Precautions of a Snakepit - Chapter 63
Won purposely blocked out what was about to follow.
To clarify, she pushed for this position because she thought it was the best way for the three of them to have a secret conversation. She was wrong and should have considered other factors, not just efficiency.
‘I feel…’
Her head was spinning with the sensations of the presence in front and behind her. The constant barrage of information about the two men’s touch, texture, temperature, and scent made her dizzy.
‘Let’s not be so self-conscious. From now on, I am only the contents of a sandwich.’
Ham, cheese, lettuce, and tomato between two slices of bread.
It’s just two slices of bread, so there is no reason to get carried away. It’s hard and bendy bread, but somehow it moves on its own…
‘Even if it can’t be helped, why are they fine with this orientation?’
What bothered her the most was that those two were polar opposites, but they were fine. Most of all, the fact that she was the only one who realized their position when they didn’t, made her skeptical.
For the record, she didn’t intentionally dig into their private information. It was something she desperately tried to ignore.
‘It’s times like these that I need to be professional.’
There’s nothing more amateurish than panicking when an unexpected variable appears. A professional must remain calm at all times.
Won pulled herself together and focused on work.
“I think the other patients are hypnotized.”
“Hypnotized? Is that even possible?”
“You know it when you see it.”
At her reply, Black Cat squinted his eyes and looked around.
“They don’t seem to be acting normal, but … I wondered if they’d been slipping them drugs or something.”
“That’s possible, but the end goal is probably brainwashing.”
The findings of the CIA’s Project MK ULTRA, which aimed to brainwash people using hypnosis, have unintentionally influenced the techniques of cults. A prime example is Aum Shinrikyo’s brainwashing techniques.
The ultimate goal of all cults is hypnosis. By indoctrinating people with the ideas they want them to believe, they can create loyal followers who will die for them without having to be manipulated.
Like hypnosis, brainwashing is a natural part of everyday life.
Patriotism is also a form of brainwashing. Human morality is also a result of brainwashing for education purposes, shaped by being told that “doing this is bad and doing that is good.” The same goes for the military.
Most of our values have been shaped by the state under the indoctrination of compulsory education. Interest groups like corporations, pyramid schemes, and cults try to do the same thing. The problem is that the brainwashing of interest groups is far worse than the state. Especially cults… She doesn’t even want to go into more thought about it.
“But what are they brainwashing us with? The ‘let’s all f*ck’ religion or something?”
Top Dog’s question made Won feel like she was talking in circles.
‘Isn’t it common sense?’
She fumed in irritation.
“They’re trying to drill it into your head that doing what they say will bring you pl*asure.”
They’re trying to convince you that there’s a sweet reward for listening to them. With enough experience, they’ll eventually learn to obey on their own. Like Pavlov’s dog who salivates at the sound of a bell. Cults probably targeted that and used hypnosis to induce the most primal pl*asure.
“Hah, I’m starting to get a little turned on by the feel of my pretty girl talking against my neck.”
Top Dog chuckled as he said something indecent.
“Stop saying weird sh*t and let’s have a useful conversation.”
The hypnotized Black Cat didn’t argue. Fearing a fight, Won quickly asked Black Cat.
“Has this happened before?”
“Yes, to the best of my recollection, but now that I think about it, I think they’ve been gradually raising the level of intimacy. Because at first, they asked me to hold your hand, then they asked me to hug you,” Black Cat replied in a soothing tone against her ear.
Won forced herself not to squirm as the ticklish feeling persisted.
So Top Dog’s words weren’t nonsense. It did feel weird to have Black Cat’s breath against her ear.
“Ah, so they’ve got some kind of long-term plan or something, and everyone here is going to be a cultist.”
“At this rate, that could happen.”
“But how are they going to cover their a$s after all this?”
“Maybe when they come out of hypnosis, they don’t remember what happened. Maybe they’ve done it a few times and don’t remember.”
Between the two men having a seemingly normal conversation, Won felt like she could die. It was good. It felt very good…
‘Why the hell are they doing this next to both my ears?’
