One Wish

Chapter 15

Yoobin saw the parcel box with bottles of lavender in and grabbed a bottle.

Inside the room, which contained a rumpled bed covered in stuffed toys as well as a set-up of nine screens identical to Jimin's.  In front of the screens, Handong had her head on the desk and was panting desperately. She barely reacted to Yoobin's presence as she helped her sit up straight and supported her.

"Yoobin!" Jimin cried in relief from the bottom-middle screen. "Put the lavender oil on her forearms, the smell should calm her."

Yoobin did as instructed, pulling up the sleeves of Handong's baggy hoodie to spread the oil generously on her forearms. Handong trembled against her body and she could feel the sweat on her forearms. "Breathe in deeply.  Do it with me." She said softly and took a deep breath as Handong succeeded in  doing the same. "And breathe out, that's right."

"Thanks." Handong grunted and breathed out slowly, then took another deep breath.

She moved to sit beside her and cautiously took her hand comfortingly and stroked the back with her thumb. "How're you feeling?"

Handong swallowed. "B-better." All trace of her previous sarcastic self was gone, stripped away by the panic attack. "Stay with me."

"Of course." She continued to hold her clammy hand while Minji, Jin and Jimin watched silently from the screen with relieved faces.

"I don't often have these." She explained in a tiny voice and sniffed. "Just when the memories come back, it becomes -- Too much." Handong began to tremble again, but she helped to reassure her that everything was going to be okay and to think of something that made her happy.

Handong sighed once the tremors had passed. "I didn't want any of you to see me like this." She spoke to all of them.

"It's fine, Handong." Minji grinned. "We're all just glad you're feeling better."

She nodded and waved to the camera. "I'll hang up now." Without waiting for a reply, she ended the video call and looked at Yoobin curiously. "You helped me."

"I did. Does that surprise you?"

"Considering I've been a little bitchy, yeah. Did anyone see you come in?"

"I went next door to go through the window to your flat. I had to flash my ID, but I didn't let him see my face."

"I'll assume he was drunk. He usually is."

"Yup. But I'm worried that he still might call the police."

"Don't worry about that. I should be able to divert them if they do." Slowly, she reached out to tap on her keyboard and brought up the CCTV of all the entrances to the block. "There's no one there yet." She quietened and then spun in her chair to face Yoobin. "I think I trust you."

"I trust you too." Yoobin replied, partly to appease her, but mostly she really did feel she trusted her, despite her stiff aura.

"So I want to tell you why I have these panic attacks and why I haven't left this flat for six years."

"Have you not told the others? Jimin seemed to have no idea why."

"Jin and Minji know. Jimin is...a different case. You've seen the happy and tough exterior and his small cracks when Bora's mentioned. But Bora's death...has made him very emotionally unstable." She looked to the ceiling. "I can always see that side of him. I have all the CCTV cameras in this city at my disposal to watch him."

"I see." She knew Handong wasn't lying. She'd personally seen Jimin's crack at the mention of Bora. If he could be worse...

"Meaning I feel less trust in him because of that side. His instability worries me. You however, are managing to remain rather positive, even when you're alone."