NOVEL NEXT Chapter 107
Chapter 107: An Unexpected Revelation
It seems like one rarely knows the rumors about themselves.
Lee Si-hyun was completely unaware that such whispers were circulating.
This was the first he was hearing it from the Security Department Head.
As he awkwardly sipped the water handed to him, Si-hyun wore an ambiguous expression.
“What’s the secret?”
“Huh?”
“How did you manage to catch the inmates on the 6th floor? There’s no easy human among them.”
When the Security Department Head asked, the Section Chiefs who were having their meal turned their attention with interest.
If it had been another floor, they wouldn’t have paid such keen attention.
But this was the 6th floor.
It was the ward jokingly dubbed as the one that gathered only VIP clients among the customers.
That implied how particular they were.
Si-hyun had managed to establish order among such inmates just a month after being appointed as the new Ward Office Chief.
“How could I say anything in front of people who have served longer than me….”
Si-hyun replied, feeling embarrassed.
“If you’ve handled the 6th floor, you certainly have the right to say something.”
“Exactly.”
As the Security Department Head spoke, a Section Chief on the verge of retirement chimed in agreeingly.
Others were also looking at him, urging him for a response.
The atmosphere pressed him to speak, and Si-hyun, with no way out, began to talk again.
“Um… When handling inmates, a basic principle is carrot and stick, isn’t it? I just adhered to the fundamentals.”
A correctional officer who skillfully utilized the carrot and stick according to the situation was indeed a competent officer.
When giving a carrot, it was crucial to create the perception that it was something that shouldn’t originally happen, but it was a special favor this time.
Delaying the reward rather than providing it immediately was also a skill of a seasoned officer.
Providing it right away made the inmates feel entitled and ungrateful.
When applying the stick, it was necessary to ensure they repeatedly understood what they did wrong.
That way, they’d hesitate next time they considered the same mistake, and if they made it, they’d accept the punishment as a given.
However, such techniques only worked with inmates who were manageable.
“Leaving aside the carrot, how did you use the stick on the inmates of the 6th floor?”
The Security Department Head asked.
Logically speaking, it wouldn’t make sense for the stick to actually be effective on inmates, all of whom were B-rank or higher elite hunters.
“Well, isn’t the gaze and voice the most important? I first broke their spirit and then pointed out their mistakes.”
For this session, Si-hyun spoke in general terms again.
Nowadays, correctional officers couldn’t resort to violence against inmates, so the only remaining method was to pressure them with a fierce gaze and loud voice.
However.
The Security Department Head and the Section Chiefs beside him wore incredulous expressions.
Si-hyun didn’t give off a particularly strong impression; he didn’t seem to possess an intimidating loud voice either.
There was the question of whether such tactics would even work on inmates of the 6th floor.
“Is that you?”
At the Security Department Head’s words, Si-hyun forced an ambiguous smile.
“I often hear I can be quite scary when I’m angry.”
“You?”
The same words slipped out of the Security Department Head’s mouth.
“Shall I show you?”
“Yeah, give it a shot.”
The Security Department Head said with a skeptical look on his face.
The expressions of the Section Chiefs weren’t much different.
Si-hyun let out a wry smile inside.
Initially, he planned to dodge the issue casually, but upon reconsideration, he felt it might be better to just show something briefly.
That would likely reduce the chances of this topic being brought up again later, which would save him from further trouble.
And besides, he also had a desire to test a new skill.
The Executioner’s Gaze.
It was a skill that worked on humans and human-type monsters as well, not just inmates.
The description indicated that those who made eye contact would likely feel a sense of intimidation.
With curiosity about what level of effect it would actually have, Si-hyun furrowed his brow and activated the skill.
As he did, he felt power condensing in his eyes.
And…
“Hah!”
“Gah!”
The Section Chiefs who locked eyes with Si-hyun gasped in shock and quickly averted their gazes.
‘What kind of gaze is that…?’
While the Security Department Head didn’t look away, his pupils were shaking.
That gaze felt less like a human’s and more akin to that of a beast.
He had seen countless crazed eyes of death row inmates, but that kind of gaze was a first for him.
