Part I (885 words)
The Appointment

The office was simple; white walls that stretched low towards the ceiling, a bookshelf crammed full on the far wall to the left, hardwood desk in the center towards the back, half-closed shutters filtering the sun’s light from the window behind the large black chair.

Taemin scanned over the couches artfully placed in the center of the room, looking cozy and inviting even from his vantage point at the door. Finally his eyes settled on the beautiful woman seated in one of the couches, her long, curly, brown hair cascading down her shoulders and back in dark waves. The light hit her features in just the right angles, accentuating high cheekbones, full lips, and sharp, catlike eyes.

He had never seen her before in his life yet he recognized her in an instant.

She smiled prettily, showing off pearly white teeth. “Come in,” she says, gesturing steadily to the seat across from her. “Please, take a seat.”

Taemin nods slowly in response, closing the door firmly behind him before sitting down in the offered seat. He fidgets awkwardly once settled, cheeks tinged red in discomfiture as tries to relax.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Kim Gwiboon,” she introduces, holding out her hand confidently for Taemin to shake. He accepts the invitation and his grip is loose around her slender fingers as he shakes them. “Nice to meet you.”

“Lee Taemin,” he mumbles back, although he was sure she knew who he was and why he was here. Already he hates this, feeling scrutinized for every breath he took, as if each word that spilled from his lips would be analyzed—and they would, it was her job as a doctor after all.

He knew he should not have allowed Kibum to talk him into this, even if it was a free session.

My cousin is a renowned psychiatrist, the elder man had told him a few days ago, so the fact that she’s offering a free session is a really big deal.

Then why are you giving it to me? Taemin responded, exasperated as he stares back at the other man incredulously. I’m fine!

Kibum looked at him pointedly, gaze pinning him in place and zipping his mouth shut. Because you need it, Taemin-ah. Don’t deny it.

Gwiboon is studying the few papers trapped in her clipboard, sifting through the thin sheets and already scribbling words and annotations onto them. Taemin’s breath hitched slightly when her sharp eyes rise to connect with his, probing.

“Obviously, I know why you are here,” she states, tapping her pen absently on the board, “but I would like to hear from your mouth. Why are you here today, Taemin-sshi?”

Taemin bites his lip for a second, fixing his gaze on his hands as they twist together on his lap, reminding himself that he needed this, that telling her everything would be good for him, before he finally starts. “When I was fifteen years old… I was in an accident.”

A few beats of silence pass, Taemin’s heartbeat accelerating as his entire body breaks into sweat. He is shaking a little, squirming uncomfortably in his seat. Gwiboon smiles knowingly, and to Taemin’s surprise, her voice is soothing when she says, “Take your time, Taemin-sshi. You have an entire hour.”

He closes his eyes, flashes of memory sending him back into that shabby black car, his parents laughing and talking in front of him as he played a videogame in the backseat with his elder brother. They were stuck in traffic, bumper to bumper with the rain pouring so hard that you could not see anything outside of a few meters radius. It was dark as well, their surrounding pitch black without the streetlights, and the traffic had just gained speed as the lanes merged into one; they were finally on the bridge, the landmark signifying that there were only a few kilometers until they reached home.

Then it happened.

The sounds of screeching tires and something very large dragging across the asphalt attacked their ears before it became eerily silent. Not even a few beats later something rammed into the side of the car with a force so strong it flung the small car over the railings of the bridge, plunging it upside down into the dark waters below.

Through the cracked windows the water poured in instantaneously and Taemin could hear his father panicking in the front before he was cut off into gurgles. It was too dark to see anything, pitch black water churning around him and encircling him like fingers straight from hell, invading his body, constricting his lungs, and choking him until he could not breathe.

He could not even remember if he closed his eyes when he out, it was that dark.

“W-When I woke up… I was alone. I was in the hospital, I know it now, but back then… it was so dark in the room, and I just couldn’t breathe,” he confessed, voice shaky as he continued his account. “It was so dark and all I could hear was water a-a-and I couldn’t even move. I screamed until a nurse came in and the lights.”

He looked up at the pretty doctor, a wretched smile on his face.

“I may be a grown man now but… I’m afraid of the dark.”