The team leader spoke to the head of the Cheongcheon Gang with a voice full of disappointment.
“… It seems the counselor wants to continue the consultation a little longer…”
At that, Lee Seo-ryeong’s lips curled into a gentle smile. She nodded softly as if she understood everything.
“That’s fine. The one who knows my daughter’s condition best is the doctor. You must have judged that she still needs stability.”
Behind that gentle mask, Lee Seo-ryeong thought to herself.
“I’ve placed a suggestion.”
It wasn’t a strong one. The other party was an ordinary person, and if it were too strong, it would leave traces. She intended to evoke sympathy gently, to get them to open the door themselves.
But it was clear.
“There was no resistance.”
She recalled the hesitation in his eyes when she had asked him earlier. It wasn’t that the suggestion didn’t take effect; she felt no traces of resistance.
Yet, he had refused.
Was it because of a strong natural mental strength that he maintained rational judgment, even if emotionally stirred by the suggestion? Or was it a strong sense of professional duty manifesting?
Whichever it was…
In that moment, the doctor lifted his head and gazed indifferently at the CCTV. His attitude suggested he wasn’t concerned about what they were saying.
His gaze naturally shifted to his daughter, Seol Yu-wol.
‘…….’
It had truly been a long time since she had encountered someone who had rejected her suggestion.
***
The counselor must have the insight to quickly pierce through mental illnesses that gnaw at the inner self, even with the smallest hints that the client might casually drop.
Unconscious gestures. Word choices. Fleeting glances.
Any clue would suffice.
And one of the things that helped was my own abilities, but… to avoid relying solely on that, I’ve built up the knowledge and experience that would form the foundation of my actions as a counselor.
However, in this case with Seol Yu-wol, even that wasn’t necessary.
The clues were overflowing.
Lee Seo-ryeong’s attitude. Seol Yu-wol’s non-verbal behavior. Her response, where she couldn’t even express a single desire. And now, the term “Jahwa-yeon’s wooden doll,” referring to Seol Yu-wol, was starting to make sense.
This issue was not difficult.
No, I’ll correct myself. The treatment would be excruciatingly difficult, but the name of the disorder was somewhat clear.
“Dependent Personality Disorder.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be just that. I needed to clearly understand her relationship with Lee Seo-ryeong.
Therefore.
[Lee Seo-ryeong] [PINNED]
[Current state: Questioning the counselor who is blocking the visit despite being under suggestion.]
[Main stance: There are many questions to ask regarding her daughter, Seol Yu-wol.]
From now on, that was what I needed to know.
Seol Yu-wol averted her gaze from my greeting and nodded slightly. Fortunately, the Hunter, Dang Hi-ran, had explained me, which helped. At the very least, she didn’t seem to recognize me as an enemy.
I no longer looked at her through the glass partition.
– Tick.
I pressed the button beside me. The thick reinforced glass that had been blocking the space opened slightly with a noise.
The situation room perhaps was in turmoil watching this. “You’ve released the barrier holding an alien at ‘caution’ grade?”
I entered her room, indifferent to that.
“……!”
As I approached, Seol Yu-wol stepped back a bit, seemingly startled.
What kind of person would cause harm to someone?
“Would you come this way?”
Even with my proposal, Seol Yu-wol didn’t move. She stood there, as if her feet were stuck to the floor, alternating her gaze between the opened door and me.
I didn’t rush her.
As she hesitated, I stepped through the next door into the living room right beside us.
The room was quite spacious and nice. The space, designed like a model house, looked sufficiently good for aliens to stay.
I immediately headed to the kitchen.
Ice-breaking. A counselor has the duty to break the awkward atmosphere with the client and establish a comfortable environment.
Therefore, each counselor has their own techniques.
And this method was my favorite. It appealed to the most primal sense but… was also the easiest way to break down barriers.
When I opened the refrigerator door, a cold breeze rushed out. Among the neatly arranged fresh ingredients, I took out a box of strawberries.
I wasn’t going to make a meal. Just… something quick to prepare for dessert.
I put water and sugar into a small pot and turned on the heat. Carefully washing the strawberries with cool water.
– Sneakily.
I heard someone coming from the living room behind me. I didn’t turn around. The gaze itself might be burdensome. I pretended to focus on my work.
– Bubble, bubble.
