Flowers Are Bait

Chapter 155:

Lee-yeon found out for the first time that a person could become a tree.

Late night, the lady that visited without a warning slowly became thinner. The guest who was crying and begging while scratching on the door slowly grew quiet. She stopped talking, stopped eating, and wouldn’t budge from the corner of the room.

Her lips became dry, and her dehydrated face became rough like the bark of a tree. Her eyes remained open, but she blinked so slowly that she no longer appeared to be alive.

Can a person die like this?

Lee-yeon bit her lips each time she took away untouched meal. Despite the woman’s earlier desperation, Lee-yeon couldn’t help but feel that it was easier when she was still crying and begging for help.

It looked like she had given up on life.

The way she looked was no different from how her uncle was when he was dying with cancer. So Lee-yeon decided.

“… M, miss, this is porridge so it’ll be easier to eat…. You just have to eat one spoon…”

“I’m not going to school tomorrow, Miss. You won’t be alone here.”

“I hear this is the most popular variety show. I’ll leave it on…! You can put it on as loudly as you want!”

Lee-yeon started to talk to her even though she wouldn’t respond. Why was she like that?

The 17-year-old Lee-yeon couldn’t understand Yoon Joo-ha as much as her own birth, but she wanted her to become lively again. Looking back now, she became the first tree that Lee-yeon tried hardest to save.

“Miss, I hear that Norway spruce’s branch always grows towards where the sunlight no matter how dark it is. It tries its best to live by reaching out to the light.”

“….!”

“Where is your sunlight? I, I can find it for you.”

Yoon Joo-ha’s head flinched for the first time. She finally was showing reaction. But her eyes became deeper and darker and didn’t answer for a long time.

Days past since then. She wouldn’t sleep as she was thinking about something and then tear dropping, and would mumble to herself.

Lee-yeon couldn’t tell whether that was a good sign for a bad one, but soon she was able to hear her answer.

“…. Can you call this place?”

“….!”

What she gave was the poster that was looking for Yoon Joo-ha. A reward was to be given to anyone who could find the woman who was now currently taking shelter under Lee-yeon’s roof.

Lee-yeon’s heart pounded like she was doing something bad.

But, it seems like it wasn’t the one Lee-yeon brought as it looked much older. The woman’s copy was in poor shape.

“Miss, t-this is…”

Lee-yeon ‘s face flared up as if she was caught doing something bad. But the voice that came out through dry throat was surprisingly calm.

“It’s okay. My son lives here.”

“….”

“Thanks to you, I found out what I wanted to see at the last moment, so I hope some rain comes to this place I owe.”

She held Lee-yeon’s small hands with her rough hands.

Since then, Yoon Joo-ha told her about her son little by little. Each time she breathed, she talked, Lee-yeon could feel how much she missed him. For Lee-yeon who never got that motherly love growing up, it was weird yet amazing. She felt warm inside just listening to the story of someone who received enough love.

“I know well about Norway spruce as well. That tree would drop stray branches on its own in the darkness. Since it can only become a good instrument when it throw away what is necessary. And the tree that sings in the end always dies.”

Lee-yeon smiled was happy about her guest finally talking a lot. Not knowing where Yoon Joo-ha was walking into, not knowing what she has determined in her mind.

That moment, the flashback became twisted.

That lady instantly became a mummy, opened its mouth and grabbed Lee-yeon’s wrist.

“Protect that child…!”

Crash!

There was a sudden, jarring crash that brought Lee-yeon back to reality. She had been lost in thought, still reeling from the vivid dream she had experienced the night before, when the noise shattered her reverie.

“Chae-woo, are you okay?” she called out, her voice laced with concern.

The pieces of glass on the floor flashed dangerously.

Lee-yeon looked at the table again and noticed that the plates and side dishes were stacked precariously close to the edge. She couldn’t help but worry that they might topple over at any moment.

“Chae-woo, when did you wake up this morning?” she asked, trying to get a sense of how long he had been up.

“Not too long ago,” Chae-woo replied, looking up from his food.

“I told you that you don’t have to do this,” Lee-yeon said with a small smile.

As Lee-yeon bent down to clean up the broken glass, Chae-woo suddenly stood up, interrupting her.

“The night felt long,” he said quietly, as if lost in thought.

Kwon Chae-woo went into the small storage beside the kitchen and stumbled as if he was waiting. He leaned against the wall and frowned to try to focus his sight. But he was panting and having cold sweat just from standing up.

Fuck. He almost swore but bit his tongue and tried his best to push away this dizziness.

Tonight is finally the last night that he wouldn’t be able to sleep.

He was using all kinds of excuse to try to delay his return to the main house, but now it was really the limit.

Kwon Chae-woo called Jang Beom-hee right away.

-Yes, young master.

“…..”

As he just kept on breathing quietly, Jang Beom-hee kept silence and then whispered.

-I’ll get it ready.