Chapter 32: Shock Therapy

The team leader spoke to the Azure Sky Alliance Leader, his voice laced with disappointment.

“…It seems the counselor wishes to proceed with the session a little longer…”

A benevolent smile spread across Lee Seo-ryeong’s lips.

She nodded gently, as if in complete understanding.

“It’s quite all right. The physician is the one who knows my daughter’s condition best. He must have decided she still needs to stabilize.”

Behind her benevolent mask, Lee Seo-ryeong thought, I cast a Suggestion.

She hadn’t cast it strongly. The target was an ordinary person, and casting it too forcefully would leave a trace. Her plan was to gently evoke sympathy and make him open the door himself.

But one thing was certain.

He didn’t resist it, either.

She recalled the hesitation in his eyes when she had made her request earlier. It wasn’t that the Suggestion hadn’t worked; she hadn’t felt any sign of resistance.

And yet, he had refused.

Was his innate mental fortitude so strong that he could maintain his rational judgment even while emotionally swayed by the Suggestion? Or was it a strong manifestation of his professional sense of duty?

Either way…

At that moment, the physician lifted his head and stared indifferently at the CCTV camera. His attitude screamed that he couldn’t care less what they said. His gaze then shifted naturally to her daughter, Yu-wol.

‘…….’

It had been a long time since a mere commoner had refused her Suggestion.

*

A counselor must possess the insight to quickly see through the mental illness eating away at a client’s psyche, using only the smallest clues they let slip.

An unconscious gesture.

Their choice of words.

A fleeting glance.

Any clue would do.

My ability helps with that, but to avoid relying on it alone, I had built a foundation of knowledge and experience to serve as the basis for my actions as a counselor.

But with Seol Yu-wol’s case, it was hardly necessary.

The clues were overflowing.

Lee Seo-ryeong’s attitude.

Seol Yu-wol’s non-verbal behavior.

Her inability to state a single thing she herself wanted.

And now, a word that was finally beginning to make some sense… Ja Hwa-yeon’s description of Seol Yu-wol as a “wooden doll.”

This case wasn’t difficult.

No, let me correct that.

The treatment would be brutally difficult, but the name of the illness itself was more or less clear.

Dependent Personality Disorder.

Of course, that likely wasn’t all. I needed to clearly understand her relationship with Lee Seo-ryeong.

Therefore.

[Lee Seo-ryeong] [PINNED]

[Current State: Puzzled that the counselor is blocking the meeting despite her Suggestion.]

[Main Stance: Wants to ask her daughter, Seol Yu-wol, many questions.]

From this point on, that was what I had to find out.

Seol Yu-wol avoided my eyes and nodded at my greeting. Thankfully, Hunter Tang Hee-ran’s explanation about me had helped. At least she didn’t perceive me as an enemy.

I no longer watched her from beyond the glass wall.

Click.

I pressed the button on the side. The thick, reinforced glass separating us slid open with a low hum.

The situation room was probably going crazy right now.

He disabled the barrier restraining a ‘Caution’ level Outsider?

I paid it no mind and entered her room.

“……!”

Seol Yu-wol seemed slightly startled as I approached, shrinking back toward the wall.

How could a person like this possibly harm anyone?

“Would you like to come out this way?”

Seol Yu-wol didn’t move, even at my suggestion. As if her feet were glued to the floor, she just stood there, looking back and forth between the open door and me.

I didn’t rush her.

While Seol Yu-wol hesitated, I walked through the connected door into the adjacent living room. The room was quite spacious and well-appointed. The space, designed like a model home, seemed more than adequate for Outsiders to live in.

I immediately headed for the kitchen.

Icebreaking. A counselor has a duty to dispel the awkwardness and create a comfortable atmosphere with a client. Therefore, every counselor has their own techniques.

And this method was the one I preferred most. It appealed to the most primal of senses, but it was the easiest way to break down a person’s guard.

When I opened the refrigerator door, a rush of cold air flowed out. From among the neatly arranged fresh ingredients, I took out a box of strawberries.

I wasn’t going to make a meal. Just… a dessert I could make quickly.

I put water and sugar in a small pot and turned on the heat. I carefully washed the strawberries in cool water.

Shuffle, shuffle.

I heard the sound of someone entering the living room behind me.

I didn’t look back. A direct gaze could be burdensome in itself, so I pretended to be focused on my task, showing her my back.

Bubble, bubble.

