Page 70 of Scarbound

Noeul screamed. Pain tore through him. He tried to pull away, but his exhausted body refused to obey. Each attempt ended with Chung-Hee forcing him back down.

And amid the cruelty came something even harder to understand. A kiss pressed to his neck. Gentle. Almost affectionate. The contradiction hollowed him out.

The cemetery disappeared. The cold stone beneath him. The night air. The blood running down his face. Everything dissolved beneath memories he had spent years trying to bury.

Hands. Pain. Being unable to stop them. Being unable to breathe.

Eventually, his body stopped fighting. Not because he accepted what was happening, but because it no longer had the strength.

A ringtone cut through the silence.

Chung-Hee smiled. Noeul closed his eyes. For the first time since arriving, the assault stopped.

Before answering the phone, Chung-Hee leaned close enough for only Noeul to hear. “In this life,” he whispered, “you can only be the happiness of the people you’ve wronged, Noeul. I’ll make sure of it.”

Noeul didn’t understand. His body trembled. He couldn’t look at Chung-Hee, couldn’t bring himself to stand. He remained where he was, listening silently as Chung-Hee answered the phone.

“Ji-Woo,” Chung-Hee said with a smile, “I hope it wasn’t too difficult to get my number.”

“Where’s my brother, bastard?” Ji-Woo snapped.

Chung-Hee switched the call to speaker. “He’s here with me. We had a wonderful time together, didn’t we?” He looked down at Noeul. “Didn’t you enjoy it?”

Noeul lowered his gaze. He couldn’t answer.

“Answer me.” His voice remained calm. Chung-Hee crouched beside him, bringing the phone closer. “Or I can make you answer.”

Noeul’s shoulders tensed. “I… I’m fine,” he whispered. “Don’t worry.”

Ji-Woo exhaled audibly, but when he spoke again, his voice broke with anger. “Enough punishment, damn it!” he shouted, his voice breaking. “Was hurting my brother worth it? What kind of man enjoys making someone suffer? Tell me!”

Chung-Hee laughed. “Absolutely.” His eyes never left the man in front of him. “Your expression was beautiful, Noeul.” A slow smile spread across his face. “I want to see it again.”

For a brief moment, something distant crossed Chung-Hee’s features, something Noeul couldn’t name. Then it disappeared.

“Tell me where you are,” Ji-Woo demanded. “I’m coming to get him.”

“Duri,” Chung-Hee said instead, ignoring Ji-Woo completely.

He leaned down and pressed a slow kiss to Noeul’s neck, making sure the sound carried through the phone.

“Speak,” Duri said, his voice low.

“Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

On the other end, Duri closed his eyes. Every instinct told him to threaten Chung-Hee, to curse him, to promise he would never let anyone hurt Noeul again. He swallowed every word. Noeul’s safety came first.

“Yes.”

“Good.” Chung-Hee smiled. “Then I’ll be leaving now.”

He ended the call.

CHAPTER 29

Noeul remained frozen, listening to the engine fade into the distance.

The silence that followed was heavier than any shout.