Snake Venom Ch 65

Chapter 65

After scanning the written message, Ju Doyoung spoke in a bored tone.

“Stuff like that is everywhere on the streets in the slums. Judging by the handwriting, it looks like an individual did it. And even then, it seems unorganized and pathetic. On top of that, all the important information is erased. It’s just a sign to say they’ll send someone who does that kind of work, so just be ready on that date. Enough of that—let’s push President Park harder.”

Extracting quite a bit of information from a single slip of paper, Jung Suho looked at Ju Doyoung with a surprised expression.

“Even a village dog recites poetry after three months, huh.”

At that, Ju Doyoung, who had been leaning back against the chair, suddenly widened his eyes.

“Did you just call me a dog, you damn bear?”

Ju Doyoung had a particularly sharp reaction to being called a dog. Jung Suho frowned and replied in a grave tone.

“Hey, watch your mouth. Is that how you talk to your hyung?”

“I’ve never had a hyung like you.”

Ju Doyoung shot back coldly, and watching the scene, Im Sehan let out a sigh.

“Suho, it’s not three months—it’s three years. Even you wouldn’t manage it in just three.”

Rather than rebuking the two for their petty squabble, he couldn’t resist stepping in to correct them. Jung Suho snorted loudly in response.

“Can’t you do something about that nitpicking gene of yours? Huh? You mentally unstable maniac.”

“Mentally unstable—! I told you not to say that!”

Maybe it was the unsatisfactory results of the briefing, but everyone seemed to be on edge—and their bickering was downright childish. Just as it seemed like the argument would escalate, Lee Yeonwoo, who had been staring at the screen, suddenly exclaimed.

“Oh?”

He shot up and pointed at the screen. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened and closed repeatedly before he grabbed a fistful of his hair.

“Ah! That!”

Where did I put that? It wasn’t that he didn’t remember the location. What he needed right now was the deleted data. As he racked his brain like retracing steps down a path, Yeonwoo slammed both fists against his head. Then, his eyes lit up and he took a deep breath.

“XXX-XXX-XXXX!”

The office rang with his voice shouting out the number he’d finally recalled.

The second basement parking lot had been temporarily shut down.

As soon as the team stationed at the entrance confirmed Cheon Wooshin’s identity, they bowed their heads. The Special Investigation Division held a higher rank even when working the same case.

Cheon Wooshin swung open the car door, and behind him, Lee Yeonwoo looked around with fresh wonder. It amazed him every time—how someone had the idea to make drugs in a place like this. You’d have to be this creative just to commit crimes, huh. If they had used this kind of brainpower for something else, they probably would have succeeded. While he was caught up in such idle thoughts, Cheon Wooshin entered the building. Lee Yeonwoo quickly followed.

The inside of the van, with its seats removed, had enough space to swallow both Yeonwoo and Wooshin with room to spare. The actual entrance leading downward was large enough for a grown man to pass through easily. The folding door, with its latch removed, was thick. It was the final gateway to the lower floor.

Let’s do our best to find something—anything. Yeonwoo held back his eagerness and quietly waited for Cheon Wooshin’s next move.

“Hold this.”

“Yes.”

Yeonwoo took what Cheon Wooshin handed him and immediately opened the lid. There was no need to ask what it was or what to do with it. Everything Cheon Wooshin did had a reason, and it was Yeonwoo’s job to fulfill his role. He’d been handed a similar cylinder before, so his actions were smooth.

The directive was simple: remember and identify the scent. As soon as he brought it to his nose, there wasn’t even time to think. Yeonwoo, brushing the scent past his nose, turned toward the window. Even before he could fully react, his face was flushed.

“Uh… Th-Those bastards are making this kind of stuff now?”

It was an embarrassing scent to even articulate. It wasn’t as aggressive as the snake venom he’d smelled before, but the base nature carried by the scent was unmistakable. The unfamiliar combination of a snake and a half-human in heat pierced straight through Yeonwoo’s nasal membranes and brain.

If he were to compare it to a human scent, it was like a concentrated smell of semen. Forcing himself to get past the embarrassment, Yeonwoo took another short breath to analyze the fragrance in detail.

Even with a second sniff, it was unmistakably a half-human heat pheromone. Yet, the discordant notes were removed to the point that it could’ve been sold as perfume. It was overtly lewd, but still oddly fragrant and attractive. Regardless, it was extremely provocative and embarrassing. And in this place, in front of Cheon Wooshin of all people, it was even more inappropriate.