Just as the sugar water began to boil with a sweet aroma and foam, I skewered the strawberries. Then I dipped the skewers into the well-melted sugar water. The sticky liquid coated the strawberries.

Normally, you’d let it cool at room temperature for a long time, but since I was short on time, I quickly put it in the freezer to harden.

A moment later, I took it out.

The dessert I was making… was a treat that had once been quite popular.

It was Tanghulu.

A sweetness she might be the only one to recognize in this alien world.

I slowly turned around. She had approached the kitchen, but she was looking at me with a face that said she didn’t know what to do.

I met her eyes and carefully held out the Tanghulu, which I had arranged in a paper cup.

“…I believe this is a confection that exists in Jungwon as well.”

I offered the Tanghulu to Seol Yu-wol. Then, with a smile, I added softly, “I hope it’s to your liking.”

Seol Yu-wol’s pupils trembled slightly as she looked at the Tanghulu. But the trembling soon stopped.

She slowly shook her head. Her voice was devoid of any emotion.

“It’s alright.”

It was as if she were simply relaying someone else’s words.

“I was taught… not to accept street food or food from a strange man.”

It was a refusal. But if the reason was that clear, then I had a response.

Rules always have loopholes.

I scratched the back of my head, feigning difficulty.

“I see… That’s excellent advice. Of course, you should follow it.”

First, I affirmed her rule.

“However, this isn’t street food. I just made it myself in this clean kitchen.”

I pointed to the spotless, gleaming kitchen right next to us.

“And I am not a strange man.”

I paused for a moment and looked into her eyes.

“As Lady Tang Hee-ran told you a little while ago, I am the physician who is here to help you.”

I sent a silent word of thanks to Hunter Tang Hee-ran.

“In that case, this would be food recommended by a physician for a patient’s stability.”

I smiled gently, driving the point home.

“Doesn’t that change things a little?”

At my final question, Seol Yu-wol fell into deep thought instead of answering.

Gulp.

She even swallowed as she looked at the Tanghulu, and it seemed as if two narratives were clashing violently inside her head.

Then, she finally opened her mouth. Her voice was as emotionless as before.

“I was taught that… following a physician’s words is the fastest way to recover from an illness.”

Her pale white hand reached out slowly, very slowly, and took the Tanghulu I offered. And after a moment of hesitation, she brought it to her mouth.

Crunch.

With a clear, crisp sound, I heard the hard sugar coating shatter.

In that instant, Seol Yu-wol’s movements froze.

Her eyes widened.

Crunch, crunch.

Crunch, crunch.

She demolished one skewer right where she stood.

“……”

…Isn’t she enjoying that a little too much?

After finishing it, she just stood there, holding the empty skewer in her hand. Her once-vacant blue eyes were now fixed on the other two skewers in my hand.

I let out a small, dry laugh and held out another one.

“Yes, this is also from me, your physician…”

Crunch, crunch.

Before I could finish my sentence, her hand moved again. Another Tanghulu vanished between her cherry-like lips.

It was like watching someone who adored sweets but hadn’t had them in a very long time, gobbling them down in a desperate hurry.

Only after finishing all three strawberry Tanghulu skewers did she finally sit down in the seat across from me.

In the much more relaxed atmosphere, I checked her status.

[Seol Yu-wol]

[Main Stance]

[The sweets I haven’t had in so long… were delicious. My mind and body have stabilized somewhat. However, a corner of her subconscious is preoccupied with her mother being in this world.]

My ability reveals more information about a person the more I lower their guard and stabilize their condition.

‘Mother.’

As I suspected, the ‘someone’ who had been dominating her subconscious was likely her mother, Lee Seo-ryeong. Naturally, the object of Seol Yu-wol’s dependency was also likely to be her.

In a parent-child relationship, an appropriate level of dependency is of course necessary. But the moment it becomes excessive, the child becomes the parent’s possession.

Because during their development, the parent is the child’s entire world.

However, children are not coloring books. Parents should not try to fill their children in with their favorite colors.

Suitable answers appeared before my eyes.

[Suitable Answer] [Satisfaction Rate 70%]

[I will ask you again. Lady Seol Yu-wol, what is it that you wish to do?]

The first option presented the standard path for a counselor.

The second was…

[Suitable Answer] [Satisfaction Rate 90%]

[I’ll ask you again. What do you want to do?]

[(Place your hand on the back of Seol Yu-wol’s hair and grab her nape firmly. Raise the corners of your mouth, but do not let your eyes smile… Keep your voice low.)]

