Flower Fiancé Chapter 21

“In the evening?”

“Yes. We close at 8, but if there are no customers, we sometimes close earlier. So I thought it’d be nice to have dinner around that time and then watch a late-night movie.”

Choi Moohyuk, who had been silently watching Ji Yeonwoo, shifted his posture and crossed his arms. The corner of Choi Moohyuk’s mouth was slightly lifted as he gazed at him without a hint of wavering.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I was contemplating because I’ve never had that kind of late-night date before.”

“Then what kind of dates has Managing Director had?”

“Wouldn’t there be only one?”

In an instant, his face flushed hotly. Before he could stop it, an enormous flight of imagination unfolded in his head. It was a parade of those kinds of lewd scenes, with Choi Moohyuk and Ji Yeonwoo writhing as if they were one body. I’ve gone crazy, I must have gone crazy. Why is that popping into my head right now? Ji Yeonwoo internally scolded himself like that, staring at Choi Moohyuk with extremely flustered eyes.

“Why are you surprised? I was just talking about sleeping. Sleep, slumber.”

Even seeing Ji Yeonwoo turn bright red, there was no way Choi Moohyuk would just let it go. Now having completely reverted to his usual self, he caught Ji Yeonwoo’s trailing words in a sly tone.

Internally, he thought he’d been had. Choi Moohyuk was deliberately intent on making Ji Yeonwoo uncomfortable. The smoothly upturned tip of Choi Moohyuk’s lips spoke volumes.

“Or did you think of something else?”

As if he had just stepped in and out of Ji Yeonwoo’s head, he pinpointed it with a ‘You thought something dirty, didn’t you?’ which felt cruel.

“Oh, n-no? I didn’t imagine anything at all!”

He doesn’t let it slide just once. Embarrassed that his thoughts had been found out for no reason, Ji Yeonwoo turned his body away. His burning, flushed face showed no sign of cooling down. He couldn’t face Choi Moohyuk in this state.

“Shall we, go out? It’s raining, so I think we should leave soon.”

Thinking this couldn’t go on, Ji Yeonwoo stretched his arm toward the switch. Click, the moment the switch went down, darkness descended upon the interior of Flower Fiancé. Only the headlights of cars on the road seeped in faintly and intermittently.

Since it’s dark, it’ll be a bit better now. It was the moment he turned around in relief. He abruptly stopped at the sudden sense of strangeness felt from behind his back. Along with the sound of footsteps, he felt someone standing close behind him.

Facing the wall, Ji Yeonwoo’s pupils quivered. With the surroundings already dark, all his nerves were concentrated on his back. The sensation of a muscular upper body pressing against him from behind was far too vivid.

“Managing Director….”

He felt breath right at the back of his neck. His body, encroached by tension, filled with strength and stiffened rigidly. As if sensing that, Choi Moohyuk’s hands grasped Ji Yeonwoo’s shoulders and gently kneaded them.

“Your body’s all stiff. Relax. I promised, didn’t I? That I wouldn’t act carelessly before getting permission.”

“Even so… you’re too close.”

“What’s wrong with being close? I’m not doing anything.”

“But if we’re this close… we’re right by the roadside. What if someone outside sees us as they pass by?”

“Don’t worry. Since you’re completely covered by me, you won’t even be visible from outside anyway.”

The hand that had been kneading his shoulders descended to his waist. The rough hand lingered around his waist before wrapping his arms around Ji Yeonwoo’s waist in an embrace. Oh no, my heart feels like it’s going to burst. His breathing started to grow ragged. The more Choi Moohyuk’s touch reached him, the louder his heart pounded.

Choi Moohyuk grasped Ji Yeonwoo’s shoulders and slowly turned him around. Ji Yeonwoo, who had slowly turned at his touch, faced Choi Moohyuk. As if mesmerized, he raised his head. It would have been better if he couldn’t see anything at all, but cruelly, his vision, which had been dyed black, gradually adjusted to the darkness, and his view began to clear.

“Managing Director, let’s go out quickly.”

“Do you just want to go home?”

“….”

“That’s too much. Does Mr. Ji Yeonwoo prefer going home?”

The floral scent filling Flower Fiancé was dizzyingly fragrant, and the low, questioning voice tickled him. He felt he had to say something, but couldn’t even part his lips, so Ji Yeonwoo just nodded his head.

