Chapter 262
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 262
Chapter Title: He Knew
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Dissociative identity.
At Kim Jinwoo's words, Jung Chaewon leaned forward. She thought she understood why Kim Jinwoo had come to a psychiatrist instead of the police station.
Having forced out the words, Kim Jinwoo seemed to relax slightly, the color returning to his face. Jung Chaewon clicked her pen.
“Can you tell me about it in detail?”
“Yes. That’s why I’m here.”
Kim Jinwoo calmly continued.
“I’m not sure when it started. It could have been much earlier, or it could have started the day I first noticed.”
“How did you notice?”
“One day, I realized I was sleeping more. My usual seven hours of sleep stretched to eight, then nine, then ten. There were times I overslept and was late for work.”
Lee Seojun's calm, soft voice echoed through Yeoul Hall, carried by the microphone. Every word he spoke registered clearly in the audience's ears. The music team's gentle performance served as a backdrop, making Seojun's voice even more distinct.
“Could it be that you were just physically exhausted?”
“Yes. That’s what I thought at first, too. I even went to the hospital. They said it was stress-related, so I quit my job and decided to take a vacation. But,”
“But?”
“...the situation only got worse.”
Kim Jinwoo's disheartened voice reverberated through Yeoul Hall.
Kim Jinwoo’s voice trembled. He clasped his fidgeting hands together so tightly the veins stood out, struggling to recall the events of that day. The fear in his voice made Jung Chaewon hold her breath.
“The very next day, just when I thought things would get better and felt a sense of relief, I lost consciousness at some point. Not in the middle of the night, but in broad daylight.”
“...So you’ve collapsed more than once.”
“Yes.”
A sense of anxiety crept over Kim Jinwoo's once-calm face. His voice was so full of fear and anxiety, so precarious, that even those in the back seats who couldn't see his expression clearly could feel it.
“After that, I started blacking out every day, at irregular times. And when I’d wake up, I’d notice more and more strange things.”
“How long do you lose consciousness for?”
“Ten minutes, thirty minutes, an hour, three hours. That’s not consistent either.”
Frustrated, Kim Jinwoo rubbed his face with his dry hands.
Kim Jinwoo's frustrated sigh flowed from the speakers. Yeoul Hall was silent. The only sounds were those made by Kim Jinwoo and Jung Chaewon. Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the stage.
“Were there any other changes?”
“...Things that were always in their place would be moved somewhere else, and the blankets I’d made were a mess. Clothes I had neatly folded were dirty, and there was food in the fridge that I don’t eat.”
“Was there any possibility of a break-in?”
“I thought so, too. So I installed a CCTV camera.”
Kim Jinwoo, who had been speaking quite calmly, grew increasingly anxious, his face turning pale. Just thinking about that day made his stomach churn.
Jung Chaewon pushed a teacup toward the anxious-looking Kim Jinwoo. He seemed so out of it that he didn't even see the cup.
“That day, I collapsed just like usual. I expected the front door to open. But it didn't.”
His voice sounded like he was on the verge of death.
“My collapsed body twitched.”
As if reliving that moment, Kim Jinwoo's gaze went past Jung Chaewon, staring into empty space. Recalling the memory seemed so difficult that his words came out in broken fragments, his eyes darting around.
“My hands moved,”
“My torso lifted,”
“And my body rose.”
Kim Jinwoo’s gaze landed on the audience. It felt as if he had made eye contact with them. The first and second-year acting students held their breath and sank into their seats. The folding chairs were hard, but they were in no state to care.
The shock, fear, and bone-chilling horror that Kim Jinwoo must have felt at that moment seemed to be transmitted directly to them.
“‘That thing,’ which had been slumped on the floor,”
“got up from its spot,”
“and stood on two feet.”
The fear of the unknown.
Kim Jinwoo’s hands trembled as he recalled that moment.
“‘My body’ wandered around the house. It used my phone, watched television, ate food I don't eat, wore my clothes, laughed, and talked.”
The trembling that started in his fingertips spread through his entire body. He looked as if he was about to burst into tears at any moment.
“But, but I have no memory of any of it.”
“Was it just that one day?”
“No. It’s been happening ever since. It happened yesterday, too. I don't know when it will happen today.”
Just talking about it was draining. Kim Jinwoo wiped away the beads of cold sweat on his forehead. Jung Chaewon, who had been writing something on her chart, paused to think before speaking.
