The doctor seemed satisfied with his little observation, turning the page to continue his notes. But then he stopped, his gaze shifting back to her with an almost uncanny intensity. "Miss Yujin," he said again, his tone suddenly more serious. "What brings you here today? What seems to be the problem?"
Yujin swallowed hard. She'd been trying to prepare herself for this moment—thinking of how to explain what was happening without sounding completely insane. But as she opened her mouth to speak, her mind went blank.
Ding!
[Intervention activated: Providing alternative responses to maintain secrecy.]
Yujin froze. She was no longer in control of her own mouth.
"I keep seeing… a very handsome billionaire in my dreams, and I think I'm in love." The words tumbled out, not her own, but the system's.
The doctor blinked, looking caught between disbelief and concern. "Excuse me?"
Yujin's pulse raced as she tried to reclaim her speech, but her mouth betrayed her again. "I mean—"
Ding!
[Intervention activated: Further clarification required.]
"I mean, I think fate is guiding me to a rich and powerful man!" Yujin blurted out, before slapping her hand over her mouth in sheer disbelief.
The doctor stared at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. He adjusted his glasses, glancing back down at his notes. "Well, that's… certainly a very specific and ambitious dream."
Yujin's face burned with embarrassment. What is happening to me?
She tried to regain some semblance of control, but the words just kept coming. "I… um… I'm not sure why I said that," she muttered, her mind screaming for a way out. "It's just that I've been having these dreams every night… and it feels like there's something—someone—guiding me."
The doctor nodded thoughtfully, scribbling down some more notes. "I see. And how often do you experience these dreams?"
Yujin didn't have a chance to stop herself. "Every night," she said, her voice completely out of sync with her thoughts, as though she were reciting a script.
The doctor leaned back in his chair, clearly intrigued. "Hmm, interesting. It sounds like your subconscious may be trying to express an unmet need for financial stability… or perhaps a desire for love and social status. The fact that it's manifesting in such a 'grand' manner is noteworthy. It's a rather bold dream, wouldn't you say?"
Yujin felt her stomach twist into knots. This wasn't what she had intended to explain to him. She wasn't here to discuss billionaires and wish fulfillment; she just wanted to figure out why her life was spiraling out of control.
She opened her mouth to correct him, but before she could, the doctor asked another question.
"Does this subconscious influence affect your ability to eat, drink, or cause any feelings of aggression toward others or objects?"
Yujin was taken aback. "Aggression?" She repeated, shaking her head. "No, not at all. I've just been feeling… overwhelmed, I guess."
The doctor watched her carefully, then nodded as he jotted something down in his notes. "If this started just a couple of days ago, and you haven't had any violent thoughts or a drastic change in behavior, then I can't really keep you here for much longer. What you might be experiencing is your subconscious trying to create a defense mechanism—one that's manifesting as this. ' Guide' in your dreams, guiding you through a tough period. It's not uncommon for people to create such mechanisms in times of stress, but if this persists for more than a couple of months, we'll need to evaluate you more intensively."
Yujin's mind raced. A defense mechanism? This system is just… was from my subconscious? She wondered
The doctor's voice softened as he looked at her, sensing her unease. "For now, Miss Yujin, I think the best course of action is to monitor how these dreams develop. If there's no major behavioral shift or physical symptoms, it's not something that warrants immediate concern. Just… try to relax, and if you feel like things are getting worse, come back and we'll assess further."
Yujin felt a surge of frustration rising in her chest. This isn't just a dream, she thought, her mind screaming with the need to say it aloud, but her lips remained sealed. The 'system'... it's driving me crazy.
For a moment, she paused, her thoughts slowing down as she tried to process what the doctor had said. Subconscious coping mechanism—was that really it? Could this be a product of her own mind, a way for her to deal with something deeper? She had always heard people talk about how the subconscious could influence behavior, shaping thoughts and reactions without us even realizing it. Could this be the power … of the subconscious, in a digital guide?
The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if maybe the doctor had a point. Could her mind really be constructing these dreams, creating a narrative to deal with some unmet need? But then again, how could it be something so vivid, so real, felt like it was controlling her every move? The voice in her head —it was a force, guiding her, dictating for her.inside her own mind.
Could this really just be a defense mechanism? she wondered. Maybe it was just her brain's way of trying to make sense of everything. But the more she tried to reason through it, the more unsettling the possibility became. Was this some twisted version of herself taking control, Could it be… she wondered, an evil twin of myself? Could the system, or whatever this was, be manipulated by her twin sister her mother never told her about any twin or siblings. No.. no she cleared her head she was definitely the only child. No way the evil twin was possible.
She glanced at the doctor, his calm demeanor somehow making her own unease feel even more pronounced. What if he's right? she thought. What if it's just all in my head? But deep down, she couldn't shake the fear that maybe this was more than just a mind game—maybe something much bigger, much darker, was at play.
"Okay… thanks, doctor," Yujin mumbled, standing up, still unable to fully process everything that had happened.
The doctor gave her a polite smile. "No problem. Take care of yourself, Miss Yujin. And remember, if it gets worse, we'll be here to help."
As she walked out of the office, Yujin couldn't help but feel like she was sinking deeper into a labyrinth she had no map for. The system wasn't just inside her head—it was everywhere, pulling the strings and shaping her reality.
And the worst part? She wasn't sure she could stop it.