Episode 149
“Chief.”
As soon as Sihyeon opened the guild door and entered, the main figures of the Yangji guild, including Cheolhyeong, Mujik, and Dongil, all stood up from their seats.
Their faces were serious.
“Let’s make a face. I understand how you feel, but if you’re too depressed, nothing can be done.”
Sihyeon said calmly.
“Sit down, sit down. Sit down.”
After saying that, Sihyeon sat down first, and the others also sat down again.
“We haven’t committed any crime, right? Is there a law that requires us to reveal that we are ex-convicts? So let’s not feel like we have committed any crime.”
As Si-hyeon showed an unexpectedly calm demeanor, the tense atmosphere felt like it was loosening up a bit.
However, the faces of everyone except Sihyeon were still heavy.
It was a worthy situation.
Dongil raised his hand.
As the crowd’s attention focused on him, Dong-il opened his mouth.
“All the guild members we’ve recruited over the past few months are probably trying to leave. It hasn’t even been long since the rumor spread, and we’re already getting a steady stream of phone calls.”
“I guess so.”
Sihyeon nodded.
Few people wanted to work with ex-offenders.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that it is close to zero.
It was clear that everyone would want to avoid it unless it was absolutely unavoidable.
Therefore, Sihyeon fully understood the feelings of the new guild members.
“Honestly, I don’t know how to deal with this. I hope the chief can show me the way.”
Dongil said, expressing his frustration.
Sihyeon answered without hesitation, as if he had already thought about it.
“Is there a special way? Just send out all the guild members who want to leave.”
“yes?”
Dong-il made an expression that he couldn’t understand.
The expressions of other guild members were similar.
It was a force they had worked hard to expand.
It was difficult to say the words of giving up so easily.
But Sihyeon said those words so easily.
“Let’s only go out with people who are willing to go out together. That’s better.”
“…but.”
“Let’s not regret too much of what we have built up. You must also know how to throw away things that you cannot help but throw away. And just because something has collapsed does not mean that you can never build it up again. The thing is that a good opportunity may come again later.”
Sihyeon spoke in an attitude that seemed to have emptied her mind.
In fact, I was quite shocked when I first found out that the rumor that he was an ex-convict had spread.
Criminal records were not something that anyone could freely view.
Because it is important information related to an individual’s personal information, its viewing or inquiry is strictly regulated.
So, such rumors did not spread until after the guild was established.
But eventually it spread.
However, Sihyeon quickly made up her mind.
The one who will suffer the most in this situation is neither you nor your guild.
“The problem now is not the guild. It’s you.”
Sihyeon opened her mouth.
The guild members all looked at Sihyeon with puzzled eyes.
“It has become known that you are ex-convicts. You are socially stigmatized. From now on, you will have to live with people looking at you as ex-convicts.”
Because Sihyeon was a prison guard, he knew the seriousness of this problem much better than the average person.
There were several instances in which we discussed this issue when interviewing inmates.
The world is cruel to ex-convicts.
As soon as it became known that he was an ex-convict, he was often pushed out of society and became an outcast.
That is why criminal records were not allowed to be viewed without permission.
But this time, everything was revealed to the guild’s hunters.
There is no escaping social stigma.
That was what Sihyeon was most worried about right now.
“Chief….”
Cheol-hyung, Mujik, Dong-gil, and other guild members also looked thrilled when Si-hyeon said that she was actually worried about them.
No prison guard they had ever experienced cared about prisoners like this.
From the time I risked my life at the forefront of the Gate disaster, I thought I was different from other prison guards.
And this incident further solidified that thought.
“Of course I know it’s going to be difficult, but there’s nothing we can do when it’s like this. I believe you know that in the end, if you want to live in this society, you have no choice but to endure it on your own.”
“You don’t have to worry about us. We don’t care about those stares.”
In response to Si-hyeon’s words, Dong-il spoke with a strong voice.
“you’re right.”
“You don’t have to worry.”
Words that it was okay were flowing out here and there.
Sihyeon smiled faintly at that reaction.
“Seeing your reactions gives me some relief.”
“I have a job, so I don’t think you need to worry too much about that.”
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
Mujik listened to the guild members.
Usually, the hardest thing for ex-convicts in society is not being able to find a job.
What criminals who came in after committing a crime on purpose usually said was that they committed the crime so that they could go back to prison because they had no work and ran out of money.
At least they didn’t have to go through that.
“Chief.”
Cheolhyung called Sihyeon.
“yes.”
Sihyeon stared at Cheolhyeong.
“This incident… absolutely did not happen simply by chance. It is clear that someone with malicious intent toward our guild was behind the scenes.”
Cheolhyung spoke in a confident tone.
“That’s my opinion too.”
Mujik agreed.
“What kind of bastard are you?”
“Kill me right away!”
The guild members who were angry at those words raised their voices with grim faces.
“Let’s calm down for now.”
Sihyeon raised his hand and made a calming gesture.
