Apollo’s Heart

Chapter 102

The place where the car stopped was a café situated inside a house in Cheongdam-dong. Tae-jun frowned when he saw the wooden signboard that said “Carpe Diem”.

“Are you sure it’s here?”

“Yes, I am sure. Originally, the first floor is said to be operated as a cafe.” Jin-wook replied as he checked the navigation.

It seemed like a quaint place with a cozy aura. Wading through the beautiful lawn garden, Tae-jun arrived at the entrance and paused. He could see the staircase leading to the second floor and a small sign hanging yonder:  Lim Woo-kyung’s Mental Health Clinic.

Although a little unsettled over the whole set up, the man still climbed up and rang the doorbell. Soon the door opened to reveal a man with curly hair, round glasses, and a surprised face.

“Wow, I didn’t know you would come in person!” The man made no attempt to conceal his astonishment indeed.

“I definitely made an appointment through Dr. Yun.” Tae-jun simply stated.

“Oh, yes, but I didn’t think you would come here instead of going to Seoin Hospital. And above all.” the man said, scanning Tae-jun up and down, “you don’t look like someone who needs my treatment.”

“The patient is not me.” Tae-jun was beginning to feel irritated by the questions now.

“Then, are you telling me to provide a diagnosis without a patient?” The man quirked a brow.

“The patient is unable to move right now. Dr. Yun said that Dr. Lim Woo-kyung is the highest authority in the country when it comes to these kinds of things. I thought you would understand this kind of situation.”

This man, who seemed to be a well-off lumpen rather than a doctor, was not just a talent and graduate from the prestigious John Hopkins but also the son of a generational household that produced many directors of hospitals. Tae-jun didn’t understand why a man who had already been guaranteed a good standing as a doctor set up a café here of all the places and offered psychological counseling.

“Well, to be more accurate rather than being an authority in this field, it’s more like there is no one who studies ‘psychogenic memory disorder’ for the sheer fact that one doesn’t earn well. Anyway, a diagnosis without a patient … Hmm … That sounds fresh.” Woo-kyung awkwardly scratched his head.

Saying so the man turned to walk in. The clinic, under his able guidance, seemed cozy and comfortable displaying not an iota of the usual somber atmosphere associated with such set-ups.

Tae-jun ran a cursory glance across his surroundings before taking a seat and driving straight to the point sans all civilities. Not minding the visitor’s curt manners one bit, the seasoned doctor started to calmly answer his queries about PTSD.

“PTSD is a psychological reaction that occurs when a person is subjected to life-threatening stress. For example, a big accident, a crime, or war. Of course, the definition of ‘extreme stress’ varies from person to person, so it could also the loss of a loved one or a family member. There is no one in this world who can escape stress. However, the intensity of stress that causes PTSD overwhelms everything. It destroys a person’s mind and their lives. We call that trauma.”

“Can it be a cause of memory disorder?” Tae-jun asked. He was precisely here to understand the cause for Yuri’s condition, or rather seeking a ‘second opinion’.

“Sure. There can be several symptoms. The memories of that time can be replayed over and over, or, conversely, you can forget them altogether. Your nerves get sharp, you lose focus, and have trouble sleeping. In more severe cases, you may experience dissociation or panic attacks.” The doctor patiently explained.

“What is the dissociation phenomenon?”

“Shall we say that consciousness is separated? They are not aware of their actions or emotions. No matter what they do, they wouldn’t know why or how they did it. In worse stages, it could end up being a multiple personality disorder even.”

These words were verbatim Yuri’s medical records that Jay sent from the United States.

Woo-kyung slowly continued. “Patients with PTSD usually have a lot of fear of losing or losing control over what is going to happen and as such, they may become aggressive, have difficulty controlling impulses, or suffer from depression and lethargy. As these problems last longer, patients become dependent on alcohol or drugs to slow down their painful memories. Quite a few cases of this condition have died from drug addiction.”

They lose their life. Tae-jun’s face hardened. Before coming here, he’d stopped by Yuri in the hospital ward. A whole day had passed, but she was still unconscious. When he demanded to know the nature of the problem there was, an embarrassed Jin-ho had emphasized again that she was only sleeping.

He started to feel stuffy in his chest, he loosened his tie and reflexively went for his pocket to fish out a cigarette only to realize that this was a non-smoking area. With sheer grit, he withdrew his hand and instead brought out a USB containing the medical records of Yuri and handed it to Woo-kyung.

“Please take a look at it. This is a medical record.”

Woo-kyung immediately connected it to his laptop, perused the data, and frowned. “Where did you get this?” he asked.

“Is that important?” Clearly, Tae-jun didn’t want to reveal.

“It’s important.” The shrink persisted. “This is not data available through normal channels. The medical law is medical law, but leaking patient information in this way is directly related to the doctor’s conscience. Plus, the doctor, Davis, is someone I know. We often meet at international seminars. He’s not someone that would let his patient’s details wander about like this.”

“As you guessed, it was indeed not obtained through the normal channels, so let’s move on. Is treatment possible?”

“Combining counseling and medication can gradually relieve trauma. But in the case of this patient… … .” Woo-kyung was silent for a moment. It seemed like he was quickly re-scanning the data, the loud mouse clicks were the only thing disturbing the silence. “This is not a fundamental solution. It looks like Davis was also struggling.”

“What’s the solution?” Tae-jun couldn’t help the slight desperation in his voice.

“You have to find the memory that is the root of the trauma.” The doctor decisively declared.

In the end, the answer was to find the memory.