Flowers Are Bait Novel - Chapter 69

—I thought I was going to die worrying all night!

The phone blared so loudly that Yiyeon had to hold it far away and then bring it back to her ear. Occasional sniffling sounds could be heard, but she didn’t show it. The endless scolding finally ended after Chooja blew her nose with a pah.

—Still, Kwon Son-in-law called and said you were sleeping, and that you weren’t hurt anywhere except for a few scratches.

“Ah…”

—He spoke so gently and politely, saying not to worry.

For a moment, Chooja’s voice seemed to soften as if she were feigning innocence, then it turned fierce again.

—What heartless girl hasn’t even called, as if her finger was broken!

It had only been a few minutes since she woke up in a fright, seeing the sun high in the sky. More than the dozens of missed calls piled up on her phone, the empty space beside her was frightening, and she remained frozen. If Kwon Chaewoo hadn’t entered the hospital room just then, no one knew how much longer she would have stayed like that.

Yiyeon finally relaxed her stiff shoulders only after confirming that he was safely within her sight. Only then did the buzzing of her phone register in her ears, and she found the time to answer it. Yiyeon glanced at a shopping bag Kwon Chaewoo was holding and said,

“I’ll be right there. Today’s the memorial day, isn’t it?”

—Oh dear, it could have been your memorial day, but never mind! Don’t worry about me.

“No, I’ll be there soon. Don’t do it alone, come home.”

Yiyeon quickly ended the call and got up. The area between her legs ached every time she moved, but it wasn’t unbearable.

“…Where did you go?”

“Because Yiyeon can’t go out looking like that.”

He raised an eyebrow, casually scanning Yiyeon’s hospital gown. His brief glance felt as if it was strongly touching her naked flesh, which wasn’t even wearing underwear.

The man handed her a soft, light apricot-colored bra and panties, and Yiyeon quickly snatched them, hiding them behind her back.

“Where did you get the money?”

At her words, Kwon Chaewoo subtly crumpled his expression, as if swallowing a wry laugh.

“On my way, I saw someone who looked like our family doctor, so I charged it to them. The hospital basement has everything from daily necessities, you know.”

“Still… Chaewoo, you’re still a patient. You should have woken me up instead.”

Then, the man, who had approached her in the blink of an eye, strongly embraced Yiyeon’s waist.

“Don’t say such naive things anywhere else.”

“…!”

The moment his hot breath touched her neck, the area between her legs, which had been tormented all last night, throbbed as if pulsating. Her own body’s reflexive reaction to Kwon Chaewoo’s scent, breath, voice, and strong grip was utterly bewildering.

“The shape of your nipples, which are crushed by just this slight touch, is vivid before my eyes. How can I endure other bastards noticing and staring at the nipples I sucked and licked all night?”

Yiyeon’s eyes grew hot, so she simply buried her face in his broad embrace.

“I will absolutely never let Yiyeon go out alone without underwear on. Unless I’ve been shot in the head, what kind of husband would do something so heart-stopping?”

He gently stroked Yiyeon’s waist with a low voice.

“Chae-Chaewoo, you should rest a little more.”

“If you lie down with me.”

She quickly tried to change the subject as her mouth went dry, but it was no use. The man, who was burying his face in her slender neck and rubbing against her like a dog wagging its tail, only made her feel hotter.

“…I, I’ll stop by home and come back tonight.”

“I don’t like that.”

Suddenly, the grip on her waist tightened. At that, Yiyeon hesitated, then patted his back.

“Chaewoo, you’re not made of steel. You’re a living person. You’re young now, but you’ll get sick when you’re older. The recovery period might be boring, but at least don’t ignore this time.”

“…”

“And a hurt person, that night…, …even did that.”

“Did what?”

Kwon Chaewoo left a short kiss on Yiyeon’s neck, where a small vein had popped out from her lecturing.

“…It was swollen, but you kept going.”

A small resentment was embedded in her mumbled voice.

“Are you saying my shoulder was swollen, or Yiyeon’s hole was—”

“Both!”

She slapped the man’s back with a thwack.

Kwon Chaewoo found it hard to suppress the laughter that burst out like bells.

He loved everything about this woman. Her sense of responsibility for not abandoning the comatose man, her naivety that was easy to tease, her clumsy sex—everything was so lovable that he never wanted to let her go from his embrace. Whatever memories Kwon Chaewoo had lost, he didn’t regret any of them. He was convinced that he had gained something much greater.

“Pulling out your cock just because one side is swollen seems idiotic.”

“…Chaewoo, there’s a word called ‘manners’ in this world.”

Suddenly, he pulled his tightly pressed body away and looked down at Yiyeon.

“Doing it every day is more important than manners, to me.”

