Flowers Are Bait

At that moment, everything turned upside down. The thirteen-year-old boy had disappeared, replaced by the much taller Kwon Chae-woo, who held Yoon Joo-ha’s hand tightly.

If they parted like this, they might never see each other again. Kwon Chae-woo had experienced that future already and fell into a somber silence.

Even though he had longed to see his mother, he could only breathe heavily, unable to utter a word.

Yoon Joo-ha cried quietly, her age not much different from the age of the current So Lee-yeon in his memories. Yoon Joo-ha looked much younger, less prepared, and more immature than the mother in his memories.

After meeting his extended family, they emphasized the urgency of breaking free from the kidnapper’s brainwashing, even for a day. Kwon Chae-woo was subjected to relentless torment by psychiatrists with their laughable notion of deprogramming. In this manner, the doctors took turns peeling away layers of Yoon Joo-ha’s love and berating him.

“Mr. Chae-woo, a real mother who loves her child wouldn’t hide in the mountains and abandon her child. You claimed you never attended elementary school, right? Moreover, Mr. Chae-woo is malnourished and lags in both height and weight.

“Apart from Yoon Joo-ha, you seems to have no experience of genuine human relationships. You even questioned the existence of your brothers yesterday. Is this behavior of someone who received healthy love? Yoon Joo-ha, she’s not your mother; she’s your kidnapper.”

Every time, Kwon Chae-woo felt a strong resistance and anger, but at the same time, he felt a profound darkness creeping into his heart.

Throughout the years of growing into an adult, his actions boiled down to doubting love and nurturing an invisible loathing.

He seemed to long for his mother, almost like an anchor. In reality, he realized that he resented her more than anyone else since meeting So Lee-yeon.

He had awakened to the fact that he had been “fooled again.”

He despised being manipulated and controlled once more, and the emotions he had tried to suppress and ignore surged with intensity.

Though he was aware of his instinctive attraction to So Lee-yeon, the image of her doing her daily habits, troubled him to the brink of madness, and he forcibly denied his emotions.

That was until he discovered that she had come into the Kwon family for the sake of Gyubaek’s safety.

“Mother…”

Even though he had to live on the run, life with his mother was rich. Their clothes might have been old, but they were clean, and Chae-woo always had a warm and hearty meal.

From trimming his son’s nails and singing him to sleep, the simple life they shared was filled with laughter.

But on nights when his fever soared, and his mother couldn’t bring herself to knock on the doors of a hospita because they had to hidel, Yoon Joo-ha repeatedly picked up and put down the phone, accompanied by words of apology.

Even at a young age, Kwon Chae-woo hated to see his mother’s face distorted by guilt and pain, so he pulled only the hem of her clothes. Yoon Joo-ha, helpless, would burst into tears and hugged the child as hard as she could.

When he vomited bitter medicine, Yoon Joo-ha would kiss the child Kwon Chae-woo on the mouth, put her hands on his tiny chest to give heat, stick their forehead together, and hug him all night, saying, “My son take all the energy of mother, take it.”

And just like that, the child forgets all the pain and smiled at the warmth and love from his mother.

“I promise you won’t be kidnapped again.”

In the end, Chae-woo surrendered by hugging his mother, whom he had missed his whole life, and bowed his head. It was their real farewell, as this unbearable moment marked the end of their time together.

Chae-woo wiped away his mother’s tears and spoke.

“Take my cello bag with you…”

He painfully scratched his face and returned to his stoic expression.

“I’m sorry, Mother. I wanted to destroy the Kwon family.”

He clenched his eyes shut, grinding his teeth. “I’ve been thinking about whether I should inherit that darn household.”

It was something Chae-woo loathed more than death. But now, he was declaring that he would discard the foundation that had composed him.

“I will leave now, Mother.”

His beloved music had been taken from him after losing his mother, but now he felt that without her…

The now grown-up son had suddenly knelt and apologized.

“I’m sorry.”

This time, it had to be different. He wanted to protect the one he loved for a long time. Lee-yeon.

“Thank you for stealing me, for raising me as a human, for teaching me love.” He sobbed, “I will live as a sinner for the rest of my life.”

His mother and the young Lee-yeon, were his childhood. Lee-yeon in his life now was his new music.

As he finally let go of the hurtful thoughts, Chae-woo’s vision spun once again.

Meanwhile, Lee-yeon, who had brought the intoxicated man to the hotel room, witnessed this entire bewildering situation.