Flower Fiancé Chapter 50

There was something catching at the end of his gaze. Choi Moohyuk stared at the point that had caught his eye. Just as their gazes were about to meet, he saw a silhouette quickly disappearing into an alley one block away from Flower Fiancé.

Frowning as he stared at that spot, Choi Moohyuk let out a dry laugh.

He tucked the unlit cigarette between his fingers and rubbed his dry lips with his hand.

“Managing Director, I’m all done. Now let’s—!”

Ji Yeonwoo, who had locked the shop door and turned around, paused at the sight of Choi Moohyuk’s hardened expression. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, Choi Moohyuk cupped Ji Yeonwoo’s face with both hands and kissed him. Startled by the sudden kiss, Ji Yeonwoo struggled. Pushed back by the force, Ji Yeonwoo’s back hit the closed glass door with a thud.

“Hh, Managing Director. Wa-wait a moment.”

With his breath caught at his throat, Ji Yeonwoo twisted his head away, broke the kiss, and gasped for air.

“I can’t breathe. Why all of a sudden—”

“You’re playing the part of a valuable model, so bear with it a little.”

Choi Moohyuk waited for Ji Yeonwoo to fill his lungs with air, then tilted his face and leaned in again.

“A model? What do you mean by—”

“Aren’t you curious, Mr. Ji? What kind of face that bastard will make when he sees this scene?”

Ji Yeonwoo looked at Choi Moohyuk with an expression that said he didn’t understand. Choi Moohyuk closed the distance and sealed Ji Yeonwoo’s lips with another kiss. This time, it wasn’t as rough as before. Cradling the back of his head, which felt like it might be throbbing from the impact, he pressed short kisses repeatedly before opening his mouth and taking Ji Yeonwoo’s lips between his. Ji Yeonwoo furrowed his brow and squinted his eyes, but soon wrapped his arms around Choi Moohyuk’s neck and clung to him, focusing on the kiss.

Choi Moohyuk pulled Ji Yeonwoo close by the waist and slowly opened his eyes.

Rolling his gaze lazily, Choi Moohyuk intertwined their tongues while staring at the alley where the silhouette had been seen.

∞ ∞ ∞

Even in the bright daylight, inside the alley cast with dark shadows, a man leaned against the wall and checked his phone. On the screen, a freeze-frame captured Choi Moohyuk and Ji Yeonwoo standing affectionately face to face, kissing.

“This is Jung Doowon.”

The man, with earphones plugged in, looked at his phone and spoke to someone on the other end.

“You were right. The person with Mr. Ji is Choi Moohyuk, the eldest son of the Seonwoo Group and Managing Director of Seonwoo Corporation. I just sent the photo. Please check it. Yes, it’s that gangster group you mentioned. I’ll give you more details when we meet in person. Yes. Please go ahead.”

Ending the brief call, the man removed his earphones and put them in their case as he turned around.

“Mr. Jung?”

Just then, an unfamiliar voice called his name. The man paused and looked up.

“What is it?”

At some point, a man of sturdy build in a black suit was blocking his path. The men blocking the way narrowed the distance as they approached.

“Oh, shit!”

Sensing the threat instinctively, the man turned the other way to flee, but two more men were already blocking the opposite side, closing in.

“Wh-what! Let go, this—mmph, mmph!”

He tried to take a defensive stance, but against three sturdy men on his own, he was no match. Caught from both sides, the man struggled to break free, but dropped his phone and earphones in succession, and slumped. A following man picked up the fallen phone and crushed the earphones with his foot.

The men carried the unconscious Jung Doowon away somewhere.

At the same time, a notification sound rang from a phone inside a car smoothly cruising down the road. A neatly suited man, legs crossed and back against the seat, turned his gaze. His well-groomed hand leisurely picked up the phone. The man’s eyes sharpened as he checked the screen.

“Hah…”

On his phone was a photo of a man boldly kissing Ji Yeonwoo while shielding him with his body.

“Choi Moohyuk, is it?”

Lee Hyunjoon zoomed in on the man kissing Ji Yeonwoo and narrowed his eyes. The figure looked familiar. It was the same scene he’d seen at the hotel lounge.

“As expected, it was that bastard.”

