Flowers Are Bait Novel - Chapter 80

“…!”

Those three letters abruptly struck her head. Yiyeon rubbed her forehead as if she had run into a utility pole, then put her phone back in her pocket. Despite the roomy pocket, she fumbled several times.

Was it because this was the first time something like this had happened? What was the big deal about not answering a single call, yet her heart was kicking against her chest with all its might.

Come to think of it, wasn’t her subservience, always answering Kwon Giseok’s calls as if he were her master, the bigger problem?

Just then, the persistent vibration stopped. She was on edge, wondering if he would call endlessly until she answered, but the phone didn’t ring again.

“Director, this is like completely stuffing a person’s nostrils with dirt.”

“Ah…!”

“First, I’ll dig out some of the dirt.”

“Huh?”

The site director, who had been listening to her explanation, tilted his head, looking behind her.

“…Was someone from the construction company supposed to come today?”

The director frowned, showing subtle annoyance. It was the moment Yiyeon, hearing his muttering, also turned around.

A luxurious sedan, without a single flaw, glided to a silent stop.

Just then, her phone vibrated again. The car’s rear door opened, and Kwon Giseok appeared in sequence: black shoes, a suit, and silver-rimmed glasses. He held the phone to his ear, looking directly at Yiyeon.

“…”

“…”

This was the first time they had met face-to-face since that night two years ago. Buzz, buzz. The vibration, hitting her thigh through the thin fabric of her pants, hurt.

Yiyeon unconsciously flinched her leg back. Kwon Giseok scanned her impassively, then demonstratively ended the call.

“If you don’t want to answer, get in.”

He gestured with his head towards the car. Perhaps due to her victim mentality, she felt as if she heard the words, ‘Do it nicely.’

“Director… I’ll just be a moment—”

“Who’s that fella?”

Just then, Chooja, who was preparing the work well, interrupted with a serious face.

“He’s Chaewoo’s brother.”

Yiyeon whispered, and Chooja pulled her hat brim low, asking in a ventriloquist’s voice, “That blackmailer?” Yiyeon nodded, confirming it, and Chooja exclaimed, “Whoa…!” , clicking her tongue.

“Both brothers are something else.”

“…Chooja, I’ll be away for a moment, so please prepare the IV drip in advance.”

“What if something bad happens to you? I’ll bring a police officer.”

“It’s no use.”

“Huh?”

This oppressive aura from all directions was not unfamiliar. In the end, Yiyeon was dragged towards the car.

Inside the car, subtly permeated with the smell of cigars.

Yiyeon placed her hands neatly on her knees. Kwon Giseok leaned deep into the seat, pressing the bridge of his nose, and through his slightly loosened glasses, his bare face was visible. She quickly turned her head away, as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.

He acted as if he had no interest after picking her up. However, his emotionless voice was directed precisely at her.

“We’ve caught the real culprit.”

Her eyes widened.

“…Caught the real culprit?”

Yiyeon stared at him, not even blinking, as if she couldn’t believe it.

It was something she had somewhat given up on. She had thought that he, who had abducted her without warning and even forced her signature, wouldn’t fail to catch a single culprit with such initiative. After a year, and then another year, Yiyeon had somewhat resigned herself.

Sometimes, by the logic of power, unprovoked misfortune could strike. Yiyeon had thought she had suffered such an accident. As if she had acquired a lifelong disability, she had been saddled with Kwon Chaewoo. She had suppressed her feelings like that until the man woke up.

“It took a long time to find him within the organization.”

He opened the console box in the back seat and handed her a document. It was a file containing the culprit’s face and basic personal information.

The memory from two years ago was hazy, but seeing the photo, she recognized him instantly. It was definitely the face of the man who had been burying her alive, who had decisively struck Kwon Chaewoo’s head repeatedly, rendering him unconscious.

She was so bewildered by the unexpected gain that the rest of the text didn’t properly register in her eyes.

“Our retribution will now be directed at that culprit, not Ms. So Yiyeon.”

Suddenly, the smell of a pig carcass seemed to waft to her nose. No matter how gentlemanly his attire, Yiyeon knew how thin that veneer was.

“As of this moment, Ms. So Yiyeon, you are free.”

“…!”

For a moment, her breath stopped, and her heart pounded wildly. The liberation Yiyeon had so desperately desired. The moment she was finally free from someone’s surveillance and threats. She gripped her knees tightly with sweaty palms. The absurd charges would disappear, the shackles would be unbound, and she would finally escape the fear of her life being held hostage. It was right before her eyes.

