Page 57 of Scarbound

Noeul shook his head. “No.”

“Then what were you guilty about?”

“Talking about Gong as if he was dangerous.” He swallowed. “I knew he wasn’t doing it on purpose. I just…” He searched for the right words. “…I didn’t know how to keep both of them safe anymore.”

“Did recognizing that Gong could be dangerous feel like a betrayal of him?”

Noeul hesitated. “Yes.”

“Even though you were trying to protect Ji-Woo?”

“Yes.”

“So either choice felt like betraying one of your brothers.”

Noeul looked at her. For a moment, he said nothing.

“Yes,” he whispered. “I suppose it did.”

“What did you believe Ji-Woo was losing because of what was happening at home?”

Noeul took another breath. “He shouldn’t have been witnessing any of it. He should’ve been thinking about school, his drawings, our hikes, or the games we played after dinner. Not why his older brother screamed. Not why Gong’s moods changed without warning.”

“What did your father say?”

“He sighed again. His shoulders slumped, defeated but not convinced. Then he said, ‘You’re wrong. Everything is normal. Gong and Ji-Woo never got along. But Gong would never hurt him.’”

“And how did you respond?”

“‘How can you be so blind?’ The words escaped before I could stop them. ‘Do you want to wait until he hurts Ji-Woo before admitting he needs help? Please. I don’t know how much longer I can protect him. Gong gets more violent with every episode.’

“Then I told them, ‘Aunt Min-Seo will understand. She always said she’s here to help. Ji-Woo loves being with her and our cousins. He’ll be safer there than here, at the center of all this.’”

“Did your mother agree?”

“She nodded. No relief crossed her face. Only sadness.” Noeul lowered his gaze. “The same sadness settling inside me.

“She said, ‘We’ll talk to him tonight. After dinner. We’ll make it sound like something fun, so he won’t feel like we’re sending him away.’

“My throat tightened. I knew it was the right decision. We were going to tell him it was a game.

“But for him, for me, for all of us, nothing felt like a game anymore.”

Silence settled over Dr. Kim’s office.

After a moment, she spoke. “You said something important just now.”

Noeul looked up.

“You said, ‘I don’t know how much longer I can protect him.’ Who did you mean?”

Noeul frowned. “Ji-Woo.”

“What were you trying to do for Gong?”

The question made him hesitate. “Get him treatment.”

“Why?”