Page 176 of Scarbound

Noeul could refuse him. He could leave Minho chained to something he had done years ago, the same way Chung-Hee had kept Noeul chained to the past.

But what would that make him?

“All right,” Noeul said at last. Then, deliberately lightening his tone, he added, “But don’t expect to get away with burgers and fries.”

Minho blinked before a wide smile spread across his face. “Sushi, then?”

“Sushi and Daifuku,” Noeul added pointedly.

“Deal. I’ll meet you downstairs at one.”

A small laugh escaped Noeul before he could stop it. For just a moment, Minho looked like the boy he used to know.

His phone rang.

Minho stood. “One o’clock.”

Noeul nodded and answered as Minho walked away. “Liebling… where are you? When did you leave?”

Duri’s soft, sleepy voice sent a shiver down Noeul’s spine. He didn’t know exactly what liebling meant, but he could guess.

And he liked it.

“Some of us work in the mornings, you know,” Noeul teased. He hadn’t wanted to wake Duri before leaving.

“So you spend the night in my bed and disappear before I wake up?” Duri asked. “What am I supposed to think, hyung?”

Noeul smiled. The sound of the shower running came through the phone, and his mind immediately betrayed him. Were the tattoos on Duri’s arms the only ones he had?

He really needed to stop thinking about that.

“Assume I’m a very reliable future partner,” Noeul replied, “who wants to make money and take you out to dinner on your night off.”

Silence.

“Future partner?”

Noeul laughed at the disbelief in his voice. “Aren’t we dating?”

Another brief silence followed. Then Duri chuckled. “You can’t just say things like that and expect me to act normal.”

Noeul smiled.

“But yeah,” Duri added, more quietly. “We’re dating. I was kind of hoping we were.”

Noeul glanced at the time and sighed. “I have to go. It’s going to be a long day.”

Duri hesitated. “Will you be okay with Chung-Hee there?”

The smile faded from Noeul’s face. “I don’t know.” He leaned back in his chair. “I can barely look at him right now. Part of me still wants to help him, but I can’t keep letting him hurt me.”

“Then don’t.”

Noeul was quiet.

“I mean it, hyung. You don’t owe him that.”

“I know.” For once, the words didn’t feel like a lie. “I have you and Ji-Woo. I can’t go back to who I was.”