Flowers Are Bait Novel - Chapter 10

“Is your mother-in-law important to you, Ms. Yiyeon?”

“……I suppose so, right?”

Kwon Chaewoo, who had been staring intently at Yiyeon’s face, finally nodded.

“Then that means she’s someone I need to make a good impression on.”

“No, why go that far—”

Before she could finish, he turned his head towards Chooja.

“Mother-in-law, I apologize, but I might not be able to keep the promise I made before the marriage.”

“I know. I knew it from the moment you were lying there.”

Chooja retorted cunningly.

“Ms. Yiyeon said I was gentle and polite.”

“Indeed, you were.”

Chooja met Yiyeon’s eyes and smiled meaningfully. That sly smile contained the meaning, ‘You managed to sweet-talk him quite well for you,’ making Yiyeon’s face feel like it was burning.

“It will take some time for me to become the husband Ms. Yiyeon remembers.”

“I know, I understand completely.”

“But it won’t take too long. The doctor said that because the inertia to return to my true self remains, it won’t be too difficult.”

Chooja could see Yiyeon flinching very clearly from her position.

“Ms. Yiyeon, then when should I start coming to work?”

“Work……?”

Yiyeon’s eyes widened, and he, in turn, furrowed his brows.

“Aren’t you upset that you’ve been suffering alone all this time?”

“No, but still……. You can rest enough! Mr. Kwon Chaewoo, this is your time to focus on recovery. That way, I’ll feel more at ease……”

She nervously rubbed the fabric of her pants with her sweaty palms.

“Chaewoo.”

“Yes?”

Suddenly, he rested his arm on the back of the sofa and leaned his head back.

“Chaewoo.”

“…….”

“Call me Chaewoo.”

His voice, urging her while looking directly into her eyes, was chillingly low. His eyes, which had suddenly become sanpaku as he looked up with his head bowed, were eerie.

Yiyeon froze stiff, as if a knife was held to her throat. Kwon Chaewoo suddenly buried his face in his forearm at the woman’s pale complexion. However, the tips of his raised eyebrows were not hidden and were clearly visible.

“Don’t I look like a man to you anymore?”

For some reason, she couldn’t move a single finger. The atmosphere she felt for a fleeting moment reminded her of when their eyes first met in the mountains.

He lifted his head and pressed his temple with his index finger.

“I’m a deficient man with only one thing in my head.”

“…….”

“Your face.”

Yiyeon felt the plush sofa suddenly turn into a bed of thorns.

“You wouldn’t know how this feels, Ms. Yiyeon.”

“…….”

“It drives you crazy.”

He furrowed his brows deeply, as if suppressing something.

“All I have is the face of a woman I don’t know. And what if even that moves away?”

Yiyeon couldn’t take her eyes off Kwon Chaewoo’s face as he frowned and let out a cynical laugh. This shouldn’t be happening. This is truly absurd. He looked pathetic.

“I would want to become a bad husband.”

He reached out and gently stroked Yiyeon’s cheek. Her heart pounded. Out of fear, because his fingertips were cold, afraid he might be holding a rope or a syringe. Her heart hammered like someone who had just run a hundred-meter dash.

Chooja secretly muttered, watching Yiyeon’s stiff posture.

“Something unusual has come in.”

Chooja subtly pulled out her phone and searched for someone’s contact.

‘First, I need to find out exactly who Kwon Chaewoo is.’

That night.

Yiyeon remained alone on the first floor, using work as an excuse.

She was determined not to sleep with him tonight.

In fact, she wanted to close the door to the second floor, but before she could act on her resolve, the door lock was broken. It was almost certainly Kwon Chaewoo’s doing.

When she peeked into the room, the man was doing push-ups. His upper body was slick with sweat, and his lower body was loosely clad only in pants. He repeated the motion of lowering to the floor and rising like a machine, without his breathing faltering once.

His flat back, the deep indentation of his waistline, tense tendons, and consistently maintained speed. His recovery was alarmingly fast. Considering the vegetable-like state he had been in, lying helplessly, this discrepancy was unsettling.

‘Plants are comfortable, but beasts are troublesome.’

Ding, ding, ding.

“……!”

The clock bell, cutting through her wandering thoughts, rang.