Once the sweet aroma and foam started rising above the sugar water, I skewered the strawberries onto a skewer.
I then dipped the skewer into the melted sugar water. The sticky liquid enveloped the strawberries.
Originally, they should cool at room temperature for a long time, but… there wasn’t time, so I quickly put them in the freezer to set.
After a short while, I took them out.
The dessert I was making… was a food that had been quite popular some time ago.
Tanghulu. The sweet flavor that she might be the only one to know in this strange world.
I slowly turned my body. She had approached the kitchen, but her expression showed she didn’t know what to do.
I met her eyes as I carefully offered her the Tanghulu, which was upside down in a paper cup.
“… I believe this is also a pastry that exists in the central region.”
I handed the Tanghulu to Seol Yu-wol with the paper cup turned upside down. With a smile, I added softly.
“I hope it suits your taste.”
As she looked at the Tanghulu, her pupils trembled slightly. But that tremor soon ceased.
She slowly shook her head. There was no emotion in her voice.
“It’s fine.”
As if she were merely repeating someone else’s words.
“I learned not to put in my mouth food from the marketplace and… from a strange man.”
It was rejection. However, if the reason was clear, I also had something to say. Rules always have loopholes.
I scratched the back of my head as if troubled.
“I see… that’s a wonderful story. Naturally, that should be the case.”
I acknowledged her rule for the time being.
“However, this is not street food. I made it myself just now in a clean kitchen.”
I pointed to the spotless, shining kitchen right beside me.
“And I am not a strange man.”
I paused for a moment and looked into her eyes.
“As the Hunter Dang Hi-ran just said a moment ago, I am a doctor who exists to help you.”
I owe a word of gratitude to Hunter Dang Hi-ran.
“Then this would be food recommended by the doctor for the patient’s stability.”
I smiled gently and made my point.
“Doesn’t that change the story a bit?”
Instead of answering my last question, Seol Yu-wol sank into deep contemplation.
– gulp.
She swallowed hard while looking at the Tanghulu, and it seemed two narratives were clashing violently in her mind.
Finally, she opened her mouth. Her voice was devoid of emotion, just like before.
“I learned that following the doctor’s words is the quickest way to treat my illness.”
Her snowy white hand slowly stretched out, very slowly, to accept the Tanghulu I offered. And after a moment of hesitation, she brought it to her mouth.
– Crunch.
With a clear, crisp sound, the hard sugar coating broke apart.
In that moment, Seol Yu-wol’s movements halted. Her eyes widened.
– Crunch, crunch.
– Crunch, crunch.
She annihilated a skewer right on the spot.
“…….”
…Is she eating too well?
After finishing, she stood there, holding the empty skewer in her hand, simply staring. Her empty blue eyes were now fixated on the two remaining skewers in my hand.
I let out a small chuckle and offered her another skewer.
“Here, this is also from me, the doctor….”
– Crunch, crunch.
Before I could finish my sentence, her hand moved again. Another Tanghulu vanished between her cherry-like lips.
It felt like she was someone who loved sweet food tremendously and was hurriedly finishing it after a long time of not having it.
Ultimately, after devouring three skewers of strawberry Tanghulu, she sat in front of me.
In a much more relaxed atmosphere, I checked her state.
[Seol Yu-wol]
[Main Stance]
[The sweets I haven’t had in a long time… were delicious. My mind and body are somewhat stable now. However, in the corner of her mind, she is still concerned about the fact that her mother is in this world.]
My ability reveals more information about the person the more I lower their anxiety and stabilize them.
“Mother.”
As expected, the “someone” that dominated her unconsciousness that I had seen before was likely her mother, Lee Seo-ryeong. Naturally, it heightened the possibility that Seol Yu-wol’s figure of dependency was also her.
In a parent-child relationship, appropriate dependence is naturally necessary.
However, the moment it becomes excessive, the child becomes the property of the parent. The parent is everything to the child during the growth process.
However, children are not coloring books. Parents should not fill them with colors they like.
Responses suitable for my thoughts began to emerge in front of me.
[Suitable Response] [Satisfaction Suitability 70%]
[Let me ask you again. Seol Yu-wol, what do you want to do?]
The first option was presenting a conventional approach as a counselor.
The second was…
[Suitable Response] [Satisfaction Suitability 90%]
[Let me ask you again, what do you want to do?]
