New Life
Breaking BarriersTake notice: From this point in the story on, I will be using the 3rd person perspective. Hopefully, that isn't too drastic of a change. Please give me feedback on what you think~
Nichkhun looked into Dr.Do's eyes, trying to gauge how much he could rely on him. Just by looking at his face, he could tell the man was smart enough. He was a doctor after all.
"Ultimately, Jiho has to decide, but he's not awake," Nichkhun noted, suddenly hesitating. Dr.Do nodded.
"He bled a lot, but not enough for him to go into shock. He's passed a critical stage and unless something else happens to him, he'll be fine," he informed Nichkhun. "So tell me."
"We are witnesses, aren't we? You are a witness from all these years and I have seen enough for my self, like his house and now this. Firstly, we need to catch up with police. They confiscated the knife from his house. The evidence will point towards the father for sure, so next will be family court. Jiho will testify and the both of us will be witnesses. His father will definitely get arrested," Nichkhun explained, laying out the process. Dr.Do frowned.
"I understand that you have Jiho's best interest in mind, but remember what I told you? He doesn't want to lose his last direct link to his family. He doesn't want to be thrown into some adoptive family who won't care for him, because that's exactly what will happen," Dr.Do countered, but Nichkhun didn't falter.
"I know. So my family will register for adoption, and...we will adopt both Jiho and Seungjae," Nichkhun revealed, releasing a long breath. Dr.Do looked at him in disbelief.
"You're....you will adopt him?" he spluttered, breaking out into a smile. "That's....that's amazing. I....I would never have-"
Dr.Do choked up, looking up at the ceiling to prevent his tears from falling down.
"Agh, I'm just....I've seen Jiho so many times and it all seemed impossible. But now...it's happening. It's actually happening," he breathed out. He held Nichkhun's hands. "Thank you."
Nichkhun smiled back, knowing he would never be able to truly understand how hard it must have been for him to witness this. He nodded, squeezing the elder's hands. Dr.Do was young from what he could tell, and it must have been troubling for him to treat Jiho knowing that he would only be sending them to that hell of a house.
"I'm going to head to the district station, so please take care of Jiho and call if he wakes up. Here's my cell number," Nichkhun informed him, leaving the door. Dr.Do nodded and smiled, glad that someone in the world was willing to help.
As he strode through the hallway, he saw his mother holding Seungjae, who was fast asleep.
"Mom!" he called out, walking up to her. "I'm going to head down to the police station and sort out some things. If you don't mind, please take Seungjae to our home and clean him up. Our school also has to be informed of our absences so we can be excused," he explained. His mother nodded.
"Alright, Khun. I'm proud of you for taking care of this so maturely," she replied, sadly smiling. "Your father is coming home tonight, so he'll be able to help."
"Ah, really? His business trip finished quicker than I thought, but that's good. His help is really needed now. I'll see you later, okay mom?"
"See you, my son."
Nichkhun went to the police station, hurriedly running up to an officer he recognized.
"Ah, hello sir. I'm not sure if you can recognize me, but I'm the person who called for a stabbing incident this morning," Nichkhun started off.
"Yes, yes! The evidence was collected and we have the DNA samplings of both Woo Jiho and the attacker. The attacker's DNA is very similar to Jiho's, so the suspects have to be his parents," he explained, urging the younger to take a seat in front of his desk.
"Yes. Jiho lives with his father and younger brother. His father seems to be the culprit here. I'm a witness to his poor living conditions and Dr.Do from Haneul Hospital has suspected his father as well. This is a clear case of child abuse to me. It also seems as though he has run away, so I do ask to please find him using all the CCTV evidence. Hopefully, when Jiho wakes up, he can tell us more," Nichkhun replied as the officer took notes.
"Okay, thank you so much for telling me all of this. I'll put my people to work," he promised. "And please call me Officer Kim. It seems like we will be meeting up many times in the future."
"Alright Officer Kim, I'll-"
Just then, Nichkhun's phone began to ring with his favourite band 2PM's song "Put Your Hands Up". His favourite member was Nick and he always thought they looked similar, though his sister said that Nick was far more handsome. He was almost distracted by Nick's voice that he forgot to pick up the phone. In a hurry, he pressed the green "accept" button.
"Hello?"
"This is Dr.Do. Nichkhun right?"
Nichkhun's heart pounded.
"Yes, it's me. Is everything alright?"
"He woke up. Jiho is conscious. We didn't expect it to happen so soon-"
"I'm coming."
Nichkhun barged into the hospital, garnering odd looks from several patients and staff members. He ground to a halt in front of Jiho's door, sliding open his door with less force. He closed the door behind him and strode up to Jiho's bed, where Dr.Do was standing and taking notes. Nichkhun nodded in acknowledgement of his presence, and Dr.Do decided to leave them alone for a few moments.
Jiho's eyes moved slightly, looking straight at Nichkhun. He weakly removed his oxygen mask, placing it temporarily on his cheek.
"Hyung," he called out. "I-"
Nichkhun put back his oxygen mask, shaking his head.
"No, Jiho. I'll talk first, okay?" he ordered. Jiho seemed confused.
"I know I don't know everything about your past, and I know it is up to you when to tell me these things. But seeing you so helpless on that floor this morning has solidified my resolve," Nichkhun told him, taking a seat. "I'll explain everything."
So he told his plan, from the police to the upcoming court case.
"And we'll adopt you both...unless....your mother? I meant to ask...but you said you don't have a mother."
"I don't know where she is and I don't want to know....she betrayed me and left me with that . I don't care about having direct links to family anymore. I'm done with this. My father could have killed me and what would have become of Seungjae?" Jiho replied, pushing off his mask. His body was still weak and his voice was quiet, but Nichkhun could hear all the emotion behind it. Jiho began to tear up.
"Please....please take me hyung. Take me away," Jiho begged, raggedly breathing. Nichkhun held onto his hand, squeezing it tightly.
"It must have hurt a lot, right? Even all these years, you must have suffered right?" Nichkhun asked, making Jiho nod tearfully. He knew that it must have been hidden all under his mask of a delinquent. He was truly a caring boy that faced injustice.
"Don't worry. I have an extra room next to mine, where you can stay. You can transfer schools so you don't have to keep up your facade anymore. You can start a fresh new life with us. I know our parents will support this. Endure a bit longer, okay?"
Nichkhun could only hold his hands at that point, knowing that it would be a difficult road ahead.
And by no means was it easy. It was a very long process. The doctors advised Jiho to heal and not to exert himself thinking about the possible court case, but he did tell Nichkhun about where his father might be.
"Check the Octagon Club in Seoul. He always goes there and has flings with es. He'll most likely be in a motel nearby if not at the club," Jiho later informed the police officers, who came to his hospital room.
They indeed found him in a motel with a severely beaten up girl, which brought him another reason
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