“What did you say…”

“Judging by your reaction, I guess it’s true. Well, I can retrain you to my liking even if another bastard’s hands were on you.”

His gaze poured onto her face, filled with intent. She had never seen his eyes so close before.

He had the eyes of a barely socialized predator, one who suppressed his true nature in order to blend into the human world.

“You’re going to relearn everything from me, sweetheart.”

“That’s not even… Hmph!”

She flinched as he forced her thighs apart. Without missing a beat, he tore off his own top and pressed his strong body against hers.

Just as the alarm bells in Won’s head began to whirl in panic, the door burst open and a group of people barged in.

“What are you doing here?”

“Can’t you tell? I’ve been meaning to have some fun.”

Without batting an eye, Top Dog calmly replied.

‘I see.’

Won swallowed a sigh. She hadn’t actively resisted his sudden behavior because she wondered if it was a ploy, and she was right.

Relaxing, Won tried to calm her pounding heart and study the expressions on the intruders’ faces.

The hospital staff, including the nurses, appeared to be at a loss for words in the face of Top Dog’s brazen demeanor. The nurse who seemed to be the leader of the pack regained his composure and spoke up.

“Rock, this is an employee-only area.”

“That’s why I’m here. We can’t f*ck in front of everyone. I don’t mind, but my sweetheart is shy.”

He wickedly grinned and nudged Won by the small of her back. She jumped at the erotic sensation that raced down her spine. Luckily, biting her lip kept her from moaning, but it was enough to make anyone notice.

She could hear someone cough and she wanted to murder Top Dog. As she stared at the man in silence, he pulled his hand out of her clothes.

“You should save that pouty face only for me, pretty girl. What are you trying to do? Attract all those cocksuckers and f*ck them all? Is just one oppa not enough?”

‘You crazy assh*le.’

Won was stunned by his insanity. The medical staff chattered amongst themselves at the behavior that would surprise anyone.

“Anyway, you do realize that you’re in the wrong for being in an employee-only area, so you two need to go to the stabilization room…”

“I dragged her here.”

Top Dog interrupted. Glancing at the nurse, he continued.

“I dragged her here, so I’m the only one going, okay?”

The nurse’s expression changed. He locked eyes with Top Dog, then nodded.

“… In that case, only Rock will be going to the CR. You can take him.”

They grabbed Top Dog from the left and right, and for the first time, Won got a good look at his upper body. It was well-built, even hidden by the patient’s clothing.

His broad shoulders were set at right angles by his deltoids, and his pectorals were angular and square, covering his chest like a shield from his collarbone.

One glance at the rectus abdominis beneath and his body was turned by the staff. As his torso rotated, the external oblique muscles, which run from his ribs to his iliac crest, came alive.

Past his thick rib cage, lean flanks, and waist, a broad back and well-developed latissimus dorsi filled her vision. The muscles were beautiful, moving organically and dynamically around the erector spinae.

Just as she was wondering how he managed to stay so fit in the locked ward with no exercise equipment, Top Dog turned his head and winked at Won as he was being led away.

For a moment, a strange feeling swept over her, and her chest felt tight. Or was it a chill?

As Won exited the storage room, she tried to define the feeling. She couldn’t comprehend why she felt so restless.

After much deliberation, she came to the conclusion that the sensation that dominated her was akin to discomfort. She felt like she owed Top Dog something.

She understood that he didn’t want both of them to go to the CR, but she didn’t feel comfortable with that. He’s always been the one to go to the CR with situations like this.

If she was with Target and faced a similar crisis, she would have ensured his safety and gone to the stabilization room. That was her job, after all. She implicitly knew it was the agent’s job to get hurt, roll over, and suffer for the client, but to be protected didn’t feel right. It was like there was a weight on her shoulders and it was something that should have never happened, especially since it was a regular person who protected her, and not a colleague.

‘You’re doing something stupid…’

It wasn’t actually stupid. If she had been taken to the stabilization room, they might have found the paper she hid in her palm. Won deliberately undervalued Top Dog’s behavior. She rationalized that she would have been able to handle herself without his help to help shake off the discomfort.

‘The problem is that we set up this one-dimensional plan in the first place.’

He said he would fix it somehow and that she should trust him, but the best he could do was touch her. Isn’t that complacent and anachronistic?

