Chapter Two

            She sat across the room, on the couch. On the wooden desk sat Kyuhyun, legs slightly dangling all the while. The desk was rather wide and tall, like something a professional would use. But he wasn’t a professional yet. He had a long way to go, perhaps.

            The girl sneezed and immediately bowed her head.

            “I’m sorry. Excuse me,” she said as she took out her handkerchief from her shorts’ pocket.

            “It’s a much brighter day today compared to yesterday,” Kyuhyun said as he looked over to the window.

            It was Sohee’s second session that very Tuesday. She came over at around one o’clock, right after lunch break. That was her schedule – from one o’clock to three, she had to talk about her feelings. Kyuhyun tried to recall from yesterday what had happened after Sohee’s abrupt disclosure. But what only came to mind was an hour in complete, utter silence. Kyuhyun wasn’t really bothered. No, not that much at all. Whether his client talked or not, he was still getting paid for doing nothing. The Ahn couple was too kind and they really needed help. If they were otherwise, though Kyuhyun had a hard time imagining so, then Kyuhyun didn’t mind earning money for a half-assed job. But they weren’t so Kyuhyun, no matter how troublesome, had to really exert effort.

            “Sohee-sshi.”

            “Hmm?”

            Kyuhyun crossed his legs and placed his client’s folder over his lap.

            “Do you have any siblings?”

            Sohee put two fingers up.

            “Two older sisters. I’m the youngest,” she replied.

            Kyuhyun nodded at that.

            “Do you get along with them okay?”

            “I do,” Sohee said. “They’re nice unnies.”

            Kyuhyun pursed his lips and scratched the back of his neck. Sohee felt nervous suddenly. She didn’t want to be a bother to her psychologist or to anyone else for that matter.

            “But it didn’t start out like that,” Sohee said, a little hesitant.

            Kyuhyun looked at her.

            “Did anything happen before?”

            Sohee half nodded.

            “We weren’t really close during childhood. I was…” she trailed off.

            Kyuhyun set the folder aside, got to his feet and advanced to the one seater across the couch and sat there.

            “Were you bullied?” Kyuhyun asked.

            Sohee gasped.

“N-no! Not at all!”

            Kyuhyun chuckled.

            “What happened then? You don’t have to cut your words off too soon like last time.”

            “Well, uhmm…” Sohee started. “We didn’t get along well. Or at least… My unnies didn’t like me that much.”

            “Why is that?” Kyuhyun urged the girl to speak further.

            We’re making progress, at least, Kyuhyun thought.

            “I’m not sure. They just didn’t want to hang around with me. I don’t know.”

            Kyuhyun nodded again.

            “I’m sorry.”

            “Don’t be,” Kyuhyun said. “Were you mischievous as a kid? Perhaps that’s why they didn’t like you before.”

            Sohee paused to think.

            “I don’t think so. I was clumsy though.”

            “Clumsy?”

            Sohee smiled.

            “Yes. I often broke toys when I was a kid. I’d step on them without noticing or I’d trip over them. Stuffs like that, I suppose.”

            Kyuhyun smiled as well.

            “Did you break any of your unnies’ toys before?”

            Right then, Sohee blushed. She looked down on her palms and closed-opened them, embarrassed.

            “Ah,” Kyuhyun said, teasing. “You did. Didn’t you?”

            “B-because… I didn’t mean to…” Sohee said with that tiny tone Kyuhyun always felt amused with.

            Kyuhyun tapped a finger on his forehead, contemplating.

            “If your unnies didn’t play with you, then who did? Were there neighborhood kids you used to play with?”

            Sohee blinked then gently shook her head.

            “We… Weren’t allowed to go out much,” she said. “We always stayed inside. I never got to know our neighbors well.”

            Kyuhyun smiled faintly.

            “It’s not that our neighbors are bad people,” Sohee blurted out and shook her head. “Our family is just strict most of the times. That’s all.”

            “So, since you didn’t get to see your neighbors that much and your sisters weren’t that fond of you, you played by yourself? As in, alone?” Kyuhyun decided to ask. He was surprised when Sohee nodded and looked up at him with a smile.

