Day 7 ❀ Them. ❀
Oct. 15th, 2017 07:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
colorful_worldTitle: Them.
Prompt-#: 28
For: @vickey1314
Pairing: Jinki/Kibum, Onew/Kibum
Author: Ace_Fahs @ao3
Word count: 7682 words (part1)
Rating: T-rating, 16+
Warnings: multiple personality disorder, foul language, bad English since it’s not my first language.
Summary: Lee Jinki was arrested for a murder case. He claimed he had no idea what happened. While awaiting trial, Jinki saw a psychiatrist, Kim Kibum, and when he went to trial he pleaded not guilty because of multiple personality disorder. He had five personalities (Onew, seems to have a bright personality but also mysterious; Jonghyun, the emotional and hot-tempered guy; Key, blunt, sarcastic and loves to nag; and Taemin, the youngest, a free spirited and rebellious teen) beside his own, and one of the dominant personalities, Onew, committed the murder. Jinki attempts to regain control over his life with the help of Kibum
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ModNote: This is just the first part of the story. As soon as the writer finished up the second part and sent it to us will we add the second part to it to have the complete fanfiction here. :)
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“I told you,” Jinki pleaded. “I didn’t do anything, I swear.”
Lee Jinki, a young fine doctor, was arrested for the murder of a fellow colleague and friend, Chae Taepung.
“He was last seen leaving the club with you, don’t lie.” Detective Jeon, the detective responsible for the investigation, urged frustrated.
“I didn’t even go to the club, I was at home asleep.” Jinki protested. “I never went to a club since college.”
The detective eyed him, suspiciously. “We have caught you on cctv cameras with Chae Taepung-ssi while leaving the club so why don’t you cut the crap and admit it already?”
Jinki placed his head between his hands. “It wasn’t me. I was asleep.”
“You wanna say someone borrowed your body to commit a murder and then gave it back?” Jinki laughed at the assumption. “You think this’s funny?” Det. Jeon shouted, losing any shred of professionalism. “Your hands seem bruised a lot, I bet if we make a test the result would match the bruises found on the victim’s body. It would indicate the fact that you beat the man to death, you sick bastard.”
Jinki pulled at his black hair, sighing heavily. “I would like to call my lawyer.”
Jinki was bailed by his father two days later with no questions asked from the latter. His trial was decided on the 7th of April, a month later.
He called the hospital only to be informed that he was fired after all the great achievements he had done, and when he called his late friend’s family, he was shouted and cursed at.
The 29-years-old doctor returned to his house in shock. The two days passed in a blur; he couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, thought a lot, and he tried to remember something he didn’t know he did.
While busying himself with house chores he never bothered with before, he remembered events in his pasts that left him just as confused and shocked he was.
Once in high school, he had been bullied when he suddenly fainted and when he woke up, the bully was in the hospital and everyone in the school feared Jinki. He was expelled from that school and he had no idea what had happened. Or that time, after a college party where he woke up with a naked girl in his bed whom he didn’t recall meeting. He would’ve blamed it on alcohol had he drunk that night, but he didn’t. Though, the blackouts seemed to have ended when he became a surgeon.
Not knowing what was wrong with him, Jinki did the only thing every anxious person would do searching for answers that would explain his situation. He Google searched his symptoms. Blackouts, hazy memory, violence…etc. But, Google was a total waste of times because it kept leading him to links of DID symptoms and Jinki was sure he didn’t have multiple personality disorder. However, being sure of something doesn’t say that it is correct.
He decided to see for himself if it was true, so he searched for the best psychiatrists in Seoul and spoke with a lot on the phone without any avail. Most of them were either busy or overseas.
As he was about to give up, he stumbled upon a research of a psychiatrist about DID patients and how they are scared and not-so-dangerous beings and he read the article thoroughly, confirming some of the symptoms mentioned. Jinki got contact information of the psychiatrist, Kim Kibum, and called for an appointment as soon as possible.
The next morning, Jinki found himself in front of Kim Kibum’s door. After debating with himself, he managed to knock.
“Come in,” a soft voice invited him to enter.
To say Jinki was shocked to find a young man at a psychiatrist office would be an understatement. He cleared his throat before asking, “Good morning, is Dr. Kim Kibum available?”
Jinki didn’t mean to judge but the pearly white seemingly soft skin, the silky looking light brown messy hair, the adorable black glasses resting on a button nose, the bow-shaped pink lips, and the small scar, be it real or a trend on his right eyebrow all screamed not psychiatrist.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Kim Kibum.” The man smiled, warmly. “Please, make yourself comfortable.” The mid-twenties young man was wearing fit faded jeans with a long maroon cardigan above a cream colored knitted sweater and maroon vans; very unprofessional. “I’m assuming you’re Mr. Lee Jinki or am I mistaken?”
“Yes, you’re correct, Dr. Kim.” Jinki replied. “I’m sorry for taking your time on an early morning.”
The man sitting across him with a pad and pen smiled at him, again. “Don’t worry, Mr. Lee. It’s my job.” He smiled, reassuringly. “Shall we start? Or, do you want coffee or water or anything?”
Jinki stopped his shaking leg and rubbing his hands. He was oozing nervousness. “Coffee would be great, thank you.”
“Do you like it black?”
The black-haired man nodded, still not daring to meet the other man’s eyes. He thought over and over how to start talking about what was going on until a mug of steaming, black coffee was placed in front of him. “Thank you very much, Dr. Kim.”
“Ah, please call me Kibum. You make me sound very old.” The light brown haired man grinned, placing a cup of tea in front of him. “You can start whenever you want. My other schedules don’t start ‘til the afternoon.”
Jinki gulped a mouthful of coffee before starting to find the courage to begin. He took couple of deep breaths and a long sigh. “I saw your article about DID patients and learned that you are very great at your job, especially in dissociative identity disorder section.”
“Oh, I’m very flattered with your kind words.” Kibum threw another smile at Jinki. “Please, do continue.”
The shorter nodded. “I’m a suspect of a murder case.” Jinki watched the psychiatrist’s face for any reaction and when none were made, he continued. “Police say I was last seen with my friend, the victim, and that my hands matched the bruises on his body. The thing is, I don’t recall seeing him that night, and I wasn’t even at the club. I swear I was sleeping after a really long shift at the hospital and I never went out.” The man explained, gulping another mouthful of the bitter, dark liquid. “I had blackouts earlier in my life but it didn’t happen again after I became a doctor so … I don’t really know. I searched the symptoms I’ve been suffering online and DID was the result I got. Um … This is ridiculous. I’m sorry for wasting your time.” He stood up but the psychiatrist stopped him.
“Please sit down and continue if I may ask.” The small framed man fixed his glasses neatly. “Explain the blackouts in details, please.”
The shorter sat down, feeling ashamed. “I think the first time was when I was 16. I fainted while being bullied and when I gained consciousness, the bully was in the hospital, everyone in school feared me and I was expelled. Other things happened, too.” Jinki blushed, looking away. “I, sometimes, would woke up with people I don’t know, or in unfamiliar places wearing clothes I didn’t buy.”
“And, you’ve never been to a psychiatrist before for that?” Dr. Kim questioned, holding his tab and writing down things on it.
“Does counseling count?” Jinki asked cheekily, earning a cute smiley head shake. “No, I’ve never had a reason to. I didn’t think much of it.”
“I see.” Kibum locked eyes with him. “And, did you grow up in a broken home, or underwent any kind of trauma when you were younger?”
The dark haired looked at him perplexed. “No, I don’t think so. Although …” he trailed off, thoughtfully.
“Yes?”
“I suffered from a memory loss due to an accident when I was eleven so my childhood memories are a bit hazy.” Jinki elucidated.
“Have you asked your parents?” The psychiatrist asked. “About anything from your childhood, I mean.”
“I’ve never had a reason for it.” Jinki replied, truthfully. “And, they said it was a normal childhood so why bother, you know?”
“Did it occur to you that they might be hiding something crucial about your situation?” Kibum inquired, his tone same as it had been since the start; warm. “What if what happened caused the blackouts?” He noticed how the other man drank from the mug before spitting it discreetly while Kibum was writing on his pad.
The supposedly patient knitted his eyebrows in confusion. “Why would my parents hide something like that from me?”
The light haired shrugged, nonchalantly. “To protect you, to help you, to prevent disasters I don’t know. There are many reasons.”
“So, you’re saying that I should just ask them?” Jinki asked, soft eyes turning sharp and jaw clenched. “That would end my suffering?”
“Maybe.” Dr. Kim answered, sincerely.
“What are you trying to do?” Lee inquired, frustrated. “Do you want me to go or something? Do you not want to help me?”
Kibum tilted his head to the side. “Who are you?”
The man in front of him looked at him confused. “What do you mean? I’m Lee Jinki. Are you trying to make fun of me?” He shouted, angrily.
“I don’t think so. You’re not Mr. Lee.” Dr. Kim replied, shaking his index finger in the air. “You are easily provoked. Mr. Lee seemed emotionally tamed.”
The dark haired man’s angry expression left his face, turning into a grin and a loud laugh escaped his perfect plump lips. “You got me. You are smart, did you know that?”
The psychiatrist ignored the comment. “So, who are you?”
“What would you give me if I told you?” The husky voice, different from the soft one before, asked, seductively.
“Candy.” Kim Kibum smiled, sheepishly.
The man rolled his eyes. “I’ll tell you for free, because I have a feeling the next question would be worth a lot.” He smirked, slightly. “My name is Kim Jonghyun. Nice to meet you. I suppose you’re a psychiatrist, what’s your name?”
“Nice to meet you, too. I’m Kim Kibum.” The taller replied. “What do you think my next question would be?”
Jonghyun grinned. “Do I know?”
“Do you know what?” Kibum asked.
“Who killed that man?” Kim Jonghyun continued, snickering at Kibum’s ‘o’ shaped lips. “Don’t tell me you weren’t even thinking about asking that question.”
