Page 35 of Scarbound

“Try me and see whether I will or not.” Chung-Hee’s attention never left him. “In fact, it would be quite interesting to see your reaction when you meet them for the first time. What do you think? Which expression will dominate your face? Remorse? Grief? Anger?”

He turned toward San. “San, I’ve changed my mind. Take Noeul to his parents’ home.”

Noeul collapsed forward, his eyes brimming with tears.

How cruel could this man be?

“No, no, please. They can’t see me like this.” He struggled to get the next words out. “Hyung, please. I’ll come with you. I’ll be obedient. Just don’t let them see me with these hands. I’m not ready yet.”

“That wasn’t so difficult, was it?” Chung-Hee said. “San, take us to Cheongdam-dong.”

He leaned closer, speaking almost in a whisper meant only for Noeul. “Noeul, the expression on your face just now completely captivated me.”

A faint color touched Noeul’s face against his will.

There was something about his reluctance to surrender that made Chung-Hee want to see more. If life weren’t so cruel, he would never let him go.

Noeul wondered how he would survive under the same roof as the man he had spent his high school years loving.

SESSION 7

Dr. Kim remained silent for a while before asking gently, “You mentioned before that Gong’s condition changed gradually. Do you remember the first time you realized something was seriously wrong?”

Noeul nodded. “I remember that day as if it happened yesterday.

“It was freezing. The sky was gray, the wind so cold that I kept pulling my jacket tighter around me. We were at the park after school, skating like we always did.

“But Gong wasn’t himself.”

“What was different about him?”

“He kept staring at the fence… then the sky… whispering things I couldn’t understand. At first, I ignored it. I thought maybe he was just having a bad day.”

“And then?”

“He suddenly stopped.”

“What did he say?”

Noeul looked down at his hands. “‘Noeul… they’re watching us. They’ve been watching us for days.’”

“What did you do?”

“I looked where he was looking, but there was nobody there. Just the trees. I asked him who he meant.” Noeul drew a slow breath. “There was this… fear in his eyes. I’ve never forgotten it.

“He said, ‘They’re here, Noeul. They know everything we say. Everything we do.’

“I tried to laugh it off. I told him there was nobody there and suggested we go home.”

“How did he react?”

“He became agitated. He said, ‘You don’t understand. You’re not listening. They’ll come for us if we don’t protect ourselves.’

“Then he started shouting. I put my hand on his shoulder and told him he was safe.”

Noeul stared at the floor.

“He pushed me.”