Page 279 of Scarbound

“Hyung…”

“Let me finish.”

Duri stopped.

Noeul looked at him. “I love being here.” Noeul gave a faint, embarrassed smile. “Probably too much.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means this place is easy.”

Duri frowned. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It isn’t.” Noeul searched for the right words. “That’s exactly the problem.”

Duri stared at him.

Noeul looked around the apartment. “At first, I needed this.” He gestured vaguely toward everything around them. “You. Ji-Woo. Mrs. Kang. Someone nearby all the time. Someone reminding me to eat. Someone outside the bathroom door. Someone checking whether I remembered where I was.” His voice softened. “I still need you.”

Duri’s expression tightened.

“But I don’t want needing you to become the reason I stay.”

Silence settled over the room.

“I need to know that I can wake up alone and still get out of bed,” Noeul continued. He swallowed. “That I can eat because I’m hungry, not because someone reminds me.” He looked at Duri. “That I can go somewhere because I want to go there, not because someone is holding my hand.”

Duri looked away, and Noeul’s heart sank. “I’m not trying to push you away.”

“It feels like it.”

“I know.”

Duri stood. “How is leaving supposed to help?”

“I don’t know if it will.”

“That’s reassuring.”

“Duri.”

“No, really.” Hurt entered his voice despite his effort to control it. “You tell me you love being here, that you still need me, and then you tell me you want to leave.”

“I said I need to leave. Not leave you.”

Duri stopped. Noeul held his gaze.

For a few seconds, Duri didn’t answer. Then he asked, “Do you want to break up with me?”

“No.” The answer came immediately.

Duri’s eyes widened slightly. Noeul looked almost offended.

“No.”

“Then what are you asking for?”

“Space.” The word felt dangerous, but Noeul pressed on anyway. “Not from you.” He hesitated. “From this version of myself.”