Flowers Are Bait Novel - Chapter 59

No.”

The word came out immediately, without passing through her mind, in her haste.

Just then, the front door opened, and a neatly dressed Kwon Chaewoo immediately found Yiyeon and fixed his gaze on her.

It wasn’t like she was caught doing something bad, but her heart strangely pounded. As she fidgeted unnecessarily, the man calmly walked towards her.

Meanwhile, Joo Dongmi’s face brightened as if she had finally found her prey.

“Hello—! I came here with business for you.”

Her eyes held intense greed and an inexplicable weariness.

But Kwon Chaewoo merely glanced at her with an expressionless face, offering no reply. It was Yiyeon who felt embarrassed by his blatant disregard.

The moment Yiyeon clenched and unclenched her palms, about to speak, the man’s scent suddenly drew closer.

“Why are you out here when you’re not feeling well?”

He draped the cardigan he had brought from the house over Yiyeon and subtly stroked her neck with his rough, warm palm. It was an affectionate skinship only shared by those who had done more intimate things. At that small but intense touch, she straightened her back.

“Director, are you sick?”

“No, no. More importantly, what business…?”

As Yiyeon awkwardly pulled up the corners of her mouth, Joo Dongmi exclaimed, “Ah-ha,” and handed her a business card.

“Let me reintroduce myself. I am Joo Dongmi, working in the Mammal Team at the Wild Animal Rescue Center.”

Her hungry gaze fixed squarely on Kwon Chaewoo.

“I came here to scout you.”

Yiyeon’s eyes widened at the unexpected words. She subtly nudged Kwon Chaewoo’s side with her elbow, and he reluctantly took the business card. However, the man’s eyes were as indifferent as if looking at a fallen leaf on the ground.

“That’s what I was going to say at the congratulatory party last time. Though you weren’t listening then.”

Remembering how she had been treated like a mere backdrop, Joo Dongmi scratched somewhere under her chin.

“Would you be interested in working with us?”

Joo Dongmi was frustrated watching the man who didn’t listen to her voice even a tiny bit.

His gaze was entirely focused on Director So Yiyeon, who was innocent and pretty. It was almost frightening how he stared unmoving, as if counting each of her eyelashes.

Suddenly, Joo Dongmi narrowed her eyes, observing the peculiar food chain, and acted boldly.

“Your stamina, quick reflexes, and resourcefulness—I covet all of them.”

She truly coveted him the moment she saw him. Of course, it was personal at first, but she didn’t have a habit of pining after unsuitable men.

It was proven every time they met that he was completely smitten with the small woman.

‘Besides, that’s…’

Joo Dongmi clicked her tongue quietly.

He had the nature of a Korean Jindo dog that, once it bites, never lets go, even if it means tearing off flesh. Look at those focused eyes. They’re already gleaming with a polished ferocity; if you mess with him, it’s over.

Having been bitten by countless animals while working in the field, Joo Dongmi’s instincts were stronger than her intellect.

Still—

She wanted to pass on her position as the youngest, having worked at the center for a full eight years since she was twenty-four, to that man.

Hwaido, with its many mountains and thus many wild animals, critically lacked personnel. A man living in Hwaido. No, more precisely, a young, strong man living on the island, currently unemployed…! What a rare talent he was!

At some point, the people at the center became desperate to find their junior, and among them, Joo Dongmi was the most frantic.

“Of course, you’d need to get basic training or a license, but I’ll help you with all of that. It’s fine even if you just follow along with an axe or a stake like last time. Just bring those arms. Then this senior will take care of everything. So just…”

Just as she was about to beg, losing face, Joo Dongmi’s eyes caught Yiyeon. The only person who was listening intently to her words, her innocent eyes wide like a calf’s.

Halt, Joo Dongmi’s tongue froze.

She mulled over the suspicious atmosphere between the two, then grinned, showing her snaggletooth.

“Director, when do you find a man most attractive?”

“…Me?”

Yiyeon, surprised by the sudden question, pointed to herself with her fingertip.

“Yes, nowadays, family-oriented men are popular, but that doesn’t mean they’re unemployed.”

“That’s right.”

Yiyeon nodded.

“But if he earns good money, but it’s from illegal work, that’s also problematic.”

Yiyeon nodded even more vigorously.

“Wouldn’t you want to give everything to a man who does good work, with a sense of mission, if possible?”

“Ohh…”

As Yiyeon deeply admired, as if realizing something, Kwon Chaewoo’s expression changed completely. His gaze, which had only contained Yiyeon, shattered and finally turned sharply to Joo Dongmi. Even with just that change, the surrounding atmosphere hardened like thin ice.

‘Could I even make him my junior?’

A momentary regret flashed through her, but Joo Dongmi, as if provoking him, delivered the final blow.

“Isn’t that the basic requirement for a man to be loved? A man who is only strong at night is merely a spectacle, but a man who is excellent during the day earns his wife’s respect.”

