"It's nice to finally meet you on proper terms, Bang Yonghee... My name is Jung Daehyun, the investigator of your case."

Yonghee fidgeted nervously in her seat, watching Daehyun awkwardly; she rubbed the nape of her neck, her legs twitching slightly from the overwhelming attention she was receiving from the handsome male before her. Daehyun locked his eyes with hers, humming to himself every few seconds, and jotting down notes onto his notepad. "How do you feel?" he questioned suddenly, the loud ringing of his voice causing Yonghee to jump.
"F-fine," she stammered nervously, scratching her wrist.
"Are you sure? Do you feel uncomfortable? Hungry? Thirsty? Tired?"

Yonghee shook her head slowly. "I'm fine, really," she whispered. Daehyun's eyes narrowed upon her quivering form, sighing as a result. He ran a furtive hand through his dark brown tresses and smiled reassuringly at Yonghee. "Look, I know you're scared," Daehyun whispered kindly, "and you must really want to see your brother, but before we can go to all that, you have to let me evaluate you, okay?"
"What-what for?"
"I have to scan your mental well-being," Daehyun explained. "It's a complicated process, but if you lend me your cooperation, we could get through it quickly. You have to trust me, okay? I work for your brother; not here to hurt you."
"But what if.. w-what if she wants to --"
"I won't let her," Daehyun interjected confidently. "Yonghee, you're safe now; I won't let her come out anymore, okay? You won't be hurting anymore people." His voice was barely above a soft mutter; his tone was gentle, and almost surreal. There was a mysterious glint in his eye that Yonghee caught, failing to miss the reddish tint in his apple cheeks.

"Daehyun-shii," Yonghee drawled shyly. "What... exactly is w-wrong with me?"
Daehyun pursed his lips together, before exhaling a long, deep breath. "You have... a disassociatve personality disorder," he stated bluntly. Her eyes widened, causing Daehyun to sit upright, alarmed as he did so. "It's nothing serious," he told her hastily. "We can get you treated --"
"Is that what oppa wants?"

Yonghee's voice wavered, cracking off at the end; Daehyun immediately caught sight of her glistening tears as she lowered her head shamefully, bowing almost as if in apology to Daehyun. "Is it what oppa wants? Does he want me to be treated?" She blinked up at him innocently, in a deep hiss. "If he doesn't want it, I won't be treated," she claimed gently to herself. "If he feels I should be punished, then I will be -- my punishment can be --"
"Stop," Daehyun grimaced. "Don't say things like that, okay?"
"But --"
"Don't worry about your brother right now -- our main focal point is you, not Yongguk-sunbaenim," Daehyun asserted distantly. He looked at her woefully, a docile expression creeping onto his sculpted features. "You can be saved, Yonghee," he whispered. "I can save you."

Yongguk averted his astonished gaze over to Daehyun, his eyes instantaneously morphing into a scornful glare. "I thought I told you to... God, I can't believe you," Yongguk growled. Daehyun bowed his head respectfully at Yongguk's reprimanding, submissive to his elder as the latter continued to pour incessant words of scolding to Daehyun. "I thought I told you to just give it up!"

Yonghee squirmed uncomfortably in her seat in the corner, blinking up tragically at Yongguk's running mouth, cringing every time his lips uttered a word of profane obsenity. She her lips slowly, lowering her gaze as the two turned back to look at her; none of their words had met her ears, for they were speaking lowly, in secret. Yongguk shuffled swiftly over to her, with Daehyun strutting behind him, hot on his trail. Daehyun examined Yongguk tensely, watching his elder gaze down at Yonghee. Unfortunately, the young prosecutor couldn't seem to catch Yongguk's expression -- but luckily, Yonghee did.
She immediately loosened up at the sight of his softening gaze, scratching her head awkwardly as her brother continued to stare down at her. "How long is she going to remain like this?" Yongguk asked suddenly, voice stiff with worry.
Daehyun averted his gaze elsewhere, cocking his head arrogantly as he glimpsed casually at the back of Yongguk's head. "As long as you want her to," he responded vainly. "I've finished my eval on her. As long as she continues to take the prescribed pills, and continues her therapy, Yonghee will be just fine."

Daehyun took the initiative to take his place by Yongguk, glancing down at Yonghee warmly. He smiled at her, crinkling his nose into a quirky smile out of reassurance. Yongguk stole a glimpse at Daehyun before shifting his complacent eyes over to his younger sister. "Yonghee-ah," Yongguk whispered earnestly, "do you.." He trailed off slightly, his lips to recollect his thoughts.
Daehyun smiled vaguely, slipping out of the room to leave the pair to themselves. "Mianhe." Yonghee was the first to speak up after Daehyun's leave. She avoided Yongguk's incredulous gaze and shifted in her seat slightly, leaning against the arm rest as she glued her eyes to the stain on the carpet near her shoes. "I must've disappointed you with what I've done," she whispered. "So I just wanted to say that I'm sor --"

