“Where is he?” Sehun murmured in a low voice, “you know where he is, don't you?”

The first person he could think to call was his mother when Jongin didn't show up to the hospital for two days in a row; Sehun of course tried to call him both days, but he only found it weird when his boyfriend didn't pick up on the second day either. The blonde always had his phone on or near him, and the only time he missed calls was when he was in the shower or sleeping, both of which he couldn't be doing every hour of the day.

“What are you talking about?” Sehun's mother questioned, almost annoyed, as she took off her glasses to put them down in front of her keyboard.
“Jongin! Where is he? He hasn't come to the hospital in two days now, and that isn't like him!” Sehun wasn't panicking necessarily, he was just worried. He didn't know if Kai had taken over completely and run away, or if Jongin was upset or sad and was trying to hide himself away from the outside world as he usually did whenever he wasn't happy.
“You sound as if you've gone mad. How on earth would I know where that boy is if you don't even know? You two 𝑎𝑟𝑒 so attached to each other, as it is,” His mother shook her head - though this new information put her heart at ease slightly, she was still unsettled that Sehun was upset about it. She expected as much, but she didn't like it.
“Jongin suddenly disappears, and you want me to believe you had nothing to do with that?” Sehun asked and then pressed his lips together annoyed - his mother was known for meddling in his business, even now, when he was an adult. If she didn't get involved in at least one thing in his life a day, then she wouldn't be satisfied.
“Yes! I didn't get rid of him, Sehun,” She said firmly, but she had to wonder whether he would believe her or not considering her track record.
“Look, I'll come pick up your apartment keys and go check if he's home or not, okay?” She sighed when there was silence, “I'm assuming he hasn't contacted you?”
“No. The last time I saw and heard from him was that day when you were here,” Sehun hummed out softly - he really did hope his boyfriend was okay, and that nothing bad had happened. He knew Jongin wasn't exactly the strongest person mentally or emotionally, so he often leaned on Sehun for support; the black haired male was aloof and rather snappy, but he truthfully didn't mind it when Jongin needed emotional support. He just couldn't be as excited and loud as Jongin was.

“Alright. I'll be there soon,” She said, and then hung up. She didn't really want to be doing his job, but he wasn't strong enough to sign himself out of the hospital, so there was no other choice.
She didn't like Jongin that much - maybe she would when it was just Jongin, and not Kai with him - but she loved her son, and she didn't want him to stress too much when he was supposed to be getting better.
She wouldn't mind it if Jongin had taken off (in fact, that was a good idea for both him and Sehun to stay safe), but she knew Sehun would be upset by it. He didn't show it, but he did love Jongin a lot, and it wouldn't be easy to just forget him. His mother knew that.

She arrived at the hospital.
“Don't go digging through the apartment,” Sehun said with a grim expression - he knew her, and he knew her curiosity was sometimes too strong.
“When have I ever done something like that? I'll be in and out,” She nodded, then took hold of the keys which he wouldn't let go.
“I'm serious,” Her son said, let her take the keys, and then relaxed against the pillow, “just look if he's okay and that nothing bad has happened,”
“And if he isn't there?” She had to ask so she would know what to do in that case.
“Then...I'll handle it when I get out of here,” He kept his jaw tightly set, but his eyes gave away that it would do more than just break his heart if Jongin had run away or disappeared for some reason.
“Fine. I'll call you soon,”

She then drove to the apartment, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. Sehun's mother had been here once or twice, but that was only to drop off or take back something like a pudding bowl or casserole she had made. She had never stepped inside until now.
“Jongin?” She called out once she had closed the door, the silence making her shudder. There was no TV noise, or music, or even a tap dripping...it was almost as if this place was deserted.
“You haven't been to the hospital for two days now, I just wanted to make sure you're okay,” She glanced around as she walked into the living room - everything seemed in order. Too much so, in fact.

Thinking he was asleep, she walked into the bedroom, but there was no one there. The bathroom was empty, too, leaving her to believe the apartment was completely void of any signs of life other than her own.
She picked up a photo frame beside the bed to inspect, running her painted fingernail over her son's face - it was a simple photo of him and Jongin together. When it was taken, Sehun's mother didn't know. He was too secretive about it.
She placed the object down, and then went about looking for clues as to where Jongin had gone. As she stopped in the kitchen, she paused by the table to pick up the little paper on the table (which she had overlooked at first) to start reading.

