Page 201 of Scarbound

He wasn’t going to leave Noeul alone again.

Chung-Hee woke first. For a few moments, with the room still dim and Noeul asleep beside him, he could almost pretend the scene was ordinary.

Almost.

Then he saw the cuffs. The bruising around Noeul’s wrists. The untouched glass of water on the nightstand.

The illusion cracked.

Chung-Hee looked away.

He went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast. Fruit. Rice. Eggs. Coffee.

When he returned, Noeul had not moved.

“Noeul.”

He set the tray down. “Wake up.”

Noeul’s eyelids opened slowly. For several seconds, there was nothing in his expression.

Chung-Hee felt something cold settle in his stomach.

“I made breakfast.”

Noeul’s gaze drifted toward the tray. The smell of coffee reached him. His stomach turned. The scent seemed familiar. Important somehow. But when he tried to connect it to anything, the thought dissolved.

“Let’s eat something,” Chung-Hee said.

Noeul looked away.

“Noeul.”

No response.

“You have to eat.”

Nothing.

Chung-Hee glanced at the untouched water from the previous day.

“Three days.”

Noeul blinked.

“You’ve barely eaten or drunk anything in three days.”

The words reached him slowly. Three days. He tried to understand what that meant. Pieces surfaced without order.

Darkness. A voice. Pain. The cracked mirror. Hands. Sleep. Coffee. Something about a kitchen.

Every time he tried to follow one memory, it disappeared. His free hand rested limply against the mattress.

Chung-Hee picked up the chopsticks. “Open your mouth.”

Noeul’s attention snapped toward them. The chopsticks moved closer. His body reacted before his mind understood why. He jerked his head away.

Chung-Hee stopped. “Noeul.”