Flower Fiancé Chapter 94

“Hmm, you don’t seem to have a fever.”

Choi Moohyuk stopped what he was doing and focused on Ji Yeonwoo. Without realizing it, Ji Yeonwoo averted his gaze. For some reason, he didn’t know where to look. Perhaps because they were in an unfamiliar space, receiving his gaze felt more embarrassing than usual.

Ji Yeonwoo moved his eyes and looked toward the driver’s seat. Through the rearview mirror, his eyes met Park Jincheol’s, who was driving. Ji Yeonwoo gently took hold of Choi Moohyuk’s hand that was touching his forehead and lowered it.

“It’s not that. Do I get sick all the time or something?”

Ji Yeonwoo let out a puff of air and laughed.

“I guess I’m just excited to be out with Mr. Moohyuk.”

“…Did you say this is your first time in Jeju?”

“Yes.”

“How is it? Though we haven’t done anything yet.”

Ji Yeonwoo, who had been fiddling with one of Choi Moohyuk’s hands resting on his thigh, looked up.

“What’s different about it? I don’t really know.”

“It’s exotic, isn’t it? Even though we’re both Korean, it feels like we’ve come to a different country. The air even smells like the sea. And since I’m going with you, anywhere would be fine.”

His rough hand moved. His fingers, contrasting in color and thickness, loosely intertwined with Ji Yeonwoo’s.

“Do you like the sea?”

Ji Yeonwoo laughed softly and answered.

“I like looking at it.”

“That sounds like you’re saying you don’t like getting in the water.”

“I don’t really enjoy going into seawater. It’s salty, and it makes my body and hair all stiff. It gets better after washing, but the feeling just isn’t….”

“Hmm. So that means as long as it’s not the sea, it’s fine? I’ll keep that in mind.”

Choi Moohyuk left a meaningful reply at the end of his sentence. Ji Yeonwoo tilted his head, not understanding what he meant to keep in mind.

His fingers, which had been loosely held, dug in deeper. Interlocking firmly, he moved only his eyes to scan Ji Yeonwoo.

For a moment, a shadow fell across his handsome face. It seemed like he had something to say.

Ji Yeonwoo quietly looked at him and waited. In fact, he had been curious ever since he said they should go on the business trip together. Even when he said he would have to go on a business trip, he hadn’t seemed particularly happy about it, so Ji Yeonwoo had sensed it intuitively. That this business trip was a schedule Choi Moohyuk himself wasn’t keen on. Moreover, he was busy enough to pull out his tablet and review documents even while traveling, so there had to be a reason he insisted on bringing Ji Yeonwoo along.

But Ji Yeonwoo’s guess only went that far. The only people around him were Park Jincheol and his younger brother Choi Minhyeok, whom he had met once, but he couldn’t very well ask them what was going on.

With their fingers interlocked, he rubbed the white, soft back of Ji Yeonwoo’s hand with his thumb, then raised his hand and brushed Ji Yeonwoo’s hair with the other. The fine-textured hair slid over his fingers and fell behind his ear.

“During the three days and two nights we’ll be staying in Jeju, you might feel quite confined.”

Still stroking and playing with his hair, he spoke.

“Even though you came with me, I probably won’t be able to spend much time with you.”

Apology was evident in Choi Moohyuk’s low voice.

“I expected that much. You were busy even while we were traveling.”

“The schedule itself is tight, and since I have commitments in Seoul as well, I can’t stay longer than that.”

“Don’t worry about me and just work. If I get too bored, I’ll just go out for a walk or something.”

Ji Yeonwoo received his touch and deliberately put on a brighter expression. But even seeing his smiling face, Choi Moohyuk’s complexion only darkened further. Watching his expression, Ji Yeonwoo finally realized that he couldn’t even go outside the hotel.

“By the way, is something… going on?”

Unable to hold back any longer, Ji Yeonwoo cautiously broached the subject.

“The reason I brought you, Mr. Yeonwoo, is that even though I know you’ll feel stifled and lonely in an unfamiliar space, being by my side is still the safest place for you.”

