THERAPY ● Yang Jungwon

4 : hangman

It has already been a super long week. Yet, Hwayoung was still unable to make Jungwon speak up. He was still either replying to her with nods, shrugs, silence or just give her a one-word answer.

"Can someone help me or something?" Hwayoung groaned as she slammed a pile of papers onto her face. She wanted Jungwon to recover as soon as possible as it would do him and her good too. After all, she was a therapist and he was the patient. If she was able to cure him quickly, he would be healthy and she would be happy.

Aunty Jinkyong placed so much trust in her, it would be so disappointing if Hwayoung just wasted her money, time and trust.
"Hwayoung ah, what seems to be the problem?" Yunhee asked when she noticed the stressed little girl, muttering words to herself again and again.

"I don't know how to make him speak up! He always does not want to speak up! I have been going to his house daily for a week already and he is still not speaking up. Am I doing something wrong?" Hwayoung grunted in annoyance.

"I think I know which patient you are referring to. Hmm, let me try to give you some suggestions. First of all, you can try asking him easier questions." Yunhee suggested.

"I've tried that already." Hwayoung messed up her hair out of irritation. It was the first time that she felt being a therapist was so problematic.

"The second method then! Have you tried to relate to him with family events?"

"He does not even want to speak up about those... How am I supposed to even relate..." Hwayoung sighed and was about to ask Yunhee to stop giving suggestions since they were not feasible at all but, Yunhee quickly said something before doing so.

"I mean if he does not want to speak up. Maybe you can try playing games with him. Like you can play a game of chess or hangman or something else with him."

"Yunhee, he's a twenty-two-year-old..."

"How would you know if he likes or dislikes such games? Did you know that even elderly people love this kind of stuff? Just try and see." Yunhee added.

"But-"

"Today, your only appointment is at Kang Dae's house in forty-five minutes. And, have a great day, I'm leaving first. Goodbye!" Yunhee cut Hwayoung off and left before Hwayoung could say anything.

"Aish, tsk!" Hwayoung laid back on her chair and played the same song once more since it always managed to calm her down.

╔══════════◌ೋೄ•

❝ You are a yellow flower dandelion ❞
그대는 노란 꽃의 민들레다
geudaeneun nolan kkoch-ui mindeulleda

•◌ೊೄೕ ══════════╝

"Playing games?" Hwayoung muttered while she bit onto her inner lip.

"Would it work?"

{{ ꕥ }}

"Good afternoon, Jungwon!" Hwayoung greeted when she caught sight of him scrolling through his phone on his bed. Jungwon reluctantly got up and sat back on the same chair and like usual, he also shifted away from Hwayoung.

"Seems like he is still nervous." Hwayoung thought as she easily read his body signs.

"Today, we are going to do something dierent! We are going to play a game of hangman! Remember the fact that we did not do our introduction well? Now, we are going to do a proper one. But, this time, I won't be doing anything related to your disorders." Hwayoung said, hoping that he would at the very least, feel comfortable with her at the end of this session.

Then, Hwayoung took out a small portable whiteboard, a black marker and a duster. "Before we start, what kind of penalty would you like to have?" She looked at him, waiting for his response.

He just gave her a shrug...

Well, that's expected. Hwayoung thought and asked him, "Then, can the penalty be anything?"

As expected once again, he shrugged and Hwayoung assumed that it was a 'yes' from him.

"I will start first. The first topic will be my favourite ice cream flavour." Hwayoung took the marker.

______ /_______

"Uhm... A?" Jungwon finally spoke up.

_A____ /_A_A___

"Uhm... E?" He guessed since everyone always started guessing with vowels first right?

He would not be judged, right?

_A__E_ /_A_A_E_

"Ehh... I?"

"Nope!" Hwayoung drew a line on the whiteboard.

On Jungwon's last chance before he lost,
SA__E_ /_ARA_E_

"U?" He guessed.

"Nope! It's salted caramel! Ha! Penalty!" Hwayoung snapped her fingers in joy.

"Stand up with one leg for the rest of the session!" Hwayoung smirked proudly as she thought that it would be a difficult task for him.

"Ok..." Jungwon muttered and stood up with one leg.

"Seems like it looks easy for you?" Hwayoung raised her eyebrow in slight amusement.

"Anyways, your turn!" She passed him the marker.

"What's the topic?" Hwayoung added before he wrote on the whiteboard.

"Ermm... A country where I want to visit." Jungwon just replied with whatever that first came up to his mind.

"Alright!"

______

"E!"

"No. E." Jungwon drew a hangman line.

"I, U, O, R, S, N, T, J, K!"

__N___

"You lost. It's Canada." He stated and Hwayoung frowned. "So, what's my penalty?"

A long silence.

"Stand on your toes for the rest of the session." Jungwon muttered. He did not really know what to suggest for a penalty. He just randomly came up with one.

He finally spoke up! HE FINALLY DID! Finally, it is not a shrug or a 'I don't know'! Okay, I have to play it cool so that he would not realise it about himself. Hwayoung's eyes lit up in excitement.

"Easy!"

{{ ꕥ }}

"Hah, you've lost again!" Jungwon exclaimed while Hwayoung groaned in frustration.

"It's my backpack!" Jungwon laughed and stopped when his body was slightly wobbling.

Well...

Both of them were standing in very awkward but, funny positions.

Jungwon was standing on one leg, one of his hands was carrying a dumbbell.

On the other hand, Hwayoung was standing on her toes, one of her hands holding up two thick books and had fallen five times because of her imbalance.

"Penalty!" He giggled like a playful child and added another book to her hand.

Hwayoung sulked and attempted to grab back her chance to get back at him. "My turn!"

Both of them were so engrossed with the game that Jungwon did not remember feeling nervous and Hwayoung had so much fun.

No one at that point of time could ever interrupt them at all.

They were just in a land of their own...