Precautions of a Snakepit - Chapter 95
Won tightened her grip on the cell phone.
‘Dr. Madison and Sol got away?’
“Don’t worry, they’ll be tracked down by me and K Group. I need to return the favor to Dr. Madison, too.”
Target’s reassuring words put her mind at ease. They are the words of the heir of K Group, one of Korea’s leading conglomerates. Having pushed aside the matriarch of the company and fully entrenched himself, Target is now the de facto owner. He’s about to take the reins… Since they said it on the news, it must be true.
“I saw the news, congratulations.”
As an afterthought, she congratulated Target. He was silent for a moment, then spoke up.
“Don’t you want to be a chaebol’s girlfriend?”
Won laughed at his joke.
“Of the three of you, Cha Mu-jin has always been the best.”
Compared to Top Dog’s and Black Cat’s public confessions, Target was a real gentleman. It had just the right amount of excitement.
“I found out while interrogating the officials of the New Faith Prayer Center that there were three other candidates for sacrifice beside me. They called them 0, 1, 2, and 3 for convenience, but 3 was me, 2 was Gyeom, 1 was Rock, and 0 was… I couldn’t figure out who, but out of the four, I was chosen.”
Won recalled the words of the nurse she heard while locked in the stabilization room and subjected to tickle torture.
“I think we need to send ‘one’ and ‘two’ to the CR.”
At the time, she wondered why Top Dog and Black Cat were referred to as numbers, but it turns out that’s why.
Won warily looked over at Top Dog. What would have happened if this man had been chosen and dragged away as a sacrifice the night that Target disappeared? Would she have stayed true to her purpose and left the ward with only Target? Or would she have worked with Black Cat to reach a similar outcome?
‘Probably escaped with Target alone.’
As she made that assumption, Target whispered something as his voice was tinged with an unknown emotion.
“If I hadn’t been chosen as a sacrifice that night… so many things would have been different.”
Won agreed, but it was a future that never materialized.
“The road less traveled would have to be abandoned as soon as possible.”
Target’s voice returned to its usual tone. Won hesitated for a moment, then spoke up.
“Jin, I have a question for you…”
***
“Going out?” Top Dog asked, holding a duster in his hand.
Won never had a tool like that in her house, and she didn’t know he even brought one.
“I have somewhere to go and I’m running late, so don’t wait for me for dinner.”
“Mmm, then I’ll go out for a walk instead of grocery shopping for the first time in a long time since I don’t have my pretty girl tonight.”
“Whatever.”
“Bye.”
Top Dog stood outside the door and gently waved. Won felt strange. It had been a long time since she waved goodbye to someone as she left the house, and it felt strange for it to happen so suddenly.
She stared at him for a moment before speaking up.
“I’ll change your bandages when I get back.”
“Yeah, yeah. Bye.”
Won left, double-checked the address she received from Target’s text, and went to the underground parking garage. She drove to a rural convalescent hospital that was quite a distance from the city.
After being escorted into a patient room, Won found a woman lying in a bed.
“It’s been a while, Ms. Yang.”
Ms. Yang didn’t respond. She didn’t even move, as if she were deaf. She just blankly stared into space, as if she had no intention of interacting with the world.
The news about the cult that was making the rounds was probably no longer of interest to her; it only mattered when a person felt alive.
“Here you go.”
Won held out the diary in her hand to Ms. Yang. This was why she asked Target about her whereabouts.
“This is Dr. Hudson’s diary.”
Ms. Yang, who looked like a living, breathing corpse, flinched and reacted for the first time.
“Dr. Hudson’s… diary?”
“Yes. It was in the safe with the other materials, and I was compelled to read through it to see if there was any information about the New Faith Prayer Center. When I was done, I thought I should give it to you.”
Ms. Yang held out a thin, trembling hand and took the diary. Pulling herself up and sitting on the back of the bed, Ms. Yang slowly opened the first page.
As she had informed Ms. Yang, Won read the entire diary. The day after she escaped from the ward, she made a copy of the paper folder and the diary to see if there was any information to share.
As It turned out, there wasn’t. The diary was an ordinary diary. The very private feelings of one man, Dr. Hudson.
