Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: The First Shoot
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It was the first shoot.
I had wondered if there would be something special about it, but the studio filming turned out to be simpler than expected.
First, the parents of the first client in "Art Psychology Counseling Center"—using the pseudonym "Counselee"—appeared, and then they watched pre-recorded footage of how the first counselee was doing now.
In between, they delivered lines reacting to the footage and shared their story, until the video ended with the counselee's dramatic psychological change.
Then, Heesook Ahn—the host and main MC for this Art Psychology Counseling Center, a celebrity extremely famous in this field—spoke up.
"Alright! We've just watched the footage of our first counselee. As a mom raising my own child, I could really relate and it broke my heart. Hiding her emotions and barely speaking at all..."
As she said this, Heesook Ahn looked at me and asked.
"Painter Kanghyeok Lee."
"Ah, yes."
"I heard you also have a daughter you're raising."
"Yes, I have a five-year-old daughter."
"Then you must have felt even more empathy for the counselee in that footage. What did you think?"
She was asking for my thoughts.
Truthfully, while watching the video, I had felt a bit heartbroken.
I didn't know what had happened to the counselee, but she had thoroughly hidden her emotions.
The way she did it was just so pitiful.
"Um, my heart ached the whole time I watched. I don't know what psychological shock she went through, but to lose her ability to speak because of it... If it were my child, I think I'd have acted just like her parents here."
As shown on screen, the counselee's parents had even taken her to a psychiatrist.
The hospital diagnosis was selective mutism.
In certain situations, she would completely shut her mouth, stop expressing anything at all, and just sit there blankly like a wooden doll.
The footage had shown that symptom a few times, and it had really tugged at my heartstrings.
The counselee, unable to lean on anyone, silently enduring it all by sealing her lips.
'Her insides must be burning up.'
Her parents knew that too.
That's why they sat there with their heads bowed, letting out sighs of regret.
"Alright, before we get into the solution, we'll take the counselee to the Child Psychology Counseling Center run by our panelist, Teacher Yoon Okhyeon. Let's watch."
With those words, the paused video resumed, showing the scene of them arriving at the counseling center with the counselee.
Whenever footage played, it was a break time for the panelists.
Of course, we had to react occasionally, but we could at least glance away.
As I casually scanned the studio looking for Daeun,
'Huh?'
I spotted Daeun in the corner of the set, busily doing something.
Thanks to the PD's consideration, she was allowed in the studio, so it was natural in a way, but what surprised me was something else.
'What... what is she doing?'
Right then, the current client—the first counselee—was being shown on screen.
While her parents were on camera, the production staff were looking after her in the back area, and Daeun was there with them.
'No way something went wrong, right?'
The counselee, the staff, and Daeun were all there doing something together.
I started worrying for no reason, but during filming, I couldn't just get up from my seat.
I had no choice but to stay until the shoot ended.
Then.
'Huh?'
One of the staff members who had been watching Daeun suddenly jumped up from his seat and rushed over to PD Kim Chanmi, who was seated in front of the camera.
Moments later, PD Kim Chanmi looked shocked and ran toward Daeun.
'What on earth is going on?'
Curiosity burned, but there was no way to find out.
Something was definitely happening...
But in the current situation, with no way to know what, I felt a bit frustrated and had to turn my eyes back to the screen.
Once the counseling center visit segment ended, Heesook Ahn spoke.
"Before we jump into the solution, I have a question for the parents."
Nod.
Seeing the two of them tearing up while watching the screen, Heesook Ahn asked with a sympathetic, heartbroken expression.
"We asked this at the counseling center too, but do you have any idea why she's like this?"
At the question, the counselee's mom spoke.
"Actually, after they asked at the center, I thought about it a lot, and I think it's because of the remarriage."
"Remarriage?"
"Yes, we remarried."
It was a hard fact to reveal, but the mom set everything aside for her child.
At this, Heesook Ahn looked at both of them and asked.
"So, who brought the counselee here...?"
Raise.
At that moment, the counselee's dad raised his hand.
"Me."
"Ah, so Dad thinks the same as Mom?"
At the question, the counselee's dad shook his head.
"Of course, you could think that like Mom says, but I don't think it's the remarriage."
"Why not?"
"If she was traumatized by the remarriage, she wouldn't even acknowledge her mom, but that's not the case."
True...
As I'd seen on screen, the child did get along well with her mom.
She just didn't speak or express emotions.
The cause didn't seem to be the remarriage, as Dad said.
"Then, does Dad have any idea what it might be?"
"I..."
