Flower Fiancé Chapter 65

The first time was when he had casually spoken about the person who had given him marigolds as a parting gift, listing things that were far from ordinary. The chill he had felt when he said, without changing his expression at all, that he could gouge out eyes, break wrists, or cripple someone so they could never walk again—it was beyond words.

The unfamiliar music that had drifted through the phone during an accidental call was like that too. Amid the pounding sound that resonated like music spilling from a club, Choi Moohyuk had made the excuse that he was not at the office but out somewhere else. His voice, evasively explaining that it was a place he personally ran, had carried a difficulty in describing it in detail. The very fact that he personally ran a club was, in any case, far removed from ordinary.

The arm wrapped around his waist tightened. Ji Yeonwoo, who had been lost in thought, flinched and raised his head. It was an urging to speak quickly.

“Mr. Moohyuk, by any chance…”

“Yes.”

“Do you do other work besides managing Seonwoo Mulsan?”

“If you mean other work, what kind are you talking about?”

“Um, the kind that isn’t ordinary.”

“For example?”

“For example…”

Slowly continuing his words in response to Choi Moohyuk’s leading question, Ji Yeonwoo stole a glance.

“Something like working in the underworld…”

“The underworld?”

“…Yes. Like, say, gangster, something like that…”

No sooner had his stammering words ended than the expression vanished from Choi Moohyuk’s face.

“Did that guy Minhyeok say something like that?”

Guessing from the instantly changed expression that he was angry, Ji Yeonwoo waved both hands and spoke.

“No. No. He didn’t say it directly. He just asked if I knew what kind of work Mr. Moohyuk did… Actually, I’ve been thinking something was a bit strange for a while now. I can’t pinpoint exactly what, but the atmosphere I felt from moment to moment was like that too.”

“…”

“By any chance, is what I’m thinking correct?”

Choi Moohyuk, who had been staring intently at Ji Yeonwoo rambling on, turned his gaze to the air.

“Ha, I’m telling you, that guy is utterly useless.”

The outer corners of Ji Yeonwoo’s eyes lowered as he looked at Choi Moohyuk.

“I let him go for nothing. I should have dealt with him firmly.”

The words that flowed out with a small sigh seemed like an answer to Ji Yeonwoo’s question. The moment he realized from the atmosphere that his thoughts were true, worry surged in like a tide.

“…Don’t tell me you’re still doing that work? You’re not, right?”

Slowly meeting his eyes, he gave no answer. Why did he answer everything else with precision, yet couldn’t give any answer to the question he most wanted to hear.

“Mr. Moohyuk.”

This time, Ji Yeonwoo shook Choi Moohyuk’s arm as if urging an answer. Choi Moohyuk, who had been clenching his teeth so hard his jaw muscles bulged, reluctantly opened his mouth.

“Before I answer, I’d like you to answer one thing first.”

“…I’ll listen and decide.”

“If my unordinary profession is still ongoing, does our relationship change?”

His heart sank with a thud. It was a scarier statement than a simple ‘Yes, no,’ and it was a heartbreaking one too. The fact that his first worry had been whether his work might affect the relationship between the two of them spoke volumes.

Does our relationship change?

To answer the question, it was a clear NO. The reason his unordinariness bothered him lay elsewhere.

“Whatever work Mr. Moohyuk does, it won’t affect our relationship. It’s just that I’m worried.”

“What is it that you’re so worried about.”

“When you find out your lover does unordinary work, it’s only natural to worry first.”

“…”

“Unordinary worries like, whether he might end up in a dangerous situation, whether by any chance he might get caught up in something bad and I’d lose him overnight.”

He spoke his thoughts in a calm and quiet voice. Listening to that voice, Choi Moohyuk held Ji Yeonwoo’s waist with a little more strength.

“I don’t know what Mr. Ji Yeonwoo is imagining, but it’s not all bad things like you think.”

“Then what kind of work do you do? Are you by any chance also doing those… those things you see in dramas or movies?”