As soon as he heard that, one person’s face flashed through his mind.

“Surely, Lee Hyunjoon isn’t threatening me again?”

When he asked with a frightened face, Choi Moohyuk’s expression relaxed.

“That’s not it. I told you I’ve already taken care of Lee Hyunjoon.”

“Then… is there some other danger I don’t know about?”

A wave of tension washed over him. His fingertips turned cold and numb, and his body began to stiffen. Choi Moohyuk, who had been interlocking their fingers, loosened his grip and gently rubbed his cold, stiff fingertips.

“Actually, it was my father who decided on this business trip.”

“The Chairman did?”

“He said an important buyer from Japan would be coming, but no matter how I think about it, it seems like his intention was to separate me from you, Mr. Yeonwoo. Besides, I’ve secured relatively solid evidence as well.”

“But I’m only staying at home. What could he have done to me?”

Ji Yeonwoo asked subtly, just in case. A bitter smile flickered across Choi Moohyuk’s face.

“He’s a man who can do anything if he wants to. He can’t just barge into the house, but we can’t afford to let our guard down.”

“Ah….”

Only after hearing Choi Moohyuk’s explanation did he understand why he had been brought along almost forcibly. As he said, no matter what situation arose, the safest place was indeed by Choi Moohyuk’s side.

“So, the Chairman really doesn’t like me, does he?”

When he said it sullenly, Choi Moohyuk wrapped his arm around Ji Yeonwoo’s shoulder and pulled him into an embrace.

“Why would you worry about that, Mr. Yeonwoo? You’re the person I chose. Whether my father likes you or not doesn’t matter at all.”

“….”

“I’ll take care of everything, so don’t think about anything else, Mr. Yeonwoo. Just stay by my side like you are now. Got it?”

The touch stroking down his spine was gentle. Strangely, his words made him feel at ease. As if his voice had cast a spell.

After patting his back, he grasped his shoulders and pulled them apart.

“I’ll take you somewhere nicer later. Even if it’s stifling, just bear with it this once.”

“…Okay.”

Ji Yeonwoo smiled obediently and nodded. He decided not to say anything more. He could feel enough of his consideration and care in bringing him along this far.

From the first day they arrived in Jeju, Choi Moohyuk had a packed schedule. He went out even before unpacking and came back late at night, handling a grueling schedule while still not neglecting to take care of Ji Yeonwoo.

While he worked, Ji Yeonwoo was left alone in the suite. But Choi Moohyuk called frequently to check on him. Whether he had eaten, whether anything was uncomfortable—with such caring attention, he didn’t feel lonely at all.

And so a day passed, and the second morning in Jeju dawned. He woke up earlier than usual, but the spot beside him was already empty. The room was quiet, with no sign of anyone. Did he already leave? Sitting alone on the bed, Ji Yeonwoo slowly rewound his thoughts.

He remembered briefly waking up in the early morning when he slipped into bed and pulled him into an embrace. He must have just come out of the shower—his arm, which had slipped under his head, felt damp, but it wasn’t unpleasant. After pressing a few kisses on his white nape out of habit and saying goodnight, Choi Moohyuk had fallen asleep spooning him from behind.

He hadn’t checked the time, but since it was still dim, he figured he must have come in close to morning.

‘It’s only 8 o’clock now, and if he’s already washed up and gone, how many hours did he even sleep?’

With a worried heart, he looked around the room and saw a memo on the sofa table, written by Choi Moohyuk.

[I have a schedule from morning, so I’m heading out first. Don’t skip meals, and if you need anything, tell Park Jincheol and he’ll take care of it. I won’t be too late today.]

He must be so busy and tired, yet the memo was full of nothing but concern for Ji Yeonwoo. Is he really okay? Holding the memo in his hand, Ji Yeonwoo pouted his lips and headed to the refrigerator.

That was when it happened.

The hand reaching for a water bottle flinched. The bottle slipped from his hand and rolled across the floor.

“…Huh?”