“I was actually, but I didn’t wanna ask it right away.” The psychiatrist smiled, warmly. “Will you tell me now that you’ve mentioned it, though?”
“No.” Jonghyun started lifting his, or Jinki’s, hair away from his forehead but didn’t spike it up. “I told you it’s not for free. You gotta pay for it.”
Kibum nodded his head. “What do you want, Jonghyun-ssi?”
“Oh, don’t call me ‘Jonghyun-ssi’, I’m not old. Call me hyung.” The man beamed, getting up. “C’mon, let’s go.”
“Where are we going, Jonghyun-ssi- I mean hyung?” The taller asked as he was dragged by a hyper man. “Why do you even think I’m younger?”
“Your diploma.” Jonghyun pointed at the framed diploma hung behind Kibum’s office. It read 2015. “So, if you graduated in 2015 and you have your master’s degree, you might be 26 years old this year. Am I correct?”
Kibum nodded, impressed with the other man’s ability to pay attention to the slightest things. “And, how old are you?”
Jonghyun held his hand and started walking, again. “Jinki’s 29 years old, I’m younger. I’m 27.” He turned to grin and wink at the younger. “I’m a better choice.”
Kibum stopped them after hearing the last sentence. “Wait. Where are we going?”
The older laughed. “We’re not going on a date, if that’s what you were thinking of.”
“I wasn’t.” The psychiatrist protested, cheeks a deep red color. He locked his clinic and went after the dark haired. “So, where are we going?”
“Shopping.” Jonghyun beamed, again.
He seems like a cheerful, emotional personality. Kibum noted as he followed the older. Maybe, hot-tempered and easily provoked, too.
“Where are you going?” The light haired man asked Jonghyun who was searching for Jinki’s car. “Let’s use my car. It’s better if I drive.” He said, ushering towards his blue mini cooper.
Jonghyun shrugged and got in the passenger seat.
“So,” Kibum started. “You wanna go to the mall?”
“Let’s go to shopping center.” The older suggested, nonchalantly. “I wanna hit Guitar Center.”
The driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror, suspiciously. “You play instruments?”
“No, I’m going to buy them as a décor.” Jonghyun muttered, sarcastically.
Kibum raised an eyebrow before nodding. “I didn’t take you for a sarcastic person.”
“I’m sorry.” The passenger said, sincerely. “My friend inside has infected me with sarcasm. He’s very blunt and speaks his mind without thinking.”
The psychiatrist became interested at that. “Oh really? Is he the one?”
Jonghyun shook his head. “Nice try.”
Kibum sighed. “How many personalities are there inside?” He noticed how the other man flinched at his words. “I mean, how many people are there inside of Jinki?”
“Just drive silently.” The man said with finality.
The light haired man nodded quietly, trying not to provoke the other man anymore.
Couple of minutes later, Jonghyun broke the silence. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.”
“No, it’s my fault.” Kibum waved a free hand, nonchalantly.
“The others say I’m the most emotional,” Jonghyun spoke softly after a few moments of silence. “I guess, they’re right.”
“You shouldn’t listen to what others say about you.” The psychiatrist glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “You know yourself well, don’t you?”
The rest of the ride was spent in tensed silence. It didn’t take long to reach the shopping center. And, as soon as Kibum parked the car, Jonghyun was sprinting out and to the driver’s side where he dragged the taller man to the center’s entrance.
“Why the rush?”
“I gotta change this shit of an outfit.” The oldest remarked, pointing at Jinki’s plaid shirt and oversized jeans. “I mean, he’s filthy rich so why the heck does he not use his money usefully.”
Kibum found it disrespectful to nod to the comment of Jinki’s bad sense of fashion, even though that was the second thought that crossed his mind when the man entered his clinic. The first one was of how bright his patient’s smile was even if it was fake, it was truly mastered.
Jonghyun stopped dragging the taller in front of H&M store for a moment, before continuing to drag the latter inside. After picking out some outfits, he sat Kibum on a random couch and went to try them out. The psychiatrist was actually interested in the whole ordeal as he had picked few outfits for Jonghyun, or Jinki.
“Do you know what’s the only thing I like about Lee Jinki?” Jonghyun spoke from inside the fitting room.
“His bank balance?” Kibum joked, lightly.
The man changing his clothes rolled his eyes. “No, besides that.” He got out wearing one of the outfits Kibum had picked for him. “His honey thighs.” Jonghyun grinned showing off his, or Jinki’s, thighs in skinny, trashed jeans. “Look at those.”
And looking was what Kibum had done. His mouth watered and his cheeks had a hint of a red color because of the dirty thoughts swirling in his mind at the sight of Lee Jinki’s thick thighs. Kibum mentally slapped himself for losing his professionality in front of his patient, especially in the latter’s vulnerable state. He regained control just as Jonghyun shouted at him.
“Yah.” The man had shouted. “Does it look good on me? I wear it better than Jinki, right?”
“Uh …” Kibum cleared his throat. “I dunno. I haven’t seen Jinki-ssi wearing it.”
Jonghyun rolled his eyes. “It’s called a compliment. Learn how to use it.” He stormed into the dressing room with a stomp to his pace.
A few outfits later, Jonghyun bought all the clothes he tried on, costing Lee Jinki quite a big amount of money which Kibum tried to pay instead but failed to.
The psychiatrist looked at the receipt again, eyes wide and mouth open. “I really should pay for this. It’s Jinki-ssi’s money, you shouldn’t use it.”
The shorter man next to him scowled. “Technically, it’s my money, too. I participated in his work sometimes.”
“Oh, did you?” Kibum asked, not really believing it. “What does Jinki-ssi do for a living, Jonghyun-ssi?”
“He’s a doctor, of course.” Jonghyun rolled his eyes, melodramatically. “I told you to call me Hyung.” He held the younger’s hand and started walking. “College and med school was too much stress to forget, really. Honestly I have no idea why he chose to become a doctor after what happened when-” The man stopped talking abruptly, quickly adverting his attention to the musical instruments stores to cover his slip up. “Oh, look. There’s the shop I wanna go to.”
Kibum stopped walking, firmly bringing the other man to a halt in the process. “What happened? Do you know what happened before Jinki-ssi lost his memory?”
Jonghyun sighed, looking at his feet. “Most of us do, just tiny bits though, so don’t ask me.”
“But that means you know something,” The psychiatrist insisted. “That matters.”
The other man let go of his hand. “Onew knows everything. You should ask him, although he plans to keep it that way.”
“Onew?” The light haired man asked, confused. Sudden realization had him move to stand mere inches away from Jonghyun. “Is he the one?”
The older only nodded before continuing to walk. “Now that you know, you can leave if you want.”
Kibum watched for a moment as the slightly shorter man strode to the music shop, before running after him. “Yah, wait for me.” He pretended not to notice the betraying turn of Jonghyun’s lips upward as he caught up.
“Yah? I’m older.” The man scorned, shaking his head in faux disappointment. “Be respectful to your elders, you brat.”
“Yes, Hyung.” Dr. Kim smiled, softly.
Jonghyun smiled, widely. “Out of all the others, you’ll like me the most. I can assure you.” His eyes wrinkled at the end. “C’mon, let’s go. My time is gold.”
The taller nodded and they entered Guitar Center. “But, lemme buy you a gift.”
“Why would you buy me a gift? We just met-” Jonghyun cut himself off, narrowing his eyes at the younger. “You’re trying to save Jinki’s money, right? Nice try.” He went straight to a worker there. “Get me your manager immediately, please.” Although he had add ‘please’, his tone was demanding and authoritative.
“What are you going to do?” Kibum asked, a whine to his tone after the worker had left.
“You’ll see.” Jonghyun replied, smugly.
The manager soon came looking almighty and arrogant but Jonghyun didn’t judge on a book from its cover. “Is there anything wrong?”
The dark haired man smirked. “I’m Lee Jinki.” He offered Jinki’s business card that was in his pants.
“Mr. Jinki? We are honored to have you visit us personally.” The middle-aged man said, bowing a sharp ninety degree. “How may I help you, sir?”
Jonghyun’s eyes left the man in front of him to look at the models of new and antique guitars on the right side of the center. “I wanna purchase some guitars and a bass, I think. Although, I want something from you first.” He looked at the worker, “Gemme a paper and a pen.”
All the men present looked confused before the worker went to do as told. Jonghyun wrote on the paper for a minute or so and then slid it to the manager. “I want you to sign it.”
The manager read it, looked at Jonghyun puzzled, and signed it. “So if I’m not wrong, I’m not to let you return what you buy today or let Kim Kibum pay for you?” Jonghyun nodded while Kibum’s eyes widened and mouth opened in a protest. “Alright. Anything else, sir?”
“That’s all. I’ll shop on my own.” Jonghyun stated. “Thanks for your cooperation.”
The manager nodded and left after bowing politely.
“But-” The psychiatrist started.
“He already signed it, so…” The doctor smirked, trailing off. “Let’s shop. Can you take the bags to the counter, please?” Jonghyun made puppy eyes as he placed his shopping bags on the floor and sprinted to the guitar section.
“Yeah, send it to my house like always.” Jonghyun told the manager after he purchased an acoustic guitar, an electric one and a bass. “And when you get the piano, send it immediately. Thank you so much.”
Kibum bowed with him before they headed out, holding the many shopping bags for the clothes Jonghyun had bought. “I can’t believe how much you spent. What if Jinki wasn’t using his money because he has future plan for it? Like a relaxing vacation? Or marriage?”
“Marriage? HA! The klutz can’t even walk two meters before stumbling on his own feet.” Jonghyun looked at him like he had just went crazy. “That dubu lives for his job, Kibum-ah. He’s in too deep with it. He knows no life without his job, I can imagine why he feels so sad and stressed other than that shit dying.”
“That shit? You mean the murder?” Kibum questioned as they finally got to his car. “You know why Onew-ssi did it?”
“Hyung said that man did something unforgivable and that he had to kill him.” Jonghyun muttered, getting inside.
