LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Life in Confinement
After finishing lunch, I was sitting in the break room watching TV for a moment when someone placed a hand on Si-hyun’s shoulder.
“Let’s go out for a bit, get some fresh air.”
It was Jun-cheol, my colleague.
“Ah, hyung. Why do you keep calling me when you’re just going to smoke outside?”
“Hey, that’s not it. The air in here is stuffy; you need to breathe some fresh air. Otherwise, you’ll be sluggish for the afternoon shift, you know?”
“Ugh, fine. I get it. I’m going out, I’m going out.”
To smoke inside, you had to use the designated smoking room or go out the front gate. However, Jun-cheol disliked smoking in the smoking room, so he usually went outside alone to smoke. But sometimes, when his shift overlapped with Si-hyun’s, he would call him out like this.
As soon as we stepped outside, Jun-cheol exhaled a cloud of smoke and started the conversation.
“Congratulations.”
“Huh?”
Si-hyun’s face was full of confusion.
“Haven’t you been to the duty office?”
“I went yesterday, but not today.”
“The ward you work in, our facility’s ward of the month, ranked first.”
“Oh, really?”
It was the first time he had been selected for first place during his tenure here. It wasn’t a grand honor or anything, more like a minor detail, but still, it left a good impression on the higher-ups.
“Shocking, huh.”
“Haha, it’s not that shocking. I can get it done if I want to…”
“The second place was for issuing stickers five times; first place had zero. How does that make sense? You’ve never called the CRPT (Crisis Response Patrol Team) once while working in the ward? Not even during inspections by the Security Department Head or Correctional Officers? How do you even work with the Duty Chief? Are you doing something else while working in the ward?”
“Wait… zero times? Really?”
Si-hyun looked surprised.
Come to think of it, he didn’t recall any inmate receiving a sticker this month.
“What are you so surprised about? It’s a fact, a fact.”
“No, I just didn’t know it was zero…”
“If you keep working like this, you’ll be top-notch for performance reviews? Impressive, very impressive.”
In reality, performance reviews were quite ambiguous. It was impossible to observe how Correctional Officers worked in every little detail, and measuring who performed better was also unfeasible. That’s why in most cases, performance reviews were decided based on seniority. But what was unfair was that Correctional Officers working on the ground level dealing with inmates usually had lower reviews than those working in administrative positions.
Handling inmate counts wasn’t challenging, but administrative roles often required only a few smart individuals, perhaps reflecting the higher-ups’ judgment.
But if someone had visible contributions like Si-hyun, it was a different story. Ignoring visible results would only lead to complaints piling up.
“This time, you’re definitely going to pass the promotion exam.”
Jun-cheol said.
The promotion exam was based on performance reviews plus written scores. No matter how high someone scored on the written part, many Correctional Officers ended up failing due to poor performance reviews. Si-hyun had experienced this firsthand when he got a high score in his second-year exam but failed due to a low performance evaluation.
“I really need to pass this time. If my performance review is good but I fail the exam, I’d have nothing to say.”
“Make sure you do well on the written test. You know how popular our facility is in the Seoul Correctional Office, right? You know how limited our TO is? That’s how we keep working together.”
“Hyung, you say you’re going to stay in this position, right? You’re still thinking that way?”
“Yeah. I’m already married, and my wife’s job is here, so moving around would be a bit burdensome.”
Jun-cheol was 35 years old, married, and already had a child.
“That’s true.”
Seniority promotions may be slow, but they offered the advantage of staying at the same facility until reaching level 6. Thus, many Correctional Officers preferred this path.
On the other hand, exam promotions were faster if you passed the tests, but you had to move facilities every time you leveled up. For example, moving from Uijeongbu to Chuncheon in the Seoul Regional Correctional Office could happen as a result.
Honestly, there was no one-size-fits-all answer to this issue.
The answer varied depending on whether you prioritized swift promotions or stability in your residence.
“Anyway, I like you. So it’d be great for me if we keep working together.”
“Oh, hyung. Why are you suddenly being so over the top today? What do you mean?”
Si-hyun waved his hands dismissively.
“You’re a real gem of a person, you know that, buddy?”
“Oh, time’s up. I understand your feelings, so let’s head back in.”
◈ ◈ ◈
Kim Man-deok.
He was short but had a sharp gaze like a wild animal.
His body was like a canvas covered in tattoos and numerous scars from self-harm, showcasing the many times he had inflicted pain on himself.
