_"Thanks, honey badger girl… for getting caught by me.
Once I confirm your identity, I have no intention of letting you go…
I have some unfinished business with honey badgers, you see…"_
"Oh, shut up… hahaha. We’ll see about that."
The man seemed slightly taken aback by my sharp retort. That’s right—there’s no way I’m backing down. Not as a honey badger. Especially not against a damn snake. They always act like they’re some superior species, pretending to be all high and mighty. It’s so annoying.
Even though I couldn't use my beast form because of the drug, and I was literally chained up, there was no way in hell I’d let him have the upper hand.
Besides, the fact that they were confirming my identity meant that this wasn't some gang that had kidnapped me randomly, nor was it a rogue group out for revenge against honey badgers. That meant I wasn’t in immediate danger.
So, I decided to put on my best ‘I-don’t-give-a-damn’ attitude.
"What if I turn out to be just some random honey badger, completely unrelated to you?"
I asked mockingly. Sure, snake beastkin hate my kind, but I never did anything to them personally.
"Well… I find that hard to believe."
He replied, unfazed.
"And if I’m not related to whatever you’re looking for, will you apologize for tying me up like this?"
"Hmm…"
The man seemed to think about it for a moment.
"Fine. If that’s the case, I’ll apologize."
I smiled.
"Oh? Is that so? You better not forget those words."
Nice. If I could get an actual apology from this guy, it might just make my day a little better.
But then, he added something.
"And if you are related… what then?"
His words made me pause for a moment.
"Hmm… well, in that case, I’ll let you do whatever you want with me.
Do as you please—whether that means letting me go or not."
The man muttered under his breath.
"Do whatever I want, huh… You sure are bold."
Then, silence.
The annoying kind.
The man seemed to be waiting for that ‘Yoongi-hyung’ to bring back my identity results, and I was bored out of my damn mind. Being tied up like this? What is this, the medieval era? Come on, who even does this anymore?!
I decided to poke at him a little more.
"So, what’s your deal?
What’s your grudge against honey badgers?"
The man, who had been resting his chin on his hand, turned to look at me.
"Damn, you’re noisy… Yeah, I’ve got a grudge. So what?"
He answered, sounding exasperated.
Not one to back down, I shot back.
"Oh? What, did your parents get killed by a honey badger or something?"
The second I said it, I regretted it.
His face instantly went pale, completely drained of color. His pupils split vertically again, slitting like a snake’s.
Shit.
_"…Ha. I wasn’t planning to go this far, but…
I guess it’s better than me snapping while we’re just sitting here together."_
"W-what do you mean…?"
"You’re just too damn noisy…"
The man slowly approached me, and his presence alone was terrifying.
Fuck. If only I could transform, I wouldn’t be so damn scared right now.
As his already pale face grew even whiter, black-scaled patterns began appearing on his neck. Goosebumps erupted all over my skin.
The aura he was giving off… this was on a whole different level.
_"Don't resist.
If I leave you be, I might do something really bad."_
He slithered closer, his body partially shifting into his beast form.
Scales started emerging on his arms, and the distinctive hood pattern of a king cobra spread across his neck.
Up close, I could see the sharp, elongated fangs inside his mouth as he smirked.
Oh, fuck.
"Oh, shit, not again—!!"
CHOMP.
And just like that, I blacked out.