Precautions of a Snakepit - Chapter 96

‘Is he not home yet?’

The house was eerily quiet without any sign of life. Won turned on the living room light and looked around. Top Dog was nowhere to be seen.

Shrugging it off as he was running late, Won got dressed and got into bed. For some reason, she didn’t feel motivated to do anything else.

‘This might be the best night’s sleep I’ll get in a long time.’

Thinking of all the nights she hadn’t slept well because he was in bed next to her, Won drifted off to sleep. Now that he isn’t there, she should be able to sleep well. However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t sleep.

It was empty.

Won blinked.

‘Empty? Where?’

Did she feel empty because she hadn’t eaten?

She got out of bed and went to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and found it crammed full of food. She grabbed one, heated it up in the microwave, and when she was satisfied, she brushed her teeth and went back to bed. However, she couldn’t get rid of that empty feeling.

‘Why?’

Staring up at the ceiling, she wondered. Shouldn’t a full stomach and a cozy bed make someone feel like they have the world at their feet and help them fall asleep?

‘Was the bed always this big?’

The thought passed through her mind and she almost couldn’t believe it.

It wasn’t even a king-sized bed. The bed she’s lying in now is a queen-sized bed that she used to share. There was no reason for her to feel that it got bigger unless it had grown in size overnight.

‘No way, I’m…’

Is she feeling empty without him?

‘Why?’

He always pulls her into his arms to sleep, so she’s been forced to sleep with her back against him ever since they started living together.

She felt like she was held captive by a giant beast. His body temperature is hot, she can hear his rapid breathing, and with his arms around her waist, she can’t change her position at will. There are so many things that bother her, but since she has gotten used to the discomfort, she feels awkward without him there. How is that possible?

‘Well, I’ll just lay here and sleep will come.’

She wondered where Top Dog was.

Inwardly, she expected him to be home first, because, unlike her, he had a spontaneous outing, and she doubted he would be gone for that long.

“What the hell is he doing…”

What could he be doing that he still hasn’t returned even after she came back from the convalescent hospital?

She ran through a list of possibilities in her head that would fit Top Dog’s persona.

Gambling, scamming, hooking up with women in bars, bloody fights, blackmail threats… it was all possible. Even though she wasn’t sure if he was a gangster or not, it didn’t seem likely that he’d be doing any of those things, given his behavior over the past three weeks. The uncertainty in her unfounded belief made her squirm in discomfort.

She only believed what she saw with her own two eyes. Believing without seeing is blind faith. She had blind faith in him.

‘No, I’m just trusting my instincts, not him.’

Refuting herself, Won buried her face in her pillow, but it didn’t work. She eventually pushed herself to her feet and made her way to the couch.

The couch was just the right size for one person. Curled up there, she forced herself to sleep.

The last time she checked the clock it was 1 A.M.. After that, she kept her eyes closed, neither sleeping, but not quite awake.

She heard the front door open. Won purposely didn’t open her eyes. She didn’t want to give away any hint of consciousness.

She felt him come in with quiet steps, spot her, and approach the couch. He deftly picked her up and carried her to bed. He picked her up as if she weighed nothing and it was unfamiliar no matter how many times she experienced it.

Gently setting her down on the bed, he left. Some time later, she heard the sound of the shower running in the bathroom. He was washing up.

‘I smelled perfume.’

In his arms, she smelled a foreign scent. It wasn’t the kind of perfume that would obviously be for a woman to wear. It was cool and fresh, like the kind of scent a mature man would prefer.

‘He didn’t come from sleeping with another woman.’

The scent was his, not anyone else.

‘What did you go out to do that you had to wear cologne?’

She imagined Top Dog in a suit and cologne. He didn’t look like an office worker, but a back-alley executive. It didn’t seem as if he was regularly commuting to work or working from home at all, either.

A handsome man with a dangerous vibe that would ruin her life if she got involved. If he looked like that and smelled good, women would flock to him like moths flock to a flame.

‘Is he out to pick up women after all?’

