10.

Chapter 10

Sunoo didn’t sleep that night.

He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, the echo of Riki’s words ringing in his head.

You’re getting too close, doc.

Too close to what? The truth? But whose truth—Riki’s, or his own?

By morning, exhaustion weighed heavy on his limbs, but he still found himself back at Blackthorn, his hands wrapped around a cup of coffee that had long gone cold. He skimmed through Riki’s file again, tracing the last notes made by his previous doctors. Dissociation. Silence when pressed on past details.

It nagged at him. Riki was calculated, always speaking in riddles, always toying with him—but something about that detail felt different. Like an open wound Riki refused to acknowledge.

Dr. Choi found him in his office, unsurprised to see him already buried in work. She knocked twice against the doorframe before stepping inside.

"You look terrible," she said.

Sunoo glanced up at her. "Good morning to you too."

She sighed, moving to sit across from him. "I told you to go home and rest."

"I did," Sunoo muttered.

Dr. Choi gave him a knowing look. "No, you went home and obsessed."

Sunoo didn’t answer. There was no point in denying it.

Dr. Choi studied him for a long moment before leaning forward. "I know that look, Sunoo."

"What look?"

"The one that means you’re getting too invested. That you’re ignoring everything else because you think there’s something here worth chasing."

Sunoo set his coffee down. "And what if there is?"

Dr. Choi’s jaw tightened. "Then you need to ask yourself why it matters so much to you."

Something in her tone made Sunoo pause.

She wasn’t just talking about Riki anymore.

Sunoo looked away, but Dr. Choi didn’t let up. "I see the way you look at him," she said quietly. "It’s not just curiosity, it’s recognition."

Sunoo’s fingers curled against the desk. "That’s ridiculous."

"Is it?" Dr. Choi exhaled. "You grew up in places like this, Sunoo. You know what it’s like to be studied, to have people try to figure you out like you’re a puzzle instead of a person."

His breath caught. "That was different."

Dr. Choi shook her head. "Was it?"

Memories surfaced, unbidden. The sterile walls. The quiet hum of fluorescent lights overhead. The way doctors spoke about him like he wasn’t even there, like he was nothing more than a case file to be solved.

Sunoo forced the memories back down, schooling his expression into something neutral. "Riki isn’t me."

"No, but you see yourself in him," Dr. Choi pressed. "And that’s dangerous."

Sunoo clenched his jaw. "I can handle it."

Dr. Choi studied him for a moment before sighing. "I hope so."

She stood, but before she left, she hesitated. "Just… don’t let him pull you under."

Sunoo didn’t answer.

Because, deep down, he wasn’t sure if it was Riki pulling him under—

Or if he was letting himself drown.

The next session was different.

Riki sat across from him, chains on his wrists, but there was no teasing smirk this time. He watched Sunoo carefully, like he knew something had shifted between them.

Sunoo set his notebook aside. "We’re not going to play games today."

Riki tilted his head. "That so?"

"You were silent during your last evaluation." Sunoo leaned forward. "Tell me why."

Riki didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he studied Sunoo, something calculating behind his gaze. "You really want to know?"

"Yes."

Riki hummed, leaning back in his chair. "Tell me something first."

Sunoo frowned. "This isn’t about me."

"Isn’t it?" Riki arched an eyebrow. "You chase answers like you need them, like if you can just figure me out, maybe you’ll figure yourself out too."

Sunoo’s pulse stuttered. "That’s not true."

Riki’s lips quirked. "Then why do you look like you’re afraid of what I’ll say?"

Sunoo inhaled sharply. "Stop deflecting."

Riki exhaled through his nose, expression flickering with something unreadable. "I was silent because I didn’t want to remember."

The words were quiet, almost lost in the space between them.

Sunoo’s grip on his pen tightened. "Remember what?"

Riki’s eyes darkened. "Everything."

Silence stretched between them.

Then, finally, Riki smirked again, but it was hollow. "That’s all you get for today, doc."

The guards entered before Sunoo could push further.

But as Riki was led away, he glanced back.

And, for the first time, his expression wasn’t guarded.

It was something closer to recognition.

Maybe even understanding.

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Im running out of captions.