It was a self-inflicted disaster.
Tightly closing her eyes, she explained the best she could.
“In real life, people don’t just wake up from hypnosis and forget what they did while under it.”
It’s only in fiction that someone is hypnotized in 3, 2 1, and all their memories are wiped. Clients in forensic hypnosis vividly remember their testimony and actions after returning to their normal lives.
“You remember it, don’t you?”
“I do?”
Top Dog nodded in agreement at Won’s question.
“But they all… they don’t see them crossing any lines. I don’t see any of them completely n*ked.”
At Black Cat’s words, Won looked around the room and realized that no one was truly n*ked from head to toe. Pants slightly down and tops up were the maximum exposure. Most people were touching and rubbing over their clothes or had their hands inside their clothes.
‘A psychological threshold?’
Even when prompted to be honest about their desires, the common sense people had developed over their lives would prevent them from going completely n*ked. It was natural for a person with a normal sense of morality and shame to feel resistance.
‘Thank goodness the worst didn’t happen.’
If it had gone as far as a group orgy, the three wouldn’t have been able to avoid suspicion.
Feeling sick just thinking about it, Won unconsciously tightened her arms around Top Dog’s neck and saw he had a smirk on his face. She was about to tell him it wasn’t because she liked him, but the elder’s voice interrupted her.
“Everyone, let’s pray now.”
Then the snake-like tangle of people unraveled like a lie and sat down in their chairs.
“What’s this?”
“They’re probably going to sing a prayer. Blend in so as not to ar*use suspicion.”
Black Cat replied to Top Dog’s questions.
“What is a sung prayer?”
He looked like he’d never been near a church in his life.
“Just go through the motions.”
With a scowl, Won loosened her arms around Top Dog’s neck and sat back in her chair. There was no time for pleasantries. Black Cat didn’t return to his seat but sat roughly nearby.
The elder stretched his arms upward and chanted.
“Lord!”
“Lord!”
The patients chanted in unison. Some raised their arms like the elder, and some squeezed their eyes shut and clasped their hands together. Others lay down on their stomachs and topped their fingers on the chairs, while the remaining stood there. Won just stood in the usual prayer position.
Soon, they were all speaking in tongues.
Some were spewing out unintelligible sounds as if they had been blessed, some were wailing like they lost their minds, others were wringing their hands together and shedding tears like they were overwhelmed, some were sobbing and banging on their chests, and others were rapping nonstop.
They may have been experiencing some kind of spiritual interactions, but to Won, a non-believer, they just looked possessed.
‘I wonder how they are doing.’
She looked left and right, both spurious and worried. Black Cat seemed to be solemnly cheering. His mouth was moving, but the sound was muffled, so she couldn’t hear what he was saying. He looked like he belonged in the middle of the cult, and then Top Dog…
‘What is he doing?’
He looked like he was completely immersed in the cult, his eyes rolled back in his tongue, speaking in tongues.
Won was left speechless by the sight of the man, who had asked what the prayer was, putting on the most convincing performance.
The man’s perceptiveness and ability to adapt is a gift. He could be dropped in the middle of a desert or another world, and he would survive.
“For a first-time participant, this is… amazing.”
She could hear the church members, who had been walking among the patients, admiring Top Dog. Won couldn’t help but cringe.
After what seemed like an eternity, the elder concluded the prayer with a bow.
“I’ll see you next time.”
The patients, who had just made an outpouring of faith, exited the audiovisual room in good spirits. They were unperturbed by the pseudo-s*xual activity they had been hypnotized into performing.
Won wasn’t distracted and went straight to her room. After burrowing into the covers of her bed and hiding from the CCTV, she closed her eyes.
‘Let’s rest, then get up and go.’
She hadn’t healed yet and she’d been through too much.
“I want to do it, but I don’t want to be hated.”
“Crazy.”
Muttering to herself, Won eventually drifted off to sleep, unable to overcome her exhaustion. Despite her words, a faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
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