༻✧༺

༻✧༺

↳ currently playing ;;
[Andromeda] - [Weyes blood]

There have been instances when Sora had to contend with one unfortunate event leading to another. However, by day's end, she consistently reassured herself, "It's just a bad day, not a bad life."

Although it had been a while since she had to confront such challenges, today made her realize that she might have to experience it again.

It's been a week since she last saw Jay, and she likes to think he's just busy and nothing bad happened to him.

If things couldn't get any worse, the clinic's administrator and chief medical officer decided to hold a meeting to decide on who will take Dani into their care.

The meeting initially started well, with each participant offering their opinions on Dani's case. Some suggested a quick discharge, which irked Sora even more.

She interrupted, stating, "If you think a patient with uncured OCD and an eating disorder should be discharged immediately, then you should doubt your license as a psychologist."

Tensions were escalating when Dr. Choi, with his fake smile and ass-licking approach to the chairpeople, intervened. "Miss Jung, you're the youngest in our department, lacking experience. It happens sometimes to get attached to a patient and to mistake their diagnosis."

The administrator, seemingly good for nothing, suggested, "Why don't we vote for who will take Dani as their patient? That way, it'll be equal and fair."

Sora knew nothing in this meeting was fair. She had too many enemies in this clinic, and Dr. Choi, with his manipulative personality, could easily sway anyone to side with him.

Of course, you know how the results ended: 11 for Dr. Choi and only 1 person against him.

The meeting came to an end, and Dr. Choi, clearly relishing the victory, approached her to rub it in her face. Nevertheless, she swallowed her pride and smiled, "Congratulations, Doctor. You took Dani from me. Taking my patient won't make you a healer; it just reveals the thief in a white coat with no original remedy. Well, you know what they say, a thief's fortune is built on the crumbling foundation of deceit."

Angry, she walks back to her office and orders her secretary to gather Dani's files and send them to Dr. Choi's office.

"By the way, Ms. Jung, Minho hasn't been answering his calls. It's been two weeks since his last session, right?"

"Weird. Is that so? I'll call his mom."

She steps outside the clinic and dials his number then his mother's number, but to no avail. After two rings, she gives up while walking.

Her phone vibrated from an incoming call. It was the man she had called twice.

"Hello," she greeted, furrowing her brows when, instead of a man's voice, a woman spoke at the other end of the line.

"Ah, yes, hello. This is Jung Sora, Minho's therapist. May I speak to him, please?"

There were a few seconds of silence, and the longer it persisted, the more uneasy she felt. Perhaps it was the tone of the woman's voice, as if she had just cried.

"Hello?" Sora asked after a whole minute passed without an answer. She briefly looked at her phone to confirm the call was still ongoing before placing it back next to her ear as the woman finally spoke.

"He is..." she started, and the uneasy feeling intensified. "He's dead."

It felt as if a cold bucket of water was poured over her whole body, rendering her momentarily speechless.

"He committed suicide by hanging this morning. He left a note stating that he couldn't take it anymore."

Her hand started to tremble as her chest tightened, the weight of the news sinking in.

"Thank you," the woman said, her voice cracking, and Sora sensed she was crying. "Thank you for taking care of him as his therapist. He'll be resting from now on."

"Thank you?" There's hardly anything she should thank me for, she thought.

"My... deepest condolences," she muttered as the call ended. Her hand lost its strength, and her phone fell down. She sat there for a while, looking into space, recalling the words the woman had told her.

As she poured every ounce of effort into pulling them from the abyss of their darkest thoughts, it felt as though all her endeavors crumbled when they chose to surrender.

In that heartbreaking moment, she carried the weight of their decisions as if she were the one who extinguished their light. Blame didn't rest on them or anyone else; it haunted her.

"It's not your fault, Sora," she whispered, desperately seeking solace.

Yet, even those words couldn't mend the shattered pieces of her soul.

She found herself dialing his number, he was the first person she thought of calling.

Jay.

But as though fate is mocking her once again, having her play her petty tricks, Jay didn't answer, and the call was switched to voicemail.

As darkness blanketed the sky, she made her way to the nearest convenience store, purchasing a bottle of soju.

"Just one," she resolved. The plan was to have a single can tonight and then head home.

Yet, that solitary bottle multiplied into two, then three, until she found herself on the fourth, feeling the onset of tipsiness. About to take another sip, someone's hand intervened, pressing the can back down onto the table.

"Hey," sora muttered. "Fuck off."

"So this is what you sound like when drunk."

She heard a familiar voice and looked up to see him standing in front of her, the man she didn't want to see ever again.

"Sora."

"Felix?"

She tried to take the bottle from his hand, but he threw it in the garbage bin.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you busy dancing and singing or whatever you guys do?"