A breath burst out in disbelief as his gaze turned fierce. Nervously moving his thumb and flipping through the photos on the screen, Lee Hyunjoon finally flung his phone toward the front seat. With a thud, the phone hit the center fascia and tumbled haphazardly.

Even after throwing the innocent phone, his anger was still not appeased, and Lee Hyunjoon panted heavily, his chest heaving.

“So Ji Yeonwoo’s new catch is Choi Moohyuk of that gangster group, is that it?”

Lee Hyunjoon’s muttering voice was sharp and chilling. The chauffeur in the driver’s seat and the secretary in the passenger seat exchanged wordless glances, gauging the atmosphere.

The secretary in the passenger seat picked up Lee Hyunjoon’s phone rolling on the console and handed it over with careful hands. Grinding his teeth audibly, Lee Hyunjoon took it with an irritated gesture and long-pressed the speed dial.

On the phone screen appeared three characters—”Jung Doowon”—along with his number. As the ringing tone sounded, Lee Hyunjoon brought the phone to his ear with a fierce expression.

— Rrrring, rrrring.

In the quiet car, where even the engine noise was barely audible, only the monotonous ringing filled the space.

[ The customer is unable to take your call… ]

After a long ringtone, the automated voice message played, and the eyes of the chauffeur and the secretary in the passenger seat shifted as they looked at each other. Frowning, Lee Hyunjoon hung up and tried again.

The result was the same.

Lee Hyunjoon slowly lowered the phone from his ear and narrowed his eyes.

“Director Jung has…”

Has he ever not answered my call before?

Only then feeling that something was wrong, Lee Hyunjoon’s expression began to harden.

∞ ∞ ∞

The park was bustling with people out for some fresh air. People were relaxing in various ways in the park—some walking in the sunlight, couples sitting on benches talking, and among the diverse crowd, there were Choi Moohyuk and Ji Yeonwoo.

Unlike the casually dressed people, Choi Moohyuk, fully suited and even wearing leather shoes, was enough to draw attention, but he didn’t seem to care at all.

Ji Yeonwoo thought that this utterly ordinary kind of dating might be boring and bothersome for someone like Choi Moohyuk, who had everything, yet he never showed it, and Ji Yeonwoo felt grateful.

About an hour into their walk, the sky suddenly began to cloud over.

Seeing the overcast sky, people scattered one by one as if by agreement. Watching those heading back the way they came, worry flickered across Ji Yeonwoo’s face.

“Looks like they’re heading back because it’s going to rain.”

Ji Yeonwoo stopped walking and looked up at the grayening sky.

“It does look that way.”

“There was no rain forecast, though.”

“It’s a shame, but we’ll have to postpone the walk for another time.”

“Okay.”

“If you’re tired, shall we rest a bit before heading back?”

His gaze, which had been on the sky, turned to Choi Moohyuk. Choi Moohyuk opened his eyes a little wider as if seeking an answer.

“Yes. That sounds good.”

The gentle question made Ji Yeonwoo smile again.

Choi Moohyuk took Ji Yeonwoo’s hand and led him to a nearby bench. He hadn’t noticed while walking, but only after sitting down did he feel a tingling sensation in his legs. Come to think of it, walking this long without a break was something he could count on one hand.

Ji Yeonwoo, who had been tapping his thighs with his fists, turned his gaze to Choi Moohyuk’s feet. Unlike Ji Yeonwoo in sneakers, Choi Moohyuk was in a suit and leather shoes, but showed no sign of fatigue.

“Managing Director, don’t your feet hurt?”

Worried, he asked gently, and Choi Moohyuk turned back with a puzzled look. His gaze dropped downward, and only then realizing the intent of the question, he chuckled and answered.

“I’m fine. I’m very used to wearing dress shoes.”

Come to think of it, from the first time he met Choi Moohyuk until now, he couldn’t recall ever seeing him in anything other than a suit.

“Since my twenties, I’ve mostly been at home or the office, so I’ve worn suits overwhelmingly more often.”

“Hmm, Managing Director, suits look really good on you. I guess you could say I can’t even imagine you in a different style?”

“Is that so?”

Ji Yeonwoo met his eyes and nodded.