NOVEL NEXT Chapter 50
Chapter 50: The Realization of Reality
“I’m so tired.”
The exhaustion from the raid I barely survived still lingered, making today’s shift more difficult than usual.
Si-hyun checked his wristwatch.
It was 6:05 PM.
The assistant duty officer’s shift ended at 5:30 PM, and the duty officer’s at 6 PM. Considering that he usually left ten minutes early, he was already fifteen minutes past the scheduled quitting time. It was an unwelcome situation for Si-hyun, who believed that civil servants should leave right on time.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
“Why on earth are they so late?”
Si-hyun muttered while slightly frowning. He couldn’t switch shifts yet because the night shift officer hadn’t arrived. He also needed to hand over important information, and he couldn’t just leave the ward unattended.
Five more minutes passed. Finally, he heard the sound of the ward door opening. Normally, correctional officers were not supposed to run in front of inmates, but perhaps in his hurry, the shift officer dashed into the duty room.
“Huff, huff… I’m sorry. I was late. The traffic was terrible… I’m so sorry.”
The typical excuse for the latecomers, the shift officer bowed his head in apology. He was Choi Sang-sik, a correctional officer two years junior to Si-hyun.
“You should have thought about that and left home a bit earlier.”
Si-hyun said with a tone of advice.
“I’m so sorry. I should have done that….”
“Yes, be more careful next time.”
“I’m sorry.”
Choi Sang-sik kept apologizing with a look of regret on his face.
Si-hyun handed him the status board with a “that’s enough” expression. As a person, it was natural to be late once in a while. If he were an insincere person who frequently arrived late, Si-hyun would have truly been furious, but he knew Choi Sang-sik wasn’t that kind of person. So it was just a minor annoyance that he brushed off.
“There are no special incidents among the remaining inmates, but one was admitted to the hospital this afternoon for appendicitis. Still, the total count is 80. They told me to keep it that way when closing the ward.”
“Ah, got it.”
“Then do well and stay safe.”
Si-hyun gathered his belongings.
“Thank you for your hard work, senior.”
Choi Sang-sik stepped out of the duty room, seeming a bit remorseful.
“It’s fine, just go inside and unlock the door.”
He had to pass the ward key to the night shift officer, so he needed someone to unlock the duty room door for him.
As Si-hyun walked toward the ward door, it suddenly opened. A correctional officer entered from outside. That part was normal. Many correctional officers came and went through the ward for work.
“Uh?”
However, this time, something caught Si-hyun’s eye. The officer was holding something in his hand. It looked like a medicine bottle at first glance.
But aside from the patient who had been admitted for appendicitis earlier, there were no special patients. No medicines had been requested from the medical department either. That was why he felt something was off.
The correctional officer approached the nearest cell, number 1. It seemed he didn’t notice Si-hyun. Cell 1 was Jang Hak-ki’s cell.
Si-hyun halted and widened his eyes, trying to see what was going on.
The officer leaned against the iron bars and exchanged a few words before opening the food slot. Then, he slipped something that looked like a medicine bottle into it.
Seeing this, Si-hyun quickened his steps. As he reached near cell 1, he opened his mouth.
“What’s going on?”
“Huh?”
The officer looked flustered.
He adopted a somewhat reluctant attitude when looking at Si-hyun.
“Excuse me, what are you doing right now, sir?”
“I… just came from the medical department.”
It turned out he was an employee from the medical department, recognized by his unfamiliar face. So, it indeed was a medicine bottle after all.
“I didn’t request any medicine today. Did the assistant duty officer order it?”
“No, not at all….”
“Then what is it?”
Si-hyun glanced at the medicine bottle inside cell 1. The lid had not been opened, so he couldn’t check the contents, but he had a hunch it wasn’t medicine.
It was strange for a medical department employee to come personally and hand over medicine to an inmate. Normally, they would gather medicine for dozens of inmates in a bag and hang it at the ward door.
“That is….”
The medical department officer also had a not-so-pleasant expression. He seemed reluctant to be doing whatever it was he was doing.
“Please hand me the medicine bottle. I need to check it.”
Si-hyun spoke to Jang Hak-ki in cell 1.
Jang Hak-ki looked at him with a bewildered expression.
“What’s the deal? Some correctional officers give things away, and others want to take them back? What is this mess? How is this efficient? Tsk, tsk, you get paid with taxpayer money and work like this?”
“I asked for the medicine bottle.”
Si-hyun replied with a stern face.
However, Jang Hak-ki was not the type to be easily intimidated. If he were, he would never have survived in the cold-blooded political arena.
“Who do you think you are to give orders around here?”
Without backing down, he glared at Si-hyun with a fierce look. The atmosphere turned tense, prompting the medical department officer to hastily intervene.
“Sir, if you could just calm down, I’ll explain everything step by step.”
“Stay quiet while dealing with inmates.”
“Um, excuse me, sir….”
Si-hyun searched his pockets for the cell key but realized it belonged to the night shift officer. He turned to look at the duty room.
Choi Sang-sik had already come out into the nearby hallway. Having heard the commotion from cell 1, he was confused and curious about what was going on.
“Senior, what’s going on…?”
Choi Sang-sik asked, sounding flustered.
“Could I get the key?”
“Huh?”
“I need the key.”
