He is a legendary prison guard

Episode 13 
Security and Aptitude

The gathering was modest.

The structure of a correctional facility varies slightly, but in the case of the Daehan Correctional Facility, it grouped two floors and four buildings into one unit.

So, even combining the person in charge of each building and the deputy, there were only eight people, plus the unit chief, making nine in total.

One table was enough to accommodate everyone.

“Let’s keep it quiet today.”

Jung Yong-jin, the chief of the neighboring building, winked at Shi-hyun.

In truth, it would be a lie to say that alcohol wasn’t offered at gatherings in the Daehan Correctional Facility, but the atmosphere wasn’t one of coercion.

Still, given that the unit chief loved to drink, it was a signal to tone it down a bit today.

“Aish, let’s finish this quickly so we can have a drink.”

Shi-hyun smiled and mixed soju and beer.

The unit chief, with a pleased expression, opened his mouth.

“How about we do a toast in order, starting with the most successful officer here?”

“Oh, come on, what’s a mere 9th-grade low-level officer like me got to be successful about?”

“Haha, that’s not true. I’ve heard I have a good eye for people, and looking at you these days, you seem like someone who could at least climb to the 5th grade.”

“Are you saying I didn’t look that way before?”

Chief Park Young-hwan asked.

“Well, before, I thought you’d end up stuck in the 6th grade, but these days, you seem different.”

“Thank you.”

Shi-hyun accepted the compliment with a smile and stood up.

“Then I’ll start the toast. Chief, thank you for all your hard work. I wish you continued health and happiness.”

With that, the drinks circulated a few times.

As they took turns toasting with the unit chief and exchanging well wishes, it was soon Shi-hyun’s turn.

As Shi-hyun sat next to him, the unit chief shook his hand with a friendly smile.

“Looking at you these days reminds me of something.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know that saying among correctional officers? That rehabilitation is nonsense?”

“Oh, I see.”

Shi-Hyun had heard that from seniors while working.

“They’re kids that their parents have given up on.”

“Yeah…”

“But what? Rehabilitation? How can you do what their parents couldn’t? We need to ditch this nonsense system and just give them proper punishment.”

It was a thought shared not just by correctional officers but by most people.

It was an undeniable fact.

Even the U.S., which prided itself on being a leader in rehabilitation theories, had thrown up its hands at the persistently high recidivism rates.

“There’s no doubt that if you manage to rehabilitate even one inmate during your entire career, that makes you an outstanding correctional officer. Just one, you know? It sounds trivial, but after a few years in this job, you’ll feel it deeply.”

As Shi-hyun recalled his past, he heard the unit chief continue.

“I used to agree with that perspective. It’s embarrassing to say, but in my 36 years of service, I’ve only thought I rehabilitated about five or six inmates.”

“That’s still quite an achievement, in my opinion.”

“But you know, I’ve been thinking differently lately while watching you.”

“Really?”

“At first, I thought you were just strict with the inmates, and that’s why they followed your orders well. But in that case, complaints would inevitably arise from some of them.”

“Oh, right.”

“But in the last few months, not a single inmate from your building has applied for a meeting with the unit chief. And looking at their faces, they don’t seem to have any complaints.”

The unit chief downed a drink and continued.

“Maybe you have the potential for true rehabilitation.”

“Oh, that’s overwhelming to hear.”

“If I could add one more thing, I think it’d be best for you to stay in the security department.”

Shi-Hyun paused, unsure of how to respond, as it was about time for him to move to the civil affairs or dispatch department. Most people considered those departments easier than the security department, so when their turn came, they usually moved there.

Just then, the unit chief asserted with certainty.

“You truly have an innate aptitude for the security department.”

—

**<0xCD> <0xCD> ◈**

“Ugh.”

It seemed he had drunk too much yesterday.

He felt like he would struggle with a hangover during today’s shift.

‘Speaking of which?’

Shi-hyun checked the calendar.

Today was the day of his younger sister Lee Ha-young’s first signing event.

