There were probably plenty of psychiatric clinics closer to home, yet the fact that he had brought him all the way out here suggested that, in his own way, he was trying to be considerate of Seo Heemin. Whatever his true intentions for bringing him to this place were, however, remained unclear.
“I wanted to know what you're up to.”
Cha Iheon finally revealed his true motives.
“...I’m not up to anything.”
Just as he had been about to put his “keyword replacement project” into action, his heart skipped a beat. But Heemin feigned ignorance, keeping his expression blank.
Iheon leaned in, peering into Heemin’s eyes. As if to say that lies were meaningless, he let out a low chuckle, the gleam of icy blue flickering in his gaze. A chill ran down Heemin’s spine.
The memory of last night’s encounter surfaced, and a cold sweat trickled down his back.
“Let’s go in.”
This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēwebnovel.com.
Iheon opened the door and stepped inside. Ding. The chime attached to the glass door rang with a clear, delicate sound. Heemin, standing in the hallway, pressed a hand to his chest and let out a deep breath. Oh, whatever. He braced himself and followed after him.
He was curious to see what kind of diagnosis a doctor would give to someone who had transmigrated into another world.
“Welcome.”
The receptionist greeted them. Since they had arrived right as the clinic opened, there were no other patients in sight.
“May I have your name?”
“Seo Heemin.”
“Born on September 3rd, correct?”
“Ah...”
In reality, Heemin’s birthday was September 4th. The fact that Seo Heemin’s birthday was only a day apart from his own left him stunned for a moment, lips slightly parted in surprise. Before he could respond, Iheon answered for him.
“That’s correct.”
“Please have a seat for a moment.”
Sinking into the worn leather couch, Heemin scanned his surroundings. The clinic itself felt unfamiliar, but instead of the usual antiseptic scent, the air carried a fragrance reminiscent of temple incense. It was a soothing, calming aroma.
“Seo Heemin, please proceed to the consultation room.”
It wasn’t long before the nurse called his name. He stood, mentally preparing himself, but just as he did, Iheon also rose to his feet beside him.
“...Are you planning to come in with me?”
“I need to explain your symptoms.”
“Isn’t that a violation of patient confidentiality?”
“Escorting someone to a psychiatric appointment is legal. Besides, you’re my property.”
“......”
“If I were just going to send you in alone, why would I have come all the way here?”
It was a valid point. Cha Iheon was a man with an overwhelming workload, often sleeping less than four hours a day. Even after spending the night with Seo Heemin, he would still work through the night, tirelessly immersed in his duties.
Now that he had the opportunity to see a psychiatrist, Heemin had been thinking about revealing the truth—that this world was inside a book. Of course, it was obvious that the doctor would dismiss him as delusional. But even so, he had hoped that by confessing, he might feel at least some relief.
And yet, Cha Iheon had ruined everything.
There was no way he could say, in front of him, that he was a transmigrated soul possessing a BL novel’s protagonist, that Iheon was the main character, and that they were both doomed to die in the end.
Not that he would believe him anyway.
Scowling, Heemin shot a glare at Iheon’s back, lips pursed in frustration. His chance to speak had been stolen. He regretted ever treating that injured hand.
Would he ever be able to return this arrogant man—who treated power as an absolute right—to the warm, kind person he had once been?
It was shaping up to be a challenge far more difficult than he had anticipated. With a heavy sigh, Heemin followed Iheon into the consultation room.
“It’s been a while, Heemin. Have you been well?”
A head peeked out from behind the monitor. The doctor recognized Heemin immediately and greeted him warmly.
“Huh? ...Aunt Eunkyung?”
A neat bob, round rimless glasses, the crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes from years of smiling. Her gentle, kind gaze... She bore an uncanny resemblance to his mother’s closest friend.
“Did you just call me Aunt?”
The doctor tilted her head slightly, watching him curiously.
“O-Oh, I must’ve misspoken. It’s just been so long since I last saw you... Dr. Eunkyung. Haha.”
Forcing a laugh, he glanced at the crystal nameplate on her desk. Just like Cha Iheon, she had the same name and appearance as someone he had known in reality.
“Don’t just stand there—come take a seat.”
“Ah, yes, of course.”
Heemin, unable to hide his flustered state, sat stiffly on the patient's chair, his movements unnatural. He had felt it when he first encountered Cha Iheon—the world he had fallen into seemed to be partially shaped by his subconscious.
