Flowers Are Bait

Chapter 32:

Kwon Chae-woo had a very long dream. But the moment he opened his eyes, he forgot everything about it. He frowned in annoyance. But his frustration evaporated when he felt warmth in his arms.

“Lee-yeon…”

Lee-yeon slept with her face buried in his arms. He checked the hem of her sleeves. The ends of her sleeves were wet with tears like last time. He was sick of his nightmares. It made him feel pathetic when she saw him crying.

“Lee-yeon.…”

Kwon Chae-woo had no idea how much time had passed. He tried to gently shake her awake so that he could ask her how long he had slept. But she snuggled against his chest. She was always so frightened ad on edge when he was close. He smiled seeing her sleeping peacefully against his chest. He didn’t want to wake her anymore.

He studied her face. Her eyelids twitched and she frowned. Is she having a bad dream? He rested his chin on is hand and watched her sleep. Just then, Lee-yeon slowly fluttered her eyes open. When she saw him, her eyes widened in recognition. Kwon Chae-woo felt his emptiness being filled by a soothing satisfaction.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Ah!” A cry involuntarilyescaped from her mouth.

She was always shocked no matter how many times this happened. She could never get used to Kwon Chae-woo who slept like the dead days on end and suddenly woke up one day greeting her. It always felt disturbing. The corners of his mouth rose into a smile.

“H-hi,” said Lee-yeon, still groggy with sleep.

“How long was I asleep?” he asked.

“Um… today is the eighth day.”

“Hmm… why did you wake me up so early? I deserve a longer punishment.” He reached out and removed the bandage from her neck. Her neck was still reddish where he had bit her. His face darkened. “It’s still bruised.”

Tears welled up in Lee-yeon’s eyes. She bit on her lips to hold back her tears. The veins on Kwon Chae-woo’s neck throbbed. “What’s wrong, Lee-yeon?” he asked gently. He sat up straight and stroked her cheeks. It was then that he noticed that she had dark circles under her eyes and her cheeks were so hollow. She had lost a lot of weight.

Kwon Chae-woo took her hands in his. “Tell me what happened.” He looked at her. “I am never leaving you alone ever again. I am not going to let you seep alone either. I will snatch you up or barge into your room if you don’t tell me.”

After a pause, Lee-yeon finally spoke up. “A few things have bothered me. I tried to solve these on my own, but… things aren’t going the way I expected, and it’s driving me crazy, so… I…”

Kwon Chae-woo silently stroked her hands. Her pulse was racing. She was just rambling now.

“Lee-yeon… calm down.”

Kwon Chae-woo looked into her eyes, trying to calm her down. She finally could calm her breathing. Kwon Chae-woo wiped her tears away.

“Remember Hwang Jo-yoon?”

Kwon Chae-woo’s face turned dark at the mention of his name. “What about that bastard?” he asked in a low voice.

“He has been stalking me. He is always standing on the yard in front of the main door.”

Lee-yeon wondered if Hwang Jo-yoon was trying to get a peek at Kwon Chae-woo instead of her. He probably thought she was lying about her marriage. Maybe Hwang Jo-yoon became more shameless and bolder because he didn’t see Kwon Chae-woo in the house.

Lee-yeon had been able to take a picture of him. She had been trembling in fear as she took it. Hwang Jo-yoon had smiled brazenly at her as though he feared nothing. Lee-yeon had immediately called the police but no one had come. Even behind the closed curtains, her blood had run cold because she could still his creepy eyes everywhere. In the end, there was only one place where Lee-yeon could escape to.

Kwon Chae-woo wasn’t a switch she could turn on and off. It would be unfair to him as a human being. She had made up her mind. She would ask for his help, one last time. She felt guilty for using him whenever she needed and wishing for him to sleep other times.

Despite everything, she knew that this man could put an end to her suffering once and for all. He would be more effective than the ignorant and corrupted police. Right now, what she needed was not the lazy, insincere police but a ferocious wolf.

Lee-yeon refused to be subdued and scared. She refused to take any more of Hwang Jo-yoon’s shit. She faced Kwon Chae-woo with determined face and told him everything.

“You must have had a hard time.” Kwon Chae-woo said, after listening to him calmly.

Kwon Chae-woo restrained himself from spitting curses at Hwang Jo-yoon. His rage boiled. He clenched his fists.

“I will take care of it.” He scowled at Hwang Jo-yoon’s name but hugged Lee-yeon warmly. “Leave it to your husband, Lee-yeon. You take some rest, alright?”

“Ah…I…”

“Just sleep well and eat well. Everything will be alright.” He hugged her even tighter.

“W-wait. N-no!” Lee-yeon pushed him away from her. Her eyes were filled with doubt and hesitation. She avoided his gaze and scratched at a spot on her cheek.

Lee-yeon suddenly pushed the man away from her. For some reason, her eyes were filled with hesitation. She avoided the man’s gaze and scratched her white cheek.

“I already caught that bug.” She said in hesitation.

* * *

Hwang Jo-yoon is the kind of person who doesn’t know how to give up. It was that trait in him which allowed him to snag the first place throughout his school years. He had graduated college with the same mentality and started working. He had never grown beyond that. He applied the same mentality to his relationships.

His belief was that there was nothing you couldn’t achieve if you kept at it long enough. Unfortunately, he applied the same theory to people and relationships without respecting what the other person might want.

I put so much effort and time on you for five years… !

I always escorted you from behind—in case you might be afraid of walking alone at night. I even guided you to the right path so that you don’t get along with toxic city friends.

On rainy days, I often stayed up all night in front of your house like a bodyguard in case you might have trouble sleeping. But you always treated my pure love like garbage.

One day, Hwang Jo-yoon found out that Lee-yeon had moved to an island and opened a small hospital. He also heard the news that her hospital was failing. It wasn’t even that surprising for him because he was well aware of So Lee-yeon’s rebellious personality and the consequences it brought.

After that, Hwang Jo-yoon bought the house across from Lee-yeon’s hospital to use it only as a studio. All for Lee-yeon.

But marriage?! How can you marry someone other than me?!

So, Lee-yeon didn’t get along with people. Anyone who knew her would already know that after they spent a while with her. In her twenties, she was even less social than she was now. She had no time for people. All her time was dedicated to learning about plants and trees. Her co-workers and supposed ‘friends’ always insulted her and called her crazy. They always insinuated that she go see a psychiatrist for her avoidance of people and obsession with plants. But she never let that get to her.

As he had expected, Lee-yeon hadn’t changed much.