Jin remained lying on the bed,
not moving, not turning, not speaking.
His eyes were fixed on the ceiling, but his mind was somewhere far away.
Every time the door to the room opened,
every time he heard the sound of a turning doorknob or approaching footsteps,
his body would tremble involuntarily,
and his heart would pound violently,
as if Adam had returned to take him,
to finish what he had started on that dark night.
But this time...
it wasn't Adam.
It was Celia, the quiet nurse with gentle features.
She entered the room softly, holding a small file,
and lifted her eyes toward the pale boy lying like a ghost.
"Good morning, Jin..."
she said kindly as she approached him.
"I came to check on you. How are you feeling today?"
But Jin didn't respond.
He remained silent, as if his soul wasn't there.
A few moments later, Officer Kai entered.
He stood beside the bed and looked at Celia.
She spoke in a low voice as she read from the file:
"His condition is now stable.
The psychological trauma he went through was severe, but medically...
he can be discharged from the hospital today."
Kai nodded.
He then approached Jin and sat next to him on the metal chair.
He took out his notebook again and said:
"Jin... do you have any relatives?
Anyone we can contact?"
Jin didn't respond.
But he moved his head slightly to the right,
as if to say, "No."
Kai hesitated a bit, then said:
"Were you living with someone?
Your grandmother? Your uncle?"
At that, Jin lifted his eyes to Kai.
His gaze was tearful and pale.
He then reached out his hand toward the notebook and pen in Kai's hand,
and Kai quietly handed them to him.
Jin began to write in small handwriting:
"I was living with my grandmother...
but she passed away a few days ago,
on the same night I was kidnapped."
Kai read the sentence silently, then looked up and said:
"What about your father? Your mother?
Do they have an address or a phone number?"
Jin wrote again:
"My mom died years ago.
My father... I don't know anything about him.
He disappeared when I was little."
Kai let out a slow sigh, then said:
"Do you think he's still alive?"
Jin shook his head,
then wrote:
"I don't know...
Maybe yes, maybe no.
I haven't heard about him in years."
A long silence settled over the room.
Kai slowly closed his notebook,
then looked at Jin and said:
"In that case,
we'll take a sample of your blood,
and run a DNA test...
We might be able to find your father in the records,
or maybe other relatives—
anyone who can take care of you."
Jin didn't move,
but he was listening.
And deep inside him,
there was something that resembled hope,
faint and blurry as it was.
Within an hour,
Jin's blood sample was taken,
and the discharge papers were signed.
He left quietly,
wearing a gray jacket a bit too large for him,
and simple shoes given to him by one of the hospital staff.
Outside,
the weather was cold,
and the sky was heavy with clouds.
Kai stood beside Jin,
then said:
"I'll take you to my home for now.
I've lived alone for a long time,
and your presence won't bother me.
Until the test results come back,
I'll be responsible for you,
and I promise... I won't let anyone hurt you again."
Jin said nothing,
but he nodded quietly.
They got into the car,
and Jin sat by the window,
looking at the roads,
at the trees swaying in the wind,
at the passing faces...
as if seeing them for the first time.
Kai drove slowly,
glancing at him now and then,
thinking:
"What has this world done to a child like him?
And why?"
After about half an hour,
they arrived at a small apartment on the third floor,
in a quiet neighborhood on the edge of the city.
Kai opened the door,
and invited Jin to enter.
With a simple smile, he said:
"It may not be fancy,
but it's warm,
and it's safe."
Jin walked in,
looking around the place.
There was a couch, a gray carpet,
some books,
and shelves filled with papers and case files.
Kai said:
"This will be your room."
He pointed to a small room next to the kitchen,
with a single bed and a closet inside.
"Make yourself at home.
And if you need anything... I'm here."
Kai gently closed the door,
leaving Jin alone.
Jin stood in the middle of the room,
looking at the bed...
then slowly sat down on it.
For the first time in days,
there were no restraints...
no vase in his hand,
no sharp eyes watching him from the shadows.
For the first time...
he felt something very small
called: safety.