Dear Sehun,

I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly and not giving you any warning whatsoever, but it's for a good reason.

We both know we can't fully love each other like before until this thing is fixed. Kai, was that what he called himself? I can't remember.
Your mother doesn't like me, either. You can say she does, but it's obvious. She probably doesn't think I'm good for you because of this, so...

I've gone to the mental hospital she works at - not because I really want to, or because I want to make trouble, but because all of the best doctors come from there. If I could admit myself somewhere else, believe me when I say I would.

I'm doing this for you, for her, and for us. I don't want to wake up one day and realized I've killed you...even if it wasn't really “me”. Maybe your mother will like me more then. I really hope so.

Don't bother coming to see me; I want to do this on my own. I might recover better this way.
You can go stay over by your mom if it will make you feel less lonely until I get back. I'll miss you.

Love,
Jongin.

Sehun's mother hadn't really thought of it until now, but Jongin seemed to be heavily affected by her not liking him. He didn't seem like the type, in all honesty. But then again, she didn't really know him that well. This had given her some insight into what he was like, and she somewhat regretted not trying to see the good side of him to focus on the bad instead.

Jongin's phone laid on the table - no wonder he hadn't answered. He probably left the day he returned from the hospital.
Sehun's mother took the letter and then exited the apartment to drive back to the hospital where she handed the note over to her son for him to read.

“This is all your fault!” He exclaimed after he had finished reading it; though a part of him was happy Jongin was going for treatment, he hated that he wouldn't be able to be there with the blonde when it happened.
“How is it my fault?!” His mother raised her voice as well, “I didn't say anything bad to him,”
“Ugh, you didn't need to. You don't know how he is. He can just...𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 when someone doesn't like him, even if they don't say that,” Sehun grumbled - who would eat this awful jelly now? He would've laughed under different circumstances at that thought.
“How was I supposed to know? And what does that matter, anyway?” She questioned, annoyed, as she folded her arms.
“I don't care if you like him or not, but he clearly does. And it's pushed him far enough for him to seek treatment on his own, without allowing me to be there! I said we would do it together!” His voice raised towards the end; he was much too annoyed at the moment. This news combined with being cooped up in the tiny hospital room, connected to machines, really dampened his mood. It was as if everything was out of his control now, and he didn't like that at all. He was always used to being able to handle situations by himself using his own methods, but it seemed as if he couldn't do anything now. He was virtually powerless, and there was nothing worse to him than not having a say or options in a situation.

“Calm down,” His mother said after she had taken a few steadying breaths - she had to remember Sehun wasn't fully recovered yet - and then placed her hands on her hips.
“He's at the Byberry mental hospital, right? The one I work at. I could go see him. Technically, I'm not a visitor - I could be a doctor to him, and I could try changing his mind,” She suggested, and he glared at her.
“Good. Do it,” He waved a dismissive hand at her; their relationship was always stale and heated like this, even when Sehun was a child. She placed too much pressure on him and constantly babied him, something he had come to despise. They would never have a great relationship like some parents and children did, they both knew that. Their views were much too different.

Sehun's mother then went to her work and immediately asked about a Kim Jongin.
“He has requested to have no visitors,” The secretary, Seulgi, chirped as she checked his information on the computer. Sometimes Sehun's mother thought the secretary was too bubbly for this place, but she got the job done nonetheless.
“I'm not a visitor. Come on, Seulgi, even you know that. I'm his doctor,” The older woman said, but Seulgi shook her head and wiggled her index finger.
“I understand, but he has requested that you not be his doctor or be in charge of his therapy sessions,” She said - she wasn't too surprised. Mrs. Oh was very much a tough doctor to work with. She always pushed patients, and sometimes made them worse with the added pressure.
“What?! No...that's...no!” The older woman exclaimed, dumbfounded, as she stared at the young secretary in front of her that sipped some of her tea with a small shrug.
𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑠, it seemed to say.
“Fine, then. Am I at least allowed updates?” She questioned, and Seulgi smiled happily as she nodded, “yup! As long as you don't get involved in any way, it should be fine,”
“Good. Let his doctor know to give them to me as soon as he makes progress,”

So, Jongin wanted to do all this relatively alone...it was brave, maybe even daunting, but still foolish. How did he think he would be able to recover all on his own? If Sehun was such a big influence as he seemed to be, wouldn't it be better for him to be here?
Unlikely. Kai 𝑑𝑖𝑑 come out when Sehun was around for long, so maybe this was a good idea, after all. His mother still wasn't sure if Jongin's mental state would be able to take it, though.