            “Exactly that, maybe,” Sohee paused. “But we had butlers and maids. Sometimes they’d play games with me.”

            Kyuhyun chuckled again.

            “Then you weren’t completely alone. Right? That’s good.”

            Sohee giggled.

            “I guess so.”

            One hour had passed and, like last time, it was silent. Kyuhyun began biting his pen while Sohee looked around the room, still in her seat. It was a rather spacious room. It was clean and organized. There were little decorations but they brought out that professional aura.

            “You can walk around if you want to,” Kyuhyun said as he noticed Sohee’s curiosity.

The girl nodded, stood up and examined the room. The walls seemed like they were newly painted. There was that faded scent that only paint had and it made Sohee’s nose tingle a little. It wasn’t that bad of a smell. Sohee actually liked it.

            “This is my uncle’s office.”

            Sohee turned around. Kyuhyun was sitting on his swivel chair behind the desk. Elbows resting on the table, hands clasped together and chin propped on top of them, he smiled.

            “He went on vacation,” Kyuhyun said and gave it some thought. “Went to the States, I think. I don’t know.”

            Sohee’s eyes widened a little. America was such a far country and she dreamed of visiting the place someday. Kyuhyun detected the wonder in his client’s face and the lack of response to his words. He reclined in his seat, turning from side to side just a little bit.

            “We’re not royalties,” Kyuhyun laughed. “My uncle just really needed the vacation. You seem surprised.”

            Sohee laughed too. Wow, that’s a first, Kyuhyun thought.

            “I’m sorry. I wanted to go to the States, too,” Sohee decided to mention. “Some of my cousins moved there a few years ago. I was just wondering how it felt staying at a foreign country.”

            Kyuhyun hummed another tune. It wasn’t that he was bored or anything. He just couldn’t find the right words to say.

            “Have you gone to America before?” Sohee asked as she plopped down on her space on the couch.

            Kyuhyun thought about it while humming.

            “I think so,” Kyuhyun finally said after a minute of thinking. “Back when I was five.”

            Sohee smiled that little smile of hers.

            “Lucky,” she whispered to herself. “Wish I could go…”

            “Next time. When you don’t have to worry about studies,” Kyuhyun joked. His client merely flinched.

            “I mean,” Kyuhyun started out, uncertain. “You know. Anytime when it isn’t troublesome.”

            Sohee nodded now, understanding. Kyuhyun let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t want to confuse the girl let alone make her feel bad. The kid seemed fragile after all.

            “It’s raining again.”

            Sohee pointed out the window. The sky was as dark as yesterday. Kyuhyun didn’t notice earlier, the weather. It looked like the storm didn’t leave after all. Sohee turned back, her arm set on the couch’s headrest so she could get a better look at the raindrops. Kyuhyun scratched his head as he tried to think of a conversation.

            “Is it pouring? Stronger than yesterday?”

            Sohee mumbled something and it made Kyuhyun stand instead. It didn’t look as bad as the day before since it was only drizzling. What seemed strong were the winds, though.

            “I like it when it rains.”

            “Hmm? Really?”

            Sohee leaned closer to her arm, chin propped up comfortably there. She traced the wet dew with her index finger and sighed.

            “I think it’s comforting when it rains.”

            Kyuhyun sat on the sturdy coffee table as he stared at his client with little bewilderment and curiosity. Kyuhyun smiled when Sohee looked his way. The girl returned to her poised self and smiled back at her doctor. Strangely enough, there was no awkwardness unlike with Kyuhyun’s other two clients. Maybe it was because Sohee was young and had little knowledge of what the world had. Kyuhyun’s other clients were around his age and talking to them could be troublesome. Maybe, just maybe, Kyuhyun was still a kid enough to understand his kid client. Somehow, the thought comforted Kyuhyun.

            “I think so too,” Kyuhyun said regarding Sohee’s past words. “Though it gets troublesome during rush hours.”

            “Mm…” Sohee mumbled. “I wouldn’t know.”

            Kyuhyun let out a nervous laugh.

            “Of course. Enjoy life while you’re still a teenager.”

            Sohee looked down on her hands again. She closed-opened them like before and stopped. A tiny smile crept up to her lips.

            “Yes. Of course.”