Yiyeon quickly entered her bedroom, and even as she locked the door, she was breathless and her head throbbed. It was because she had been constantly pondering how to safely avoid tonight since sunset.

Sure enough, a moment later.

—Knock, knock.

“……!”

“Ms. Yiyeon.”

The man’s foot shadow appeared under the peeling paint of the door. This was the first time an old door, slightly ajar and not fully closed, had bothered her so much.

Yiyeon pulled the blanket over her head and curled into a ball.

‘Go away……!’

She repeated it to herself, as if chasing away a debt collector. But from her childhood experience, she knew. Such mercy would never be granted to her.

Rattle, rattle, the doorknob shook violently, as if it would fall off. Yiyeon bit her lower lip and desperately pretended to be asleep.

“Ms. Yiyeon, open the door.”

Her flesh trembled at his emotionless voice. If she had seen the man’s isolated eyes, she might have felt a little less emotional. But his muffled voice, like he was wearing a gas mask, was enough to frighten Yiyeon.

“…….”

“…….”

The silence was sharp as a needle. How many minutes passed like that? Creak, a friction sound came from the wooden floor.

Yiyeon instantly threw off the blanket she had pulled over herself. Only when she heard him moving away did she finally breathe freely.

How would he interpret this situation, where the person claiming to be his wife was avoiding her husband? But the moment the clock bell rang, her body moved before she had time to think.

It was the moment Yiyeon quietly got out of bed and put her ear to the door.

“Did you think I left?”

“……!”

She gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. As she stumbled backward, he continued.

“Where are you going? Come closer.”

Looking down, his foot shadow appeared again through the gap in the door. Kwon Chaewoo was probably seeing her shadow moving away as well.

Then what was that creaking sound earlier…….

Yiyeon pressed down on her pounding heart to calm herself.

“Come closer to the door. I can’t smell you, Ms. Yiyeon.”

“W-what……”

“Didn’t you know? You smell like wet grass, Ms. Yiyeon.”

—Thump!

Then the entire door vibrated. Yiyeon recoiled, as if dodging something hitting a cage. Perhaps due to the momentary vibration, the light bulb, which she hadn’t replaced, flickered out and then came back on. For some reason, her palms felt damp.

“If you’re not here, Ms. Yiyeon, I don’t know what I am.”

Kwon Chaewoo murmured, pressing his forehead against the door.

“Even with my limbs attached, it doesn’t feel real, like whether I’m even a person.”

Grrrr, creak. The sound of fingernails scratching the door brushed against her skin. Why did the bedroom, where she had fled from Kwon Chaewoo, feel like a trap? The man was like a ghost trying to enter this place, constantly tempting Yiyeon.

“So, tell me this isn’t a dream—”

He hit his forehead once more.

“Tell me I’m not crazy.”

“…….”

“Even an old story is fine. Even a pathetic story is fine, just give me the certainty that I existed.”

—Thump!

His breathing was ragged. Even without touching him, it felt like hot steam was rising.

Yiyeon knew he could easily break down this flimsy door and enter, but Kwon Chaewoo didn’t. No, he couldn’t. He just scratched the door, bumped into it, and groaned.

Then, an inexplicable shiver ran down her spine.

Kind, dignified, gentle…….

The evidence that the nonsense she had blurted out to suppress Kwon Chaewoo’s heinous nature had worked was right before her eyes.

The empty man was only taking shape because of Yiyeon. Realizing that fact, her chest rose and fell greatly.

“……Mr. Kwon Chaewoo.”

At her voice, the metallic doorknob rattled again. Yiyeon clasped her hands together and took a deep breath.

“I’m naked to scrub my body……!”

So, she was subtly hinting that he should be polite. At the same time, she was curious to see how far he was willing to obey her words.

“Shampoo got in my eyes, and they sting too.”

“…….”

“Don’t you think the situation is a bit bad for telling old stories?”

Suddenly, it became eerily quiet outside the door. Just moments ago, he had been shaking it violently like a typhoon. He completely withdrew his emotions and permeated the night air. It was a change in the blink of an eye.

Then, a deep, heavy voice echoed, “Yes.” It was a slightly delayed answer.

“Good night, for now.”

It was the words she wanted to hear so much, yet something felt off. Yiyeon rubbed her cold fingertips, not letting her guard down.