Precautions of a Snakepit - Chapter 78
Won’s stare was blank as she read the sign in her hands.
‘What the hell…’
The doctor is fake? What is this paper saying?
‘Does this mean there is an unlicensed doctor?’
But who?
Are there any other doctors in the hospital?
Dr. Madison was the only doctor Won had ever seen, but he couldn’t be the only doctor in the whole ward. There should be the hospital director, a chief of staff, an associate chief of staff… who would be the fake? No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t come up with an answer.
‘Let’s change how I view it.’
Perhaps she needs a different approach.
Who made the notice and for what purpose?
It was probably someone who works in the hospital. It’s unlikely that a patient, who wouldn’t have electronics, would print something like this and distribute it. At the same time, it’s also someone who is against the hospital since they are secretly hiding the messages.
Won knows someone who coincidentally fits both of those criteria.
‘Ms. Yang.’
A former nurse at the hospital who also happens to hold a grudge against it.
Won speculated that Ms. Yang became hostile after being poorly treated, but she now wonders if it happened in the reverse.
For reasons unknown, Ms. Yang was hostile to the hospital from the start and may have been working as a nurse when she tried to bring up the issues and was ousted by them following the exposure of the truth.
‘Come to think of it…’
“But he shouldn’t have done that, he shouldn’t have broken the ‘precautions,’ ah, ah…”
“Precautions? What is that?”
“Precautions for the closed ward.”
“Precautions for the closed ward?”
“Yeah, you know, the ones that are written on the paper. He broke them and the demons and snakes dragged Dr. Hudson away. Alas, poor Dr. Hudson!”
It was Ms. Yang who told her about the paper with the precautions on it.
At that time, Won was too wrapped up in her prejudices associated with Alzheimer’s disease to notice, but Ms. Yang, when in her right mind, had hinted to her that the religious room was the hideout of the cult. The reference to the “Precautions for the Closed Ward” sign was intentional, and she did it while cognizant.
If Ms. Yang hadn’t told Won about the sign, Won would’ve ignored it when she stumbled upon it while searching through the documents for the building’s blueprints.
‘Ms. Yang wanted me to see it.’
More precisely, she wanted Won to realize the hidden secret: the doctor is fake.
Why?
‘Will she let me know which doctor is fake?’
A panorama of information unfolded in Won’s head.
“Listen, we’re running out of time. There’s a safe in Dr. Madison’s office, on the wall with the bookshelves, inside that wall. You’re going to take the materials inside with you when you escape, and you’re going to make sure the world knows about it, okay? The combination to the safe is four digits and 9…”
Ms. Yang’s expression was a confusing mix of determination and desperation. The madness in her eyes was palpable.
“Sir, you shouldn’t be here at this hour. You should go back to your room.”
The old man who opened the door to the examination room walked in and sat down in the seat as if it were his.
“I said you should leave, old man.”
“If you can’t, just leave him alone.”
The old man in the darkness, touching the plaque on the desk as they exited the office.
The neglected saxophone and dusty reading book in the utility room at the nurses’ station.
The biography of Dr. Hudson, the psychiatrist, on the back of the book Black Cat gave to her.
“Yes. He is the sickest patient in the hospital. Sometimes he has a seizure like that and makes a sound like a pigeon cooing, so we call him Grandpa Gugu. They say they used the wrong medicine to treat him, or something went wrong and his brain got messed up. He can’t even talk to people.”
“It’s not verified, but there’s also a rumor that Dr. Madison deliberately used a drug to make him like that.”
Rumors floating around the ward, as told by Ju-hee.
“Dr. Hudson! It’s not true! It’s a lie! Dr. Hudson, no!”
Ms. Yang, who had witnessed the death of the old man.
All at once, the scattered puzzle pieces fit together.
The hidden safe in the office didn’t belong to Dr. Madison. It belongs to the original doctor, Dr. Hudson!
The old man is Dr. Hudson.
Dr. Hudson, the former head of the hospital, was mysteriously removed from power by a religious cult, imprisoned in the ward, and drugged into insanity. It all took place under the leadership of the fake doctor, Dr. Madison.
Until now, Old Man Gugu and Dr. Hudson have never been identified as the same person because their appearances were so different. The gap between the well-groomed, intelligent-looking, mixed-race man in the book’s photograph and the shabby, old man with thinning hair was too great. Moreover, according to the information in the book, Dr. Hudson was supposed to be in his early 50s, while the old man looked at least 60.