[(Put your hand in Seol Yu-wol’s hair at the back of her head and firmly grab her neck. Raise the corners of your mouth, but do not smile with your eyes… Speak in a low voice.)]
“…….”
What is this?
I furrowed my brow at that insane choice. Moreover, a suitability of 90%?
How in the world could such a choice even exist with a high suitability?
At that moment, when I doubted that number.
– Crackle.
The scenery wobbled hazily. And a scene began to replay before my eyes.
This was a phenomenon I had never experienced before.
In the scene, without hesitation, I approached Seol Yu-wol, grabbed her neck tightly, and snatched her.
Contrary to my expectation that she would be terrified, her eyes contained learned obedience.
I asked, with eyes devoid of laughter.
“I’ll ask you again. What is it that you want to do?”
Then, Seol Yu-wol reacted. Unable to avoid my gaze, she answered with a trembling voice.
“Y-yes… I will tell you right away… The girl, what the girl wants to do is….”
She desperately turned her mind to find an answer.
I looked down at her with a satisfied expression, patting her head.
And… I returned to reality.
“… Hah.”
I took a short breath.
‘Insane…’
What on earth is this shabby scene…
I couldn’t help but realize in an instant. Why this choice existed. And why its suitability was so high.
‘Lee Seo-ryeong….’
I shook my head vigorously and looked at the last choice.
[Suitable Response] [Satisfaction Suitability ??%]
[It’s okay to think of me as your father.]
And the last one.
It appeared to be the stickiest and most dangerous path.
However, oddly enough, I understood it more than the second choice.
While it may seem like a crazy choice…
It may sound ridiculous, but I think I understand the intention behind that response.
Most clients and patients with severe dependence find it hard to break free from their objects of dependency, whether by their own will or not.
If they attempt sudden independence or separation, they usually become unstable and collapse. In other words, it’s like a building crumbling down. In severe cases, all that weight can pour onto the counselor, leading to a reversal phenomenon.
This is why such therapeutic methods exist. The “Transference of Dependency Object.”
It moves the existing unhealthy and dangerous dependency relationship onto a controllable and safe object, the counselor. The counselor is a perfectly safe being.
By temporarily allowing the client to depend, one gradually fosters the client’s autonomy within that fenced-in area. Teaching them how to walk on their own, bit by bit.
By having new experiences of healthy relationships,
In the end, they will break through that fence by their own strength. Through a healthy separation from the counselor, they will experience complete independence.
Thus, it was a method to serve as a temporary safe haven that the client could lean on.
Of course, the choice of the word “father” itself is problematic…
But I also hadn’t completely dismissed that approach.
However.
Not yet.
This time, I would do it my way.
“I will speak frankly.”
I looked directly into her eyes.
“Right now, outside, Seol Yu-wol’s mother is here.”
At my words, her blue eyes shook like aspen leaves. With the second choice’s scene and Seol Yu-wol’s reaction, I gathered enough insight into how she views Lee Seo-ryeong.
“The head has been unceasingly demanding that I allow a visit with you.”
Slowly, I added.
“However, the rules here cannot be dictated by others.”
I promised her a safe fence.
“I think it’s right to ask for your intention rather than that woman’s will. All rules here shall be determined by Seol Yu-wol’s will.”
Taking a step closer to her, I asked quietly.
“Seol Yu-wol, do you want the visit?”
At my question, she retreated and desperately shook her head.
“I… I don’t know….”
She was now trying to escape in front of the crossroads of choice.
There was no way to evade further than this. Unless Seol Yu-wol spoke for herself, there was no way to block the visit.
“I don’t know….”
Yet, Seol Yu-wol didn’t answer. The fear within her was blocking her response.
In that case.
I took out the possibility I had seen just before.
There was emotional resistance, but… it couldn’t be helped.
To draw out her inner will, a shock therapy was necessary.
I approached Seol Yu-wol and placed my hand on her neck… no, her shoulder. I looked down at her with eyes that did not smile, just raising the corners of my mouth, like ‘me’.
And in a low, firm voice, I demanded.
“No. Answer me.”
Seol Yu-wol’s eyes met mine directly.
“You need to express your will with your own mouth.”
I quietly pointed to the door.
“If you do not wish for this….”
I made a promise.
“No one will open that door.”
As your counselor.
