Page 289 of Scarbound

Dr. Kim remained on the phone while Ji-Woo cleared the bathroom and Duri helped Noeul stand. Yujin removed the medication and sharp objects from the rooms Noeul could access, then brought water and the first-aid kit. Duri cleaned the cut on Noeul’s neck only after asking permission.

They moved to the bedroom. Noeul sat on the floor against the side of the bed, wrapped in a blanket. Duri remained nearby, while Ji-Woo sat several feet away. No one asked Noeul to explain what had happened.

When Dr. Kim called again thirty minutes later, Noeul told her that he was no longer thinking about hurting himself. The phone remained beside him after the call ended.

Nearly an hour passed before Noeul spoke again.

Noeul rubbed both hands over his face. “It started with attachment.”

Ji-Woo listened.

“I couldn’t breathe without Gong asking where I was going. Who I was seeing. When I’d be back.” His voice became uneven. “Then threats.”

He pulled his knees toward his chest. “If you don’t come, I’ll kill myself.”

The room went very still.

“If you go out, I’ll destroy your things.” Noeul swallowed. “If you love someone else, I’ll cut my wrists.”

Ji-Woo’s eyes widened.

Noeul looked at him. “And if I loved you more than him…” His voice faltered.

Ji-Woo already knew something terrible was coming.

“He said he’d kill you.”

Ji-Woo stopped breathing. “What?”

Noeul looked away.

“He threatened you?”

“Yes.”

“Because you loved me?”

“Because he thought I belonged to him.”

The words seemed to cost him. Ji-Woo’s face drained of color.

“Every month, he got worse,” Noeul continued before either of them could speak. “He stopped taking his medication properly. Auntie and I kept trying to get him back to the clinic.” He rubbed his thumb hard against his palm. “He was dangerous.”

A pause.

“To himself.”

Another.

“To us. To Haneul. To Duri.” His breathing caught. “And to me.”

A sob rose suddenly. He pressed one hand to his mouth and waited for it to pass. Neither Ji-Woo nor Duri interrupted.

“Then came the violence.” Noeul’s eyes remained on the floor. “He hit me again and again until my body was nothing but bruises. Like they were proof of how wrong I was.”

He looked at Ji-Woo then, and something in him broke. “How wrong was I, brother?” His voice cracked. “What did I do that deserved being beaten? Humiliated? What did I do?”

“Nothing.” Ji-Woo’s answer came immediately. His face had gone pale. “You did nothing.”