Flower Fiancé Chapter 1

The sound of a vibrating alarm echoed through the room, bright sunlight streaming in.

A thin moan trailed from beneath the bulging covers. A white, smooth foot poking out from under the blanket twitched, resisting getting up, but at the second ring of the alarm, he reluctantly threw off the blanket and raised his body.

Ji Yeonwoo’s mornings took a little longer to ignite than others’. Even after finding and following every method out there to become a morning person, he still caught fire just as late. He didn’t sleep late, nor did he drink every night, so why were his mornings always so difficult and weary? Sitting blankly with his hair a bird’s nest, Ji Yeonwoo repeated these unanswerable thoughts.

Only after a long while did he let out a groaning sound and lower his feet from the bed. Dragging his slippers out to the living room, he pressed the water purifier button and leaned against the display cabinet. Still full of sleep, Ji Yeonwoo let out another long yawn, drank a cup of lukewarm water, and trudged into the bathroom.

Every action was slow, yet flowed as naturally as water, like a set routine.

Only after washing up spotlessly from head to toe did vitality finally return to Ji Yeonwoo’s face. He went into the kitchen, prepared a simple breakfast, sat at the table, and opened his tablet.

He spread a thin layer of marmalade on the toast, neatly stacked a fried egg and bacon on top, took a bite, and tapped the screen of the docked tablet with his index finger.

Checking the delivery tracking for items he had pre-ordered, it indicated they would arrive at the shop in about an hour. Thinking he could finish eating, tidy up a bit, and then head out, he took another bite of his toast when his phone rang.

It was his mother.

“Yes, Mother.”

[You’re up. Did you sleep well?]

“Yes. What’s the matter so early in the morning?”

[Your tired voice during our call yesterday worried me. Are you feeling alright?]

“Our dear lady worries so much. Your son is doing just fine on his own now.”

Ji Yeonwoo spoke with a smiling face, mumbling through a mouthful of bread.

[I know. Isn’t this all just what mothers do, worrying?]

“I woke up fine, and I’m eating breakfast right now. Please don’t worry too much.”

[Breakfast, right? Don’t tell me you’re eating bread, eggs, bacon, that sort of thing?]

Hearing her pinpoint exactly what he was eating as if she had a ghostly sixth sense, Ji Yeonwoo stopped his munching mouth like a child whose secret had been found out. Gulp. Swallowing what was in his mouth with an audible sound, Ji Yeonwoo took a few gulps of the water he had poured.

“O-of course not. I’m eating rice. Rice, it is.”

[Hmm.]

As the breath on the other end of the phone grew longer with suspicion, Ji Yeonwoo hastily continued speaking. It felt like staying silent would only invite more nagging.

“Have you eaten, Mother?”

[Not yet. I’m waiting for your father to return from his workout so we can eat together.]

“Did he go play golf?”

[Yeah. Oh, by the way, did you go to the hospital?]

In a moment of carelessness, a barrage of questions dropped.

“Ah… the hospital… you mean?”

[So you didn’t go again. I told you to go before it gets any later. What if there is something wrong?]

His quick-witted mother judged the entire situation from that brief hesitation. Unable to lie and say he had, he leaned back in his chair, listening to his mother’s worries pouring out like rapid fire. Two years had already passed, and yet his mother was still living in worry over him—a bitter smile spread across his face at the thought.

“I’m fine, Mother.”

[I’m not fine, that’s the thing.]

But he really was fine. Ji Yeonwoo muttered quietly, no longer denying his mother’s words. To his mother, Ji Yeonwoo was a constant source of heartache, and after what happened two years ago, he felt nothing but regret for seeming to cause her even greater worry.

[Yeonwoo. I still can’t forgive that bastard Lee Hyunjoon. I’ve held back from doing anything because you asked me to stay still, but it’s not because we lacked the money that we didn’t take any action.]

“Yes. I know that very well.”

[What on earth happened during those four years you lived with that bastard, for you to come back in such a complete mess? And that’s not all? He takes you away right after high school graduation and then what? Divorces you because you lost your pheromones? Is that even something you say…]

Her voice, pouring out in excitement, couldn’t finish the last words. Though angry, it felt like she was holding back for Ji Yeonwoo’s sake. Even though two years had passed since the divorce, just thinking about that time still seemed to enrage her, as his mother couldn’t contain her fury, breathing heavily.

At times like that, Ji Yeonwoo couldn’t say anything, as if he were a criminal. He was grateful that she got angry on his behalf, but feeling uncomfortable about it was unavoidable. It was because bearing the label of a divorced dominant Omega felt like enough for him to handle alone, without dragging his mother into the damage.

“Our dear Ms. Kim. If you get angry this early in the morning, your blood pressure will go up. It’s all in the past. Please, calm down. Okay?”

[Oh my, at least I can still say something.]

He could picture his mother, unable to vent her anger further and looking sulky. Although it’s a bit impolite to say this about his mother, the sight of Ms. Kim angry was closer to a cat than a tiger. Which meant she was very adorable.

[That bastard Lee Hyunjoon is coming back to Korea.]

“…!”

Ji Yeonwoo’s pupils, which had been listening quietly, swelled wide. What? He’s… coming back?

[Seems he remarried Ms. Choi’s eldest daughter in America. It’s been about a month, they say.]

“If you mean Ms. Choi, are you referring to Assemblyman Seo’s family?”

[Yes. I heard it from Ms. Kim. She talked about it so cheerfully, knowing perfectly well you and Lee Hyunjoon are divorced. He’s setting up a gallery in Korea or something. Anyway, it was so annoying, I nearly lost it.]

He needed to say something, but nothing came to his mind, which had gone completely blank. He had thought he was fine now, but the moment he heard that Lee Hyunjoon was coming to Korea, his heart began to pound. It was purely an emotion of anxiety.

[I’m telling you because I thought you should know. So you won’t be shocked if you happen to run into him.]

“Run into him? Unless he deliberately comes looking for me, there’s no way we’d run into each other.”

[How do you know that? You never know what will happen in life.]

“My daily routes and his are completely different now. And there hasn’t been a single call for the past two years. We just need to live our own lives, just like now.”

To be honest, not everything was okay yet. Even now, the three syllables of Lee Hyunjoon brought up the anxiety he had hidden deep down, but he couldn’t show that to his mother.

“And please don’t worry too much about the hospital. I asked around, and they said this is just… like a passing fever. And I looked into it myself—once lost, pheromones aren’t easy to recover, they say. There is a treatment, but it seemed very expensive. So I didn’t go.”

When Ji Yeonwoo calmly conveyed his thoughts, his mother seemed to agree and said no more.

“I’m fine as I am now. It’s just a little uncomfortable when a heat comes occasionally; other than that, it’s actually more comfortable and better now.”

[…]

“It’s all passed, and I’ve forgotten it all. I’m still a bit clumsy, but I can do everything well on my own now. So please don’t worry too much.”

[…Really?]

“Of course. Have faith in your son.”

[Alright. Eat a good breakfast, and don’t keep the shop open too late.]

“Yes, yes, I understand, my lady.”

[Call your father sometimes too. Even if he doesn’t show it, he worries about you a lot.]

“Yes. I will. Enjoy your breakfast.”

After ending the call with her repeated pleas, Ji Yeonwoo let the hand holding his phone drop with a thud. Whether it was in his head or not, breathing didn’t come easily. Letting out only shallow, strained breaths, Ji Yeonwoo sat motionless like a wax figure in the silent house where even the clock made no sound.

Ji Yeonwoo is a dominant Omega, but he has no pheromones. To be precise, he lost his pheromones.