Chapter 4
Let Me See You (HIATUS)Saehee rested on her bed before dinner. Her thoughts wouldn’t stray away from Minseok. He had been so open with her from the very start. Most people stood their distance from her—with or without knowing her condition. He knew it, and yet he still touched her and tried to joke with her. She was confused on why he would do that. She wasn't used to it.
"Saehee-ah, dinner's ready." A house maid called from outside her bedroom door. The maid had been working for her uncle for the past few years and yet she has still never gotten a clear view of her face. She would always be gone by time Saehee opened the door. Saehee climbed out of bed, and put on her house slippers. When she opened the door, the maid had already gone. Saehee preferred it this way.
"How was your first day of tutoring today? Was Minseok alright?" Her uncle immediately questioned once she had taken her normal seat across from him. He had been worrying about her condition and if Minseok had been insensitive to her.
"It went well. Minseok-shi is a great teacher." Saehee honestly responded simply. Jonguk nodded his head, obviously pleased that he had chosen the right person for the duty of tutoring his beloved niece.
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"From there just multiply these two numbers and then divide by the reciprocal. Then that'll get you the answer." Minseok explained how to do a problem step-by-step. While explaining, Saehee noticed that he would always smile. He never looked bored.
"Do you like math, Minseok-shi?" She asked him once he put down his pencil from writing.
"I love it." Saehee was taken back at Minseok's answer, because she too loved math.
"Why do you love it?" Saehee caught herself being curious. Minseok thought for a second before answering. "I guess ever since I was small I've always been pretty good at it. It kind of just stuck with me and I ended up loving it." He concluded. "How about you?"
"Math is real," she quickly answered in a matter-of-fact tone without having to think about it, "You solve math using numbers and equations that have reason. There's nothing fake about out." Minseok nodded his head in understanding. Saehee was so used to getting caught up in hallucinations that she ended up wanting to cling to something real.
“Excuse me,” Minseok excused himself from the room to take his daily pill. He wondered about Saehee’s condition; he hadn’t seen any serious signs of it.
After taking the pill, he returned to the room. He opened the door a crack before stopping when he heard laughter. Saehee was laughing. He peeked through the crack of the door to see what she was laughing it. There was nothing. The room was the same as it was just a moment ago before he left. She was laughing at something he couldn't see.
“I really missed you. You haven’t come to visit in a long time.”
“Sorry, I’ve been busy lately.” A bunny-like figure pouted cutely.
Saehee’s schizophrenia was first diagnosed at the age of four. She would tell her parents about her imaginary friend who was a bunny. Her parents thought of it as something normal because it wasn’t uncommon for children that young to have imaginary friends. But soon after, that imaginary friend turned into people. She showed signs of schizophrenia through her emotional outbursts of crying and anger, and seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. She would get confused between her figments of imagination and reality.
“It’s okay,” Saehee reached out to pat the bunny’s head in forgiveness. In Minseok’s eyes, he saw Saehee extend her arm out and pat the empty space.
“What have you been doing that makes you so busy that you can’t visit me?” Saehee asked.
“You know just hopping along, going with the flow,” the bunny cheerfully responded.
Saehee giggled, “You’re always going with the flow.”
Behind the door Minseok lost his balance while leaning against the door to get a better listen, and in result flung the door open. He landed on his palms and knees.
Saehee gasped at the sight of Minseok on the floor starring up at her in shock. She turned her head forward to what she was talking to but it was gone; she was brought back to reality. He saw me, Saehee panicked. She jumped out of her seat and ran out the room.
A/N: Oh man, I'm currently obsessed with writing this story. I wrote two chapters during school today~ Don't forget to comment :3 thanks for reading!
(updated: 12-9-13)
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