Page 345 of Scarbound

“It just is.”

Duri laughed and pulled him closer. Noeul rested his head against his chest again. After a moment, he pressed a slow kiss over Duri’s heart.

“Never again,” he whispered.

Duri looked down at him. “Never again what?”

He intertwined their fingers beneath the blanket. “Never again will I leave without saying goodbye.”

Duri kissed the top of his head. “That I can accept.”

They fell asleep wrapped around each other, the months of separation finally behind them.

That night, Noeul made memories of his own.

EPILOGUE

There was something different about that night. Chung-Hee felt more drained than usual, so he decided to visit his favorite bar. Many people came there looking for company, but he wasn’t in that mood.

Ten months had passed since Noeul had left Korea. In the end, Chung-Hee had been right about one thing: Noeul never came back to him. He didn’t look for him or send a single message. He didn’t even visit Haneul’s grave on the anniversary of his death, perhaps to avoid running into him.

Noeul didn’t love him. That much was a fact.

And no matter how hard Chung-Hee tried, getting over him had proven far more difficult than accepting that truth. He flirted with other men from time to time, even went on a few dates, but something always held him back. There was still only one person his mind returned to when the nights became too quiet.

Noeul.

He took his usual seat at the bar and slipped off his jacket. He loosened his tie, unbuttoned the first button of his crisp blue shirt, and rolled up his sleeves.

“Minho, how can you leave me alone in a bar just to go meet your partner? Traitor! What if something happens to me?” a playful voice complained a few seats away.

Chung-Hee froze.

That voice.

He could never forget it, never confuse it with anyone else’s.

His heart began to pound wildly, like a drum in a frenzied song. For several seconds, he remained completely still. He didn’t trust himself to turn around.

“Noeul?”

The name came out cold and controlled, as always, but it shook.

The bartender glanced at him in surprise. Chung-Hee was usually unreadable, distant even after several drinks.

Noeul’s eyes widened at the unexpected encounter. “Lee Chung-Hee?”

His voice trembled too, not with the same fear as before, but with surprise. His shoulders stiffened. His stomach tightened. For one brief second, the bar disappeared and memory threatened to take its place.

Then Noeul breathed.

He looked around him. People. Music. Glasses clinking against the counter. Minho beside him.

He was safe.

He didn’t need Chung-Hee anymore, and he wasn’t powerless in front of him. Still, he hadn’t expected to see him so soon after returning to Korea.

Perhaps this was his chance to finally close the chapter of his old life.