Flowers Are Bait

Chapter 48:

Kwon Chae-woo got bruises all over his body. When she cut his clothes drenched in blood with a scissor, bluish, angry bruises covered his upper body.

A beast weighing more than 500 kg pushed him with all its might, so it was no different from a traffic accident. The ligament in his wrist, which had been holding the stake under the boar’s neck, was badly damaged.

The doctor, who rushed to the emergency room after receiving her phone call, was surprised when he saw Kwon Chae-woo. It was because the man was only mildly injured, and he didn’t look like someone who came back from fighting a wild boar.

“I will go to your house in a little while.” After giving first aid, the doctor left with an aluminum tray.

Thanks to the doctor, they didn’t have to complete any forms or documents at the reception. She drove the car to the emergency room without a second thought, and she could have gotten into a situation in which she couldn’t even write down her husband’s resident registration number.

“Lee-yeon.”

When the curtains closed, only two people were left in the bed. Lee-yeon, exhausted, plopped down on the edge of the bed.

“I’ve always wanted to ask you – who is he?”

“…Who?”

“The man.” Kwon Chae-woo nodded carelessly towards where the doctor was sitting.

“The doctor?”

“Yes.”

Kwon Chae-woo looked at her with an intense gaze. His torso was covered in white bandages, and his face with dried bloodstains made him look like a gangster fresh from a fight.

“What about him? He’s just a doctor.” Confused, Lee-yeon tilted her head.

“Hm.” A cold glare trying to determine if it’s a lie or not. The way he stared at her without blinking once was enough to give her goosebumps. Frightened, Lee-yeon suddenly became a wife trying to justify herself.

“He’s your doctor, Kwon Chae-woo.”

She was met with his silence, so she continued.

“He has been in charge of taking care of you since you were in a vegetative state. You saw him go back and forth from home to the hospital, right? That’s because he’s your doctor―.”

“Are we that rich?” He cut her off in the middle. “How did you hire a personal doctor who comes right away with one phone call?”

“Uh….” Her heart thrummed wildly against her chest. She couldn’t determinethe intention behind his question, but his slightly raised brow made her nervous.

“One who commits a fault would think everyone speaks of it.” This saying crossed her mind. She was overthinking and it won’t help in this situation.

‘If I fail to give him a good answer, he’ll start to doubt everything and eventually uncover the lies.’

“Y-your family, I mean your older brother, gave full support!” She said in haste, “I’m telling you, he’s a good doctor, so don’t worry. Why would your family send us someone who’s not qualified? He worked really hard day and night.”

“Day and night?”

“Yes!”

“Did that person come in and out of your house when you were alone?”

Suddenly, Kwon Chae-woo brought his face close to hers.

“W-what?”

“Did he?” He asked again in a cold voice that pressured her.

“Yes…? That’s what’s good about having a personal doctor.” At the same time, Lee-yeon took a step back and his dark brown eyes that resembled trees slightly trembled. She made sure to not blink even for once to not miss even the slightest change on the man’s face.

“So, is that guy the first person who comes to your mind in a situation like this?” Kwon Chae-woo brushed her hair with his hand slowly.

“It’s because you got hurt, and he’s your doctor―”

“What did he do day and night?”

“Uh… give treatments?”

“Who treated who and how?” He grabbed the neck of his t-shirt and wiped his chin. He clenched his teeth so hard that the cracking sound even reached her ear. It was then that she sensed something strange about the man.

“Are we talking about the same doctor right now? I don’t really understand what you’re talking about.”

He remained silent and looked sullenly at the wall.

“Do you want me to call the doctor again? I think what happened earlier impacted your cognitive abilities.” Lee-yeon stared at his face and tilted her head to get a better view of him.

Kwon Chae-woo let out a short sigh and uttered, “I’m sorry.” He closed his eyes for a while, “For being oversensitive about small things.”

With bloodstains on his face, Kwon Chae-woo looked like an actor in the waiting room without makeup. He continued, “It seemed like you were dependent on that doctor. And it was after you talked with him that you suddenly wanted to be alone.”

“….” Lee-yeon rubbed her clothes and tried to avoid his penetrating gaze.

“Thinking that he came in and out of your house while I was lying down like a useless idiot―,” He grimaced, “I couldn’t control my anger.”

He pressed his temples and let out a long breath.

Lee-yeon dropped her head. She could somewhat understand why Kwon Chae-woo tended to overthink since he lost all his memory, but for some reason, he went too far when it came to people associated with her.

‘Is this really because of the syndrome?’

“The one who caught the boar, are you here?” Suddenly, the curtains were parted open, and a firm voice like that of an announcer spoke.

Seeing Kwon Chae-woo, a woman smiled, revealing her charming snaggletooth. “Ah, he’s here.” The woman was wearing a large jacket with the logo of Wildlife Rescue Center. She was tall, had a freckled face, and was not wearing any makeup.

“Hello.” She bowed at the two of them. “We just came back from cleaning the carcass of the boar. Just in case, we’ve also done the ASF virus test.”

Behind the curtain, men in the same color jackets were standing around. They were curiously looking at Kwon Chae-woo with gleaming eyes.

“Thank you so much for catching―, I mean, reporting it. There was a lot of pressure from the authorities. He was notorious for being a man-eating wild boar because he kept biting and killing people.” Her voice sounded somewhat excited. “Since the size of this boar was much bigger than the normal ones, we created a separate hunting team to be prepared, but I guess that wasn’t needed.”

She scratched her head as she smiled. “Besides, it’s the first time I’ve seen a boar hunted with his carotid artery torn.” The woman looked at Kwon Chae-woo with eyes twinkling with admiration. Her cheeks were blushing like apples, and the smile on her lips grew even broader. “With an axe and a stake, right?”

The woman couldn’t hide her excitement that her voice trembled noticeably. However, none of the two mirrored her enthusiasm.

Kwon Chae-woo closed his eyes quietly, pretending that he had not heard her. Hence, Lee-yeon, who couldn’t bear the silence, answered instead of him.

“Yes.”

“Ah, I apologize for my rudeness. My name is Joo Dong-mi, and I work for the mammal team at the rescue center.”

Suddenly, there was a whistling sound from behind. The men in the same jacket as hers put fingers in their mouths and cheered. Joo Dong-mi, whose face turned bright red in an instant shouted. “Please give me your phone number!”

Surprised by her voice, Lee-yeon flinched back.

Noticing that, Kwon Chae-woo immediately grabbed and pulled her wrist.