As she blinked in confusion, Kwon Chaewoo leaned down to meet her eye level.

“Did Yiyeon dislike it?”

His irises, which looked even lighter in the midday sun, shone luminously. Yiyeon momentarily forgot what she was going to say and stared blankly at his amber pupils, which spread like pollen.

“…I didn’t dis-like it, but it hurts afterwards.”

“Is that because I acted like a virgin?”

Suddenly, Kwon Chaewoo’s brow furrowed deeply.

“I don’t want to compare… but have I gotten much worse?”

“…”

Yiyeon couldn’t find a suitable answer, and he became subtly anxious.

“I don’t know much anyway, so I just fucked like a dog without any technique, right? If Yiyeon wants it, I’ll learn manners first. If I fuck ten times, I’ll do it five times, and if I do it five times, I’ll reduce it to three, ha… Will it get better?”

The man closed his eyes tightly, as if uttering a curse.

“That’s not it!”

Yiyeon exclaimed, her face flushed.

“It’s not that, it’s not because of you, Chaewoo…!”

“Not?”

“It’s just… because it’s too big, I just wanted you to go a little gentler…”

“As expected, don’t go out.”

Kwon Chaewoo, who had been acting anxious just a moment ago, suddenly fixed his gaze on her and smacked his lips.

“If you can’t do that, I’ll get discharged too.”

Ultimately, the two, who had used the VIP room like a motel for just one night, headed home.

Today was the memorial day for Chooja’s third husband, Yiyeon’s distant uncle. Among Chooja’s deceased husbands, he was the only one whose memorial service she meticulously prepared. The scent of frying jeon was already wafting from outside the gate, making her mouth water shamelessly.

Arriving at the house, she saw a row of stones laid out, brushing her feet like ants. Yiyeon picked up some cute stones with stag beetles and water beetles drawn on them and put them in her pocket. To others, this playful arrangement might seem like a mere coincidence, but to Yiyeon’s eyes, it reflected deep concern.

She knew that it was Gyubaek’s own way of expressing himself. Even a small child expressed his feelings so actively…

“This is really not right.”

Yiyeon glared disapprovingly at the large figure following her.

“Chaewoo, you need more rest, if you overdo it, something really bad will happen!”

She kept glancing at Kwon Chaewoo’s broken forehead, wetting her lips. Some might call it a minor injury, but for Yiyeon, who had personally experienced a sudden rupture, the wound felt like a damaged electrical wire.

That fleeting encounter was an unexpected blow.

Yiyeon wore fear like a bomb vest. The man who tried to kill her might return.

The moment that vague premonition became reality. Yiyeon’s hourglass poured even more steeply.

“Yiyeon, you said it to me too. To take you anywhere. I feel the same way.”

“That and—”

“Don’t even say this is different.”

“…But Chaewoo, you rejected my words outright!”

As Yiyeon gasped for breath, he cut her off with a firm tone.

“I did it to live.”

Suddenly, her discontented breaths stopped abruptly.

“Because if I didn’t, I felt like I would die. Prioritizing Yiyeon means that to me.”

He frowned, looking somewhat tired, and firmly grasped Yiyeon’s hand.

“I just instinctively save you and chase you every moment. Sometimes it might seem selfish, but what can I do when Yiyeon is already the standard of my world? Can’t you pity me?”

“…”

But when she didn’t budge, Kwon Chaewoo’s broad shoulders drooped.

“As expected, because I’m a virgin who’s clumsy at sex—”

“When we go inside, you must lie down!”

The fire that started in her hand quickly spread to her heart. Startled by the heat, Yiyeon hastily opened the gate and practically ran inside.

If it weren’t for the occasional stinging scratches on her face, the events of yesterday would feel unreal, like a dream. News of the landslide in Hwaido echoed on local news all day, and jeeps carrying soldiers to be deployed for rescue operations continuously crossed the roads. Amidst such a chaotic situation, Yiyeon’s emotions could remain calm and steady because—

“Yiyeon, let’s go together.”

It must be because of her perfectly restored daily life.

Upon entering the house, a modest but affectionate memorial table came into view. Chooja, rather than being bound by tradition, filled the table with memories.

The bland coffee her uncle loved, the kimchi jeon Chooja, with her poor cooking skills, had burned, undercooked rice, an old poetry book. And even the smile of an aging woman, which her uncle, despite battling illness, never let go of until the very end.

“Chooja, I’m here.”

Though it was an annual memorial day, Yiyeon always thought Chooja’s expression was peculiar. The face of a woman who lived with short days held in her heart was enough to confuse Yiyeon about what love truly was.

But for the first time, Yiyeon—

It felt like she could glimpse her future in Chooja’s face.