“Uh… Let’s stop here. Got it.”
As the Security Department Head muttered with great difficulty, Si-hyun withdrew the skill and relaxed his expression.
Only then could the Section Chiefs, who had been under pressure, finally breathe comfortably.
‘Not bad, the effect is decent.’
Si-hyun inwardly mumbled as he observed their expressions.
With this skill, it seemed unlikely he’d face trouble when out and about.
“Hey, Section Chief.”
“Yes, Department Head.”
“The rumors are true. They really are.”
The Security Department Head shook his head as if in disbelief.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Hello.”
A staff member who encountered Si-hyun just as he was about to enter the break room greeted him with an odd look.
He wasn’t the only one.
The expressions of staff members he encountered that afternoon were notably different from usual.
They gazed at him as if observing something curious.
It felt like being a monkey in a zoo.
He figured he knew the reason.
Having been in correctional facilities for more than a few years, it was impossible not to know.
There wasn’t a place in the world where rumors spread faster than a correctional facility.
It seemed that what had occurred in the cafeteria had already circulated widely.
Well… he thought he could only accept it since it was expected.
Si-hyun casually returned the greeting and then opened the door to the break room.
In the break room sat a familiar face.
Kang Baek.
He was fiddling with his phone.
Suddenly, he raised his head.
Si-hyun and Kang Baek’s eyes met.
Kang Baek immediately stood up and saluted.
“Isn’t this the famous Lee Si-hyun, Section Chief? Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty!”
“…Don’t overdo it.”
“No, not at all. How could I? You’re the one who suppresses all the problematic inmates with just your gaze.”
“….”
It seemed that there was no place where rumors hadn’t spread.
Si-hyun quickly glanced around the break room.
The resting correctional officers were all staring in his direction.
It was an excruciatingly embarrassing situation.
“Hey, step outside with me.”
Si-hyun gestured with his hand.
“Understood, loyalty!”
Kang Baek over-exaggeratedly saluted before following Si-hyun outside.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Seriously, why are you so embarrassing?”
Si-hyun and Kang Baek were taking a break on a bench near the parking lot after exiting the main gate for the first time in a while.
Unlike summer, winter brought a chill and made it hard to come outside.
The correctional officer’s jumper wasn’t particularly warm, so staying outside caused the cold to seep into him quickly.
That’s why working outside in winter was regarded as the worst.
“Haha. I’m sorry if I embarrassed you, Hyung. I just wanted to show my respect….”
“Respect this and respect that.”
“Oh, I won’t do it again. I’ll cover dinner this time, so calm down.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“Then let’s go with that.”
“Alright.”
“Sounds good.”
Si-hyun grinned.
Seeing Si-hyun’s expression, Kang Baek also smiled.
“I don’t eat cheap stuff.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s go eat beef.”
“Hyung, please consider the circumstances. Public servants don’t earn that much.”
“I know because I’m also a public servant. I have enough to eat beef.”
Si-hyun patted Kang Baek on the back before standing up.
“I’m looking forward to it. I’ll head in first. Take your time to relax.”
“Ah, let’s go together, Hyung.”
◈ ◈ ◈
Si-hyun was sitting in the Ward Office and glanced at the time.
It was almost time for the lockdown inspection.
Once the lockdown inspection was over, the day’s work would be almost finished.
“Guess nothing special happened today either.”
Si-hyun muttered.
There was the incident in the cafeteria, but it wasn’t anything related to his duties.
Things had flowed as usual without a hitch.
Rumors like that weren’t worth concerning himself over.
Si-hyun prepared for the lockdown inspection while sipping warm green tea.
The ominous words from Kim Cheol-hyung about having a bad feeling were already forgotten in his mind.
◈ ◈ ◈
There is a perception that working at the external gate is an easy position.
After all, you interacted with visitors rather than inmates, and since it wasn’t a hard job, that perception was there.
However, in the winter, it came with its own challenges.
It was tough to be out in the cold while on duty.
Though they wore thermal underwear, gloves, and masks to try to keep warm, it was impossible to completely avoid the cold.
