Flowers Are Bait Novel - Chapter 25

“Are you telling me not to read the book?”

He turned his head and looked down at Yeon. His intense gaze was suffocatingly calm.

“Huh? What did I…”

“What man could do anything else in bed when his wife is staring at him like that?”

He let out a strange sigh and massaged the back of his neck.

“It’s not that, I just can’t sleep…!”

The man gazed intently into her wide-awake eyes and put down the book.

“Then Ms. Yeon, tell me a story.”

“What kind?”

“A story about the two of us. For example, our first—”

“—night?”

Kwon Chaewoo completely turned over to face her. His subtly twitching eyebrow looked displeased.

“Not that, our first meeting.”

“…”

“I don’t want to hear about a kid who just finishes quickly.”

She cleared her throat. The man in the black raincoat holding a shovel. Around him… Yeon tried hard to erase the image that immediately came to mind.

“…We met in the mountains. I dropped something, and Mr. Kwon Chaewoo kindly chased after me to give it back. That was the beginning.”

Fortunately, it didn’t take much effort to change the genre and adapt the story.

“Classic.”

“Yes, ah, it was a very classic meeting.”

“It wasn’t a handkerchief, was it?”

Yeon smiled shyly at the man who asked playfully. It was my favorite electric saw. She swallowed those words.

“It was just a small comb.”

He also smiled faintly. Was he picturing their first meeting in his mind? Seeing the man with his eyes softly crinkled, her mouth suddenly tasted bitter.

‘From now on, Ms. Yeon will have to show a more faithful side. If we truly married out of love.’

Indeed, lies impulsively patched up were precarious. Kwon Chaewoo seemed to accept them readily, but sometimes he sent chills down her spine.

That meant he hadn’t stopped exploring. And so, more sincere and earnest lies became necessary.

It was one problem after another.

“Is it Gamunbi Hospital?”

Finally, it was the day of the first tournament’s public judging.

“Yes, we’re here!”

Yeon exhaled short, sharp breaths like a boxer and raised her hand.

Behind them was a dense, sloping forest with a two-lane road. The people gathered there were all staring up at a 30-meter-tall ginkgo tree, their mouths agape.

Its abnormally extended branches looked precarious even at a glance. Moreover, the surrounding trees were also subtly leaning to accommodate this problematic tree, which was serious.

“Is it Director So Yi-yeon and two others?”

“Yes. …Yes?!”

She turned her head to look at the supervisor.

“Two people?”

Of course, in her heart, it was a prestigious hospital consisting of tree doctor So Yi-yeon, tree therapist Gye Chooja, floral decorator Kwon Chaewoo, and entomologist Lee Gyu-baek, but in reality, it was just two women barely managing to pay the electricity bill.

But a formally registered employee besides Chooja, who could he be talking about…?

“It says Mr. Kwon Chaewoo here.”

I, the owner, never officially registered anyone…

Yeon froze, bewildered, but then quickly snapped to attention. Kwon Chaewoo was watching her intently right beside her. She was anxious that he, being perceptive, might notice her agitation.

“Yes, yes… That’s right. It’s correct.”

Yeon smoothed her face and smiled.

Actually, it wasn’t entirely unpredictable. If someone had secretly pulled strings, only one person came to mind.

That man.

Kwon Chaewoo’s brother, Kwon Giseok.

Yeon pressed her pale forehead and closed her eyes. The man who revealed his presence whenever she thought she had forgotten him. Suddenly, her breath quickened.

—Ms. So Yi-yeon, have you been well?

He called Yeon every three months. She knew it was firewood meant to keep her tension burning. Just hearing his voice brought back the memory of that night’s threat.

As the calls accumulated, at some point, Yeon genuinely stopped having other intentions. It was complete submission.

‘As expected… phone calls weren’t the only means of surveillance.’

Her heart pounded throughout her body.

‘When will my shackles finally be released…?’

When Kwon Chaewoo was in a vegetative state, she wasn’t this exhausted. It had no impact on her daily life.

Not only the nursing but also all the expenses were handled by his side, and there was a separate back entrance, so it didn’t overlap with Yeon’s living space.

As if that night was just a dream, Yeon quickly returned to her routine. Sometimes, it was even peaceful.

