THREE

Caroline took a deep breath. Again she had to watch the sad drama played by her client. This afternoon she had a client— that so annoyed. She is a woman who was about to make a suicide attempt last week, but thinks she is just looking for attention. Of all the signs that the woman showed during the counseling session, she was sure that she really just wanted to seek attention from her late husband's family who was rich enough to get more inheritance.

"Ms, I want to follow my husband to heaven. I'm not strong if I have to raise my own children with the increasing cost of living."

“Madame, think about your child's future if you want to commit suicide. You should take good care of your child so that your child can inherit the company owned by your late husband,” said Caroline giving advice.

Instantly the woman stopped her crying while looking at Caroline shining, as if she had just landed a million dollar jackpot lottery.

"You're right, Ms. Chauffer, I should raise my kids well. If I die, my children will be abandoned and all the inheritance of my late husband will fall into the hands of his greedy sister. Huh, that really can't be tolerated." The woman looked even more excited now after Caroline brought up the treasure problem in front of her.

Materialistic woman! thought Caroline lazily.

“So now you have realized your mistake and what should you do after this? Please don't waste your life just because of a small problem, there are actually a lot of people out there who have a bigger problem than you."

"Hmm, I understand. Thank you, Ms. Chauffer for the advice you have given me. I— now understand what I have to do. After this I will educate my children well so that one day they become real men who are successful and can take all of my husband's inheritance from his family."

Caroline just smiled stiffly in response to the woman's words and immediately told her to get out of the room because she started to go crazy after handling her.

More than two hours of her time today was spent servicing an annoying client with a fictional problem. Actually it has happened to her often, but still she feels annoyed with people who are always overreacting to their problems. In fact, she thought there were more problems that they should be worried about than just wealth or love, but still some of her clients overreacted when they lost love or possessions from their lives.

"Has she left?" Caroline asked Jihoo from the corner of her office door.

Jihoo nodded his head twice while pointing at the exit that her annoying client had just passed.

"I'm regret I received her today, because the chatter is not important to us to turn down some clients who may really need our help today.".

Jihoo gave a small grimace at the exhaustion that was clearly printed on Caroline's face. He really knows how Caroline feels when dealing with annoying clients like that because he has also experienced it several times when he had to replace Caroline's position as a psychologist.

“Get some rest, it's lunch hour. You're not picking up Alyena?"

"I brought lunch, and Aleyna is staying at Karen's house today, so I don't have to pick her up this afternoon."

“Aren't you lonely at home without Aleyna? It's not unusual for you to let her stay at Karen's house." Jihoo asked in surprise.

It was unusual for Caroline to let her little daughter go away from her. Even when Aleyna attended a mini camp event at her school, Caroline caught up with Aleyna at her school because she couldn't stand being away too long from her adorable little daughter.

"I'll stay at Karen's house tonight too," Caroline said shyly.

She realized that her over-protective towards Aleyna was too much. But she couldn't control it herself. Maybe if she was just an ordinary person, she would already be classified as someone who needs therapy from a psychologist.

After all, a psychologist seems also human. They are not always helpers, there are times when they are also in a position where they must be helped by others.

“As I thought, you can't possibly let Aleyna wander too far from your life. I think you're actually quite sick and need to get treatment from a psychologist."

"Hey, I'm also human. After all, today Karen is at home alone, her husband went to LA for two days on business, so what's wrong if Aleyna and I stay over there? Maybe then I can forget a little boredom of my mind."

"Good afternoon."

Caroline and Jihoo turned their heads towards the sound when suddenly they got a good afternoon greeting from someone they didn't know.

"Good afternoon, can we help you?" said Caroline kindly. Her authority as a psychologist just emerged after a prospective client suddenly came to her. Whereas previously she was busy joking with Jihoo until she made a loud voice.

"Sorry, did I come during recess? I'm here to do a consultation on my daughter's problem."

Caroline looked at the daughter of her prospective client who looked different from other children her age. The little girl she assumed was four years old had a unfocused gaze and seemed to be playing with her imagination. From the signs that the little girl shows, maybe she has mental retardation or autism.

"Oh please come into my room, incidentally my break times are quite flexible."

She would not have the heart to turn down a client who really needed her help like this. Moreover, this prospective client is unlikely to tell a fictional story like her previous client.

"Jihoo, please prepare the test kits for the daughter."

"Alright, wait a minute."

After giving Jihoo orders, Caroline immediately brought her client into a closed room for a secret counseling session. During her time as a psychologist, Caroline always ensures that all the problems that her clients tell are kept confidential. She never once violated her professional code of ethics regarding the confidentiality of client stories because she had enough respect for her clients' past experiences which were mostly bad experiences.

-00-

Zillion stood in front of the state-owned counseling bureau clutching the shabby paper Spencer had left on his desk this afternoon. He had been standing there all the time and hesitated to go inside. His ego as a gentleman with all his pride as high as the sky made him hesitant to enter and conduct a counseling session with the psychologist who has been mentioned in the shabby paper he is holding.

