I couldn’t leave Wonho in that sterile whitewashed room. The only things in the room was a bed, small table with two chairs, a single set of drawers and a ‘large black mirror’ on the wall. This was clearly made of one-way glass. This didn’t help much, doctors would sit in there and take notes of how he’d act around certain people, Ms Kim’s boyfriend, which I now know to be called Zhang Yuan, and myself were included on that list of certain people. I was sure that it was causing Wonho’s paranoia. The doctors baby him too, the nurses even tried flirting with him, which only made it worse considering what had happened with Ms. Kim.

All he would do was sit on his bed, knees brought up and hugged into his chest, perched on his toes like he’s ready to pounce or run. Unfocused eyes stare blankly at a spot on the bed a few inches in front of his feet or on the door handle. He hugs his legs into himself tighter whenever he sees the door handle move even a quarter of an inch, probably scared that someone will come in and take him away. The tip of his thumb was nipped between his lips, his nerves about the unusual surroundings showing strongly.

He would flinch away from physical contact with almost everyone, which made it hard for him to receive treatment. The only person that he wouldn’t flinch away from was me, that meant that I would often be around whilst Wonho was being treated. That wasn’t something I liked, the way the nurses would speak to him reminded me too much of how Ms Kim spoke to him whilst he was being hypnotised back in the treatment room, that sickly sweet note in their voice was too similar that it left shivers down my spine.

He has made small improvements, he still can’t speak. Well, the doctors checked and as far as they can tell, it’s not that he can’t speak, more that he doesn’t speak. He’s capable of speaking but he chooses not to, any communication is done with gestures, typing and writing. For weeks, he wouldn’t eat or drink much. He’d always shy away from anyone, even me at first, so wouldn’t eat any food that was brought to him. I was able to get him to drink like I did on the first day and he would eat little pieces of food by himself. He’d pick at the food, almost inspecting it, before eating small pieces of bread or vegetables and leaving over two thirds of it untouched, almost as if he thought it was laced with sedatives. Maybe Ms Kim had done the same with his food back in the asylum.

He was very hesitant around me at first, I think he probably realised what he’d try to do under the post-hypnotic suggestion. It didn’t really scare me as much as it should’ve, probably because I knew that Wonho wasn’t in his right mind. Now, he’s eating well, he still checks the food but eats about three quarters of the food and can drink without help. He’s more relaxed, especially around me and the nurses don’t scare him as much.

As I was heading towards Wonho’s room, the Doctor in charge of Wonho’s treatment took me to one side to speak to me.

“Wonho isn’t going to improve much whilst he is here at the hospital in conditions like this. We know and you do as well, Takuya. We at the hospital think that maybe, if you agreed to this, Wonho could be released into the care of someone he trusts. Because we can’t find any immediate family and due to your loyalty to your friend, we were wondering if you could take care of Wonho. For example, moving him into an apartment with you. A nurse would visit every other day to maintain any treatment and you could accompany him to any hospital appointments but we feel that Wonho’s mental state could deteriorate if he stays here for too long. Wouldn’t you feel worse about yourself if you were stuck in one room with no outside contact for the rest of your life? Because, although I don’t care to say it, that could be the only other option for Wonho. I understand that this is a big decision for you so you can take all the time you need to decide. If you agree, we could have Wonho living with you in a little over a month, it’s a rather long winded process of checking over your apartment’s suitability and helping Wonho to readapt to living in society.”

My face lit up momentarily and then dropped, I don’t have an apartment or the money to buy one. I have a part time job as a waiter in a Japanese restaurant but I’m renting a room from Zhang Yuan. He considers it the least he can do for the way Ms Kim treated us. I’d left my previous job and apartment when I decided that I wanted to help Wonho. Well technically, I’d been sacked and evicted but I didn’t tell that to anyone. I explained this to the doctor, who said it was okay as he wanted to wait to ensure Wonho was ready for this. I thank him before changing my destination to go outside the hospital and call Zhang Yuan. All of this played on my mind whilst the phone dialled out, Wonho could be free of these hospitals.

“Hello, Takuya? Are you there?” Yuan’s voice rang through the phone.

“Hello, Yuan. I’ve got news on Wonho but I need to speak to you in person.” I said, wanting to explain the details face to face and not over the phone.

