Flower Fiancé Chapter 72

The rage did not subside easily. He had known that the bastard would not hesitate to pull any dirty trick, but he had never imagined he would throw dirt right in his face.

He was about to charge out, ready to kill him if he caught him, when the sound of someone retching—”Urp, urrp”—came from somewhere. The sound was coming from behind the closed bathroom door. Regaining his senses, Choi Moohyuk only then realized that Ji Yeonwoo was not where he was supposed to be.

Listening to the sound that would not easily stop, he sensed that something was seriously wrong with Ji Yeonwoo’s condition. In the end, Choi Moohyuk gave up on chasing after Lee Hyunjoon and came back inside the apartment.

He turned on the lights in the living room. As Choi Moohyuk looked around, his eyes twisted. The apartment was an absolute mess. His expression crumpled especially as he surveyed the shattered remains of the flowerpot and scattered dirt by the entrance, and the traces of resistance left here and there.

The bathroom door opened. Hearing the sound, Choi Moohyuk turned around urgently. Ji Yeonwoo was trudging out, wiping the moisture from his mouth with a dry towel.

Choi Moohyuk strode over toward Ji Yeonwoo.

“Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Ji Yeonwoo shook his head, still covering his mouth with the towel.

“It’s not serious. My stomach is just a little queasy.”

“It could be due to stress.”

“…”

“Where is your phone? I was worried because you kept not answering…”

“I don’t know either. Lee Hyunjoon threw it, so it flew off somewhere…”

Having pressed the dry towel firmly against his face and the corners of his mouth to wipe away the moisture, Ji Yeonwoo lowered his hand. Only then, seeing Ji Yeonwoo under the bright light, did Choi Moohyuk’s expression harden coldly.

“Your face, why is it like this.”

Choi Moohyuk urgently grabbed Ji Yeonwoo’s shoulders and brought his face close. One cheek, which had always been flawlessly pale, was red and swollen, and a scab of dried blood had formed on the edge of his lip. It looked exactly as if someone had hit him.

“What is this wound? Did that bastard Lee Hyunjoon lay a hand on you? Is that it?”

Startled by the sight of Ji Yeonwoo’s injuries, Choi Moohyuk raised his hand but could not bring himself to touch the cheek or the split lip. Ji Yeonwoo, who had been silently watching Choi Moohyuk frown and not know what to do, hesitantly stepped closer. Standing with their bodies close together, Ji Yeonwoo gently leaned his uninjured side against Choi Moohyuk’s shoulder.

“It hurts a little, but I’m fine. You paid him back several times over, Mr. Moohyuk.”

Choi Moohyuk wrapped his arms around Ji Yeonwoo’s back and waist as he leaned into him first.

“What kind of nonsense is that. Your face is in this state, so how can you be fine.”

A deep sigh slipped out at the end of his words. That sigh was a mixture of fury, regret, and affection all at once. His large hands repeatedly stroked down the slender line of Ji Yeonwoo’s back, then clutched him tightly in a cycle of caresses and tight embraces. Quietly feeling that touch, Ji Yeonwoo slowly pushed against Choi Moohyuk’s chest and pulled away.

“I want to leave here.”

“Alright. First, the hospital…”

“No. Anywhere is fine, so let’s go out and talk.”

Having cut off Choi Moohyuk’s words uncharacteristically, Ji Yeonwoo calmly continued his own.

“You have something to say to me, don’t you.”

The voice he let out was clearly tinged with exhaustion and fatigue. He had virtually no energy at all, but his gaze alone remained lucid.

In truth, he wanted to grab hold of him and cling to him right then and there. He was burning to ask if everything Lee Hyunjoon had said was true. If only he could sense pheromones at times like this. Then he would know if it was simply a ploy by Lee Hyunjoon to drive a wedge between them, or if the pheromones of a strange omega had truly clung to Choi Moohyuk. Having no way to find out on his own right now only made him more frustrated and impatient.

“Let’s go to the hospital first. Let’s get you examined to see if there are any other abnormalities first. I’ll tell you everything after that.”

Having ground his teeth repeatedly until his jaw muscles stood out prominently, Choi Moohyuk, the moment he finished speaking, slid his arms under Ji Yeonwoo’s neck and knees and lifted him up lightly.

