The One With The Council of Sung-Hoon

Lee Sung-Hoon

Sung-Hoon stormed out of the hospital without sparing a glance. He made a beeline to the parking space, got his car out, and drove away. The destination was yet to be set, but any place was better than the hospital. The last conversation with his best replayed in his brain like a broken record. The chilliness in his voice and the ice-cold stare were out of character for Ha-Jun.

In Sung-Hoon's twenty-odd years of friendship with Ha-Jun, he had never heard him raise his voice. Sure, he roasted him, teased him, and made snarky comments occasionally, but his words never hit him like this before. Eyes focused on the road, he slammed hard on the accelerator. He needed to get away from everything. He needed to get rid of the newly developed guilt. Was he a terrible brother? Did his friends tolerate him because they couldn't cut ties?

Thoughts and flashbacks clouded his mind and eyes. He was blinded by the flashbacks he was watching before his eyes. Absent-minded, he didn't notice the stop sign ahead. A speeding car came crashing down.

He blinked his eyes to snap back into reality. Hot liquid poured down from his forehead. A burning sensation filled his entire being. All the thoughts in his mind from a couple of minutes ago vanished in thin air. Everything seemed fuzzy. His ears vaguely registered distant screams. There might have been people surrounding him as well. Nothing mattered to him at that moment. He could feel his eyelids becoming heavier.

"Hey, stay with me. Stay with me, okay? We're going to get you out of here."

He didn't know whose voice was that. All he knew was that he was feeling drowsy and needed a nap. With barely open eyelids, he noticed something a blurry woman pulling him. Maybe she was trying to pull him out of the wrecked car. She was wearing something blue.

"He's losing a lot of blood! Where's the freaking ambulance?!"

"On its way, ma'am."

"Come on, Sung-Hoon. Stay. Don't die on me just yet."

The woman patched him up temporarily to prevent further blood loss. She kept repeating "Stay" to keep him from losing consciousness. In the next moment, Lee Sung-Hoon's brain slowly tuned out the voices and sounds from the outside world. A blinding white light engulfed him.

~

White space surrounded him. Before him was a throne fit for a King and other royal seats designed for ministers. He looked at himself: perfectly pressed outfit, no bruises, burns, or signs of blood. If he didn't know any better, he'd treat this encounter like the ones in the past.

A man in a majestic outfit marched into the room. He looked a lot similar to Sung-Hoon, almost like a doppelganger. Soon, the space started filling up with multiple Sung-Hoon apparitions. There was a relaxed Sung-Hoon, nerdy Sung-Hoon, goofball Sung-Hoon, sarcastic Sung-Hoon, aloof Sung-Hoon, and last but not least, romantic Sung-Hoon. The majestic man, aka the Chief, donned a black outfit. Relaxed Sung-Hoon wore green; Nerdy Sung-Hoon wore blue; Goofball Sung-Hoon wore yellow; Sarcastic Sung-Hoon wore turquoise; Aloof Sung-Hoon wore white, and romantic Sung-Hoon wore red.

The real Sung-Hoon stood before them like the culprit about to go through a trial. All the other Sung-Hoons looked him up and down.

"Nah, I don't like this kid. Too uptight." Relaxed Sung-Hoon sipped from a glass of virgin bloody mary.

"Hmm, did you know that after one dies, there is brain activity for seven minutes?" asked Nerdy Sung-Hoon.

"Nobody cares about your trivia facts here, nerdy Sung-Hoon," Sarcastic Sung-Hoon rolled his eyes.

"Guys, Baekhyun's concert was amazing! Only I know how I kept my emotions at bay," giggled Goofball Sung-Hoon.

"I think I started liking Blue from the minute I saw her. Gosh, she's gorgeous! Plus, she loves trivia!" said Romantic Sung-Hoon as he dreamily sighed.

"Ugh, would you stop with the dreamy look? You're making us puke." Sarcastic Sung-Hoon made a disgusted face. While the five bickered, the real Sung-Hoon awkwardly stood and waited for them to finish. Chief sighed and shook his head. These kids were never going to learn.

He stepped down from his throne and walked towards the real Sung-Hoon. Sung-Hoon bowed in front of him.

"No need to bow, Sung-Hoon," said the Chief. "I am simply one of your personalities."

"I-I don't know what happened," admitted Sung-Hoon. "I usually don't come here until it's crucial."

Chief softly touched his shoulder. "Sung-Hoon, what is the last thing you remember?"

Sung-Hoon shut his eyes close and recalled the last memory. Unlike last time, the memory had gotten fuzzier. His guilt was the only thing he remembered vividly.

"Guilt." The word instantly rolled down his tongue. The Chief nodded gravely. Something told Sung-Hoon that the Chief knew how to help him through this.

"Can we get to the part where you tell me what to do instead of waiting for me to figure it out?"

