Flower Fiancé Chapter 18

Choi Moohyuk checked the fuel level in the car with the engine still running. About two hours had passed since he had parked in the ground-level parking lot of Ji Yeonwoo’s officetel. Even though it was already past midnight and heading toward dawn, Ji Yeonwoo hadn’t woken up, sleeping sweetly with the sound of rain as his lullaby.

He pressed down on his tired-feeling eyes with his index and middle fingers. What was harder to endure than the creeping fatigue was having to just look at the sleeping Ji Yeonwoo.

Thinking it was about time to wake him up, Choi Moohyuk leaned toward Ji Yeonwoo. Almost at the same time, Ji Yeonwoo, who had been facing the window, tossed and turned and shifted his body toward Choi Moohyuk. Fidgeting, he folded both legs up onto the seat and curled his body into the coat. Then, changing his position, he faced Choi Moohyuk and fell back into sleep.

Choi Moohyuk, who had frozen mid-motion while leaning toward Ji Yeonwoo, felt his eyes waver, unable to find their bearings. Having stiffened up while even holding his breath, Choi Moohyuk looked at Ji Yeonwoo, who was once again sound asleep, and let out a hollow laugh.

“He sleeps well. Makes me have bad thoughts.”

Even if Ji Yeonwoo had heard him promise not to pounce on a sleeping person, sleeping this defenselessly was against the rules. At this point, he was even suspicious if this was a test of his patience.

“Mr. Ji Yeonwoo, how long are you planning to sleep.”

Unable to hold back any longer, he poked Ji Yeonwoo’s cheek with his finger, poke poke. The texture of his white, soft cheek was exactly like glutinous rice cake.

Only after his cheek was poked a couple of times did Ji Yeonwoo fidget again and burrow deeper into the coat.

“Mmm, just a little more.”

“A little more?”

He even answers in his sleep. Choi Moohyuk, who had repeated Ji Yeonwoo’s words, laughed as if amused.

“Mr. Yeonwoo, it’s already dawn. You need to go inside to sleep.”

“….”

“Mr. Ji Yeonwoo.”

“….”

When had he been stubbornly insisting he wasn’t sleepy? Watching him sleep so defenselessly made him want to tease him.

“If you don’t wake up by the count of three, I’ll do as I please.”

“….”

“One….”

“….”

“Two….”

“….”

“Three….”

“…!”

The moment he counted the last number, Ji Yeonwoo snapped his eyes open. Seeing the coat suddenly fall away, Choi Moohyuk almost simultaneously planted his arm against the passenger seat headrest and leaned in. The instant their full lips touched, crushing together, he felt Ji Yeonwoo’s body stiffen.

Choi Moohyuk opened his eyes slightly and studied Ji Yeonwoo’s face. Ji Yeonwoo’s fully closed eyes were crumpled as if frowning. He recognized Ji Yeonwoo’s rigid reaction as if startled, but Choi Moohyuk didn’t pull his lips away.

With the sound of moisture, Choi Moohyuk pressed several short kisses to the corner of his mouth, then greedily sucked on Ji Yeonwoo’s lower lip, tilting his face.

Inside the lips pressed together without a gap, a hot tongue tangled back and forth. Ji Yeonwoo squeezed his eyes shut at the kiss that seemed as if it would steal even the breath remaining in his mouth. Choi Moohyuk, who had been biting only with his lips so as not to graze teeth and sucking deeply, lowered the hand he had braced against the passenger seat headrest and pressed Ji Yeonwoo’s shoulder. As soon as Choi Moohyuk’s touch landed, Ji Yeonwoo flinched hard and pushed against Choi Moohyuk’s chest with a tightly clenched fist.

A cotton-bat-like fist couldn’t possibly work, but Choi Moohyuk, remembering what he had said about not pouncing, straightened up as if pushed back by the fist. With their faces close, Choi Moohyuk moved his eyes and looked at Ji Yeonwoo.

“Hah, haa….”

The breath exhaled between lips glistening with saliva was ragged. Ji Yeonwoo’s eyes, his mouth covered by the back of his hand, had already lost all trace of sleep.

“Since when have you been awake?”

“….”

“Don’t tell me you heard everything I said?”

No matter how he thought about it, the way Ji Yeonwoo had snapped his eyes open right as he finished counting was suspicious. Opening his eyes that abruptly made him reasonably suspect he might have already been awake.

“I was curious to see what would happen if the Managing Director harbored bad thoughts.”

Ji Yeonwoo blushed as if embarrassed, but he didn’t hide his true feelings.

“Ha, you were awake since then?”

