CH 86

“I said let’s do well together!”

Treating as many trees as possible within the time limit was the task. Lee-yeon, after coming into the closed town for the second test, glared at Kwon Chae-woo with her lips all swollen.

The messiness of the town reflected how she felt. It was almost summer.  Lee-yeon wore a jumpsuit and stomped away.

“Who forgot to tell me in 24 hours, Lee-yeon?”

“I said it’ll only be overnight!”

“Outdoor camping in the middle of the mountain. Sleeping on a plank at the bottom part of the mountain slide—” The judge could be heard from afar.

Kwon Chae-woo composed himself while he listened to the judge. It seemed like he prefers beating the crap out of thugs than the prospect of Lee-yeon sleeping outdoors for a night.

She was annoyed at the man looking after her like a mother hen, but she also wanted to laugh. She didn’t know how to react. She wasn’t familiar with receiving such attention.

The opponent was Me Tree Hospital.

She didn’t like that she had to leave Choo-ja behind, but she had no regrets. Since the drug farm incident, she didn’t leave Kwon Chae-woo on the hospital bed. Lee-yeon had prepped him for this day. So, he won’t have much trouble assisting her.

Lee-yeon stopped in her tracks. A familiar face in the Me Tree Hospital team made her bite the insides of her lips.

Director Jo Kyung-cheon…

He was her former boss.

What was more troubling was his name was on the thug’s phone, who was maintaining the drug farm. But the investigation became a farce and the only answer she received whenever she visited the D hospital was that the director wasn’t there.

She had almost given up…

He approached her with a smile. “Lee-yeon.”

The first person to react to his voice was Kwon Chae-woo. He wrapped his arm around her waist, protectively, and glared at the man. Jo Kyung-cheon looked away from him after a while.

“I heard you’ve been looking for me?”

“What are you doing in Hwaido?” Lee-yeon lowered her voice and glared at him coldly. “It better not be what I think it is.”

“Lee-yeon, I was the first to bring you here.”

She frowned at the random chatter. She knew what Jo Kyung-cheon was talking about. He probably meant the time she came to Hwaido for a business trip not long after she got hired at his tree hospital.

Jo Kyung-cheon stared impassively at Lee-yeon, who kept her mouth shut. He just remembered the conversation he had with Executive Kwon.

“How is the plan coming along?”

“It’s going smoothly.”

“You should make sure no one finds out about that rare plant.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

If she didn’t find that plant, everything would have been better… Jo Kyung-cheon’s face darkened. Seven years ago, something rare was discovered in a swamp at Hwaido. During the training, Lee-yeon had taken a wrong turn into the swamp and Jo Kyung-cheon had benefited from it.

It was a type of plant that wasn’t even known to the world yet. It had no name. But a rumor of a rare plant started originating. There was an incident where it was uprooted from its roots, and it suddenly disappeared. It was the Kwon family’s doing.

And a few years later, the researchers who studied the plant disappeared. He had used Hwang Jo-yoon’s behavior as an excuse to kick So Lee-yeon out of the hospital. He had no idea that she would settle in Hwaido.

Jo Kyung-cheon took a step forward towards her with mixed feelings. “Lee-yeon.”

“Stop there.” Kwon Chae-woo stopped him.

As the two men glared at each other, Lee-yeon bit her tongue in anticipation.

“This is my husband,” said Lee-yeon as a way of introduction.

“What?!” Jo Kyung-cheon was surprised. Director Jo felt that there were many flaws in Lee-yeon from the time she worked in his hospital, so he was shocked to hear that she was now wed.

“Lee-yeon, can’t you stop here?” Jo Kyung-cheon boldly asked her.

“Stop what?”

“Hwaidome.”

“Are you asking me to forfeit? Why should I?”

Jo Kyung-cheon realized that she didn’t know anything. As he walked past her, he whispered, “You keep your mouth shut if you don’t want to die.”

“…”

Only Lee-yeon could hear him. But there was no way Kwon Chae-woo wouldn’t have noticed with those sensitive ears of his.

He was about to lunge at the director when Lee-yeon hurriedly tugged at his sleeve. She shook her head and Kwon Chae-woo frowned, but he calmed down.

Lee-yeon stared blankly at the spot where Jo Kyung-cheon had been standing. She couldn’t tell if that was a threat or a warning.