"I thought I was getting better. I really did."

×ו××

[Two days later]

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Namjoon worried, holding my fingers into his hand. I tried my best to not sigh for his overly concerned actions and looked at him unreadably.

"Yes, Joon." I forced. "I guess I'll be fine? The boss wanted to talk to me today about it. Yoongi is still at the hospital, so I probably don't have much work. I don't know.." Clutching my bag, I swung it around my shoulder and grinned at my friend.

"Text me if there's a problem with anyone...okay? Whoever it is, give me an immediate call." Namjoon specified a word, and it brought my mind to a certain someone. Kim Seokjin.

Namjoon advised me not to apologize anymore to Jin and not to text him as a friend either. We were on bad terms since the incident, I felt I'd rather not come off as honest. Namjoon seemed to have a fair reason. I'll look guilty of the incident with Yoongi. Continuously apologizing to him won't make a difference. Or will it?

It won't. Moreover, almost none of this was my fault. I was involved in a part of the problem because it was me who thought comforting a deranged person would make a difference. I actually thought it'd brighten him up. Damn, I really hate my mind sometimes. 

I always liked thinking everyone deserves the feeling of endearment, knowing you're always loved, always by someone.

Namjoon informed me Jin wasn't going to appear to work for several days. I wasn't told of how long he would be absent, but I felt like it would be a good amount of days to let him relax and realize some simple information.

He was about to drop me off at work, get some food, and head home to Jungkook. Jungkook, that man was cleaning up the entire house this early morning, especially his room when I was dressing. Maybe his friend was coming home. I didn't mind who it was, but I had to ask.

"Hey, also is there..anyone coming? To the house? Jungkook surprisingly cleaned his room and tidied the living room this morning. " I blurted quickly before two or more thoughts stopped me from speaking.

Namjoon took a second to chuckle at my question first, before having the brightest smile on his face.

"Yeah, his friend. It's more like they're in love with each other but don't want to confess first. Haven't you seen her? Hana?" I instantly caught up on her face, she's the one in his university.

The short black hair, light caramel eyes, a warm undertone skin, natural top heavy lips. The last time I saw her was on her birthday, she wore a gorgeous floral gown. 

I'd never forget her face. I've always found her amazing. "Yes, her. She's coming to the house today. She's leaving for the US to see her aunt this weekend. Won't be back for three months. So I figured I'd be there and help them with a little something before anything changes."

I nodded aggressively, scrunching my nose in joy. "Yes! Oh my god! But don't force it. Let them go with their pace." I unzipped my bag and took a glance if I had everything once, before leaving the car with a wide smile.

"She staying over tonight. There's a lot to prepare! I'll see you soon, Yu."

And off he went. I sighed deeply, numerous thoughts running over me as I watched his car depart. I honestly had no clue how he was to convince Jungkook to not be afraid of rejection and confess. I also felt Namjoon didn't need to do anything.

In my opinion, Jungkook was trying his best not to rush things beyond the limits of their friendship. If they were to be in a relationship in the future, I'd be the happiest person ever.

Lord! The thought excites me!

Ah, I have my problems barging in now. The boss wants to see me and there's nothing worse than getting fired. I also hadn't seen Jimin since that night, although I should've called him. Though he deserved an explanation, the fear remained. 

I couldn't figure out the name precisely, was I fearing his madness for 'hurting' his lovely brother? Or was it the fear of him acting equivalent to Jin in terms of mind control? I was not ready to look like a murderer again, I could tell that. 

Lifting my wrist, I checked the time with preoccupied emotions and overwhelming thoughts. 10 minutes to 9 o'clock. Oh gosh. I licked my lips to gear myself and patted my chest as a sign of comfort and motivation. 

I either stop overthinking, get in there, listen and move on or die. The result was opposite to what I'd thought. 

As I walked in, I noticed Sarah with a book on her thigh, opened wide to a page number, as she sat on a chair outside. Her hair was left free, and she wore rather dull clothes. Her face was bare without the general skincare she always did to it. Her ID hung low over her neck. I could tell a minute difference with her features.

Despite how bad she looked and how much I wanted to ask her what was wrong, I decided on getting my mind cleared first before whatever worse may happen.

I was glad, but not happy that she hadn't noticed me walk past her. The boss's room came into view and I almost forgot about Sarah.

Knocking on it twice, I waited silently. A 'come in' echoed and I let out a sigh of 'here goes nothing', before going inside.

The boss sat in his huge chair, a typical boss laptop before him that was opened and shining a light on his face. He was staring into it whilst noticing my presence side by side. He typed into the keyboard and grunted at what he was looking at. 

"Sit down, Yuri." He had the gravest look, and his tone was alarming me. I did not try to delay and sat down right away, for not knowing the upcoming.

"So?" His brows uplifted as he closed his laptop after a thoughtful look at it, moving it to a side so he could comfortably rest his forearms over it. I, on the other hand, stayed chill, recollecting the actual incident that took place to say if he cared to ask.

"Is..this about the.." I started, feeling too stressed just to speak. "The incident with your patient? Yes. It's about him. Min Yoongi." He mentioned the jerk's name, causing me to nod briskly.

"First of all, Yuri, are you feeling better now? Your friend, Kim Namjoon talked to me about your health on the same day it happened. I did not want to bother you and stress you out." He said. I was too stunned to speak, not knowing Namjoon was listening to me feeling scared if I got fired, all the while when he already spoke about it.

W-wow.