From his expression, he clearly had something in mind.
But Dad didn't say it.
No, it seemed like he didn't want to think of it as the problem in the first place.
"I don't have anything specific."
"Um, I see. Now that we've heard from the parents, let's proceed with the solution."
Now it was truly the start of Art Psychology Counseling Center, just like the program name.
Slide.
At her words, a staff member brought out a painting covered in cloth.
Step.
Heesook Ahn walked up to it and, with her lines, pulled off the cloth so everyone could see.
"This is the painting by our first counselee at Art Psychology Counseling Center."
Swish!
And at the revealed painting by the counselee, I...
Gulp.
'This...'
I suddenly had a vague idea why the child was hiding her emotions.
The broadcast would continue right away, but we took a break for this segment.
The issue was that it didn't seem like the planned break point.
As soon as it cut, the PD called Heesook Ahn over and they were talking in the corner of the studio.
Meanwhile.
Slide.
"Hello. We jumped straight into filming without time for introductions—I'm Yoon Okhyeon. I run a psychology counseling center in Gangnam."
"Ah, hello. I'm Kanghyeok Lee."
"By the way, I heard you majored in art therapy. I've actually been thinking of adding an art therapy course at our center."
When Heesook Ahn introduced me, she mentioned art therapy, so she was asking about that.
"How does Painter Kanghyeok Lee feel about the emotions of the counselee contained in that painting?"
Was she testing me?
Her question felt loaded with that intent.
Like she wanted to gauge my skills.
I nodded and told her straight.
"Roughly, yeah."
"Oh, really? What do you think caused the counselee's mutism?"
At her question, I looked at the counselee's painting set in the middle of the studio.
A painting by a child about five years old.
But the content was a bit different from a typical kid's.
A sun smiling in the sky.
Dad and Mom holding hands, also smiling.
But one person.
There was someone crying in the painting, and it was the counselee herself, the artist.
Why was she crying?
Why?
As I pondered, I belatedly noticed the child's clothes were painted black.
As if expressing a heart burned pitch-black.
"Um, I'll explain the details later, but..."
"Come on, just give me a hint. I'm really curious."
At her words, I replied quite indifferently.
I didn't like Yoon Okhyeon testing me while looking at a painting full of the child's wounds.
Still, I didn't express dislike.
After all, she was the one who could actually help the counselee here.
"Probably guilt."
"Yes?"
"The child seems to think everything is her fault."
Just then.
Tap.
'Huh?'
The PD and Heesook Ahn, who had been talking in the back, walked over and stopped in front of me.
Then, to me—who had been talking with Yoon Okhyeon—she asked.
"If it's okay with you, could you talk with us for a bit?"
What were they building up such an atmosphere for?
'I'll find out if I go.'
Cautiously thinking it might be about what happened with Daeun earlier, I followed the two to the back of the studio.
And the PD said to me.
With a very serious expression.
"Painter Kanghyeok Lee, please don't be startled and hear me out."
"Yes."
"Um, Daeun..."
At the PD's continuing words, I couldn't help but jump in surprise.
"It seems like she solved this counselee's problem."
"Yes!"
No, what did she mean?
Daeun solved the counselee's problem?
The moment I heard the PD's words, I ran to where Daeun was.
And I confirmed that what the PD said was true.
"Alright, let's resume filming!"
The shoot restarted.
The only change was that Daeun and the counselee, who had been in the back, were now standing beside PD Kim Chanmi, watching the filming together.
At that moment, Heesook Ahn directed a question at me.
"Alright, this is the painting by today's client, the counselee. Painter Kanghyeok Lee."
"Yes."
"May I ask what you think her current psychology is like?"
The real reason I was on this program.
I stood up and walked over to the painting the counselee had made.
I quietly gazed at it, then looked at the counselee's dad and asked a question.
"Um, may I ask one thing?"
"Yes, go ahead."
"Um, it might be a sensitive question."
Truthfully, I'd agonized a lot over whether to ask this. It could come off as extremely rude.
But after seeing what happened with Daeun just now, I'd changed my mind.
I had to ask.
"May I ask why you remarried?"
"Why I remarried?"
"Yes, specifically, I'd like to hear about the counselee's biological mother."
At my question, the counselee's dad pondered for a moment.
And the counselee's mom, who had been listening beside him, seemed to ponder too before giving permission.
"I'm okay with it."
At her words, Dad still seemed hesitant, but for the counselee's sake, he finally spoke.
Revealing the story they'd kept tightly hidden.
"Actually, the counselee's mom and I... we were separated by death."