Mental hospital

Episode : 26

I had already lost track of him, but Kang Daniel seemed too flustered to care. Of course, I was in a rush, too.

강 다니엘

"..I don't know what you're talking about, but since you came all the way here, it must be something important. Let's go to a cafe and talk about it."

He stares at me nodding, then turns his head and says hello to the people who appear to be employees, and then smiles at me, telling me to hurry up and go.

We arrived at the cafe and sat across from each other. I was supposed to be the one to start the conversation, but I couldn't find the words to open up, leaving an awkward atmosphere.

강 다니엘

"You said you had something to talk about. Talk to me, comfortably."

옹 성우

"..Can you answer whatever I ask?"

강 다니엘

"Tell me, I'll listen and decide."

옹 성우

"Let me get straight to the point, do you have no family?"

It was a question that would have been embarrassing even to me. But it was one I had to ask, because it might have helped me understand the four years of suffering I'd endured.

강 다니엘

"..I didn't know you'd ask something like this. Whether you have a family or not, don't you think it's rude to ask such a question?"

옹 성우

"Excuse me? That's what they've been doing to me for the past four years. No, I can't even call that rude. I guess it would be more accurate to say they've done something wrong to me."

강 다니엘

"..."

옹 성우

"..Okay, I didn't come here to fight, so just answer me."

강 다니엘

"I don't know why you're asking this, but it's not going to benefit you. Well, other than my close brother, we don't really have a special relationship. It's a bit much to say I don't have any family."

After hearing that answer, I was a little dazed. Could what Park Ji-hoon said be true? Perhaps the fact that I was abandoned and my intense obsession have something to do with it.

강 다니엘

"So, why did you ask that?"

옹 성우

"I know this is really rude, but could you please-"

강 다니엘

"Stop asking. I know what you're going to ask, but it's really rude, just like you said. And I don't intend to answer."

옹 성우

"..Yeah, that was a really rude question. Then tell me why you did what you did to me for the past four years. I'm not saying I'll forgive you."

강 다니엘

"It was something I couldn't even dare to make excuses for. Rather than making excuses, I'd rather apologize a hundred, a thousand times."

옹 성우

"Everything happens for a reason, so tell me. I won't forgive you whether I hear the reason or not."

강 다니엘

"..It's quite long, so will you listen?"

옹 성우

"I'll listen, so talk."

..I think it was when I was in my third year of middle school. I was too young to sacrifice for my extremely poor family, but I worked part-time every day to earn money and gave it all to my parents.

My parents hated me, but I understood, thinking it was only natural since I was costing them a lot. But then one night, I overheard a shocking conversation.

부모님

"Honey, don't you really need to throw that away? I'm going to be in high school soon and I won't be able to work part-time, so I won't be making any money."

I knew my parents hated me, but it was quite shocking to learn they thought I was just a kid who made money because I worked part-time. I was deeply hurt at a young age.

부모님

"I'm still working part-time, so wait a minute. I have to eat and throw away the money I earn. I'll throw it away when I quit my part-time job."

The thought of being abandoned was so terrifying and frightening that I knew I absolutely had to keep working. So, amidst all that hardship, I started working even more.

부모님

"Honey, don't you think lecturing is paying too well these days? It seems like you're working four part-time jobs a day. Should I try working a little more?"

Knowing my parents wanted more money, I started working more part-time jobs. It was so hard I was going crazy, but I was relieved I wasn't abandoned.

부모님

"Now that I've saved up quite a bit of money, should I just throw it away and move? It's already quite a lot, including the money we've saved."

부모님

"I wonder? It's a bit of a shame. It was our only source of income when we weren't working."

I hadn't even heard of a lifeline, and the thought of being abandoned was terrifying. I was worried I wouldn't be able to hold out without anyone by my side.

"Bang-" I cried, throwing the door open and begging my parents, "Please don't throw it away, I'll make more money, so don't throw it away."

부모님

“You bastard, I don’t even know if it was a sin to be born, but I have so many wishes. Honey, let’s go out. Are you done packing?”

부모님

"Yes, I've packed everything. Then I'll go, because it's so ugly and I hate it."

Abandoned like that, I felt so miserable and dirty. I regretted and felt frustrated, thinking that if only I had earned a little more money, I wouldn't have been abandoned, and I even fell into depression.

I had been to a psychiatric hospital because my depression wouldn't go away, but somehow I ended up interviewing for a job as a nurse. I worked with the mindset that if I made money, it wouldn't matter.

But because of my depression, I was getting more and more tired, and even as I was getting tired, I started to cling to everyone I got close to, saying that I didn't want to be abandoned anymore.

I thought if I treated them better and made sure they couldn't be abandoned, they wouldn't be. But my obsession only grew worse with each passing day, and eventually everyone just left me.

윤 지성

"Hello, I'm new nurse Yoon Ji-seong."

I didn't want to get involved with that bright guy who suddenly appeared. My depression was getting worse, and I was already exhausted from relationships. But-

윤 지성

"What's your name? How old are you?"

윤 지성

"Oh, sorry. I'll buy you some food!"

윤 지성

"Hey, it'd be nice if we could become friends! I'll talk to you, okay? Please call me hyung too, heh."

That guy kept coming closer, and he had become like a drug to me, so I couldn't push him away. He had become someone I found difficult to be without.

So I thought, if I don't want to be abandoned, if I want others to stay by my side, I have to keep reaching out.

But, I practiced it in a very wrong way.

강 다니엘

"That's what I did to my brother for four years. At first, I rejected him, so I thought it was natural for him to reject me, so I did that crazy thing."

강 다니엘

"I thought doing that would be a step closer to our relationship, and that he would like me right away. Now, of course, I regret it so much."

강 다니엘

"Even though I regret it, it's just spilled milk, so the depression that had subsided for a while has gotten worse again. It's so hard to see my brother like this, because I feel sorry."

옹 성우

"..I had a hard time because of that too, but I know your situation is very pitiful. Don't do that in the future."

강 다니엘

"Of course I won't do it. I'll live the rest of my life regretting it and feeling sorry. I'm sorry."

옹 성우

"..I know you must have had a hard time going through those things. But after experiencing that for four years, it's hard for me to accept it."

강 다니엘

"I know, it was my fault, but I can't accept it. They say no one is without a story, but I'm just acting like I'm the only one struggling."

옹 성우

"..The fact that there's no one without a story means that there's no one who doesn't have a hard time in life. So, it's natural to have a hard time. If you're feeling down, it means that something happened to deserve that."

옹 성우

"You've worked hard, Kang Daniel."