“Mom?”

Wendy peeked in through the open door. Her mother’s eyes lifted up from the paperwork she was reading and looked at her.

“Yes sweetie? What’s wrong?”

She fiddled nervously. Moving from the doorway, her steps were small and hesitant as she approached her mother.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” The woman repeated when she remained silent and for a moment, Wendy considered to just wheel back to her room.

She was afraid of saying something wrong but at the same time, she felt like she needed help. Help from a grown-up adult who would know what to do because she didn’t.

“It’s about Joohyun-unnie.” She said weakly, her mother’s brow rising slowly.

“I...I think she needs help.”

-------------------------------------

Joohyun...

Kill them

Kill them

Kill them all!

The voice rang too sharp in her ears and Joohyun whipped around with pupils blown widely and breath in deeply at the completely empty room.

Kill them, Joohyun

Kill them!

They took your mother

They made her suffer

Make them suffer before they die

Joohyun went back to scribbling something on her wardrobe deliriously, hands shaking greatly and eyes fleeting about nervously as she scratched onto the wooden surface like a lunatic, the sound of knife screeching against wood almost unbearable.

Kill them, Joohyun

Kill them

What are you waiting for?

“Joohyun?”

The call dismissed the ghostly voices and in an instant they dissolved into thin smokes, slithering their way back into her head to become one with her.

“What are you doing?”

Joohyun stood from where she squatted and pushed the wardrobe shut. Her frenzied eyes morphed into cold and calm ones as she turned to face her step-mother.

“Hello mother.” She greeted kindly. Her smile looked off and made the older woman want to step back from the sudden chill hitting her. “What are you doing here?”

Her stepmother cleared awkwardly as she tried to ward off the weird feelings. “I heard you talk to someone.”

Joohyun wore the same little smile that felt so unlike Joohyun and replied, “Well, you must have heard wrong. There’s no one here, as you can see.”

There was a strange, eerie glint in her eyes that felt almost dangerous. Her stepmother cut their eye-contact first, switching to stare idly at the photos on wall instead.

“Right. How are you, Joohyun?” She tried to divert. Joohyun kept the same little smile as she mused.

“Never been better. I’ve been helping in animal shelter during my free time.”

Her stepmother nodded approvingly and tore her gaze away from the photos on the walls, pictures of her husband’s ex-wife never so much as pleased her.

“Great, I was worried that you were still sad about your mother.”

When there was no answer, she added hurriedly. “I’m sorry for your loss. We didn’t want to tell you because we didn’t want to shock you.”

Joohyun looked down with the same eerie smile as she stalked closer.

“Do you know that my mom was a Christian?”

She stopped in front of her step-mother to point at the old photos.

“She used to take me to church every Sunday, taught me all the good stuffs. Love, forgiveness, mercy. How to differ ourselves from evil by not falling into their hatred trap.”

She tilted her head to the side and the strange glow in her eyes burned even more, it almost made her look inhumane.

“How to forgive people who wrong us because God forgive us when we sin too?”

Her step-mother churned inside as she laughed softly.

“But what to do? Suicide is thought as unforgivable sin. They say that it’s worse than homicide because you cross God by taking the life he bestowed to you. That you will never have place in heaven if you kill yourself.”

She stalked closer until they were face to face and her step-mother stiffened.

“Isn’t it unfair? Someone who had been living so nicely throughout her entire life, now can’t go to heaven, while people who drove her to kill herself will be pardoned by God one day if they repent?”

The lack of distance made the older woman feel suffocated as Joohyun’s lips curled up in the most twisted, sickening way.

“I ask myself everyday, where is justice? And I’ve come to a conclusion that there will be no justice from God because He is good. Good will tolerate the bad. Justice will eradicate the bad.”

She stepped back from her stepmother and by the time the woman could breathe again, Joohyun’s eyes had reverted back to their calm, hollow state.

“So someone else has to be the justice, don’t you think so, mother?”

There was no answer. Joohyun smiled as she swept her bag. “I’ll be going to the shelter now. Have a good day mother.”

She bowed slightly and then left the woman alone, jaw tight and fists clenching.

Her stepmother’s eyes wandered to the slightly open wardrobe Joohyun was digging earlier and she walked closer.

