Flowers Are Bait Novel - Chapter 131

Chirp, chirp, she opened her eyes to the pleasant sound of birds, and her mind was clear. Yiyeon rubbed her tired eyes and tried to piece together her fragmented memories.

The memory of suffering all night was vague. The wet towel that wiped her forehead and body, the warm embrace that enveloped her throughout her sleep, the cool water that flowed in regularly every hour, and the soft touch and gentle tongue that met hers each time.

‘…What on earth happened last night?’

Just then, the door opened, and Kwon Chaewoo, dressed in comfortable indoor clothes, walked in.

As she was lost in thought with a disheveled face, her eyes met his, and Yiyeon immediately realized whose scent was ingrained in her pajamas.

Her face flushed, and she couldn’t say anything, but he came and sat by the bed.

“Can you eat?”

The man naturally reached out and touched her forehead. Yiyeon was speechless again at his every action, which seemed so familiar. Was she still dreaming? As she slowly blinked, Kwon Chaewoo tilted his head.

“The fever’s gone now.”

“…Why, why are you here—”

“Don’t you remember?”

“……”

“Of course, you weren’t trapped, and you didn’t trap me either.”

It was a distant phrase she had heard many times before.

‘Did I trap you? Or did you trap me?’

As expected, a strange smile formed on his lips.

“Ms. Yiyeon is just a patient, and you were out all night and just woke up now.”

‘He, Mr. Kwon Chaewoo was just a patient. He was lying down for a long time and just woke up now.’

Yiyeon fidgeted with her ear, avoiding the man who was somehow difficult to look at.

The last thing she remembered was looking for her phone to call Chooja-ssi. What on earth did she babble? She must have said a lot of nonsense.

She seemed to have flinched at the wet towel in between, or perhaps she had frantically cursed the Kwon family instead of saying it hurt whenever water was forcibly poured down her throat.

“…I remember roughly.”

Yiyeon scratched her forehead and lowered her head. Immediately, a low voice followed.

“They say there’s nothing wrong with your body. It’s just… you overexerted yourself with your weak body.”

“……”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“About what?”

“That…”

Kwon Chaewoo hesitated uncharacteristically.

Just a moment ago, he had confirmed Yiyeon’s pregnancy with the resident doctor and was on his way back.

He ran a hand over his face, which showed he hadn’t slept all night, and hid his terribly trembling hands. His eyes, fixed on Yiyeon, wavered endlessly.

“That you wanted home-cooked meals.”

—Sizzle!

Yiyeon, as if enchanted by his offer to prepare a feast, followed him and kept lingering near the kitchen.

He skillfully completed dishes from grilled dried pollack to spicy stir-fried pork, soybean paste stew, rolled omelet, seasoned seaweed, and tomato sauce cabbage rolls.

“Taste it a bit, just taste it.”

“Do you not trust me?”

Kwon Chaewoo, wearing a mask because the smell of food was bothersome, was rolling up an egg. Perhaps his discomfort all this time was also due to Yiyeon’s pregnancy. It was a rare case, but not unheard of.

“The last time I ate your cooking, it had no seasoning at all. Salty, salty…”

Yiyeon recalled the side dishes she had to throw away, unable to finish them.

“But Ms. Yiyeon, you never used to have a big appetite.”

“…I’ve been so stressed since I came here. I relieve it by eating. Yes…”

Kwon Chaewoo looked meaningfully at Yiyeon, who was repeating her lie again. But it didn’t matter anymore. A dog, after all, had to follow its shepherd, and he wanted to suck on her irritating, lying lips until he died, satisfied.

Yoon Jooha’s death was the Kwon family’s long-standing karma and responsibility, not a girl’s doing. He would no longer point fingers at Yiyeon’s kindness and ignorance.

What had remained unanswered after a thousand calculations in his head became so clear the moment he completely knelt before her.

The twisted inertia of doubting her and his own feelings crumbled like a sandcastle in the face of the fear of completely losing Yiyeon.

What was important was the hidden secret of who, and how, Yoon Jooha, who had come to find her young son on her own, had been led to her death.

Therefore, the ownerless dog now…

“Ugh…”

He clenched his lips tightly and suppressed his nausea.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ugh…!”

“What is it, is it still tasteless this time too?!”

Yiyeon, rather than worrying about the man who was retching, glared at him sharply and pressed him as if accusing him.

The abandoned dog now, to return under its owner…

“Ugh…!”

“Don’t ruin the meal for nothing, get out of the way!”

Yiyeon mercilessly pushed Kwon Chaewoo, and he felt his difficult future darken before his eyes.

Yiyeon swallowed her saliva repeatedly, overwhelmed with emotion at the generously prepared meal.

She didn’t know how it would taste, but his skill in filling the table seemed unchanged. But was it right for the young master to be doing this?

She ate a spoonful of rice, not letting her guard down until the end, and then devoured the meal.

Nothing special, just a plain, ordinary taste. But it was the rice she always ate in Hwaido. The meal that washed away her sorrow of always having to eat leftovers since childhood, the meal that made every day happy.

