Day 3
“Let us begin with a topic you are comfortable with. How did you find out about the dojang?” Cha Eunhee asked as she looked at Lee Jun while ready to pen down notes on her tablet.
“I always knew about the dojang…but only found it now…” Lee Jun replied as he lay on a diwan twiddling his thumbs. He wasn’t expecting anything results of this exercise, he had applied several psychological analysis to himself and concluded that his own fear of VR was irrationale. However, since his master, Chung Il, instructed him to have daily sessions with Cha Eunhee he could do very little in saying no.
Cha Eunhee was a world renowned therapist and she pioneered many of the new techniques. It was her unconventional approach and talent for reading people’s problem that made her the best. She was also famous for her role in Royal Road as an Orc…but nobody ever paid attention to the supporting characters. ‘But will any of that help?’ Lee Jun wondered. Having a good historical record doesn’t mean that the solutions to his problem would be found though it did better the chances.
“Could you please elaborate on that last statement…” Cha Eunhee requested.
“I read the entire Royal Road series and biography of Lee Hyun, it was mentioned there that Lee Hyun was a practioners at Kumodo Dojang. Being acquainted with something or someone is however very different from actually knowing something or someone…”
Cha Eunhee nodded in agreement.
“Ji Woo is my classmate and she introduced me here…it was nothing more than a coincidence.”
“Yet one coincidence led to another and the truth is, you are here searching for an answer.” Cha Eunhee said with a smile.
Lee Jun continued to stare at the ceiling.
“Chung Il told me about the game and your problem but could you explain it to me in your words what happened.”
“I don’t know…”
“…”
“If I knew what happened or what the problem was I would have solved it myself.” Lee Jun said with frustration.
“Then should I assume, your own expectations have nothing to do with this? Nor does the betrayal of your friend or the shame you went through have anything to do with this?” Cha Eunhee asked with her eyebrow raised.
Lee Jun sat up straight when he heard all this. “How do you know all this?”
“I am sure you can piece it together with an IQ of over 190, you must already know the answer to your own question. Would hearing it from me only confirm what you already know or help you shift the blame on to me?” Cha Eunhee asked with a smirk on her face. She had spent the entire day, yesterday, digging out all the information she could about Lee Jun. She knew she had to show her superiority to get him to acknowledge her and beging accepting her treatment. Medical treatments especially psychological ones are most effective when the patient believes in them. This was her first move in treating Lee Jun.
Lee Jun sunk back into the diwan. “Masters must have told you about the first bit. My mother about Athenos and my school about my IQ…”
“Correct. As I said you already knew the answer.”
“I don’t like it when people go behind my back to learn more about me. You could have simply asked me.”
“Yes but then I would receive a distorted answer from you. However, I now want to hear your version of the things.” Cha Eunhee explained.
“But won’t your views be biased now? It would be based on other people’s notions of what happened.” Lee Jun questioned, he was quite annoyed with his privacy being invaded.
‘Annoying brat…’ Cha Eunhee thought to herself. She didn’t want this session to break down into battle of words. She wanted to control the flow of this conversation however Lee Jun was clearly indicating to her that he wouldn’t let her have it her way.
“I like to listen to hear both version, whether I listen to you first or them, it hardly makes a difference. I only form opinions after listening to what everyone has to say. In your case, I flipped a coin and it read begin with those who know you. That is all there is to it.” Cha Eunhee replied hoping to close the matter.
Lee Jun let the question go, she was quick witted and her reply was more than sufficient to prove she was being objective…even if she really wasn’t.
“It began with Athenos … or maybe it never finished there.” Lee Jun struggled with finding appropriate words to explain his version of the events. “When I was betrayed in Athenos and ridiculed, I left the game hoping to conquer some other title…even though I left it, it never left me. No matter how many days go by I always go back to that and think how things would have been if I had been a bit more suspecting of my friend.”
“That is an answer we will never really know…but is that why you train?” Cha Eunhee asked as she took notes on her tablet.
“I am looking for the strength to overcome my own irrationality.”
“Do you think you will find it here?”
“…”
“Tell me a bit more about Royal Road Elementarem Vim and what happened there?” Cha Eunhee asked as she put away her tablet.
“…”
“Silence won’t make you any better.”
“Have you ever seen a mad man?” Lee Jun asked with his mind lost in his memories.
“I do treat patients…” Cha Eunhee replied, wondering if thise was some sort of trick question.
“I meant someone completely irrational and very dangerous…”
“No. If they are that dangerous I stay away from them.”
“I have seen aliens which are scarier than anything humanly possible yet what I felt during that brief moment in RREV was so much scarier…”
“Even though it was virtual reality?” Cha Eunhee asked picking up her tablet to take notes again.
“When we battle aliens in athenos there is no background music. RREV was different, it was like a scene out of the movie. I don’t know why…but I found myself completely absorbed in the game. The NPC characters grow on you, just like real people…everything not just NPCs comes together making it the story you want to hear…or not hear…”
“…”Cha Eunhee didn’t have anything to say; unless one played RREV one could not explain it in words. However, it was evident that the game was special. Those who played it found themselves lost in a perfect heaven. Contentment would be at best how one could describe the entirety of the feeling.
“Then what happened?” Cha Eunhee asked as she was drawn in by Lee Jun’s words.
