Flowers Are Bait

“―Those bastards are all skilled torturers!”

Fertilizer and torture. Lee-yeon chewed on her nails, repeating the words Hwang Jo-yoon had said.

So, summarizing his words, to make the raw material for the Summer bloom…

As she roamed her cell, shocked and frozen by the impact, the door rattled open abruptly, and two men came in. She froze, looking at the unfamiliar large figures. Every conceivable misfortune flashed through her mind.

Dressed in pitch-black uniforms from top to bottom like soldiers, they forcefully grabbed Lee-yeon’s arms.

“W-who are you? What are you doing?!”

When Lee-yeon screamed, Hwang Jo-yoon immediately responded from the next cell.

“Lee-yeon! Lee-yeon!”

Although he cried out desperately, he looked somewhat excited, as if he anticipated something was happening.

The men who stormed into the room grabbed Lee-yeon’s arms tightly, one at a time, and dragged her out as if they were taking a suspect. She closed her eyes tightly in the sudden bright light.

Hwang Jo-yoon’s tearing cries could still be heard behind him. It seemed like his months of confinement did a number on him.

“Lee-yeon, don’t be scared! ! It will be over soon. Just give them blood, only blood!”

As he spoke, the senior banged his head against the wall, emitting a sinister laughter.

Although Lee-yeon couldn’t see Hwang Jo-yoon’s appearance in person, he seemed to be quite broken while trapped here.

She swallowed her dry saliva and looked around her. The thought that she might be locked in solitary cell with all four walls blocked at any time again tightened her nerves and sharpened her senses.

On both sides of the hallway, gray iron doors were lined up like built-in closets.

Each step she took made a clanging sound as the doors rattled against their frames.

The cacophony of coughing and cries echoed, permeating the air with the agony of people.

Soon, her eyes met several people through a small window. The tired pupils slowly moved from side to side, and the glass window was full of dirty finger marks and blood stains. She shuddered at the horrible sight.

“Gyu-baek…”

“….”

“Gyu-baek…!”

No words came out, as if her throat were completely blocked.

“Where are you going now?” She asked them with all her remaining might.

The security guards just swiped their card keys and entered another area, without showing any reaction.

The place was completely white from ceiling to floor, and people walking by were fully armed with white protective clothing, masks, shoe covers, and face shields.

Lee-yeon blinked at the sudden change in atmosphere, but when she saw their boots bright red and wet, she stiffened again.

“Hydrangea medicine doesn’t just require blood; it requires adrenaline secreted in large quantities.”

She recalled the words of Hwang Jo-yoon, who was going crazy.

“… Adrenaline?”

“Yes, blood mixed with adrenaline!”

“What is that-”

“Especially adrenaline, secreted in large quantities by humans in fear, anger, and threatening situations.”

“…!”

“That’s what was needed to make rare plants bloom. So, this slaughterhouse was necessary to mass-produce flowers…! Do you get it now? Summer is a monster! And each of those guys is a torture expert!”

As the men held Lee-yeon and turned corners, entering dimly lit areas, the scent of blood suddenly filled her nostrils. Without a second thought, she fiercely bit down on the arm holding her.

Even if she had to endure a beating, she wouldn’t go willingly into that ominous place.

The man she had just bitten grimaced and swiftly raised his hand. Despite the sharp pain, Lee-yeon remained determined not to venture into that dreadful place.

Hunched shoulders, she thought of only one person, the man who promised to chase her to the ends of the earth, even if it meant wearing out his soles.

Her loyal husband.

With her powerless heart steadied, Lee-yeon glanced once more.

“Hold on a moment.”

At that moment, a dignified voice interjected among the three.

“I’ll take that person with me for the S-17 case.”

“Yes?”

The security guards turned around, perplexed.

“…Are you questioning who I am? Do you have a problem with me taking her away? Are you challenging the overall supervisor of this place?”

“…Sorry.”

Amidst the hushed exchanges, the rock-like footsteps gradually moved away.

Lee-yeon clasped her hands together, exhaling a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. She wanted to say anything, but when her eyes met the stern gaze of the person in charge, her words faltered.

It was Director Jo Kyung-cheon of D Hospital, who was selected for the Hwaidome project.

“You’ve been warned about this…!” Jo Kyung-cheon raised his voice, tossing documents onto his desk. Lee-yeon, clad in the white gown he had hastily provided, had safely exited the experimental zone.

Perhaps due to the tension that had kept her body rigid throughout the journey to the relatively safe office, her lower abdomen started to ache gently.

Lee-yeon bit her lower lip and subtly massaged her stomach. The spine of her back was damp with cold sweat.

“…Professor, what I’m thinking—”

“If it’s about this, no one will understand.”

Interrupting her, Jo Kyung-cheon opened the wardrobe and handed her a new gown and protective suit.

“Professor…! This is illegal experimentation, and Summer is a drug. Everything from the materials used to the methods is abnormal! Making medicine from adrenaline obtained by torturing people goes against ethics—”

“In case, though it’s unlikely, if anyone asks, say you’re a tree doctor from D Hospital.”

“Professor!”

“You haven’t seen anything here. Just keep your mouth shut and leave.”

“I have to report this outside, release the people trapped underground. We have to do it right away. Please!”

“…”

“Professor!”

Seeing no reaction from him, her frustrated voice grew louder.

“Lee-yeon, I discovered that dreadful plant and I’m the one in charge here.”

Jo Kyung-cheon didn’t say, ‘Thanks to you getting lost and falling into the swamp that day.’ In fact, he hoped Lee-yeon wouldn’t know about such horrifying events.

Unless you were sponsored by the Kwon family, you couldn’t even guarantee the basic safety of your life.

Discovering the rare plant, making it bloom, mass-producing it, and completing Summer—all the missing and dead researchers were just another truckload.

Involving So Lee-yeon in such matters was the last thing he wanted. Among his disciples, she was the most innocent.

A person who was most fitting to run to a sick tree with the smell of fertilizer or embrace a suffering tree.

“Enough with the nonsense. Get out of here quickly.”

“No, I can’t.”

“This brat…! Do you really want to experience something dangerous here?”

Jo Kyung-cheon reddened his face and forcefully pushed Lee-yeon’ shoulder, urging her to leave immediately.

“There’s a boy who was dragged here with me.”

Her voice trembled lightly.

“He’s only eight now, and how could I escape alone…!”

Her face, pale with the feeling of going crazy, twisted helplessly.

Even though there was a clear way to survive, she could somewhat understand the desperate feeling that led Yun Joo-ha to crawl into the pit.

At that moment, as she was putting her shaking hand into the pocket of the gown as if to hide it, she paused.

A cold metal was pressed into her hand.

“…”

It was a lighter.

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