Macabre | Dowoo

o n e

"Come with me, Jungwoo," the lady that stood in front of him said. She was wearing a simple white uniform that Jungwoo couldn't help but scrunch his face at; it did not suit her body type or skin complexion.

Sighing, he stood up from the uncomfortable chair he was put in. One last time he turned around and looked at his parents, who were sitting in chairs way more comfortable than his but still had discomfort in their expressions.

"I don't belong here. Ma, you believe me, right? Pa?" His eyebrows gave in to furrow in desperation, something he didn't show quite often.

Jungwoo's father shook his head, gripping onto his knees. "You are not deserving to be our son. You have to be fixed first, before we can allow you back into our household," he spared only a single glance at Jungwoo before looking off at something else.

Jungwoo's mother stayed silent. It seemed like she couldn't even bare to look at her son during her last moments with him for a while, just staring at the floor with her head down while she stared at the plain patterned grey tiles.

"I didn't kill her! I'm- I'm not crazy, Pa! Please believe me!" Jungwoo cried out, but was stopped by the stupid lady in the uniform.

She held onto his wrists and turned him around to face away from his parents, scraping a fake smile into his soul. "Please behave yourself, Mr. Kim. Say goodbye to your parents now, respectfully, please."

Jungwoo didn't turn around. "Goodbye, Ma. Goodbye, Pa. I hope you see this is a big mistake-"

"Alright, alright," the lady laughed nervously, starting to lead Jungwoo out of the room. "Have a nice day, Mr. and Mrs. Kim."

With great difficulty restraining himself from trying to run away, Jungwoo let the lady walk him into a hallway that had the same boring aura coming from it. His tongue swiped over his teeth in annoyance and he was lying if he didn't wonder whether his teeth enough to cause the lady touching him pain.

He rolled his eyes, not even looking at the lady as he roughly shook his hands from her grip. She panicked and tried to grab him again before he spoke up, "I'm not running off, lady. I just want some personal space."

She gave him a skeptical look, but then nodded and continued walking. Soon they were standing in front of a big metal door that scarily resembled something from a prison.

"This is your room, Jungwoo. Please go inside," the lady unlocked the door with the key she had up her sleeve, literally.

Jungwoo took a deep breath and clenched his fists. Keeping his head high, he walked into the room and didn't stop until he stood right in the middle of it.

"Breakfast and dinner will be served at 10 and 5, respectively. They will be announced over the loudspeaker as clocks are a privilege. You will get more information later about your treatment process with the doctor. I'll leave you alone, now."

Jungwoo stayed where he was, knowing that the door was closed behind him purely from sound and feeling alone. He looked around at the plain room. Truly, he was all alone.

It was a small room, with only a bed and a small window, guarded off in a way that nobody could get through. Everything was white, including the bed sheets and his own clothes he was put into by the people in charge.

He already hated this place, and it was only day one.

"I'm not insane," Jungwoo mumbled, taking a seat at the edge of the bed that he had to sleep on from now on. It was not his. It was too cold and vacant.

He shivered, bringing his knees up to his chest and hugging them close. The last thing he wanted to do was cry, but it was really hard not to right now. After all, it really wasn't his fault that he was here now.

A month ago he had been framed for murder, something that he didn't ever even have the idea of doing. Overnight he turned into a monster, or at least that's how it was for everyone around him.

The one thing he needed most, a friend's comfort, at very least an attempt to understand and listen to his side of the story. That was stripped away from him, because the one who'd accused him of the murder was his own best friend.

All the evidence was against him, and he was charged guilty of second degree murder, the victim being his best friend's girlfriend. He tried to tell them the truth, he really did. He tried so hard, but they only ruled him insane and sent him here.

Maybe the mental asylum would be better than prison. He had to believe that, because now he was here and there was no escape from these white walls that already suffocated him.

Jungwoo let himself fall back onto the bed. It was still cold, and the sheets he lied on top of were not comfortable.

Just as he closed his eyes to let them rest, a voice bellowed through the room, a little muffled as it escaped the small speaker on the wall. "It is promptly 10 am. Everyone, please come down to the cafeteria to receive your breakfast."

There was a clicking sound that echoed once at the door, and it made Jungwoo let out another sigh. He sat up, looking at the unlocked door for a couple moments before deciding to walk out.

Today was going to be such a wild one.