In the original novel, it had only been mentioned that Seo Heemin had been receiving counseling at Haesong Psychiatric Clinic for a long time. The doctor herself had not appeared, not even as a minor character.
She wasn’t even supposed to have a name beyond being a Beta, but it seemed that as the story’s flow changed, additional details had been assigned to her.
It almost felt like this world had freely pulled elements from his subconscious at will. However, it was far better than being surrounded by complete strangers. If he ever started feeling homesick, at least he could come here for counseling. In a way, maybe this wasn’t so bad.
“What is your relationship with Mr. Heemin?”
Eunkyung's gaze shifted to Iheon, who stood behind Heemin. She seemed rather curious about the well-built man dressed in an impeccably tailored suit that fit him perfectly.
“We’re partners,” Iheon answered succinctly.
His voice was calm, betraying no hesitation, as if he had prepared this lie in advance.
“By any chance... are you Cha Iheon?”
“How do you know my name?”
There was a sharp edge to his otherwise polite tone. However, Eunkyung remained unbothered by the iciness in his voice and explained matter-of-factly.
“When he was in high school, Heemin once showed me a drawing of you, saying you were his closest friend. It was quite striking, so I remembered.”
“...”
Closest friend.
The words made his lips press into a thin line. His gaze darkened, like sand sinking into the depths of the ocean. Slowly, Iheon turned his eyes toward Heemin. Eunkyung followed suit, watching Heemin, who sat there awkwardly, unsure of what to do.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
“I was worried since I hadn’t heard from you in six months, but it seems like a lot has happened, hasn’t it, Heemin?”
Her eyes softened as she smiled.
Heemin wanted to say that it hadn’t been six months—it had been a single day. But before he could respond, a firm weight pressed onto his shoulder. Iheon’s hand, holding him in place.
He had no choice but to force a strained smile.
“How is your insomnia? You must have run out of the sleeping pills you were taking before.”
“Well...”
“He sleeps just fine. Almost unnaturally deep.”
Before Heemin could finish, Iheon cut in. He looked down at Heemin as if he intended to expose every single one of his secrets.
“The reason we’re here today is that he believes he is twenty-one years old.”
“Twenty-one?”
“He also insists that he has a family that doesn’t exist.”
“...Are you referring to his late mother?”
“He also claims to have sisters. Three of them.”
“Let’s run some tests.”
Eunkyung’s once-gentle voice lowered slightly.
Heemin swallowed dryly. Here it comes.
“Dissociative Identity Disorder. Also known as multiple personality disorder.”
Eunkyung studied the results of the assessment with a serious expression before finally giving her diagnosis.
Heemin had expected her to declare him delusional—perhaps even with grandiose delusions. Instead, this was the result?
“Have you experienced any severe trauma recently?”
“He has,” Iheon answered once again, without hesitation.
“What kind of trauma?”
Iheon’s gaze slowly traced over Heemin, his dark pupils reflecting shifting, iridescent hues—like an oil slick spreading over water.
Perhaps, at this very moment, his world was tilting.
Until now, he had believed Seo Heemin was lying, deceiving him with ridiculous stories. But what if he wasn’t? What if the Seo Heemin in front of him was truly someone else?
He must have thought he had Seo Heemin completely in his grasp. That for a price of fifty billion won, he had finally claimed the one he had longed for.
But the truth was that Seo Heemin—the one he despised, the one he had sought vengeance against—no longer existed.
Cha Iheon had planned to slowly suffocate the father and son he loathed, dragging them into despair just as his own mother had spent years as a vegetative prisoner in her own body. But Seo Jae-han had died meaninglessly in a car accident. Seo Heemin’s original consciousness had disappeared.
Nothing had gone as planned.
The realization was sinking in.
Iheon stared at Heemin as if he were staring at an illusion—something within reach yet impossible to grasp. Slowly, his lips parted.
“He lost his biological father in an accident. And he was abducted by a human trafficking ring.”
Eunkyung’s eyes widened.
“While you were held captive... were you subjected to any sexual abuse? Trauma of that nature could have triggered personality fragmentation.”
“No, he wasn’t. I made sure of it.”
“That’s... a relief.”
Eunkyung fell silent for a moment before typing something into Heemin’s chart.
Then, her voice softened once again.
“Heemin.”
“Yes?”
“You’re aware, aren’t you? That there’s another self inside you—the one who is thirty years old.”
“...Yes.”