You helped, really.

Dr Mark Tuan

I have been treating Jihyo for a couple of years now, and I must admit, I was, not at all, prepared when I took her case. She was recommended to me by her previous doctor, a colleague, when she got into a block and her previous therapist could no longer help.

It left me dumbfounded when I got to the hospital room and saw her for the first time, a mere thirteen year-old, all bruised, a broken leg, few broken ribs and catatonic. My colleague had filled me in on her case, but never mentioned the real extension of her mistreatment. This was beyond expected, for certain.

It took thirteen days for her to acknowledge me, and that was just slightly turning her head to the door when I came in. So subtle that it would have gone unnoticed, had I not known the state she was in. It took another twenty one days for her to speak something, a hushed 'bye bye' when I bid her farewell. It would also have gone unnoticed, had the room not been deadly silent all the time, and had I not been on hyper-alert for any sign at all.

The day she spoke for the first time I rushed to the blue house, I didn't think on how I was going to reach her mother, but I wasn't thinking correctly at the time. It was dumb luck Tzuyu was arriving when I was begging at the gates to be let in and speak to the Secretary of State (that was Jeongyeon's post back then). She got to the guards and explained I was someone who was caring for their daughter, and anytime I was to come by, they should, at least, let Jeongyeon know I was there for her.

It looked like the staff all knew their kid was in the hospital, taking by the whispers and hushed gossips I heard when I was leaving that day. I went there to tell them personally Jihyo had spoke, they were static and, understanbly, cried like little kids when I told them. So much that Jin had to find a way to sneak them out of there before anyone could see the estate they were in.

I told them to go visit Jihyo the next morning, but was very stern about how they should approach her. I even cancelled all the appointments I had that day so I could walk them through it. After that, it was another twelve days of hushed 'bye bye's until she finally decided to really talk. We've been working together ever since, and it's the first time I see her opening up to anyone, hence, why I asked her to bring her benefactors.

Obviously, I never said anything to her about the reasons behind their coming here. She never presses for answers, though, and that does worry me, it seems that she got too accustomed to not being heard, or not being taken into consideration that she simply accepts what is given to her. I have already had sessions with her close employees, her mothers are also in therapy with me. All to ensure she won't fall back to that thirteen year-old, broken and afraid I met all those years ago.

Call me unprofessional, I don't care anymore, I just can't allow such a pure and loving soul to get to where she had been. I might not have wavered in front of her, but I spent the week crying myself to sleep when I met her. The first time she flinched her head in my direction I felt like a kid on christmas morning. I came to love the girl as she was my own, and I can't bring myself to not be protective.

It seems my reminiscing has taken longer than I thought, as I hear the intercom buzz and my secretary telling me they arrived. I just grit my teeth and get ready to, once again, make sure those 'friends' are real. We've done this many times before, and I must say sometimes were infuriating. But I think this time might be a little different, as Jihyo enters the room with two beautiful women clinging to her arms and resting their heads on her shoulders.

"Welcome, I'm Dr Mark Tuan. You two are Momo and Mina, I take it?" I walk over to greet them with a slight chuckle, as one of them is slightly glaring at me.

"Dr Tuan, this is Momo." She gestures to the one on her right, she looks to be amused by everything, and we just shake hands casually.

"And this is Mina." She, then, nudges the one glaring forward and I just grab her hand and give it a shake.