Dog and Master's Play (2)
I received Arin's call and rushed over to the meeting place.
"...So, what exactly is it?"
I had already heard a rough explanation from Arin, but I asked again to confirm.
Arin, whom I met at the café, was wearing a cute beret, a white fleece hoodie, and a short checkered skirt.
The moment I saw Arin's face, the shocking visual from when she had last visited our house still lingered vividly, making me jolt.
'...Back then, Arin was a human who had become a dog...'
The image of Arin, wearing a leash herself, in lewd reverse bunny-girl tights, panting like a dog and crawling on all fours across the floor under Suyeon's instructions, was one I could never forget no matter how hard I tried.
Compared to that, her current appearance was so normal it felt like she was a completely different person.
Arin, who was staring at me, flushed crimson with embarrassment and snapped.
"...Hey, stop it? Who stares at a woman's body like that, you pervert? It's creepy!"
"Ah... Sorry. I didn't mean to... It just reminded me of the last time I saw you..."
Arin, mortified, blushed furiously, gritted her teeth, gulped down water, and finally calmed herself.
Then, glaring at me, she muttered in a sullen tone.
"...Tch, of all times, there's no one else to talk to but this guy... Aigoo, my fate."
"Why, why? What exactly is it? Tell me in detail, okay?"
I was impatient because of the urgency and worry for Suyeon, so I urged Arin in a hasty tone.
Arin sighed deeply, propped her chin on her hand, and spoke in a snippy tone.
"...Alright, I'll tell you everything from now on, so listen carefully. And never talk about this anywhere. This is Suyeon unnie's private secret. Got it?"
When I nodded seriously, Arin looked at me doubtfully, then finally slowly opened her mouth.
"...Suyeon unnie has had an illness since long ago. A very severe mental illness."
"Mental illness..."
I swallowed hard and repeated Arin's words. Arin nodded and continued.
"...Actually, it's both a disease and a blessing. Thanks to this illness, Suyeon unnie became incredibly talented not only in singing but in all kinds of arts.
To put it simply... Suyeon unnie has the ability to feel all senses mixed together. It's a kind of... what was it called... ah, synesthesia, right?"
"Synesthesia?"
I tilted my head at the unfamiliar term and asked. Arin shrugged.
"Well, I don't know exactly what it is either. Apparently, people with that ability perceive the world in a completely different way from us? Like being able to see sounds or touch smells, for example."
"Ee... I see..."
I had thought Suyeon was extraordinary in many ways before, but I never imagined she had such supernatural abilities.
Arin shook her head and continued.
"Thanks to that ability, Suyeon unnie showed tremendous talent in singing and composing without much effort. Moreover, thanks to that ability, her memory is insanely good.
To the point where she can recall every single thing that has happened to her from birth to now, down to the second. Can you imagine?"
"E, eeek... Is that real?"
I opened my mouth in astonishment. But Arin showed no sign of exaggeration. Arin nodded with a serious expression.
"...Of course, it's not all advantages. Thanks to that ability, Suyeon unnie was always on the verge of going insane.
Think about it. If you can see sounds even with your eyes closed, and hear colors even with your ears blocked, and if the ability manifests at will and is felt regardless of your own will every moment, what would that be like?"
Indeed, imagining Suyeon's feelings from that description was easy.
I wouldn't have lasted even a few days and would have gone mad. But Suyeon had lived in that state her whole life, so she had adapted to some extent.
Of course, there was a limit to enduring it. No matter how Suyeon was, maintaining her sanity in that state would be difficult.
'...Was she keeping the room dark all the time... Because the surroundings were too bright and noisy?'
I recalled the shocking hypothesis and opened my mouth wide.
Arin stared at me and continued her story.
"So, Suyeon unnie often visited psychiatric hospitals since childhood. Of course, it wasn't because of that ability from the beginning.
It was because her parents were worried about her liking girls and took her there. Well, it's a familiar thing for people like us."
Arin sighed and shrugged her shoulders. I nodded silently.
"...Then, after becoming an adult and living independently, her symptoms gradually worsened, and unnie had a separate psychiatrist.
After detailed examinations by that person, the real problem with unnie was finally revealed.
Up until then, neither unnie herself nor those around her had noticed anything wrong with unnie. It's unbelievable, right?"
"Y, yes... But then, what does that have to do with the incident where she collapsed on stage this time?"
