Just then the door to the lobby opens again and another doctor comes in, one that In-hye hasn’t seen before.

“That’s the internist,” Hee-joo says. In-hye hadn’t noticed her arrive. Apparently each psychiatric institution has an internist permanently on hand. This man seems young, though perhaps he just has a young-looking face, and gives the impression of being intelligent but cold. Eventually, Yeong-hye’s doctor detaches himself from the gaggle of patients and strides over to In-hye. She takes a step back without realizing it.

“Have you spoken to your sister?”

“From what I could see, it didn’t look like she was conscious.”

“It might seem that way on the surface, but every single one of her muscles is tensed. It isn’t that she’s not conscious, exactly—rather, it’s as if her conscious mind is so completely concentrated on something, or somewhere, that she isn’t aware of her immediate surroundings. When she’s in that state and we force her out of it, if you saw what happens then you’d know for sure that she’d been awake the whole time.” The doctor seems sincere, and a little tense. “It can be a difficult thing for a family member to witness. If we decide that your presence is complicating things, it’s best if you get out of the way quickly.”

“I understand,” In-hye says. “It’s just—”

The doctor cuts her off. “I’m sure everything will work out fine.”

—

With Yeong-hye’s twisting, struggling body slung over his shoulder fireman style, the carer walks down the corridor and into an empty two-person ward. In-hye waits for the other medical staff to file in, then follows cautiously. The doctor was right—Yeong-hye is definitely conscious. In fact, her thrashing is so wild and rough it’s difficult to believe that she’s the same woman as the one who was lying completely immobile only a short while ago. A barely comprehensible yell erupts from her throat.

“Leave me alone! Leave me alo-o-one!” Two carers and a nurse’s aide grapple with her struggling form, forcing her down onto the bed. They bind her arms and legs.

“Please step outside,” the male nurse says to In-hye as she stands there hesitating. “It’s difficult for family members to watch. Please go outside.”

Yeong-hye instantly turns to In-hye, fixing her with her shining eyes. Her yelling intensifies, and a continuous torrent of words streams out. Her bound limbs writhe, compelled by some unknown impulse, as if she were trying to throw herself at In-hye. In-hye steps forward, closer to her sister, without realizing what she is doing. Yeong-hye’s skinny arms flail about, wasted away to nothing but bone.

“I…don’t…like it!” For the first time, Yeong-hye enunciates clearly, though her voice still sounds like the roar of some savage beast. “I…don’t…like it! I…don’t…like…eating!” In-hye clasps Yeong-hye’s contorted cheeks in both hands.

“Yeong-hye. Yeong-hye!” The look in Yeong-hye’s eyes as she shudders with terror claws at In-hye.