4 Patient #1- Jo Jinho

Jinho opened the front door slowly, listening for his stepfather, sniffing the air for alcohol. When he heard and smelled nothing, he silently made his way into the house and shut the door behind him.

It was late, around one in the morning. Jinho had not come home until then because his mother and stepfather had been fighting when he got home from school. After getting slapped once, he decided it would be better for him to leave for a little bit so his stepfather could cool off. It was quite late, but if he never showed, he'd be in more trouble.

Jinho snuck up the stairs, trying not to make any of the floorboards squeak as he made his way to his room. He sighed with relief once he reached his bedroom, thinking he was in the clear. However, when he closed his door and turned on his light, he was so shocked to see his stepfather sitting on his bed that he almost jumped out of his skin.

"Where have you been?"

Jinho had to take a moment to calm his heart rate before answering. "I was out."

"Yeah, no shit. Where?"

"I don't know. I just walked around."

He stood and looked down at Jinho. His stepfather was a foot taller than him, towering over him at 6'5, and twice as round. Jinho was admittedly scared, and despite not wanting to show it, couldn't help himself. He didn't meet his gaze.

"Look at me."

Jinho looked up timidly, shakily, as if anticipating a slap at any moment.

"You think you can do whatever you want?" His hot, alcohol tinted breath had clogged Jinho's throat. He coughed.

"Answer me!" His stepfather slapped him upside the head with the back of his hand. Jinho jumped.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" He snapped. "You're sixteen now, you think you're grown?"

"I didn't want to-"

He couldn't even get the sentence out before he was slapped so hard he spun around and fell against his desk.

"You should apologize first. Say 'I'm sorry SIR, it won't happen again."

Jinho touched his cheekbone, which was a bit red. It stung something terrible.

"Say it, Jinho."

"I-I'm sorry-"

"I'm sorry SIR."

Jinho did not want to say it, but if he didn't, things would get much, much worse. He stood up straight and gulped.

"Say it!" His stepfather bellowed.

He waited for a moment, then said it shakily. "I'm sorry SIR, it won't happen again."

He thought he was in the clear once again, but just when his stepfather turned to leave, he punched Jinho square in the jaw.

Jinho cried out in shock and stumbled back. His stepfather took off his belt and Jinho knew what was coming. He fell to the floor, curled up in a ball by the end of his bed. He felt the belt come down on him, one, two, ten, twenty times. He was pretty sure he blacked out for a moment, because after a moment of blurriness it was done.

His stepfather put the belt back on. "That's because you hesitated."

He walked away, leaving Jinho's door open.

These happened often, often enough for it to affect Jinho severely. His stepfather had been around for eight years, only because his mom was too scared to leave him. Both he and his mom had endured so much, but Jinho had gotten the worst of it. His mom had even thrown him under the bus before.

He loved her, but oh did he hate her.

Jinho made his way to the bathroom quietly, head down in shame. He needed a shower. A long, long shower.

He turned on the water and started to take his clothes off. He was red and bruised from head to toe. Well, almost. He had older bruises, newer bruises, and ones that were starting to appear. His skin was red and burning from the sting of the belt. Tears had been rolling down his face, but he hadn't noticed.

He stepped into the shower and bit through the pain. It stung. He shakily pushed his bangs back and took a deep breath.

Jinho sighed and ended up sitting down, bringing his knees up to his chest. He let the water run over him, burning him, but in a comforting way.

He stayed in there for as long as he could, until all of the hot water had run out and the coldness had begun taking his breath away. He reached for the water to turn it off, but decided against it. The water felt good.

He turned off the water after what seemed like hours. He couldn't hear either his mom or his stepfather, so he wrapped a towel around himself and hurried back to his room.

He was so tired he didn't bother getting dressed before climbing under the covers and falling asleep.

***************

Jinho woke up very late the next morning. His mouth was dry and his eyes were still heavy. He was sore from the belt. It was Thursday.

Well, he'd missed quite a bit of school, judging by how bright the sun was.

He stood up and, after getting dressed, started toward the bathroom. He used the bathroom, then started to the kitchen to get something to eat.

Jinho could hear his stepfather and mother in their bedroom, the creaking of their bed loud. Their moaning was louder though, not caring that Jinho was awake. He blocked it out as he pulled a box of cereal from the cupboard.

What did she see in that guy?

Did she care about me?

He wondered those things often.

He filled a large bowl with cereal and poured the milk, his mind racing. How on earth could he get out of here...?

He zoned out, absentmindedly shoveling the cereal into his mouth.

His stepfather walked into the kitchen wearing his mother's robe. Jinho ignored him, not wanting to engage in any conversation. His mom comes in too, in his t-shirt. She was short, so it almost reached her knees.

"Oh! Jinho!" She turned a bit red. "You're home!"

Jinho said nothing and kept his eyes down.

"Did you hear your mother?" His stepfather snapped. Jinho looked up at them.

"Yeah, I did."

"You didn't learn your lesson last night, did you?" He snarled. Jinho sighed.

"You beat me up for something else, remember?"

"Okay, you listen here." Jinho's stepfather lifted Jinho out of the chair in the blink of an eye. Jinho cried out as he slammed him against the counter.

"Rick, please!" His mother gasped.

He ignored his wife and grabbed Jinho's face with one hand, squeezing his cheeks painfully. Jinho tried to kick his shins, but it was like tapping him with a feather. The man was too strong and so big it didn't even affect him.

"I'm sick of your bullshit!" He shouted. "I want you out!"

"Rick! He's sixteen!" His mom cried out.

"Stay out of this!" He snapped at her viciously.

Jinho waited for her to defend him, to say 'he's MY son! You can't do that!"

But she didn't. She instead took a step back and let Jinho's stepfather lift him up and carry him toward the door. The tears ran silently down her face.

"Mom!" Jinho shouted. "Mom, please! Help me!"

"I-I'm sorry Jinho," she said.

His hope diminished as his stepfather threw open the front door and sent Jinho sprawling down the steps.

Jinho let out an 'oof!' as he hit the ground hard.

"Don't even try to come back," he growled. "If you do, you--and your mom--are done for."

Jinho watched in horror as his stepfather slammed the door in his face.

*************

He did not go back home, so that was the last time he ever saw his mother or stepfather.

Jinho was homeless for three years, drifting between houses, homeless shelters. He was found by Pentory State Institution when he was approached at a homeless shelter that was known for serving people who were a tad more... difficult than others.

Jinho gained claustrophobia during his homeless years. He had been attacked many times, and, because of his small stature, had been locked in small places or tied up in blankets. He would sometimes have to sleep in dumpsters to survive getting robbed or killed.

His safe place is a bathtub because of his stepfather. He would hide there when he was younger, and always felt safer there in his older years because it protected him earlier on.

He was the first to arrive at Pentory State Institution.

He has been a resident for 9 years.