IV. WONDERERS

It took Jungkook two days and nearly a mental breakdown to clean up the isolation ward number 5 after V’s masochist attempt at his veins with cannulas in them.

Just as the blood smudges were not that much of a problem, he found out the little dent in one of the walls. He was about to report it when he heard her.

Lisa.

She was in the next cell.

Jungkook was able to – softly but still- hear Lisa’s screams and cries and he quickly decided to leave the dent, not even thinking about how it appeared there in the first place, making the whole ward not as secure and soundproof as it was supposed to be.

Suddenly V’s words during their short encounter two days ago were not so mysterious anymore. Was the lunatic trying to help Lisa? Were they, somehow, communicating because of the dent? Seemed like it.

Jungkook even tried himself to let her know that he was there but unfortunately, there was no response from the other side. This broke him even more.

He needed to think everything further and come up with some plan. Some allies would be useful, too. But who did he have?

He did not trust Taehyun and promised to stay out of doctor Park Chaeyoung’s sight. That left him with basically no one, as V was out of the picture automatically from the start.

He sighed, a little overwhelmed by everything.

Now he was on the way to staff’s dressing room as his shift today was over. But while passing by one office on the 1st floor he stopped, hearing actual yells from the other side of the doors.

“You can’t be that reckless Jiyong! What did you do?”

“I falsified the blood test, so don’t worry and keep your voice down. She will stay here for a while therefore Song Mino is none of our concern”

“Good”

Jungkook’s eyes widened and shock took over his whole body, the stare slowly going up to see the plate gracing the doors.

Kwon Ji Yong

Head Doctor

Jungkook shook his head and went down the corridor, going straight to locker room and quickly putting on his navy, Zara Hommes coat, not caring to change the uniform. He needed to go home as fast as possible.

Yes, he promised to not bother doctor Park Chaeyoung but what he just heard was huge. Falsifying a blood test? By the Head Doctor? He needed to tell her that as soon as possible.

With iPhone in hand he exited the hospital, ordering Uber to the main road. He crossed the main gate and then saw someone coming from the bushes, what startled him a bit.

“What the-“

“You’re the new janitor?” the man asked. He was dressed in evidently very warm clothes and had a camera dangling against his stomach from a strap around his neck.

Jungkook blinked his eyes.

“And why do you need to know that? Besides, who are you and what are you doing in the bushes next to a psychiatric hospital?”

The man smiled smugly.

“My name is Park Jimin. I work for Seoul Times and I need your help”

MEANWHILE

Lisa never thought she would say that, but she would do everything to get her terrifying visions from before back as an alternative to dealing with the present reality.

Instead of unshaped demons, how she used to call them, she kept on seeing only one.

He did not have a defined shape either – Lisa was seeing either his dark, empty eyes or lips, twisted in malicious grin. What made it worse was the fact that he actually talked.

Lisa never heard that voice before.

It was somehow squeaky but husky, constantly used in repetitive, amused tone.

“Oh, what’s up Lalisa? Why don’t you want to play with me?”

She did not dare to answer but another amount of tears fell from her tired eyes. Lisa tried to close them but that was not helping – he was still there.

“Tsk. You’re boring as ”

Upon hearing that she closed her eyes harder, also biting her lip to muffle a sob.

“You’re boring but I’m bored so it’s not like a have a choice” he laughed “Remember Lalisa, what I love must be gone”

Suddenly Lisa felt something weird – as if she was in a pool, the turbid liquid surrounding her body. Her eyes shot open and she wished they never did.

She was swimming in blood and single body parts.

The stomach swiftly jumped to but suddenly she stopped, her vision focusing on something round and black.

That thing happened to be a head, suddenly turned around by the bloody wave.

It was Jungkook’s head.

Lisa screamed her lungs out, to the point started to burn.

And then there was a light.

Lisa blinked, seeing many people – definitely whole and much alive – surrounding her with worried expressions. Most of them were dressed in white, hospitals uniforms.

