PSYCHO, 𝒏𝒄𝒕.

017

ｓｅｖｅｎｔｅｅｎ

"Can you at least say a word?" Hansol says softly as he looked at the patient – who glanced at the doctor before staring back at his fingers, fiddling them to ease the tension he was feeling.

Johnny opened his mouth, about to say something when he suddenly can't utter a word or two. He tried and tried— wanting his vocal cords to make a sound when he suddenly felt like he lost control over his voice.

"Johnny?" Hansol muttered.

The said male's lips pursed in a thin line, slightly quivering as his eyes widened – breathing uneasily. The doctor was alarmed, immediately standing up from his chair and made his way to the patient, crouching down only to meet an uneasy face.

"You don't have to force yourself to say a wo—" Hansol blinked when the patient shakily placed both his hands on his shoulders.

The doctor creased his brows as Johnny opened his mouth to say something when he really can't – what was the patient implying?

Johnny used his shaky hand to motion at his throat before waving it in front of Hansol's face, indicating that he can't say anything. That made the doctor tug a smile, thinking that he was uncomfortable talking with him.

"It's okay, you don't have to talk. I'm sorry for asking you to do that." Hansol took his hands off of his shoulders and stood up, "I'll call a nurse to escort you back to the—" Hansol was cut off when he suddenly felt the patient's hand stop him from going anywhere further.

Johnny looked up at him, still with heavy breathing, before looking at his table – immediately grabbing the first paper and the first pen he saw. He shakily took the paper and the pen and quickly yet messily wrote down on it.

I can't talk.

That's what the patient wrote. Hansol glanced back to Johnny after reading the paper with confused eyes, " I understand that you—"

Johnny shook his head aggressively and wrote again on the paper, I really can't talk.

The doctor raised a brow – why was he even working in a mental hospital when he can't even understand what Johnny was trying to pinpoint. "I know that you can't talk, you're diagnosed with mutism so it's understanda—"

Hansol stopped talking and blinked, realizing what the patient was talking about. "You.. Really can't talk?"

The mute nodded, finally heaving a small sigh of relief but still feeling his heartbeat pacing. He wasn't used to this; what is happening to him? He was talking these past few weeks, although as time passed it shortened in a word or two, when Ten asked him to talk to him, but what is happening right now?

"Like even if you want to?" Hansol asked as Johnny nodded yet again, aggressively this time.

"Oh God, this is bad." The doctor whispered under his breath, yet it was loud enough for Johnny to hear. Hansol immediately ran to his table and pressed a button, "Hello, can you please page Dr. Qian as soon as possible? Thank you."

Johnny took deep breaths to somewhat ease his pacing heartbeat – but it just made him calm, but not his heartbeat. He was in a panic, who knows if he might not be able to speak or utter a word again?

The door opened, to which Hansol finally sighed in relief but he was stunned to see a lady walking in rather than Kun.

"Dr. Ji, hello." The lady gave him a bright smile – and Hansol's going to be honest, it hurt his eyes. "What's the matter?"

Hansol blinked, it's either she was hanging out on the main nurse station and decided to go here rather than calling Kun, or the latter did tell her to substitute. But Hansol knew his lover so he'll go with the first one since he can let Sooyoung or Wendy come to him.

"Prof. Yoon," Hansol called out, instinctively hiding Johnny behind him from the flirty professor. "Where is Dr. Qian?"

The tone Hansol is giving him honestly sent chills down Sihye's spine, but she kept her cool. "Dr. Qian ordered me to substitute for him as he was giving TMS to the OCD kid."

More reasons to not believe what she said. One, she didn't mention the patient's number, and two, she could've just said 'the patient with OCD' – the way she said it was too informal.

Hansol took a deep breath and made a mental note to tell Kun about Johnny's condition later – and he knew she wasn't lying about the TMS thing to Taeyong.

"Give me a minute, please." Hansol said and turned around to face Johnny before whispering to the patient, "I will help you later, okay? For now, I will let her escort you back to the ward, just don't entertain her on your way there."

Johnny was rather confused but he complied nonetheless. Hansol patted him on the shoulder before turning back to Sihye, "Please escort him back to the Irregular Ward."

Sihye smiled at him, "Sure thing!"

Hansol just wants to punch her for saying that in an annoying yet enthusiastic way.

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