“It is important to find out who did the background investigation, but right now, the priority is to handle this matter well and move on.”
“As you said earlier, we will make sure that guild members who want to leave can leave cleanly.”
Cheolhyung said.
“Yes. Please.”
Sihyeon continued.
“The media will probably be interested in this matter as well. I think it would be better for Mr. Cheolhyung and Mr. Mujik to deal with the media. Of course, I will also take an active part. Let’s set our words to some extent in advance.”
Most of the guild members who were other inmates were poor at dealing with people.
This was especially true if the other person was a reporter.
Only Cheolhyeong and Mujik did not have that aspect.
He didn’t have the personality to make a mistake at all.
“I understand, Chief.”
Cheolhyung and Mujik answered at the same time.
“All sorts of things will be said on the Internet. For the sake of your mental health, let’s not use the Internet for a while.”
“I will do as you say.”
Cheolhyung smiled bitterly at Sihyeon’s words.
It would have been painful for an ordinary person, but these were people who had been imprisoned in those boring cells.
That wasn’t a big deal.
“Oh, and raid normally. In times like this, you have to be more resolute.”
“Of course I intend to.”
Cheolhyung answered as if it was obvious, and the other guild members also nodded.
“Let’s not be shaken.”
Sihyeon emphasized the last thing.
◈ ◈ ◈
“As you instructed, we mobilized our employees and spread the news widely.”
Secretary Kim said.
“Okay, good job. Very good job.”
Sun guild leader Seongjin seemed to be in a good mood for the first time in a long time.
It was worth it.
He had finally dealt a proper blow to the Yangji guild that had offended him for the past few months.
He said with a pleasant laugh.
“Haha, this is what happens when you dare to climb on the topic of dirty criminals. This time, you will be completely uprooted.”
There is no way ordinary people would want to work in a place full of ex-convicts.
Everyone will try to get out somehow.
However, if you try to stop it by force, bigger problems will arise.
It is literally a situation where there is no way to do this or that.
And it was clear that since this incident had ruined his reputation, he would never be able to work in the industry again.
“Every day will be very enjoyable for now, hahaha.”
Seongjin burst into laughter again.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Where are you from? Oh, YTS? I often watch it there too when I’m bored.”
Sihyeon smiled.
YTS was a cable news channel.
This was the second time today that a media company came to report on this.
“I came here because I wanted to know the truth about this rumor.”
A woman who appeared to be in her 30s said.
“You can ask as many questions as you like. This person here is the guild leader of our guild. And I… ah, do you know who I am?”
At Sihyeon’s question, the woman narrowed her eyes and wondered if she had seen this person somewhere before.
I think I’ve seen it somewhere before, but I can’t remember.
“…Well, who are you?”
“My name is Prison Guard Lee Si-hyeon. Why is that Ganghwa Island Special Detention Center….”
“ah.”
Only then did I realize that this was the face I had seen in relation to that incident.
“That hero prison guard back then.”
“It’s very embarrassing, but that’s what they called it.”
Sihyeon made a humble expression.
“Why are you here, prison guard?”
“Because I am a member of this guild.”
“yes?”
This woman quickly shook her head.
A guild and prison guards made up of ex-convicts.
It seemed like there would be something worthwhile to talk about.
“And the guild leader here is actually the inmate who willingly sacrificed himself for the people during that incident.”
This woman opened her eyes wide and looked at Cheolhyung standing next to her.
It smelled increasingly interesting.
“I’ll explain it to you step by step.”
Sihyeon said with a smile like when dealing with civil servants at the detention center.
◈ ◈ ◈
“…So, for the sake of jobs for prisoners released from prison?”
“Yes, the final stage of rehabilitation is to allow released inmates to adapt to society and live normally. And the concept of adapting to life normally implies having a job and engaging in social activities like other members of society.”
Sihyeon paused for a moment and then spoke again.
“However, there are probably very few countries where the last step is properly accomplished. It is a chronic problem. We are trying to improve it in our own way through various intermediate treatments, but there are limits. Although I am only a prison guard, I have always thought a lot about the problem. “Is there anything I can do about that problem? I asked myself that question a lot. Then….”
Sihyeon paused and looked at the camera once, then turned his gaze back to the reporter.
“Suddenly, I thought about what kind of place I am working in now. And I was reminded of the differences. In other places, inmates come from a variety of occupations, but here, the basic difference is that they have one thing in common: hunters. And the majority of hunters are “I want to work in a guild. So I thought, why not create a guild and help the inmates?”
Sihyeon looked at the camera and smiled kindly.
“But it doesn’t make sense for me, a prison guard, to run a guild. And since it’s a guild for the inmates, I thought it was right for the inmates to run it. So I thought about it. Then, after meeting the guild leader here, I made up my mind. Ah, “I felt that this person, who was willing to sacrifice for others, would be able to run the guild very well.”
Sihyeon glanced at Cheolhyung next to him and then turned his gaze forward again.
“Now do you know roughly what’s going on?”
fantasy,
