Page 173 of Scarbound

Dr. Kim remained silent.

“What?” he asked.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you had to choose between Gong and them?”

“No.”

“Then who made the choice?”

Noeul’s expression hardened. “What was I supposed to do? He was my brother.”

“I’m not asking whether you should have abandoned him.”

“It sounds like you are.”

“I’m asking whether loving Gong required you to defend everything he did.”

“I didn’t defend everything he did.”

“No. But perhaps you became so accustomed to explaining him that other people couldn’t always tell the difference.”

Noeul looked away. “They hated him.”

“Some of them probably did.”

“They thought he was a monster.”

“And what did you think?”

“That he wasn’t.”

“Even after what he did to Haneul?”

Noeul looked at her sharply. “He wasn’t a monster.”

“I didn’t say he was.”

“He was sick.”

“Yes.”

“He was scared.”

“Yes.”

“He loved Haneul.”

Dr. Kim was quiet for a moment. “All of those things can be true. And he still hurt Haneul.”

Noeul stared at her. “I know.”

“I think you do now.”

The words stung more than he expected.

“And back then?”

Noeul looked down. “I knew then too.”