"Ah… that's it."
Harleen watched as Jin walked farther and farther away after escorting her home. A faint emptiness began to grow in her heart.
She had secretly hoped for a kiss before they parted.
Although she had originally said that she didn't need him to walk her home, Jin had thought about it carefully. Walking alone at night could still be dangerous for a girl, so he insisted on escorting her.
Jin's figure gradually disappeared into the distance.
After he was completely out of sight, Harleen reluctantly withdrew her gaze, turned around, and took out her key.
When she returned to her apartment, Harleen threw herself onto the soft bed and hugged her pillow tightly, recalling everything that had happened that night.
First, Jin had appeared like an angel to save her.
Then, in that terrifying mall, he had protected her and encouraged her.
Just thinking about it made her feel so touched that she almost wanted to cry.
Her gaze slowly drifted toward the wooden hammer she had placed near the door.
It was the first thing Jin had ever given her.
Thinking about that made Harleen start smiling again.
If this were a comic, pink hearts would probably be floating around her head right now.
"This has to become a keepsake!"
Harleen jumped off the bed and ran over to pick up the wooden hammer.
She then sat back down and took out her favorite lipstick, beginning to scribble on it like an excited girl.
Fortunately, she had some basic drawing skills.
She drew chibi versions of herself and Jin on the wooden hammer, writing their names above their heads.
Red hearts surrounded the names.
Between the two drawings, she painted a large heart, and inside it she wrote in English:
"A Lifetime Lover."
After finishing, Harleen's face turned bright red.
Still blushing, she continued decorating the hammer with small graffiti and various expressions of love.
When she finally finished, Harleen fell backward onto the bed.
Smiling happily, she admired her perfect masterpiece.
Then she hugged the wooden hammer tightly, hoping that every word written on it would someday come true.
Gradually, her eyelids grew heavy.
Still clutching the hammer, Harleen slowly drifted off to sleep.
Early the next morning.
"Beep! Beep!"
The alarm clock rang loudly, waking Harleen from her dreams.
She sat up and stretched with a yawn.
Then she remembered what day it was.
Today was her first day working at Arkham Asylum.
After washing up and getting ready, she glanced at the wooden hammer resting quietly on the bed before leaving.
"Wait for me to come back," she said softly.
After a short trip, Harleen arrived at the infamous Arkham Asylum, a place that housed many deranged criminals.
Most of the inmates there had been captured personally by Batman, including many notorious supervillains.
For some reason, Harleen felt something strange the moment she approached Arkham.
Even though it was daytime, the sky seemed to grow darker and darker the closer she got.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and lightning occasionally flashed across the clouds.
The atmosphere was eerie.
After entering the building, Harleen went to the office of Arkham's director, Quincy Sharp.
Sharp stood up and shook her hand politely before leading her down the corridor toward one of the patient rooms.
While walking, Sharp spoke seriously.
"The patient you'll be treating this time is… rather unusual."
"You must not believe a single word he says."
Harleen felt confused after hearing that.
Wasn't he just a psychiatric patient? Why did Sharp sound so cautious?
"In short, just keep that in mind."
"We're here."
Sharp opened the door to the ward.
Inside was a dark room with only a single light shining down.
The light illuminated a man wearing a hospital gown.
He had green hair and pale skin.
When Harleen stepped inside, she noticed that the man was strapped to a chair.
Outside the room stood two guards holding shotguns.
She couldn't understand why a patient required such heavy security.
Until she opened the file from her briefcase.
Joker.
Real name unknown.
Origin unknown.
One of the most dangerous and insane criminals in Gotham City.
His file was surprisingly short compared to other patients.
Yet it was also the most terrifying.
The name Joker alone was enough.
Only then did Harleen realize that the patient she was assigned to treat was actually Gotham's most infamous criminal.
It seemed that every time the Joker ended up in Arkham, it was after committing some major crime—and each time, he had been captured personally by Batman.
Wait…
Every time it was Batman who captured him…
Suddenly, Harleen realized something important.
"Hello… beautiful young lady."
The Joker suddenly spoke, his voice filled with amusement.
"Tell me something…"
"Hmm?"
The Joker looked slightly surprised.
He felt that the woman standing in front of him seemed different from the psychiatrists he had met before.
"Every time you come here… are you personally captured and escorted by Batman?"
A strange and crazy thought had appeared in Harleen's mind.
She couldn't shake it.
"…Gahahahaha!!"
At the mention of Batman, the Joker burst into loud laughter.
Whenever Batman was involved, he was always happy to talk.
"As long as I show up, that bat will always come running."
"Why?"
"Because he loves me so much."
"We're actually the same kind of people."
"How did you do it?!"
Harleen's eyes suddenly lit up with excitement.
She urgently wanted to know the answer.
"Kahahaha…"
The Joker's smile stretched wider and wider across his face.
Instead of answering directly, he said slowly:
"You have someone whose attention you want, don't you?"
"I have a way to make him 'love' you."
"A way to make you the only one in his eyes."
The Joker's words seemed to carry a strange kind of magic.
Harleen's breathing became heavier.
Her eyes filled with desire for the method he was hinting at.
"Tell me…"
The Joker could see that Harleen was no longer thinking like a normal person.
He immediately burst into manic laughter.
"GAHAHAHAHA!"
Bang! Bang!
While laughing, the Joker slammed his head against the table repeatedly as if he felt no pain at all.
"First," he said excitedly,
"we need to cooperate."
"Help me get out of here."
"And bring me a gun.