Flowers Are Bait

“What did you say―?!”

Hwang Jo-yoon raised his voice as though he was offended. “Ho-ho,” said Gyu-baek as if he had found the most interesting thing ever. “It even foams at the mouth.”

The child was right. But that didn’t sit right with Hwang Jo-yoon. No one ever could guess what would make him go crazy. Lee-yeon shut the window, made Gyu-baek sit on the sofa and went out the front door. Hwang Jo-yoon stood there, waiting.

“If you snoop around my place again, I’ll call the police,” said Lee-yeon.

“Is he your child?”

“That is none of your business.”

Gyu-baek was a brilliant child. People were amazed when they found out that he worked at the hospital while being in elementary school. However, Hwang Jo-yoon’s question was meddling in her personal life.

“So Lee-yeon!” he cried.

“Was…was it because of him that you disappeared like that?”

“What do you mean I disappeared? I got fired because of you.”

“No way… I took good care of you and looked after you! But how! How can you, of all people, have a child!”

Lee-yeon sighed. He clearly wasn’t listening at all. His eyes twitched in rage and he pressed his palms to his face.

“I’m calling the police.” Lee-yeon took out her phone and dialed for the police.

“Lee-yeon, no matter how much I think about it, I can’t believe you got married. Were you forced to live with him because of some debt or due to unavoidable circumstances? If that’s the case, I understand. I can help.”

I really hate those eyes. Vile, filthy thing. He was an idiot. He loved nothing and no one more than himself. He always wanted to play the savior even when nobody needed one. Least of all, Lee-yeon. She just wanted him to disappear from her life.

He was a fool and a stalker. And he knew how to wield his influence. It was a sad and frustrating thing to be a target of someone as petty as him.

“Hello, police station?” said Lee-yeon, glaring at Hwang Jo-yoon. “A stalker broke into my house.”

“Lee-yeon, I’m just really worried about you!” said Hwang Jo-yoon animatedly.

“Seems like he’s drunk,” said Lee-yeon into the phone. “He’s making a scene and talking nonsense.”

“So Lee-yeon!” Hwang Jo-yoon’s face turned red and acted as though she had betrayed him. “Is caring for you considered a crime?!”

Lee-yeon put the phone away from her ear for a second. “No, but stalking someone is definitely a crime, and so is snakingly climbing up their windows. You find pleasure in killing insects!”

Her eyes are unfamiliar.Hwang Jo-yoon thought to himself. The So Lee-yeon he remembered from the past had been a lonely, easy-going girl who had been easy to convince and subdue. Director So of today gave off a very different aura.

Somebody who had witnessed a murder and had been forced to live with a murderer for two years would obviously change. Lee-yeon had always lived on edge and alert about everything. It was no surprise that she was more cautious now. For Lee-yeon, every day was a danger and she had to tread carefully. The man in front of her right now didn’t really faze her as much as it would have, in the past. She had become bold.

“It’s just funny how you play with ants, kill small helpless insects and pretend to be so mighty. Even my eight-year-old Gyu-baek doesn’t do that. It’s funny how a child is more mature than you, an adult man.”

Hwang Jo-yoon’s lips twitched in anger. “Are, are you sure about who your husband is? When we met last time, it seemed like he had a problem controlling his temper. Are you not struggling to live with a man like him?” He sounded pushy. “Am I asking too much? We can go to the district office together, and you can show me the document, and it’s all done!”

“Enough!” yelled Lee-yeon. “I don’t have to prove anything to you. Who the hell are you anyway?”

“Your attitude is driving me crazy, you know that?” He shouted with his spit flying. “It’s not that I’m a psycho, it’s that you’re the bitch that drives me to act like this!”

Lee-yeon realized that nothing she said would matter. She didn’t want to argue with the worthless shit anymore. I’d rather just beat him up and break his jaw. When Lee-yeon raised her arm as if to throw a handful of dirt piled up on the cart, Hwang Jo-yoon staggered back.

“Mind your own businesses. My personal life is not your concern. There’s absolutely nothing about you that’s appealing. I wonder where your confidence comes from, you worthless piece of shit.”

It had been several years since Lee-yeon got kicked out of Hospital D because of Hwang Jo-yoon. He claimed to love her, but the truth was he could never love anyone but himself. He was toxic. He was a stalker. He just wanted to own her. He probably tried making other women’s life miserable and when they didn’t put up with his shit, he was targeting Lee-yeon again because she had been easier to control in the past.

“I have a very scary husband,” said Lee-yeon.

“Lee-yeon…” said Hwang Jo-yoon, almost begging.

“He isn’t afraid of anybody. And yes, he sometimes has difficulty controlling his temper. Not with me though. He does bite, you know. So, if I were you, I would run.”

Suddenly she was reminded of ‘the night’ when Kwon Chae-woo buried his face in her neck. She suddenly became embarrassed and let out a cough. She then lowered her voice and spoke firmly. “Besides, he’s good at burying things.”

She gestured towards the yard full of shovels. “You better stay out of sight. He is already angry at you.”

Lee-yeon turned around and went inside. Hwang Jo-yoon was not someone who heeded any kind of warning. He stared at her receding back and recalled the twenty-two-year-old Lee-yeon whom he had known. I must lead this stray lamb to the right path, he thought.

Cold spring breeze blew. Lee-yeon closed the curtain. Hwang Jo-yoon was still standing outside, staring at her coldly. His eyes reminded her of the black lens of a camera. He looked angry. Lee-yeon’s face hardened. She was sick of his creepy eyes.

From that day, Hwang Jo -yoon’s stalking started yet again.