Flowers Are Bait

Lee Yeon was witnessing the drug Summer’s power vividly before her eyes.

“That girl lives in the house right below the mountain. Mom, go to that house first, not anywhere else. If she hesitates because she doesn’t know you, tell her that this is the payment for all the music she heard from me!” Kwon Chae-woo spoke.

“Chae-woo–”

“I buried my favorite CD under the tree. It’s the tree I play under, that’s the proof! Go quickly, we’ll meet again soon!”

Her shoulders twitched as she heard it.

Did I hear that wrong?

A singing tree? Why is that coming up here?

Kwon Chae-woo was lost in the past, and Lee-yeon, looking at his frantic pupils, lost her train of thought.

Kwon Chae-woo rambled on with incomprehensible words throughout, but surprisingly, she felt as if she was sharing the same view he was seeing. Her heart was pounding uncontrollably for some reason.

“Lee-yeon, have you given a blowjob?”

As soon as he said that, all those moments came flooding back to Lee-yeon.

Summer was said to show you memories you wanted and missed.

“This isn’t right… This isn’t what I wanted.” Kwon Chae-woo sobbed.

“…”

“I messed up. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

Watching the man collide with the past again, Lee-yeon helplessly clutched her crumpled skirt.

He had passed through everything, from their childhood to their first night together to the day she didn’t want to see, even in her dreams.

The days when each day felt like standing on thin ice, filled with uncertainty.

Kwon Chae-woo had returned to the time when they were deceiving each other.

“Why are you there? What do you want to see there? Wasn’t Summer supposed to show only good things? Why did you have to go to the most miserable place…” Lee-yeon wanted to wake him up.

“I haven’t even tasted Summer.”

Kwon Chae-woo’s words led her back to the past.

When Lee-yeon was hit by her cousin when she was left alone in the wilderness, when she overcame obstacles to embrace him and made an oath, and when they completely fell apart.

It seemed like Kwon Chae-woo lingered longer in the moments when they hurt each other, rather than the happy days.

Strangely, tears welled up in Lee-yeon’s eyes as she listened to the man’s awkward sincerity.

She wiped away the tears with her palm. His feelings didn’t matter now.

She couldn’t even explain to herself why the tears were falling like rain, but amidst it all, Kwon Chae-woo continued to comfort and apologize to Lee-yeon without tiring.

During this time, Jang Beom-hee and the doctor came in to examine Kwon Chae-woo, the patient. However, he still couldn’t regain his senses and continued to wander in his hallucinations.

Furthermore, due to not letting go of Lee-yeon, she was repeatedly pierced by fragments of the past without even having the chance to change her clothes.

Then, suddenly, he woke up.

“…”

“…”

The moment she met his slightly narrowed pupils, Lee-yeon quickly turned her head to avoid his gaze.

The first thought that crossed her mind upon seeing him was:

There are only a few days left until the contract ends.

It meant she could soon return to Hwaido Island.

In a situation where everything could be set right, she was scared to stir up the past that she had deliberately buried and brushed aside his deep confession.

If she could just get through this challenge safely, she could return to Hwaido Island without any issues.

The fear of not being able to escape from this house forever if she mistakenly touched the wrong chord rang like a warning alarm.

And if Kwon Chae-woo was the singing tree…

No, don’t think about it.

She took a deep breath, making her collarbone more pronounced.

Just a few more days to endure.

She had to keep her mouth shut and quietly pass through this. She just had to leave the Kwon family quietly.

“… Are you now coming to your senses?”

So, she opened her mouth calmly, as if she hadn’t heard anything.

Kwon Chae-woo blinked his beautiful eyes slowly a few times and then raised the corners of his mouth.

“Ah… As I thought, it’s better here.”

Lee-yeon closed her eyes tightly, trying to suppress the queasiness that churned in her stomach. She had many questions, but it didn’t seem like the right time to bring them up.

“Kwon Chae-woo, please don’t drink alcohol; you talk too much when you do.”

“…”

“You were so loud that I couldn’t even change my clothes.”

She waved her skirt as if to say, “Look at this.”

A rustling sound followed. With an awkward smile, Lee-yeon pushed her chest away from his, and the arms that had been holding her for hours finally relaxed.

“Lee-yeon.”

His soft call made Lee-yeon’s focus waver. Her heart had been racing all this time.

She had been avoiding eye contact because she was afraid that if she met his eyes, she would betray the inner turmoil she had been hiding.

“Ugh…!”

The man who had been staring at Lee-yeon blankly all this time finally frowned in response to the sudden surge of pain.

“Are you in pain? The secretary is waiting outside. I’ll call them right away…!”

Lee-yeon gave an anxious look at the bandage peeking out from beneath his clothes. Just the thought of him blocking her path turned her world upside down.

His presence made her dizzy.

Feeling like she might start gasping for breath again, Lee-yeon quickly turned her back.

“Are you okay?”

Suddenly, her white skirt was caught. Kwon Chae-woo took hold of her skirt, not letting her go.