Page 168 of Scarbound

“And I know I don’t want to go back to what I had with Chung-Hee.”

“Then we’ll figure it out,” Duri said.

Noeul raised an eyebrow. “We?”

“If you’ll let me.”

Noeul looked at him for a long moment.

Then he lay back down and opened one arm.

Duri understood immediately and settled beside him. Noeul rested his head against his chest.

“Stay until my headache disappears.”

“That’s very romantic.”

“Shut up.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes.”

“What?”

Noeul closed his eyes.

“Make me coffee.”

Duri laughed. “You’re in my apartment.”

“And?”

“You’re unbelievable.”

“Americano. Strong.”

“Anything else, Your Highness?”

Noeul smiled against his chest.

“Breakfast.”

Duri groaned dramatically, but his fingers had already begun moving gently through Noeul’s hair.

SESSION 19

“I lost most of my friends after Haneul died,” Noeul said.

Dr. Kim looked up from her notes. “How?”

“They stopped calling. Stopped inviting me anywhere. At university, people avoided my eyes. Conversations would die the moment I approached.” He looked down at his hands. “They never actually told me I wasn’t welcome anymore. They didn’t have to.”

“And you believe it was because of Gong?”

“I know it was.”

Dr. Kim waited. Noeul had learned by now that her silence usually meant she wanted more. “There was this basketball court near the university,” he continued. “Saturdays used to belong to me and the guys. We’d play for hours. Sometimes until it got dark.” A faint smile appeared and disappeared just as quickly. “We’d laugh until our sides hurt.”