A few years ago, she had dropped out of a perfectly good university to become a webtoon artist. Over the years, she had drawn doujinshi and attempted to debut on major sites multiple times.

Eventually, she succeeded in debuting on a new site targeting the romance reader demographic.

She had published a physical book, and checking the site, the reactions seemed pretty good.

She consistently maintained a position within the top 10.

That was enough to be considered a popular author, as his sister had explained.

Shi-hyun had read her work, but since it was a female-oriented romance comic, it wasn’t his taste.

Nevertheless, she had steadily made a name for herself, and today she was having a signing event with other popular authors at a large bookstore in Seoul.

He thought about giving her a call when his phone rang.

Beep beep.

Looking at the screen, it was Ha-young.

“Hey, Ha-young.”

Oppa, do you know what day it is today?

“I know.”

I’m nervous. What should I do?

“Most of the readers will be women anyway. Just relax.”

– …Okay.

“Ha-young, fighting! I’m proud of you for being a popular author.”

Hehe, that’s true, right?

“Yeah, so go and do well at the signing.”

I got it!

—

**<0xCD> <0xCD> ◈**

‘What should I do?’

It felt more embarrassing than nerve-wracking.

It seemed like she had the least number of visitors compared to the others.

Ha-young sat at the table set up by the bookstore, anxiously glancing at the clock.

Only about 30 minutes were left until the signing event started.

Suddenly, she heard a commotion among the crowd.

“Hey, that person bought 1,000 copies.”

“Really? They don’t even have that much stock, do they?”

“I guess they just went ahead and paid for it even if they didn’t have it in stock.”

“Wow, that’s insane.”

“…That’s impressive.”

Wow, someone bought 1,000 copies of a comic book at once?

Damn… Whoever that is, I envy that author so much.

As Ha-young was unable to contain her envy, a woman approached her.

A beauty with a well-proportioned figure and cat-like eyes.

She wore a tight, short skirt and a white blouse, holding a bag in her left hand.

‘Wow, a Hermes bag.’

Ha-young, who was usually interested in bags, recognized it at a glance. It looked like expensive crocodile leather with diamond studs.

“Are you Author Lee Ha-young?”

Ha-young had published under her real name instead of a pen name.

“Ah, yes.”

“I’m such a huge fan; it’s so nice to meet you. Can I get an autograph?”

The woman placed the comic “Ice Cold Love” that Ha-young had drawn in front of her. Then she subtly slid a receipt that was caught between her fingers.

“I prepared a little gift for you to cheer you up.”

“Uh? Oh… What?!”

Looking at the receipt showed a whopping purchase of 1,000 copies of “Ice Cold Love.”

Ha-young was momentarily dumbfounded as she glanced around, noticing everyone’s gaze was fixed on her.

“Ah, um… Thank you so much!”

“What’s there to thank? It’s a small gift to encourage you to produce more great works.”

The woman smiled brightly and continued.

“Please sign it, author.”

“Ah, of course! What’s your name?”

“Lin Xue.”

“Are you Chinese?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, your Korean is really good.”

“Hehe, I’m pretty quick at picking up languages.”

“That’s impressive. I don’t know Chinese, so is it okay if I write your name in Korean?”

“Of course.”

With joyful hands, Ha-young wrote ‘Lin Xue’ in beautiful handwriting on the front page of the comic and signed beside it.

“I’ll remember this forever, Lin Xue.”

“If I get the chance, I hope to see you again, author.”

—

**<0xCD> <0xCD> ◈**

As Lin Xue exited, a man in a black suit with a shaved head approached her like a bodyguard.

He guided her toward the parked limousine.

“What’s going on, Lin Xue?”

“What’s the problem? I just gave a little gift to my favorite author.”

“Isn’t it too conspicuous?”

“Is that a problem?”

“National Intelligence Service might have caught wind of it.”

“Are the Korean intelligence agencies that competent? Can they figure out my identity? And even if they did, what would they do? I’m just here for a vacation.”

“That may be true.”

“Don’t worry about me. You should be more concerned about that crazy guy. Why is he following me and causing trouble?”