When she pulled it open, she shrieked.

Inside the wooden wardrobe, carved hundred of writings in wild scratches until the original color of the surface was no longer visible.

The word “Kill” etched repeatedly over the entire wood and in the center of the nuisance was a picture of her, her husband and Wendy, pierced with a bloody knife right through it.

A date was written under it in blood and some vials of liquid labelled as drugs for animals lied forlornly at the corner with a tranquillizer gun.

Her limbs froze.

---------------------------------

“She needs to be admitted to an asylum!”

Mrs.Bae tossed her phone with the photos of the hideous wardrobe to her working husband and the man lifted his gaze incredulously. Wendy stared between them in confusion.

“She needs mental help. What kind of person in their right mind would do something like this? Do you see all those ‘Kill’ and our picture with blood on it? She’s insane!”

Her husband grimaced heavily and put the phone down.

“She’s just furious because of her mother’s death.“

“She has been speaking to herself.”

That caught him off-guard and he stared at her in long silence.

“What do you mean?”

“I heard it myself and Wendy heard it herself.” The woman snarled, eyes blazing madly. “Are you...perhaps, doubting my words now?”

Mr.Bae cleared his throat and glanced at Wendy. “Is it true, dear? Does your sister really talk to herself?”

Wendy looked up to her mother and she really didn’t know if she should say it – Joohyun could get in trouble – but the woman bent down to cup her face.

“Tell dad the truth, Wendy. You want to help your sister, right? We need to know if we want to help her.”

Wendy swallowed hesitantly and she looked down as the words crawled out.

“Unnie has been speaking alone lately...Sometimes I wake up at night because she’s screaming in her room... It’s like she’s arguing with someone, sometimes she cries, sometimes she laughs, sometimes she breaks things...”

Her father’s brow furrowed deeply and her mother shot. “See? I told you the truth. We need to send her away to an asylum, now.”

Mr.Bae pulled his glasses off and looked at Wendy tiredly.

“Did unnie ever try to harm you aside from that one time in school?”

Wendy’s thoughts fleeted back to that time when Joohyun was so furious over a broken doll and she nearly lost her life by a death grip on her neck, but she shook her head mutely.

“No, she didn’t.”

Her dad nodded and asked her to leave, Mrs.Bae shooting furiously right after.

“You’re staggering.”

“And you’re way too worked up over a small matter.”

“Small matter?” She hissed. “Getting worried about my daughter’s well-being because of her possibly psychopathic sister is a small matter?”

“Wendy is my daughter too and I will be the first one to throw Joohyun into an asylum if she’s dangerous!” The man snarled, but even his words lacked conviction to himself as he avoided the heavy look from his wife.

“It’s probably just depression. She will be fine after-“

“You still care about her.” The derisive laugh slapped him shut and he froze, Mrs.Bae blazing. “You try to act all tough on her whenever I’m around just to show me that you won’t let her treat Wendy like dirt, but at the end of the day, you still care more about her than Wendy who isn’t your daughter.”

“Stop.”

“You promised me you would let Wendy have everything when I helped you to salvage your goddamn company!”

“And I’m doing my words!” He yelled, teeth gritting. “Wendy will have everything after I die! From the house we’re living in to this company we’re standing in!”

He realized his strong voice and drew a hand to his face in frustration.

“Fine.” He said, giving in. “We’re bringing Joohyun to a psychiatrist this weekend.”

------------------------------------

“It’s schizophrenia.”

The verdict fell on them hard like thunder on rainless day, loud and clear without warning.

“It’s a mental disorder where the patient develops hallucination and delusion and believes them to be real. This causes them to act accordingly to non-existent voice or bizarre beliefs and most of the time, they won’t realize that they’re doing something wrong.”

The psychiatrist continued as the two adults stared at him mutely. He motioned the young female intern behind him to hand him the files. Joohyun sat alone in a separated room next to them throughout the entire process.

“From what I got, Mr.Bae, your daughter has been having auditory hallucination for over one year. She also shows signs of borderline personality, terribly unstable emotions and...very twisted way of thinking. It can be triggered or worsened by trauma and heavy stress.”

Mr.Bae croaked. “Is there a way to cure this illness?”

