A Smile a Day Keeps the Shrink Away

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."

"Of course," the doctor nodded her head in understanding. Yeo Ri's friendship with Ra Hee had somewhat helped her with her recovery. They had been close while she was hospitalised so it was not strange that she still kept in touch.

"And I've been modelling, so."

"Modelling? Like fashion modelling?" Dr. Hong gaped.

Yeo Ri nodded.

"Wow! Are you really alright?" Dr. Hong asked with a trace of concern. She was worried that Yeo Ri's condition might worsen because of her new gig.

"I'll be fine. The photographers and the others can get pretty critical and tell me off every once in a while, but it's fun. I feel like I'm learning something."

"If you say so. Be careful; your BDD might flare."

"I know. It hasn't been that bad lately, so I think I'll be fine," Yeo Ri said, shrugging. "Can you prescribe me some stronger sleeping pills? The ones you gave me isn't working at all."

"Really? But they're pretty strong, though... are you still getting those nightmares?"

Yeo Ri mutedly nodded. "It doesn't bother me much, but lack of sleep really shows on your face. It's not easy to cover up the eye-bags and it's affecting my performance on set. I don't like it," Yeo Ri grumbled. She actually really liked modelling and had a lot of fun during photoshoots so not being her best self felt disgraceful.

"Alright, but be sure not to take them too frequently. The side effects can be pretty bad so I've been avoiding giving you the heavy ones." She sighed as she wrote down the new prescriptions.

"Anything else? Do you need a refill on your antidepressants?"

Yeo Ri suppressed an almost proud smile. "I haven't been needing any, so I don't need a refill."

"Really?" Dr. Hong also smiled. "That's good. I hope it stays that way. Good for you, Yeo Ri-ah."

"Mm. Thank you, Doctor. I'll be going now," Yeo Ri bade her goodbye as she got up. She had promised to see Ra Hee and feared that Ra Hee might start to think about nonsense. That girl had a strong tendency to overthink, and she might grow worried since Yeo Ri hadn't showed up yet.

"Yes. See you, Yeo Ri-ah." The doctor smiled as she watched the girl leave.

Once the door was closed again, Dr. Hong dropped her smile and sighed. She looked down to the open folder in front of her with a complicated gaze.

"Patient Lee Yeo Ri... ... ...

...—Diagnosed condition(s) includes PTSD, Depression (in remission), Body Dysmorphic Disorder (in remission), and Bipolar Disorder (in remission)... ..."