“Help me, help me!” she cried and met nothing but quizzical stares.

Then she saw and actually heard those people saying something to her but she could not understand a word. Was that another language?

“Please help me!” she yelled again “He will come back!”

She saw nothing but another dose of puzzled looks. Suddenly she recognized one face – it was doctor Dong.

“You...” Lisa snarled “What are you doing to me?! What is going on?! Get off me!”

She screamed and threw her arms in the direction of the doctor, successively aiming at his face and throwing at least two solid punches at his jaw. The doctor stepped back, yelling something in that strange language she did not understand.

Suddenly there was a push and Lisa knew she was on the floor, pinned down by someone wearing a heavy, black uniform. Then she felt a twinge somewhere on the side of her neck and felt her arms being fold behind her, as some material graced them sharply.

It was a straitjacket again.

“What are you doing to me?” she asked in a weak voice when her vision got blurry and then black.

LATER

Chaeyoung was not sure if Seokjin was stupid or crazy. Unfortunately Hoseok, also present at the meeting, did not seem to share her opinion.

“Due whole respect head doctor Kwon, I don’t think it’s the best idea” she raised her voice, consecutively shutting Seokjin up “Maybe he’s cooperative and relatively calm for the past two days but it’s still V we’re talking about”

“Exactly” Seokjin hit the table, what was very unlike him “He’s here longer than all of us and nothing is helping…Maybe socializing him-“

“Socializing?” Chaeyoung snapped “He managed to assault one of the patients, Song Jennie, while on stimulants! He. Bit. Her. Face! In case you have forgotten – V is criminally insane! He cannot be alone around other people! Not to mention he’s very sensitive when it comes to noises!”

Jiyong said nothing, still looking abnormally unimpressed and sometimes drifting his gaze between two younger doctors.

“He won’t be alone” suddenly Hoseok stepped in “I can watch over V. Since Kim Jisoo has been given a single case and is not around anymore my responsibilities are pretty much cut short”

Chaeyoung wanted to protest but became completely lost when she saw that head doctor Kwon Jiyong seemed to consider it. Were they all insane?

Basically today Seokjin asked for a meeting to present his newest idea – preventing V to the common area.

“Ok” Jiyong’s voice filled the office “Let’s give it a try. Mr. Jung, you’re assigned to watch over V nonstop when he’s in the common area with other patients”

“What a bull…”

“Did you say something doctor Park?”

“No, of course not”

Jiyong was about to say something else before the doors to his office flung open, revealing doctor Choi Seunghyun with the trademark scowl on his handsome features.

Chaeyoung, Seokjin and Hoseok quickly looked down, being incredibly intimidated by the head of the schizophrenic department. They were rarely seeing him but once that was happening he was leaving a vast impression.

“Jiyong, we have a problem”

“Couldn’t that wait?” the head doctor rolled his eyes, somehow used to doctor Choi’s direct or not threats towards his authority “We have a meeting here”

“No, it can’t wait” Seunghyun answered in calm but icy tone and everyone inside the room felt the chills running down their spines “Lalisa Manoban had a terrible attack. She doesn’t speak and understand Korean as the outcome of shock all of the sudden”

“Report that to the logistics, they’ll get the translator or something” the head doctor crossed his arms.

“And they will report it to you before doing anything” doctor Choi mimicked his actions perfectly “My patient is absolutely unresponding due to the sudden language barrier. I need to know what happened to cause this. I don’t have the time to wait for the logistics and their paperwork, I need a Thai translator now!”

The temperature in the room somehow seemed to drop before Chaeyoung blinked her eyes, the recognition suddenly hitting her.

“The newest janitor, Jeon Jungkook” she started and all eyes were abruptly on her “He speaks Thai…Or at least his resume says so”

“Perfect” head doctor Kwon clapped his hands “Call the janitor then – it will be faster and less expensive. And as for V – he can enter the common area. I presume this meeting is over? Good. Now go, I have an EEG to perform”

They all bowed and left in silence, not daring to think about what they signed up to.

LATER