The driver started the car. “You dunno what it is?”
The man shook his head in a sad but relieved way.
“Okay, Hyung. I trust you.” Kibum started the engine and left the shopping center. “Where do you wanna go?”
Jonghyun shrugged.
“Okay, then let’s go to my apartment.” The psychiatrist suggested.
“Oooh. On the first date you’re taking me back home?” Jonghyun joked. “I’m not that easy, babe.”
Kibum rolled his eyes. “Shut it, hyung.”
“But, really.” The older looked serious. “Is it okay to take your patients home?”
“You’re not my patient, yet.” He looked at the dark-haired man in the rearview mirror. “Besides, aren’t we friends?”
Jonghyun looked up from his slump, eyes shining between long bangs. “Yes, we are.” He said, cheerfully like an innocent child. “You sound so much like Key. You’re alike. I take my words back, you two would seem to click at first glance.”
“Key?” Kibum asked, startled. “You mean the one you mentioned before? Your best friend? You seem to have a good friendship with him.”
“I do. He’s an amazing person.” Jonghyun smiled. “He’s younger than me, just about your age.”
“Does everyone talk normally to one another?” The psychiatrist questioned, nonchalantly.
“Yes, most of us.” The oldest said. “Onew speaks to us all often. The others I dunno a lot about, except Key. All I know is that we are five other than Jinki.” He continued. “Onew’s … Onew is actually very good, he’s nice and kind and gentle. He’s not bad, I assure you. When you meet, can you be nice, please? He’s the eldest in there.”
Kibum glanced briefly at Jonghyun before turning to the roads ahead. “Of course, I will.” He smiled reassuringly, promising immediately as he saw the pleading glint in the elder’s eyes. “Now, tell me about yourself. I want to know more about you-”
Jonghyun started screaming out of the blue, clutching his head in a tight grip as if fearing it would fall off. “I-it’s happening. Some-someone is com-coming out.”
Kibum pulled the car over to the right and tried helping Jonghyun in any possible way. “Do you need water? Is there any way I can help? Does it hurt? Hyung-“He was silenced when the screaming stopped, only heavy breaths filled the car. “Hyung? Jonghyun?”
“Who’s Jonghyun?” The man said, rubbing his head hardly while groaning. He looked up at Kibum with innocent, oblivious eyes. “Dr. Kim? Where are we? What happened?”
The psychiatrist searched the eyes that were filled with pure confusion. “Jinki-ssi?”
The man nodded, still in shock.
“I met one of your personalities.” Kibum said.
And although the psychiatrist said it with so much regard and sympathy, it didn’t stop Lee Jinki from freaking out. His breathing became hurried and short and he was sweating a lot, almost as if having a panic attack. “I-I’m … c-crazy?”
“Jinki-ssi, you are not crazy.” Kibum started, but he cut himself off when noticing the older man’s state. “Jinki-ssi, breathe with me. Breathe in.” He breathed in, Jinki trying to do the same. “Breathe Out.” Jinki let go of a waver breath. “In. Out.”
Couple of tries later, Jinki finally calmed down and the psychiatrist gave him a bottle of cool water he had bought earlier. “How many are there?”
“Oh, Jonghyun only knows of two; one of them the one who committed the murder.” Dr. Kim answered, still concernedly checking if Jinki was alright. “Are you okay?”
“How can I be?” The man asked, dejectedly. “I’m going crazy, Kibum-ssi. I have other personalities in my head … A-and they have n-names?”
“Ah, yeah. It’s normal for them to have names. A name makes a person alive.” Kibum replied. “Please, call me Kibum, Jinki-ssi.”
Jinki nodded. “Call me Jinki, then.” He looked around, noticing it was the afternoon already. “Tell me I was out for couple pf hours and not days.”
“Just a couple of hours, don’t worry.” Kibum laughed, softly.
“So,” The surgeon began, eyes big and confused. “Where were you going?”
“To my apartment.” The younger realized how much it seemed weird when the older gave him a skeptic look.
“Don’t tell this Jonghyun had seduced you and he was going to use my body to-“
“Hyung!” Kibum whined, looking less professional more child. “I would never. I won’t ever let anything bad happen to you, at least not on my watch. Trust me.”
Jinki looked at him with big, hopeful eyes. “Really? Thank you so much, Kibum-ah.”
The psychiatrist blushed at the name but smiled a small bright one. “Good. Now, where do you wanna go?”
Jinki made a thoughtful face. “Why were you going to your apartment?”
Kibum gave him a look before answering, “I was gonna make some tea and listen to Jonghyun tell me about himself.”
“Let’s do that.” The older said, grinning his megawatt smile.
“You wanna tell me about yourself over a cup of tea?” The light-haired man asked, starting the car.
“How about we both talk about ourselves?” Jinki suggested. “I’m hoping to be friends with you, Kibum-ah.”
Kibum nodded and they drove to his apartment. He led them into the living room and invited Jinki to sit wherever while he made the tea. As Kibum went to the kitchen to make tea, Jinki followed. “Is there something wrong?”
“Can I stay here, instead?”
The psychiatrist observed the slight pleading in the elder’s eyes. “Of course, hyung.”
Jinki nodded, sitting down while the other moved around the kitchen to prepare tea. “So, what’s with the hyungthing?”
“Huh?” Kibum looked at him, puzzled. “You don’t like it?”
“Oh, no. Not that.” The surgeon shyly looked away from the taller man. “You called me that before we dropped the honorifics, so I guessed this Jonghyun dude asked you to call him that.” He continued, rubbing his sweaty palms together on the ripped jeans he was surprisingly wearing. “Did you become close so easily? Was he a friendly person? What was he like? Is he a bad boy since he wears something like this?-“
“Jinki-hyung.” Kibum stopped the man from having another panic attack. He wasn’t sure if the man was dissing Jonghyun or praising him. “He was friendly, yes. He hates your style, I think. And, he’s emotional.”
“Emotional?” Jinki asked, shocked. “I’ve never been emotional all my life. Was he easily provoked or just a little untamed?”
Kibum chuckled, returning to his task. “Easily provoked and emotionally untamed.”
The elder’s eyes widened. “How’s that possible? He doesn’t seem like me. Except, maybe in the friendliness.”
“They don’t have to resemble you at all, hyung.” The psychiatrist turned to lean on the counter as the kettle was on the stove. “They could have very contradicting characteristics than yours. Like Jonghyun for instance, he’s very loud and talkative, even with strangers, totally unlike you when you came this morning. Even now, I can tell you’re still uncomfortable.” He resumed, catching Jinki’s eyes. “I suppose Jonghyun is your comfort. When you’re uncomfortable or much stressed, he comes out.”
“But, how can he be a comfort if he’s emotional?” Jinki questioned, interested in the topic.
“He deals with the situations with his heart, which is really a problem, but he’s smart too.” Kibum responded, pouring into big tea cups. “He processes the situation in a very unique way and he pays attention to the smallest details if I’m right from what happened earlier when he guessed my age.”
“How did he?”
“Oh, he saw my diploma. I graduated in 2015 and my major takes 6 years for bachelor degree and he calculated my age.” The man brought the tea cups and set one in front of Jinki on the table before seating himself.
Jinki looked impressed. “Did he really? It seems I’m always smart, aren’t I?”
Kibum rolled his eyes at him. “So, you’re liking this now?” Jinki grinned, again. “How old am I, hyung?”
“26.” Jinki gave him a bored look. “Do personalities have different ages?”
The psychiatrist nodded as he sipped from his tea. “For example, Jonghyun is 27 years old.”
“Oh, seriously?” The elder asked, fascinated. “That would’ve been cool if they weren’t taking my time, you know.”
Kibum smiled a little. “They’re a part of you, hyung.”
Jinki looked at him, his facial expression somewhere between shocked and confused. “What?”
“You do know that they are created to protect you from something that happened in the past, right?” The psychiatrist started. “You made them.”
The older tilted his head to the side, brain still processing the information he had received. “I-I made-made t-them?”
“Yes. Well, technically, it’s your brain, but it’s still you.” Kibum answered. “Don’t worry, it’s not a bad thing. It’s just that … um, you made them for a purpose. And that purpose was definitely to protect you, hyung.” He sipped, urging the elder to do as well. “And that means you had someone to hide from in your childhood.”
Jinki looked up from his cup to stare at Kibum before taking a huge gulp of the hot tea, cursing after it, catching the psychiatrist by surprise. “Is it a major factor in cases like mine?”
The psychiatrist nodded in affirmation. “Most cases grew up in broken homes or had some kind of trauma when they were younger or something.”
“Most of the cases.” The surgeon emphasized, eyes still locked with the psychiatrist’s. “That means for some people, that wasn’t the case. Some people didn’t have that kind of thing in the childhood.”
“But, the percentage is rare. It is infrequent, hyung.” The taller objected, trying to convince the other to search in his past. “I know it might hurt you, and if you feel not ready now you can wait, but knowing what happened should help you recover.”
The elder nodded. “I’ll speak to my parents about this. Although, I don’t think anything happened, really.”
“Um,” Kibum started, but stopped himself.
“What is it? Did that Jonghyun say something?” Jinki asked, suspicious. “Does he know anything? Do you know something?”
Kibum raised his hands in the air. “Nothing of that. I know nothing, Jonghyun knows a little. He said Onew knows everything and-“
“Onew?” The older asked, narrowing his eyes.
“The one who committed the murder.” The light brown haired replied, sipping from the slightly cold tea. “Jonghyun told me. He knows him and another one named Key, apparently I remind Jonghyun of his best friend Key-”
“Onew?” Jinki asked, again. He looked at his cup, as if searching for answers in the dark colored liquid.
“Why? Do you know anyone of that name?” Kibum asked, hopeful.
Jinki looked at him, any emotions there was before when he was looking at the liquid was gone. “No. It’s just a weird name.”
Kibum nodded, not fully believing the older. He opened his mouth to ask for explanation but his eyes landed on the hanging clock on his kitchen wall; he gasped. “Holy!! I’m late. Let’s go, hyung. I have an appointment right now.”
