Page 24 of Scarbound

Jake didn’t answer immediately. “Yes…” he said at last. “But barely.”

Chung-Hee closed his eyes. “It was serious.”

“Didn’t I tell you to keep him safe?”

The words came out colder than anything Chung-Hee had ever said to Jake before.

“My guy was hiding in the bedroom closet. There was nowhere else. He couldn’t stop him in time. Noeul had already locked the bathroom door.”

“Is he in the hospital?”

“Yes. The nearest one to his apartment. The bleeding was…” Jake hesitated. “He wouldn’t have survived a longer drive.”

“Is it reputable?”

“Yes. He just came out of surgery.”

Chung-Hee took a slow breath. “I’ll be there tomorrow. Make sure he stays calm. Come up with a story about how you saved him and stick to it. Call me if you need anything.”

Jake agreed before Chung-Hee ended the call.

CHAPTER 8

As soon as he hung up, Chung-Hee called his assistant. San answered on the first ring.

“Good morning, Mr. Lee. Why are you calling so early?”

A brief silence followed.

“Noeul Jung tried to commit suicide yesterday. He’s in the hospital.”

“Tell me how I can help.”

Chung-Hee knew San had noticed the change in him. More than once, he had caught his assistant watching him through the rearview mirror while he scrolled absentmindedly through photos of Noeul on his tablet.

“First, cancel all my appointments for the entire week and reschedule them after Thursday, based on priority and urgency. Second, I want to be in New York tomorrow. Arrange the flight, hotel, and transportation as soon as possible.”

“But, boss…”

“No excuses, San. Just follow my instructions. There is no margin for error.”

“Understood,” San said.

“Also, find Noeul’s father’s phone number and address. Have one of our lawyers prepare an authorization allowing me to bring him back to Korea. I want everything ready by noon.”

Within an hour, the authorization, along with the phone number and address of Mr. Seojun Jung, was already on Chung-Hee’s desk.

After taking a slow breath, Chung-Hee dialed the unfamiliar number. A month earlier, if someone had told him he would one day call Gong’s father, he would have laughed.

When Mr. Jung answered, Chung-Hee spoke without hesitation. “Mr. Jung. This is Lee Chung-Hee, Haneul’s brother.”

Mr. Jung was silent for a beat. When he finally spoke, his voice was strained. “What do you want from me, Mr. Lee?”

“I’m calling about Noeul.”

“What happened to my son?” Mr. Jung asked immediately. “How do you know him?”

“I need to tell you something important. May I come to your home?”