It was like being chased by the enemy and grabbing a random person in an alleyway, kissing them, and pretending to be a couple to get out of the situation. It was so cliche that it shouldn’t even work, but it worked for them. It made no sense because of the image he built up over the years.

The outlaw in the ward who is spontaneous, brash, doesn’t care what others think and will break into off-limits areas, n*ked or otherwise, if he feels like it.

If Black Cat had used the same excuse, the staff wouldn’t have accepted it. They could just say that was in Top Dog’s nature and move on. It was a tactic that only he could use. She didn’t know if that was what he was going for, but…

‘It worked anyway.’

Entering the document storage warehouse didn’t ar*use suspicion. Though she didn’t get her hands on the blueprints she was after, it wasn’t a fruitless search.

Ms. Yang’s words were true: the paper with the ‘precautions for the closed ward’ really did exist, and the story of Dr. Hudson being taken by the devil and a snake for violating them couldn’t be dismissed as fiction. Of course, the show was somehow compromised, but the devil was not.

‘Either it’s a figure of speech or a hallucination caused by delirium.’

First, she needs to find out what the precautions are.

Won moved away from the CCTV to a place where she could read the paper. There are only two areas of the ward she’s allowed in that aren’t covered by the CCTVs: the restrooms and showers. The restroom is the more comfortable of the two. In the shower, if you go in, you have to come out.

After entering the restroom, Won closed the door, checked for the CCTVs out of habit, and unfolded the paper in her palm.

“Notice regarding precautions for the closed ward”

How are you, [Patient Name]? It is our sincere pl*asure to be working with you.

In order to fulfill your expectations for choosing our hospital, we promise to do our best to ensure that you are well.

We want [Patient Name] to have an enjoyable and rewarding stay with us, so here are a few things to keep in mind during your stay.

Precautions for closed ward:

• • Please be aware that there are patients impersonating doctors. 
    • • If a man in particular approaches you and introduces himself as Dr. Hudson, never make eye contact and do not listen to what he says. We do not have a doctor named Dr. Hudson.

• • Be aware that there are cases where people have been caught proselytizing for cults.
    • • If someone insists on pushing you to believe in a particular religion despite your refusal, never argue with them directly, but ask a staff m*mber for help. They should be able to tackle the person and get them back to where they belong.
    • • If you do engage in a direct confrontation, he or she may become extremely agitated and start to rant and rave, spouting unintelligible words. At this point, you should walk away, go into your room, and do not come out until you don’t hear any unusual sounds outside. This is to avoid provoking the person, who may have difficulty controlling their anger.

• • The patient crawling through the hallways like a snake is a long-term inpatient at our hospital. They believe they are a snake and are unable to communicate, but are not harming anyone; they are just acting like a snake and should be left alone.

• • You may occasionally see a patient pacing in place in the hallway. Don’t approach him, don’t talk to him; just pretend he isn’t there. He is doing this because of his OCD, and if he realizes that someone has interrupted him, his condition will rapidly deteriorate.
    • • If you make eye contact, the person will approach you on all fours like an animal. Don’t panic, close your eyes, and calmly say something like: “Dr. Hudson has stopped working because of his declining health.”
        • • Repeat the above sentence slowly to make sure the patient understands you. Soon, he will comply and back away.

• • There have been repeated reports of people entering and exiting the shrouded area, but no one has been in or out of the area since the incident. The doors are locked at all times under medical supervision, so it is physically impossible for anyone to get in or out.
    • • If you do see someone entering or leaving the area, please explain the situation to the medical staff or consult with them as you may be experiencing hallucinations.

• • If someone knocks on your door in the early hours of the morning with an irritated voice, asking you to come out for a few minutes to talk, ignore them.
    • • We do not allow patients to move around after 22:00, their bedtime. You will be accompanied by a medical staff m*mber when you need to use the restroom due to unavoidable menstrual periods, and they will immediately stop you if you try to do otherwise. Therefore, if you continue to hear knocking on your door, it may be a hallucination. Explain your behavior to the medical staff the next morning and ask for a consultation.

• • Disregard point 3. The issue in question 3 has been resolved.

We hope that the above precautions will keep you comfortable while you are here.

Looking down at the paper, Won brushed her lips.

“This is…”

Kofi