Flowers Are Bait

Chapter 169:

Lee-yeon recreated the garden she had put off and postponed for so long. She cleaned the soil, carefully selected the seeds, and dug the ground, reliving the day she had let slip away without any motivation.

She cleaned up the broken flowerpots and tilled the soil to plant new ones, though it was regrettable. She threw away the spoiled side dishes without hesitation and filled the refrigerator with dishes that suited her taste.

The second-floor room remained tightly shut, and she spent her days under the sun while eating and sleeping diligently, wondering if fall was coming.

She had a book tucked under her armpit and was surprised by the suddenly cool air. However, as she sat down leisurely, a thought came to her mind, and she immediately called Choo-ja.

“Choo-ja, how’s Gyu-baek doing? Have you been to his house?” She asked anxiously, as if the end of the call tone was creeping up on her.

– “I almost died waiting for your call. I was just about to call you.”

“Summer vacation is almost over, but I have no idea what he’s doing or where he is.”

– “Well… it’s a bit strange.”

“Strange? What do you mean?”

Lee-yeon narrowed her eyes at Choo-ja’s hesitant voice.

“When I last went there, nobody was home, but when I went again today…”

“Who is it?!”

At that moment, someone rang the doorbell and pounded on the front door. Lee-yeon nervously looked at the two pairs of shoe tips visible under the blue door. For some reason, her mouth became dry, and her heart raced.

“I’m from Hwayang Police Station, are you So Lee-yeon?”

At the same time, she heard another voice in her other ear.

– “That kid must be missing, can’t find him anywhere.”

“…!”

With a sudden premonition, Lee-yeon ran to the front door and opened it. As expected, a police officer in uniform was standing there, giving her a sharp look.

“Are you So Lee-yeon?”

“Y-yes, that’s me.”

Lee-yeon clasped her hands tightly together, trying to suppress the growing sense of anxiety.

“There has been a report of a missing child. Can we check the CCTV footage in this alleyway?”

Her face twisted involuntarily, and her breath caught in her throat. Lee-yeon missed the timing to react and dropped the phone she had been holding to her ear.

Although Choo-ja’s voice was sharp through the receiver, her hand stiffened with all kinds of frightening thoughts. “Here, and there. Those are not public CCTV cameras, right?”

“… Ah, yes. Those are the ones I personally installed.”

The police officer pointed to two CCTV cameras, which were products that she had bought with her own money due to Hwang Jo-yoon’s stalking in the past. Although Lee-yeon wanted to ask the name of the missing child, she couldn’t.

“There is a statement that he often visited the hospital and said he went there on the day of the suspected disappearance. Mr. Lee Hyeong-cheol, uh… That is, the grandfather of Lee Gyu-baek, the missing child.”

Startled, Lee-yeon covered her mouth with both hands. When she only dug into her thoughts and feelings in response, she couldn’t help but feel guilty about not taking better care of Gyu-baek during that time.

“But, it’s just an assumption?” Lee-yeon furrowed her eyebrows in surprise.

“His grandfather reported it this morning, so we need to investigate to know the exact details.” said the police officer, and his words made Lee-yeon feel dizzy.

“Lastly, when did you see Gyu-Baek last?”

There were four people on the monitor, tightly packed together. Startled by the unresponsive call, Choo-ja and the police officer rushed over, and Lee-yeon was also there. They were currently sitting in the living room, reviewing the CCTV footage.

A week or two ago, they had checked the files but couldn’t find a trace of the child. Finally, as she scrolled through the files from the day she had parted ways with Kwon Chae-woo with a trembling index finger, she found a hiding Gyu-baek behind a wall.

That’s why she had become so nervous. As she watched the bulky men rushing out and smashing the front door, her heart sank. Without realizing it, she was carefully examining the men in black suits. Their gaze swept over the backs of their heads, necks, shoulders, and backs as if they were looking for someone.

“What is he doing now…? What is he doing?” The police officer asked in confusion, pushing his glasses up his nose. It was because at first, Gyu-baek, who had been hiding well to avoid the unfamiliar car and men, suddenly moved towards the trunk. Gyu-baek had such strong likes and dislikes and had such a narrow world view that Lee-yeon couldn’t believe that the child had approached first and blinked her eyes.

“Hmm, this is strange. Usually, Gyu-baek doesn’t pay attention to anything that doesn’t interest him.”

“Did he happen to like cars?”

“Not at all, he actually disliked them because he thought they destroyed nature.”

“Hmm…”

The police officer furrowed his brow and zoomed in on the screen. As the image of Gyu-baek entering the trunk was enlarged, all four pairs of eyes gathered in one place. They simultaneously tilted their heads and furrowed their brows.

“…!”

“Is that him extending his hand? Do you see it? What is that?”

“Can we enlarge it a bit more?”

Lee-yeon observed Gyu-baek’s unexpected behavior carefully. When the police officer zoomed in on the screen again, Lee-yeon suddenly jumped up.

“What is that?!”

“….!”

“Lee-yeon’s eyes widened.

It was some kind of wriggling pincer shape in a glass box…

She seemed to know what had captured Gyu-baek’s attention and made him casually get in the car.

“It’s a scorpion.”

“Is it a poisonous scorpion? Who on earth would carry such a dangerous thing in the trunk of their car?!”

“Well, people who carry baseball bats around and break into other people’s houses might be capable of it, don’t you think?”

The people who took Kwon Chae-woo, or the people who Kwon Ki-seok was involved with.

Where are you and what are you doing, Gyu-baek?

Her face turned pale.