So, they devised a plan where three out of the four workers would stay in the external gate guard post while only one would be outside to minimize the discomfort of the cold.
Although it wasn’t the proper way to work, the higher-ups overlooked it on particularly cold days like today.
Choi Joo-seong was constantly moving around, never standing still, as he kept glancing at the watch.
One minute seemed to drag on.
The cold seemed to slow down the passage of time.
Shift change was taking forever.
If there were lots of tasks to do, time would feel faster, but since Ganghwa Island Special Detention Center didn’t have much traffic, it was quite leisurely.
Choi Joo-seong, with a frustrated face, did some stretching in place to chase away the tension in his body.
That’s when he noticed something.
The blank space before him began to ripple.
Thinking it was an optical illusion, he rubbed his eyes and looked again, but it wasn’t a mistake.
“Chief! Chief!”
Choi Joo-seong called out loudly to the guard who was inside the post.
“Chief, come out quickly!”
“What is it, why are you making such a fuss?”
The chief yawned and walked out slowly from the post.
Two other guards grabbed their K2 rifles and followed the chief.
“Look at that! Look at that!”
Choi Joo-seong pointed at the shimmering air.
The mysterious form was beginning to take on shape.
A gray swirling circle was being formed.
“Huh?”
The chief squinted his eyes to look at it.
He then looked thoughtfully, as if recalling something.
“Isn’t that… a gate?”
Despite being a regular correctional officer, he could recognize the shape of a gate.
In a world where gates existed, people couldn’t help but know even the basics.
“That’s it, right? That’s a gate, right? Oh my… there’s a gate here!”
Indeed, he hadn’t misseen it.
Choi Joo-seong shouted in shock.
The two fellow guards shared expressions of astonishment.
They never imagined that a gate would appear right near where they were working.
“Quit making such a fuss over something trivial.”
The chief said with an unimpressed expression.
It was widely known that the opening days of a gate spanned two to three weeks.
Since it had just occurred, there wouldn’t be any problems for at least the next two weeks.
“First, we should report to headquarters….”
The chief began to pull out the TRS.
“Ch-Chief!”
“What now?”
“The… that seems a bit strange, doesn’t it?”
“What’s strange?”
The chief lifted his head.
“Doesn’t the swirl of the gate look a little odd? It feels like it’s twisting as if it has a heartbeat….”
Choi Joo-seong spoke with a suspicion in his voice, but the chief gave him a ‘what are you talking about’ look.
“Quit talking nonsense and stay calm. Good grief, how can you be so timid?”
And then…
“Uh…?!”
“U-ugh….”
Choi Joo-seong and the other correctional officers staggered back, their faces filled with horror.
“What now?”
The chief looked over lazily at the gate.
And…
“Ugh!”
At that moment, his jaw dropped in disbelief and he screamed.
Monsters….
Monsters were bursting forth from the gate.
Green-skinned creatures with massive bodies and pig-like faces were emerging from the gate, glaring at them with fierce eyes.
Orcs.
They were so stunned and shocked by the situation that they froze in place.
“Grk!”
In that moment, one of the orcs let out a harsh breath and threw a spear at them.
It had incredible strength.
Cutting through the air, it reached them in an instant.
Thwak!
“Cuh… Cuhk….”
The spear thrown by the orc pierced through Choi Joo-seong’s abdomen like paper.
Choi Joo-seong’s eyes widened in pain as he fell lifelessly to the ground.
Only then did the remaining correctional officers snap out of their stupor.
“R-run! Run!”
“Ah! Fu, fu—!”
“Ahh! Help me!”
They all screamed as they frantically ran for their lives without looking back.
However, the orcs moved much faster.
Some of the orcs, wearing cruel smiles, began to chase after them.
◈ ◈ ◈
Time passed.
Si-hyun was preparing to leave the Ward Office for the lockdown inspection.
That was when he heard a frantic voice coming from the TRS.
– A-at the external gate, a gate has appeared! Mon-monsters… ahhh! H-help…! Guh…!
“….”
Si-hyun’s face suddenly hardened.