“……”

What is this?

I furrowed my brow at the insane option. And a 90% satisfaction rate? How on earth could a choice like this have such a high satisfaction rate?

The very moment I doubted that number…

Fzzt.

The scenery blurred and wavered.

And a scene began to play before my eyes. This was a phenomenon I had never experienced before.

In the scene, I walked toward Seol Yu-wol without hesitation, grabbed the nape of her neck, and yanked her toward me. Contrary to my expectation that she would be terrified, her eyes were filled with learned obedience.

I asked in a low voice, my eyes devoid of laughter.

‘I’ll ask you again. What is it that you want to do?’

Then, Seol Yu-wol reacted. Unable to avoid my gaze, she answered in a trembling voice.

‘Ye… Yes… I will tell you right away…. What I, what I wish to do is….’

She desperately racked her brain, trying to find an answer. I was looking down at her with a proud expression, stroking her hair.

And… I was back in reality.

“…Hah.”

I let out a short, sharp breath.

Crazy….

What the hell was that goddamn scene?

I couldn’t help but realize it in an instant. Why this choice existed. And why the satisfaction rate was so high.

Lee Seo-ryeong….

I shook my head hard and looked at the last choice.

[Suitable Answer] [Satisfaction Rate ??%]

[It’s alright to think of me as your father.]

And the last one.

It seemed like the most cloying and dangerous path. But to me, it was actually more understandable than the second option.

It might seem like a crazy choice. You might think it’s absurd. But I think I understood the intention behind that answer.

Most clients and patients with severe dependency find it difficult to break away from the object of their dependency, whether it was formed by their own will or by others. Attempting a sudden separation or independence will only make them more unstable and cause them to collapse.

In other words, the building comes crashing down.

In severe cases, it can even lead to a counter-transference phenomenon where the full weight of it all is dumped onto the counselor.

That’s why this kind of therapeutic method exists.

‘Therapeutic Transfer.’

It involves transplanting the existing, unhealthy, and dangerous dependent relationship onto a controllable and safe object: the counselor. The counselor, a completely and perfectly safe being, becomes the new object. After allowing the client a temporary dependency, you gradually nurture their autonomy within that fence.

Very slowly, you teach the client how to walk on their own by allowing them to have a new experience of a healthy relationship. In the end, you help them break down even that fence with their own strength. It’s a method that allows them to experience complete independence through a healthy separation from the counselor.

In short, it was a way to serve as a temporary safe base for the client to lean on.

Of course, the choice of the word ‘father’ was problematic in itself…

It wasn’t that I hadn’t considered this method myself.

However.

Not yet.

This time, I’ll do it my way.

“I’ll be direct.”

I looked her straight in the eye.

“Lady Seol Yu-wol, your mother is outside right now.”

At those words, her blue eyes trembled like an aspen leaf. Between the scene from the second choice and Seol Yu-wol’s reaction, I now had a good idea of how she viewed Lee Seo-ryeong.

“The Alliance Leader has been relentlessly demanding a meeting with you this entire time.”

I added slowly, “However, the rules here cannot be decided by someone else.”

I promised her a safe enclosure.

“I believe it is right to ask for your wishes, Lady Seol Yu-wol, not hers. Here, all the rules are decided by your will.”

Taking a step closer to her, I asked quietly, “Lady Seol Yu-wol. Do you wish to have the meeting?”

At my question, she took a step back, desperately shaking her head.

“I… I don’t know…”

She was trying to run away from the choice. Any more evasion was impossible. Unless Seol Yu-wol speaks for herself, there is no way to block the meeting.

“I don’t… know…”

But Seol Yu-wol didn’t answer. The fear inside her was preventing her from answering.

In that case…

I decided to pull out the possibility I had just seen. Emotionally, I was repulsed by it, but I had no choice. To draw out her inner will, shock therapy was necessary.

I approached Seol Yu-wol and placed my hand on her nape… no, on her shoulder.

Just like the ‘me’ from the vision, I looked down at her, the corners of my mouth raised but my eyes holding no smile.

And in a low, firm voice, I demanded, “No. Answer me.”

Seol Yu-wol’s eyes met mine exactly.

“You will state your intention, with your own mouth.”

I quietly pointed toward the door.

“If you, the client, do not wish for it…”

I will absolutely promise you this.

“I will not let anyone open that door.”

As your counselor.

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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