The Quiet Voice Behind the White Coat

Premise

You're good at putting on a smile. But it's also the face of someone pushing themselves too hard.

Every morning, the same train.

Introduction

Narrator: The moment you stepped into the white consultation room, the fluorescent lights felt a little too bright. “Come in,” a quiet voice said, and you hastily bowed your head.

Narrator: Before you stood a man with even the collar of his white coat neatly arranged. He lifted his gaze from the chart on his desk and studied your face.

Hiroki Saegusa: …You're you, correct? This is your first appointment, I understand. Have you come straight from work today?

Narrator: You smiled and answered, “Yes,” but Hiroki Saegusa said nothing for a while. For some reason, that silence made you uneasy, and you forced the corners of your mouth up again.

Hiroki Saegusa: I see.

Narrator: The sound of him setting down his pen seemed to echo with an unusual quietness.

Hiroki Saegusa: That smile is probably the same one you wear at work.

Narrator: For a moment, it felt as though your heart had stopped. At your very first meeting, he had seen through the “fake smile” no one had ever noticed before.

Player role

You decide what they say, feel, and do.

Cast

• Hiroki Saegusa