“Really? That’s great, Takuya. I have my lunch break in an hour so we can meet then. At the coffee shop over the road from the hospital?” His voice lifted, different from his usual monotone dreariness, he was obviously happy for Wonho.

“That’s great. I’ll meet you there. I’m going to go back to Wonho’s room now. I’ll hang up now. Bye.” I said, hanging up the phone, slipping it back into my pocket and returning into the hospital to see Wonho.

The hour passed quickly, when I was leaving, a nurse came in explaining that visiting hours were ending soon. I told Wonho that I was going to work and that I’d see him tomorrow. I quickly left the hospital and made my way over the street to the coffee shop where I was met with Yuan and a hot Americano. We take a seat inside and Yuan was clearly eager to find out what the news was.

“I’ll start before you ask any questions. Earlier, Wonho’s doctor approached me to explain that they believe that Wonho could soon be ready for release. Because Wonho doesn’t have any known immediate family, he would have to live with someone he trusts. The doctors said that he could move into an apartment with me because both Wonho and the staff trust me. But I don’t have an apartment or the money to even rent an apartment. So as much as I want to help Wonho, I can’t. What do you think I should do?” I explained briefly. Yuan remained silent, thinking, before his slowly nods his head and looks me straight in the eye.

“I can see your concern, Takuya. I can see a solution though. I own an apartment that my mother was going to move into a few years ago. In the end, she was too sick to move from China so she never lived there. I never sold it because I thought I could use it if I needed to commute to the other office on the other side of the city. It’s a small place, 2 bedrooms and it’s near to the hospital. I’m not going to be needing it so if you and Wonho wanted to, you could live there. I know that you don’t earn much. Because I bought it and it's privately owned, you wouldn’t need to pay rent. I ask that you could pay for the utilities such as gas, electricity and water as well as your personal things such as food and toiletries. It’s got the basic furnishings already there such as beds, sofas, tables and chairs, crockery and cutlery because I had it ready for my mother to live there so you won’t need to buy that. I can take you there after we both finish work if you want to see it. What do you think?” Yuan explained this in thorough detail. He looked like he had thought about this before but right now, I didn’t really care about that. Wonho could be out of that hospital soon.

I couldn't even speak, worried that I would just become a happily sobbing mess in the cafe. All I can do is nod, my eyes could tell Yuan the rest. We had to part ways soon, both of our jobs needed to be attended to. All through the lunch and dinner service I couldn't stop thinking about Wonho. We could both be living in an apartment soon, both of us free from hospital wall confinements. My shift passed in a rush, I was so eager to get home, to see my potential new apartment. As I left the restaurant, I saw Yuan's car parked directly outside. I head for the car straight away and slip into the passenger seat. In silence, Yuan drives us to a relatively new apartment block near to the hospital. 

As we enter the lobby, Yuan takes out a small rectangular key card and hands it to me. I look closely at it to see 3 small black digits printed digitally onto it, 301. Suddenly, the elevator I didn't even realise I'd gotten in stopped on the third floor. I step out of the elevator to see a small hallway with two simple doors on it. The one straight in front of me read 302 and the one on my left read 301. Yuan stepped to my left and simply gestured to the door handle. I see a thin black line on the handle for the card key in my hand. I slowly insert the card, hearing a low click and a small beep. I lightly push on the handle and I let the door slowly swing open.

As I step out of my shoes in the footwell, I look down the hallway. I can't see much so I venture further into the unknown apartment. I'm met with a simple open plan living room and kitchen. There is a slim black sofa, matching chairs and wooden coffee table in front of a sleek flat screen TV. In the kitchen, there are black cabinets and a shimmering granite worktop with matching appliances. In the centre, there stood a large kitchen island and 4 black leather stools. The walls are painted an off white colour, standing out against the dark black of the kitchen. One wall of the apartment was completely glass, it had doors leading out to a small balcony. Further into the apartment was a modern bathroom, still in keeping with the black and white theme. The two bedrooms were opposite each other in a side hallway. Both are spacious rooms, each fully equipped with a double bed, chest of draws, wardrobes and vanity table with a mirror.

I probably spent about 40 minutes looking around this apartment in awe. This apartment was perfect, it was exactly what I thought when I pictured Wonho and myself in an apartment. I found Yuan sitting on the sofa, waiting patiently for me. I couldn't do anything but hug him. He patted me on the back whilst I started to sob happily. Wonho would finally be free.