“Then, will you let me see Mr. Ji Yeonwoo’s place?”

Ji Yeonwoo’s pupils shook greatly.

“T-today?”

“Is there a reason you can’t?”

“It’s not that I can’t…. It’s messy because I haven’t cleaned, and it’s too late….”

“Are you embarrassed because you haven’t cleaned, or is it burdensome because it’s late?”

“…Pardon?”

Light leaking in from beyond the clear glass window pierced through the thick darkness and seeped in brightly. Though only for a moment, Choi Moohyuk, clearly visible now, was looking straight at Ji Yeonwoo. There seemed to be a faint smile lingering at his lips. The expression he glimpsed was filled with a hint of anticipation.

But Ji Yeonwoo felt a bit differently. It wasn’t that he disliked it, but he had a feeling that he shouldn’t let Choi Moohyuk into his home in this situation. It was the intuition of a dominant omega who, despite having lost his pheromones, still retained his instincts.

That was when it happened. The firm arm wrapped around his waist loosened slackly. Ji Yeonwoo couldn’t hide his wavering eyes.

“You seem uncomfortable.”

“Oh, I….”

“You don’t have to accept reluctantly. If you’re uncomfortable, let’s do it next time. Show me when Mr. Ji Yeonwoo wants to show me.”

Choi Moohyuk didn’t press him with a demand that would make him uncomfortable. For some reason, Ji Yeonwoo’s heart sank heavier at Choi Moohyuk’s reaction.

Actually, as Choi Moohyuk said, he had been about to say he’d invite him next time. No matter how much he had lost his pheromones, he was still an omega. His irregular heat cycles were proof of that. Having already experienced one failure at a young age, whether by his own will or others’, Ji Yeonwoo had learned the lesson that he had to protect his own body. So pushing him away now was the right thing to do.

But once Choi Moohyuk actually stepped back, he was suddenly at a loss for words. He wondered what kind of expression he was wearing right now. It was difficult to grasp his emotions just by his voice. Was he disappointed, or was he being fully understanding? For Ji Yeonwoo, who still knew less than he didn’t know about Choi Moohyuk, gauging his mood just by listening to his voice was hard.

Just then, light came in from beyond the clear glass. If the light shifted just a little more, Choi Moohyuk’s face would be visible. But precariously, before it could illuminate his face, Choi Moohyuk let go of Ji Yeonwoo and turned his body away. As Choi Moohyuk’s touch left him, Ji Yeonwoo flinched and grabbed his arm as he was about to turn.

“Wait a moment!”

Choi Moohyuk, who had half turned, slowly turned his body back toward Ji Yeonwoo.

He grew anxious. The moment he thought that he shouldn’t let go of Choi Moohyuk like this, strength entered the hand gripping Choi Moohyuk’s arm as if it were a lifeline.

His mind reversed in an instant. The resolutions he had made—that Choi Moohyuk was affectionate but a dangerous person, that therefore he must not allow him into the home where an omega lived alone this late at night—all crumbled like a sandcastle with Choi Moohyuk’s turning steps.

“Then….”

Biting his lip firmly, Ji Yeonwoo lifted his head as if having made a decision.

“Would you like to come in and have a cup of tea before you go?”

∞ ∞ ∞

“Please come in.”

As the front door opened, the light that seeped in left a long mark. Ji Yeonwoo, who came inside before that beam of light could completely disappear, groped along the wall and brought his finger to the switch pad. With a beep, bright light flooded the living room.

“Please understand even if it’s messy.”

Contrary to Ji Yeonwoo’s words, the house was modest but neatly organized. The homeowner’s taste could be seen everywhere. Pretty vases and flowers sat on the dining table, the sofa table, and the display cabinet.

Since he ran a flower shop, it was only natural that he liked flowers, but Ji Yeonwoo decorating even his house with flowers felt fascinating.

“Take a look around. I’ll bring out some refreshments.”

He turned around after watching Ji Yeonwoo walk toward the kitchen. There were three rooms in total. The one with the diatomaceous earth footrest in front must be the bathroom, so then one was a dress room and the other was the bedroom? Excluding the room that seemed to be the bathroom, he walked toward the door that was closer.

“Oh! Wait a moment!”