Page 21 of Scarbound

Another drink. More memories. Birthday parties. Shared secrets. Gong’s unwavering, suffocating devotion.

Noeul stood unsteadily, knocking the chair over, and stumbled toward the bathroom. Locking the door felt like a pointless attempt to keep the past out.

What could be done for him now?

Who would forgive him?

Who would love him?

No one would.

He sank into the cold bathtub. Tears blurred the photos on his phone: family, friends, a life that no longer belonged to him. A sob escaped him.

Would Ji-Woo be okay? Or had Duri already taken his place?

Would his parents grieve him, or had Gong’s death already left them too numb to mourn another son?

His thoughts drifted to Gong and Haneul.

Had they felt this way?

Had they thought of him in their final moments?

Unanswered questions. Always unanswered.

He stared at his hand, transfixed by the red lines forming there.

This is how it ends, he thought.

He hesitated, not from fear but from memory. Gong’s laughter echoed. A summer afternoon. A park. A swing. Gong pushing him just to hear him curse and laugh until his stomach hurt.

The memory faded.

“I tried, Gong,” he whispered. “I really did.”

The world grew distant.

For a fleeting moment, he thought he could hear their voices calling his name.

A hand touching him.

A smile slowly spread across his face.

SESSION 4

Dr. Kim allowed the silence to settle before speaking. “Last session, you told me about Gong. Today, I’d like to ask about someone else.”

Noeul looked down at his hands. “Who?”

“Chung-Hee.”

A faint smile appeared, then disappeared just as quickly. “Chung-Hee…” he murmured. “What can I say about him?”

“Start wherever you can.”

Noeul looked away. “Our relationship became… complicated.”

“What made it complicated?”