The One He Stayed For Not Broken

Not Broken

The hospital walls were too clean. Too white. They made your bruises look uglier, like the pain didn’t belong in a place like this.

You sat curled on the edge of the bed, eyes trained on the clock ticking quietly above the door. It was the only thing that moved — other than your chest, rising and falling in slow, tired waves.

You didn’t look up when he came in. But you knew it was him. Dr. Joo Yeo-jung didn’t walk like the others. He walked soft — like he was afraid the floor might shatter if he stepped too hard.

Dr. Joo Yeo-jung

Good morning

He gently set down a tray of fruit and tea.

No clipboard. No nurse. Just him.

You swallowed, throat dry from not speaking.

You

You don’t have to keep coming

Dr. Joo Yeo-jung

I know

Dr. Joo Yeo-jung

But I want to.

He was sitting in the chair across from you. His voice was calm, but it never felt cold. Like even silence wasn’t something to be afraid of around him.

You finally glanced up. His eyes met yours, but he didn’t flinch. He never did — not when you screamed on your first night, not when he saw the cigarette burns on your arm, not even when you told him you didn’t want to be saved.

You

I’m not broken

You said suddenly. It came out raw, defensive.

Dr. Joo Yeo-jung

I never thought you were.

He nodded once, not smiling.

______________

No one had ever said that to you before. Not your mother. Not the police. Not the counselor who quit halfway through your case. No one had ever said that to you before. Not your mother. Not the police. Not the counselor who quit halfway through your case.

He reached into his coat and pulled out a small, folded paper crane and set it on the table.

Dr. Joo Yeo-jung

I made this in med school

Dr. Joo Yeo-jung

They said we had to learn to keep our hands steady.

Dr. Joo Yeo-jung

I made a thousand before I could hold a scalpel without shaking.

You stared at the little bird, its paper wings perfectly creased.

Dr. Joo Yeo-jung

It’s for you

Dr. Joo Yeo-jung

When you’re ready… maybe you can make one too.