Flowers Are Bait

Lee-yeon, exhausted, experienced multiple awakenings and returns to sleep as the clock hands crossed midnight and transitioned into the early morning.

Despite searching for Kwon Chae-woo with bleary eyes several times, she couldn’t find him.

However, in the midst of dozing off, there was definitely warmth in the careful touch on her stomach, the brushing away of her stray hairs, tracing her eyebrows with fingers, and the warmth that accompanied a long kiss on the back of her hand.

Every time, Lee-yeon thought again, as if wandering through the dream.

If Kwon Chae-woo hadn’t arrived in time…

Lost in these murky thoughts, a strangely familiar scent tickled her nose.

When she turned her head reflexively, she saw a man sitting on the guardian’s bed.

Kwon Chae-woo buried his face in Lee-yeon’s hand, exuding a suffocating tenderness just by looking at him. As she tossed and turned, the motionless him lifted his head with a rustling sound.

“Are you awake?”

He casually asked, instantly dispelling the heavy atmosphere.

“How’s your body? The doctor said you need a lot of rest. Would you like to stay in the hospital a few more days? It would be more reassuring.”

“Where were you?”

In the dimly lit hospital room, where the lights were not turned on, the eyes of the two individuals met precisely.

“I had some matters to attend to.”

“…Lies.”

Lee-yeon muttered.

Even if it was a small whisper, there was no way he couldn’t have heard it. Kwon Chae-woo didn’t react.

The way he admitted to his own lie seemed to add pressure to Lee-yeon’s temples.

“I had something to say to Chae-woo.”

At that moment, Kwon Chae-woo shuddered, his shoulders trembled. Whether he was self-reflecting on his attitude or grinding his teeth, it was impossible to determine.

“At Hwaidome…”

As she hesitated to continue, Kwon Chae-woo let out a hollow laugh and turned his head. Faced with his indifferent attitude before even starting the conversation, Lee-yeon’s face wrinkled.

Soon, a laughter, resembling mockery, began to echo heavily in the empty hospital room. Looking at his inexplicable state, the indoor temperature seemed to gradually drop.

“Hey, Kwon Chae-woo.”

“I, really tried to live without losing temper.”

“…What?”

He wiped his face and lowered his head deeply. He laughed, pressing his thighs. It was a courteous gesture, but there was nothing gentle about his chin, wrists, shoulders—nothing looked approachable.

It was a feeling similar to back then when she had to constantly doubt and be vigilant about who might be inside Kwon Chae-woo’s shell. She grabbed the thin blanket.

“Lee-yeon said she doesn’t believe the baby will survive.”

He brushed off his laughter and looked up.

“My heart raced beyond fear. This woman does not think of me. Then, I’d just be a lost puppy. How do you think I felt when I realized that?”

Kwon Chae-woo stared at her indifferently inside his demeanor.

“Fortunately, the baby is safe, but if it wasn’t the case…”

He clenched his teeth, stood up, and slammed open the window. Instantly, a cool breeze mixed with a refreshing scent rushed in.

Even in the night sky, the thick smoke was sharply distinct, and the crimson flames flickered in different directions. Kwon Chae-woo sharply pointed at the scene, and looked at at Lee-yeon.

“You probably set that fire. If I had been a little late, you would still be trapped there. And I…!”

He contorted his face as if he was about to cry.

“If something had gone wrong with the baby, would you have looked at me? Maybe I would have gone as far as I could reach….”

Emotions surged, triggered by the mere thought of family.

“You would have left. Even if I said it was okay to abandon me countless times, I only asked you to think about me for the last time.”

Gradually, a cold light appeared in the gaze that stared at Lee-yeon.

“You never thought of doing that.”

Lee-yeon wanted to say something, but her mind strangely went blank. Despite that, his wounded gaze was undeniably piercing. The fiery flames of the Hwaidome flickered against his face.

“Why is there a difference in affection?”

He coolly tilted his head as his hair, tousled by the night wind, looked precarious.

“The baby is loved, but am I hated?”

Kwon Chae-woo, seemingly ashamed of uttering such words, clenched his lips as if he found his own statement disgraceful. A faint sense of shame flickered in his eyes, quickly hidden.

Listening to the pouring resentment, Lee-yeon finally noticed that Kwon Chae-woo’s looked in distress.

He tended to force things more when anxious, and today had been a shocking and difficult day for both of them.

Amidst this, the fear-induced outburst struck Kwon Chae-woo, and the fear that grew like a monster in the time she lost consciousness might have been overwhelming for him.

For even a brief moment, Lee-yeon reproached herself for succumbing to the flames. Her words of “I can’t live like this” to a man who was already taking a toll from her gestures, eye expressions, and subtle breath sounds must have been a devastating blow.

The voice she heard in her dream was right. They could choose differently. She strengthened herself against the misty teardrops.

“So, sign.”

At that moment, Kwon Chae-woo approached with a cold face and pushed a document toward her.

Sign? What is there to sign?

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