“Jinwoo, why do you think ‘that person’ will kill you?”
“‘This thing’ is taking up my time. It's gotten to the point where 'it' occupies a quarter of my day. An unknown entity is slowly encroaching on my body... how is this not murder?”
“It’s taking you over. Is that what you mean by killing you?”
“Yes. A ‘me’ that isn’t ‘me’ isn’t me, is it?”
Jung Chaewon nodded.
“The two people you said are trying to kill you, are they trying to kill you in the same way?”
Jung Chaewon also considered the possibility of multiple personalities, not just a dual one.
“No. Those two are really trying to kill me.”
“How do you know?”
“When ‘it’ was occupying my body, it attacked them. I think it’s probably out of resentment for that.”
“And how did you find that out?”
“I came to my senses at the police station. An officer explained everything in detail.”
Jung Chaewon listened to Kim Jinwoo's story calmly.
The dangers that followed after he left the police station. Someone pushing him from behind on the stairs, trying to shove him into traffic, a heavy object falling from above his head—Kim Jinwoo recounted it all.
“I see.”
“The police won’t believe me. They say there’s no evidence.”
Kim Jinwoo rubbed his face and slumped his shoulders, looking exhausted. Still, now that he had talked about it, he seemed to have a weight lifted off his shoulders. Jung Chaewon looked at him with pity and said in a calm voice.
“Jinwoo. What can I do to help you?”
At her question, Kim Jinwoo bit his lip and clutched at his heart. His pristine white sweater creased deeply.
“...I want to get rid of ‘this.’”
*Why did something like this have to appear and ruin my life?*
*Why is it trying to take over my life?*
Recognizing the resentment, frustration, pain, and fear embedded in his words, Jung Chaewon nodded.
“Let’s start with some tests. The results will be out in two days, so please come back then.”
“Yes. I understand.”
Kim Jinwoo stood up and headed out of the office. He gave a slight bow to the nurse and disappeared to the side of the stage.
Jung Chaewon wrote something down on her chart. The nurse, after a quick glance around the office, pretended to press a switch to turn off the lights.
‘Now!’
On cue, the music team leader, who was hiding beside the stage, turned off the lights. Simultaneously, the stage lights went out.
“Ugh!”
As soon as he was backstage, Seojun quickly threw off the soft sweater and adjusted the gray shirt he wore underneath. While Kang Jaehan and Jeon Seongmin rushed to mess up his neat hair,
The thrill of a play, with its need for quick movements so different from film or television, brought wide smiles to the faces of Seojun, Jaehan, and Seongmin.
“Okay. Done. Chaeyeon!”
“Yep!”
When Seojun, now ready, called out, the music team leader, Kim Chaeyeon, flipped the light switch.
Seojun, who had been smiling just moments before, hardened his expression. Seeing him instantly get into character, Jaehan and Seongmin nodded and gave him a thumbs-up.
Pitch-black darkness.
After a moment, the lights came back on.
Jung Chaewon was sitting on the sofa in her office. The nurse was also at the counter, looking over a chart.
*Clang!*
The sound of a door being thrown open echoed. Kim Jinwoo burst out from the side of the stage and collapsed onto the floor.
As if to show that time had passed, the white sweater had been replaced with a gray shirt. His calm and tidy appearance was gone, his slightly wavy hair now a complete mess. He looked frantic at a single glance.
The nurse came out from behind the counter and rushed to Kim Jinwoo, who was slumped on the floor.
“Sir! Are you okay?!”
“Doctor!! Doctor!!”
His voice was filled with terror and confusion. He looked around anxiously, as if sensing something was wrong. Even with the nurse holding him, one could feel Kim Jinwoo trembling uncontrollably.
The commotion in the lobby brought Jung Chaewon out of her office. She found Kim Jinwoo and the nurse on the floor. Startled, she hurried over to him.
“What is all this! Jinwoo? Jinwoo? Are you okay?”
“Doctor!! Doctor!!”
Kim Jinwoo called for Jung Chaewon like a child searching for his mother.
His precarious state was somehow chilling. Just how terrifying was Kim Jinwoo’s enemy to make him look so wretched and helpless? The contrast with his composed appearance from just before made it all the more shocking.
The first and second-year acting students in the front row, who were watching Seojun’s every expression, every glance, every breath, and every tremor without even blinking, and even the audience members seated far from the stage, swallowed hard.