The meal her fake husband had painstakingly prepared for her every morning. Unbelievably, it was the exact taste she had longed for.

“Is Ms. So Yiyeon here?”

A neatly dressed old gentleman suddenly came to her, who was sitting blankly in the office, savoring her breakfast.

“Who… are you?”

“Director Kwon wishes to see you now.”

“……!”

Her body, which had been enveloped in warmth, suddenly chilled.

Soon, Yiyeon had just arrived in front of Kwon Giseok’s study, following the old man, who was the mansion’s general manager.

She stood in front of the heavy door and took a deep breath. When the old man knocked twice concisely, a short voice from inside said, “Come in.”

As she entered, a heavy, woody scent hung sharply in the air, pressing down on her. Kwon Giseok, who had been leaning against a large executive desk and looking through documents, put down the pile of papers and crossed his arms.

“Ms. So Yiyeon.”

“Yes.”

“As you may have heard, the Hwaido project has ended.”

“Ah…”

The moment she heard the word Hwaido, she thought of the final evaluation. As it was the first project she had truly desired, a bitter taste spread in her mouth. She had temporarily forgotten about it due to the constant commotion of her daily life.

“It was finally awarded to D Hospital, run by Director Jo Kyung-cheon. Since he’s also from Hwaido, perhaps you know him.”

Yiyeon nodded with an awkward smile.

“The opening date for Hwaido has also been confirmed, and a large commemorative ceremony will be held. Our Hydrangea Pharmaceutical will host the party as Hwaido’s largest investor, and at the same time, we will unveil a new drug that we have been researching for a long time.”

Startled by the mention of Hydrangea Pharmaceutical for a moment, Kwon Giseok pressed his tired nose bridge and approached her.

“Ms. So Yiyeon, you will need to attend that day as my partner.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you say, Ms. So Yiyeon? That you are a skilled tree doctor who made it to the 4th round of the Hwaido project.”

“……!”

“Since you were also a participant in the evaluation. I would definitely like to have you as my partner.”

No matter how she thought about it, it was too sudden a request. Yiyeon’s brows furrowed slightly.

“I’m a little… taken aback.”

“Is that so.”

Kwon Giseok’s voice was nonchalant, as if he had fully expected Yiyeon’s refusal.

“Yes, I remember that wasn’t in the contract in the first place.”

It was then that Kwon Giseok, wearing an uncharacteristic smile, suddenly placed his hand on her belly.

“Even with this?”

“……!”

His eyes, met at close range, were pitch black.

Her breath scattered uncontrollably, and her legs lost strength. As she barely managed to swallow the urge to scream, it felt as if she was freezing from her esophagus to her stomach.

“Did you think I didn’t know?”

“……!”

“That’s surprising.”

She didn’t need to look in a mirror to know her face was pale.

“Chaewoo might not know, but I do not.”

“W-when did you…?”

The only words a person caught off guard could utter were useless questions.

“If you need obstetrician photos, just say the word. I have a few pretty ones from back then.”

“……!”

From Hwaido? Yiyeon’s breathing became increasingly ragged. His inhuman body temperature, his wristwatch like snake skin. Yiyeon was enduring the shock of her world crumbling before her eyes and instinctively grabbed Kwon Giseok’s wrist.

“What are you doing right now?”

At that moment, Kwon Chaewoo, who coincidentally opened the door and entered, was leaning askew against the doorframe.

His gaze, alternating between Kwon Giseok touching Yiyeon’s belly and her gently holding his hand, was chillingly sharp like a blade.

The man gasped, but at the same time, he was extremely calm. Kwon Chaewoo sauntered over and mercilessly pulled apart their intertwined hands.

“Ugh…!”

Kwon Chaewoo immediately pulled Yiyeon out.

The man, coldly hardened, strode down the hallway, rubbing Yiyeon’s hand roughly against his shirt. The recent two-shot, like a newlywed couple, was branded in his mind. Kwon Chaewoo muttered a low curse and clenched his molars.

“Ah, it hurts…!”

At her tearful plea, he stopped abruptly. In the silent hallway, only their similarly ragged breaths mingled.

“I’m sorry.”

Kwon Chaewoo, at a loss, repeatedly rubbed Yiyeon’s reddened wrist.

“…I already knew you had a bad temper.”

Yiyeon was about to snap a retort at him but was suddenly speechless.

“Why, why do you look like that?”

Kwon Chaewoo’s eyes were tinged red. He looked somewhat anxious, then cold, then pale again as if choked. Each time he blinked, all sorts of heavy emotions oozed out stickily.

“…I lost.”

“What?”

“I was wrong.”

The man’s voice, with his head bowed deeply, trembled.

“From now on, for the rest of your life, live by driving nails into me.”

“……!”

“You can raise me like a plant again, and you can lie to me until the moment I die.”

“……”

“I won’t hurt you with force. I won’t be coercive like this again. Never, never again. So—”

Kwon Chaewoo raised his bloodshot eyes, which had burst capillaries, and looked at her pleadingly.

“Please, just comfort me.”