"A-ah, y-yes..thank you, sir. I'm feeling alright." I managed, a little confident he was concerned about my health. It was new to me, someone caring about me after a long time. I couldn't help but remember my old boss, who was nowhere close to at least pretending kind.

It doesn't make a difference anyway. It doesn't help with me losing my job. The percentage of me losing this job still lingers. I nervously picked at the skin surrounding my nails, hoping for blood to come out and kill me before I hear those dangerous words. 

"Good. Now, about Min Yoongi." The name, in all honesty, naturally gave me a spine-chilling tingle around my body. I won't lie to myself, his powers are scary. Working with such a patient gives me genuine fear. Moreover, this is an asylum. A mental asylum. A place for the deranged? My emotions here were beyond that.

"Y-yes." I stammered, feeling my heart skip a beat. Stop it, Yuri. Listen first.

"Yuri, I.." He hesitated to reveal his thoughts. Silently biting on my lower lip, I watched for another word.

"Yuri, I don't blame you. Straight to the point, you do realize some part of this mess is caused by you, right?" I bobbed my head at his cold but frank sentence as he continued. "I understand the mentality you had when you heard him 'cry'. Did you not have a single thought that warned you? I get he's human, he's a living person with his own problems to deal with. There is however a huge reason as to why him.. and in a nutshell, all the mentally ill ones are here."

"They've all gone through..I don't even know, it's-it's all terrible to picture. Since you've worked in a place like this before elsewhere, I hoped you would've known the outcome of comforting the insane. I'm not saying they don't deserve love and such, still, there must exist a fair wall between their frame of mind and..namely yours."

I let myself absorb his sentences, each one holding a meaning.

"We'd had a similar experience in the past once. Patient 327. Yes, I will never be able to forget that man's face. He was one of the worst patients we dealt with in the history of this asylum. I do not wish to talk about what he went through, I find it extremely disturbing. I'll rather share his files later, so you know better."

I gulped dry saliva down my parched throat. "I can also tell you haven't read your patient's document I gave you to look through, a long time ago. Maybe you went through the first two pages and left the rest to catch up on later. Please understand. If you want to work here, it's high time you get to know who you're dealing with. Do I make myself clear?"

Realization emerged in me, my head automatically moving in vertical.

"Have you ever felt the need to resign or feel this is too much? I've had some previous staff resign due to the amount of trauma they've gone through here. This is not to push a button, this is only a chance for you to understand your job here and rethink if you're mentally and emotionally armored for it. Don't get me wrong. Yoongi is not the only patient who can control minds if you are convinced so. Speak up now if you need to." That widened my eyes. Do I need to resign?

What if I send in my resignation letter and leave this place once and for all? Will it make my life any better? Will I be able to find another job? What will Min Yoongi think of me? Will I look like a coward if I leave this place for one patient? For Min Yoongi?

Yes. And I will not let that happen. He wanted to see me suffer, see me beg him to leave me alone. I won't be that. No way. I am not a coward to leave this place.

But if I make the wrong choice? What if he makes people turn their backs on me again? Will my life crumble down? Will mess worse than this happen? Will I submit myself and look like a-

"Yuri. Are you okay?" A palm wavered before my face, making me reminding me of the place I was in. 

"Y-yes, sir. I.." I jerked back to see his face and not his palm that almost strained my eyes from being too close.

"I do not wish to resign, sir." I said after a long pause, sounding too polite, too confident, "I will take care of Min Yoongi from Room 666. But with more caution. Has there.. been a problem with what I'd done?"

"Well, I talked to the chief about it. He doesn't seem too mad from what I could tell. Perhaps he is slightly annoyed that you hadn't known the consequences you should have been aware of, considering you'd worked in a similar position before. Keep in mind that that does not end it all entirely. I'll request Sarah to give you the documents soon enough. Mostly before tomorrow. You don't have work today. But it's best if you go to the hospital and do a check on your patient. Will you be able to get there or shall I send anyone with you for assistance?"

"No problem, sir. I'll be fine on my own. I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused." I bowed purely out of apology and guilt, knowing how hard it must have been for him as the head of this place.

"Yes. You can head to the hospital for today. Update me soon." He smiled, it was the most genuine smile I've seen come from him.

I lightly smiled back and stood up, bowing again before heading out. This was clear now. Except dealing with Jin, Yoongi, Jimin and I don't know who else. Lots of people. 

Leaving the room, I breathed in cold air, though it did not feel fresh. It did not feel calm either. I had the oddest feeling inside me, and random thoughts swirled in and out of my head when I approached the gate.

Maybe it was just because I was about to see Yoongi again.

The watch ticked, showing me it was almost 10. Did we speak for one hour? The visiting hours started in a few minutes. I had a lot of time, so I reached for my phone while leaving the place, keeping in mind Sarah was nowhere to be seen.

My fingers unlocked the phone and it clicked onto messages, to Namjoon's. I sent him a quick text, letting him know it was done, but that I'd be at a random cafe nearby if it interests me. Or just walk around for a while to loosen up.

I wasn't into the idea of informing him about checking on Yoongi soon because he'd just come along like a handsome, tall bodyguard or spy on Yoongi by himself, holding me captive in his stupid car, calling it 'protection'. No way I'd want that. 

I voluntarily dropped my cell into the bag, uninterested in the idea of scrolling through the unread messages and random calls I received from a stranger, and met the footpath. 

It was only ten seconds of my life that I felt good until my phone rang. It buzzed just to annoy the darn out of me. Be it Namjoon, or the boss, it got me irritated. I snatched my phone out, grunting in response but stopped in my tracks to realize it was Park Jimin calling.

Oh.

Shit.