Kim Jinwoo cried out.
“He knew!!”
A chill went down their spines as Lee Seojun’s voice carried through the speakers. The terror contained within was transmitted directly to the audience. The four actors watching from the guest section, writer So Eunjin, and the directors watching Seojun through their cameras all forgot to breathe as they focused on the stage.
“Jinwoo. Calm down.”
The psychiatrist, Jung Chaewon, acted with composure. With the nurse’s help, she led the terrified Kim Jinwoo into her office. Seeing her seemed to calm him down somewhat, as he moved along obediently.
Jung Chaewon had Kim Jinwoo sit on the sofa. Ignoring the teacup placed before him, he trembled, his legs shaking as he muttered with a pale face.
“He knew. He knew. What, what should I do...? No. I’m going to lose it all. No. This is my body. Why is this happening? What did I do wrong?”
He was talking to himself. His voice was a small murmur.
But every single word of the lines Seojun delivered struck the audience’s ears. Seojun’s delivery was excellent, and the tension filling Yeoul Hall seemed to heighten the audience’s sense of hearing.
“Jinwoo. Calm down. Who is ‘he’?”
“Me! It’s me!!”
Having yelled without realizing it, Kim Jinwoo met Jung Chaewon’s eyes and looked startled, as if he had just come to his senses. He realized that the overwhelming fear had made him lash out. Guilt washed over his face.
“Sorry, I’m so sorry. Really. I just...”
But he couldn’t seem to shake his anxiety, constantly fidgeting with his hands and shaking his leg. His head darted around, as if surveying the office.
It was supposed to be an office, but this was a stage. Every time the audience members sitting opposite Seojun met his anxious eyes, they shuddered. It felt as if Seojun’s anxiety and fear were contagious.
“No. It’s alright. Jinwoo. First, try to take a deep breath.”
Kim Jinwoo followed her instructions.
It was just a deep breath, but even that was impossible to look away from.
“I saw the CCTV footage.”
Having finally calmed down, Kim Jinwoo spoke with difficulty.
“He saw the CCTV footage. He was laughing while watching it. A triumphant laugh. Far from hiding himself, he seemed to know there was nothing I could do.”
Kim Jinwoo’s body trembled. Jung Chaewon spoke in a piteous yet cool-headed voice.
“So, your other personality is aware of your situation. What about you, Jinwoo? Can you also perceive ‘his’ situation?”
“No. No. I don’t know.”
Kim Jinwoo curled up into himself.
“I don’t know. Why is this happening to me? What on earth is he trying to do? What does he want to do by stealing my life? What if he attacks other people, just like he attacked those two? Doctor. Please help me. Please, help me.”
At Kim Jinwoo's plaintive plea, Jung Chaewon nodded.
“Yes. I’ll help you.”
“Thank, thank you...”
“First, I’ll give you some medication. If you take the medicine and we continue to talk, we should be able to find the cause.”
Medicine.
It was a response befitting a psychiatrist, and though the audience felt a bit dissatisfied, they couldn't help but nod in understanding. They, too, couldn't think of any special treatment for ‘dissociative identity’ other than medication and counseling.
‘It’s not like they can perform an exorcism or a ritual.’
The doctor, Jung Chaewon, was simply doing what she could.
“Yes...”
Kim Jinwoo seemed to think so too, or perhaps he was relieved to have found someone who believed his story, as he nodded with a somewhat reassured expression.
Jung Chaewon watched with pity as Kim Jinwoo left the office. He looked completely drained, his shoulders slumped as he walked, devoid of any strength. He received a packet of medicine from the nurse and disappeared to the side of the stage.
Sitting on the sofa, Jung Chaewon was lost in thought. The nurse was on the phone with someone. Her voice was inaudible. Jung Chaewon wrote something on her chart. The nurse again pretended to press a switch to turn off the lights.
Backstage.
Out of the audience’s sight, another flurry of activity erupted.
Seojun quickly took off the gray shirt and put on a black turtleneck. While Kang Jaehan smoothed down Seojun’s hair, Jeon Seongmin applied a pre-prepared gauze patch to Seojun’s left cheek.
“Done!”
“Chaeyeon!”
“We need to get ready, too!”
Seojun stood near the stage, ready to go out immediately. Jaehan and Seongmin, who were appearing in the next scene, took a deep breath and stood behind him. Kim Chaeyeon pressed the light switch.
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