Precautions of a Snakepit - Chapter 97

Won considered several possibilities. Maybe they found out the whereabouts of Dr. Madison and Ju-hee, or something had gone wrong in the process of dealing with the cult. However, that wasn’t the mood whenever they met in person.

“Won.”

Target, in a suit, spoke first.

“Cha Mu-jin.”

She had once assumed that suits existed for men like him, and now she saw it with her own eyes, she decided her assumption was correct.

Dressed in what must have been a tailored suit, made to fit the contours of his body, Target was impossibly gorgeous. The man who had been confined to a locked ward was now the head of Group K.

“What are you thinking about?” Target asked, unfazed and smiling.

After all, when one spends their entire life looking like him, you probably get used to the stares.

“I was wondering if this is a caste system.”

Hearing her answer, he pondered for a moment, then wryly smiled, cupping his chin with the hand that was decorated with a watch.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

He seemed to recognize what she meant by his relaxed demeanor. He was a perceptive man, and she knew that from her time in the ward.

As she sat down across from him, the door opened and a new person entered. It was Black Cat in plainclothes.

Won was surprised but in a different way than when she saw Target. In his white lab coat, it seemed like he stepped right out of a lab. It was the nitrile gloves on his hands that made him stand out.

‘Why the hell are you wearing gloves? Are you a germaphobe?’

Black Cat lowered his gaze in confusion. Then, as if in panic, pulled off his gloves.

“No, why are these still…”

He hadn’t worn them on purpose but forgot. Won wondered what his job was that required him to wear gloves. Since it was the weekend, it could be from a hobby. As she was jumping to conclusions, she heard Target’s voice.

“At least you’re not wearing your safety glasses today, Professor Do.”

Her eyes widened at the new information.

For Black Cat who looked like that and had never been in a relationship, she knew he had to have heard his share of questions regarding his relationship status. But to be a professor at his age, he would have to be ascetic.

“Have you ever been in a relationship?”

“… I’ve been busy…”

“What kind of ‘busy?’ Did you graduate from Harvard or something?”

Black Cat was profusely sweating as he was criticized by the ladies.

Won’s first impulse was to ask Black Cat where he went to college. If he told her it was Harvard, it would be both hilarious and terrifying.

“It’s been a long time, Won.”

“Yes, it has, Professor Do.”

Won thought it was fitting to speak the name she heard from Target. Black Cat looked exactly how she imagined. Domineering, sassy, intelligent, and yet somehow cute… she likes that.

“You’re a professor.”

Feeling a little mystified, she replied what she knew, and Target chimed in.

“Yes. He’s a professor of new materials engineering at K University and one of the future leaders of the world’s new materials engineering field…”

“You can stop exaggerating as much as you want, Jin.”

“Hmm, so leading the field of new materials engineering in Korea?”

“I’ll be lucky if I don’t get kicked out. I barely got the job this time because of the break in my career. It’s a good thing they didn’t ask for my health insurance records, or I wouldn’t have gotten in with that.”

Black Cat frowned. True, a history of psychiatric hospitalization would make it difficult to be hired as a professor.

After all, isn’t the fact that he was hired as a professor after a year’s break in his career a testament to his talent?

“K Group is always open to Professor Do.”

Judging by the way Target was speaking, Black Cat must be intelligent.

‘New materials engineering?’

Won had no idea what it was, but she just guessed based on the name.

She wondered if one day she’d have to use one of Black Cat’s materials on a mission.

While Won was fantasizing, the food was served.

The food was delicious. At a glance, it would be rather strange if it didn’t taste good in a place where people with money come to eat. For some reason though, she kept recalling the food that Top Dog cooks for her. It didn’t taste better than his.

She was supposed to eat crab soup with him today. He brought her a box of sawdust yesterday, stunned the crabs, stuck them in the freezer, and announced he would make the soup tomorrow. Maybe he’s working on the crabs right now.

