NOVEL NEXT Chapter 151
Chapter 151
“Hyung, you’ve been on TV a lot lately.”
I was sitting in the break room when Kang Baek struck up a conversation.
“Don’t even mention it. I’m exhausted because of that.”
Si-hyun shook his head in response.
The Yangji Guild, made up entirely of ex-convicts, was the only one of its kind in the world.
Naturally, this was a topic of interest for the public, and the media couldn’t help but cover it extensively.
It was even introduced in foreign news outlets.
Thanks to this, Si-hyun was juggling his duties as a correctional officer and dealing with the press on top of that.
People usually listen to ex-convicts with bias.
So, Si-hyun had no choice but to be more proactive.
Fortunately, there were ex-convicts like Cheol-hyung and Mujik, who had taken inspiring actions during the Ganghwa Island Disaster, which made things a bit easier.
Especially Cheol-hyung, with his clean looks, sophisticated speech, and high education, had suddenly become a hot topic online.
He wasn’t just receiving favorable attention; there was even a fan club on the portal sites.
It reminded everyone of the time when a fan club was formed for a “cool ex-con.”
‘The bad boy style with skills and a dark past is way more attractive than the model student vibe,’ or something like that.
In any case, appointing Cheol-hyung as guild leader was proving worthwhile.
“Still, I envy you, Hyung. You’re the first correctional officer to get so much media coverage.”
“Being recognized just brings more trouble.”
With a smirk, Si-hyun stood up from his seat.
“Where are you going?”
“To see the warden.”
“Huh? The warden?”
Kang Baek’s eyes went wide.
Typically, correctional officers rarely get summoned to the Warden’s Office.
“Yeah. See you later.”
Si-hyun waved and exited the break room.
◈ ◈ ◈
The Warden’s Office was located outside the front gate.
Right outside the main entrance, up on the second floor of the General Affairs Building.
The stairs were blocked by a glass door that required a password to access.
Si-hyun entered the password and made his way up to the second floor.
Upon entering the Warden’s Office, a female staff member turned to look at him.
Si-hyun offered a brief nod and asked, “Is the warden in?”
“Oh, Section Chief Lee Si-hyun. Please go right in.”
The staff member smiled, as if she had already been informed.
Si-hyun opened the door to the Warden’s Office.
The interior caught his eye—it was obviously different from the Ward Office or Security Chief’s Office.
The chairs and desk looked like expensive, high-quality hardwood.
“Good day.”
As he walked in, he paused and saluted.
The warden returned the salute and said, “Welcome. Have a seat over there.”
Si-hyun slowly sat down on the plush sofa designated for guests.
Unintentionally, memories from his early days came flooding back.
Back when he was a rookie at Daehan Correctional Facility, he had once been called to the Warden’s Office for a quick pep talk as a new employee.
At that time, he had to stand in a position of attention while the warden spoke.
He remembered being scared out of his wits and hoping not to be asked any questions.
In contrast to that, he felt a complete change in the atmosphere now.
The warden got up from his chair and moved to sit across from Si-hyun.
“I hear you did quite the thing this time.”
The warden spoke with a peculiar expression.
It was hard to tell if he was being positive or negative.
He was the warden who had arrived a year ago.
They hadn’t talked much, either professionally or personally, in the interim.
The staff’s assessment of him was that he was just an ordinary warden.
He neither pressed the staff too hard nor was overly lenient with them.
“Yes, it just sort of happened.”
“That makes sense. You’re not the one spreading things around, right?”
“Of course not.”
“Good.”
The warden interlocked his fingers and cracked his knuckles as if it was a habit.
“I suppose you’re curious about how management reacts to this?”
“Yes.”
Si-hyun replied without hesitation, locking eyes with the warden.
He had heard that any mention of a correctional officer in the media gets scrutinized by the headquarters.
In fact, the Ministry of Justice kept clippings of articles about correctional officers featured in local news.
Yet this time, a correctional officer had made it onto major media outlets and broadcasts.
Management was surely paying close attention to this.
“Your ambitions are quite grand, aren’t they?”
The warden asked out of the blue.
“Huh?”
Si-hyun looked back, puzzled.
“That’s why you’ve done something so flashy. Creating a guild from ex-convicts isn’t something just anyone thinks of.”
“I just wanted to help the released inmates and pushed forward with my convictions.”
“I know. I’m not reprimanding you, so you don’t need to explain yourself. To rise from a level 7 position, you can’t just act like everyone else.”
The warden spoke knowingly.
It seemed he saw Si-hyun’s actions as a means to climb the career ladder.
Si-hyun chose not to elaborate further.
Whatever the warden thought was simply his personal perspective.
“Management is keen to support you in this endeavor. It’s only natural, right? You’re currently the most recognized correctional officer. So, if your image were to suffer, that would be unacceptable. How about that? I bet you didn’t expect this?”
The warden cracked his knuckles once more, asking.
“I hadn’t thought about it that way. If that’s the stance of headquarters, I can only be grateful.”
Si-hyun replied politely.
“Hmm, got it. You can head out now.”
“Yes, understood.”
Si-hyun stood up from the sofa.
He saluted and was on his way out when the warden spoke again.
“They don’t dislike someone like you in management.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“Honestly, our organization is often viewed as outsiders. There’s hardly a mention of us in the media. Yet somehow, you’ve drawn attention several times.”
“….”
“Well, keep up the good work.”
