Chapter Text
Dr. Lee “Know” Minho sat behind a mahogany desk, his lab coat pristine but his posture unsettlingly relaxed. He presses his phone intercom, asking for the next patient to come in.
The Consultation: Patient #23 (Yang Jeongin “I.N.”)
Jeongin fidgeted with the hem of his oversized sweater. "It’s just... there are so many of them, Dr. Lee. My brothers. They’re all so loud, so talented. Sometimes I feel like if I stopped talking, they wouldn't even notice I’m there. I’m constantly running just to stay in the same room as them.”
Dr. Lee finally looked up at him. His eyes were sharp, feline, and held a glint of of a mad scientist. Or psychiatrist, if you will.
"You feel invisible because you are trying to be a human," the doctor said, his voice a smooth, low purr. "That is your first mistake. Humans are desperate. They beg for scraps of validation."
"I... what?" Jeongin blinked.
Dr. Lee leaned forward, sliding a prescription pad across the desk. He didn't write a dosage or a drug name. He drew a small, crude doodle of a triangle with whiskers. “You came here in search for a self-esteem. You don't need self-esteem, Jeongin. You need a god complex."
The doctor stood up, walked to a floor-to-ceiling cabinet, and opened the bottom drawer. Instead of files, a ginger tabby cat with a notched ear hopped out, looking incredibly offended to have been disturbed.
"This is Bon-Hwa,” the doctor announced, hoisting the cat by its armpits and presenting it to Jeongin like a sacrificial offering. "He is small. He is the youngest of his litter. And he firmly believes the sun rises specifically to highlight his fur.”
Jeongin holds the cat in the air, looking into his eyes, confused.
Dr Lee explains the prescription:
“Bon-Hwa does not care if his brothers are louder. He simply walks over their heads when they sleep. I suggest you do the same.
“If someone asks for your attention and you do not wish to give it, bite them. Or walk away. It is very therapeutic.
"Look at him, Jeongin. He does nothing, contributes nothing to society, and yet he expects to be worshipped. This is the energy you are missing!” The doctor leans back, picking up his letter opener, tapping it against his chin.
“Your instructions are this: Take Bon-Hwa home. If you feel 'not enough,' feed him. He will scream at you until you do. You will realize that to this creature, you are the provider of Life and Kibble. You are not competing with your brothers; you are the manager of a very small, orange kingdom."
Jeongin is now cradling the cat in his arm. The cat immediately began kneading its claws into his expensive sweater. "Should I come back next week?”
"Only if you run out of treats," Dr. Lee said, already dismissing him to look down at his next patient file.
As I.N. leaves with the orange tabby in his arms, the doctor called in the next patient via the intercom.