Flowers Are Bait

Something was wrong. Lee-yeon couldn’t stop running the past two weeks through her mind. Stealing a boat, ramming a ship, being lifted into Kwon Chae-woo’s embrace, the sight of the carnage he left behind. All of it still haunted her. It felt like someone, who was scared of water, had their feet in the sea. The feeling of the waves coming in made that person flinch every time the crest crashed on the shore.

“Choo-ja, I need you to check something,” Lee-yeon said.

“What is it?” Choo-ja asked, lifting her head and looking at Lee-yeon with her magnifiers on.

“Normal men. Do you know any normal men? Please, introduce me to one.”

Choo-ja blinked. “Introduce you? Did I hear that right?”

Lee-yeon rubbed her face like she was tired. “You said that So’s son was interested in having a date before?”

“Director So, are you serious?” Choo-ja placed her hand on Lee-yeon’s forehead but couldn’t sense a fever.

“Choo-ja, have you heard of misattribution of arousal?” Lee-yeon asked. “It was theory that said when you meet someone on a suspension bridge, you get more aroused than when you meet them on flat ground. You easily get confused between the excitement and fear of the dangerous situation, and the normal anxieties of love.”

Her heart always skipped a beat for Kwon Chae-woo when she was in a scary situation. Whenever something big happened. She needed to know if it was the situation or if it really was love.

Lee-yeon held Choo-ja by the arms, looking desperate. “So, normal men. As many as you can find!”

***

The day, from two weeks ago, still went through her mind. Lee-yeon was anxious about the police that were coming to take her in; what would happen to them if they were taken to the station.

Currently Kwon Chae-woo had no ID. That meant they wouldn’t know his resident registration number. His crazy, scary criminal record might come out if they check his fingerprints. Also, it could reveal that they were both single and not married.

When Kwon Chae-woo wouldn’t let her go from his embrace, Lee-yeon was trying to think up a plan. Lee-yeon felt sick that she had to be so deceptive. But she also didn’t want to be caught.

The police tried to separate them, but Kwon Chae-woo’s strong grip wrapped around Lee-yeon’s shoulders even harder. Her cheek hurt from being crushed against his hard chest.

“Kwon Chae-woo,” she mumbled from beneath his arms. “Let’s call your brother.”

His arms weakened and a heavy weight fell against her. Kwon Chae-woo was falling. Lee-yeon struggled to support his upper body.

“Kwon Chae-woo!”

“Lee-yeon…” He clenched at his forehead, trying not to lose his consciousness. “Let’s…go…”

She stumbled from his weight, and the police rushed to help her.

“We’ll come with you!” Lee-yeon told the police. “Just take us to the hospital first!”

They were rushed to the hospital in the back of a police cruiser and Kwon Chae-woo was immediately seen by a doctor. The bullet had only grazed his thigh, but they needed to stop the bleeding.

“He will need to be admitted for a while,” the doctor informed her.

Lee-yeon looked at Kwon Chae-woo. His lips were busted, he had wounds all over his body, his cheeks were swollen and bruised, and his eyes had almost swollen shut. He looked like he had just lost a vicious boxing match.

“His body needs rest,” the doctor continued. “His temperature, pulse, and blood pressure are all low. I think it’s a good idea for him to have some induced sleep, so his body can recover.”

“How many days,” Lee-yeon asked.

“Probably three or four, then we will reassess.”

Lee-yeon nodded and they took Kwon Chae-woo away to find him a room. Lee-yeon accompanied the officers to the police station by herself, so that she could prove she wasn’t a smuggler. After handing over the photos of the drug farm and cooperating with all of their questions, they let her go with only a fine for vandalism. She was happy that she could clear everything up so they wouldn’t have to question Kwon Chae-woo.

When she finally returned home, she was unable to sleep. She wasn’t used to such a quiet house. She felt a chill, even though the heat of the summer had permeated the house. Lee-yeon tried lying on the sofa, lying on her bed, and even went to the second floor, but the sleepless night continued. It was strange, after everything that had occurred, that she wasn’t falling over with exhaustion. All she could think of was the adrenaline was still pumping hard in her veins.

Lee-yeon couldn’t hold it anymore as she curled up on the sofa and made a call.

“Choo-ja, it’s Lee-yeon,” she said when there was a faint hello on the other end.

“What time is it?” Choo-ja asked, half-asleep.

“Three in the morning.”

“Oh my god! Why are you calling so late? How come you’re not sleeping?” Even Choo-ja’s voice was not enough to fill the silence of the house.

Lee-yeon looked around the living room. The house was full of Kwon Chae-woo stuff. It seemed like everywhere she looked, she could see his trace. The cup he was drinking with, the dumbbell he used for exercise, the cushion he was leaned against. Everything was annoying her.

After filling in Choo-ja with all of the details, she said, “I’m not going to wake Kwon Chae-woo up tomorrow.” Lee-yeon chewed on her nails while hugging her knees. “There’s no reason to wake the man up this time, but I keep wanting to wake him up for some reason.”