The Weight of Recognition
“So, is the work difficult?”
“Honestly, I can’t say it’s easy. The clients who visit the office are so varied that…”
Clients who came to the counseling office were diverse—in personality, and in race.
Dealing with each one, with their unique traits, personalities, and races, was never an easy task.
That was precisely why I wanted to hire Kasis—because I couldn’t handle all of them alone.
Kasis fell silent for a moment, as if lost in thought.
“…I don’t have to work. I receive a pension from the Sun Church.”
“I see. How much is the pension?”
I asked, feigning ignorance.
Kasis glanced out the window before answering.
“Well… enough to live comfortably…? Not quite comfortably, but at least enough that I’m not lacking.”
I nodded while observing her. The way she stared blankly out the window as she spoke.
At a glance, it didn’t look like she was lying, but I could smell the emotions drifting from her body.
A faint scent of guilt and anxiety.
Kasis was lying right now.
Her claim that she received enough pension to live comfortably was also a lie.
“Living alone isn’t so bad. The Sun Church doesn’t really ostracize me, either.”
“Yes, the doctrine was revised to honor the prophet, after all.”
“That, and there are still priests who followed me when I was the prophet. The Oracle Faction.”
Kasis’s eyes trembled ever so slightly. Another lie.
“So I’m conflicted. There’s nothing I particularly lack…”
“Ah, I see.”
Even as she said there was nothing she lacked, her lips trembled.
Another lie. Lies spilled out automatically the moment she opened her mouth. She was like a lying vending machine.
This was exactly why I wanted to hire her.
Pathological lying.
Kasis’s lies went beyond habitual or immoral—they were at a clinical level.
She had deceived me with the lie that she heard hallucinations. Even if it was partly because I didn’t know much about the Sun Church’s doctrines or the prophet’s characteristics, fooling a counselor like me so completely was no small feat.
And now, she was lying even when there was no need to.
Is she worried that working at the counseling office will make her look like she has nowhere else to go, and that people will look down on her?
Considering the context, it seemed Kasis kept lying because she hated being looked down upon.
The reasons for hating to be disregarded could be many.
Some people were born with a temperament that made them prone to anxiety or feelings of persecution. It could be that.
Or perhaps, growing up in an orphanage, she developed the habit of inflating herself with lies just to survive.
Whether the cause was innate or acquired, Kasis’s pathological lying required treatment.
I planned to hire her, keep her close, monitor her condition, and treat her.
“I understand your situation. So you’re saying you don’t need to work.”
“Yes, something like that.”
“That’s a shame. In that case, I suppose I’ll have to look for someone else…”
“Uh… but finding someone else isn’t exactly easy, is it?”
“True, but I can’t force someone who doesn’t want the job.”
“Uh, uh…”
When I showed signs of backing off, Kasis’s anxiety became obvious.
I wanted to tease her a little more, but it wouldn’t be good for her mental health.
I pretended to think for a moment, then smiled.
“But no matter how I think about it, you’re the most suitable candidate. I really hope you’ll work here. Would that be all right? I need you, Kasis.”
“G-good, I mean, yes, well! If you put it that way!”
A fleeting look of joy crossed Kasis’s face as she nodded as if she had no choice.
At the same time, I caught the scent of her emotions. Guilt, and at the same time, joy…
Kasis was genuinely happy that I needed her.
The scent of joy coming from her was very strong.
Now that I knew she had a lying condition, reading her emotions had become much easier.
Whoosh!
I used psychokinesis to bring the contract and pen over. The paper and pen fluttered through the air before settling on the desk.
“Just write your name here.”
Kasis picked up the pen and pretended to hesitate for a few seconds.
She seemed to think that would give her the upper hand in the negotiation.
Finally, when she wrote her name on the contract, I extended my hand for a handshake.
“Welcome to Kain Mental Health Office as an official employee.”
“Welcome~ This is Kain Mental Health Counseling Hospital! Have you visited before?”
Kasis’s gentle yet clear voice echoed through the lobby.
More than anything else, that name moved me. Not “Kain Mental Health Office,” not “Resolution Office,” but “Counseling Hospital.”
The official name is still “Kain Mental Health Office and Resolution Office,” but…
That was too long, and what I was aiming for was a counseling hospital specializing in mental health and therapy. So I had told Kasis to introduce it that way, at least.
“So it’s true that the former prophet works here…”
Word seemed to have spread that Kasis, the former prophet of the Sun Church, was working here. Recently, more clients had been coming to the office.
Quite a few came not to make an appointment, but simply to confirm whether the rumor was true.
“I understand the mental health part, but…”
And among those who came to see Kasis, there were occasionally people who showed genuine interest in counseling.
They roughly understood that we dealt with mental illnesses, but they wondered how exactly we treated them through counseling.
“What exactly does counseling involve?”