Noticing that Si-hyun’s normally calm demeanor had shifted, Choi Sang-sik quickly handed over the key.
Creak.
Si-hyun took the key he received and opened the door to cell 1.
“I asked for the medicine bottle.”
“I told you not to order me around.”
“I clearly asked for it.”
Si-hyun reiterated.
However, Jang Hak-ki didn’t even bother to listen to Si-hyun’s words.
“Relax your shoulders. Don’t act like you’re something special just because you’re in a minor position.”
“Hah.”
Si-hyun let out a small sigh before reaching out suddenly.
“Huh?”
It was the strength and speed of a D-rank Awakened Being. It was something an ordinary person couldn’t handle. In the moment Jang Hak-ki hesitated, the medicine bottle flew into Si-hyun’s hand.
“Is this punk trying to use force on me? Is this a legal exercise of power? Or is it? Is there a rule about this? Which clause? Tell me, tell me!”
An enraged Jang Hak-ki raised his voice. The so-called problematic inmate’s most annoying tactic was to bring up the law in every situation.
Is it in the law when a correctional officer takes an action?
It was tough to deal with someone like that. Correctional officers couldn’t possibly know every rule governing their actions, so it was challenging to counter them. But when one had once served as a member of parliament, it became unbearable.
However, Si-hyun completely disregarded Jang Hak-ki’s words.
Without hesitation, he opened the medicine bottle.
“What is this?”
Seeing the contents inside, Si-hyun bit his lip to calm the boiling emotions rising within him.
It was a lunchbox. The neatly packed white rice, soup, and various side dishes were beyond lavish compared to the inmates’ meals.
There was no need to think deeply about this.
This was a contraband food item. Someone had slipped contraband food to Jang Hak-ki. But what was absurd was the fact that it was a correctional officer who had done so. A correctional officer, well aware that bringing in contraband food into the ward was strictly forbidden.
“….”
The medical department officer who brought the lunchbox remained speechless with a frozen expression. It seemed Choi Sang-sik understood the situation, quietly watching Si-hyun’s expression while keeping silent.
“Who ordered this?”
Si-hyun asked in a cold voice.
It was something that a mere correctional officer couldn’t dare to do. It was only possible if someone from a higher authority arranged for this level of inmate favoritism.
“Um….”
The medical department officer hesitated.
“Please answer quickly.”
“The department head….”
“The department head? The medical department head?”
“…Yes.”
Si-hyun wasn’t very familiar with the medical department, as he rarely had business there.
But he was aware of one thing: that the department head was someone who naturally catered to the upper class.
Bang!
Si-hyun slammed the cell door shut.
“Hey, damn it…!”
Surprised, Jang Hak-ki shouted and glared at him, but Si-hyun cleanly ignored him.
“Let’s head to the duty room.”
Si-hyun said, thinking it was inappropriate to discuss these matters in front of inmates.
◈ ◈ ◈
“So what you’re saying is, that after I leave, every evening you’ve been sneaking in contraband meals?”
Si-hyun spoke with a look of disbelief. It was already well-known that he was someone who valued inmate order and regulations. It seemed they had tried to avoid any trouble by sneaking things in when he wasn’t around.
But now that it had been found out, he might have to apply some pressure even if it was inconvenient.
“That’s correct.”
The medical department officer replied with a heavy face.
Choi Sang-sik seemed to have suspected something about the lunchbox but couldn’t bring himself to say anything, simply looking down and remaining silent.
“I really have no words for this.”
Si-hyun’s expression was serious as he felt genuine anger at such an absurd situation. Of course, Si-hyun understood that there were instances where inmates received special treatment. He was aware that there were times when contraband food was delivered.
But he never dreamed that such a thing would happen in a ward under his care, without him knowing about it. If he had known, he would have absolutely never tolerated it.
“I hesitate to say this, but….”
The medical department officer spoke cautiously.
“Go ahead.”
“Honestly, I felt sick doing these errands for inmates too. But the reality was, I had no choice. To keep my job without upsetting anyone or causing conflicts….”
Si-hyun understood. This wasn’t merely an excuse. It was a heavy and difficult issue that anyone at the bottom of the social ladder could face at any moment.
Disobeying orders? Whistleblowing?
It’s easy to say.
But very few can actually act upon it. There are numerous cases of soldiers who were outcast and ended up resigning after whistleblowing. Or private school teachers who got fired for exposing foundation corruption.
Countless others have faced severe repercussions for their actions, many of which remain unreported. Knowing this, Si-hyun quietly listened.
But he couldn’t accept such things.
“Sir.”
“Yes.”
“Please tell the medical department head that I absolutely cannot tolerate contraband food. I will adhere strictly to the regulations.”
“Sir….”
“Make sure to tell him.”
Si-hyun said firmly.
◈ ◈ ◈
The response came the very next day. Before leaving work, the security chief contacted him to have a quick chat. Not being his direct superior, he couldn’t reprimand him outright, so it seemed he had asked his friend, the security chief.
Si-hyun smiled bitterly. He wished he could apply such fervor to his assigned duties.
At 5:50 PM, Si-hyun left the ward and headed to the sleeping room. The security chief had summoned him there. It was a place where night shift workers would take turns sleeping, but since it wasn’t bedtime yet, it was a perfect spot to have a quiet chat.
“Hello there.”
Si-hyun greeted him.