But that did not happen, since Chun-Soon's hand still locked me in place. He did that as if I was a feral dog barking at other people.
"Uhm-, can you let go now?" I asked, with teary eyes. "I want to explore the world! And since that man left, maybe I could skedaddle away?"
"No. On second thought, you're staying with me."
With a bitter reply, Chun-Soon threw me back inside the office. He slammed the door shut from behind and locked it using his little gadgets attached to the gate. A blaring thud echoed inside the room when my bottom hit the rug. He even went beyond measure and locked the room with the two of us inside.
My heart beat a thousand beats per minute, unsure what to feel about this situation. I was together with a hot (headed) doctor, alone in his office…. I did not know why, but my brain cheered me on, telling me to strip.
It was an indecent thought, but my heart claimed otherwise.
"No! I'm not ready! I just turned eighteen!.... Please be gentle."
After shouting my age, another excruciating pain filled my senses. My mouth drooled a river, drenching the woven cotton on the ground. I moaned every second, hoping that could alleviate my pain. But with every voice I uttered, the ache never left my body.
I fell on the ground and cradled like a baby, praying that the agonizing pain would eventually stop. It was the same feeling I felt when I kissed the ground in the middle of the street. However, I was with someone, a doctor, who could save me. The thought of having someone beside me was enough to lessen my suffering.
When Chun-Soon tapped his hand against my shoulder, all the pain rose and disappeared. It was like there was a pain switch that the doctor turned off for me. I could not see what happened, but the discomfort left me for good.
"Do all doctors have that?" I mumbled, while slowly getting up from the ground.
"Have what?" the doctor asked, with a question mark raised above his head.
"Nothing."
After our exchange, I finally stood from the ground and met face-to-face with the benevolent doctor. But Chun-Soon's eyes narrowed down, as if he was a monster devouring me with just a stare.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Assessing you," the doctor cut me off before I could even complete my sentence.
I let him "assess" what Chun-Soon needed to assess, considering that he had a medical degree. If he were not a doctor, I would probably have to slap him and shout "rape" through the hallway. Fortunately, I did not have to resolve that option.
Chun-Soon took his sweet time before averting his gaze from me. He went to his desk and fiddled with the documents resting on the clipboard. After heaving out a sigh, he grabbed the crumpled paper and read everything written in the article.
"Chun-Cha, eighteen years old, female, and has localized amnesia, probably caused by trauma. This is the only information I have from you. And since you do not have a national ID, I'm afraid that the government could announce you dead... even when you're actually non-existent before," the doctor said, as he called my name. "Ms. Chun-Cha, tell me the last event you remembered before meeting me."
As soon as he tossed me that question, I froze like vegetables stored at the back of the freezer, waiting for its faithful day to fry. I could not even digest the words spoken by this doctor…. But I still needed to give him my answer.
"I-I don't know…. The only thing that sticks inside my head is; 'Do not kill…. Learn how to forgive' and my name…. I don't know where I've come from, the person who said that, or the people that I care about…. I don't know."
It was my first time opening up to a stranger who saved my life. Despite my nervousness, a faint glimmer of hope emerged from the doctor's eyes, reassuring me that everything would be okay.
The doctor never pressured me to remember things I cannot recall. Chun-Soon remained silent throughout the session, watching me closely as I spoke. And when I concluded my story, he wrote some notes on the crumpled paper and placed them on the drawer. The rest of the stacked articles remained on top of his desk, untouched by his dry hands.
"There's a bedroom behind that bookshelf. That's where you'll be staying for…. god knows when," the doctor announced, as he uninterestedly pointed at the sectional bookcase.
I turned around and widened my eyes as I browsed through all the medical stuff the doctor kept in his office. A cloud of dust entered my eyes, which made me wipe my tears cascading from my eyelids. After returning to my usual self, I chose a treatise that caught my attention. Some of them even had bookmarks clasped in the middle of their pages. Upon opening a book from the cabinet, a page filled with green paint covered the texts.
"I said behind, Not grab a book, you idiot."
"Sorry…." I replied, while showing a faint smile.
I hurriedly returned the volume from where it came from and heeded the doctor's advice. As soon as I grabbed hold of the cabinet, the entire bookshelf shook. Upon turning around, the doctor urged me to move the bookcase, saying that there was a hidden room behind it. And when I pulled the cabinet to the side, a sparkling white room welcomed my eyes.
That space had a bedroom beyond my expectation! It almost felt like this hospital became a five-star suite where nobles and high-demand actors lived. Upon setting my foot inside, the wall closed behind me, locking me inside this lavish room.
There were no alternative doors that led through outside this place. And since this room was an uncharted place, I accepted my faith and laid my body flat on the bed.
"You have all the books you may read, so waste your time wisely. Be right back before evening, and I will grab you something to eat," the doctor announced on the other side of this room. "Don't destroy anything, or else I'll kick you out, understand?"
"Yes, doc!" I replied, while grabbing the medical book lying on the floor. "I can read any book here, right?"
"Anything you want."
As soon as the physician gave me his reply, he went for the door and prepared to leave the room. But before he left, I stood up from the bed and called out for his attention.
"By the way, thanks, Chun-Soon, for letting me stay. I don't know why you're so kind to me, but thank you…. for everything you've done."
When I expressed my gratitude, the doctor behind that wall never gave me a reply. Instead of accepting my thanks, the doctor took off and shut the door. He did not slam it like he had used to when we first met.
"Ain't this fun, Chun-Cha! A room all for you!" I shouted, and carried multiple books at once on my bed.
But when I transported far too many, a notepad-which did not belong to the volumes, dropped on the floor. It slipped right off from my fingertips and stayed on the ground. And when I picked it back in my hand, the title stupefied me.
"Vampires and Werewolves…." I whispered.
It was the most atrocious thing I've ever heard since aliens.