Page 216 of Scarbound

A reckless one.

But it was the only one he could think of.

“I know the penthouse beside his.”

Jun frowned. “You know the owner?”

Duri looked away briefly. “Yes.”

Ji-Woo noticed the hesitation. “How?”

“I’ll explain in the car.”

Jun clearly wanted to ask more but didn’t. “Fine. I’ll get Chung-Hee to let me inside. You two stay nearby. If Noeul isn’t there, we call the police and report him missing.”

“And if he is?” Ji-Woo asked.

Jun held his gaze. “Then we get him out.”

No one argued.

Duri asked to leave work early. Jun drove separately, while Ji-Woo climbed into Duri’s car. For the first few minutes, neither spoke. Duri kept both hands tight around the steering wheel while Ji-Woo stared through the windshield.

Finally, he asked, “Who owns the other penthouse?”

Duri exhaled. “My mother.”

Ji-Woo turned sharply. “Your mother?”

“Yes.”

“You have a penthouse next to Lee Chung-Hee and you never thought to mention that?”

“It wasn’t relevant.”

Ji-Woo stared at him. “Duri.”

“I know.”

“You said you’d explain.”

Duri kept his eyes on the road. “My mother inherited most of my father’s estate. She bought the apartment recently.”

“And you never told me?”

“I didn’t think it mattered.”

Ji-Woo let out a disbelieving breath.

Duri finally glanced at him. “We can talk about my family later.”

Later.

If there was a later.

Ji-Woo looked away. “Right.”

Duri’s hands tightened around the wheel. After another moment, he said quietly, “There’s a garden between the penthouses.”