💭Forget-Me-Not: Chapter 28

The memory surgery. ❤️‍🩹

Not yet caught up? Pick up where you left off in the Chapter List.

---

All of it scared her. She was uneasy at the thought of manipulating the path of life so completely, whether with good intentions or not. What would be the consequences?

She voiced the last question.

In Ha replied firmly, “And that is why we need Sung Joon’s help.”

Sung Joon eyed In Ha. She met his eyes squarely and placidly, her usual firm yet soft stance, leaving the decision up to him while knowing ultimately what decision he would make—should make.

He sighed, rubbing his chin in thought. I let her get too close. He didn’t regret it. He rarely regretted his decisions. That meant whatever he did decide, he shouldn’t regret.

Sung Joon had heard the report about Joo Young already from the medical team he kept on standby at the company for employee emergencies, breaks, and, yes, mental health. His blood always ran cold, but hearing the severity of her condition made it run colder. More than ever, he wished he still had his gift so he could handle her problem himself.

His eyes next landed on Sae Ra’s. Like In Ha, she met his eyes squarely, but there was a softer element to them, like a puppy hoping for a treat. She was holding her breath. He wondered if she would run out of air before she realized what she was doing.

He sighed internally. They had come in twenty minutes before, during Sae Ra’s normal lunch visit, relaying Joo Young’s story to him and asking him to help them and oversee the precise removal of her worst memories.

He was torn. On one hand, he believed people’s hardships made them stronger and memories made them who they were. People who couldn’t handle this were too weak and therefore disposable if they were of no use to anybody. This was for the better good of society as a whole.

On the other hand, he was someone with a natural instinct to protect the vulnerable and punish perpetrators, hence his overall plan. Sung Joon always found himself wandering back and forth between these two mindsets. What would be for the greater good here?

There had to be more of an incentive for him to help. He glanced at Sae Ra. Could she pull this off? He had to find out. But more importantly…he glanced at In Ha. He noticed then that she was also holding her breath.

He nodded in acceptance of their plan. Sae Ra immediately let out the breath she had been holding while In Ha noticeably relaxed.

“Can we do it now?” asked Sae Ra eagerly.

“Right now, I’ll prep you the best I can. I had never done this before, either, mind you,” he murmured.

Sae Ra deflated. She’s so easy to read, I don’t even need Tae Ri’s gift, Sung Joon thought. This is the charm Kang Yoon fell for—in a world where people’s intentions are hard to read, there exists Sae Ra.

“We’ll do it tonight,” he said, watching her inflate again like a happy balloon.

“I’ll bring Joo Young here after work!” Sae Ra said.

—

The sun lost its strength as the day wore on. Sung Joon stood in wait for the women to arrive, and almost exactly at five, the doors swung open and a cheery Sae Ra came in with a bewildered Joo Young, who was told the CEO wanted to see her but had no idea why.

Sung Joon studied her dazed face, then his eyes snapped up to meet those of In Ha, who had come in behind the two and closed the door.

If this works…he thought. Does she…?

“Sorry, but what did you want to see me for?” asked Joo Young timidly.

He smiled at her and told her to take a seat. “I heard that you weren’t feeling well and wanted to check on you. My employees’ well-being is of utmost importance to me. I hope you’re not feeling overworked or undervalued or anything of that sort?”

“Oh, no. Not at all,” she assured him. “Working here is…” She paused as she thought about her words and feelings. She couldn’t lie to herself and say she was overjoyed or even satisfied, but that was not at the fault of his company. She landed on, “It’s good to work here. Thank you for your concern.”

“Please. I want to know about any concerns you may have, anything at all,” Sung Joon said. “Lean back, relax, close your eyes, and think deeply.”

Before they did anything, Sae Ra was intent on getting Joo Young’s permission. She could always erase that small memory, so she asked, “If I were able to erase all your memories about your ex, would you let me?”

Without hesitation, Joo Young said, “I wish I had never met him. There are no good memories to hold onto. If only you could, right?”

In Ha set down a cup of warm chamomile tea before Joo Young. The tea had sedatives to help Joo Young fall asleep, much like anesthesia for a surgery patient.

“Drink this,” In Ha directed her. “It’ll calm your nerves.”

After some more light conversation, Joo Young started to doze off with the help of both the tea and the warm air circulating throughout the room. Once she was asleep, Sung Joon nodded at Sae Ra, who sat opposite Joo Young.

