SESSION 7
Dr. Kim remained silent for a while before asking gently, “You mentioned before that Gong’s condition changed gradually. Do you remember the first time you realized something was seriously wrong?”
Noeul nodded. “I remember that day as if it happened yesterday.
“It was freezing. The sky was gray, the wind so cold that I kept pulling my jacket tighter around me. We were at the park after school, skating like we always did.
“But Gong wasn’t himself.”
“What was different about him?”
“He kept staring at the fence… then the sky… whispering things I couldn’t understand. At first, I ignored it. I thought maybe he was just having a bad day.”
“And then?”
“He suddenly stopped.”
“What did he say?”
Noeul looked down at his hands. “‘Noeul… they’re watching us. They’ve been watching us for days.’”
“What did you do?”
“I looked where he was looking, but there was nobody there. Just the trees. I asked him who he meant.” Noeul drew a slow breath. “There was this… fear in his eyes. I’ve never forgotten it.
“He said, ‘They’re here, Noeul. They know everything we say. Everything we do.’
“I tried to laugh it off. I told him there was nobody there and suggested we go home.”
“How did he react?”
“He became agitated. He said, ‘You don’t understand. You’re not listening. They’ll come for us if we don’t protect ourselves.’
“Then he started shouting. I put my hand on his shoulder and told him he was safe.”
Noeul stared at the floor.
“He pushed me.”
The room fell silent.
“I hit the ground.”
“What happened next?”
“What he shouted stayed with me.” Noeul’s fingers tightened around each other. “‘Stop lying to me! You’re with them!’”
“What did you think when he said that?”
“I didn’t know what to think. I tried again. I said, ‘Gong… I’m your brother.’”
“Did he hear you?”
“He didn’t seem to. He pushed me again. This time I hit the fence.” Noeul closed his eyes. “He wasn’t looking at me anymore. It felt like he was looking at someone else.”
Dr. Kim waited until he continued.
“Then Haneul came running toward us. He asked, ‘What happened?’”
“What did you tell him?”
“I wanted to tell him everything.” A sad smile appeared for only a second. “But Gong was my priority. So I lied.
“I said, ‘It’s nothing. Just a misunderstanding. It was my fault.’”
“Why did you feel you had to hide it?”
“I don’t know if Haneul believed me. I just wanted everyone to leave us alone. I thought I could handle it.”
“What did you do after Haneul left?”
“I went back to Gong. I said, ‘Gong… please calm down. It’s me. It’s Noeul. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Let’s go home.’
“He looked terrified. Cornered. He kept whispering to himself. He didn’t trust me anymore.”
“Were you able to bring him home?”
“Eventually.” His voice became almost inaudible. “He was quieter then.”
A long silence settled between them.
“What did you think had happened to him?” Dr. Kim asked.
Noeul stared at the floor. “I remember thinking that whatever had happened to my brother had taken him somewhere I couldn’t follow.”
Dr. Kim let the silence linger. “Was that the day you realized something was happening that you couldn’t manage by yourself?”
Noeul nodded. “Yes.”
He lowered his eyes again.
“I think… that was the day I started losing my brother.”