Jongin had been taken to a medium term ward, the place where other people undergoing treatment for a few weeks stayed. They were often monitored to ensure the therapy or medication was working, Jongin had realized, but everyone around him seemed just fine. At least he didn't have to stay with or near the schizophrenics. Still, there were restraints by the beds just in case the patients acted out, but none had done that so far.
He had a plain room - a bed, a desk and a chair and a separate bathroom. He had expected it to look like a prison cell, but it was nothing like that. Some of the lower risk patients got windows to peek out of in their rooms, but since Jongin wasn't low risk, he didn't get that opportunity. He was still happy with what he was given, though.
The mattress was comfortable, and the pillow was just fluffy enough for him. He had a thick blanket at the bottom of his bed which he had used when it got a bit too cold, and in general, the room was pretty. The floors were wooden, and the walls were a calming beige. He was beginning to understand just why this hospital had the highest rate of recoveries - if this was where people got to stay, then he didn't see why there would be a problem getting better. It was relaxing, and rather tranquil. The food wasn't the greatest, but better than the medical hospital's by far.

The door to his room opened, and Jongin glanced up curiously. All the staff seemed very nice here; patient but firm, and some even cracked a few jokes here and there.
“Jongin,” A rather short doctor said with a small smile, “right?”
Jongin knew he was trying to see that it wasn't Kai, so the blonde nodded with a smile.
“Yeah, it's me. Jongin,” He spoke up, and the doctor held the door open a little wider as a hint towards something.
“I'm Kyungsoo. I'll be your therapist and general doctor for your stay. We'll be starting today with a few exercises before we get into the proper treatment. If you'd follow me...” He explained, and Jongin stood up with a small nod. As exciting as this all was - all the new experiences and people Jongin got to see - he still missed Sehun a lot. They hadn't been away from each other for more than a week or so, and the blonde had to wonder just how he was going to manage not seeing his boyfriend for a few weeks.

Kyungsoo led Jongin out into an open-plan room with a few sets of chairs and tables where some other patients were with doctors or therapists. This was probably where all the “gentle” therapy took place - there were rumors that the hospital was taking part in electrocution and hydrotherapy, but nothing was confirmed or debunked...obviously.
The therapist sat down at a free table and Jongin did the same - he wondered if it was a good idea to have therapy in such a nice place since he was sure he'd get distracted by the willow trees' branches swaying in the wind outside.
“We'll start with some capability enhancement. This is things such as handling your emotions, mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness and tolerating distress,” The doctor explained, and Jongin turned his head to look at the man in front of him instead of the pretty nature outside. Strike one.

The first thing that Kyungsoo began teaching Jongin was emotion regulation; ways in which the blonde could properly control his emotions in certain situations. Some of these methods were situation modification (changing a situation to modify the emotional impact) and Kyungsoo used the example of moving away from a person to extend physical distance, and attentional deployment was also something the therapist tried to teach his patient. Here, he used the example of Jongin focusing his attention on something else instead of the harmful or emotional situation, somewhat like thought suppression which included thinking of something else to modify Jongin's aggressive emotions to more passive ones.
The second task for Kyungsoo was to explain to Jongin just what interpersonal effectiveness was, and how it would help him.
It was a method used to help people become more assertive when asking or explaining something, as well as how to respond to a situation or problem non-judgmentally, which would hopefully help Jongin keep his emotions in check before they grew out of control.
The therapist used the popular mnemonic he did with all his patients - DEAR MAN.
“D stands for describe, and this means you have to clearly explain what it is you want so there won't be too much confusion between you and someone else. E stands for express, which refers to you talking about your feelings and opinion on the subject at hand. A stands for assert; say no politely and clearly, or, on the other hand, ask politely for what you want. Remember to always state clearly what you want so no one is too confused. R stands for reinforce, and here we mention how you should remind someone of the good impact certain actions will have,” He checked to make sure Jongin was still following and paying attention, then continued, “M stands for staying mindful - even if the other person becomes hostile or defensive, staying on track about what you want is imperative. A stands for appearing confident. Avoid looking at the ground or something else when you're having a serious conversation with someone. And finally, N stands for negotiating. You can't have whatever you want without having to give something back. Learning to compromise and reach a conclusion with someone else will benefit you in the long run,”
He made Jongin take down these notes after he had provided his patient with a paper and a pencil, and he was happy to see Jongin took down everything in as detailed notes as possible.