Feeling his legs leave the ground and his body rise, Ji Yeonwoo reflexively grabbed onto Choi Moohyuk with a startled expression.

“Wait. Put me down. I’m not that injured. I can walk on my own.”

But Choi Moohyuk walked toward the front door without even meeting his eyes.

“I’m not okay.”

“…”

“So stay still.”

After that, Choi Moohyuk kept his mouth stubbornly shut and walked out of the apartment. He showed not the slightest sign of strain or difficulty.

Walking down the hallway, Choi Moohyuk stood before the elevator. The reflections of Choi Moohyuk and Ji Yeonwoo appeared on the silver elevator door.

He did not know when it had started, but Ji Yeonwoo, with his eyes glassy with moisture, was unable to tear his gaze away from Choi Moohyuk.

∞ ∞ ∞

Dry, parched lips parted with difficulty. Along with a small sigh, his eyelids moved. The blurry vision gradually sharpened, and what finally came into sight was a pure white ceiling.

Small lights that matched the white interior well were installed at regular intervals, and a system air conditioner was mounted in the center. It was the same as what he had seen at Choi Moohyuk’s house, but the surrounding interior was different.

The wood-finished walls, the large window letting in plenty of sunlight, and the regular beeping sound of a machine coming from somewhere grated on his ears.

Blinking slowly, Ji Yeonwoo looked around until his gaze stopped at one spot. He saw a hanging IV bottle and the line with fluid running through it. Following the IV line hanging down, he moved his gaze and then abruptly lifted the hand that felt uncomfortable. The IV line was connected to the back of his hand, which was patched all over with bandages.

“Ah…”

A low sigh escaped between his dry lips. Only then did he realize that this place was a hospital. The interior was so luxurious that it was hard to tell if it was a house or something else, but he could be certain only after seeing the hanging IV bottle. Come to think of it, he thought he had seen a similar layout and interior in a drama. He wondered if this was something like the VIP suite of a large hospital.

“…so it seems you will need to undergo a detailed examination for that part.”

“How unstable is it?”

“If it shows this much even with a brief blood test, it seems you should visit the hospital and get tested as soon as possible. Please contact us anytime if you wish to make an appointment.”

As his mind gradually cleared, the unfamiliar voice that had been faint became distinct. A middle-aged doctor, accompanied by numerous doctors and nurses, was conversing with a man. The man’s back view closely resembled someone he knew.

He was wearing a beige-toned knit and black pants. He had a sturdy build where even the knit, which should have hung loosely, was stretched flat, revealing a thick upper body and a noticeably narrower pelvis in comparison.

“No additional external injuries were found, and we have treated all the minor contusions. Once he wakes up…”

Blinking slowly, he was looking in that direction when his eyes met those of the middle-aged doctor who had been calmly continuing his explanation. A look of surprise briefly crossed the doctor’s face before shifting into a benevolent smile.

Seeing the doctor’s expression, the man standing opposite him turned around. It was Choi Moohyuk.

“Mr. Yeonwoo.”

Choi Moohyuk’s expression stiffened the moment he saw Ji Yeonwoo awake. It was an expression where several emotions crossed at once—something like surprise, and also like relief.

“Are you conscious?”

As he approached the bed, the middle-aged doctor he had been speaking with and the medical staff standing behind him all rushed over at once. As many people entered his field of vision at once along with the confused clatter of footsteps, his head began to pound. As Ji Yeonwoo repeatedly frowned and closed then opened his eyes, a warm body temperature and a familiar sensation touched his hand.

“What’s wrong. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Choi Moohyuk, who had taken hold of Ji Yeonwoo’s hand, asked in a voice full of worry.

“No. Just a bit… What happened to me?”

After speaking, he noticed that the left chest of the gown worn by the middle-aged doctor was embroidered with the words ‘Hospital Director’.

“This is Sunwoo General Hospital. It is a hospital operated by the Sunwoo Foundation and is also the primary care provider for the family of Managing Director Choi. Managing Director Choi brought you to the emergency room, and you lost consciousness while the examination was in progress. Do you perhaps not remember?”