“It stays with the patient for a lifetime.” The old psychiatrist said. “Schizophrenia is chronic. There can be free days, but over time, it worsens without medication. The drugs are the only way to reduce the delusions and hallucinations. Otherwise, they may completely take over the patient’s mind and cause...harm.”

“We have to leave her here.” Mrs.Bae cut off immediately. “You hear him yourself. It might be dangerous to bring her home-”

“Does she have to stay?” Mr.Bae asked the psychiatrist warily and the white-coated man stared at them in turns, clearing his throat awkwardly.

“I suppose if there’s no one home to watch her take her medication regularly, she will have to stay here until she can understand her illness and take her medication without force.”

-----------------------------------------

“You know she’s dangerous but you’re still planning to bring her back!”

“I’m not!” The man shouted, whirling around to glare at his wife. There were people in hospital corridor looking at them so he lowered his voice.

“I’ve left her behind for now. What more do you want?”

He rubbed his face tiredly and sighed. “Let’s just go home.”

“I’m not going anywhere until you promise me that you won’t ever let her come back anywhere near us and Wendy after her discharge!”

The man growled as his patience ran thinner and thinner. “Fine. Do whatever you want.”

He whirled around and left Mrs.Bae alone in the corridor until she heard the door behind her creak. The young female intern from before ran out of the psychiatrist’s clinic and answered a phone call.

“Hello, yes, Krystal Jung here.”

“Oh...the loan...I’m sorry, can you please give me another week to pay it off? I promise you I will – no! Please don’t! Please don’t kick my mother and my sister out! I will pay it as soon as possible!”

“I promise you I won’t be late again. It’s just that my sister needs another hemodialysis and I –”

“50% interest?!”

The young intern’s shoulders slumped weakly and her face darkened.

“Alright...I will make sure to get the money before time...”

The line was cut off and her hand dropped limply to her side.

“Excuse me?”

She turned to see Mrs.Bae calling at her and immediately bowed.

“Krystal Jung?”

“Y-yes, mam. Can I help you?” She asked nervously.

Mrs.Bae smiled lightly as she extended her jewelry adorned hand, initiating a handshake.

“I’m Mrs.Bae. May I have some time to chat with you?”

------------------------------------------

“Earth to Krystal sunbae, earth to Krystal sunbae.”

Joy waved her hand in front of Krystal’s face repeatedly and the head doctor finally snapped back to reality as she swatted the obnoxious hand away. Joy giggled.

“Aww, don’t be so mean sunbae, I’m leaving this department soon.”

Krystal rolled her eyes – mourning for the days when the interns used to fear her months ago – and sighed.

“What are you doing here?”

Joy beamed brightly.

“We’re going to have dinner at a great barbeque place tomorrow and we’re wondering if you can come.” She blinked expectantly.

Krystal snorted. “Stop investing money in coronary disease and just eat kimchi at home, you brats.”

“But it’s a special occasion!” Joy wailed. “We’re not going to see you much after we move on to the new department next week. Consider it a farewell party?”

Krystal laughed shortly. “Well, I would love to, but unfortunately, I have to go with my sister for her treatment.”

“Sister?” Joy paused. “The pretty one in those pictures?” She pointed at the framed photos on Krystal’s desk and the doctor nodded slightly.

“Yeah, Jessica. She suffers from chronic kidney disease and I usually go with her to her weekly hemodialysis.”

Joy nodded in understanding and sighed. “Fine, I’ll tell the other interns that you can’t make it.”

“Thanks.”

Joy was about to wheel around and leave when she caught a glimpse of another photo.

“You know, I’ve always wanted to ask you, why do you have a photo with Irene on your desk?”

The question had Krystal stopped typing for a while and her fingers froze on her laptop.

“Do you two have a history or something...?”

There was no answer and Joy backpedaled quickly. “Alright, I’m sorry, just forget that I ask –"

“She was my first patient.” Krystal cut, smiling but slightly strained. “She was brought here when I just started as an intern and I...owe her a lot, in certain way.”

Her eyes fleeted to the picture of her and Irene standing happily when they were younger and her voice left her as merely a whisper.

“She’s the reason why Jessica is still alive until today and why I can