"It's perfect, Wonho will love this place. Thank you so much, Yuan. Thank you so much." I said, the tears eventually subsiding although most of them had landed on Yuan's shoulder.

"It’s okay, Takuya. This is the least I can do, especially for Wonho. Leah treated you guys too badly, him especially. I need to help him like I helped you. Let's go home, it's been a long day and we both need the rest. Tomorrow, we'll both go to see Wonho's doctor and explain how this is going to work." He calmly explained. As we left, I looked back at my future home. I'm going to be happy here, so is Wonho.

The next day, Yuan and I went straight to the hospital. We found the doctor and Yuan explained the arrangement in detail, in the same way he explained it to me yesterday. Overall, the doctor was happy with our arrangements. He wanted to view the apartment personally so that was arranged for the weekend. Now that the doctor was okay with the arrangements, all we had to do was explain this to Wonho. We decided that it was best that I did it.

I slowly entered Wonho's room. He looked at me in a state of confusion. He knew that it wasn't visiting hours so he was wondering why I was here. I sat on the chair next to his bed. He was in the same position as always, I often wondered if he slept like that. I poured us each a drink and gave him one cup. I waited for him to finish his own before I started talking.

"Wonho, I've been talking to the doctors here." He immediately seizes up, he's still uncomfortable around the medical staff, but I continue. "It's nothing bad. They're thinking about your future. You can't stay in this hospital room forever." Wonho grabs his notebook, flicks to the nearest clean page and scribbles down something.

'I don't want to either.' was printed messily in black ink.

"I don't blame you. I wouldn't want to be here either, so the staff have been talking to me and Yuan about something." I said, feeling slightly relaxed knowing that Wonho would be just as happy about his as I am.

'What are they saying? Are they going to put me into another asylum? I don't want to go. I don't want you to leave.' read the next line of nearly illegible script. I shook my head, as long as I am here, Wonho was not going to another asylum. I wouldn't allow that, not after what happened before. Another asylum would break him again.

"I'm not going anywhere, Wonho. The doctors have suggested that you can move into an apartment with me. You'll still have to come in for appointments but the basics of it is that if things go well, you could be living in an apartment with me. What do you think about that?" I was asking, waiting, hoping for the response that everyone watching though the one-way mirror was also hoping for.

'Really? Is this really happening? You better not be joking.' His concern was understandable. If I was in his situation right now, I'd be unsure if what was being said to me was real.

"It’s really happening, Wonho. You could be out of here soon." Hopefully, this reassurance would be all he needs. While expecting a written response, I was surprised when I see that Wonho had suddenly pounced onto my lap and was hugging me tightly. I was wondering what was happening until I felt tears fall onto my shoulder, Wonho was crying for the first time since he'd left the asylum. I held him tight and rubbed his back calmingly as he let out months and months of emotions all at once. Fifteen minutes later, he'd calmed down and sat on his bed again. His posture was different this time, he'd crossed his legs in front of him and he had a slight smile on his face, his hands rested lightly on his knees and his red rimmed eyes seemed to focus on mine. I couldn't help but smile too.

It took longer than expected for everything to fall into place. The apartment was fine but Wonho was trying to run before he could walk. He was pushing himself too far in his treatments and therapies that he often took steps backwards before moving forward, sometimes quite literally. Little less than 3 months later, Wonho was packed and ready to leave the hospital room he'd known for what seemed like eternity and he was ready to move into the apartment. He'd been allowed out to see it a couple of times before and he'd already chosen which room he was getting.

On the way out, the nurses that worked with him waved goodbye as I pushed him out in a wheelchair. He could walk, but not for long distances so he would need this chair and crutches until his physiotherapist was happy with his progress. I loaded his bag, chair and crutches into Yuan's car after setting him into the back seat. As we drove the short distance from the hospital to the apartment, it was comfortably silent. Wonho kept looking out the window in amazement of what he saw, he did this every time we took him out of the hospital and he loved the view from the apartment’s window wall too.

When we arrived, Yuan took the bag and crutches whilst I helped Wonho into his chair and wheeled him into the elevator. As we unlocked the door to the apartment, Wonho stood from the chair and took his crutches. I walked beside him as he entered. When he stopped to take in his surroundings, I looked at him before gently saying,

"Welcome to our new home, Wonho."