Flowers Are Bait Chapter 252:

Stunned by the sudden turn of events, Lee-yeon stared in silence at the paper laid out before her.

A form for marriage registration?

The tears on the verge of spilling back pulled away.

Make sure to fill out the fields properly and sign it after we chat amicably.

Is this your way of pressuring me?

Previously, Kwon Kiseok had coerced her into signing something similar, turning her into a mere figurehead. Although the situation now differed completely from that time, her body still trembled involuntarily from the recollection.

As a hint of unease started to show on her expression, Kwon Chae-woo settled beside the bed and softly stroked her hair in an effort to soothe her. Yet, the way his eyes dropped held an unsettling chill.

Lee-yeon, I'll serve you like a devoted attendant.

!

But first, I must ensure you're positioned as my owner.

Because one wrong move, and I'll be reduced to a mutt pursuing a fowl.

Kwon Chae-woo took her delicate hand and guided it to his throat, demonstrating his point.

Lee-yeon, don't hold back—grasp me firmly.

!

His racing heartbeat pulsed against her fingers.

I truly desired a respectable existence. However, as evident, things didn't pan out that way.

Kwon Chae-woo hated drawing parallels to Kwon Kiseok like this, but in that instant when despair flickered in Lee-yeon's gaze, an urge surged within him to seize her spirit by force, to lock her away and leave her powerless.

If mere sunlight could unsettle her, he was prepared to shield her from every surrounding element.

Still, to escape the path Kwon Kiseok had taken, he fought and roamed, seeking his personal resolution. The paper he presented was part of that quest.

She needed to be contained, yet the boundaries had to remain unseen.

Kneeling before her wasn't sufficient to keep this woman secure. Merely keeping distance, anticipating her needs, observing and managing her life fell short too.

A faint imprint lingered on her palm, resembling a blemish. That single trace erased any notions of gentle approaches.

In its place, he chose to embrace a fiercer demeanor.

To spare Lee-yeon from further hopelessness. To deter any dangers from nearing her. He promised to transform Hwaido into her personal sanctuary.

Within a single day, the man naturally discovered that lowly surrendering everything wasn't the way; instead, he honed the skill of concealing his darker motives more cunningly.

Kwon Chae-woo resolved to pour every ounce of his power into being her protector, guaranteeing she wouldn't plunge into despair anew.

If possible, I'd bind you to me so we merge into one.

This isn't a marriage proposal, is it? Lee-yeon whispered, taken aback by the peculiar offer. Exceptionally peculiar.

I refuse to suffer another betrayal like today's ambush, and since physical restraints aren't an option, a signed document will have to do.

His voice rumbled low as Lee-yeon gave a slight shrug.

I have words for you too, Kwon Chae-woo.

!

Chae-woo, I've encountered situations like this once or twice before.

Her statement made Kwon Chae-woo blink deliberately and crease his forehead. Sirens echoed from outside, with bursts of crimson light piercing the room now and then.

Kwon Chae-woo fixed her with a piercing, thorn-like stare.

But rather than silencing her, his mouth quivered in dread of her revelation.

She pierced straight through the resolute man's defenses with ease.

Then, not bitterness or scorn, but the confession he'd suppressed all day—even as it festered inside—finally erupted.

Damn it, Lee-yeon, I'm insanely in love with you! That's why separation fills me with such isolation and worry.

The evening sky glowed an odd scarlet. The entire world appeared as precious as his own pupil.

Just hold on; I won't ever abandon you.

With those words, the ethereal traces lingering in Lee-yeon's visions seemed to dissolve in a flash.

No matter if I perish a hundred times over, I'll exist and perish as your spouse.

He proclaimed it with eyes veined in red.

Though his unyielding hold restricted her breath, the strange solace spreading through her frame was unlike anything she'd known.

At last, Lee-yeon yearned to anchor the drifting path that had lingered here for so long.

Her lashes gradually grew damp.

What I wished to tell Mr. Chae-woo is

He gulped in anticipation, visibly on edge.

Thank you for rescuing me.

!

Right up to the finish, for staying by her side amid the inferno. It blended dream and truth.

Because of you, Mr. Chae-woo, I made it through alive.

Even if Lee-yeon faced ruthless banishment from some corner of her reality, Kwon Chae-woo was the type to warmly accept her flawed and tarnished essence.

With that assurance in her core, Lee-yeon desired to construct a fresh dwelling for them. Their modest household.

***

Following the gas blast at the nation's premier botanical haven, Hwaidome, Mayor Hwayang arrived at the site and got briefed by the fire chief on the blaze's status and response efforts. The mayor voiced gladness over the lack of injuries and insisted on maintaining vigilance along the firebreak without delay.

After the detonation, authorities initiated a compelled probe into the illicit subterranean lab extending across eight levels in Hwaidome, stunning the public at large.

The drug firm Suguk, boasting the highest brand prestige among the country's public companies, turned out to be manufacturing mind-altering substances.