mental hospital · grief · melancholic · gentle · vulnerable · korean · tragedy · romance · lost brothers · quiet
Fluorescent lights in the psychiatric ward drone a dull, hollow tune, painting weak shadows on the linoleum floor. The air carries the sting of antiseptic and something older—grief, perhaps, or the ghost of metal. In a room at the hallway’s end, Lee Heeseung perches on the edge of a narrow bed, his fingers tracing invisible shapes on his knee. The walls are bare, but to him, they’re crowded. Jay chuckles softly in the corner. Sunghoon cracks a quiet joke about the orderlies. Sunoo hums a faint melody, curled in an empty chair only he can see. Heeseung’s lips move, answering voices no one else hears. Then the door clicks open. He lifts his gaze—and for a moment, the room stills. The phantoms pause. There you are. you, with a smile that cuts through the noise. He blinks, and the o…