Page 68 of Scarbound

“Yes. But make up an excuse. I’m on my way.”

Duri ended the call, grabbed his keys, and hurried toward his car. He had stayed nearby on purpose. He had met men like Chung-Hee before—powerful, controlling men who believed wanting something gave them the right to possess it.

And Duri knew exactly what Chung-Hee wanted.

Noeul.

***

Across the city, Chung-Hee drove recklessly through traffic while Noeul gripped the seat beside him.

“You’ve lost your mind, hyung! You’re going to kill us!” Noeul shouted as another car blared its horn.

“So what?”

Chung-Hee didn’t raise his voice. He simply looked at Noeul. Noeul fell silent.

“Please…” Noeul whispered. “Stop. You’ll hurt yourself.”

“Your safety should concern you more than mine,” Chung-Hee replied. “Last night will have consequences.”

“What did I do, Chung-Hee hyung? I don’t understand.”

Without answering, Chung-Hee pulled the car onto the roadside and left the engine running. For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Chung-Hee leaned across the console. One hand pinned Noeul against the seat while the other rested beside his shoulder. He stayed there, saying nothing. Only breathing.

His eyes moved slowly across Noeul’s face. He reached up and brushed a strand of hair away before letting his fingertips trace gently along his cheek.

Noeul instinctively closed his eyes.

A small smile appeared on Chung-Hee’s lips.

Without warning, he grabbed Noeul by the hair and yanked his head backward.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know.” He pulled harder. “You know exactly why I’m angry.”

Noeul winced and sucked in a breath.

“Let me go… You’re hurting me.”

“Are you really that desperate to sleep with someone?”

His hand shifted from Noeul’s hair to his throat, his fingers tightening until air caught in Noeul’s lungs. Noeul began struggling for breath. Chung-Hee released him.

Noeul coughed violently, trying to catch his breath. “What are you saying? I spent the night with my brother and his best friend. Nothing happened. There aren’t any romantic feelings between Duri and me.”

The denial should have relieved Chung-Hee. It did not. The possibility remained: Noeul might recover, choose Duri, and build a life in which he no longer needed Chung-Hee. He recognized the feeling as fear, not justice. Anger returned his sense of control, so he held on to it.

“It matters,” Chung-Hee said quietly. His breathing had already steadied. “It matters the moment you start believing you deserve happiness.”

He pulled back onto the road.

“Let’s go.” A slow smile spread across his face. “I have a surprise for you.”

“Hyung, please… We didn’t…”

“Enough.”