“That guy…”

“Where the hell did he go? I’ll find him myself.”

Lin Xue frowned, showing her irritation.

—

**<0xCD> <0xCD> ◈**

Before they knew it, Saturday had arrived.

Yesterday, he had heard so much about the reader who bought 1,000 copies from his sister that his ears were buzzing.

She kept smiling and bragging about it.

He was curious about who it could be.

Given that she was Chinese, he thought she might be the daughter of a wealthy Chinese family.

Shi-hyun set off for the gate with ample time to spare.

During the week, he had contemplated various new skills, but he hadn’t figured anything out yet.

He felt that he needed to activate a skill to understand more.

“Shi-hyun oppa.”

Upon arriving at the gate, Eunhye waved and smiled.

“Has the guild we’re joining not arrived yet?”

“I think we came too early. They’ll be here on time.”

As they chatted near the gate, a van drove in.

The door marked ‘Black Tiger Guild’ opened, and several men who appeared to be hunters got out. There seemed to be no women among them.

“Where is that guy? Why isn’t he here yet?”

“I don’t know. He’s not answering.”

“Seriously… this rookie is late.”

“Still, we have some time left, so let’s wait a bit longer.”

The man who seemed to be the guild leader exchanged words with a well-built man.

Then the guild leader walked over to them, and judging by his expression, it seemed they knew each other.

“Eunhye, I’m sorry, but one of our guild members hasn’t arrived yet, can we wait a little longer?”

“That’s fine, guild leader. It’s not time yet.”

After talking, the Black Tiger guild leader seemed to instruct his guild members to contact the missing member.

But judging by the expression, it didn’t seem like they were getting through.

After waiting a bit longer, the time to launch the raid arrived.

“Ugh, I’ve never seen a rookie like this before.”

The Black Tiger guild leader looked incredulous.

“Do they not know to inform us? Damn it, what are we supposed to do now?”

They had received permission to raid with ten members, but now they would only have nine. For E-rank gates, they usually didn’t check numbers, but starting from D-rank, the Hunter Association staff checked the numbers meticulously.

Even now, an employee was standing by the gate to confirm the number of people entering.

The staff member looked over and spoke.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, no. It’s not a big issue. One person is late. I’ll just call some friends to fill in. We’re raiding today.”

The Black Tiger guild leader pulled out his phone and seemed to be calling some hunter friends.

But it didn’t look like it was going well.

He scratched the back of his head in frustration.

Thirty minutes passed, but there was no progress.

Then, a man’s panicked voice echoed.

“I’m so sorry! I’m sorry for being late!”

It was a pale-skinned man with a friendly demeanor.

“Hey, you bastard!”

The guild leader was furious and cursed right away.

Shi-Hyun completely understood his feelings.

“What the hell were you thinking, you idiot? Being late for the first raid? Damn it, no contact, what are you doing? You thoughtless bastard!”

“I’m sorry!”

The pale man kept bowing and repeatedly apologized. Other guild members, as well as Shi-hyun and Eunhye, also received his apologies.

“Ugh… let’s just go in. Eunhye, I’m sorry. I won’t forget this incident and will make it up to you next time. And I apologize to your side as well. I have no words.”

The Black Tiger guild leader said that, and without further delay, he stepped forward and walked toward the gate.

The other guild members and the pale man followed behind him.

“We should go in too.”

Eunhye said.

Shi-hyun nodded.

—

**◈          ◈          ◈**

Upon entering the gate, the smell of an old building hit them.

They saw an ancient tower that looked about ten stories high.

That tower seemed to be the target of this gate raid.

In front of the tower’s door, some Black Tiger guild members were waiting.

Shi-Hyun and Eunhye joined them to enter together.

“The tower is just a straight climb, so it’ll be easy.”

The Black Tiger guild leader seemed pleased with this gate.

“Then let’s go in.”

Just as he said that a warning suddenly echoed.

[Warning: A fairly notorious figure has been detected nearby.]

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, ‘Experienced Guard’s Insight’ activated.