NOVEL NEXT Chapter 133
Chapter 133
“What’s going on?”
Si-hyun was a bit taken aback too. He had merely approached Baek Dong-il in Room 1 to exchange a few greetings. Yet, Dong-il suddenly started to choke up.
“Sniff… Chief, are you safe?”
“Yeah, well…”
“Ugh… I’m… I’m so glad to hear that.”
“….”
Si-hyun remained silent, his face reflecting sheer disbelief. He couldn’t understand why Dong-il was behaving like this.
[Po-ahim is telling you that you truly moved an inmate.]
“Huh?”
Suddenly, a message from Po-ahim popped up. It felt like ever since their last meeting, Po-ahim had been reaching out more often. Given how helpful Po-ahim’s messages had been, it was indeed welcome news.
But what did it mean to have truly moved someone? Si-hyun pondered. There was only one thing that could possibly qualify.
It was the act of risking his life to fight alongside the inmates during the recent Abnormal Gate incident. Could it really be because of that?
Well… it was possible. Si-hyun raised an eyebrow, slightly perplexed. In the end, his guess wasn’t entirely incorrect. However, he just couldn’t grasp the finer details of Dong-il’s emotional state.
The Iron-Blooded Guard was a master of instilling fear to control the inmates. It was the overwhelming dread that overshadowed all other emotions and brought them under his rule.
That same fear did not have the inmates positioned as mere shields against powerful foes; he stepped forward and fought valiantly for their lives.
It was that way on the stairs and in front of the Gray-haired Man too.
Especially, the man was an overwhelmingly strong enemy who could freeze even the upper-tier hunters among the inmates.
He boldly faced such an enemy and risked his life. In the end, he even sustained a Fatal Injury.
The inmates were shocked. And they realized something profound.
This correctional officer was not merely someone who ruled through fear.
He acted for their sake even in dire situations.
He dashed hurriedly to evacuate the inmates on the first floor, stood firm at the forefront blocking the Orcs, and showed no intention of retreating even in front of the Monster Orc.
He behaved the same even before the man with overwhelming strength.
From the perspective of the terrified inmates, it was an immensely special feeling to think that he acted out of consideration when they were too weak to even raise a finger against him.
That was why Dong-il couldn’t help but tear up when he saw Si-hyun safely return.
“Let’s have a good day today and talk again later.”
“Yes, sure!”
Dong-il answered loudly, striking a pose.
Only then did Si-hyun’s gaze awkwardly shift to the Duty Chief and Assistant Duty Officer standing nearby.
“Hello.”
The Duty Chief and Assistant Duty Officer saluted simultaneously.
“Hello there.”
Receiving their salute, Si-hyun headed toward Room 2. It had been a while since they last met, but since he left without saying much after the greeting, their expressions turned sour.
Was it that they felt slighted because their direct subordinates were staying back while others went into battle?
The Duty Chief cautiously opened his mouth.
“Um…”
“Yes? What’s up?”
“I was wondering if you might have something to say…”
“No, not particularly. Just get on with your work.”
Si-hyun genuinely had no particular thoughts in mind. It was work time, and he had no intention of being a distraction.
He merely intended to look around the inmates.
However, that wasn’t how it seemed to them.
The Duty Chief and Assistant Duty Officer were sweating profusely, racking their brains.
Should we apologize?
“No, aren’t you all working? Please, just see to your duties; I’m not a bother.”
Si-hyun looked at them strangely.
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
It seemed like now was not a good time for an apology, as the Duty Chief appeared to be in a tense mood, so he decided to step back to the Duty Room when he could.
The Assistant Duty Officer seemed to think the same and followed suit.
Si-hyun continued to inspect the inmates starting from Room 2.
The reactions were shockingly continuous tears.
It reminded him of the citizens of Pyongyang crying for the great leader seen on TV.
Thankfully, thanks to Po-ahim stating he was truly moved, he was relieved; otherwise, he might have spent a long while wondering what these people were up to.
When he reached Room 10, Si-hyun was finally free from the tears of the bewildered inmates.
Cheol-hyung noticed Si-hyun and set down the book he was reading with a smile.
“Long time no see, Chief.”
“…You smile like that, and it’s so nice.”
“Excuse me?”
“There’s something to that.”
Si-hyun opened the door to Room 10 and entered.
A correctional officer and an inmate sat face to face inside the cell.
“You have a good intuition, don’t you?”
Si-hyun said.
“It doesn’t always work, but unfortunately, this time it did.”
“How’s it feel today?”
“Today, it’s pretty calm.”
“That’s a relief.”
His words carried sincerity.
Si-hyun paused for a moment, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a chocolate bar to hand to Cheol-hyung.
“What’s this?”
“Just something to eat. I noticed your account balance is doing well, so why not request some items? Didn’t you want some ramen, snacks, or anything?”
The prison food was notoriously awful, causing many inmates to regularly request ramen and other treats to keep from going without.
Cases like Cheol-hyung were an aberration.
In his time as a correctional officer, Si-hyun had never seen inmates like Cheol-hyung who hardly made any requests for items.
“The book is food for thought, right? That’s enough for me.”
“Oh, you’re such a weird one.”
