The Snake, the Flower, and the Tiger - Chapter 87

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 87

Oh no. The moment the words left her lips, Hee-seo realized her mistake.
She’d lashed out in anger at the circumstances of young Je-eon’s life, but for the person who had actually lived through it, such comments could wound his pride.
Yet contrary to her expectations, Je-eon’s expression remained unmoved as he worked the firm muscles of his thighs beneath the steam towel, kneading them with steady pressure.
“A storage room, you say? That’s too generous a word. Mother prepared all of this for me. It’s more than an illegitimate child deserves. Since the Chairman grows angry whenever money is spent on me, the staff collect their discarded things and she arranges them for me herself.”
……
God, what is wrong with you, Hee-seo?
She wanted to crawl into a mouse hole and disappear on the spot.
As Hee-seo’s mood visibly soured, Je-eon let out a soft chuckle. The laugh itself was meant to ease her guilt, which only made Hee-seo wish she could bury her face in the nearest dish of water.
“Actually, this space is mine alone. I can spend time here without anyone disturbing me. There are still plenty of staff who don’t even know I used to live here.”
I can have my own secret chamber without being Bluebeard, can’t I? At Je-eon’s playful retort, Hee-seo suddenly recalled the place she’d encountered in the basement.
The deepest part of the basement. A place where sunlight never reached. The padlock on the tightly shut iron door was locked from the outside, as if confining something filthy and dangerous.
Hee-seo barely swallowed her bitter feelings and responded with her usual indifference.
“I didn’t walk into your secret chamber of my own free will, so don’t kill me. If you let me live, well, I suppose I could return the favor sometime.”
At Hee-seo’s nonsensical remark, Je-eon let out a genuine laugh. Soon after, large, warm hands cradled her face as his forehead pressed against hers.
His deep, beautiful eyes crinkled like crescents as he whispered close to her.
“Who begs for their life so shamelessly? You sound exactly like some terrible villain.”
“I’ve always preferred villains to heroes.”
“Is that why you like me?”
What is he talking about? Hee-seo scoffed and shot back.
“Why would you be a villain? You’re far too lovely for the role, and you’re far too obedient. By my assessment, you’re not even fit to be a villain’s right hand.”
……
Je-eon’s eyes blinked quietly then. Each flutter of his long lashes felt like a breeze passing just before her face.
Hee-seo stared at that beautiful face before belatedly grasping what she’d said.
‘I’ve lost it. Completely lost it. I’m out of my mind.’
She felt as though she might topple backward, mortified at having poured out something close to adoration at arm’s length. It must be that confusing dream. What else could it be….
Just as Hee-seo was about to scramble for an excuse.
“Hey, Kim Je-eon. Are you…”
Crying? Hee-seo’s question never made it past her lips. Without thinking, she caught the man’s tears as they fell.
The transparent droplets were hotter than the wet towel draped across his thighs, burning to the touch.
“Why? Why are you doing this?”
Unable to hide her alarm, Hee-seo hurriedly wiped his cheeks. But like an endless spring, the tears kept flowing, no matter how many times she dried them.
Hee-seo tried to comfort the man with a helpless expression, yet Je-eon, the one actually weeping, remained expressionless. He seemed like someone who couldn’t even feel his own tears.
Save for the reddening around his eyes and his long lashes growing wet, Kim Je-eon cried without a single tremor.
“Stop crying. Why are you doing this? Hmm?”
Until now, Hee-seo had never understood people who cried at movies, dramas, or sad stories. But faced with Je-eon’s tears, she felt a sorrow she couldn’t name. The mere sight of his face glistening was enough to make her own nose sting.
Before the woman who was bewildered by her own tears, Je-eon slowly lowered his head. He pressed his lips to her bony knee and whispered low.
“That you find me lovely.”
His lips were wet, as was her knee. And Hee-seo could feel his sorrow completely through her skin, as if they were one connected body.
“Being alive is happiness because I love you like that.”
Ah…. Faced with something like a confession—a confession—Hee-seo lost her words.
He spoke of being alive as happiness, yet what he felt was guilt and sorrow. And Hee-seo dimly understood why.
Her voice came out fractured between her lips.
“Even now, you still think you have to give yourself to Kim Je-seon, don’t you?”
Je-eon had made a promise to Hee-seo, and she had sworn to him. Once they found her parents and everything was over, if she wished to end things, she would fulfill Je-eon’s will. It was their mutual promise and covenant.
It was a lifetime goal between them, deeper than any untested feeling.
To Hee-seo’s question, Je-eon gave no answer. Or rather, he was incapable of doing so.
At that, Hee-seo’s lips trembled faintly. She too could not voice words of respecting his choice, and through that, she understood Je-eon’s heart.
Calloused hands framed his face and drew him close. Their lips met deeply, swallowing each other’s silence.

