"...uh..."

Patient smile.

"I guess I could?" That is still making him feel awful though.

"It sounds hard?"

"Yeah." He's so pathetic.

"Would it be easier to ask him over text than out loud? Would it help to tell him it's homework from me?"

Oh. "Yes. To both." His brain is so stupid.

"Well, then, that's homework. Pay attention to how it feels throughout, while you're working up to it and while you ask and while you're waiting for an answer and once you've got one. I'm going to want to hear about that, but you can also tell him how you're feeling, too - again over text if that helps."

"Okay. I, uh. Can do that." Homework. From therapy. That sounds so fucking bizarre.

"And we're coming up on the end of the time slot. Is there anything else you want to mention before we wrap?"

"I guess not?" He feels like he's already dumped so much on this poor therapist. He's not sure he... likes... therapy... but it's probably too early to tell, and he has next steps of things to do so he probably should do them and see what that does.

"Shall I put you down for the same time next week?"

"Yeah. I think that works."

Write write. "Then I'll see you then, Kang Jaeha-nim. I'm going to email you a couple of screening questionnaires, too, they shouldn't take more than fifteen to twenty minutes all told."

More therapy homework. Absolutely bizarre.

"It's been..." A pleasure? "Interesting, doctor-nim. I'm looking forward to our future sessions."

"Likewise." She waves and the video freezes on her mid-smile.

Okay! That was hard and scary and stressful and, what was it that his ✨boyfriend✨ called it, ego-syntonic? It was ego-syntonic, for an ego that he's not quite fully inhabiting yet but is doing so enough to feel the edges of it. 

Speaking of his ✨boyfriend✨, is he home, did he go to a dungeon?

He timed one with this in mind and his estimate was pretty good - mere moments later: "Tadaima!"

"Okaeri!" Jaeha calls back, walking up to Haru to hug him.

Snuggle! "How was Park-sensei?"