‘Maybe he looks older than his age because he went through some hardship, or maybe…’
It’s also possible that the hospital altered Dr. Hudson’s face to prevent anyone from recognizing him.
The nicknames “Grandpa” or “Old Man” were intentionally used to make others believe he was elderly.
In general, people in their early 50s are not called “grandpa” or “old man.” Won thought that the old man must be, at least, in his 60s. It was a simple psychological trick, but worked as intended.
As Won performed CPR, she thought back to the old man she saw on the ground. There was a small mole on his neck and there was one in the same place in the photograph of Dr. Hudson. Given the circumstances and the location of the mole, she was certain they were the same person.
That meant the combination to the safe hadn’t been changed. Dr. Madison probably doesn’t even know it exists. If he did, he would’ve called a contractor to open it and never leave it untouched.
‘It is possible that Dr. Madison found Dr. Hudson’s safe long ago, removed it, and put his own in its place…’
The safe in the doctor’s office is an older model, built more than a decade ago. If Dr. Madison bought a new safe after forcibly breaking into Dr. Hudson’s, it would have to be newer than that.
Most crucially of all…
‘When I first found the safe, dust flew everywhere.’
Won clearly remembered it. She was coughing from the gritty dust that got stuck in her throat. It was conclusive proof that no one had touched the safe in a very long time.
It was Dr. Hudson’s safe in the office.
Dr. Madison is useless in figuring out the combination. It meant she didn’t need to seduce him to open it.
‘I like that. I really really like that.’
The problem is that the owner of the safe, the old man named Dr. Hudson, is no longer of this world.
To make matters worse, Ms. Yang had been so shocked by Dr. Hudson’s death that she’s lost her mind. She’ll be out of it for a few days, and maybe never come back to reality again.
Of the two people who knew the combination to the safe: one is dead and the other is insane. Won had a headache. The deadline is in a few days, and she hasn’t gotten very far with clues. She wondered if she should just give up on it now.
She decided to get up and flush the toilet, knowing that if she spent any longer than necessary in the bathroom it would raise suspicion. She folded up the notice, hid it inside her sleeve, washed her hands, and headed out.
The somber mood that settled following Dr. Hudson’s death didn’t last for long. Everyone was acting busy as if consciously trying to keep it out of their minds.
It’s not that Won didn’t understand their attitudes. The nature of a closed ward that never sees the light of day is such that once you fall into a depression, you’ll be sucked into a downward spiral, and they’re trying to prevent it.
Everyone seems fine now, but starting tomorrow, the number of patients receiving light therapy will increase for a while. The long years of confinement had worn away at their psyches, and they were sensitive and vulnerable to shock.
Focusing on a topic other than Dr. Hudson’s death was their defense mechanism.
‘But did it have to be this?’
Won raised a brow at the chatter coming from all directions. The Romance Corps in particular were having a heated and serious discussion.
“What the hell did he say?”
“… Could that be it? Maybe it is just as he said?”
“Aww, Rock looks like he’s had enough of the games. She’s not going to get away with that. At least, I don’t think…”
“But Won looked at Rock with such disgust, like she was looking at a bug. Isn’t that a reaction to something that wouldn’t turn someone on at all?”
“Does he maybe have a peculiar preference? He’s lived a life of debauchery and licentiousness to the point where normal play doesn’t excite him anymore. He gets turned on by points that are different from others… Hmmm, a disorderly man with an idealized sexuality. Doesn’t that sound a bit enticing? It makes my mouth water!”
“Both promiscuous men and rebellious men are not in fashion these days. The shy, virgin man is in. That’s why I supported Gyeom…”
“You just don’t have good taste. It would be too thrilling to see a rebellious and promiscuous man get wound up by a naive woman.”
“No, I don’t like that. I’d rather be a promiscuous woman. You see, a promiscuous woman is but a bump, but a promiscuous man is a landmine. I’d rather have dirt rubbed in my eyes.”
“… Didn’t we agree to respect each other’s tastes?”
“You’re the one who didn’t respect my taste first, right?”
“Technically, you were the one who called me out for not following the trends, right?”
The Romance Corps, who had been exchanging heated words, suddenly stopped talking amongst themselves.
if i was here id be in the romance corps no doubt these ladies are my people
Translator
