179 A Smile a Day Keeps the Shrink Away (1/2)
True to their words, the company sent an email to notify her of the scheduled shooting. It would be held in two weeks, meaning that Yeo Ri had plenty of time to spare.
Yeo Ri's schedule was virtually empty, and Mrs. Choi was more than happy to help her fill it up. She had already helped to book several more photoshoots for Yeo Ri.
In the blink of an eye, it had been over a week since the audition.
Gun was going to be attending his freshman orientation and Yeo Ri did not want to be at home, so he dropped her off at the hospital to visit her friend, Ra Hee.
Before heading to their usual meeting place though, Yeo Ri decided to show her face to Dr. Hong, who had been in charge of her psychological problems back when she was still a patient at the hospital. Familiarly, she made her way to Dr. Hong's consultation office.
Yeo Ri knocked the door several times out of politeness. Upon receiving the doctor's permission to enter, she opened the door and popped her head in.
”Doctor, are you free?” She greeted.
”Yeo Ri!” Dr. Hong exclaimed, her brows jumping in surprise. ”I didn't know you were coming. Come in, come in!” She broke into a warm smile, ushering the girl to enter.
Yeo Ri did not feel reserved and simply walked in, sitting herself on a chair across the doctor's desk.
”It's been some time. How are you?” Dr. Hong shuffled the papers on her desk, rummaging around until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out a folder and took out a pen before returning her gaze to her unannounced guest.
”You look... brighter. More confident, dare I say. Did you finally get rid of that mirror like I told you?” She asked in a playful voice.
Yeo Ri responded with a small smile and a light chuckle. ”I didn't. Gun-oppa might get worried, after all.”
”Ah, there's another thing you're still doing, I see,” Dr. Hong noted with a wry smile. ”Keeping secrets from your brothers is not a good habit, Yeo Ri-ah. You need to learn to stop bottling up everything.”
”I'm not keeping secrets. I'm just choosing to not disclose certain information.”
”And that's called keeping secrets,” Dr. Hong sighed. Yeo Ri could be so stubborn sometimes—especially when it was related to her family. ”I know there are things you're hiding from me, too. But you should at least be truthful to your brother. Anybody can see how much he cares about you. Hiding things from him would not be good in the long run.”
”Are you really trying to fix me or are you telling me to die?” Yeo Ri asked rhetorically.
”Yeo Ri-ah...” Dr. Hong sent her a pointed look.
Seeing the older woman's warning look, Yeo Ri knew that she was beginning to trail off. She sighed, pouting. ”I know, I know.”
Dr. Hong rubbed her temples tiredly. She blinked her eyes several times before changing the subject. ”Ah, that's right; what brings you here? And I'm still curious about why you look so chirpy today.”
”I just came to see Ra Hee. I thought I'd stop by and say hello to you too while I'm at it, Doctor.”