Flowers Are Bait

The two of them sprawled out on the sofa and dozed off. It almost felt like three or four people were sleeping together, prompting laughter from Lee-yeon.

With a baby in her belly, the large figure of Kwon Chae-woo occupied the space of two people.

As they lay facing each other, Lee-yeon shifted uncomfortably due to his penis stabbing against her belly.

“Chae-woo, this is… uncomfortable.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because it keeps touching my belly…”

“Don’t avoid it.”

As Lee-yeon tried to move away, Kwon Chae-woo tightly grabbed her waist. Despite the sharp eyes, his voice was filled with bitterness.

“My child’s hometown is mine.”

“…”

“Wouldn’t the baby be happy to see me in it?”

Just then, a sound―a rumble from Lee-yeon’s belly startled them. Surprised, she opened her eyes wide, hastily grabbing Kwon Chae-woo’s hand. Through their overlapping palms, she felt a faint vibration once again. It was a quick movement for 17 weeks.

“Chae-woo, just now…!”

Kwon Chae-woo was frozen stiff, unable to even breathe. The man, frozen with shock and disbelief, didn’t blink. It wasn’t until the fetal movement surged again that he finally exhaled, seemingly holding his breath.

He looked at Lee-yeon’s face, which was brightly smiling, as if he couldn’t believe it. His heart pounded like a baby’s awkward footsteps. Goosebumps rose on his back, and blood rushed fiercely.

It was almost embarrassing to say it tickled, but undoubtedly, that was the most shocking movement for Kwon Chae-woo.

He kissed Lee-yeon’s belly all over, silently apologizing. He wouldn’t say anymore that that the baby could be held by someone else’s hands. Who would entrust such a cute thing to someone else?

Kwon Chae-woo struggled against the overwhelming flood of ordinary sensations, searching for Lee-yeon’s lips once again.

In this way, the two of them spent worry-free days, eating, sleeping, and playing to their heart’s content.

Everytime Lee-yeon’s head nodded off, Kwon Chae-woo promptly lifted her and took her to the bedroom.

***

How much time had passed? Lee-yeon, who had slept deeply enough to make her eye sockets stiff, suddenly woke up with a clear mind. Rubbing her heavy eyelids, she quickly sat up.

“… Chae-woo?”

Her voice dispersed into the silent air. Lee-yeon looked around the room, searching for any trace of him, but the house was chillingly quiet. Checking the clock, it was close to midnight.

Where on earth did he go?

After spending days together as if one body, the sudden absence of Kwon Chae-woo made her anxious. Overwhelmed by uneasy feelings, she couldn’t resist slipping out of bed.

“Chae-woo, Mr. Kwon Chae-woo…!”

She called his name louder, but it echoed back into the empty living room. She wandered around, checking the bedroom, the living room, and the kitchen, but the house was eerily quiet, with no sign of him. Only the wind clinging to the windows made a faint rustling sound.

“Where on earth did he go…!”

At that moment, behind her, the clock struck twelve with a familiar chime. Startled, Lee-yeon swept her forearm against the uneasy sensation on her shoulder.

After glancing at the swinging clock pendulum for a moment, Lee-yeon finally grabbed a flashlight and headed outside.

There, a man wearing a bundle of a black raincoat was dragging a shovel across the yard.

“…!”

She bit her lip, almost screaming, as she slowly scanned the familiar physique.

“Is it Mr. Chae-woo? Are you Chae-woo?”

In response to her trembling call, Kwon Chae-woo slightly turned his head. His sharp nose and stern gaze confirmed his identity, and she swung the door wide open.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, carrying a shovel at this time of night!”

However, the man with dirt-covered fingertips simply passed her, heading towards the trees.

Kwon Chae-woo forcefully stuck the shovel into the ground near his grave, skillfully scooping out the dirt and clenched his teeth.

“What the hell, how deep did you bury me, I can’t find anything.” He said.

“…”

“You think I’m going to be able to live here comfortably, Lee-yeon, knowing that I have a grave nearby?”

“Why on earth are you digging it up?!”

Lee-yeon exclaimed, thinking about the saplings that might have grown there…! She looked at Kwon Chae-woo, who straightened his back and threw a disappointed gaze.

“Did you plan to leave it like this unattended?”

“Uh…”

Unable to answer, she looked at Kwon Chae-woo, who raised one corner of his mouth coldly.

“I knew you would react like that.”

Lee-yeon felt infuriated by the expression that seemed to mock her.

“Anyway, even if you dig there, only pieces of debris will come out. What’s the point of…! No matter how much you dig, you won’t find anything useful! And for heaven’s sake, take off those clothes…! From now on, Mr. Kwon Chae-woo, anything black at night, including raincoats, shovels, knives, axes, all of them are strictly prohibited!”

At her words, Kwon Chae-woo quickly peeled the raincoat hood and threw a meaningful glance.

“Do you wish you had something more to bury?”

“What?”

At that moment, the man who dug his own grave pulled out something and examined the wooden craft under the moonlight.

“Ah, it didn’t rot after all.”

The man who walked slowly towards Lee-yeon put the cold and damp object into her palms.

It was the wooden ornament he had carved into a flower before and given to her.

“But still, isn’t it better to dig something on a night like this than to bury someone?”

Lee-yeon was speechless.

“But, Lee-yeon, if you can’t use my tools at night, it means I should just use my body, right? But it seems impossible now so I resort to this.”

Frustrated by the man who only talked nonsense, Lee-yeon stomped on his foot and ran away. As she did, Kwon Chae-woo, who seemed to enjoy the whole scene, took out his phone from his pocket.

And the next morning.

“W-What is this…!”

Various shining gifts, such as rings, necklaces, bracelets, watches, brooches, were hanging like ornaments on the trees in the front yard.

***