"I'm here for you."

"Your sudden concern is cute, but remember, you're like a worn-out welcome mat – I stepped over you a long time ago." He looked down, guilty, but she just glared at him. She was going to stand up, but he took her wrist, stopping her.

"Aren't I a distraction? Leave me alone," she insisted, shoving her wrist out of his grasp. She headed for the door, intending to leave, but his words halted her.

"Sora, I'm sorry. I really miss you."

Stopping dead in her tracks, she didn't turn around, not wanting him to witness her vulnerable state.

"I accept your apology, but I don't want you back in my life."

She left the store without sparing him a glance.

Amidst the city streets, she walked with a noticeable limp, the potent effects of alcohol coursing through her veins. Tears, like crystal droplets, marred her delicate porcelain face, and her once-vibrant eyes now reflected the blurred haze of sorrowful memories. Unbeknownst to her, the bustling urban setting became the backdrop to her emotional descent.

In her intoxicated state, she wandered aimlessly, oblivious to the impatient car horns echoing around her until a sudden blaze of light startled her senses.

For a fleeting moment, the question lingered: was this the culmination, the final chapter of her journey?

Surrendering to the warmth that enveloped her, she pondered whether angels offered solace before the end. A peculiar, comforting fragrance teased her senses — the scent of those ethereal beings that, in her intoxicated musings, she found herself praising.

"Smells so good, I love it."

A deep chuckle, hauntingly familiar, resonated in the air as she reluctantly opened her eyes. The transition was disorienting, and she discovered herself lying on the grass near the road.

The man who had haunted her thoughts stood before her. In her inebriated stupor, she couldn't help but inquire, "Did you become an angel?"

Jay, finding amusement in her intoxicated state, couldn't suppress his laughter as he gently asked, "Did you hit your head?"

"So, what's up?" he asked, gently guiding her to the park benches. Jay, upon returning to his place and seeing Sora's missed call, attempted to reach her, but she wasn't answering. Deciding to check on her, he headed to her place, only to spot her outside the convenience store.

"I lost two of my patients."

"Still, is that the only reason why you're out here drinking alone?" Jay wondered, finding it remarkably unlike her character.

"Someone died today," she replied, as if that were the answer to his question.

"What about it? People die every day."

"He was one of my patients. He committed suicide because he couldn't take it anymore."

Jay looked at Sora, realizing she was staring into space, seemingly lost in her thoughts, before he chuckled dryly. "And here I thought you don't get attached to your patients."

"Everyone seems to forget that I'm human too," she muttered, her vision starting to blur, blaming the alcohol for it. "I have feelings too, you know. I feel happy, I feel angry, I feel sad..."

Witnessing her vulnerability, Jay experienced an emotion he had never felt before— an innate desire to shield her from any pain. However, he knew he couldn't understand unless she chose to share.

Amid Jay's contemplations, he was abruptly drawn to the present when he noticed Sora leaning in closer.

His gaze met hers, and he became acutely aware of their proximity, realizing that the tips of their noses were almost touching, forging an unexpected intimacy between them.

"I shouldn't be doing this. It's a breach of ethics in my line of work. But I lost my patients today, and I saw my ex. There's still something I want to lose."

"Huh?" Jay asked, utterly lost in her cryptic message.

"Wanna take it?"

"Wanna take what? What do you want to lose that you want me to take?"

She leaned in closer, but Jay didn't reciprocate.

"Wanna do it?" she asked.

It took a moment for Jay to realize exactly what she was suggesting, a moment elongated by the proximity of her face.

"You want me to call you by your name so bad, right? Then I'll say your name as many times as you want while we're doing it."

Jay met her gaze, and she held his eye.

"Are you drunk?" he asked.

"No."

"No," he said, leaning back. "I don't take advantage of women who are under the influence of alcohol. If you want me to participate so badly, tell me when there's not a single drop of alcohol in your system."

She lightly clicked her tongue, then rose and walked ahead, pausing to glance back at Jay.

"Take me somewhere," she urged, nodding toward his black Mercedes. "If you don't want me riding you, let me ride with you."

"Seriously?" Jay muttered, observing as she approached his car. "Who is that woman?"

It's as if she's a wholly different person. The psychologist who never forms attachments to her clients and a woman simultaneously vulnerable and audacious. He must admit, he appreciates both aspects.

He might have preferred this side of her a bit more. If she weren't drunk and hadn't initiated it, Jay isn't sure if he could stop himself either. However, going for a ride might help clear his thoughts of Sora naked beneath him.

══════════════════

➽─────────❥
HAPPY NEW YEARRRR 🎉🎉🎉

mfffff i ahve to go back to school im abt to kms srsly anywyasss we are nearing my fav chapterssss