He is a legendary prison guard

Episode 28 
The true value of abilities

A man with a sturdy build and a buzz cut stood in front of me.

Upon closer inspection, I recognized him.

Park Dong-pal.

He was a man who had been released from Daehan Prison a month ago and was a mid-level member of the Nam-ryong Gang.

He had served his time on the 5th floor, 2nd ward, where Shi-hyun worked, without any significant issues, so there hadn’t been a need for special management.

Even before he awakened, he had simply kept to himself, quietly exercising.

“Have you arrived, Hyung-nim?”

The man with snake eyes and the scarred man bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle. This kind of greeting, which was explicitly banned in prison due to the bad gang culture, was still openly practiced by gangsters.

“What’s going on?”

Park Dong-pal glanced over Shi-hyun ’s group and asked curtly.

It seemed he didn’t recognize Shi-hyun yet.

“It’s nothing special, Hyung-nim. Since there are guards around, we were just trying to send you somewhere else so you wouldn’t lose your drinking mood.”

The man with snake eyes answered.

“Really? Just keep it quiet and send them away.”

Dong-pal waved his hand dismissively and sat down.

The man with snake eyes glared at Shi-hyun ’s group again.

“Did you hear what Hyung-nim said? Get lost.”

“Let’s go down.”

Woong-jae urged Shi-hyun ’s group.

Shi-hyun had planned to do just that.

But suddenly, one thought crossed his mind.

Originally a prisoner, but now released.

This was the case; he had thought about checking if his abilities worked.

Curiosity surged within him.

He discreetly opened his status window, glancing at Dong-pal, but there were no changes in his stats.

Since he had served his time, did that mean he was no longer a prisoner?

It seemed likely, but he still couldn’t be certain.

So, after a moment’s hesitation, Shi-hyun spoke up.

“Park Dong-pal.”

“…”

“…”

This time, the gangsters looked as if they had misheard something. They didn’t think that someone would call the name of a mid-level gangster-like Park Dong-pal so casually, as if calling a friend’s name.

Shi-hyun ’s classmates, not knowing who Dong-pal was, couldn’t understand what Shi-hyun was doing.

“Park Dong-pal.”

Shi-hyun called again.

Only then did the gangsters react.

The faces of the man with snake eyes and the scarred man turned extremely grim.

They looked as if they had seen their mortal enemy.

The tension in the air was palpable, as if they were about to stab him with a knife.

“What? You bastard!”

The man with snake eyes threw a punch.

It was a sharp punch, suggesting he had done some boxing.

If it were his matter, he might not have thrown the first punch immediately.

But he couldn’t allow his hyung-nim’s reputation to be tarnished in front of others. Such an occurrence would be utterly unacceptable.

However, Shi-hyun easily dodged the punch thrown by the man with snake eyes.

Had it been before his awakening, he would have surely been beaten.

But now it was a different story.

“Oh, did you think you could handle this?”

The man with snake eyes sneered coldly.

There are always those who look down on gangsters just because they’ve done some exercise.

Dealing with such people was simple.

Those who puffed up their chests after working out would freeze in fear when a weapon was drawn.

He pulled out a black-taped knife from his waist. The sight of the knife made the female customers scream, as it looked like something out of a gangster movie.

“Hey, Shi-hyun , let’s get out of here!”

Even the bold Jong-hyuk shouted.

No matter how confident someone is in a fight, it’s common sense to avoid confrontation with a weapon.

Woon-Jae and the other classmates were frozen in shock, not knowing what to do in this unexpected situation.

“We should call the police.”

Someone suggested, but the scarred man glared menacingly.

“Go ahead and report it. I’ll find you and kill you.”

‘Oh no, oh no.’

As Shi-hyun realized the situation was more serious than he had thought, he honestly regretted it.

If his abilities worked, it wouldn’t matter, and even if they didn’t, he had hoped that his previous acquaintance would prevent such a hostile atmosphere.

But it seemed the lackeys thought Dong-pal’s reputation was insulted, and they came at him with more ferocity than he had expected.

It was truly a tricky situation.

At that moment, Dong-pal stood up.

His face was a complex mix of emotions that were hard to read.

“…Stop it.”

“What?”

“Stop it.”

“What? Hyung-nim? But…”

“I said stop it, you foolish bastard!”

Slap!

Dong-pal raised his hand and brutally slapped the man with snake eyes across the face.

With each slap, the man’s head whipped back. His face quickly turned red.

