Flowers Are Bait

Chapter 184:

Kwon Chae-woo silently lowered his gaze and firmly pressed his trembling cheek with the back of his hand. As he did so, the blood stains seemed to transfer as if dipping into paint.

Even though she wasn’t with him in the mansion, he had lived as if she were.

But now that she would live under the same roof as him, she demanded the opposite.

When Kwon Chae-woo raised his eyes again, a dull glint simmered fiercely in his gaze.

“I told you to leave, didn’t I?”

“Go back, Miss Lee-yeon.”

He snatched the carrier from Lee-yeon’s hand and placed it on the opposite side.

“I’ll take care of everything else, so just leave from here. How many times do I have to say it!”

Kwon Chae-woo rubbed his forehead, furrowing his brows. Since he heard that the customer in the annex was Gyu-baek, he knew it was a trap. His ragged breathing released sharp sighs filled with bitterness. His contorted face looked agonized for some reason.

Upon seeing her emotional opponent, Lee-yeon seemed strangely calm. She responded nonchalantly.

“Give me one good reason why I should listen to you.” Lee-yeon said.

In an instant, the hot air that was surging turned icy cold. Silence stretched out.

As Kwon Chae-woo stood rigidly, unable to speak, Lee-yeon furrowed her eyebrows as if to say, “See for yourself.”

She was expressing how meaningless this conflict was.

“Did you get it? This is our relationship.”

“….”

“Nothing.” Lee-yeon pulled her suitcase back to its original position.

“Don’t mistakenly think that a word from you holds more power than the contract I signed with Kwon Ki-seok.”

Gradually, the sound of her moving away could be heard.

“…It’s dangerous here, Lee-yeon.”

Kwon Chae-woo bowed his head deeply and belatedly murmured. However, the only response that came back was the sound of rolling wheels.

“Lee-yeon, Lee-yeon.” He muttered alone, as if in vain.

Kwon Chae-woo stood on the precarious boundary between black and white. He wasn’t deeply immersed in either of the two memories, nor was he completely free. It was truly a gray area.

Although it was confusing, it was a world that maintained some sort of balance. However, after meeting Lee-yeon, the center he had barely managed to hold onto shattered.

From her breathing to the temperature of her words to the direction of her gaze, Kwon Chae-woo was stimulated and tested at every moment.

The ground beneath him constantly wavered.

He couldn’t yet name it in this sticky state of mind, but one thing was certain— Kwon Chae-woo swiftly approached and hoisted Lee-yeon’s suitcase above his head.

“Wha-what?!” As Lee-yeon’s eyes widened, he threw the suitcase towards the car. The suitcase pierced through the obsidian-like glass window, causing the front panel to crack and split into spiderweb patterns.

The tense driver, who had been waiting anxiously, watched in shock as his face turned pale, and he slumped down.

The blaring alarm echoed loudly, and the red headlights illuminated Kwon Chae-woo’s pale and dim face.

“W-what are you doing?!” As she opened her mouth wide, the man gritted his teeth and stammered, “Lee-yeon, what do you want from a bastard like me? I followed you because I wanted to sink my fangs into you.” “…!”

He approached, turned his shoulder, and brushed Lee-yeon’s hair aside with a flicked. “Shall we talk again, then?”

“What, what…?” Lee-yeon’s face became filled with confusion.

“That place is the main building, but do you know where it is, and are you going in?”

“…!”

It felt like she had accidentally swallowed a bitter pill.

“Why do you look like that? I’m acting all cool right now.”

Lee-yeon remained motionless, her eyes blinking like a wooden doll. Unconsciously, Kwon Chae-woo raised his hand and gently brushed her forehead. With the familiar touch, Lee-yeon tensed up for a moment.

“I never learned manners in my life. As you can see, my family was wealthy, and everyone was too busy trying to please me. I grew up being indulged. So, I never had to beg or stoop low enough to pick up what I had once ruined.”

He bent his waist, aligning his gaze with Lee-yeon’s. His face was enigmatic, staring at her as if tearing her apart.

“I don’t understand. I came here abandoning you, Lee-yeon, so why—”

The man furrowed his brow and persistently delved into Lee-yeon’s face. He tried to seize unknown changes by repeatedly probing her rigid pupils.

“….”

However, no matter how closely he looked, only dry dust seemed to crumble away.

Suddenly, he let out a deep, resonant sound from within his vocal cords, saying, “Ah-.”

“You completely abandoned me.”

“….!”

She swallowed her breath as his laughter descended like snowflakes.

“You abandoned me.”

Kwon Chae-woo spoke with hollow eyes.

“I understand that we broke up. But to me, that meant―”

His voice turned chillingly cold, like a winter breath.

“Carving an indelible scar that will never disappear on the skin.”

“……!”

“So, when we happened to meet again, didn’t it send shivers down your spine?”