Forget all about him, Joo Young, and live your life, she thought, as the invisible hand reached out from her mind to Joo Young’s.

Sae Ra wasn’t sure how long it took. There were many deep recesses within Joo Young’s mind that she had to clear, but she had practiced beforehand under Sung Joon’s guidance. The memory surgery felt like a long meditation practice.

—

“There’s no guarantee her body won’t remember the trauma,” he warned her during her meditation practice.

“What do you mean?”

“Trauma isn’t stored only in the brain. It’s also stored in the body. She may at times feel anxious or heavy without knowing why. It’s not a huge concern for me. It’s normal for everybody, that wave of sadness that passes through out of nowhere for no apparent reason.

“Without getting too technical, erasing her memories may heal her neural pathways—or it may not. While she may still feel depressed, she may not know why—and that’s normal, too, for some people. While she may try to write again, she may feel an invisible wall pressing down on her and not understand where the resistance comes from.”

“I don’t expect to heal her. I want to help her heal herself—and the memories make all of that so much harder. I trust she can work through the rest on her own. Everyone’s healing journey is different and personal, but I have to at least put her on the path. I have to try.”

He nodded, arms crossed. “I think it’s worth the try.”

—

The office grew darker as the horizon laid the sun to rest. Suddenly, Sae Ra realized she was done. She almost felt like she was coming out of a trance, her body growing so slack after hours of tension that she almost fell forward. In Ha held her steady while Sung Joon’s eyes narrowed in on Joo Young.

They watched as she stirred awake now that her mind wasn’t being worked on. She blinked at them in confusion.

“You fell asleep,” Sung Joon explained. “We didn’t want to wake you since you’ve been so tired lately.”

Her eyes grew wide and she sat up straight. “I’m so sorry!” She saw it was night outside. “I kept you here this late?”

“We’re always here this late,” In Ha assured her. “Sae Ra stayed because she was worried about you.”

They had planned all of this, as well. Sae Ra said, “We’ve been working so hard lately, the CEO wanted to see how we were doing. You fell asleep, so we just let you rest while we discussed our current project.”

Both slowly and suddenly at the same time, a smile spread across Joo Young’s face that they all stared at her, not recognizing the bright person before them. Her sullen mask had disintegrated.

“Thank you! I must have had the best sleep in ages,” she exclaimed, rolling her shoulders and stretching. “I love working here, and it’s so nice to have a CEO who cares. The work is hard but rewarding. And I still have time for my personal projects.”

Sung Joon replied quietly, “Ah yes, you want to write movie screenplays.”

Joo Young brightened up even more. “Yup! I don’t know why it’s taking me so long to finish one, but I feel like I’ll have a couple projects done soon. And don’t worry! It won’t affect my main job.”

“For now anyway,” he replied with a smile, “and I fully support your eventual departure.”

Joo Young gazed at him in wonder, then broke into another smile. “I’ll go work on that now, then.”

“It’s late. Go rest more,” Sae Ra said, slightly worried the memory erasure might have worn Joo Young out.

“I feel really good. That was a good nap,” Joo Young assured her. Sae Ra escorted her out, leaving Sung Joon behind in deep thought…and a deep feeling of something unpleasant.

Joo Young is a completely new person, he thought. Normally good at analyzing his feelings and keeping them in check, he could tell his brain was skirting around the issue, not labeling the emotions in order to avoid them altogether. But they had made a home in his chest, a heaviness settling in, making it harder to breathe.

Before In Ha could follow the other women out, he spoke up, “Is that what you want for yourself? I won’t stop you.”

He paused and added more quietly, “I won’t know you, either.”

In Ha turned to look at him, her face calm, if not slightly cold. “There’s no changing who I am.”

She left him to his thoughts, which shifted to Sae Ra. I helped Sae Ra evolve her power…How far can she go?

But he knew the answer, and that was what he was rejecting with all his being, the first feeling of uncertainty and fear he had ever faced.

I am what happened to me.

I am my memories.

I am what I do.

What I do is borne from my memories.

She can erase my memories.

She can erase me.

Next time on 🌸Forget-Me-Not🌸

It was a risky move, but knowing Sae Ra’s character and Sung Joon’s ambitions, it was a move she was willing to make.