“It’s not difficult. You just tell our counselor comfortably about the things that have been hard for you. Then the rest will be taken care of.”
Kasis not only explained the basic concept of counseling,
“I’d like to make an appointment…”
“Could you write your name and preferred date here? If you list all the days you’re available, I’ll schedule one for you!”
“Um, if I get treatment here, will there be any records left behind?”
“We’ll keep simple records for treatment purposes, but they won’t be disclosed! Once treatment is over, we’ll destroy the records too.”
She even handled same-day appointments and carefully remembered details I had mentioned in passing.
Listening to her work from inside the counseling room, I couldn’t hide my surprise.
She’s quite good at this.
I hadn’t hired Kasis because I thought she would excel at the job—I had hired her to give her work while treating her at the same time.
So I hadn’t expected much, but she was surprisingly competent.
Is it thanks to her experience as a prophet?
A prophet wasn’t just someone who made prophecies. She had to deal with Sun Church priests and paladins, and occasionally ordinary believers as well.
On days when she had to lead public prayers, she had to be mindful of every single movement to live up to the title of prophet.
Kasis had endured that kind of position—where she constantly had to be aware of others’ gazes—for several years.
Dealing with people as a counseling receptionist must have felt relatively easy by comparison.
What truly surprised me was something else.
“Doctor? Here’s this week’s appointment list.”
“Oh.”
My eyes widened as I looked at the list Kasis brought.
The names and appointment dates of clients who had visited the office this week and scheduled counseling were neatly organized.
“This is better than when I did it myself. You’re good at this. And you’re working hard, too.”
“It’s only natural to work hard when you’re getting paid, ahem.”
“Is the work difficult or tiring?”
“It’s pretty easy, actually.”
The corners of Kasis’s mouth lifted as she said that.
Meanwhile, dark circles shadowed her eyes. While the scent of pride and joy emanated from her, so did the scent of fatigue.
She must have been staying up late to make this list.
After working with Kasis for a few days, I had come to understand her personality a little better.
Kasis didn’t just hate being looked down on—she also had a strong need for recognition.
So when given a task, she worked as hard as possible, but she also pushed herself too far—by cutting back on sleep or staying late after work.
“You’ve worked hard, Kasis. Thank you very much.”
In cases like this, it was best to give clear praise. Working diligently was certainly praiseworthy, and I was genuinely grateful.
However.
“Just in case, there’s no need to overexert yourself to finish work quickly.”
“I… I haven’t done that, though?”
“I’m just saying this in case. Please don’t do that next time, either.”
I had to add that reminder not to overdo it next time.
Otherwise, she might push herself even harder the next time, just to earn more praise and recognition.
“It’s good to work hard, but for me, it’s better if you take care of your health and work for a long time. Hiring new people is a hassle, after all.”
“Ah…”
“This is just a general comment. I’m not saying you overexerted yourself.”
I offered the advice in a casual tone, as if it were something she could brush off.
Kasis was a fairly common case even in my previous life.
A personality that equates performance with self-worth.
People who tied their value to achievements like work performance or sales figures, and felt worthless when they couldn’t produce results.
This kind of personality often developed in those who had long belonged to highly competitive environments or grown up under constant pressure.
Kasis grew up in an orphanage and later served as the Sun Church’s prophet.
It meant she had spent a long time being conscious of others’ opinions and achievements.
A personality formed that way didn’t change overnight.
Since it had been shaped over a long period, it would take a long time to change.
Still, the pattern itself is simple and well-researched. Treatment won’t be too difficult.
I scanned the appointment list Kasis had made.
Our counseling office was growing day by day. From specialized facilities to inpatient wards, various departments had been established, and the staff had increased with the addition of Draksan and Kasis.
Perhaps because of that, word of mouth had spread, and the number of appointments had grown, bringing the office to a thriving state.
Maybe that was why.
“There are more appointments than before.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it looks like about twice as many.”
“Because of me?”
It was possible. In fact, quite a few people had come to see Kasis, the former prophet of the Sun Church, and then developed an interest in counseling and made appointments.
Just as I was about to nod, Kasis continued.
“My face isn’t bad to look at, after all. Maybe people are coming to see me.”
“Ah, um…”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
I shook my head.
Treatment might not be as simple as I thought…
Kasis’s personality had aspects that were hard to pin down.
I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. It’s better to watch her slowly.
A few days after Kasis started working at the office, it happened.
“It’s just mild depressive symptoms, so improving your lifestyle habits should be enough, but if necessary, I can prescribe medication—”
“Doctor!”
While I was in the middle of a session, Kasis burst through the door and rushed into the counseling room.
“Kasis? What’s going on that you’d interrupt a session—”
“There’s been an incident in the inpatient ward!”
…The trouble I had always known would happen someday had finally arrived.