February 14, XX
I received chocolates from Nurse Yang. It was Valentine’s Day, so she must have given them to everyone in the hospital, but the chocolate she gave to the other staff was commercially made, while mine was homemade. I feel bad because I’m the director of the hospital, and I wonder if I should have paid more attention. I’ll have to think of something to do for White Day.
February 27, XX
A patient less than half my age confessed to me that she liked me. She told me she wasn’t making fun of me, and she meant it. Younger female patients often play this kind of prank on me, and I don’t know why. Maybe they think it’s funny to embarrass an old man? Nurse Yang tells me if I say something like that again, she’ll scold me, but I wonder if I should bring it up.
March 14, XX
I asked Nurse Yang if she was willing to go out with someone nice in return for Valentine’s Day. I told her about it because a teacher I know asked me if I could introduce her to someone who could help her son. I’ve seen her son a few times and he’s a bright young man. Although we didn’t have an in-depth conversation, I’m sure he has a great personality because he’s her son. He comes from a good family, so I thought it wouldn’t be too bad.
But for some reason, Nurse Yang, who was clearly in a good mood until she heard that, suddenly hardened her expression and ran out of the room crying. I stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what I had done. I still don’t know what I did wrong.
May 2, XX
I’m an old man in his 40s.
Nurse Yang is in her 20s.
May 5, XX
I must be mistaken. Nurse Yang and I are more than a decade apart in age. To Nurse Yang, I am a middle-aged man who is her employer.
August 16, XX
I can’t stop the delusions, so I asked Nurse Yang. I told her that if an old man like me misunderstood and was offended, I would like to draw the line for the future. She told me it was probably not a misunderstanding.
August 17, XX
It’s all my fault. Nurse Yang is still young, so she may not be able to think straight. I need to grow up. Nurse Yang will realize it soon enough, that young men her age are much better than an old man like me. To me, my youth has passed away…
October 25, XX
For the second time, Nurse Yang, who had harshly rejected my proposal before, but never seemed to mind when I rejected her, burst into tears. My head went blank.
October 30, XX
I told her that if she got involved with an old man like me, she would regret it later. Nurse Yang said she wouldn’t regret it.
I asked her what she liked about an old man like me. Nurse Yang said that she liked me because I am handsome.
November 12, XX
I secretly measured her finger. I’m not going to propose right away, but I’m going to order a ring in advance because it will take time to make. I won’t change my mind. But if she wants to meet a guy her own age, I can always let her go, so I don’t want to tie her down now. If her feelings are still the same in two years, the ring can be purchased at…
Remember to write the name and address below so I can pick it up in the future.
November 18, XX
The mood at the hospital hasn’t been good lately. I’ll have to investigate the cause of this.
October 4, XZ
I can’t handle this situation. The hospital is out of my control.
I have advised Nurse Yang to stop working at this hospital, but she said she would rather jump in their laps than leave me. It can’t be. It’s all pointless if she’s in danger.
I’m going to fire her tomorrow. I have to protect her somehow. The only woman I love is…
As she stared down at the last page of the diary, a trickle of water fell from her eyes.
“Alas, Doctor…”
As the tears began to soak the pages, Ms. Yang closed the diary. As if Dr. Hudson’s diary shouldn’t be damaged by tears, she took it into her arms and held it close.
According to the diary, Ms. Yang is only in her late 30s. For the first time, Won saw her as her own age. Won wordlessly watched, then carefully placed a small box on the side table next to the bed.
“I went to the company that Dr. Hudson hired to make the proposal ring. It turns out that the son who took over the family business kept the ring and never returned it. He took all the money upfront and couldn’t get rid of it.”
Ms. Yang turned her head as Won spoke. Her eyes widened as she spotted a small box on the table.
“Ah, ah…”
Won left the room, leaving behind the sight of Mr. Yang getting out of bed and staggering towards the table. It took one woman, the owner of the ring, to open the box and see the contents for herself.
It was already night by the time Won returned home. As she dragged her tired body through the house, she paused.
The living room was dark.
first time i read those diary entries i ugly cried so hard
Translator
