Flowers Are Bait

The front door slammed shut behind them and their lips met. Kwon Chae-woo pushed her against the wall and sucked on her lower lip. He pushed his tongue into her mouth while his hands pulled at her hair.

Lee-yeon’s neck shuddered at the sensation. This was her first time experiencing something like this. She had never imagined herself getting so close to a man with his tongue down her throat.

The man nibbled at her lips and pushed his tongue deeper. With their mouth smacked against each other, all her thoughts were scattered. Lee-yeon could only gasp for breath because this was so overwhelming.

“Mmm…”

Wait, wait…. What the hell is happening? We were just eating flowers until just a few minutes ago! Lee-yeon thought about what happened a while earlier. There had been a very strange atmosphere between them under than sunset. Lee-yeon was grappling with unfamiliar feelings when Kwon Chae-woo suddenly pulled her into the house for a kiss. His face had hardened. That was how this started.

She tried to push him away, but he was too strong. He sucked at her lips passionately and pulled her to him even more firmly. His tongue stubbornly stroked and licked hers. She pushed hard against his chest. Their eyes met. Unlike his warm lips, his eyes were cold.

Lee-yeon flinched. Kwon Chae-woo pulled her closer to him. He held her tightly and sucked on her lips, deepening his kiss. He sucked all the nectar that the flower had left in her mouth. Their sound filled the house. Lee-yeon trembled and accepted the kiss.

I should stop him, she thought weakly. She pushed him and hit him on his shoulders as hard as she could, but he pushed her towards the sofa without taking his lips off of her even for a second. Lee-yeon hit him harder. She turned her head away, avoiding his kiss. He just turned her to him and kissed her again while his other hand pressed her waist to him.

The more she pushed him, the more he held her. They tripped and fell on the sofa. He leaned over her and finally broke the kiss. He was panting. His sharp eyes reminded her of a wild animal.

“Would it be okay to ask my wife if I can sleep with her?” he asked.

“I…um…,” Lee-yeon didn’t know what to say. Something hard and thick pressed against her stomach. She could tell what it was. It urged her to answer fast. “Did you forget that we are in a platonic relationship?’

“That was the old days.” Kwon Chae-woo slightly frowned. “I am not the same person.” He smiled. “Forget about the old Kwon Chae-woo and let me help you have fun.”

Lee-yeon had always molded the relationship as she saw fit. She had been the one who got to make the decisions but now everything seemed chaotic. She felt helpless and confused. He lowered his head and kissed her again.

“I will be gentle,” he whispered. Unlike a moment ago, when he was aggressively thrusting his tongue inside her mouth, he placed a chaste, gentle kiss on her lips now. But his eyes told another story entirely. “Trust me,” he said, “I will stop if you tell me to stop. I will go on, if you tell me to.”

He bit her at the neckline of her shirt, grazing her br*asts. Lee-yeon curled her toes in anticipation. “It’s… it’s difficult for me.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

Lee-yeon tried to think of something. Anything at all. “You… you probably won’t like it either, because…,” she raked her brain for excuses. “Because I am… very insensitive when it comes to things like this! Not intentionally but, I just lay there like a rock until it finishes. Trust me, we have done this before. It didn’t work.”

Her words rang in the silent room. “That’s funny,” he said.

“What is?”

“You. Making excuses.” He smirked. “I wonder how many interesting excuses you have prepared in that mind of yours.”

Lee-yeon’s face hardened. “If we really got married and we really love each other, you need to come up with better excuses,” he said. “Just come up with something more convincing next time.” He lifted her up so that she was sitting up on the sofa.

* * *

Lee-yeon felt that it was really embarrassing having to use the same bed with Kwon Chae-woo after what had happened in the day. While she showered, Kwon Chae-woo had dropped by her office and picked up a book.

She sat awkwardly on the bed, trying not to look at him. “Goodnight, Lee-yeon,” he said.

“Are you not going to sleep?” she asked, surprised.

“You go to sleep first,” he said, “I want to read a little before I sleep.”

He turned off the light and walked to the bed. He then turned on the bedside lamp, pulled the blanket over him and leaned back to read. The silence in the room was only disturbed by the sound of pages turning.

But it wasn’t only Kwon Chae-woo who wasn’t sleepy. It was close to midnight and Lee-yeon didn’t feel drowsy. She didn’t know whether it was because she was anxious and fidgety or because she had woken up so late in the morning that it had been almost afternoon.

In the end, Lee-yeon pretended to sleep while sneakily observing Kwon Chae-woo’s profile in the blanket. He quietly read the book. He seemed like a different person. He was certainly different from the one who had kissed her so aggressively in the afternoon.

Lee-yeon found it unfair because it seemed like she was the only one who couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened. His every move, every word made her feel nervous and anxious. She didn’t know what to do.

Just then, Kwon Chae-woo closed the book with a snap.