Won thought that he could always play with other women, even if he said he liked her. Since he seemed so lighthearted and unconcerned about it, he could easily rationalize that the mind and body were separate beings.

Of course, there was no way Won would turn a blind eye to that. If she doesn’t know, she doesn’t care, but if she does know, that would be the end.

‘Is it just business etiquette?’

Did he really have the manner to dress up for a social occasion and wear cologne to match his outfit?

As she thought about several theories, he came out of the shower and laid down next to her, cuddling up to her as if it were a matter of course and ready to fall asleep.

‘Does he think I’m a body pillow?’

Even as she thought to herself, she felt her eyelids slowly shut at the feel of his body heat and the sound of his breathing. As if her sleep troubles earlier weren’t real, she fell into a deep slumber.

Waking up to the smell of butter, Won staggered out of the bedroom. Top Dog’s large backside seemed to have a knack for making a decent-sized kitchen seem cramped. The disproportionate sight was now very familiar to her.

She walked over to see what he was doing, and saw he was toasting a bagel in butter.

“You’re up?”

The aproned man asked while placing a salad on the table. Won casually reached for the coffee.

“Are you going to drink some coffee?”

“Even if my pretty girl gives me poisoned tea, I’d happily drink it,”

“Really? Then I’ll get you some.”

“Huh…?”

He stopped flipping his bagel. At any rate, it was time for her to satiate her appetite.

Two cups of coffee later, she walked over to the table and sat down. She didn’t ask him where he’d been yesterday, or why’d he come in so late.

‘What is the big deal about it?’

Won wasn’t sure. It’s off, but maybe it’s because of his absence last night that she feels more committed to her decision.

She doesn’t know his name because she didn’t ask.

She doesn’t know his age because she didn’t ask.

She doesn’t know about his job because she didn’t ask.

The reason she didn’t ask was simple. If she asks, he’ll start asking, and nothing is free in this world. Maybe he doesn’t ask about anything in return, but if he doesn’t, it feels like she’ll be indebted.

To get to know someone, you have to put yourself out there. She’s not ready to open herself up to him yet, because…

‘What do I have to do with him?’

It’s funny for her to think that after everything they have done, they haven’t defined their relationship yet.

They were living together, but it was too weird to say they were romantically involved. They haven’t had conversations about it, which isn’t necessarily a sign of a relationship, but there was no other interaction that would have convinced her. S*xual activity… Depending on personal morals, that can be done without romantic involvement.

To be honest, Won didn’t mind the ambiguity before. It hadn’t bothered her in the past, but today, it did.

“It’s ready. Let’s eat.”

Top Dog approached with two plates.

Won decided to wait and see if the discomfort was temporary. Then, Top Dog’s phone vibrated. Sitting across from her, he checked the screen and made a face.

“Unlucky from the morning.”

“What’s that? A phishing scam?”

“Just appreciate that I look pretty in your eyes.”

He clicked his tongue.

“… You do?”

Won asked in disbelief. No matter how severe his narcissism was, she never imagined a man who was over six feet tall would call himself ‘pretty’ so confidently.

Instead of explaining, Top Dog held out his cell phone. A text message popped up.

Hello, Rock. Please tell Won to contact me when she’s free.

The sender was Black Cat. Won called him using Top Dog’s phone.

“Hello?”

“Hi Gyeom, it’s Won. I saw your text, what’s up?”

“… Are you with Rock right now?”

She checked the phone screen and flinched. It was 9:01 A.M., far too early for a “check-in.”

Top Dog must have heard him ask because he started to smirk. Won sighed.

Wiping her forehead, she tried to change the subject.

“It’s a personal matter. Can you tell me why you needed to contact me?”

“Ah, I think this is something I should tell you in person, so please find a time when you’re free. Jin will be there as well.”

‘Something that needs to be said in person?’

Won wondered if it was something that shouldn’t be on record. Seeing that Target would be present, it wouldn’t be an ordinary matter. Naturally, her expression turned serious.

“Okay, I’m fine with meeting this weekend. You and Jin can work out a specific time and date. I’m free any day.”

Kofi