Insipid Life

Jinki sat across his parents in the dining room table. They quietly ate their dinner. His parents kept stealing glances at their only son and back at each other.

His father was the first to speak up. "Are you excited for school, Jinki?"

"Who is ever excited for school, appa?" Jinki mumbled, not looking up from his plate.

"Well, I meant.." his father cleared his throat. "You're starting high school. Aren't you excited?"

"No" Jinki said, truthfully.

His mother looked at her husband, a worried look in her eyes. She turned to Jinki and frowned. "Aren't you going to eat your dinner, dear?"

Jinki, who was pushing his food left and right with his fork looked up at his mother, a stoic expression painted in his face and said, "I did"

He stood up, pushing the chair back loudly. "May I be excused?"

"O-Of course.." said his mother quietly.

Jinki left without another word, dropping off his plate in the kitchen, then making his way to his room. He closed his door slowly and quietly. Immediately, his mother turned to his father with fear, panic, and worry in her face.

"D-Dear" she said, tears forming under her eyes.

"I know, I know. He's been acting strange lately" his father said, taking off his glasses. He only ever needed them for reading but he kept on forgetting to take them off in occasions. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "He's lost weight significantly, he doesn't seem to have much interest in anything anymore and I've heard him roam around the house at ungodly hours!"

"T-Those are all signs of--"

"How about we take him to a psychologist tomorrow morning?" his father asked, a warm smile in his face. "Just to be sure" he rubbed his wife's back softly, kissing her forehead.

"Okay" she whispered in his embrace.

"Hello Jinki!" an overly excited man greeted him. He had a long beard and matching glasses. He sat across from Jinki in his spacious consultant office. "How are you feeling?"

Jinki rubbed the back of his neck, feeling uncomfortable. He shrugged, wordlessly.

The psychologist, Mr. Choi, wrote down something in his yellow notepad. Jinki visibly became irritated. This was the worst day of his life, definitely.

"Well, today we'll simply run a couple of tests and for the next session I'll have the results narrowed down, okay?" Mr. Choi smiled widely at him then nodded. "Right, let's begin then"

Jinki closed his eyes and took a deep breathe. All days felt long lately, but this particular one, he knew for a fact, was going to be the longest.

Jinki was only half listening. From the corner of his eye he could see his mother shivering, holding a hankerchief to . His father comforted her. He inwardly rolled his eyes.

"Depression... take him.. psychiatrist?"

Jinki yawned softly and closed his eyes. This wasn't worth his time. He didn't need his parents paying money to some stranger to tell him what was wrong with him. He knew what was wrong with him. Many people his age relied on the internet nowadays and a couple of self diagnostic tests told him right away what was wrong with him.

What a waste of his time.

But he did love his parents past everything so he decided to humor them and go through with all these appointments. Just because he couldn't find it in him to smile, didn't mean that he didn't wish his parents did.

"Well, Jinki" said the psychiatrist, Yang, standing up from his chair. He was more calm and serious than the psychologist and for that much, Jinki was grateful. "Buy the medications I indicated and come back in a month so I can check on your progress"

"Sure thing, doc" Jinki said.

"Be good, Jinki" Yang said giving him a firm hand shake.

"Sure thing, doc" Jinki briefly returned it then turned around and walked out of the office.

"What did he say?" Jinki's mother stood up as soon as she saw him walk out of the office.

Jinki wordlessly handed her a paper with the medications he was prescribed. He walked away to call the elevator. Jinki's mother looked down at the paper then up at his retrieving son.

She turned to the secretary and gave her a warm smile. "Kamsa" she said before following her son.

Jinki's mother was calmly cooking dinner, humming along to the small radio playing the kitchen. She effortlessly hopped across the kitchen. Today was Jinki's 16th birthday and a couple of his relatives were coming over to spend the night with him. She had tried to convince him to invite his friends as well but for some reason, he kept insisting it be a family night. She often worried if he even had any friends.

She was cleaning the rice when she heard loud thumps from upstairs. She frowned but simply figured it was just Jinki walking around since her husband wasn't home yet. After a while, though, the thumps became louder and she crossed the footsteps theory off the list. She frowned, turning off the faucet and quickly walking up the stairs.

"Jinki?" the mother called softly. "Sweetie, are you okay?"

Thump, thump, thump

The pounding did not cease. In fact, it became louder and faster, mak