Si-hyun rolled his eyes dramatically.
Cheol-hyung smiled.
“Of course, I’ll savor this. It’s a gift from you, Chief.”
“Right, right.”
Cheol-hyung placed the flat chocolate as a bookmark in the book and then spoke again.
“Thank you, Chief.”
“Ah, it’s nothing special; no need to keep thanking me. Speaking of which…”
Si-hyun turned the conversation.
“Yes?”
“I have something to say to you, Cheol-hyung.”
“Go ahead, Chief.”
“Do you remember what we discussed in the Ward Office last time?”
“Of course I do.”
“I didn’t say anything at the time, but the truth is, I’m not a Sage or anything like that. I’m not a government person disguised as a correctional officer either.”
“I suspected as much.”
“You caught on?”
“You and I fought side by side last time, right? So I figured it out.”
“What did you figure out?”
“That you’re a correctional officer.”
Cheol-hyung said, letting out a refreshing laugh.
With such a handsome face, he seemed to fit any expression well.
Si-hyun again strengthened his resolve that someone like him should be the face of the Yangji Guild.
“Alright, that’s enough.”
Si-hyun nodded.
Then he began to explain to Cheol-hyung about the Yangji Guild, which he had formed with the inmates.
After listening to his explanation, Cheol-hyung cast a slightly puzzled glance.
“You want me to be the guild leader instead of you, Chief?”
“I’m fine with just being a guild member.”
This was not the position he wanted to step into, and it felt excessive to take on the role of guild leader while being a correctional officer.
“Understood.”
If Si-hyun said it was so, then Cheol-hyung assumed there was a reason behind it, and he no longer pressed the issue.
“Thanks. Let’s do our best from now on.”
Si-hyun extended a hand, and they shook hands.
“Chief.”
“What is it?”
“But this situation isn’t ordinary.”
Cheol-hyung said with a serious expression. It seemed he had felt something during these events.
“I think so too.”
Si-hyun agreed.
“So you also feel that way?”
“However, even then, it’s just a suspicion; I don’t know anything for certain. There’s no way to know.”
“That’s the problem. Everything happens for a reason. And I feel we need to identify the cause behind this incident.”
“Well… many people besides us will also be scratching their heads over this, so we can only hope for that.”
Cheol-hyung nodded and abruptly changed the topic.
“About that woman who saved your lives and everyone else’s.”
“What about her?”
“Do you know her well?”
“Hmm… a bit, why do you ask?”
“If you know her, it would be wise to maintain a good relationship with her.”
Si-hyun thought it was odd that he would say this without knowing his relationship with Hyris.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Isn’t it necessary to have a lifeline you can grab in an emergency?”
Cheol-hyung said with a smile.
“Haha.”
Si-hyun couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous it was.
“Whether it’s a lifeline or a bomb, I don’t know… but I’ll keep that in mind for now.”
◈ ◈ ◈
After checking Room 2, Si-hyun returned to the Ward Office and took a moment to sip warm barley tea.
It sounded like Room 2 was absolute chaos. People who came to clean up the bodies were throwing up left and right; it was that gruesome.
The newly assigned correctional officers to Room 2 had also reportedly struggled to clean the blood that was strewn everywhere.
The faces of the correctional officers from Room 2 still looked quite grim.
They moved as if they were about to take sick leave, twisted and rattling as they went about their duties.
That’s why Si-hyun had just advised them to avoid overdoing it.
“Ugh.”
After taking a sip of barley tea, Si-hyun sighed deeply.
Such events must never occur again.
It had to be that way.
Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this incident was just the beginning.
For nearly a decade, there hadn’t been any major damage from gate incidents, so it seemed people had become somewhat complacent about their safety.
For civilians, gates felt far less dangerous than traffic accidents.
This incident had been a wake-up call for those people.
‘And that guy, the king…’
Si-hyun rested his chin in thought.
That individual was anything but a simple monster.
He felt far more threatening and fearsome.
It even crossed his mind that he might be the source of the gate fluctuations.
That guy had nearly killed him. Yet, rather than anger, a cold clarity took precedence in his heart.
He had lost because he was still weak.
He needed to grow stronger.
If the enemies coming through the gates were at that level, he needed to be much stronger.
Otherwise, if such a disaster were to occur again, he would simply be waiting for his death.
Slurp.
Si-hyun reached for his tea after resting his chin on his hand.
His mind was made up.
For now, he would stay quiet and build his strength.
Due to the circumstances of this event, he needed to keep a low profile.
In the meantime, things on the guild side would naturally progress.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn… Aaaah…!”
The Gray-haired Man let out a scream filled with raging fury.
This shame.
This humiliation.
He would never.
Would never let it go unpunished!
With a contorted face, he clawed at his own hair with the only remaining hand.
He felt an overwhelming urge to go after that woman right this moment and return this pain a thousand-fold!
He would not kill her easily.
No, he would lock her in a torture chamber and inflict daily unbearable tortures.
She wouldn’t dare die, instead writhing in eternal agony.
By any means necessary.
Absolutely.
With a grim expression, he bit down hard on his teeth.
◈ ◈ ◈
And time passed.