“How is your day so far, Mr. Kim?” Dr. Zhoumi asks, tapping his pen on his knee and staring at me with raised brows. I hate it when he looks at me like that. It’s as if anything I say to him he’s not going to believe.
 

    “Can you skip me,” I question, having not formulated my pseudo insane answer yet. “I need time to process that question.”    
 

     “It’s not that hard to answer,” Leeteuk declares, waving his hand in a dismissing fashion. “I order you to answer the royal doctor’s question so we can move this gathering along.”
 

      “I don’t take orders from insane people,” I spit back, glaring at the self proclaimed Emperor of the hospital where he sat in a blue plastic chair across from me.
 

    Every Thursday night is group therapy night. Dr. Zhoumi would gathesr the hospital's least violent patients in the common room and makes them have meaningful conversations with one another. Tonight we sit in a circle of cheap, plastic chairs with Zhoumi in the center of the right side. I have been doomed to sit in-between Hyukjae and Donghae, acting as a buffer for their madness. Hyukjae is no longer allowed to sit next to Donghae for fear of him trying to drown the poor delusion sea king.
 

    The rest of the group consists of the same familiar faces I was used to from life on the second floor, as well as a few unfamiliar ones from the next floor up. Leeteuk sits across from me along with his self proclaimed bodyguard, Kangin. The insane Emperor of the psyche ward is always dismissive during group therapy, claiming he doesn't associate with commoners. Next to him sits a guest from the third floor I'm not too familiar with. He has blonde hair and a sunken face. Zhoumi referred to him as Yesung and apparently he doesn't speak.
 

     “If I answer the question instead, can I pass this level and continue my quest?” A brunette with a mischievous smile askes from next to Yesung.
 

     “Now Kyuhyun,” Zhoumi sighes, straightening the dark framed glasses on his long, thin, nose and looking at the boy with disapproval. “It’s not your turn and do I need to remind you that this is not a video game? This is real life.”
 

     “No, I’m playing psycho hospital escape three and you’re an evil doctor sent to make the player think he’s insane. I have to outsmart your programming in order to advance.” Kyuhyun argues, “Or, find a weapon and eliminate you.”
 

    “If you start eliminating people, you’ll be moved to the fourth floor and locked in a padded room.” I interject into the conversation, finding the younger’s speech amusing. Kyuhyun believes he is trapped inside a video game and all the people around him were simulations, thus making conversation with him entertaining.
 

     “Shhh…, Heechul-ah.” Hyukjae scolds from beside me. “Don’t anger the snake, he’ll bite you.”
 

    “He’s harmless, don’t worry.”
 

    “But, he attacked nurse bunny last week with a pillow.” Hyukjae whispers, “He was biting his face when the doctors found them.”
 

     “He wasn’t biting his face,” I rolled my eyes in response to Hyukjae’s innocence. “Nurse Sungmin was making out with him. I think they’re sleeping together.”
 

     “What did you say?” Kyuhyun glares, reaching down and removing his white, velcro, shoe from his foot and throwing it at my head. Luckily, I was able to duck before it hit me. “Shut up! You’re not allowed to speak yet. We don’t fight until level 15.”
 

    “Clearly, we aren’t making any progress.” Zhoumi interruptes with a scowl. “All of you head back to you rooms. We’ll continue from here next week.”
 

    “Finally,” I sigh as the group breaks apart. “I could you a shower and a good night’s sleep. This insanity is getting old.”
 

    “I know, they’re all crazy.” Donghae agrees as he, Hyukjae and I, push our chairs against the wall and prepare to separate. “If I were allowed near the water, I’d summon my fish to take them all out.”
 

     “Yeah, that would be fun.” I humor the fish king, “Your highness, East Sea.”
 

     “At least someone understands me,” Donghae smiles as I bow to him in fake respect. Sometimes it was fun playing along with the other patients.
 

     “Kim Heechul,” Dr. Zhoumi’s voice sounds over my shoulder, shattering my little game with the sea king. “I need to speak with you before you leave.”
 

     “I can’t tonight, Mimi.” I chuckle, putting on my best crazy face as I turn to look up at the skinny Chinaman. “I promised Hannie I’d speak to him before bed. There are tight schedules in heaven. If I don’t leave now, I’ll miss him.”
 

     “Then, you’ll miss him.” Zhoumi states firmly, “You can’t avoid my questions forever. Therefore, we’re going to have a private session, just you and I. Please, follow me to my office.”
 

     “I don’t want to be alone with you!” I shriek, doing my best to sound crazed, though I really don’t care one way or another.
 

    Dr. Zhoumi was generally a nice guy and he was always a gentleman to me, but it was best to protest a bit before giving in. Though, if I protested too much I’d be locked in a padded cell to cool down. That was something I wasn’t yet ready to experience.
 