Jinki chuckled and got up ever so slightly, making Kibum rush to him to drag and push him to the entrance to wear their shoes. “Kibum-ah, you pushed your hyung?”
The psychiatrist paused as he found the similarity between Jinki and Jonghyun surprisingly odd. He grinned, cheekily. “Even though you are an old man now hyung, try not to take too long.”
“Yah! You little-” Jinki threw his shoe at Kibum, missing as the younger had already dressed and ran outside, shouting, “I’m leaving, hyung.” Jinki wore his shoes quickly, racing outside in fear of the younger leaving him.
“Boo!” Someone shouted from Jinki’s side when he ran to the hallway, causing him to jump some good feet off the ground.
He clutched his heart area, trying to calm himself down with the breathing technique the psychiatrist taught him. He heard laughing behind him so he turned to be met with a flustered Kibum, laughing on the ground. “YAH!”
The young man jumped off the ground to run away, but was pulled back by a strong arm around his waist. Before Jinki could make two steps, they fell to the cold, hard floor.
Kibum groaned with Jinki underneath him groaning as well. “What the hell, hyung? What happened?” Jinki mumbled something confusing under him. “What did you say?” He asked, rolling off the elder, both groaning in the process.
“I tripped.” He raised his untied shoes to emphasize his situation.
Kibum lifted his head to raise an eyebrow at Jinki. “Seriously? You’re a klutz, hyung.”
Jinki grinned, guiltily. He got up and held his hand out to Kibum.
The psychiatrist hesitated. “Am I gonna end up in your arms again?” Jinki snickered, shaking his head. Kibum nodded and took the outstretched hand. “Thank you, hyung. Now, let’s go.” He kept holding the elder’s hand as he led them back to his car in the garage.
Kibum drove quite fast on the way back to his clinic. “Kibum-ah! You’re crazy. Stop speeding up, you’re gonna break the speed limit.”
“Don’t worry, hyung.” The younger grinned. “I’m a fine driver. I never spent a night in jail.”
“Oh, that’s reassuring.”
“I always get let out in the same day.” Kibum continued, smirking.
“HA?” Jinki screamed.
The younger laughed at his facial expression, watching him from the corner of his eye. “I’m kidding, I swear. Look at yourself, seriously!”
They soon arrived to Kibum’s clinic, which was not so far from his apartment building. Jinki found his car and Kibum was about to leave, but the elder stopped him, holding him by his upper arm. “Dr. Kim, I would like if you accept my offer to become my personal psychiatrist.”
Kibum watched him with trained eyes. “What’s your purpose?”
Jinki let go of the man’s arm. “I want you to meet them, all. And help me understand them and the purpose of their existence.”
The psychiatrist smiled, softly. “I’ll let you know, hyung.” He opened his trunk and backseats door. “Now, take Jonghyun’s shit so I can go.”
The elder looked at the twenty something shopping bags in shock. “How much did he spend?”
“A lot. I tried to stop him, I’m sorry.” Kibum lowered his head, ashamed of failing to do that simple task.
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault.” Jinki patted his head, before reaching out to take the bags out and throw them in his car. “Thank you, Dr. Kim. I hope I’ll see you around.”
The psychiatrist smiled and bowed. “See you, hyung.” He gave him his business card before waving and hurrying to the elevator.
Jinki took his phone out and dialed the number he hates the most.
“Jinki-ah, what is it?”
“Father.” Jinki started his car. “I’m coming over, tell mum that we need to talk.”
“We’re both busy right now, Jinki-ah.” Mr. Lee’s tone was annoyed and impatient. “If you were in the company, you would’ve known that.”
“Father, we need to talk in the nearest time possible.” The son interrupted.
“What is this about?” His father’s tone was beyond annoyed.
“It’s about Onew.”
There was a long silence on the other side of the line, convincing Jinki that his parents knew of this Onew he spoke of. “O-Onew? I don’t know-know w-who that I-is, son.”
“I’m on my way to your house. I expect you both there.” Jinki replied instead, hanging up.
The surgeon climbed in his car and drove to his parent’s house. He took a deep breath before opening the door with a spare key he still had in his keychain for a reason he doesn’t know. He walked in the familiar, yet unhomely hallway, passing his old room on his way to the study on the second floor. He paused at family portrait hanging in one of the extravagant halls. He glanced at his parents with their mastered false smiles and feign care for little Jinki in their deceiving eyes as they look at the young child.
He snickered at how stupid he was when he thought they true at a young age. He knocked on the mahogany door and waited to be invited in like the polite, good boy he was raised to be. When he got the permission, he entered with his head lowered before bowing to his mother and father.
“How have you been, Jinki-ah? You stopped visiting us a long time ago, we missed you a lot.” Mrs. Lee started before the son could say his greetings.
“I’ve been busy mother with work.” Jinki answered, declining his father’s offer to sit down. “Did you know I was in jail couple of days ago?”
His mother gasped, the sound made the son cringe at how sincere it was. “You were in jail? Why? What happened, darling?”
“Apparently, I killed my colleague.” The surgeon finally took a seat, away from his parents. “Tell me about Onew.”
Mr. & Mrs. Lee glanced between each other for a moment too long, which had Jinki clearing his throat to get their attention, again.
“Who told you about Onew?” His father spoke first, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “Did you get your memories back?”
Jinki shook his head. “Although, when someone said that name, it sounded so familiar to my ears. I figured it had something with the past I had forgotten.” He took turns staring between his parents. “So, tell me what happened when I was younger. You better start saying the truth and quit the lies you’ve been feeding me since I lost my memories.”
“How dare you speak like that to your parents, you ungrateful-” Mrs. Lee raised her hand to silence her husband.
“Jinki-ah, we hid the truth from you to help you.” Jinki’s mother reasoned. “I don’t think it’s good to remember now, you’re not ready for it.”
“I decide that.” The young doctor interrupted, voice calm and emotions at bay. “So something happened? I knew you weren’t always truthful with me, but I’d never have imagined you’d stoop to this low.” He got up from his chair, standing tall in front of the people who brought him to a world full of lies and deceit. “These are my memories. I’m almost 30 and I know nothing of my own childhood. I beg you to tell me-” Suddenly, he fell to the ground, holding his head between both his hands. “Ah~. What’s go-going o-on?”
“Jinki.” Mrs. Lee rushed to his side, kneeling next to her pained son. “Call the doctor, Jaeyoung. Hurry!”
The Lee Empire heir let go of his head and pushed his mother away from him. “Don’t touch me, woman.” He sneered, getting up and leaving the house that caused him the most pain in his 29 years alive. As he walked outside, he took out the business card in his pocket and grinned.
It was 7.28 P.M. when Kim Kibum locked up his clinic. He got into his car and drove to Jinki’s house as the former had texted him to come over quickly. The man had told him his door was unlocked and to let himself in since he was going to shower. He told Kibum to make himself at home.
The psychiatrist entered the two-story house just as the sun was about to set. He took off his shoes and wore slippers, placing his shoes away from the entrance. “Hyung? Are you still showering?”
Getting no answer, he decided to find the kitchen to make some tea. He found the kitchen on his first try and felt so proud about himself, only to face the problem of finding the kettle, the tea and the tea cups. Kibum started humming while making Earl Grey tea which he was shocked to find in Jinki’s kitchen. As he was pouring the tea, he noticed the tall figure at the door staring at him. He jumped but didn’t drop the kettle from his hands, though he did place his free hand over his chest in an attempt to calm his loud heart.
“Hyung.” Kibum whined, setting the kettle down to prevent himself from throwing it at the man’s smirking face.
“Sorry, Bummie-ah.” The man spoke with a deeper voice than usual and a different glint in his eyes. He moved to approach the younger man with the latter noticing he was shirtless and water was dripping from his hair in a very sexy scene-like.
“Yah! Wear something, what’s wrong with you?” Kibum muttered, turning away to hide his blush at the elder’s well-defined abdomen. “And, what’s with the nickname? You make me sound like a child.”
“Am I making you uncomfortable? I’m sorry, I’ll go put on a shirt.” The shirtless man came back after few moments wearing a hoodie. “Is this fine, Bummie-ah?”
Kibum was holding a tray with the cups and kettle on when he noticed the older man. “Yes, thank you. And, stop with the pet name.”
The older smiled, taking the tray from the psychiatrist and leading them to the living room. He placed one cup in front of Kibum on the coffee table and one across from it, where he was seated.
“You’re doing a great job at imitating, Jinki-hyung.” Kibum praised, after taking a sip from his tea cup.
The man smiled, probably a mastered fake one. “What gave me away? I’m sure I was exactly like Jinki.”
“You were, actually.” The psychiatrist answered, truthfully. “I just saw little implications and decided to test it out.”
“What implications? And, how did you test it out?” The man asked, sipping from his cup impatiently.
“The fact that you came shirtless, you should know that Jinki is still uncomfortable with me even if we had dropped the honorifics.” Kibum explained. “I think you guessed we were already friends, which made you fall into the second mistake. Eye contact. This’s the first day I meet Jinki-hyung, he’s still very cautious around me, so he keeps eye contact to the minimum, fearing I would suddenly understand the emotions - which he hides very well - floating in his eyes.” He sipped from the English tea, before continuing. “And, the test is simple. Although Hyung likes his coffee dark and bitter, he likes his tea very sweet. Your cup doesn’t have sugar in it at all, yet you seem to enjoy it.”
The man looked at his cup, chuckling at the idea of him being discovered in less than quarter of an hour. “Jonghyun was right about you. You’re smart.”
“Oh, thank you. And, I suppose you’re Onew?” The taller asked, making an eye contact with the older man. “Since you seem to know a lot about Jinki-hyung and you knew how to play his role very well. Besides, you didn’t say Jonghyun-hyung, so I assume you’re older and Jonghyun-hyung mentioned Onew’s the eldest.”