She gasped briefly as she felt her body press up against a firm chest; arms wrapped securely around her shoulders as Yongguk dropped to his knees and took Yonghee graciously into his burly arms. He nuzzled his nose affectionately against her shoulder, drawing in a trembling breath. "Pabbo," he grumbled childishly. "Why are you sorry, when it wasn't even you?"
"Oppa --"
"I couldn't protect you; I couldn't stop Abeoji; I couldn't save you. It was my fault your in this position, so don't blame yourself anymore, pabbo dongsaeng.. It's all my fault. And for that, I'm sorry -- so sorry, Yonghee-ah." Consolations escaped Yongguk's lips endlessly, filing Yonghee's ears with his incessant apologies. He let himself go, tossing aside his dubious thoughts, and casting away his bitterness; he broke down in front of her, cradling her gently in his arms, a firm grip around her frail form. He shook along with his shaky breaths, gasps bated as he cried silently into the junction of her small shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Yonghee-ah."

Everything Yongguk had wished to say; everything he had wished to tell her -- they came all at once, leaving his lips. They echoed into her listening ears, reverberating sincerely throughout her eardrums. The moment he had set eyes on her when Daehyun had brought her in, claiming she was "back", Yongguk didn't want to believe it -- but all that doubt was obviously thrown away. Her voice, her innocence and naivete -- Yongguk felt her sincerity; and it rung through him like a chime of bells. She was back; he was wrong, and she was back.

Yonghee was back.

The real Yonghee.

"I'm so sorry, Yonghee."

Gently, Yonghee wrapped her arms around his waist, encasing them lovingly as she continued to listen to his profuse wails. SHe smiled gently as she laid her chin atop his head, crooning to him softly as if he were a child. "It's not your fault, oppa. It's nobody's fault, so don't suffer anymore, okay? Stop crying, now."

Daehyun grasped Yonghee's hand softly, leading her into the interrogation room. "What are you doing here?" Yonghee looked around, eyes wide with an intriguing curiousity. Daehyun shrugged merely, smirking contemptuously. "It's.. therapy," he whispered. "Our dean wants us to prove that you actually are... you know.. He asked Yongguk-sunbaenim to actually prove that you have a multi-personality disorder, but seeing as the state he's in right now, sunbaenim could obviously be biased, so.. I was assigned to do it.. but I'm here to help, so don't worry." Daehyun cleared his throat, cutting short his rambling session. He scratched his temple timidly, avoiding Yonghee's penetrating, doe-like eyes.
"Then why are you sounding so angry?" Yonghee glanced at him carefully, leaning her head in to study his downcasted expression.
"It's because what he's asking me to do is preposterous," Daehyun growled harshly. His actions toward Yonghee were gentle and tender, but to everything else, it was like he was on some kind of rampage. "He wants me to show you the victims' pictures;he wants you to watch old telecasted news; he wants you to identify murder weapons and all those crazy things -- Yonghee, it's bad, very bad; you're just recovering -- you can't endure this now!"

Yonghee shook slightly, half from the cold air being blasted from the vents, and half from fear of Daehyun's mad ranting. He let out an exhausted breath, slumping into his seat defeatedly. He stared prosaically at the walls, in a banal breath before shifting his monotonous eyes over to Yonghee, who was planted stiffly in her seat across from him. "Let me do it," she whispered confidently.
Daehyun snorted incredulously. "What?"

Yonghee smiled stupidly, scratching her cheek sheepishly as she met Daehyun's flabberghasted gaze. "You said you could save me.. I trust you. If it's going to help prove the people that it wasn't actually me; if it will give oppa closure, and if it will satisfy your boss, shouldn't I do it? After all the crimes she's committed, it's the least I could do --"
"Your intentions are pure," Daehyun demurred amiably, "but you're taking this all wrong. You don't understand that trauma you've been through. If you look at these photos and watch the news they've reported about you; if you do any of the things you're asked to do, there is a chance you could have a breakdown, Yonghee-shii," Daehyun explained haughtily. "There is a chance you could lose your one shot at full recovery. I can't let you do this, okay?"

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

She pouted immaturely, blinking away as she felt undermined beneath Daehyun's scrutinizing stare. "I'll think of a way, okay? The people can't be moved -- they think it's you. No matter what I tell them of our condition, they're still going to want to try you for first-degree," Daehyun muttered contemptuously. He sighed. "I'll think of a different method. You just have to trust me, okay?"
Yonghee nodded gratefully, pursing her lips together into an awkward smile. "De... ah, Prosecutor-shii," she addressed awkwardly. "I have a q-question."
Daehyun raised his eyebrows, probing her affably to continue.
"You know.. you really didn't have to do all... all the things you did for me," she whispered. "And it's clear.. you don't get along well with oppa much... so --"
"So why?" Daehyun chuckled.

Yonghee blushed, nodding furiously.

Daehyun cocked his head teasingly, smiling cheekily at Yonghee. "That's a good question," he jeered playfully, in attempt to lighten up the mood. He chuckled breathlessly, wiping the corner of his lip shyly with his thumb. "I don't know, really," he admitted sheepishly. "But.. I think I've just... it just seems like I've taken quite an interest in you, Miss Bang Yonghee."