LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 24
Episode 24 – Dog Fur and Motivation
“Hey, isn’t that the famous Chief Lee? Oh, hello there!”
As I walked towards the main gate, a senior correctional officer playfully saluted me.
Ever since the documentary aired and Si-hyun’s footage became a hit online, these playful seniors started popping up every now and then.
I guess Si-hyun’s name must’ve been firmly etched in the minds of correctional officers across the nation.
The Ministry of Justice even sent out a memo urging correctional officers to watch it, and it was evident that many watched it regardless.
Even if you’re at a different facility, with rotation work, rumors spread like wildfire among the staff.
And with the documentary out and causing a stir, there was no need to say more.
“Hello there.”
Si-hyun simply responded with a smiling greeting.
That was for the best.
Showing any reaction would only invite more teasing from folks.
◈ ◈ ◈
‘It’s about time to shake off this annoying 9th-grade badge.’
As I headed to the Security Department Office during the 30-minute break I was allocated, Si-hyun thought to himself.
Whenever I heard the term ‘9th-grade’, one particular memory floated to the surface.
Three years ago, fresh out of training at the academy, I was assigned to the Daehan Correctional Facility, and during a welcome dinner for new recruits, someone said:
“Hey, aren’t all you guys in 9th grade?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You poor souls. You came in as dog fur, dog fur! I’m telling you, listen well, you young ones, just go out and take the 7th-grade exam again. This isn’t the army, but it’s a class society. If you keep working at the bottom, there will definitely be some infuriating situations.”
‘…’
“Oh, but if you’ve got connections in 9th grade, it might be okay. Any of you have a warden’s kid here? Or a deputy warden’s kid? No? Then you’re all in for a rough time, ha ha.”
Back then, I hadn’t really started working yet, so I found it hard to grasp the weight of those words.
Yet, just two days later, during the official welcome dinner for the Security Department, I experienced something shocking.
Unlike the previous day, there were several higher-ranking employees from the Security Department present, including correctional officers and section chiefs.
At that gathering, a correctional officer asked:
“Any newbies here who can’t drink well?”
Not particularly fond of alcohol, I was the only one who raised my hand. I figured that if I didn’t make it clear from the start that I wasn’t good with drinking, it would be hard to avoid alcohol at future gatherings.
But what the correctional officer said next was quite a show.
“You can’t drink well? Hey, are you a little kid? What a total brat.”
I can still remember every word perfectly.
It left an unforgettable shock.
Is it really okay for someone, no matter how junior, to talk like that?
I’d heard it was a military-like environment, halfway between soldiers and civil servants, but I never expected such harsh words to be tossed around so lazily.
I felt a tremendous scratch to my self-esteem.
I could only awkwardly smile at myself, thinking I was an idiot.
So this is society.
I was merely taking my first tiny steps at the bottom of the social ladder.
Not everyone goes through this, but most do.
When I saw the news about employees stressed by their superiors’ verbal abuse, it didn’t hit me as a job seeker, but I felt it then.
The saying, “If you’re wronged, just rise up,” didn’t come from nowhere.
Jun-cheol, my fellow recruit, consoled me, saying there would always be a certain amount of trashy people in any workplace, so I should just ignore it and move on.
But I didn’t forget on purpose.
That memory served as great motivation whenever I felt lazy.
The correctional officer got transferred to another department a year later, but I was left with a memory that motivationally stung, which I found both dirty and acknowledging.
Actually, what Si-hyun went through was minor.
A legendary incident among the recruits happened after that.
Jun-cheol had asked a senior who was about seven years younger than us for her number while working overtime, only to be shot down spectacularly.
And not just a simple rejection – she had said, “Do you think I’ve got time to give my number to someone like you?”
The situation could have led to a fistfight, but thankfully, Jun-cheol’s easygoing personality prevented it.
It became so legendary that when news of it circulated in the correctional officer community ‘Correctional Officers Beyond the Wall’, dozens of comments sprung up criticizing that behavior for ruining the entire organization’s reputation.
The backward society of our organization showed its ugly side.
No wonder there’s no growth and low professional self-esteem.
Comments pouring in about how all military-style culture should be eradicated.
Anyway, that senior was marked as a total nutcase; even when his fellow recruits met him, he wouldn’t greet them and completely ignored them.
Moreover, he turned out to have a pretty bad reputation within the facility.
The law of trashy preservation was indeed a truth.
‘I’m passing this time for sure.’
I aimed for a swift promotion but was disappointed by my performance review.
This time, I was determined to do it right.
And to make up for the delay, I planned to pass the 7th-grade exam as quickly as possible.
Then there would be a chance for the 5th grade later on.
In the public service sector, attaining 5th grade is no joke.
Earlier this year, a guy in his late twenties passed the correctional administrative exam, and he was assigned as a correctional officer at the Daehan Correctional Facility.
He was younger than me but garnered respect from the seniors, who addressed him formally and politely.
I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy.
They say passing the civil service exam can turn your life around, and I could see why.
Lost in thought, before I knew it, I had arrived at the Security Department Office.
“Chief, what brings you here?”
As I approached the office administrator who manages leave requests, they were the first to ask.
“I’d like to take some leave. For next week, for a week.”
On a usual day, I would be too shy to make such requests. There are regulations in place stipulating that if you’re taking more than three days of leave, you must report it to the Security Department Head.
But sometimes, there are cases where long-term leave can be granted.
Correctional officers preparing for promotion exams had no problems taking more than a week off to study.
“Oh, you’re taking the promotion exam too. Understood.”
The office administrator marked the calendar.
“Thank you.”
“Good luck passing!”
◈ ◈ ◈
Si-hyun, who had to wake up at 6 AM every weekday to go to work, enjoyed a rare delight of sleeping until 8 AM.
Sleeping for just two extra hours brought immense joy.
After breakfast, he tried to study at home, but the temptation to turn on the computer kept creeping in, so he decided to refocus.
Dressed in his tracksuit, he grabbed his bag and headed to a nearby library.
Despite it being a weekday morning, the library’s study rooms were almost packed.
They said we were in an era with 260,000 civil service exam students, and it certainly looked like there were plenty of people studying.
Si-hyun sat down and opened his textbook on correctional studies.
Having read it so often, the pages flipped easily.
Seeing the people around him studying diligently seemed to motivate him even more.
As he immersed himself in studying for over an hour, his pocket began to vibrate.
Worried it might be loud, Si-hyun quickly stepped outside.
When he checked the caller ID, it was his younger sister.
It felt a bit odd.
She knew he was at work at this time, so why was she calling?
“Hey, Ha-young.”
-Oh? You picked up, Oppa.
“I’m on leave starting today. What’s up?”
-Um… Oppa, don’t be shocked, okay?
Her voice sounded somber.
Si-hyun felt a sense of foreboding.
“What’s going on? Tell me.”
-… Dad collapsed.
“What?!”
-He asked Mom to not tell us, but she called me anyway.
“Why did he collapse all of a sudden? What’s wrong?”
-I don’t know much. They say he’s at a university hospital in Chuncheon, so you should go see him right away.
“Okay, I’ll get there as soon as I can.”
Si-hyun bit his lip, his face darkening.