But the intense euphoria that had surged suddenly cooled. She felt strangely uneasy. Not the relief of it finally being over, but a sudden feeling of something being taken away.

As Yiyeon remained frozen, unable to answer, Kwon Giseok turned his body to face her.

As he moved, the leather seat made a grinding sound, like teeth gnashing.

“I will take Chaewoo back.”

“…!”

“You’ve suffered a lot during this time, Ms. So Yiyeon.”

“…Wait, just, just a moment.”

At his declarative words, Yiyeon finally realized what she had missed.

“What do you mean, suddenly?”

“Is there a problem? The contract should have expired.”

“To just decide to entrust him, and then take him back like this…! How can you do this?”

Yiyeon momentarily suppressed her surging emotions and continued calmly. However, the uncontrollably trembling voice couldn’t be hidden. Her body shivered somewhere, though it wasn’t cold. It must have been due to Kwon Giseok’s reptilian gaze, which stared at her coldly.

“We merely made a transaction for our mutual benefit. Or should I have thrown Ms. So Yiyeon into prison back then?”

“…”

“If I had, I wouldn’t have to listen to such ignorant remarks now.”

Yiyeon subtly bit her lip. His tone, as if he found her pathetic, even carried a faint hint of contempt.

Perhaps, as he pointed out, she was a fool for not eagerly seizing the opportunity to clear away all her unfortunate times. But Yiyeon didn’t want to abandon something; she wanted to keep something.

“…But what about the marriage registration?”

Yiyeon couldn’t keep her hands still, constantly rubbing the tips of her fingers until her fingerprints wore off.

“You knew all the lies I told Kwon Chaewoo, so why would you go so far as to—”

“Was it disadvantageous to Ms. So Yiyeon?”

“Pardon?”

“I was trying to help.”

“Then why, why on earth…!”

She roughly swept her hair back. Just then, Kwon Giseok suddenly leaned forward, meeting Yiyeon’s eye level. His gaze, silently penetrating, was sleek and secretive.

“Do you know what Chaewoo hates most in this world?”

“…”

“Lies.”

His sharp eyes behind the glasses resembled Kwon Chaewoo’s. Yiyeon felt as if a harpoon had struck her already frozen heart.

“But I quite liked Ms. So Yiyeon’s lies.”

Yiyeon’s eyes were turning black, while Kwon Giseok exuded an eerie, chilling aura.

“We’re already in the same boat, so to speak.”

His words felt like a stab in her gut. Her guilt over deceiving Kwon Chaewoo had never been this strong. Yiyeon needlessly clutched her lower abdomen and bowed her head deeply.

“…Don’t take him.”

She pleaded in a tiny voice.

Kwon Giseok saw someone else’s face, still vividly superimposed over the pale So Yiyeon. His brows unexpectedly furrowed. It was a change that stood out, like a blank sheet of paper with no remaining balance suddenly crumpling.

“I never thought I’d see a lie turn into sincerity again.”

A faint sound of wind was heard above her head. Kwon Giseok had been as businesslike as he was during their first meeting, but it was precisely this consistent demeanor that made her realize his recent sneer was a trivial emotion.

He slowly tapped the armrest.

“There’s not a single real thing about the Kwon Chaewoo you currently know.”

Yiyeon flinched her shoulders.

“Are you sure you won’t regret it?”

She didn’t know how she managed to finish work and go home.

It was already night, and her mind was blank and jumbled as she stepped through the front door.

In the unlit darkness, a shadow darker than the gloom silently rose and covered her feet. Startled, she dropped her doctor’s bag with a thud.

“…!”

Yiyeon rubbed her eyes wildly, wondering if she was dreaming or awake. Her heart pounded as if it would burst, and tears instantly welled up.

There, the man who had tormented Yiyeon for the past month stood looking down at her with a calm expression. Perhaps due to the lingering effects of a sleep longer than the rainy season, his eyes looked clouded, but it was still Kwon Chaewoo.

“Ms. Yiyeon, have you been well?”

“Chae, Chaewoo…”

He slowly approached. The moment she saw his unchanging gentle smile, her throat tightened.

Meanwhile, the man, with his hands behind his back, had some kind of spiderweb-like silver thread tightly wrapped around one hand.

The thread, tightly binding his fingers and the back of his hand, was taut. When he clenched his fist in that state, the tightly wrapped thread dug into his skin. The thin silver thread gleamed sharply on the purplish-black back of his hand, where blood circulation was cut off.

“It’s really been a long time, hasn’t it?”