“I’m totally impressed.” The now identified male smirked, before getting a serious look on. “I need you to help us.”
Prompt-#: 28
For: @vickey1314
Pairing: Jinki/Kibum, Onew/Kibum
Author: Ace_Fahs @ao3
Word count: 7682 words (part1)
Rating: T-rating, 16+
Warnings: multiple personality disorder, foul language, bad English since it’s not my first language.
Summary: Lee Jinki was arrested for a murder case. He claimed he had no idea what happened. While awaiting trial, Jinki saw a psychiatrist, Kim Kibum, and when he went to trial he pleaded not guilty because of multiple personality disorder. He had five personalities (Onew, seems to have a bright personality but also mysterious; Jonghyun, the emotional and hot-tempered guy; Key, blunt, sarcastic and loves to nag; and Taemin, the youngest, a free spirited and rebellious teen) beside his own, and one of the dominant personalities, Onew, committed the murder. Jinki attempts to regain control over his life with the help of Kibum
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ModNote: This is just the first part of the story. As soon as the writer finished up the second part and sent it to us will we add the second part to it to have the complete fanfiction here. :)
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“I told you,” Jinki pleaded. “I didn’t do anything, I swear.”
Lee Jinki, a young fine doctor, was arrested for the murder of a fellow colleague and friend, Chae Taepung.
“He was last seen leaving the club with you, don’t lie.” Detective Jeon, the detective responsible for the investigation, urged frustrated.
“I didn’t even go to the club, I was at home asleep.” Jinki protested. “I never went to a club since college.”
The detective eyed him, suspiciously. “We have caught you on cctv cameras with Chae Taepung-ssi while leaving the club so why don’t you cut the crap and admit it already?”
Jinki placed his head between his hands. “It wasn’t me. I was asleep.”
“You wanna say someone borrowed your body to commit a murder and then gave it back?” Jinki laughed at the assumption. “You think this’s funny?” Det. Jeon shouted, losing any shred of professionalism. “Your hands seem bruised a lot, I bet if we make a test the result would match the bruises found on the victim’s body. It would indicate the fact that you beat the man to death, you sick bastard.”
Jinki pulled at his black hair, sighing heavily. “I would like to call my lawyer.”
Jinki was bailed by his father two days later with no questions asked from the latter. His trial was decided on the 7th of April, a month later.
He called the hospital only to be informed that he was fired after all the great achievements he had done, and when he called his late friend’s family, he was shouted and cursed at.
The 29-years-old doctor returned to his house in shock. The two days passed in a blur; he couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, thought a lot, and he tried to remember something he didn’t know he did.
While busying himself with house chores he never bothered with before, he remembered events in his pasts that left him just as confused and shocked he was.
Once in high school, he had been bullied when he suddenly fainted and when he woke up, the bully was in the hospital and everyone in the school feared Jinki. He was expelled from that school and he had no idea what had happened. Or that time, after a college party where he woke up with a naked girl in his bed whom he didn’t recall meeting. He would’ve blamed it on alcohol had he drunk that night, but he didn’t. Though, the blackouts seemed to have ended when he became a surgeon.
Not knowing what was wrong with him, Jinki did the only thing every anxious person would do searching for answers that would explain his situation. He Google searched his symptoms. Blackouts, hazy memory, violence…etc. But, Google was a total waste of times because it kept leading him to links of DID symptoms and Jinki was sure he didn’t have multiple personality disorder. However, being sure of something doesn’t say that it is correct.
He decided to see for himself if it was true, so he searched for the best psychiatrists in Seoul and spoke with a lot on the phone without any avail. Most of them were either busy or overseas.
As he was about to give up, he stumbled upon a research of a psychiatrist about DID patients and how they are scared and not-so-dangerous beings and he read the article thoroughly, confirming some of the symptoms mentioned. Jinki got contact information of the psychiatrist, Kim Kibum, and called for an appointment as soon as possible.
The next morning, Jinki found himself in front of Kim Kibum’s door. After debating with himself, he managed to knock.
“Come in,” a soft voice invited him to enter.
To say Jinki was shocked to find a young man at a psychiatrist office would be an understatement. He cleared his throat before asking, “Good morning, is Dr. Kim Kibum available?”
Jinki didn’t mean to judge but the pearly white seemingly soft skin, the silky looking light brown messy hair, the adorable black glasses resting on a button nose, the bow-shaped pink lips, and the small scar, be it real or a trend on his right eyebrow all screamed not psychiatrist.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Kim Kibum.” The man smiled, warmly. “Please, make yourself comfortable.” The mid-twenties young man was wearing fit faded jeans with a long maroon cardigan above a cream colored knitted sweater and maroon vans; very unprofessional. “I’m assuming you’re Mr. Lee Jinki or am I mistaken?”
“Yes, you’re correct, Dr. Kim.” Jinki replied. “I’m sorry for taking your time on an early morning.”
The man sitting across him with a pad and pen smiled at him, again. “Don’t worry, Mr. Lee. It’s my job.” He smiled, reassuringly. “Shall we start? Or, do you want coffee or water or anything?”
Jinki stopped his shaking leg and rubbing his hands. He was oozing nervousness. “Coffee would be great, thank you.”
“Do you like it black?”
The black-haired man nodded, still not daring to meet the other man’s eyes. He thought over and over how to start talking about what was going on until a mug of steaming, black coffee was placed in front of him. “Thank you very much, Dr. Kim.”
“Ah, please call me Kibum. You make me sound very old.” The light brown haired man grinned, placing a cup of tea in front of him. “You can start whenever you want. My other schedules don’t start ‘til the afternoon.”
Jinki gulped a mouthful of coffee before starting to find the courage to begin. He took couple of deep breaths and a long sigh. “I saw your article about DID patients and learned that you are very great at your job, especially in dissociative identity disorder section.”
“Oh, I’m very flattered with your kind words.” Kibum threw another smile at Jinki. “Please, do continue.”
The shorter nodded. “I’m a suspect of a murder case.” Jinki watched the psychiatrist’s face for any reaction and when none were made, he continued. “Police say I was last seen with my friend, the victim, and that my hands matched the bruises on his body. The thing is, I don’t recall seeing him that night, and I wasn’t even at the club. I swear I was sleeping after a really long shift at the hospital and I never went out.” The man explained, gulping another mouthful of the bitter, dark liquid. “I had blackouts earlier in my life but it didn’t happen again after I became a doctor so … I don’t really know. I searched the symptoms I’ve been suffering online and DID was the result I got. Um … This is ridiculous. I’m sorry for wasting your time.” He stood up but the psychiatrist stopped him.
“Please sit down and continue if I may ask.” The small framed man fixed his glasses neatly. “Explain the blackouts in details, please.”
The shorter sat down, feeling ashamed. “I think the first time was when I was 16. I fainted while being bullied and when I gained consciousness, the bully was in the hospital, everyone in school feared me and I was expelled. Other things happened, too.” Jinki blushed, looking away. “I, sometimes, would woke up with people I don’t know, or in unfamiliar places wearing clothes I didn’t buy.”
“And, you’ve never been to a psychiatrist before for that?” Dr. Kim questioned, holding his tab and writing down things on it.
“Does counseling count?” Jinki asked cheekily, earning a cute smiley head shake. “No, I’ve never had a reason to. I didn’t think much of it.”
“I see.” Kibum locked eyes with him. “And, did you grow up in a broken home, or underwent any kind of trauma when you were younger?”
The dark haired looked at him perplexed. “No, I don’t think so. Although …” he trailed off, thoughtfully.
“Yes?”
“I suffered from a memory loss due to an accident when I was eleven so my childhood memories are a bit hazy.” Jinki elucidated.
“Have you asked your parents?” The psychiatrist asked. “About anything from your childhood, I mean.”
“I’ve never had a reason for it.” Jinki replied, truthfully. “And, they said it was a normal childhood so why bother, you know?”
“Did it occur to you that they might be hiding something crucial about your situation?” Kibum inquired, his tone same as it had been since the start; warm. “What if what happened caused the blackouts?” He noticed how the other man drank from the mug before spitting it discreetly while Kibum was writing on his pad.
The supposedly patient knitted his eyebrows in confusion. “Why would my parents hide something like that from me?”
The light haired shrugged, nonchalantly. “To protect you, to help you, to prevent disasters I don’t know. There are many reasons.”
“So, you’re saying that I should just ask them?” Jinki asked, soft eyes turning sharp and jaw clenched. “That would end my suffering?”
“Maybe.” Dr. Kim answered, sincerely.
“What are you trying to do?” Lee inquired, frustrated. “Do you want me to go or something? Do you not want to help me?”
Kibum tilted his head to the side. “Who are you?”
The man in front of him looked at him confused. “What do you mean? I’m Lee Jinki. Are you trying to make fun of me?” He shouted, angrily.
“I don’t think so. You’re not Mr. Lee.” Dr. Kim replied, shaking his index finger in the air. “You are easily provoked. Mr. Lee seemed emotionally tamed.”
The dark haired man’s angry expression left his face, turning into a grin and a loud laugh escaped his perfect plump lips. “You got me. You are smart, did you know that?”
The psychiatrist ignored the comment. “So, who are you?”
“What would you give me if I told you?” The husky voice, different from the soft one before, asked, seductively.
“Candy.” Kim Kibum smiled, sheepishly.
The man rolled his eyes. “I’ll tell you for free, because I have a feeling the next question would be worth a lot.” He smirked, slightly. “My name is Kim Jonghyun. Nice to meet you. I suppose you’re a psychiatrist, what’s your name?”
“Nice to meet you, too. I’m Kim Kibum.” The taller replied. “What do you think my next question would be?”
Jonghyun grinned. “Do I know?”
“Do you know what?” Kibum asked.
“Who killed that man?” Kim Jonghyun continued, snickering at Kibum’s ‘o’ shaped lips. “Don’t tell me you weren’t even thinking about asking that question.”
“I was actually, but I didn’t wanna ask it right away.” The psychiatrist smiled, warmly. “Will you tell me now that you’ve mentioned it, though?”
