Precautions of a Snakepit - Chapter 55
Won took a step in that direction. She was determined to subdue the mysterious figure once and for all, but a strong force yanked her backward.
As she was pulled back, she recognized the broad back in front of her as Top Dog.
‘What are you doing?’
Won froze in confusion for a moment. Then she saw Top Dog’s shoulders, which had risen with tension, suddenly slump downward. His breathing was ragged and labored.
Wanting to see what was going on, Won pushed him aside to get out of her way and he obeyed.
The view blocked by his huge body opened up to reveal an old man standing in the doorway to the office.
Realizing the identity of the intruder, Won let out a sigh of relief.
‘Thank goodness.’
If it had been Dr. Madison or a staff member, she would have been at a loss for words, just like anyone else attempting to figure out how to explain the situation. But she didn’t think it was necessary for Old Man Gu since he was patient and lost his mind.
Won felt a little disgusted at her own way of thinking, but she couldn’t deny the overwhelming sense of relief.
“Sir, you shouldn’t be here at this house. You should go back to your room.”
Black Cat approached the old man and tried to talk to him.
Meanwhile, Won searched around the vault to find a way to return the wall to its original state. Top Dog was also helping her, more interested in her than dealing with the old man.
“Why did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Why did you pull me away?”
She decided not to ask about his identity, but this was about her, so she deserved to know.
“Ah, I was hiding my pretty girl behind me, so if anyone approached, I’d punch them and knock them out. It was so they would only see my face and not yours.”
Won was left speechless by the casual, yet reasonable answer. If it was Dr. Madison who came in, it was the best bet, at least for Won. But…
“What good does that do you?”
Won is unharmed, but he is unmasked. Unless his opponent, knocked unconscious by a blow, has amnesia as an after-effect.
Honestly, if she hid herself like that and disappeared from the ward the next day, Won wouldn’t even guarantee she would save him. The mission comes first. Getting Target out comes first.
Why doesn’t this man know that?
She waited for the answer to come from his lips with an inexplicable sense of urgency, but she remained outwardly nonchalant.
“Well, I hadn’t thought of that.”
He said, his tone refreshingly light.
“Do you not calculate anything in such a short time?”
Won’s nerves which had been pulled taut like a rubber band relaxed.
“I don’t.”
It was true; there was no way he could have been thinking at a higher level in the blink of an eye.
She chuckled.
“You’re pretty when you smile.”
He tried again and Won quickly realized.
‘You think I’m a toy you can play with when you’re bored.’
It had been less than half a day since she’d seen his true colors. No, maybe barely an hour.
She has never been a fan of frivolous flirting, but now that she knows it is definitely fake, she hates it even more. She doesn’t know why she’s even listening to such insincere bullshit.
Won studied how to close the wall with a straight face. She pressed the protrusion they had to open it a few times, but it didn’t respond. She got a little annoyed and hit it with her first twice in a row, which started a hissing sound, and made it finally close.
“I guess machines only listen when you hit them.”
Top Dog said that as if he had beaten up a TV before. The old CRT TVs, commonly known as brown screen TVs, had the characteristic of being fixed by hitting them. It was a situation that only their parents’ generation had experienced.
Won asked in disbelief.
“Are you in your 40s?”
“Why? Is it because old men are your preference and you want your oppa to be older? You’re horny just because you think I’m a little older?”
He smirked.
‘Let’s not talk.’
Won turned to Black Cat. Black Cat was trying to convince the old man to leave. Won grabbed the bookcase, eager to help.
“Pick up the bookcase.”
“It must be too heavy for you.”
“Don’t be silly.”
After joining forces with Top Dog to put the bookshelf back, Won went to Black Cat. For some reason, Old Man Gu was sitting at Dr. Madison’s desk as if it were his own.
“I said you should leave, old man.”
“If you can’t, just leave him alone.”
Won suggested to Black Cat, who was struggling to help the old man to his feet. The door to the clinic was never locked to begin with. The hospital staff wouldn’t think anything of it if Old Man Gu was found here.
Understanding, Black Cat nodded and let go of the old man’s arm.
They quietly turned off the lights and left the clinic. Turning around just before they left, Old Man Gu stood in the darkness, touching the plaque on his desk.
He looked strangely wistful, and Won felt strange, but she couldn’t afford to dwell on it, so she quickly shook it off.
“Ten years.”
Black Cat’s voice was devoid of emotion. Won understood his sentiment for the hundredth time, but instead of arguing, she patted him on the shoulder and moved on to another topic.
“That safe has a paralysis feature.”
“Paralysis feature? What’s that?”
“Well, it blocks you from entering the password for a certain amount of time if it is entered incorrectly. That model beeps after three incorrect entries and blocks you for three minutes.”
Made by a domestic company specializing in safes, it isn’t hard to find on the market. It was an older model, made about 10 years ago.
“… How do you know?”
“It’s common industry knowledge.”
“What? What industry…”
At Black Cat’s suspicious glance, Won was about to give a sarcastic answer but stopped, knowing there was a time and place to make fun of people.
‘Otherwise, I’m just like that guy.’
Won glanced at Top Dog. He was reading the flier from earlier that was about the precautions in the ward, even though he couldn’t see it in the dark. She flinched at his unexpected seriousness, and then his lips parted.
“Sweetheart, this is…”
An ear-splitting sharp “beep-” sound was heard.
The purpose of the sound is unknown, but the CCTV will be up and running in a few minutes, so she needs to get to her room.
She snatched the notice from Top Dog’s grasp and turned to the two men.
“Next time is D-Day, so get your bodies and minds ready, okay?”
Black Cat nodded in agreement. Top Dog, on the other hand, gave no indication of understanding and stalked off. Annoyed, Won grabbed Top Dog’s arm and asked again.
“Do you understand?”
“If I say yes, are you naive enough to believe me?”
“What?”
“I believe in actions, not words, sweetheart.”
Won blankly stared at Top Dog. The unpleasant, high-frequency noise cut through her ears like a knife. Her head was spinning, her heart was racing, and she wanted to say something, but her tongue was stiff and frozen. She couldn’t do anything but stay still and make eye contact with him, as if she were being held captive.
Then, a strong hand grabbed her arm.
“What are you doing? You need to get back to your room!”
Black Cat’s grip snapped Won back to reality.
‘There is no time for this.’
She thanked Black Cat and walked away. When she got to her room, she put the notice in a hidden compartment in the plastic container and got into bed, pretending to sleep.
Her heart thumped and thumped and thumped.
‘You believe in a person’s actions? Not their words?’
What the hell does that mean?
‘You’re telling me to trust you, but you won’t do it.’
Does he mean he’s going to call her pretty, pretty, pretty, and then stab her in the back? Or is he asking her to trust the behavior like hiding her behind his back when the old man barged into the office?
It made no sense and Won felt like her head was going to explode. She wanted to ask him why he was putting her through all that trouble.
If Top Dog had just nodded like Black Cat, she’d be lying in bed right now, feeling more comfortable than ever. But he dropped a bomb at the last minute, and she couldn’t relax or think about anything else.
He dominated her thoughts.
She tossed and turned, pondered, doubted, and wavered, analyzing everything he had said and done, trying to figure out what he meant. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.
***
Won felt a shadow cast overtop of her. When she opened her eyes, a large body completely enveloped hers.
Physique, weight, and muscles that flex with power just by looking at them. Everything about it was threatening, but it was the eyes that caught her attention the most.
Eyes that, at first glance, gave the impression of being drugged, but upon closer inspection, were frighteningly clear. Like a beast about to hunt.
“Hi, sweetheart.”
The intruder was Top Dog.
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