As the Correctional Officer escorted him, Man-deok walked leisurely. For some, prison might be hell, but for him, it was like a playground. Self-harm was merely a game he played when he got bored.
“Hello, one inmate is here. Here’s the collar.”
The Correctional Officer who escorted Man-deok saluted Park Young-hwan, who was standing in the corridor, and hurriedly walked away as if he had to return quickly.
“Hey, Man-deok’s here?”
Young-hwan greeted him with a face that showed no enthusiasm whatsoever.
“It’s Chief Park. Let’s get into my office. I want to drop off my stuff and relax.”
“Before that, put your things down here and go into the duty room.”
“What now?”
“Our Chief wants to speak with you, so go in for a consultation.”
Since it was a problematic inmate, Young-hwan elevated Si-hyun’s status. Many inmates would look down on a lower-ranking employee if they were treated poorly in front of them. While there were many Correctional Officers who weren’t like that, Young-hwan was the type to take such matters seriously.
“The Chief? Which Chief?”
“Don’t you know Chief Lee Si-hyun?”
“I don’t really know. What’s this consultation about? Let me just go in.”
“Don’t be like that; just go in. Hand over your stuff.”
Young-hwan forcibly took Man-deok’s belongings.
With the Chief being so assertive, Man-deok had no choice but to grumble and enter the duty room.
Inside, Si-hyun was sitting with a relaxed expression.
“Mr. Man-deok? Please have a seat.”
“Let’s get this over with quickly.”
Man-deok roughly sat down in the chair.
“You know who I am?”
“Nope. Do I need to know all the Correctional Officers’ faces?”
His words had sharpened noticeably.
It was because he appeared young and unthreatening.
Of course, Man-deok was not the type to treat someone older respectfully.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“What are you blabbering about…”
“Remember this, you punk.”
Si-hyun suddenly spoke harshly. His voice wasn’t loud; he controlled it so it wouldn’t be heard outside.
He wanted to grab Man-deok by the collar but restrained himself since Young-hwan was watching outside.
“What?! What the hell?! You crazy bastard! You…!”
In an instant, Si-hyun unleashed the aura of the Iron-Blooded Guard. After practicing with the other inmates, he could now wield it freely.
As a result, the furious Man-deok went pale, his anger replaced by shock.
“Dog… Dog… Oh, are we having dog meat for dinner tonight? Hehe…”
“Why would we have dog meat in prison, you idiot?”
“Oh… Right, isn’t it? Ah, I’m really such a dumbass, hehe…”
Man-deok wore a truly servile grin for the first time in his life.
His entire body trembled like a leaf.
‘…Scary! Scary! Scary! Scary! Scary!’
He didn’t even know why he felt this way; he was just scared. His mind wasn’t functioning properly, and he had no idea what he was babbling about.
An unimaginable fear was weighing down on him.
“Listen to me carefully.”
“Yes, yes! I’m listening! I’ll listen! Please continue.”
“I generally don’t speak informally to inmates. I keep my boundaries, you know?”
He normally didn’t even curse at inmates or speak informally to them.
But this time, he couldn’t hold back the anger.
The victims of Man-deok’s fraud had not received their money back properly. Many had ended their lives due to extreme financial hardship and stress. Yet, the one responsible for all that was living comfortably in prison without a hint of guilt, even attempting to mess with the Correctional Officers.
“Speak informally! Please continue! I’m fine with informal language!”
“Shut up and listen.”
“Yes!”
“You can commit a crime and get sent here, right? But damn, if you do, you need to do your time properly. Okay, maybe you slipped up once. But to keep self-harming and messing with Correctional Officers? You bastard! If you’ve committed a crime, you should serve your time with a sense of remorse instead of harming yourself! Huh? Speak!”
“I was wrong! I really messed up! I won’t do it again! I swear!”
Man-deok, whose face had gone completely pale, threw himself to his knees as if he were diving into the ground. He began to beg profusely.
“Is that true? If you do it again, you’re really done for.”
“I swear it’s true! I wouldn’t dare lie to anyone about my safety…”
“Okay, I’ll trust you just this once. You can go now.”
“Yes, yes! Thank you! Thank you for believing me!”
He even offered the kind of bow he had never given to his deceased parents.
After that bizarre display, he exited the duty room, trembling as he walked.
Outside, Young-hwan stood there with a completely dazed expression, as if he had seen something he couldn’t believe. His mouth was agape.
[Po-ahim is quite pleased with your actions.]
[Wisdom +8, Mental Strength +20, Magic Power +7 Restored]
The rewards were fantastic.