“No.” Jonghyun started lifting his, or Jinki’s, hair away from his forehead but didn’t spike it up. “I told you it’s not for free. You gotta pay for it.”
Kibum nodded his head. “What do you want, Jonghyun-ssi?”
“Oh, don’t call me ‘Jonghyun-ssi’, I’m not old. Call me hyung.” The man beamed, getting up. “C’mon, let’s go.”
“Where are we going, Jonghyun-ssi- I mean hyung?” The taller asked as he was dragged by a hyper man. “Why do you even think I’m younger?”
“Your diploma.” Jonghyun pointed at the framed diploma hung behind Kibum’s office. It read 2015. “So, if you graduated in 2015 and you have your master’s degree, you might be 26 years old this year. Am I correct?”
Kibum nodded, impressed with the other man’s ability to pay attention to the slightest things. “And, how old are you?”
Jonghyun held his hand and started walking, again. “Jinki’s 29 years old, I’m younger. I’m 27.” He turned to grin and wink at the younger. “I’m a better choice.”
Kibum stopped them after hearing the last sentence. “Wait. Where are we going?”
The older laughed. “We’re not going on a date, if that’s what you were thinking of.”
“I wasn’t.” The psychiatrist protested, cheeks a deep red color. He locked his clinic and went after the dark haired. “So, where are we going?”
“Shopping.” Jonghyun beamed, again.
He seems like a cheerful, emotional personality. Kibum noted as he followed the older. Maybe, hot-tempered and easily provoked, too.
“Where are you going?” The light haired man asked Jonghyun who was searching for Jinki’s car. “Let’s use my car. It’s better if I drive.” He said, ushering towards his blue mini cooper.
Jonghyun shrugged and got in the passenger seat.
“So,” Kibum started. “You wanna go to the mall?”
“Let’s go to shopping center.” The older suggested, nonchalantly. “I wanna hit Guitar Center.”
The driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror, suspiciously. “You play instruments?”
“No, I’m going to buy them as a décor.” Jonghyun muttered, sarcastically.
Kibum raised an eyebrow before nodding. “I didn’t take you for a sarcastic person.”
“I’m sorry.” The passenger said, sincerely. “My friend inside has infected me with sarcasm. He’s very blunt and speaks his mind without thinking.”
The psychiatrist became interested at that. “Oh really? Is he the one?”
Jonghyun shook his head. “Nice try.”
Kibum sighed. “How many personalities are there inside?” He noticed how the other man flinched at his words. “I mean, how many people are there inside of Jinki?”
“Just drive silently.” The man said with finality.
The light haired man nodded quietly, trying not to provoke the other man anymore.
Couple of minutes later, Jonghyun broke the silence. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.”
“No, it’s my fault.” Kibum waved a free hand, nonchalantly.
“The others say I’m the most emotional,” Jonghyun spoke softly after a few moments of silence. “I guess, they’re right.”
“You shouldn’t listen to what others say about you.” The psychiatrist glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “You know yourself well, don’t you?”
The rest of the ride was spent in tensed silence. It didn’t take long to reach the shopping center. And, as soon as Kibum parked the car, Jonghyun was sprinting out and to the driver’s side where he dragged the taller man to the center’s entrance.
“Why the rush?”
“I gotta change this shit of an outfit.” The oldest remarked, pointing at Jinki’s plaid shirt and oversized jeans. “I mean, he’s filthy rich so why the heck does he not use his money usefully.”
Kibum found it disrespectful to nod to the comment of Jinki’s bad sense of fashion, even though that was the second thought that crossed his mind when the man entered his clinic. The first one was of how bright his patient’s smile was even if it was fake, it was truly mastered.
Jonghyun stopped dragging the taller in front of H&M store for a moment, before continuing to drag the latter inside. After picking out some outfits, he sat Kibum on a random couch and went to try them out. The psychiatrist was actually interested in the whole ordeal as he had picked few outfits for Jonghyun, or Jinki.
“Do you know what’s the only thing I like about Lee Jinki?” Jonghyun spoke from inside the fitting room.
“His bank balance?” Kibum joked, lightly.
The man changing his clothes rolled his eyes. “No, besides that.” He got out wearing one of the outfits Kibum had picked for him. “His honey thighs.” Jonghyun grinned showing off his, or Jinki’s, thighs in skinny, trashed jeans. “Look at those.”
And looking was what Kibum had done. His mouth watered and his cheeks had a hint of a red color because of the dirty thoughts swirling in his mind at the sight of Lee Jinki’s thick thighs. Kibum mentally slapped himself for losing his professionality in front of his patient, especially in the latter’s vulnerable state. He regained control just as Jonghyun shouted at him.
“Yah.” The man had shouted. “Does it look good on me? I wear it better than Jinki, right?”
“Uh …” Kibum cleared his throat. “I dunno. I haven’t seen Jinki-ssi wearing it.”
Jonghyun rolled his eyes. “It’s called a compliment. Learn how to use it.” He stormed into the dressing room with a stomp to his pace.
A few outfits later, Jonghyun bought all the clothes he tried on, costing Lee Jinki quite a big amount of money which Kibum tried to pay instead but failed to.
The psychiatrist looked at the receipt again, eyes wide and mouth open. “I really should pay for this. It’s Jinki-ssi’s money, you shouldn’t use it.”
The shorter man next to him scowled. “Technically, it’s my money, too. I participated in his work sometimes.”
“Oh, did you?” Kibum asked, not really believing it. “What does Jinki-ssi do for a living, Jonghyun-ssi?”
“He’s a doctor, of course.” Jonghyun rolled his eyes, melodramatically. “I told you to call me Hyung.” He held the younger’s hand and started walking. “College and med school was too much stress to forget, really. Honestly I have no idea why he chose to become a doctor after what happened when-” The man stopped talking abruptly, quickly adverting his attention to the musical instruments stores to cover his slip up. “Oh, look. There’s the shop I wanna go to.”
Kibum stopped walking, firmly bringing the other man to a halt in the process. “What happened? Do you know what happened before Jinki-ssi lost his memory?”
Jonghyun sighed, looking at his feet. “Most of us do, just tiny bits though, so don’t ask me.”
“But that means you know something,” The psychiatrist insisted. “That matters.”
The other man let go of his hand. “Onew knows everything. You should ask him, although he plans to keep it that way.”
“Onew?” The light haired man asked, confused. Sudden realization had him move to stand mere inches away from Jonghyun. “Is he the one?”
The older only nodded before continuing to walk. “Now that you know, you can leave if you want.”
Kibum watched for a moment as the slightly shorter man strode to the music shop, before running after him. “Yah, wait for me.” He pretended not to notice the betraying turn of Jonghyun’s lips upward as he caught up.
“Yah? I’m older.” The man scorned, shaking his head in faux disappointment. “Be respectful to your elders, you brat.”
“Yes, Hyung.” Dr. Kim smiled, softly.
Jonghyun smiled, widely. “Out of all the others, you’ll like me the most. I can assure you.” His eyes wrinkled at the end. “C’mon, let’s go. My time is gold.”
The taller nodded and they entered Guitar Center. “But, lemme buy you a gift.”
“Why would you buy me a gift? We just met-” Jonghyun cut himself off, narrowing his eyes at the younger. “You’re trying to save Jinki’s money, right? Nice try.” He went straight to a worker there. “Get me your manager immediately, please.” Although he had add ‘please’, his tone was demanding and authoritative.
“What are you going to do?” Kibum asked, a whine to his tone after the worker had left.
“You’ll see.” Jonghyun replied, smugly.
The manager soon came looking almighty and arrogant but Jonghyun didn’t judge on a book from its cover. “Is there anything wrong?”
The dark haired man smirked. “I’m Lee Jinki.” He offered Jinki’s business card that was in his pants.
“Mr. Jinki? We are honored to have you visit us personally.” The middle-aged man said, bowing a sharp ninety degree. “How may I help you, sir?”
Jonghyun’s eyes left the man in front of him to look at the models of new and antique guitars on the right side of the center. “I wanna purchase some guitars and a bass, I think. Although, I want something from you first.” He looked at the worker, “Gemme a paper and a pen.”
All the men present looked confused before the worker went to do as told. Jonghyun wrote on the paper for a minute or so and then slid it to the manager. “I want you to sign it.”
The manager read it, looked at Jonghyun puzzled, and signed it. “So if I’m not wrong, I’m not to let you return what you buy today or let Kim Kibum pay for you?” Jonghyun nodded while Kibum’s eyes widened and mouth opened in a protest. “Alright. Anything else, sir?”
“That’s all. I’ll shop on my own.” Jonghyun stated. “Thanks for your cooperation.”
The manager nodded and left after bowing politely.
“But-” The psychiatrist started.
“He already signed it, so…” The doctor smirked, trailing off. “Let’s shop. Can you take the bags to the counter, please?” Jonghyun made puppy eyes as he placed his shopping bags on the floor and sprinted to the guitar section.
“Yeah, send it to my house like always.” Jonghyun told the manager after he purchased an acoustic guitar, an electric one and a bass. “And when you get the piano, send it immediately. Thank you so much.”
Kibum bowed with him before they headed out, holding the many shopping bags for the clothes Jonghyun had bought. “I can’t believe how much you spent. What if Jinki wasn’t using his money because he has future plan for it? Like a relaxing vacation? Or marriage?”
“Marriage? HA! The klutz can’t even walk two meters before stumbling on his own feet.” Jonghyun looked at him like he had just went crazy. “That dubu lives for his job, Kibum-ah. He’s in too deep with it. He knows no life without his job, I can imagine why he feels so sad and stressed other than that shit dying.”
“That shit? You mean the murder?” Kibum questioned as they finally got to his car. “You know why Onew-ssi did it?”
“Hyung said that man did something unforgivable and that he had to kill him.” Jonghyun muttered, getting inside.
The driver started the car. “You dunno what it is?”
The man shook his head in a sad but relieved way.
