Page 358 of Scarbound

His eyes burned.

“Not because what you did was acceptable. It wasn’t. For years, I blamed your illness for everything you did. Then I blamed you for being ill. Neither was fair. You were sick, and you also made choices that hurt me. I can understand the first without excusing the second. I will never pretend it didn’t hurt. I will never pretend you didn’t hurt me.”

He brushed a fallen leaf from the stone.

“But I don’t want to hate you anymore.” His smile became fragile. “I want to remember my brother too.”

A tear slipped down his cheek.

“And I want to remember that before everything became so painful, I loved being your twin.”

Duri quietly reached for his hand. Noeul intertwined their fingers.

“There’s someone I want to introduce properly.” He glanced at Duri, the sadness in his expression giving way to warmth. “Gong, this is my partner, Duri.”

Duri laughed softly. “We’ve met, hyung.”

“I know that, brat.”

“I was talking to Gong hyung.”

Noeul rolled his eyes. Even there, Duri could make him smile.

“We’ve been together for four years,” Noeul continued. “And apparently, he’s still obsessed with me.”

“Apparently?”

Duri squeezed his hand.

“Gong hyung, your brother is still incredibly annoying.”

“Excuse me?”

“But I love him.”

Noeul fell silent.

Duri turned toward the grave. “I’ve loved him for a very long time. You probably knew that before he did.”

“That wouldn’t be difficult,” Noeul muttered.

Duri ignored him.

“We came because we’re about to tell our families something, and Noeul wanted you to know first.” He looked at the man beside him. Noeul’s eyes were already shining.

Duri lifted their joined hands and kissed Noeul’s fingers.

“I love your brother. And if he’ll still tolerate me when we’re eighty, I plan to annoy him until then.”

Noeul laughed through his tears. “Only eighty?”

“Fine. Ninety.”

“Better.”

Duri’s expression softened. “I can’t promise him a life without pain, Gong hyung. Nobody can. But I can promise to walk beside him through whatever comes.”

Noeul looked away, blinking rapidly.