“I think we've done enough for today. Tomorrow, we'll start with mindfulness and distress tolerance. And if you feel up to it, maybe some generalization too,” The doctor said as he adjusted his glasses, and smiled.
“Okay. Thank you,” Jongin said; he was feeling a little tired, and so he was glad to be taken back to his room to rest. All of this was a lot to take in, and it was overwhelming him just a little bit, but it would be a good opportunity to practice his emotion regulation.

Kyungsoo had just returned to the front desk when Mrs. Oh caught up with him.
“Mr. Do, you're the one taking care of Kim Jongin, am I correct?” She questioned immediately, and he glanced up from the files he  was reading through which he would hand back to Seulgi when he was done.
“Yes. A fantastic patient, might I add. Why?” He adjusted his glasses that slid off of his nose more often than not, and she smiled as pleasantly as she could.
“I was curious. May I have a look at your report for today?” She asked in a soft voice as she stepped a little closer to the therapist, and Seulgi looked between them for a second or two before she got up from her chair and went into the staff kitchen. Who knew what was about to happen between them.
“You know doctor-patient confidentiality exists,” Kyungsoo said curtly, then turned back to the files which were on the counter in front of him. They were about one of his other patients which seemed to be getting worse each day, so he wanted to go over their information and maybe see where his mistake was, or where he could improve.
“And I'm one of the top people in this establishment. Doesn't that give me a right to certain patients which I think I could help with?” She asked as she leaned her one arm on the counter, and he turned his head to look at her questioningly.
“Are you trying to imply I don't know how to do my job?” He asked as he looked at her over the black rim of his glasses, and he was sure he had never seen someone shake their head so fast before.
“Not at all! I was just offering my help in cas-”
“No need. I can handle Mr. Kim just fine, as I have with all my patients. Have a good day,” He interrupted her, then took his files and walked back to the cafeteria where he had originally intended on going.

𝐷𝑎𝑚𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟! Mrs. Oh thought to herself as she watched him walk away; Kyungsoo was known for his straightforward nature, but that wasn't useful in this case! Without his okay, she wouldn't have any access to Jongin or his progress reports. And that made for a disgruntled mother and angry son.

The days passed by, and as was Kyungsoo's stubborn ways, he didn't let Mrs. Oh even get a peek at Jongin's progress reports. Therefore, she had no information to give her son other than he was okay, and although Sehun hated not knowing what was going on, he was happy Jongin was at least in (what seemed like) good hands.

As for Jongin himself, he was doing well regarding therapy.
He had moved past stage one - gaining control over thoughts and behavior - with ease, and he had moved onto stage two rather quickly. Maybe too quickly, but Kyungsoo hadn't realized that until Kai broke out.

It was the day Sehun was discharged from the medical hospital that he went to see his boyfriend. He remembered Jongin had requested no visitors, and Mrs. Oh hadn't been able to change that, but her son had to at least 𝑡𝑟𝑦. He couldn't just leave Jongin to deal with it on his own.

“I'm sorry, but he's specifically requested no visitors,” Seulgi said politely once Sehun was standing in front of the counter, and he sighed.
“Well, yes, I know that, but I also know him. He's probably lonely right now,” He almost wanted to slap himself for sounding like an utter idiot, but his brain was just so scrambled that he couldn't think straight. He was worried out of his mind and he didn't know why; Jongin was probably fine. But going a whole two weeks without seeing him worried Sehun...maybe he was being too much of a control freak now, but he didn't care. It wasn't like he didn't trust other people to care for the blonde, it was just that Jongin was very sensitive and needed specific things done for him to cheer up when he was feeling down. Like a bubble bath, some ice cream when he was feeling sad, and even cherry cola since that was his favorite! Sehun knew these things, these random nurses and doctors didn't.