He hadn’t specified exactly what, but as if he could guess what it was, Choi Moohyuk ended up chuckling.

“What kind of things are these that Mr. Ji Yeonwoo is thinking of?”

Ji Yeonwoo wore a troubled face, but didn’t stop answering.

“You know, the kind of things people who are part of the underworld typically do.”

“So I’m asking, what kind.”

“Well, there’d be many things. Things like loan sharking, contract killing…”

Choi Moohyuk, who had been sympathizing with Ji Yeonwoo’s worries with a serious face, finally couldn’t hold back his laughter and burst out.

“Mr. Yeonwoo, haven’t you been watching too many movies?”

“Don’t joke around. I’m serious.”

Choi Moohyuk, who had burst into laughter—ha ha ha—a rare sight, held Ji Yeonwoo’s shoulders and bent down to meet his eyes.

“From what Mr. Yeonwoo has seen, what do you think? Do I look like someone who would do those things?”

Ji Yeonwoo, who had been lost in thought until his lips were all crumpled, shook his head. Even now he couldn’t believe they were having a conversation on this topic—how could he possibly feel the reality that Choi Moohyuk was actually also involved in gangster work?

“My starting this line of work was a natural thing, without the slightest reflection of my own will. It was no different from inheriting a family business in some household.”

“Ah.”

“I know what Mr. Ji Yeonwoo is worried about. But just because it’s the gangster world doesn’t mean there’s only one form of it.”

Choi Moohyuk held Ji Yeonwoo’s shoulders and explained step by step. Ji Yeonwoo, who was quietly looking at his face, seemed a little more at ease than at first.

“Then?”

“In the past, the things Mr. Ji Yeonwoo mentioned were rampant too, but if it were like that now, there’d be big trouble. The world has changed a lot, and along with it, the work has changed a lot too. And being involved in that world is just one of several things I do.”

Choi Moohyuk’s eyes, which had paused for a moment, hardened.

“So, Yeonwoo.”

His eyes, without double eyelids, were looking at Ji Yeonwoo with an upright gaze.

“What I can answer for certain is, at the very least, we won’t be put in danger because of the work I do.”

The moment he heard those words, Ji Yeonwoo felt as if something that had been blocked was cleared.

“So, don’t worry in advance.”

“Really, is it okay to?”

“Yes. Whatever it may be.”

It wasn’t just a word to skirt around the situation. The expression with which he spoke, looking straight into his eyes, contained not the slightest hint of mischief.

Ji Yeonwoo, who had been quietly meeting his eyes, nodded and smiled gently.

“Alright. I’ll trust you.”

Strangely, he felt that if he said so, it truly would be so. It wasn’t blind obedience. Even so, the reason he could readily accept his words was based on the words and actions Choi Moohyuk had shown him all along.

Perhaps because all his curiosities had been resolved, his heart felt even more at ease than before. Ji Yeonwoo, who had been looking at Choi Moohyuk with a smile now settled on his face, suddenly felt as if an uneasy smell was brushing the tip of his nose.

It was rather similar to the smell of something burning.

Where is that burning smell coming from? Well, there’s nothing to burn…!

“Ah, right! The jjigae!”

Ji Yeonwoo, who had been tilting his head and thinking about the source of the smell, was startled by a thought that flashed through his mind. Without even time to answer, Ji Yeonwoo abruptly turned his body and dashed into the kitchen.

“Mr. Yeonwoo?”

A lamentable sigh flowed out from inside the kitchen.

“Are you alright?”

Gazing toward the kitchen, Choi Moohyuk raised his voice slightly to ask.

“I’m not alright. What do I do. It’s all burnt.”

The answer that came from inside was full of disappointment. Just hearing the voice, he could almost tell what kind of expression he was making as he spoke.

“I’ll do it, so don’t touch anything.”

Choi Moohyuk, who had been standing with a smile, followed Ji Yeonwoo into the kitchen.