“I found myself too scared to go back. There is a crazed monster in that game out to kill anything that get in its way. Am I afraid of dying? No…I don’t think so…I am afraid of returning and finding nothing left for me. I am afraid to see more NPCs die and failing to protect them…does this even make sense to you?” Lee Jun asked with tears brimming in his eyes.
“You view NPCs as real people?” Cha Eunhee asked.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Lee Jun nodded.
“My opinon is not relevant on this. Though I can say, I understand where you are coming from. RREV is certainly above the other games in detailing its NPCs. Each NPC feels like a real person, so it makes sense that when you meet certain NPCs you grow attached to them.” Cha Eunhee replied back. “But I do believe you are diverting your attention from the real issue at hand. You are afraid of VR. Is it shame? Is it betrayal? Is it loss of loved NPCs? What those reasons are …are so muddled up that no matter how you want to unravel them you can’t. I think its all those reasons that are preventing you from diving back into VR. Even the training you are undertaking is some sort of trial you wish to pass to prove to yourself that you have changed. But let me ask you, are you truly safe here?
Day 4
“He isn’t anything like you described him.” Cha Eunhee grumbled as she prepared breakfast. “You said that he was sweet as an angel. Where did you get such a description from? The child is a complete brat! He has no manners whatsoever, he thinks he can look down on everyone else just because he is a little smarter than the rest? I will…”
“Meow.” A cat rubbed itself against Cha Eunhee’s leg. Misteress was indeed the best.
“What did he do?” Chung Il asked as got ready.
“He was testing me…” Cha Eunhee said softly. This was a matter of culture, children don’t test adults. Even though many years may have gone by respecting elders was one of the values ingrained in society. Hence, Cha Eunhee was clearly upset she for being tested by someone younger to her.
“Well?” Chung Il hinted, he was more interested in knowing the progress of his student than anything else.
“…He has the mind of an adult…who has yet to experience life…” Cha Eunhee began explaining her assessment of Lee Jun. “Unlike children he knows how to articulate his thoughts and feelings into words. He can reply back logically or vaguely just like an adult…but then there are moments when he is a complete child.”
Chung Il gave Cha Eunhee a puzzled look. He had no clue what that meant.
“Sigh…Imagine an adult who has never eaten chocolate or cotton candy, they would be completely fascinated by something some simplistic which every child has had at least once in their life. Lee Jun is no different. He may act like an adult on the outside but within he is a complete child, he has yet to experience life itself….”
“Which is a good thing?” Chung Il asked.
“It isn’t a good thing or a bad thing. The problem is he is like a dry sponge which absorbs every moment of life…and to a great extent his past is defining him…” Cha Eunhee said as she slid a tablet across the dining table.
Chung Il picked up the tablet and quickly breezed through it, “I had no idea…” He said with slight shock.
“I prefer if you don’t share this information with the others.” Cha Eunhee said as she took back the tablet.
“Well then can you get to the root of his problems?” Chung Il asked, he had a feeling Cha Eunhee was on to something.
“No.” Cha Eunhee replied with a smile.
“Pardon me?” Chung Il wasn’t sure if he had heard her right.
“His problems are too muddled up. If I try to diagnose his problems it will never be the end of it.” Cha Eunhee cooly replied back.
“Then how are …”
“Instead, we need to focus on recovery.” Cha Eunhee replied with a smug look.
“…” Chung Il wasn’t sure if he was following his brilliant wife.
“Chung, what do you fear more, our daughters’ cooking or my scolding?” Cha Eunhee asked with a sweet smile on her face.
“Our daughters’ cooking…” Chung Il said with his head hanging low.
“Then are you saying I don’t scold you enough?” Cha Eunhee snapped back.
“No honey…your scolding is harsh…but their cooking…” Chung Il had a dreary aura around him, “..its comparable to posison..” he whispered.
“Do you see my point now?” Cha Eunhee asked she served Chung Il breakfast.
“…”
“It is not important to know what is causing his irrational fear of virtual reality but rather given that he has this fear how do we tackle it? The answer is to simply create a much greater fear…” Cha Eunhee finished her explanation.
“But does that really solve anything? He would still be coward with fears…” Chung Il said with slight concern over his wife’s plan.
“Are you a coward?” Cha Eunhee asked.
“…No I am strong…”
“Then just train him to be strong…” Cha Eunhee replied. “Adding one more fear isn’t the lasting solution but a shock therapy. He would still need self confidence to maintain the effect of the shock. Thus, training the body and mind are vital for him.”
“You already have a plan?” Chung Il asked, seeing his wife’s devious smile.
Cha Eunhee quietly passed the tablet back to her husband.
Chung Il’s eyebrows were raised and his eyes nearly popped out as he read the notes scribbled on the screen. “You can’t be serious…” He said as he finished reading.
“Oh but I am…” Cha Eunhee replied back with an evil grin.
“Then I guess we should go with the third option..” Chung Il said with resignation.
“Whoever said these are option?” Cha Eunhee asked with her evil grin growing wider. “We are going ahead with all of them…” Maybe one shock therapy would have been enough but Cha Eunhee was determined to teach the young boy a lesson. A permanent alteration in her personality owing to sticking with Weed too long.
“…” Chung Il stared back at the tablet and Cha Eunhee plans. ‘Maybe asking her for help wasn’t such a good idea…”
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Authors Note:
1. Sorry just branching the chapters! Most of you may have already this!
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Connect to Royal Road – Elementarem Vim next Chapter?YesNo
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