     “You may bring Hyukjae along with you if it makes you feel better?” Zhoumi offeres, smiling at my monkey roommate behind me. “Is that alright with you, Hyukjae?”
 

     “Yes, Dr. Giraffe.” Hyukjae agrees, taking my hand in a gesture to calm me down. “Don’t worry, Heechul-ah. I won’t leave you alone with the tall giraffe. If he tries to step on you, I’ll bite him.”
 

     “Thanks, Hyukjae…, I guess.”
 

    “This way,” Zhoumi smiles as he leads us down a long hallway lined with office doors.
 

    Most of the doors were shut, the plaques reading various names of ward doctors. Nurse Sungmin stood inside the break room as we passed by. He was bent over a cup of stale coffee as he thumbed through a magazine. Hyukjae waves at his favorite bunny nurse, gaining the brunette’s attention and an adorable smile. I admit, I could see where Hyukjae got the bunny theory from. Sungmin is quite cute.
 

    The next door belonged to Dr. Choi and I hesitated to look inside it. Siwon was most likely seated behind his huge, black, desk, going over files with a grumpy look on his face. He’ll probably look up and judge me silently as I pass, as if he knows everything about me and thought I was some sort of deviant. Unlike Dr, Zhoumi, who I can tolerate, I 'm not fond of the thick browed Dr. Choi and his judging gaze.
 

     “I have to see him!” a familiar voice shouts from inside Dr. Choi’s office, causing me to freeze in my tracks. “I’ve stayed away long enough! Please, can’t I just peak in a moment. I promise I won’t let Chulie-ah see me this time.”
 

     “I’m sorry, Mr. Han.” Siwon answers the other in a stern manner. “I’ve scheduled a meeting with him tomorrow where we can control the situation. Mr. Kim’s mental status hasn’t been well today. Seeing you may undo all the progress we’ve been making.”
 

     “Heechul-ah, what’s wrong?” Hyukjae asks loudly, his voice ringing in my ears as I try to comprehend what is happening. “Dr. Giraffe, something’s wrong!”
 

     “Hannie…,” the name falls from my lips like a plea.
 

     “Maybe we should go back to the common room?” Zhoumi offeres, his voice sounding panicked, “They’re waxing the hallway and…,”
 

    I know he’s lying. I can hear it in his voice. That means Mimi’s trying to hide something from me. He must have heard it too.
 

    “HANNIE!” I’m screaming now, unintelligible sounds along with the name of my deceased lover. “HANNIE! HANNIE!!!”
 

     The pain is returning inside my chest. I can feel the grief building as a figure steps from Siwon’s office before me. That face, I know that face. But, it shouldn’t be here. It shouldn’t be staring at me like that. No, that face can’t be real.
 

     “You’re dead!! You’re dead!!”
 

     My mind has completely jumbled, my voice is a high pitched shriek as I feel strong arms wrapping around me from behind. Someone’s dragging me away from him. His face is getting harder to see. Dr. Choi is now blocking him from me. I can see him trying to push passed the taller. I can hear his voice calling my name. But, it can’t be true. This isn’t real!
 

     “Let go of me!!” The arms around me tighten and Hyukjae starts screaming a few feet away. Why is he so loud?
 

      “NO!” Hyukjae shouts as he tries to run towards me, but is suddenly held back by Dr. Zhoumi. “Leave him alone!!”
 

      My eyes are full of tears. I don’t know when I started crying. A blurred image of nurse Sungmin steps into my view. I can hear myself screaming for him to move. I can hear my voice loud and wild, like some animal whaling as it’s being consumed by a predator. But, I can’t make myself stop screaming. I can't make his face disappear.         
 

     “Rella, I’m right here!”
 

     No one calls me that, but him. I’m no one’s Cinderella, but his. Is he calling for me from heaven? Am I dead? Nurse Sungmin smiles at me nervously. His gentle eyes frighten me even more. He looks sorry for what he’s about to do, peering at me from behind a curtain of wavy brown hair. That’s when I see it, the needle. I hate needles. They remind me of hospitals. Hospitals remind me of death and death reminds me of Hannie.
 

     “NO!! Please!!” My words are full of fear as the arms around me hold me tighter and I see the needle come closer.
 

     There’s a sharp sting as Sungmin plunges the syringe into my arm and then my vision begins to darken. I can hear Hyukjae crying and the approach of someone new. Sungmin is arguing with a voice that has a familiar foreign accent. He’s telling them to stay back and not to come closer. I can feel my body going limp as Sungmin is shoved to the side and a face comes into view. I know this face.
 

     “Rella, it’s alright.” he whispers to me through the fog clouding my mind. His voice is like music in my hears. I need to hear more.
 

      “But, Hannie…,” my words fall clumsily from my lips as if I’m intoxicated. “You’re dead…, I killed you….,”
 

       “Rella…,” the voice slowly disappears as my body succumbs to the injection and the world fades into black.