It was fortunate that she came out of that slaughterhouse without losing even a finger. Sometimes, the man in the vegetative state on the second floor seemed like a lifeline.

To his brother, Yeon was a hostage, and to Yeon, Kwon Chaewoo was a hostage.

But everything changed when he woke up.

After Kwon Chaewoo woke up, Yeon began to harbor suspicions towards Kwon Giseok. Could such a person have achieved nothing for two years?

Perhaps she had foolishly walked into a fabricated prison.

“Ms. Yeon.”

Kwon Chaewoo’s hand unconsciously lifted Yeon’s face. His warm palm gently thawed her stiff cheek.

“Lift your head. The judging has started.”

“…Ah.”

She bit the tip of her tongue slightly at the warmth that roused her. Immediately, the signal “Starting with Green Tree Hospital!” was given.

Yeon clasped her hands together and stretched her arms out. Worrying about an unanswerable problem now was useless.

Soon, the recording camera began to roll.

The director of Green Hospital, along with one staff member, tied ropes around their waists. Ready, he then grabbed the necessary saw for pruning and began to climb the tree.

Green Hospital proceeded without hesitation, and Yeon subtly gripped her pants as she watched them.

Just then, a sharp sigh pierced Yeon’s ear.

“I’m, I’m finding it hard, to understand right now.”

Each stiffly broken word was as stern as a switch.

“Are you saying Ms. Yeon is going to do that?”

His face, when she looked at it, was utterly contorted.

Since she hadn’t told Kwon Chaewoo about the judging content, he naturally wouldn’t have known. Yeon shrugged her shoulders and shaded her eyes with her hand. Her gaze, looking up at the sky, was quite serious.

“I don’t have a fear of heights.”

“That’s not the problem, it’s dangerous.”

“But I have to. I’m good at climbing trees, like a monkey.”

“…”

Kwon Chaewoo’s eyebrows sharply twisted upwards. He barely managed to swallow the irritable words that spread like wildfire.

Good at climbing trees, indeed. Despite being pale as a ghost.

Even though it was obvious she was nervous, Yeon stubbornly pretended to be fine. Her pants were so wrinkled from how tightly she was gripping them.

“…!”

How many minutes had passed like that?

Suddenly, there was a commotion from above. The director of Green Hospital was coming down without even being able to turn towards the branches.

The Green Hospital staff sighed regretfully, but the director resolutely shook his head. As soon as he landed, he let out a laugh of disbelief.

It was a bland surrender.

“This is like telling someone to die or something…”

He muttered that and looked at Yeon.

“Director So, think carefully before you do it. The branches are much more bent than I thought, you can’t climb onto them.”

Yeon swallowed dryly. Just then, Chooja, who was beside her, also began to dissuade her with a look that said, this isn’t right.

“Director, shouldn’t we just forfeit too?”

“…”

“What if you rush in for nothing and there’s an accident? Even if we don’t make money, we shouldn’t at least do something that causes a loss. Let’s just forfeit like them and—”

“Then we’ll be immediately eliminated.”

Yeon’s eyes were very resolute. At that, Chooja snorted and reminded her of her past.

“Who was it that said they hated cameras coming?!”

“…It’s because I can do it well enough.”

Yeon mumbled, avoiding Chooja’s gaze.

“Do you really have to take risks like this? If you just say a few words you don’t mean, customers will follow like a string of candies!”

“That possibility seems almost non-existent…”

No, you can do it too. Aren’t you the woman who even managed to win over Kwon Chaewoo? As Chooja secretly winked, Yeon, understanding the meaning, bowed her head deeply and fiddled with her earlobe.

“Gamunbi, are you ready?”

The person in charge, who was taking notes on a tablet, called Yeon.

Kwon Chaewoo blocked her as she was about to step forward and took the rope from above her head.

“Ms. Yeon, it’s not too late yet.”

“Give it back!”

She raised her heels and stretched out her arm.

“If you go home with me like this, I’ll give it to you.”

“Are you kidding?”

“It would be a relief if I were kidding. Why are you so fearless?”

Kwon Chaewoo twisted his mouth mockingly. It was rare for him to show such negative emotions, so Yeon faltered.