially when my mother has a very loose mouth. I was still young, I was and still am indecisive. I clearly didn't have any big dreams, and it came to the point that I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do."

“I see,” Baekhyun nodded slowly trying to swallow everything in.

And then something snapped in Kira. "One career for the rest of your life sounds boring and depressing as . I'm sorry for cussing, but I don't get how they expect you to make such an important decision when you still had to ask permission to use the bathroom. For like what- 12 years of your life you had to put on a uniform and everyday seemed planned, everyday seemed the same like the day before. And then all of a sudden you get thrown into the ocean, no matter if you could swim or not, it was the easiest thing to drown."

Baekhyun looked at Kira with some kind of recognition in his eyes, although it wasn't exactly that... He was definitely thinking about what she said, but he hasn't said anything yet. He just stared at her with that unreadable face of his, which worried her a bit. Was there something really wrong with her? "I'm sorry. I don't think I've said so many words at once before," she scratched her head and buried her face in the pillow.

"Don't apologize." He took some time but he finally said something. "Well, are you happy now?"

Kira let out the longest sigh she has ever let out. "My happiness doesn't matter at this point."

"Do not say things like that, Park Kira." There were creases between his eyebrows.

"Are you happy, Baekhyun?" It was the first time she said his name and he looked more alert. "Was this your dream?"

The tables have turned and it seems like Baekhyun was there for a therapy session instead. He was now the one with the averted eyes as he stared straight at the bookcase as if he was looking for something.

"This wasn't what I wanted, but I had a knack for it so I gave it a go." He looked around his room deep in thought. "My father was ecstatic that I didn't do music instead and seeing him so happy made me stay where I am today."

Kira nodded and looked on in wonder. Was this a sensitive topic for him? “When I was in high school and did really well, a pat on the shoulder from my father was worth it all.”

The both of them were deep in their own thoughts, but Baekhyun didn’t mind sharing them. "I get to meet new people, talk to them, and get to know them, and I enjoy that. Although I do admit that it's quite lonely sometimes, knowing that I will never see these people again after meeting them for a few weeks."

"Well you were on the first page of Google when I was searching for a therapist, so I guess you're really good at what you do."

Baekhyun had a small appreciative smile on his face, his ears turning a little red.

"It's strange how I feel so comfortable talking to you because I'm not normally like this. It took me a year to be comfortable with Ji