Page 32 of Scarbound

“What? When did this happen? My father would never agree to this. How did you convince him to sign? Did you threaten him?”

Chung-Hee had visited him only on the second day of his hospitalization.

If he already had these documents…

He must have known everything before coming.

The hardness in Chung-Hee’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

“I told him the truth.”

Noeul sat on the edge of the bed, his feet touching the cold floor. “And what truth is that?”

“That you’ll attempt suicide again if no one intervenes.”

A nurse entered the room and changed Noeul’s IV. The two men remained silent, each radiating completely different energy. Chung-Hee exuded confidence and authority; Noeul appeared withdrawn, exhausted, and furious. The nurse hurried out without a word once she finished.

As soon as the door closed, Noeul spoke first.

“I’ll run away at the first opportunity. I’ll go abroad, somewhere you’ll never be able to find me.”

Chung-Hee looked almost amused.

“You can try. However, at the moment, your passport and ID are in my possession. Your father gave me access to the belongings recovered from your apartment.”

Noeul stared at him.

“And your money?” Chung-Hee continued. “I’ve made sure you won’t be able to disappear as easily as you think.”

“What?” His voice broke. “What did you do? That’s illegal! I’ll report you to the police!”

“Please, go ahead. My lawyers are available at any hour of the day.” Chung-Hee leaned back. “But I suggest you first find out exactly what I’ve done before making accusations you can’t prove.”

“Why are you doing this? Is this some kind of punishment? Are you punishing me for what I did?”

It felt as if he were reliving Gong’s life.

His brother had attempted to end his own life and failed because, as Noeul had learned from Gong’s suicide letter, I still had to suffer a little longer.

Maybe the same thing was happening to him.

Maybe he had to endure Haneul’s brother before he was allowed any peace.

“Exactly.” Chung-Hee’s voice was calm. “This is your punishment.” Calling it punishment made the control easier to justify. Protection sounded too much like care, and care awakened feelings he considered a betrayal of Haneul. Noeul had acted recklessly. He had tried to abandon this world. Chung-Hee had promised to protect him, as his brother had asked. And he would do whatever it took. If that meant punishment and control, then so be it.

“We’re leaving tonight. Your belongings have already been packed and are ready to be shipped.”

“I don’t want to leave!” Noeul said through clenched teeth, his voice fading into an almost inaudible, “Please…”

Chung-Hee stood and quietly placed the coffee cup on the table.

Without warning, he grabbed Noeul by the hair, pulling hard enough to force him to meet his gaze.

“Noeul, you’ve misunderstood me,” he said calmly. “I wasn’t asking for your approval. You should be grateful I’m even informing you. You had already resigned before the attempt and that simply made your return to Korea easier.”

Tears filled Noeul’s eyes.

“There’s nothing you can do to force me to follow you.”