The timing was unexpected. So did that mean answering while sleep-talking was also deliberate? He had a coquettish side beneath the surface, it seemed. Choi Moohyuk looked at Ji Yeonwoo and laughed softly. At that, Ji Yeonwoo continued as if making an excuse.

“I was awake, but I was half-asleep, you know. Actually, drunk on sleep, I barely even remember what I answered.”

“Still, you answered everything I said.”

“It was while half-asleep. If I opened my eyes right when I woke up, it seemed like it would be strange, and also, I was curious what would happen if the Managing Director harbored bad thoughts….”

The sight of Ji Yeonwoo rambling and making excuses with his bright red face was a sight to behold. Choi Moohyuk nodded vaguely.

“Hmm. Alright. I’ll believe you.”

“It’s not about believing me, it’s the truth.”

“Alright. I said alright.”

When Choi Moohyuk answered half-heartedly, Ji Yeonwoo wore a displeased expression. Choi Moohyuk leaned toward Ji Yeonwoo and drew closer.

“So, what were your impressions of watching me harbor bad thoughts?”

“…Pardon?”

As his face drew close enough to touch again, Ji Yeonwoo pressed his body tightly against the seat and opened his eyes wide.

“Did you dislike it?”

“Ah, that’s….”

Choi Moohyuk brought his face even closer, moving his eyes to study Ji Yeonwoo’s rigid face. The eyes that had been darting around trying to avoid his gaze hardened as if making a resolution.

“…I didn’t dislike it.”

He liked that Ji Yeonwoo didn’t seem like an entirely weak person. The way he had come out into society and lived spiritedly, facing things head-on rather than shutting himself in a corner of his room depressed over losing his pheromones, and though he had been defensive for a moment, the way he knew how to accept the connection that came to him—that was pleasant to see too.

Choi Moohyuk wanted to know more about Ji Yeonwoo. What his eyes looked like when they folded up in a genuine smile, whether the corners of his eyes reddened when he cried, and what kind of moan he let out when excited—he was curious about all those various sides of Ji Yeonwoo. Rubbing Ji Yeonwoo’s damp lower lip with his thumb while thinking, Choi Moohyuk realized he was having all sorts of thoughts and laughed in spite of himself.

Ji Yeonwoo rounded his eyes as if puzzled. Choi Moohyuk shook his head as if it was nothing.

“If you didn’t dislike it, is it okay if I do more?”

Choi Moohyuk’s hand gently rubbed Ji Yeonwoo’s earlobe. The touch was bold, but the words asking as if seeking permission were affectionate.

“More kissing, I mean.”

Ji Yeonwoo hesitated as if wavering. His heart pounded. His body, drunk on the atmosphere, felt as if it would melt richly away. This wasn’t something he could avoid just by saying he wanted to avoid it. After hesitating for a moment, Ji Yeonwoo nodded, the rims of his ears dyed red as well.

Once permission was granted, Choi Moohyuk took hold of Ji Yeonwoo’s chin and tilted his face down. He overlapped lips that glistened with saliva, neither knowing whose it was. Choi Moohyuk, who had been holding his breath while kissing him until those soft lips were completely pressed down, opened his mouth wider, deeply sucking on his lips and curling his tongue.

It was a lascivious kiss beyond comparison to the one just moments ago that had merely toyed on the surface of his lips.

Ji Yeonwoo, who had awkwardly placed his hands on the firm shoulders, hesitated before wrapping his arms around Choi Moohyuk’s nape and clinging to him. Sensing Ji Yeonwoo’s touch, Choi Moohyuk opened his narrowed eyes. Ji Yeonwoo was absorbed in the kiss, his eyes squeezed shut until lines formed around them.

Choi Moohyuk wrapped his remaining arm around Ji Yeonwoo’s upper body, pulling him close, and tilted his face again.

“Mmm.”

A thin moan slipped out between their pressed lips. Choi Moohyuk took Ji Yeonwoo’s lips deeply into his mouth and rubbed against his soft, smooth cheek.

There was still hesitation, but Ji Yeonwoo, gradually melting into him, was admirable.

∞ ∞ ∞

Ji Yeonwoo spent most of his day at Flower Fiancé. Except for occasionally meeting friends or running errands, he hadn’t even set designated days off. That routine had been repeating for a full two years.

The business hours of Flower Fiancé were from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Usually, he arrived for work around 9:30 a.m., cleaned the shop, watered the flowers, and began his day. But once a week, on the day flowers arrived from the floriculture farm, he arrived an hour early to prepare to receive them.

“Boss, this is the last pot, right?”