The Chief chuckled. "Come with me."

The Chief walked towards the five personalities who were hyperfocused on fighting. With one snap of a finger, the personalities quieted. Sung-Hoon stood beside the Chief.

"Ministers, we have a job," began the Chief. "As you may recall, Sung-Hoon met with an accident and was immediately transported to the Council. I believe he fought with his best friend, and guilt was the main emotion responsible for this accident."

Sung-Hoon's eyes widened at the word "accident." Memories flooded his mind, and he recalled having Ha-Jun yell at him, then drive at high speed absent-mindedly. That accident brought him to the Council. As if on reflex, his hand immediately covered his mouth.

The personalities made an 'Oh' sound in unison.

"What do you want us to do, Chief?" asked a curious Nerdy Sung-Hoon. "Do we bring Guilty Sung-Hoon over here?"

"I don't think that alone will solve the issue," said the Chief. "Sure, bring him here. However, we should also focus on other problems of our dear Sung-Hoon-ah."

Sung-Hoon furrowed his eyebrows. "Problems? I don't-"

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. The personalities are talking here," said Sarcastic Sung-Hoon.

"I'm the real person here, " said Sung-Hoon. "I have the power to make you disappear."

"Oh, no. You see, you cannot do that," said Nerdy Sung-Hoon as he took out a book. "As you can see on page 193, it says that when the person has met with an accident, he doesn't have much control over himself. That includes the brain as well."

"What do you mean, Nerdy Sung-Hoon?" asked a Relaxed Sung-Hoon.

Nerdy Sung-Hoon fixed his glasses. "Person Sung-Hoon doesn't have control over us now. So, that means he won't be able to make Sarcastic Sung-Hoon or any of us disappear."

"You mean to say that I am powerless here? Is that what you're saying?"

"For a science prodigy, you're an idiot, Sung-Hoon," Sarcastic Sung-Hoon repeated Ha-Jun's words.

"Hey-" Before Sung-Hoon could say something, the Chief cut him off.

"Personalities," The Chief sternly said. "We need to work together. Fighting won't resolve our issues."

"Do you think," Sung-Hoon paused. "If we resolve whatever issues I have, I can return?"

The Chief nodded. "I believe so."

The Chief cleared his throat. "Summon Guilty Sung-Hoon."

~

"...I believe I felt a sting in my heart when Ha-Jun said all of that. I haven't been an active emotion in Sung-Hoon's mind, but those words activated me. I take full responsibility for the accident." Guilty Sung-Hoon hung his head low as he quietly admitted his mistake.

"I-I don't know exactly. Maybe the words coming from my best friend wasn't what I expected. Ha-Jun had never lashed out like this before. I believe his lashing out had shaken me."

"So Sung-Hoon's best friend's anger is what activated you?"

"Yes," a whisper came out. With the problem coming to the surface, Sung-Hoon visibly felt lighter. An invisible burden lifted off his shoulders. He let out a sigh.

"How do you propose we fix this, nerdy Sung-Hoon?" asked the real Sung-Hoon. Nerdy Sung-Hoon flipped through the pages of his book.

"I suppose we could try apologizing to Ha-Jun," said Nerdy Sung-Hoon. "According to my analysis, Aloof Sung-Hoon and I dominate most of Sung-Hoon's actions. We should let the other emotions work too if we want a functioning human."

The Chief nodded in agreement. Sung-Hoon stayed quiet throughout the interactions. He listened and realized there was room for improvement. His personalities unanimously agreed that the key to transforming a humanoid into a functioning human being was to allow all the emotions to work simultaneously.

Once the meeting concluded, the Chief turned to Sung-Hoon. "Sung-Hoon, you are a man capable of making impactful changes in people's lives. You're smart and the best in your field. However, your work isn't your entire life. Someday, you will have to retire from your work. What will you do then? How will you spend your idle time? You will see the value of loved ones then. However, I don't wish to see you realize that in your sixties, Sung-Hoon-ah. You have amazing friends and family who love you despite your aloof behavior. Value them. I believe they deserve to see a change in you. If you're lucky, someone might also be waiting for you. I'm sure you're smart enough to get the drift."

The Chief winked in the end.

Within an instant, the space vigorously shook, causing everyone to fall. Thunder rumbling could be heard in the distance. Panic settled in everyone's hearts as they quickly pulled out their tablets.

"What is it?" The Chief anxiously asked.

"It's a disturbance in the force," said Nerdy Sung-Hoon as he furiously swiped the pictures he received

"I believe the doctors are trying to revive Sung-Hoon," said Aloof Sung-Hoon. "He must go now."

"What? Right now?" asked Sung-Hoon. "I don't know if I'm ready yet."

The Chief placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It is time. Go, now."

A gasp escaped his lips, his eyelids opened, and he jolted up from his sleep.