***

After that, they tangled together until Je-eon’s room was in disarray. Not only on the small bed, but also in the bathroom so cramped that Je-eon could barely stand alone.
When she came to her senses, her entire body was patched with marks and her legs had gone so weak she could barely stand.
“…I think I could go the rest of my life without doing this again.”
“Why would you say something so disappointing?”
Kim Je-eon stepped into the room with a startled expression, his face showing a hint of disappointment. Hee-seo caught sight of his cheeks, somehow fuller and more flushed than before, and couldn’t help but let out an incredulous laugh.
“People say men grow younger meeting their mistresses, but why does it look like you’re the one getting rejuvenated? Your complexion is glowing.”
“Maybe I’m stealing your Vital Energy.”
“You really are shameless.”
Kim Je-eon dragged over a low bookshelf and positioned it near the bed. Then he set down a pot of ramen, cooked to appetizing perfection.
As he gathered chopsticks for Hee-seo, Kim Je-eon pursed his lips—a childlike gesture that sat far too naturally on his face. Hee-seo had long since resigned herself to it.
“How can you refuse everything else but crave ramen like this? What’s so special about it? I’ve made you plenty of other dishes.”
“I’m sorry, but your ramen tastes the best.”
Of course, the other dishes Kim Je-eon had prepared weren’t unpalatable. It was simply that he had an uncanny gift for ramen.
Even Hee-seo, who rarely gained weight, had filled out noticeably during her shin fracture—addicted to his ramen until her cheeks grew plump.
As the listless Hee-seo brightened and reached for her chopsticks, Kim Je-eon muttered something under his breath with a distinctly petulant expression.
“There’s something you’ve eaten with more gusto than ramen. Why can’t you remember?”
“More than ramen?”
Slurp. God, he could earn a Michelin star with this ramen alone, couldn’t he? At least a blue ribbon was entirely possible.
Hee-seo chewed the springy noodles thoughtfully, then reached for another helping—but suddenly broke into a dry cough.
“You ate me all night yesterday with such appetite. And now you pretend not to remember while there’s nothing left of me?”
“Cough, ack—. Cough, what?”
“Eat slowly. Don’t rush—the noodles are perfectly cooked. Here, have some water.”
Ah, so there was a reason for that chewy texture. Hee-seo had been lost in stupid thoughts when she suddenly cried out.
“I told you to stop! How many times? You look perfectly innocent, but you’re such a pervert—!”
Hee-seo rarely felt shame, but admitting what had happened last night across the ramen pot between them set her face ablaze.
Unbothered, Kim Je-eon smiled with a cunningness she’d never seen before and whispered into her ear.
“You held onto me so tightly and wouldn’t let go—did you really think I’d take that at face value?”
No—when had this brazen man become such a smooth talker?
While Hee-seo was left speechless, Kim Je-eon smiled that irritating smile and twirled ramen around his chopsticks, tenderly feeding it into her half-open mouth.
‘The ramen really is delicious, though, god help me.’
Slurp. She reflexively chewed the noodles, gripping her forehead in exasperation.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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