Chapter 2

At the top floor of the hospital, Dr. Abir Ajad was sitting in his room. He was 50, but looked like he was in his 30s. Humming softly, he sniffed a rose. The bookshelf behind him was filled with various awards: "Best Psychiatrist," "Best Philosopher," "Blah blah."

"Oh, today is really a beautiful day. Just look at those clouds and the setting sun—really beautiful. I really made the right choice taking this room. Time's up now, let's go to the spa. Hm hm, lalala…"

Suddenly, his assistant barged in. He quickly hid the rose in his hand.

"Sir, a patient wants to see you."

"Anwar, I told you I'm not seeing any patients today."

"I tried to explain that to him, but he keeps saying it's really urgent."

"Here's his file, sir."

"Okay, you can go now." The assistant left the room.

"Sigh… anyway, if it's really urgent then I have to see him. I'm a doctor, after all. Duty comes first."

"Well, let's take a look at his fi—what the… Noor?! How did he even find me? What is he doing here?"

"No, I can't do anything about him. That guy is something else—not even human."

"What should I do now? He must be waiting behind the door. Oh! Idea."

Opens window.

"If I can climb down using that pipe, I can get out easily. But what if I fall? No, I can't do that…"

Suddenly the door opens.

"Sir, that's dangerous," Noor said.

They both stared at each other for a few seconds. One of the doctor's legs was still outside the window.

"I didn't know the most popular psychiatrist in the country, who saved so many people from suicidal thoughts, was suffering from the same thing himself. If something's really bothering you, let's talk. It'll help you feel relieved."

"Ah, Noor! What are you talking about? I was just getting some fresh air."

"But that's not a safe way to do it, is it?"

He slowly took his leg out of the window and sat back down in his chair. Noor sat on the chair beside him.

Both awkwardly stayed silent for a minute.

"Ahem… so, Noor, what brought you here? I heard it's really urgent."

"Trust me, I didn't want to visit you either. But lately, I've been going through some serious issues."

"Serious issues?"

"Yes. I've had trouble sleeping."

"Hm."

"When I do sleep, I hear some scary voices."

"Okay…"

"Sometimes I feel like my body gets paralyzed."

"Go on."

"Then yesterday, when I was lying in bed, I saw a scary figure on top of me, choking me, telling me to dieeeee…" Noor said while holding a flashlight to his face.

"KYAAA! Did you really just try to tell that in a horror voice? And why are you holding a flashlight to your face?! You're scaring me!"

"Oh, sorry. I was just trying to explain it in a way you'd understand better," Noor said sarcastically.

"Ah, whatever. Do you know that person, or is it just a blank figure?"

"Yes. Maybe… a long time ago, I rejected her, and then she sneaked into my room and choked me nearly to death. Those red eyes filled with hatred… I remember them."

"Pfft—"

"What?"

"HAHA, LOL. You seriously expect me to believe that? That a girl proposed to you and you rejected her? Hahaha! Maybe you watched or read those yandere anime or manga, then fell asleep and had those dreams. Makes more sense, 'cause most boys are into that kind of stuff—like getting choked by attractive girls, lol."

"Joke's on you—I'm not into that sh*t," Noor replied.

"And you're also making fun of my face. And how do you even know about that stuff? What are you, a weeb? I swear I'm not lying—believe me."

"Okay, okay, I understand. But aren't you the masochist type? You told me a long time ago that you liked getting hurt."

"Yes, I told you that long ago—but only when I fight. It gives me more strength. I'm not like that in the way you're implying."

"Okay. Are you still fighting underground?"

"No. I left that a long time ago."

"Oh, I see…"

"So, doctor, I want you to increase the dosage of my medicine. The current one isn't helping."

"Noor, calm down. I was just joking to make you laugh. Don't take it seriously. But you know increasing the dosage isn't good for your health—and I already gave you the highest dose possible."

"But still, those aren't helping me."

"Noor, do you remember when we first met?"

"Yes. They wanted to experiment on me, and you saved me from that."

"So you do remember. To be honest, when I first saw you, I thought you were a monster—a violent one. But the more I learned about you, the more my mind changed. I wanted to save you. I really wanted you to live a good life after all that mess. Forgive me—I couldn't do much for you."

"Wait… are you crying?" Noor asked.

"Ah, forget what I just said. You said those meds don't work?"

"Yes."

"Then there's only one way left."

"And what's that?"

"Meditation."

"LOL, seriously? I thought you'd say something useful. When I close my eyes, I suffer from those things—how am I supposed to meditate?"

"This isn't ordinary meditation. You'll have to face those things you fear—and fight."

"What, am I going to defeat them using the power of friendship or something? I don't even have friends right now."

"It's all up to you, Noor. If you keep suffering from the past, you won't be able to experience the present—or the future. If you really want to get better, you have to overcome your fear and accept what happened. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand. That was a cool motivational speech."

"I'm also a motivational speaker. So now… we won't be needing this anymore."

He throws Noor's file out the window.

"You really threw away my file? Seriously?"

"Yes. And promise me—you won't take the meds unless it's truly urgent."

"Ah, okay. I promise. Bye then."

"Wait, Noor."

"Now what?"

"…Happy birthday."

"Thanks." Shuts the door.

"That was cold."

Noor walks out of the hospital.

"That old man… he really remembered my birthday."

Noor smiles. Suddenly, his phone rings. After hearing the voice, his smile fades.

"Noor, my son. How are you? I tried so hard to find you. Please… come home."

"How did you get my number? And what do you want from me? Be specific."

"I need your signature on a document. It's about the land in your name—your grandfather gave it to you."

"Oh. I'll be home." Hangs up.

"He 'tried so hard to find me'… Lies. Everything that man says is a lie. He only called because he needs me. That's it."

"I still can't forget the day he left me there…"