“Okay, Hyung. I trust you.” Kibum started the engine and left the shopping center. “Where do you wanna go?”
Jonghyun shrugged.
“Okay, then let’s go to my apartment.” The psychiatrist suggested.
“Oooh. On the first date you’re taking me back home?” Jonghyun joked. “I’m not that easy, babe.”
Kibum rolled his eyes. “Shut it, hyung.”
“But, really.” The older looked serious. “Is it okay to take your patients home?”
“You’re not my patient, yet.” He looked at the dark-haired man in the rearview mirror. “Besides, aren’t we friends?”
Jonghyun looked up from his slump, eyes shining between long bangs. “Yes, we are.” He said, cheerfully like an innocent child. “You sound so much like Key. You’re alike. I take my words back, you two would seem to click at first glance.”
“Key?” Kibum asked, startled. “You mean the one you mentioned before? Your best friend? You seem to have a good friendship with him.”
“I do. He’s an amazing person.” Jonghyun smiled. “He’s younger than me, just about your age.”
“Does everyone talk normally to one another?” The psychiatrist questioned, nonchalantly.
“Yes, most of us.” The oldest said. “Onew speaks to us all often. The others I dunno a lot about, except Key. All I know is that we are five other than Jinki.” He continued. “Onew’s … Onew is actually very good, he’s nice and kind and gentle. He’s not bad, I assure you. When you meet, can you be nice, please? He’s the eldest in there.”
Kibum glanced briefly at Jonghyun before turning to the roads ahead. “Of course, I will.” He smiled reassuringly, promising immediately as he saw the pleading glint in the elder’s eyes. “Now, tell me about yourself. I want to know more about you-”
Jonghyun started screaming out of the blue, clutching his head in a tight grip as if fearing it would fall off. “I-it’s happening. Some-someone is com-coming out.”
Kibum pulled the car over to the right and tried helping Jonghyun in any possible way. “Do you need water? Is there any way I can help? Does it hurt? Hyung-“He was silenced when the screaming stopped, only heavy breaths filled the car. “Hyung? Jonghyun?”
“Who’s Jonghyun?” The man said, rubbing his head hardly while groaning. He looked up at Kibum with innocent, oblivious eyes. “Dr. Kim? Where are we? What happened?”
The psychiatrist searched the eyes that were filled with pure confusion. “Jinki-ssi?”
The man nodded, still in shock.
“I met one of your personalities.” Kibum said.
And although the psychiatrist said it with so much regard and sympathy, it didn’t stop Lee Jinki from freaking out. His breathing became hurried and short and he was sweating a lot, almost as if having a panic attack. “I-I’m … c-crazy?”
“Jinki-ssi, you are not crazy.” Kibum started, but he cut himself off when noticing the older man’s state. “Jinki-ssi, breathe with me. Breathe in.” He breathed in, Jinki trying to do the same. “Breathe Out.” Jinki let go of a waver breath. “In. Out.”
Couple of tries later, Jinki finally calmed down and the psychiatrist gave him a bottle of cool water he had bought earlier. “How many are there?”
“Oh, Jonghyun only knows of two; one of them the one who committed the murder.” Dr. Kim answered, still concernedly checking if Jinki was alright. “Are you okay?”
“How can I be?” The man asked, dejectedly. “I’m going crazy, Kibum-ssi. I have other personalities in my head … A-and they have n-names?”
“Ah, yeah. It’s normal for them to have names. A name makes a person alive.” Kibum replied. “Please, call me Kibum, Jinki-ssi.”
Jinki nodded. “Call me Jinki, then.” He looked around, noticing it was the afternoon already. “Tell me I was out for couple pf hours and not days.”
“Just a couple of hours, don’t worry.” Kibum laughed, softly.
“So,” The surgeon began, eyes big and confused. “Where were you going?”
“To my apartment.” The younger realized how much it seemed weird when the older gave him a skeptic look.
“Don’t tell this Jonghyun had seduced you and he was going to use my body to-“
“Hyung!” Kibum whined, looking less professional more child. “I would never. I won’t ever let anything bad happen to you, at least not on my watch. Trust me.”
Jinki looked at him with big, hopeful eyes. “Really? Thank you so much, Kibum-ah.”
The psychiatrist blushed at the name but smiled a small bright one. “Good. Now, where do you wanna go?”
Jinki made a thoughtful face. “Why were you going to your apartment?”
Kibum gave him a look before answering, “I was gonna make some tea and listen to Jonghyun tell me about himself.”
“Let’s do that.” The older said, grinning his megawatt smile.
“You wanna tell me about yourself over a cup of tea?” The light-haired man asked, starting the car.
“How about we both talk about ourselves?” Jinki suggested. “I’m hoping to be friends with you, Kibum-ah.”
Kibum nodded and they drove to his apartment. He led them into the living room and invited Jinki to sit wherever while he made the tea. As Kibum went to the kitchen to make tea, Jinki followed. “Is there something wrong?”
“Can I stay here, instead?”
The psychiatrist observed the slight pleading in the elder’s eyes. “Of course, hyung.”
Jinki nodded, sitting down while the other moved around the kitchen to prepare tea. “So, what’s with the hyungthing?”
“Huh?” Kibum looked at him, puzzled. “You don’t like it?”
“Oh, no. Not that.” The surgeon shyly looked away from the taller man. “You called me that before we dropped the honorifics, so I guessed this Jonghyun dude asked you to call him that.” He continued, rubbing his sweaty palms together on the ripped jeans he was surprisingly wearing. “Did you become close so easily? Was he a friendly person? What was he like? Is he a bad boy since he wears something like this?-“
“Jinki-hyung.” Kibum stopped the man from having another panic attack. He wasn’t sure if the man was dissing Jonghyun or praising him. “He was friendly, yes. He hates your style, I think. And, he’s emotional.”
“Emotional?” Jinki asked, shocked. “I’ve never been emotional all my life. Was he easily provoked or just a little untamed?”
Kibum chuckled, returning to his task. “Easily provoked and emotionally untamed.”
The elder’s eyes widened. “How’s that possible? He doesn’t seem like me. Except, maybe in the friendliness.”
“They don’t have to resemble you at all, hyung.” The psychiatrist turned to lean on the counter as the kettle was on the stove. “They could have very contradicting characteristics than yours. Like Jonghyun for instance, he’s very loud and talkative, even with strangers, totally unlike you when you came this morning. Even now, I can tell you’re still uncomfortable.” He resumed, catching Jinki’s eyes. “I suppose Jonghyun is your comfort. When you’re uncomfortable or much stressed, he comes out.”
“But, how can he be a comfort if he’s emotional?” Jinki questioned, interested in the topic.
“He deals with the situations with his heart, which is really a problem, but he’s smart too.” Kibum responded, pouring into big tea cups. “He processes the situation in a very unique way and he pays attention to the smallest details if I’m right from what happened earlier when he guessed my age.”
“How did he?”
“Oh, he saw my diploma. I graduated in 2015 and my major takes 6 years for bachelor degree and he calculated my age.” The man brought the tea cups and set one in front of Jinki on the table before seating himself.
Jinki looked impressed. “Did he really? It seems I’m always smart, aren’t I?”
Kibum rolled his eyes at him. “So, you’re liking this now?” Jinki grinned, again. “How old am I, hyung?”
“26.” Jinki gave him a bored look. “Do personalities have different ages?”
The psychiatrist nodded as he sipped from his tea. “For example, Jonghyun is 27 years old.”
“Oh, seriously?” The elder asked, fascinated. “That would’ve been cool if they weren’t taking my time, you know.”
Kibum smiled a little. “They’re a part of you, hyung.”
Jinki looked at him, his facial expression somewhere between shocked and confused. “What?”
“You do know that they are created to protect you from something that happened in the past, right?” The psychiatrist started. “You made them.”
The older tilted his head to the side, brain still processing the information he had received. “I-I made-made t-them?”
“Yes. Well, technically, it’s your brain, but it’s still you.” Kibum answered. “Don’t worry, it’s not a bad thing. It’s just that … um, you made them for a purpose. And that purpose was definitely to protect you, hyung.” He sipped, urging the elder to do as well. “And that means you had someone to hide from in your childhood.”
Jinki looked up from his cup to stare at Kibum before taking a huge gulp of the hot tea, cursing after it, catching the psychiatrist by surprise. “Is it a major factor in cases like mine?”
The psychiatrist nodded in affirmation. “Most cases grew up in broken homes or had some kind of trauma when they were younger or something.”
“Most of the cases.” The surgeon emphasized, eyes still locked with the psychiatrist’s. “That means for some people, that wasn’t the case. Some people didn’t have that kind of thing in the childhood.”
“But, the percentage is rare. It is infrequent, hyung.” The taller objected, trying to convince the other to search in his past. “I know it might hurt you, and if you feel not ready now you can wait, but knowing what happened should help you recover.”
The elder nodded. “I’ll speak to my parents about this. Although, I don’t think anything happened, really.”
“Um,” Kibum started, but stopped himself.
“What is it? Did that Jonghyun say something?” Jinki asked, suspicious. “Does he know anything? Do you know something?”
Kibum raised his hands in the air. “Nothing of that. I know nothing, Jonghyun knows a little. He said Onew knows everything and-“
“Onew?” The older asked, narrowing his eyes.
“The one who committed the murder.” The light brown haired replied, sipping from the slightly cold tea. “Jonghyun told me. He knows him and another one named Key, apparently I remind Jonghyun of his best friend Key-”
“Onew?” Jinki asked, again. He looked at his cup, as if searching for answers in the dark colored liquid.
“Why? Do you know anyone of that name?” Kibum asked, hopeful.
Jinki looked at him, any emotions there was before when he was looking at the liquid was gone. “No. It’s just a weird name.”
Kibum nodded, not fully believing the older. He opened his mouth to ask for explanation but his eyes landed on the hanging clock on his kitchen wall; he gasped. “Holy!! I’m late. Let’s go, hyung. I have an appointment right now.”