Seulgi shrugged with a smile, “sorry, no can do,”
The male was sure if he threatened her, it would get him nowhere, so he had to turn on his charm. Not many people could resist that, anyway.
“Listen,” He gave her that tiny, flirty smile that never failed to get his point across, “you seem like a nice woman, and I'm sure you don't like breaking the rules right? But see, Jongin is one of my best friends, and he really needs an update on his pet goldfish,”
Why he had thought of that as an excuse, he didn't even know, but it seemed to be working since the secretary blinked up at him with a wider smile. Maybe she liked animals.
“He's a real softie, and I'm sure he's worried sick about...Kai. You know, that goldfish is really like his son. I just want to tell Jongin how Kai is doing,” Sehun suppressed a shudder at the name, kept the smile in place, and used the softest voice he could manage. He had no idea how these lies were coming out so easily, but he was glad they were doing so.
“Hm...okay, fine. But be quick, okay? The doctor specifically said not to let anyone see Jongin!” The secretary seemed very much ditzy, but in a cute way. If Sehun was straight and not already dating Jongin, he would've maybe taken a chance on her.

She asked a guard to Sehun to the visiting area - which was open-plan too, similar to the therapy area - and then bring Jongin out to meet Sehun.
The black haired male raised his head just in time to spot Jongin coming around the corner, and he had to bite his lip; the blonde in his hair was slowly being replaced by black roots, but he looked happy. Healthy. Not like he was being tortured or denied food and water. Maybe Sehun was worried for nothing.

“You came!” Jongin said with a big smile when he saw his boyfriend stand up from his chair and did that thing where he brushed his hand through his hair - sometimes the blonde wondered if Sehun did that just to see him squirm.
“Did you really think I'd listen to you and not come see you?” He asked, and he guessed hugging or kissing wasn't allowed here, so he simply sat down with the blonde at the table.
“No...maybe. I wanted to show you I could do this without your help,” Jongin said with a small grimace, “I'm not dependent on you, you know,”
“And I never said you were,” Sehun raised his one eyebrow. He knew the blonde was always trying to prove himself, but this was too much.
“Why did you do this? Just up and leaving. I know we said we'd work on this, but it's crazy to do it this way. All to prove to my mother you don't need my help with big things?” He asked, and the blonde shifted on his seat as he clasped and unclasped his hands nervously. He didn't feel okay, but he had missed Sehun so much that he didn't want the other one to leave yet.
“Yes. I want her to like me,” He replied, and his boyfriend frowned as he tilted his head slightly. The room was warm, filled with soft chatter from other visitors and patients, and just very tranquil in general. They could've used an aircon, though.
“Why?” Sehun asked, and it was Jongin's turn to frown, “why not? I don't want her to hate me,”
“Jongin, you say it like I didn't try to avoid you because you were annoying when we first met. I get that you want people to like you, but you'd never do something this drastic for it unless there was a proper reason behind it. You would never move to another dance studio if I asked you to back then, but you're doing this now for my mother, who you don't even know. You're trying to deal with this all by yourself without even my help, and you want me to believe it's simply because you want her to like you? I don't buy it, and you know that,” Sehun chuckled as he leaned back in his seat; of course he noticed the telltale signs that Jongin was feeling uneasy, but he just put it up to them being in this place together and not at home. That was where he always felt safest and happiest.
“Why is it such a crime for me to want that? Okay, maybe I have other reasons for it, but that shouldn't matter,” Jongin said with a small shrug as he kept pressing his somewhat sweaty palms together only to separate them again afterwards.
“Well, what are these other reasons?” His boyfriend questioned, all too curious, and leaned a little closer as if the blonde was about to tell him a secret.
Jongin glanced up for a minute, then let out a small sigh.
“I...I just want her to give us her blessing for when we get married some day,” He said uneasily, and Sehun's eyebrows raised as he felt himself laughing unintentionally.
“That's why you've decided to go rogue like this? Because you want her 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 for us to get married? Do you think I care whether or not she's okay with it? She's not the one getting married, we are. It should only matter to us,” He said and brushed his hand through his hair again while Jongin huffed silently and unhappily.
“So doesn't it matter what I want?” He asked with a frown tugging his eyebrows down, “are you that selfish, Sehun?”
“What? I didn't say that. I just mean it's not necessary for you to need her permission! Come on, Jongin, have you ever thought about whether she'll even give us her blessing or not after this? What will happen if she doesn't? This tough guy you're trying to be will be for nothing, then,” His boyfriend said as he frowned back at the blonde, noticing how agitated he seemed to become.
“You don't know that! Maybe she'll like me! I want her to like me, Sehun!” He was trying his best to keep his emotions in check, but he couldn't. Sehun was pissing him off, he was feeling overwhelmed from suddenly seeing the other male, and talk of Mrs. Oh not liking him even after all this made him sad and angry at the same time. He had been taught mindfulness - to let his mind travel elsewhere to calm down, somewhat like meditation - but that wasn't working right now, and Jongin could almost 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 Kai wanting to break out. It was like something was poking at him to just snap, and that wasn't like Jongin, so it could only be his worse half. If he couldn't put what he had learnt to the test now, then could he even be cured? Would Kai ever leave? Jongin certainly hoped so. He didn't want to have to separate from Sehun just because his brain wasn't working correctly.