The surrounding crowd watched in stunned silence, their eyes wide open at this absurd yet deadly turn of events.

“Apologize.”

Dong-pal said.

“Y-yes?”

The man with snake eyes was taken aback, but the unexpected demand left him speechless.

“Apologize to him.”

Dong-pal pointed directly at Shi-hyun .

‘Huh?’

Seeing that, Shi-hyun ’s expression changed as he realized something.

‘It works?’

If his abilities didn’t work, there would be no reason for someone like Dong-pal to bow to him outside of prison.

His stats hadn’t increased, but the reputation of the Iron Blood Guard still held sway.

A hypothesis formed in his mind.

Perhaps the long exposure to an unimaginable fear in prison had left an indelible mark on him, creating a trauma that made him instinctively feel intimidated when he saw Shi-hyun .

Now that he thought about it, Dong-pal’s eyes looked somewhat anxious.

“You should apologize too.”

Dong-pal said to the scarred man.

The scarred man, though surprised, couldn’t refuse his hyung-nim’s order.

The man with snake eyes and the scarred man stood side by side and bowed deeply to Shi-hyun .

“We’re sorry.”

“Uh… I understand.”

Shi-hyun accepted the apology.

Although he had faced insults and even a weapon had been drawn, thankfully he hadn’t been harmed or beaten.

In a situation that was finally resolved, it would have been awkward not to accept the apologies.

Dong-pal approached.

He also bowed his head, looking genuinely sorry.

“I’m sorry, manager. I didn’t recognize you sooner.”

“It’s alright.”

Looking at Dong-pal’s expression, Shi-hyun was convinced.

The effects of the Iron Blood Guard still lingered even on the released inmates he managed.

Otherwise, a mid-level gangster like Dong-pal wouldn’t bow and show such a face to a mere prison guard.

Especially not outside of prison.

At that moment, a sudden thought struck him.

There must be a way to utilize this.

Prisons are places where all sorts of people come together.

There are politicians, caebols, professors, gangsters, and even hunters in the special wards.

Of course, Shi-hyun had never managed someone of that caliber before. He hadn’t handled politicians or chaebols yet.

However, there might come a time when he would have the opportunity to manage such figures.

‘…If I use this well, it could be an insane ability.’

The more he thought about it, the more he was in awe.

It wasn’t just about using it on monsters.

A mere prison guard could build connections with chaebols or politicians. It was a chance to meet people from high society whom he would normally never encounter.

It was clear how beneficial that could be.

Suddenly, he recalled a story from two years ago about the chairman of a large corporation.

He had been in solitary confinement, and it was natural for him to be under special management; when he got a slight scratch while exercising, the medical officer rushed over.

And he had made a fuss over that minor scratch, saying, “Oh no, what should I do?”

If it had been an ordinary inmate, the medical officer wouldn’t even have bothered to respond to such a trivial injury.

The social order of being strict with the weak and lenient with the strong applied to prisons as well.

“Manager, as an apology, how about this?”

Dong-pal took out his wallet and tried to put 50,000 won bills into Shi-hyun ’s pocket.

“I can’t accept this.”

Shi-Hyun hurriedly rejected Dong-pal’s hand.

With so many eyes watching, what was he doing?

His heart sank.

This could lead to serious trouble.

“Oh, I didn’t think this through.”

Realizing he was a public servant, Dong-pal apologized.

He continued, “I’ll clear a spot for you. Please enjoy your meal with your friends.”

“No, it’s fine. The mood has already been ruined.”

Shi-Hyun declined.

The atmosphere had already been killed; there was no way they could drink again.

“That aside, could I at least get your business card?”

After thinking for a moment, Shi-hyun asked.

He figured that gang connections might come in handy someday.

Upon hearing that, Dong-pal’s face showed a deep conflict.

He didn’t want to get involved with Shi-hyun again, but it was hard to refuse his request.

Eventually, he hesitated but handed over a business card.

“Feel free to contact me whenever you need.”

The card read: Team Leader Park Dong-pal, Cheonyu Inryeok.

He had heard that gangs were becoming more corporate, operating under the guise of security or construction companies, but this was indeed the case.

After handing over the card, Dong-pal looked uncomfortable and quickly left with his gang members.

“Hey, you…”

Shi-hyun’s classmates seemed to have a lot to say to him.

“Let’s just go out for now.”

Shi-hyun said, and they headed down the stairs.

They had drawn too much attention.