Page 82 of Scarbound

For a brief moment, relief loosened something inside Noeul. Light. Fragile. And dangerous enough that he was afraid to trust it.

SESSION 15

Dr. Kim waited until Noeul settled into the chair before speaking. For several minutes, neither of them said anything. Noeul sat with one leg crossed over the other, his fingers turning the ring around his neck again and again. Dr. Kim’s gaze dropped briefly to the ring, but she said nothing.

Finally, she leaned back slightly. “Last time, you told me that Haneul’s mother blamed you for his death.”

Noeul’s fingers stopped. “Yes.”

“You said you still hear her words sometimes.”

Noeul looked toward the window. “Not sometimes.”

Dr. Kim waited.

Noeul swallowed. “Almost every day.”

The answer sat between them.

“What happened that day?” Dr. Kim asked.

Noeul lowered his gaze. For a moment, he looked as though he might refuse. Then he took a slow breath. “How could I ever forget it?” He paused. “It was one of the worst days of my life. The day everything split open.”

Dr. Kim said nothing.

“It began like any other day. Sunlight was coming through the tall windows of the university corridor. I had no morning lectures, so I’d spent the whole morning at home drawing.” Noeul gave a faint, humorless smile. “I remember thinking about stupid things. Weekend plans. Assignments. A new game Minho wouldn’t stop talking about.”

“Nothing felt wrong?”

Noeul hesitated. “Not exactly.” His fingers returned to the ring around his neck. “I hadn’t been able to reach Haneul. He hadn’t shown up at university for days. Something about him had changed. I knew that.”

“What changed?”

“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “He was distant. Wounded somehow. Like part of him had already stepped away.”

Dr. Kim watched him carefully. “And what did you do with that feeling?”

“Nothing.”

The answer came immediately. Too quickly.

Noeul stared down at his hands. “I told myself he needed space.” There was bitterness in his voice now. “I was about to enter the lecture hall when I saw a group of people near the entrance. They were whispering. Then I heard his name.”

Noeul’s breathing changed.

“Haneul,” Noeul said quietly. “That was all.” His gaze drifted somewhere beyond the office. “Then someone said, ‘I can’t believe he’s gone.’”

Noeul went still. “I remember that word.”

“Gone?”

“Yes.” His jaw tightened. “It didn’t make sense. We were supposed to meet that weekend. We were going to have lunch. Play that stupid game.” His voice cracked slightly. “He couldn’t be gone.”

Dr. Kim allowed the silence to remain.

“I pushed through the crowd and asked what happened. There was a girl there. I barely knew her.” Noeul rubbed his palms against his trousers. “She looked at me like she already knew what it would do to me.” He closed his eyes. “She said Haneul had ended his life the day before.” His voice dropped. “And everything disappeared. The corridor. The people. The noise.”

Noeul stared at the floor. “I kept waiting for someone to laugh.”