“What's wrong?” Sehun asked when he saw just how tightly Jongin was clasping his hands together, and the blonde opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't get anything out.
“Talk to me, I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong,” His boyfriend said with a somewhat concerned expression as he watched Jongin physically struggle to keep his emotions at bay. When his hands separated, they were shaking. His heart was pounding much too fast, and in turn it made him feel a little lightheaded, but that only lasted for a second or two before he out.

“Jongin?” Sehun asked softly when the blonde's stare became blank, and Jongin then looked at him with a menacing grin.
“Jongin is out right now, would you like to leave a message?” Kai questioned, and Sehun had to wonder just how one person's voice could change like that. It was fascinating, but scary at the same time.
“And I don't need your help. Jongin doesn't either. So get lost!” He jumped up from his seat and Sehun did the same, grabbing his wrist that raised up to probably stab him with something again. Sehun wouldn't be surprised.
He twisted Kai's hand behind his back and pressed his free palm against the blonde's neck to push him down onto the table, “I just came out of hospital, and I don't plan on going back anytime soon,”
“We'll see about that, ,” Kai hissed at the tight grip on his wrist and the pain in his arm as well as the sting in his cheek from the wooden table pressing against it.

It wasn't long before Kyungsoo came into the room after being told there was a commotion with one of his patients, and security was quick to take Jongin away from Sehun.
“You'll never get rid of me. Never! I'm always going to be a part of him! I won't leave until you're dead!” Kai yelled as he was being taken away, and Sehun shuddered as he heard the loud laughing from the blonde.
“What in God's name happened here?! He said no visitors! I'm sure you're aware of that! Make yourself useful and get out of here now. I think you've caused enough trouble for one day. And don't come back!” Kyungsoo exclaimed angrily, then walked to Jongin's room where he had to be restrained to his bed, though he still thrashed and fought angrily.

“Jongin, I know you can hear me,” The doctor said as he stepped into the room, “I need you to calm down now. Think of what we learnt,”
Still, Kai kicked and slammed his fists down on the bed angrily, and Kyungsoo had to wonder if Jongin could really be cured. Kai was very aggressive, and those personalities were the hardest to get through.
“Get control of your emotions. You're the one in control here, not him. Don't let him push you around like this,” Talking to a patient like this who wasn't really themselves didn't work so often, but Kai stopped his little temper tantrum and calmed down after some time, much to Kyungsoo's surprise. Most of the time, the patient had to calm down by themselves and their other personality would simply leave. Not in this case, though.

“What...where's Sehun? Did something happen to him?” Jongin asked after a good few minutes when he had come to his senses, squirming a little bit when he realized he was restrained.
“He's fine. Your other personality came out,” Kyungsoo informed his patient, and the guards took the restraints off of Jongin for him to sit up more comfortably.
“What? But...I tried so hard to keep my emotions from getting the better of me!” He said, more disappointed in himself than Kyungsoo could ever be.
“Well, most of the time, things like this don't come easily. We'll have to take a step back in therapy and start with the first step again,” The doctor said, and Jongin nodded glumly. That meant he would have to be here for longer, and he didn't like that. Now that he had seen Sehun, he realized just how much he missed the other man, and he wanted to go home. This place was nice and all, but it would never be as good as home with Sehun.

When Kyungsoo left, Jongin allowed a few tears to be shed for the extra time he would spend here, and the fact that he had failed such a vital test. He was sure he wasn't only a disappointment to himself, but to his doctor and his boyfriend too, and he didn't like that fact one bit.