Yesterday, Top Dog got fresh fish from somewhere and sashimi it himself. Won was surprised because no matter how good of a cook he was, it was a different realm. He wasn’t sure why she reacted the way she did.

“Didn’t I tell you it’s a hobby?”

At that, she remembered the conversation she had with him in the ward.

“That assh*le is still alive.”

“How do you know?”

“Pretty girl, have you ever seen sashimi ahead of time? It floats before you eat it.”

“… I guess you’ve somehow made sashimi before?”

“Somehow? It’s a hobby of mine. Do you want me to make you some?”

Won laughed out loud as she remembered the misunderstanding. It wasn’t human sashimi, but literally fish sashimi. Then she remembered she wasn’t alone and controlled her facial expression.

“I hope you can tell me what we’re here for,” Won said to the two men watching her.

The meal was over. Dessert and tea were being served. She wondered what they couldn’t tell her over the phone, but had to do it in person.

The two men looked at each other.

“Do you want me to start? Or you first?”

“I’ll go first.”

Black Cat took the lead. He paused for a moment, organizing his thoughts in his head, then spoke.

“We met you today, not because of anything in particular, but because…”

He interlaced his long fingers with his other hand, carefully speaking.

“I just wanted to say thank you.”

“I wanted to formally thank you as well, Won.”

Target chimed in, staring at her, and a smile spread across his face.

“Thank you for pulling me out of that hell, and thank you for showing up and giving me hope when I was about to give up on everything. You, Won, were truly a ray of light for me.”

“My revenge was also successful because of Won. I… I truly consider you my benefactor. If you ever need my help, please don’t hesitate to contact me.”

Black Cat pulled a business card out of his pocket and held it out. Target quietly set his own card down next to it as well.

The sincerity of their praise and gratitude felt strange to Won. The two men were polar opposites, but they shared genuine thanks to Won.

Her stomach lurched as she stared down at the business cards for a moment.

“Ah.”

At that groan, she looked up. Target was setting down a cup of hot tea.

“Did you burn your tongue?”

“No, not burned… I got tongue surgery, so I try to avoid anything hot,” Target kindly explained.

Won was wondering what could have caused him to get tongue surgery, so he continued.

“I didn’t realize it at the time of escape, but the tip of my tongue was a little split. I didn’t think it was aesthetically pleasing, so I stitched it up.”

At that moment, a memory flashed through Won’s mind. It was the flailing split tongue, similar to a snake’s.

“… Your tongue… Split? When?” Black Cat asked, his face rigid.

Target obediently answered, even though he didn’t understand.

“I blacked out just before the ritual, but there was nothing wrong with my tongue until then. When I woke up, I was lying on the altar, so it must have been some time in between.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. It couldn’t be any other time.”

“Then, there should have been pain, right?”

Target’s eyes widened at Black Cat’s question. If, as he said, they cut his tongue before the ceremony, he should have felt the pain when he woke up. Maybe instead of pain…

“Come to think of it, I didn’t even feel anesthesia.”

Black Cat’s face paled at the confirmation. Realizing something unpleasant, he muttered.

“No, it can’t be… but…”

Outside, Top Dog was smoking a cigarette. When he made eye contact with Won, he flicked the cigarette out and tossed it in the trash. She wondered how he knew where to find her.

“I was going to give you a ride,” Target said to Won as Top Dog entered.

Top Dog didn’t bat an eye.

“You had a good enough time, didn’t you?”

Listening to their conversation, Won had a vague idea of what was going on. Top Dog must have been called to the meeting. If it was a ward issue, he should have been involved.

‘They made their own arrangements without me.’

Won chuckled. It was odd to see Top Dog acting as if he’d made a concession. You would think he had given up on something serious. Of course, her time doesn’t belong to Top Dog. If he wants to take ownership of her time, he needs to establish their relationship.

Black Cat fished his car keys out of his pocket, ready to join the fray. Before he did, Won decided to put an end to the unnecessary war of words.

“Thanks, but I brought my own car.”

Why do these guys think she would have walked?

lmaoooo

Kofi