"So you're here for Ae Jin?" the nurse asks, shaking him from his daze.

They had been riding in the questionably creaky elevator in silence for a while and he finds he rather enjoyed the silence. He glances up at the blinky, lit-up numbers atop the elevator doors begging for this metal death trap to move faster.

"Yeah.. she was, someone I once knew". He hoped this lady wouldn't pry into his business. This building was clearly an old establishment that hasn't seen visitors in decades so he can't blame anyone's curiosity but he'd rather not reveal too much.

"I see" she mumbles. "It's nice to see she finally has a visitor".

He suppresses the urge to roll his eyes. This wasn't some kind of a joyful reunion, this was the woman who had killed the love of his life, if anything he was here for himself only. Surely this nurse knew of Ae Jin's crime.

"It's actually the first time anyone has visited her".

It didn't come as a surprise to him, who would want to visit a murderer?

The elevator finally comes to a halt, jolting as it does. As the metal doors open, they release an ear-piercing screech that makes his skin crawl. The dimly lit hallway before him is long and eerie, part of him regrets coming here.

"Though there is something I should warn you about", the nurse's voice startles him from his second-guessing as she steps out of the elevator. Her heels click loudly against the cracked ceramic floors. She fit perfectly with the terrifying demeanor of the place. "She's a bit confused".

"Confused in what way?", as they walk through the hall they pass several doors with tiny, rectangular windows. He manages to catch sight of a blurred figure with long hair, facing away from the door. It sends a shiver up his spine.

"She appears to have imagined up figures from her past with whom she talks to in order to cope with... well, you know, the incident".

The guilt must have eaten her alive to the point of her succumbing to delusions. Part of him felt a sense of satisfaction.

"When you say figures from the past-" he says hoping she would get what he was asking.

"As in, her husband or her son. Sometimes she'll confuse reality with her own conjured-up imagination. So don't be too sad if she doesn't recognize you or calls you by another name. To her, I'm someone named Ji Eun".

He nods dismissively, if Ae Jin had become this delusional would he be able to get the answers he wanted?

There's buzzing coming from his pocket and he pulls out his phone to find two texts from Hoseok. He smiles as he reads them.

From: Hobi~☺️
5:45 PM
Did u find the asylum?

From Hobi~☺️
5:48 PM
Don't ignore my messages you brat I need to make sure you haven't been mistaken for a loose patient.

The nurse clears her throat prompting him to send a quick "I'm fine!" to Hoseok before shoving the phone back in his pocket. Looking up, he's met with a plain metal door, eroded in some parts and discolored around the small window. From the limited view, he catches sight of her figure, seated upon a chair with her back to the door. Suddenly he's aware of the way his hands begin getting clammy, his throat feels dry as the nurse reaches for the doorknob.

It's been five long years. The last memory he has of this woman is that of her boney fingers wrapped around a delicate throat. Would she recognize him?

The door hinges squeak as a cool breeze hits him from inside the room. It's freezing in there.

"Ae Jin, you have a visitor!" the nurse says cheerfully. Ae Jin sits so still that he almost thinks the figure before him is a statue. The only indication she gives them is a slight tilt of her head. The nurse nods at him to go in. "I'll be in the room four doors down if you need me, whenever you're done just remember to close the door".

The silence that engulfs the room the moment the nurse walks away is deafening. He takes a moment to take in his surroundings, though there isn't much to see. It's a rather plain room with a single metal framed bed in the center and a simple chair in which she sits that faces a murky window on the left wall. The view isn't much either, just a green forest that extends for miles towards mountains that are covered by misty clouds and fog.

He's so caught up in staring out of the window at the dull sky that he doesn't feel the wide-eyed gaze piercing holes into his face until she speaks softly, her voice deeply contrasting the aura of this entire asylum. "Is it really you?".

Whipping his head in her direction, he gasps. She's facing him and it's now he notices her bland, white uniform. Etched into the top right corner of the shirt is her name stitched with bright red thread. She looks so, thin. Her once rosy cheeks are now sunken in, and her lips are cracked and pale.

Her once long, curly, black hair that hung just above her waist is now dull and cut to rest on her shoulders. One thing that hasn't changed, he can say for sure, is those eyes. Those sharp, discerning eyes remind him of Taehyung, and part of him had once felt guilt towards his best friend for feeling unnerved by his gaze. But even now, after all these years, he still can't shake the feeling of discomfort.

"D-do you remember me?" he hesitates.

Ae Jin merely smiles warmly and it makes him squirm. It was an expression he had rarely seen on her in his younger years. Ae Jin only ever smiled this genuine for one person and before he can say anything else she's already opening her mouth, extending her arms toward him as though inviting him to come closer.

"How could I ever forget you, my Taehyungie".

He freezes, mouth agape as he stares at her expectant look. The nurse's reminder comes back to him, she can't discern reality from her mind anymore. Maybe playing along would benefit him, it's not like she was ever this open to himself anyway.

"Hi, mom" he awkwardly smiles.

Her arms are still wide open and when he makes no move to come closer, she stands, crossing the distance between them in the blink of an eye, and wraps her arms around him. His heart nearly gives out in fear, images of her crazed eyes as she strangled Eun Hye flash before him. This woman could kill him if she figures out he's lying.

She pulls away, though her hands are gripping his arms tightly, and examines his face with a look of fondness. "My precious son", she smiles "look how you've grown". Her eyes are growing teary and he panics, stumbling over his words as he speaks. "And you look as beautiful as ever" he forces a fake smile.

He remembers the way younger Taehyung would shower his mother with compliments and comb his fingers through her hair. Even as kids, he knew the other had a closer relationship with her than his father.

"Your father's going to be so happy to see you, he'll be back later this evening. Come sit with me".

The words send a shiver down his spine as he's tugged toward the only chair in the room. She pushes him to sit before plopping onto the bed before him. "I'm sorry I couldn't prepare anything, I wasn't expecting you to visit but I'll ask Ji Eun to bring us some sweets later okay?" she smiles again. He nods, wide-eyed.

After a beat of silence passes, with her merely staring at him unsettlingly, he clears his throat. "Mom... I wanted to ask you something". She nods eagerly still smiling weirdly.

"Do you remember, Eun Hye?".

At the mere mention of her name, the aura in the room seems to shift. Ae Jin's smile slips from her lips. Her gaze finds its way to something behind him. Her eyes were now glassy as she stared blankly. "Mom?".

She turns to look into his eyes so abruptly he nearly chokes, "I remember". A tear slips past her eyes as she leans toward him as though trying to conceal a secret. "How could I forget" she huffs a laugh.

He shudders, suppressing the urge to strangle her. How could she laugh about the girl she murdered?

"I remember it all" she drawls as she stands and begins walking toward the window, though from the look in her eyes it seems as though she were somewhere else. "She was so... beautiful. Her long dark hair, her gentle laughter. Her skin was so soft, especially her neck" she grins grotesquely whilst looking down at her hands.

Anger sears across his skin as he stands roughly shoving the chair back, "don't fucking speak of her like that" he sneers.

Ae Jin glances at him, a sinister smile stretched upon her lips. "You think I didn't see it Taehyungie?".

He pauses, see what?

She chuckles darkly, "I'm your mother, no one knows you more than your mother".

"W-What are you talking about?" he says feeling exhausted all of a sudden. This felt useless, he can't expect someone who suffers from delusions to help him in any way. Coming here was a mistake.

"I saw everything" she grins wickedly, "so don't try and play innocent my precious son. We both know what really happened that night".