Jinki chuckled and got up ever so slightly, making Kibum rush to him to drag and push him to the entrance to wear their shoes. “Kibum-ah, you pushed your hyung?”
The psychiatrist paused as he found the similarity between Jinki and Jonghyun surprisingly odd. He grinned, cheekily. “Even though you are an old man now hyung, try not to take too long.”
“Yah! You little-” Jinki threw his shoe at Kibum, missing as the younger had already dressed and ran outside, shouting, “I’m leaving, hyung.” Jinki wore his shoes quickly, racing outside in fear of the younger leaving him.
“Boo!” Someone shouted from Jinki’s side when he ran to the hallway, causing him to jump some good feet off the ground.
He clutched his heart area, trying to calm himself down with the breathing technique the psychiatrist taught him. He heard laughing behind him so he turned to be met with a flustered Kibum, laughing on the ground. “YAH!”
The young man jumped off the ground to run away, but was pulled back by a strong arm around his waist. Before Jinki could make two steps, they fell to the cold, hard floor.
Kibum groaned with Jinki underneath him groaning as well. “What the hell, hyung? What happened?” Jinki mumbled something confusing under him. “What did you say?” He asked, rolling off the elder, both groaning in the process.
“I tripped.” He raised his untied shoes to emphasize his situation.
Kibum lifted his head to raise an eyebrow at Jinki. “Seriously? You’re a klutz, hyung.”
Jinki grinned, guiltily. He got up and held his hand out to Kibum.
The psychiatrist hesitated. “Am I gonna end up in your arms again?” Jinki snickered, shaking his head. Kibum nodded and took the outstretched hand. “Thank you, hyung. Now, let’s go.” He kept holding the elder’s hand as he led them back to his car in the garage.
Kibum drove quite fast on the way back to his clinic. “Kibum-ah! You’re crazy. Stop speeding up, you’re gonna break the speed limit.”
“Don’t worry, hyung.” The younger grinned. “I’m a fine driver. I never spent a night in jail.”
“Oh, that’s reassuring.”
“I always get let out in the same day.” Kibum continued, smirking.
“HA?” Jinki screamed.
The younger laughed at his facial expression, watching him from the corner of his eye. “I’m kidding, I swear. Look at yourself, seriously!”
They soon arrived to Kibum’s clinic, which was not so far from his apartment building. Jinki found his car and Kibum was about to leave, but the elder stopped him, holding him by his upper arm. “Dr. Kim, I would like if you accept my offer to become my personal psychiatrist.”
Kibum watched him with trained eyes. “What’s your purpose?”
Jinki let go of the man’s arm. “I want you to meet them, all. And help me understand them and the purpose of their existence.”
The psychiatrist smiled, softly. “I’ll let you know, hyung.” He opened his trunk and backseats door. “Now, take Jonghyun’s shit so I can go.”
The elder looked at the twenty something shopping bags in shock. “How much did he spend?”
“A lot. I tried to stop him, I’m sorry.” Kibum lowered his head, ashamed of failing to do that simple task.
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault.” Jinki patted his head, before reaching out to take the bags out and throw them in his car. “Thank you, Dr. Kim. I hope I’ll see you around.”
The psychiatrist smiled and bowed. “See you, hyung.” He gave him his business card before waving and hurrying to the elevator.
Jinki took his phone out and dialed the number he hates the most.
“Jinki-ah, what is it?”
“Father.” Jinki started his car. “I’m coming over, tell mum that we need to talk.”
“We’re both busy right now, Jinki-ah.” Mr. Lee’s tone was annoyed and impatient. “If you were in the company, you would’ve known that.”
“Father, we need to talk in the nearest time possible.” The son interrupted.
“What is this about?” His father’s tone was beyond annoyed.
“It’s about Onew.”
There was a long silence on the other side of the line, convincing Jinki that his parents knew of this Onew he spoke of. “O-Onew? I don’t know-know w-who that I-is, son.”
“I’m on my way to your house. I expect you both there.” Jinki replied instead, hanging up.
The surgeon climbed in his car and drove to his parent’s house. He took a deep breath before opening the door with a spare key he still had in his keychain for a reason he doesn’t know. He walked in the familiar, yet unhomely hallway, passing his old room on his way to the study on the second floor. He paused at family portrait hanging in one of the extravagant halls. He glanced at his parents with their mastered false smiles and feign care for little Jinki in their deceiving eyes as they look at the young child.
He snickered at how stupid he was when he thought they true at a young age. He knocked on the mahogany door and waited to be invited in like the polite, good boy he was raised to be. When he got the permission, he entered with his head lowered before bowing to his mother and father.
“How have you been, Jinki-ah? You stopped visiting us a long time ago, we missed you a lot.” Mrs. Lee started before the son could say his greetings.
“I’ve been busy mother with work.” Jinki answered, declining his father’s offer to sit down. “Did you know I was in jail couple of days ago?”
His mother gasped, the sound made the son cringe at how sincere it was. “You were in jail? Why? What happened, darling?”
“Apparently, I killed my colleague.” The surgeon finally took a seat, away from his parents. “Tell me about Onew.”
Mr. & Mrs. Lee glanced between each other for a moment too long, which had Jinki clearing his throat to get their attention, again.
“Who told you about Onew?” His father spoke first, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “Did you get your memories back?”
Jinki shook his head. “Although, when someone said that name, it sounded so familiar to my ears. I figured it had something with the past I had forgotten.” He took turns staring between his parents. “So, tell me what happened when I was younger. You better start saying the truth and quit the lies you’ve been feeding me since I lost my memories.”
“How dare you speak like that to your parents, you ungrateful-” Mrs. Lee raised her hand to silence her husband.
“Jinki-ah, we hid the truth from you to help you.” Jinki’s mother reasoned. “I don’t think it’s good to remember now, you’re not ready for it.”
“I decide that.” The young doctor interrupted, voice calm and emotions at bay. “So something happened? I knew you weren’t always truthful with me, but I’d never have imagined you’d stoop to this low.” He got up from his chair, standing tall in front of the people who brought him to a world full of lies and deceit. “These are my memories. I’m almost 30 and I know nothing of my own childhood. I beg you to tell me-” Suddenly, he fell to the ground, holding his head between both his hands. “Ah~. What’s go-going o-on?”
“Jinki.” Mrs. Lee rushed to his side, kneeling next to her pained son. “Call the doctor, Jaeyoung. Hurry!”
The Lee Empire heir let go of his head and pushed his mother away from him. “Don’t touch me, woman.” He sneered, getting up and leaving the house that caused him the most pain in his 29 years alive. As he walked outside, he took out the business card in his pocket and grinned.
It was 7.28 P.M. when Kim Kibum locked up his clinic. He got into his car and drove to Jinki’s house as the former had texted him to come over quickly. The man had told him his door was unlocked and to let himself in since he was going to shower. He told Kibum to make himself at home.
The psychiatrist entered the two-story house just as the sun was about to set. He took off his shoes and wore slippers, placing his shoes away from the entrance. “Hyung? Are you still showering?”
Getting no answer, he decided to find the kitchen to make some tea. He found the kitchen on his first try and felt so proud about himself, only to face the problem of finding the kettle, the tea and the tea cups. Kibum started humming while making Earl Grey tea which he was shocked to find in Jinki’s kitchen. As he was pouring the tea, he noticed the tall figure at the door staring at him. He jumped but didn’t drop the kettle from his hands, though he did place his free hand over his chest in an attempt to calm his loud heart.
“Hyung.” Kibum whined, setting the kettle down to prevent himself from throwing it at the man’s smirking face.
“Sorry, Bummie-ah.” The man spoke with a deeper voice than usual and a different glint in his eyes. He moved to approach the younger man with the latter noticing he was shirtless and water was dripping from his hair in a very sexy scene-like.
“Yah! Wear something, what’s wrong with you?” Kibum muttered, turning away to hide his blush at the elder’s well-defined abdomen. “And, what’s with the nickname? You make me sound like a child.”
“Am I making you uncomfortable? I’m sorry, I’ll go put on a shirt.” The shirtless man came back after few moments wearing a hoodie. “Is this fine, Bummie-ah?”
Kibum was holding a tray with the cups and kettle on when he noticed the older man. “Yes, thank you. And, stop with the pet name.”
The older smiled, taking the tray from the psychiatrist and leading them to the living room. He placed one cup in front of Kibum on the coffee table and one across from it, where he was seated.
“You’re doing a great job at imitating, Jinki-hyung.” Kibum praised, after taking a sip from his tea cup.
The man smiled, probably a mastered fake one. “What gave me away? I’m sure I was exactly like Jinki.”
“You were, actually.” The psychiatrist answered, truthfully. “I just saw little implications and decided to test it out.”
“What implications? And, how did you test it out?” The man asked, sipping from his cup impatiently.
“The fact that you came shirtless, you should know that Jinki is still uncomfortable with me even if we had dropped the honorifics.” Kibum explained. “I think you guessed we were already friends, which made you fall into the second mistake. Eye contact. This’s the first day I meet Jinki-hyung, he’s still very cautious around me, so he keeps eye contact to the minimum, fearing I would suddenly understand the emotions - which he hides very well - floating in his eyes.” He sipped from the English tea, before continuing. “And, the test is simple. Although Hyung likes his coffee dark and bitter, he likes his tea very sweet. Your cup doesn’t have sugar in it at all, yet you seem to enjoy it.”
The man looked at his cup, chuckling at the idea of him being discovered in less than quarter of an hour. “Jonghyun was right about you. You’re smart.”
“Oh, thank you. And, I suppose you’re Onew?” The taller asked, making an eye contact with the older man. “Since you seem to know a lot about Jinki-hyung and you knew how to play his role very well. Besides, you didn’t say Jonghyun-hyung, so I assume you’re older and Jonghyun-hyung mentioned Onew’s the eldest.”
“I’m totally impressed.” The now identified male smirked, before getting a serious look on. “I need you to help us.”