“It’s been modified as an aphrodisiac for human use.”

Though Cheon Wooshin’s voice reached his ears, Yeonwoo’s eyes stayed glued to the window. He scratched under his chin.

“Uh, yeah, I-I see.”

He stammered, more flustered by his own flustered reaction. Though he wanted to at least keep up with the highly capable Cheon Wooshin, he couldn’t stop the awkward shyness that bloomed from his neck down. He recalled how, just a few days ago, his ears had nearly turned red from a meaningless joke Wooshin had made. He couldn’t show such a ridiculous side again. Yeonwoo focused all his attention on staying composed.

That desperate effort was fully visible to Cheon Wooshin. His steady gaze traveled over Yeonwoo’s reddened face, blinking eyelids, and twitching fingers wrapped around his knees. In the meantime, Yeonwoo managed to recover some calm and turned to look at Wooshin.

“So this is the scent you want me to find down there?”

He tried to play it cool, but quickly ducked his head. The eyes that met his felt like they could see right through him. Screw it. Yeonwoo tightly shut his eyes and scrubbed at his burning cheeks. He rubbed so hard it was like he thought it would wipe the red away.

“They say it sells well because it’s so effective.”

A calm and gentle voice flowed into his ears. Yeonwoo replied on instinct.

“Ah, yeah, I can see that. I mean, the smell is really….”

Sexy? What the hell am I saying. Yeonwoo hastily shut his mouth and wanted to smack himself.

“Let’s, uh, let’s open the d-door…!”

Yeonwoo, stumbling over his words, suddenly froze. A different kind of realization spread across his beet-red face. He let out a puff of air and looked up with an indignant expression.

“You were teasing me, weren’t you?”

Then, in his wide eyes, he caught Cheon Wooshin’s faintly relaxed expression as the corners of his eyes softened. Wooshin replied.

“It would’ve been a shame if you’d missed it.”

Unbelievable—he really was teasing him? From when? At that timing? At a loss for words from the explosion of questions in his mind, Yeonwoo snapped his gaze to the window. He had no idea how to respond. Then, a soft voice drifted into his ear.

“Since I went a little far with the teasing, I’ll buy you something delicious.”

That phrase—“went a little far with the teasing”—was something Yeonwoo had once used to scold Wooshin at the Tesa Group mansion.

His ability to provoke someone at will while still maintaining a gentlemanly line was both annoying and awe-inspiring. Yeonwoo, drained of the will to retaliate, spoke in resignation.

“I’m going to eat three bowls.”

Then, feeling even more indignant, he added,

“Just watch me.”

“As many as you like.”

Cheon Wooshin responded leisurely as he lifted the handle on the floor. When the door was fully opened, a dense wave of air rushed in. Yeonwoo instinctively pinched his nose. A mix of powerful smells, unlike anything they usually encountered, surged in all at once.

“Ugh.”

Cheon Wooshin quickly checked Yeonwoo’s reaction.

“Is it too much to handle?”

It was a question that reflected his thorough understanding of Yeonwoo’s heightened sense of smell and proportional sensitivity. That consideration alone made Yeonwoo shake his head. The stench meant there was likely a lot of data to uncover—he didn’t want to retreat.

Still, an uncertain gaze shot toward him. Yeonwoo tapped the sides of his nostrils and gave a bashful smile.

“This is nothing. You know me.”

It was meant to be reassuring, but Wooshin’s expression turned peculiar. Had he bragged too much? Just as that thought crossed his mind, Wooshin returned to his usual neutral expression and looked down.

“I’ll go down first.”

Descending the ladder, Cheon Wooshin scanned the surroundings in silence. There were no signs of movement, but he nonetheless loaded the gun he’d drawn from his jacket in full view. It was his way of saying they could encounter danger at any moment—so don’t be surprised. Then he stood not in front of Yeonwoo, but beside him. It was to protect him while also giving him the lead.

In response, Yeonwoo slapped his chest loudly—a clever gesture to say he had a weapon too, so don’t forget.

Wearing gloves, they examined the interior.

The scene before them was, unsurprisingly, just like the photos Im Sehan had shown them. All the important things had been taken, leaving only junk scattered about like a waste heap. What couldn’t be felt through the photos was the dampness that now clung to their skin like leeches.

Yeonwoo stepped further inside, avoiding the items strewn across the floor. Soft footfalls were followed by even softer ones.