"Tsk, damn so shame!" Zillion cursed softly, but he decided to walk into the building. This time he decided to make peace with his ego a little for the sake of a better personal relationship. He was determined to turn into a more assertive Zillion after this. He doesn't want to be ruled by his wife anymore.

"Sorry the hours for our counseling have ended."

When he stepped through the clear glass door in front of him, Zillion immediately got a bad impression because he had just been rejected. But he already came. He had lowered all his ego for the sake of setting foot here, so he wouldn't back down easily.

"But I need a counseling session right now. I'm in serious trouble."

Zillion's dominant and arrogant side began to emerge. He now looks so fierce with his gilt expression clearly printed on his aristocratic face.

"Sorry, you can come back tomorrow at nine. Currently our psychologist has returned."

“Tsk, not professional. It says here that counseling hours will be served until five o'clock, this is still five minutes before five o'clock. You should still be providing counseling services until five o'clock." Zillion shouted stubbornly.

The receptionist seemed to be getting upset with Zillion's increasingly annoying attitude in front of her. In her entire life working there, she had never come across a client as annoying as Zillion.

"You are unlikely to have a counseling session in five minutes, sir. So you should come back tomorrow for a counseling session according to our office procedures,” said the receptionist to try to be patient. The tail of her eye slowly began to code the security guard who was standing not far from her. After this she would literally ask the security guard to drag Zillion over if the man insisted on having a counseling session at off work hours like this.

"No! I have a counseling session today. My problem is urgent."

He would literally enter all the rooms in the building himself in search of a psychologist who was willing to provide a solution to his problem. Besides, he wasn't sure if tomorrow he was still having the crazy thoughts he had this afternoon that he'd decided to take Spencer's advice. It could be that tomorrow his sane mind will return and he will not come to this place for a counseling session.

"Sorry sir, you can't do it at this time. If you keep insisting like that, I will ask the security personnel to drag you out of here." The receptionist warned sternly.

At the same time, Caroline emerged from the elevator and saw the commotion between Mary and a strange man who looked so angry with a red face.

"What is this?" asked Caroline in surprise. The two humans simultaneously turned towards her with various expressions that Caroline could not clearly understand.

"Ms. Chauffer, this man insists on conducting counseling sessions at office off hours. I told him to come back tomorrow, but he refused and made a fuss."

"Sorry, are you—"

"I want to do a counseling session now!" cut Zillion quickly.

Caroline immediately closed her eyes for a moment in order to neutralize her emotions that might explode like Mary. "But sir, the counseling hour is over. I have to go home to take care of my daughter."

"That's not an excuse, miss. Even it's still five to one minute, you have to be professional like what it says on this paper." Zillion pointed at the shabby brochure in his hand.

Instantly Caroline became irritated and wanted to order the two security guards to drag Zillion out. But seeing the earnestness seen in Zillion's eyes made her feel discouraged and decided to give Zillion a chance this afternoon.

“Okay, you can do a counseling session now. But I don't have much time, I can only give you an hour. How?" offered Caroline trying to be calm. Today is really a day full of troubles for her because in one day she has been faced with two humans who are very annoying and also stubborn.

"No problem, I just wanted to know if you really have such high credibility as what this paper says."

Caroline is eager to kick Zillion out of her office with the seven-inch heels she's currently wearing. That man, after testing her patience with all his stubbornness, was still making trouble by sneering at her credibility. She will prove it to the man if she has great credibility and abilities as a psychologist. She made sure that after this the man would bend his knees under her feet and swallow his whole arrogance until he choked.

"Please fill in this data form first."

Caroline put down a sheet of white paper containing Zillion's personal data. But Zillion had already shown his reluctance by pushing the paper away from him.

"Do you need data like that? What I need right now is a counseling session, not a session to fill in unnecessary personal data like that."

"But you have to fill it in as an archive for us. Besides, your life background is very important to further analyze the problem you are facing."

“So you can't come up with a solution with just one story? Dammit!"

Caroline took a deep breath, trying to be patient with her client's very irritating attitude this afternoon. She glanced at the black clock curled around her wrist. She had spent seven minutes of her time just asking the man to fill out a personal data form. If the man continues to be stubborn like that, then their counseling session will last longer than the time she previously promised. No! She did not want to go home any longer than she should have. She missed Aleyna so much. She could not wait to hear the little girl chatter today.

“If you don't want to fill it in, then I will fill it in for you. You only need to answer every question I ask, and after that I will record them here. This time I ask for your cooperation, sir, this counseling session will not start immediately if you continue to be stubborn and do not want to cooperate with us."

"All right, finish it quickly."

Caroline finally breathed a sigh of relief after Zillion expressed his willingness to cooperate with her. Although she was not sure if the next counseling session would go well, at least for the first step she had managed to get through it smoothly without significant resistance from the strange man in front of her.