Jia was still trying to steady her breathing when she noticed something lying on the grass.
Jinu's phone.
He must have dropped it in his rush to walk away.
For a moment, she hesitated. Then she picked it up.
Maybe this was an excuse to return it.
Maybe she just needed to see him once more.
She followed the direction he had taken, her steps quickening.
Then she heard laughter.
Sharp. Mocking.
Jia instinctively stepped back, hiding behind the corner of a wall as a group of well-dressed boys passed by.
"Shouldn't have pushed him that hard," one of them muttered.
"Relax," another replied. "He's tougher than he looks."
Their leader smirked. "He'll survive. He always does."
They walked off, still laughing.
Jia's stomach dropped.
Without thinking, she ran toward the alley they had just left.
"Jinu?" she called softly.
There was no answer.
Then she saw him.
He was sitting against the wall, slumped to one side.
For a terrifying second, she thought he wasn't moving.
She rushed forward.
"Jinu!"
He was unconscious, his lip split, bruises forming along his jaw.
His breathing was uneven but present.
Relief and fear crashed together inside her.
She quickly unlocked his phone using emergency access and dialed for help.
___________________________________
The hospital lights were harsh and cold.
Jinu was taken into treatment while Jia waited outside, clutching his phone tightly.
After what felt like hours, a doctor stepped out.
"He's stable," the doctor said.
"Multiple bruises and minor internal injuries. He needs rest and observation, but he'll recover."
Jia felt her knees weaken in relief.
When the nurse asked about family contact, Jia hesitated.
"I… I don't know," she admitted. "He doesn't talk about them."
She gave them his phone instead.
"They might find someone in his contacts."
Later that night, Jia sat quietly beside his hospital bed. His face was pale, but calmer.
She placed his phone on the table near him.
"You said I should keep my distance,"
she whispered softly. "But I can't just walk away."
She didn't hold his hand.
She didn't cry.
She just stayed.