There he goes.

Won was dumbfounded by his persistence and answered him.

“You would only be invisible to the eye, not to the sound.”

“Well, at least you seem to acknowledge me now.”

Top Dog stopped his movements and frowned. Won gave him a look that indicated she was scolding him.

In truth, there was no denying his charm was real, even with just a flirty wink, but it would hurt her pride to admit it.

Sometimes she felt skeptical after laughing about something she normally wouldn’t. When it came to Top Dog, she always felt skeptical thinking about him when she normally wouldn’t,

‘I’m attracted to this crazy guy. I’m ashamed of myself…’

Won was both impressed, but also blunt with him.

“Stop talking nonsense and let’s get to work.”

“What? Why are you telling him to rest but me to work?”

“I thought you said you were in good shape since you were so confident of your age?”

“Ah, you’re worried about him because he’s weak. You aren’t worried about me because I’m strong. What should I say?”

Top Dog shouted that at the top of his lungs so it could be heard down the hallway. He had intended for a certain someone to hear.

Black Cat looked back as he went to his room. Won shook her head at him and twirled her index finger next to her ear. It was a sign to say he was crazy and to ignore him.

Unlike Top Dog, who was childish beyond his ears, Black Cat was a civilized man with maturity to match his age. With a light shake of his head, Black Cat winked toward Won and went on his way.

Won sighed and glared at Top Dog. He stared off into the distance, then jabbed his elbows into the sides of the guards on his left and right, hinting for them to drag him away.

Won watched in disbelief from a distance.

‘Is he an elementary school student?’

Won burst out laughing, but regret washed over her for a minute.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have been so aggressive.’

He did spend a day in the CR because of her, but when she saw his face, she couldn’t help but feel awkward. She didn’t know why, but she was casually able to ask how Black Cat was doing to brush it off.

‘Is it because Black Cat looked worse?’

Maybe. Black Cat had bruises around his eyes, while Top Dog looked relatively unharmed, even with a busted lip.

‘That doesn’t mean he didn’t suffer. I’ll ask him if he’s okay.’

It’s not like it would be hard to ask. It’s said you can pay off a thousand debts with a pretty word.

Suddenly, Won realized that she has never said a word of praise to Top Dog. No matter how she felt about it, he always used the word “pretty” to refer to her.

‘Next time, I’ll say something nice to him.’

Won’s business was done in the main hall, so she headed to her room.

That night, as she lay in bed and prepared to fall asleep, she heard what sounded like a snake slithering in the hallway. It was the first time she heard that sound since Target had gone missing.

She wondered if the two men would have the stamina to explore since they just got out of the stabilization room.

Won went outside, worried. As she walked down the stairwell, she saw a figure standing at the bottom of the stairs on the first floor. She froze in surprise as the person waved at her.

“Hey, pretty girl. It’s me.”

“Why do you like to scare me…”

“I was just excited to go on a late-night date with my pretty girl. Where are we going? The third-floor employee-only area?”

“I have to meet Gyeom first.”

“What? Is this supposed to be a two-with-one date?”

“It wouldn’t be so bad if we had more people, right?”

Their goal was to find the secret room hidden somewhere in the ward. An extra partner wouldn’t hurt.

“I’m not open enough to accept a threesome yet. I’m surprisingly monogamous, but I’m open to a three-way once in a while if that’s what my pretty girl wants…”

Won walked away, ignoring him. She could hear his bullshit in one ear, but toss it out the other.

She was on her way to Black Cat’s room when she saw someone walking down the hall. She reflexively stiffened, prepared to attack at a moment’s notice, when a cautious voice called out.

“Won?”

It was Black Cat. Won let out a sigh of relief.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“The one in the back is Rock, right?”

“That’s right.”

As she answered, Won realized that Black Cat was many times more nervous than she was seeing two people approaching, one being a large man.

After looking them up and down, Black Cat asked.

“Are you already working together?”

“Yeah, we’re looking for the same thing.”

Black Cat was silent for another moment, then spoke up.

“Are you looking for Jin?”

It was a straightforward question and Won wasn’t surprised. Black Cat had enough information to deduce it and he was no stranger to cleverness. When she nodded in confirmation, Black Cat added as if he had been waiting.

“Then I suppose we can team up.”

“That means…”

Won recalled her first meeting with Black Cat.

“I was… looking for… a secret passage… hah.”

That day, Black Cat was looking for something in the pharmacy.

At the time, Won assumed he was searching for a way out of the ward. It turns out he had been looking for the secret room hidden somewhere in the hospital all along.

“What’s your purpose?”

Top Dog, who had been quiet, blurted out. Relying on the faint glow from the luminescent paint on her watch, she could see Black Cat’s eyebrows furrow.

“And what is your purpose?”

At this rate, they were going to get into another fight. Won tugged at the hem of Top Dog’s shirt. It wasn’t a light tug, but a strong one, with the intention of telling him to quit. Nevertheless, he looked down at the hem of his shirt and giggled. It was like he was enjoying something.

Suddenly feeling strange, she broke the tension with an astringent look.

“Let me start by saying that I came to this hospital to get Jin out, so I need to find that room to save him.”

Both men seemed to guess it anyway, so she didn’t bother to hide it.

Black Cat sighed and explained his reason.

“It’s a long story, but I’ll just sum it up: I’m here to investigate a cult.”

Won’s eyebrows rose at the unexpected reason.

“A cult?”

“Yes. The only outside organization that comes in and out of this place is the New Faith Prayer Center. They’re performing some kind of ritual in a hidden area inside this ward. I must find out where it is.”

Even with the help of the glow-in-the-dark paint, it was difficult to make out Black Cat’s complexion due to the darkness that had fallen around them. However, it was clear that he was serious.

Won recalled participating in a program run by the New Faith Prayer Center.

She remembered Mrs. Sook enthusiastically invited her to join the program because she was heading to church. Black Cat was there and a member of the church asked for them to hug while teaching about loving one’s neighbors. Black Cat was also casually chatting with another member while clenching his fists so tight that there was barely any blood circulating through them.

‘I knew there had to be something to it, but…’

She felt like she had been slapped in the face by a plot twist that defied common sense. The idiom “it’s more than you can imagine” seems to define this hospital.

At this point, she wondered what this facility was really for; cleaning up after the elites and cult connections?

She had a feeling she shouldn’t dig too deep.

There are some things in the world that are better left unknown. Things that would kill her if she found out.

Black Cat would not need her help. She knows it, but she can’t walk away.

It’s her choice, too. A third party who doesn’t know the contact can’t tell her otherwise.

In any case, she understood Black Cat’s motives. She has no issue accepting him as an ally. As for the snake nickname… She hasn’t confirmed it herself, but she’s pretty sure it’s due to a rare physical trait and that hospital has nothing to do with it.

Black Cat closed his mouth and looked at Top Dog. Won’s gaze naturally shifted to him as well.

The others had spoken about their purpose, so it was his turn.

His trademark face came into view and his mouth curled upward at the urging.

“I feel like you’re going to punch me in the face, pretty girl.”

Won narrowed her eyes at his response, and he chuckled.

“It’s nice to be the center of my pretty girl’s attention, but-”

“Cut the crap and explain fast.”

Won impatiently cut him off.

‘Why does he keep talking?’

This wasn’t the time for leisurely banter. There wasn’t much time. He might be dense, but he wasn’t stupid. How could he not realize that…

As soon as she thought about that, the smile vanished from Top Dog’s face. Won involuntarily flinched. His face was made of stone with his smile gone.

Had his face always been so cold?

Kofi