I urged her impatiently. Arin waved her hand as if to wait, and said in a voice mixed with a sigh.
"...That psychiatrist was unnie's ex-girlfriend. Her name was Byeol, I think. I don't know if it's her real name or not."
"Byeol... I see."
I muttered with a dazed expression, then suddenly noticed something strange and asked in surprise.
"Ee? Wait a minute. The psychiatrist dated the patient? Is that even allowed?"
"Allowed? Of course not. Suyeon unnie was just too irresistibly attractive, I guess.
And that doctor happened to have our kind of tendencies by chance.
Anyway, that's how it happened. They dated for quite a long time. According to what I know, they were dating almost throughout unnie's university life.
During that time, Suyeon unnie was taking medicine prescribed by her psychiatrist and her symptoms gradually improved.
Although synesthesia itself lasts a lifetime, the accompanying symptoms like depression or schizophrenia can be suppressed with medicine."
"...I see..."
However, the fact that even with treatment, the root cause couldn't be eliminated was definitely bothering me. Moreover, there was one more thing.
I cautiously looked around and whispered to Arin.
"...But... I heard last time that Suyeon noona's ex-girlfriend died, right?"
When Suyeon and I were walking on a desolate path that no one else used.
Suyeon had sat on a bench at the end of the path and told me.
That the tree there was where her ex-girlfriend had hanged herself and died.
Then Arin nodded slightly with a gloomy expression.
"...Yes. That person committed suicide. No one knows the exact cause. Probably only the two of them know.
But I can guess roughly. I saw that person when she was alive...
Well, I don't know if I should say this to the deceased... But, to put it simply, she had a somewhat obsessive personality."
Arin scratched her head and said hesitantly. I frowned and asked.
"Obsessive? The psychiatrist?"
"Yeah. Probably because she was both the lover and the patient she had to treat, it was even more so. Apparently, she tried to control Suyeon unnie's entire life under the pretext of treatment.
But as you know, Suyeon unnie wouldn't listen to anyone. Of course, they fought like dogs every day. But because they needed each other, they couldn't break up. The emotional gap kept deepening.
Then, the doctor herself got depression. What was it called? 'Emotional reversal' or something... I only heard it in words after going to the psychiatrist a few times."
"...I see... You know quite a bit."
I was surprised at Arin's surprisingly knowledgeable tone and raised my eyebrows.
Then Arin looked at me with a dissatisfied expression and grumbled.
"...And there was more. As you know, our Suyeon unnie is... um... a bit free-spirited, you understand?
I mean... Well, what can I say. Now that I think about it, why hide it.
I'll tell you honestly. When she had a lover, Suyeon unnie often cheated on them with other girls. One of them was me.
But don't think of me as just a one-night stand like the others. I was the one who said to unnie that I was better than her lover. I've been watching for quite a while."
"E, eeek... Suyeon noona told you that?"
I asked with a doubtful frown. Arin snapped.
"Why, fuck. You don't believe? Huh? I get a lot of attention, you bastard. You little shit who doesn't know anything..."
"Hmm... Okay, I believe. But then, what does that have to do with yesterday's incident?"
I asked returning to the original topic. Arin sighed deeply.
"...The psychiatrist and lover died because of her. For a while, unnie lived like a half-dead body. It wasn't long ago that she started appearing on stage again.
I wondered how she was holding on without going to the hospital... Apparently, she was getting drugs illegally and taking them.
Of course, since it wasn't prescribed by the doctor, she ate them at her own will in terms of dosage and frequency. The result was an incident like yesterday."
I recalled the incident from the day before as explained by Arin and shuddered.
'...Just a moment ago, a normal person suddenly screamed like a madman and collapsed with foam...'
"...So, it was all because of the side effects of the medicine?"
"100%. Listen to me carefully. Honestly, I know how this will sound when I say it, but I have to say it.
I still like Suyeon unnie too much. Even if it's just from fanatical devotion, I wish unnie hadn't died so miserably. It's too pitiful to end like this.
But now, there's nothing I can do..."
Then Arin bit her lips until they turned white, hesitated for a long time, and finally looked at me and spoke.
"So, I want to ask you for a favor. Please save our Suyeon unnie for me...
I know it's an unreasonable request, no method comes to mind. Even I, who has known unnie for several years, am like this, how much more so are you.
But... I know it's irresponsible... Please, try somehow, okay? Please... I'm begging you."
Arin's eyes, looking at me, had a few tears gathering.