For the first time, a smile formed on the warden’s lips, indicating amusement.
◈ ◈ ◈
Once home, Si-hyun washed up after dinner and sat down at the computer.
The simplest way to gauge public opinion was to check the comments on major portal site articles.
Thus, checking the articles and comments related to the current situation had become his routine after work.
“Whoa?”
An article was trending on the main page.
Given the high interest in the situation, this wasn’t surprising.
However, it was unusual to see the term “Ministry of Justice Correctional Headquarters” in the title.
Days had passed, and yet the Correctional Headquarters had yet to clarify their stance on the issue.
‘Could it be?’
Si-hyun recalled what the warden had said earlier that day.
They had established a firm support policy for him.
It seemed they weren’t just making empty promises; they were actually taking action.
– “Ministry of Justice Correctional Headquarters: After Guild Creation, Zero Recidivism Rate; Very Encouraging News.”
Si-hyun clicked the title and began reading the article.
-(Seoul = Jeil News) Reporter Go Chung-myung = The Ministry of Justice Correctional Headquarters has finally spoken out regarding the Yangji Guild.
A spokesperson for the Correctional Headquarters stated in a phone call with Jeil News on the 11th, “It is true that the reports claiming ‘the recidivism rate of former convicts in the Yangji Guild is zero’ are accurate. This is a highly encouraging achievement that has never been seen anywhere else in the world.”
He also explained that the ultimate goal of correctional administration is to minimize recidivism.
The establishment of the Yangji Guild, which was formed through the conviction of one correctional officer, suggests a new direction for future correctional administration.
“This is also a source of encouragement and a role model for many current correctional officers who struggle with correctional rehabilitation,” the spokesman added.
However, he remarked, “While it may have been an unavoidable decision for the protection of the personal information of former convicts, we regret that it has negatively impacted regular hunters.”
Finally, he stated, “We will explore and implement various methods to further reduce the recidivism rate among released inmates moving forward.”
“That’s great!”
Si-hyun chuckled softly to himself.
The spokesperson’s comments were largely positive towards him.
It seemed like everyone was simply waiting to see how public opinion would unfold, and now they had finally decided to take steps.
In any case, it was a welcome sign for support from his organization.
With a bright smile on his face, Si-hyun turned to read the comments on the article.
-Zero recidivism rate? Is this for real?
-Seriously, how impressive can it be?
-Check the recidivism statistics someone compiled. LOL, totally speechless.
-Someone, post it!
-Sexual violence, robbery, murder, assault, arson… All of the major crimes you know have recidivism rates over 60%. Even within a year, recidivism exceeds 40%.
-What? No way, is it real? In a year, that high of a recidivism rate? Have you been to prison?
-That’s why people say rehabilitation is nonsense. Even the U.S. has no answer; they use both rehabilitation and severe punishment.
-Recidivism rates are high for repeat offenders but lower for first-timers. Still averages over 30%, though.
-Huh, so it’s statistically impossible?
-That’s why the media is making a fuss about it.
-So the correctional officer has video of released inmates? Otherwise, this doesn’t make sense.
-No way, how scary must that correctional officer be for them to be so scared outside too? LOL, truly impressive.
-They must have genuinely learned something from their experiences at the Ganghwa Island Disaster.
-There are also many sensible ex-convicts there, right? I heard those who threw themselves to save people during the Ganghwa Island Disaster ended up there.
-Regardless, that correctional officer is the real deal.
Most of the comments were focused on the recidivism rate.
Thanks to the media coverage, people were now aware that it was a rather unusual occurrence.
Moreover, now the Correctional Headquarters had officially commented on it.
It seemed there would be a need to continue pushing this narrative.
In any case, things looked like they were wrapping up well.
The guild members who had left were just an unfortunate circumstance.
Si-hyun clicked on another article.
◈ ◈ ◈
“What? Why is that guard causing such a ruckus?”
Seong-jin, the leader of the Sun Guild, said with an annoyed tone.
When investigating the Yangji Guild, he was informed of the presence of one correctional officer.
He had also learned that this officer was previously referred to as a ‘hero’ in the media.
However, he hadn’t thought too much about it.
What mattered was that the guild was saturated with ex-convicts, and he assumed that once that fact came to light, an insignificant correctional officer wouldn’t be able to do much.
But now that the correctional officer was taking the forefront, public sentiment had shifted awkwardly.
While there were still plenty of skeptics, more and more people seemed to understand the situation.
Moreover, since the news of the zero recidivism rate broke, the sentiment appeared to be increasingly aligning with the correctional officer.
Naturally, Seong-jin was displeased by this development.
He wanted the public to voice their outrage even more vehemently; that would make him feel better.
“Still, a lot of hunters have backed away. That alone…”
“Not enough. Definitely not enough.”
Interrupting Secretary Kim, Seong-jin frowned and muttered.
In this situation, however, he couldn’t think of any additional ways to inflict harm.
“Secretary Kim.”
“Yes?”
“When there’s a joint raid in the future, express a strong desire to team up with the Yangji Guild.”
Seong-jin and the members of the Sun Guild still believed that their humiliating experience at the Abnormal Gate was simply due to horrendous luck.
Considering the power of their raid team, it was a thought that naturally crossed their minds.
They couldn’t fathom how such a situation could occur under normal circumstances.
Seong-jin planned to repay the favor in kind.
“I’ll carry out your instructions.”
Secretary Kim bowed his head.