As Kyungsoo had said, they regressed to step one to begin again. Instead of spending only a week on this, the doctor spent an entire month trying to perfect it with Jongin. He scolded Seulgi for allowing visitors, and she turned away Sehun whenever he wanted to come again. Not even his charms worked on her anymore.
Once Kyungsoo was sure Jongin could properly handle his emotions - which he proved to do by talking about his traumatic past without feeling agitated or uneasy - they moved onto step two. What the therapist had learnt from this was that his patients could seem like they were on the right path, but one wrong thing could come along and they'd be back at the start. He simply had to put greater care into Jongin's therapy, and it would be okay.
Step two was speaking about his past in a calm manner to work through it, and Jongin only had some difficulty in the start, but he eventually grew used to opening up to someone about his feelings on how he was treated as a child. The day he finally got it all off of his chest, he felt as if a weight was lifted from his shoulders.
Stage three revolved around maintenance of Jongin's progress and promoting his happiness and stability by urging him to set small goals which would improve his state of mind when he accomplished them. It was to raise his confidence, make him feel more in control, and just happier in general.
The fourth and final stage was similar to the third in the way that it focused on Jongin's happiness and stability, but in a more long-term sense. Kyungsoo helped improve Jongin's learnt skills in therapy for when he would leave the hospital and return home - knowing that Sehun was what agitated Kai, the doctor didn't want a reoccurrence of what had happened the day Sehun had come to see his boyfriend.

In total, the four stages took three months to complete, and while that seemed a bit too long, Kyungsoo found it absolutely necessary. Each day, he kept track of Jongin's performance, and when the time came for him to wonder if it was okay to let his patient go, he was happy to admit Jongin was taking little steps to getting better in their sessions. He hadn't had a setback or outburst, and when he felt pressured or unhappy or agitated, he applied his learned skills to calm himself. All in all, Kyungsoo was happy to allow his patient to leave, though he instructed Jongin to call if he felt he was struggling with a certain situation so they could have a small talk over the phone and he could coax Jongin into calming down and find good solutions. His therapy wasn't completely over with him leaving the institution, just toned down; he didn't have to have a session each day, but he could still reach out if he needed help.

“Thank you, doctor. Really. Thank you for everything,” Jongin said the day he was allowed to leave, and he pulled Kyungsoo in for a hug before he could even think of it.
“Don't mention it,” The doctor hugged back somewhat awkwardly - he was used to patients being happy to leave, but he had never received a hug before.
“Don't forget to call if you need help!” He said sternly once Jongin had walked to the door of his room which had become his home for three months, and he nodded with a smile, “I'll call if I feel I have to,”

He was still afraid to be alone with Sehun, but he hadn't out in a while now, so he was sure they would be okay.
Jongin gripped his bag in his one hand as he walked to the front desk to wait, turning when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“Three months, and you don't allow me to be your doctor for even a week,” It was Mrs. Oh.
“Yeah. Sorry about that. I had a point to prove,” Jongin admitted sheepishly; thinking back on it now, it was somewhat childish and reckless what he had done, but it was for the better, of course.
“Oh?” She asked with raised eyebrows, “what might that be?”
“You thought I would only lean on Sehun for support. That I couldn't do anything on my own, right? Well, now you've seen that I can, and that I will when need be. I hope you see how serious I am about being a good person for Sehun now,” He replied, and for maybe the first time since she had met Jongin, she realized just how hard he was trying to impress her. And he was doing a good job.
“Why? Why is it so important to you?” She asked, somewhat dumbfounded, and he smiled as he looked at her.
“I've always said I'd get your permission and blessing before marrying Sehun, and I wouldn't get either if you didn't like me, so I was sure this was the only way I'd prove to you I'm a strong, capable man that can handle himself. As cheesy as it is, I want you to give me an okay before we get engaged...when he's ready, of course. I know he doesn't really take your thoughts into account when it comes to relationships, but I want to be traditional to some extent,” He explained, and she opened to speak, only to watch as Jongin turned to the sound of his name from none other than Sehun himself.

She was nervous that Kai would suddenly come out again, but seeing how happy Jongin was to see her son put her mind at ease a little. Still, she'd visit them for the day to make sure nothing bad happened.

“Yeah,” She said to herself with a smile as she watched the two embrace each other tightly after being separated for so long, “I'll give you my blessing, Jongin,”