However, the one who reacted immediately was not the man she had expected, but Yiyeon.

“But Mr. Kwon Chaewoo… his head, no, his body isn’t very well.”

Joo Dongmi finally learned the man’s name, which she had so wanted to hear, but felt no particular emotion.

“If he runs around too much, or lifts heavy things, or does dangerous work…”

Yiyeon turned her head and subtly glanced at Kwon Chaewoo.

“His condition might get worse.”

She shouldn’t let the man, who was trying to start anew, wield an axe or anything like that again. Of course, she had decided not to deny Kwon Chaewoo’s nature in the drug field, but that kind of thing should only come out in emergencies; it would be troublesome if it consumed his daily life entirely.

“And he’s not used to organizational life either… I think I’ll have to keep him at home for a while, so I’m sorry about that.”

She tried her best to avoid any words that might be critical, knowing he was impatient, extremely radical, and wouldn’t listen to others.

Nevertheless, Kwon Chaewoo, who had been frowning intently, hardened his face even more at her gentle shield. He even crossed his arms and tilted his head as if displeased.

His tensed forearms and sharp gaze pressed her. Yiyeon unnecessarily stroked one of her cheeks.

“Why, why?”

“I was a little confused. Being wrapped up in your skirt is great, but—”

She swallowed dryly, her lips pressed tightly together.

“You don’t have any expectations of me, honestly, it’s frustrating.”

“That’s…!”

Suddenly, he pulled Yiyeon’s head from behind. Sparks flew from the eyes that met hers head-on.

“It seems I wanted your attention, not your protection, Ms. Yiyeon.”

“…!”

His gaze, intensely pressing, was serious, making her forget to breathe for a moment. Kwon Chaewoo, in that same posture, informed Joo Dongmi.

“I will discuss it with my wife and contact you.”

And that was also an order for her to leave the house.

He was called a parasite by Gyu-baek, financially suppressed by Kwon Giseok, and now a woman he barely knew was irritating him. Moreover, his only wife, then and now…

At that moment, Joo Dongmi looked back and forth between the two with blank eyes.

“…Wife? Who are you talking about? Surely… Director?”

Yiyeon creaked her head around and managed a smile, making Joo Dongmi gape.

“He was your husband?!”

She liked the “penis” remark, but at the word “husband,” she was utterly horrified and jumped. Joo Dongmi’s face visibly paled and stiffened in real-time. Yiyeon awkwardly poked the ground, feeling embarrassed.

‘Director, why did you do that?!’

That, that, that guy, just by his eyes and actions, he’s clearly not an easy one…!

‘Shouldn’t innocent people meet innocent people?’

However, Joo Dongmi had no hobby of trying to break up married couples, so she simply slumped her shoulders and turned to leave.

Soon, the gate slammed shut, and silence fell over the garden.

“Ms. Yiyeon, am I embarrassing to you?”

“Huh?”

Once the guest was gone, Kwon Chaewoo asked more explicitly.

“Just tell me you’re embarrassed of me because I have no clear ability or job. Otherwise—”

Her mouth went dry at his threat, spoken with a grimace as if in pain.

“Because I can guess the other reason, and it’s making my stomach twist.”

Kwon Chaewoo devoured Yiyeon’s trembling eyes, not missing a single moment.

There was only one truth. So Yiyeon didn’t trust him, then or now.

“It’s fine if you hover over me, and it’s fine if you try to keep me confined here. I have no complaints.”

He grabbed Yiyeon’s nape with his free hand and squeezed it as if scolding her.

“Instead, the reason should have been affection. At least you should trust me. Ms. Yiyeon, you act like I’ll grow horrible crocodile scales if you let me out by the water.”

“…!”

“You promised yesterday. That you’d try. That I’d let go and bury it myself. Did those words sound easy? Did they sound like empty words?”

Yiyeon felt like she understood what Kwon Chaewoo was pointing out. He was scolding Yiyeon for worrying in advance about him finding his memories, and for not trusting him afterward. But—

‘No, that’s not it… I was jealous.’

Yiyeon, her face flushed, clutched her pants as if crumpling them.

“Are you going to live your whole life trembling with anxiety like that? What about your husband’s feelings, who has to see that every moment? Ms. Yiyeon, you don’t seem to understand the weight of my words at all.”

He scolded Yiyeon with cold eyes, furrowing his brow.

“Even if my past self returns, why would we change? I’m so devoted to you, Ms. Yiyeon. What exactly are you so afraid of?”

It was the moment the man, suppressing his simmering anger, simultaneously revealed his sorrow. Her heart thumped loudly. She couldn’t help but think it was unfair to see such a face head-on.

“I’m sorry…!”

Yiyeon, her cheeks flushed, quickly exclaimed.

“Because I’m petty… because my capacity is only as big as a soy sauce dish, I acted cowardly!”