Episode 174
“What’s going on these days?”
I was sitting in the break room, lost in thought for a moment, when Kangbaek came up to me and spoke to me.
“No, what is the job?”
Sihyeon answered like that, but inside he was muttering that he was a sharp guy.
I’ve been living alone ever since I started working as a prison guard, so I’m so used to it now.
However, he unexpectedly ended up living with a girl who was his niece’s age.
Of course, he was young, but he was so old that he didn’t whine and cause trouble at all.
Still, since it was a girl and not a boy, there were many things to be careful about.
For example, when changing clothes. And I was also very concerned about cleanliness.
So, I started cleaning the bathroom and the house more often than before.
still.
‘… It’s not ideal.’
When I lived alone, I sometimes felt lonely for some reason when I came home from work with the lights off.
No matter how accustomed you are to living alone, it is a feeling that is bound to come up from time to time.
But these days, it’s been hard to feel that way.
When you get home from work, a brightly lit living room is always waiting for you.
And on the sofa in the living room, Toya was watching TV while crunching on a snack.
Looking at that scene somehow brings a warm smile to my face.
“Really? I thought you were worried again.”
Kangbaek said that and sat down next to Sihyeon.
“Man, you have worries. Is there anyone who doesn’t have worries?”
Sihyeon smiled and stood up.
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“To the manager.”
Sihyeon waved his hand and walked out of the lounge.
◈ ◈ ◈
“hello.”
Employees who encountered Sihyeon raised their hands and saluted.
It was a normal greeting between employees, nothing strange at all.
However, whenever Sihyeon received greetings these days, he felt a little uncomfortable, different from before.
This is because the young prison guards openly looked at me with admiration and envy.
It was after a rumor spread in the United States that he had controlled the inmates to the point where he flattened the noses of arrogant American prison guards.
The guards were excited as if it was their job.
My personality was completely different from the feeling I get when a sports player or celebrity does well in a foreign country.
Although they are unrelated to each other, Sihyeon is the same prison guard. He was also a colleague who worked at the same place.
So I had no choice but to become more empathetic.
Plus, it’s the United States.
The United States somehow seemed like a great country, and there was an image that it was natural to take a step back.
He went to the world’s first special prison in the United States and flattened the noses of American prison guards.
To be honest, it may not have struck the general public at all, but among correctional officers, this was a feat worthy of being featured in the headlines of the 9 o’clock news.
For these reasons, Si-hyeon was an object of admiration and envy, especially among the young guards in the prison.
However, although Sihyeon didn’t feel bad about the gazes of those around her, she felt a little burdened.
Now that there were expectations from those around me, I felt like I couldn’t make even a single mistake when doing things.
However, if you think about it, this burden is actually nothing compared to the dangers of death that I have experienced several times.
Sihyeon entered the security manager’s office, thinking that he should just not be conscious of it from now on.
◈ ◈ ◈
“I’m curious about this. Why did our hero, the prison guard, ask to see me?”
The security manager said with a smile.
Usually, a superior would ask to meet with a subordinate first, but it was rare for a subordinate to request a meeting with the superior.
And if they were to request an interview, it meant there was some special business.
“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on quitting.”
Sihyeon joked.
“Oh, that’s a good thing. If you, the hero prison guard, quit, I will reprimand you immediately.”
The head of the security department joked.
Sihyeon smiled for a moment and then got to the point.
“Actually, it’s no different.”
“Uh, what is it? Tell me.”
“Because of Choi Kang-hyuk.”
“Choi Kanghyuk?”
The head of the security department seemed to be pondering over who the inmate with that name was.
“I’m talking about Choi Kang-hyuk, the awakened serial killer.”
Sihyeon added.
“What? That Choi Kang-hyuk?”
The security manager looked surprised.
Since the front-line prison guards had nothing to do with him, they had no idea that he was talking about Choi Kang-hyuk.
“What’s going on?”
The security manager asked with a straight face.
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Since the guards were not in charge, Choi Kang-hyuk was clearly one step away from the guards’ eyes.
However, the fact that he was the most important person in this special detention center did not change.
“I am….”
Sihyeon also spoke with a serious face.
“…I heard highly credible information that there is a group trying to escape Choi Kang-hyuk from prison.”
Sihyeon confessed honestly.
Choi Kang-hyuk’s work was not his alone.
It was an incident throughout the detention center.
If the emperor really caused trouble for Choi Kang-hyeok’s prison escape, many of the prison guards involved could lose their lives.
So, this is definitely not something you should bury in your heart and worry about alone.
Moreover, this is not something you can prepare for alone.
It was a matter involving the Emperor, a fearsome monster who killed William the Storm Sword with a single blow.
It was absolutely not something I could handle on my own.
I had to do whatever I could.
“what?”
The head of the security department could not help but make an expression of bewilderment at Sihyeon’s sudden words.
But Sihyeon was serious. You can tell by looking at their serious faces, which are different from usual.
Therefore, the head of the security department recognized that this was a situation that could never be laughed off.
“Is that really true?”
“of course.”
Sihyeon answered without hesitation.
“Huh, who the hell is it?”
“I know that exactly….”
Sihyeon did not talk about the emperor. To the general public, such stories are completely unknown.
I was planning to reveal that to those who might know.
“Um… Yes, that’s right… If it weren’t for what you said, I would have just dismissed it as bullshit.”
The head of the security department frowned and muttered as if he was troubled.
Sihyeon was on a different level from other employees in terms of the reliability she had built up over the years.
In particular, what was shown in the Ganghwado disaster was decisive.
There would not have been a prison guard who would not have been impressed by the way he risked his life to the end to save people.
“…I need to contact the Hunter Association right away about this.”
“What do you mean?”
“Responsibility for Choi Kang-hyuk lies with the Hunter Association, not the Corrections Headquarters.”
“As expected.”
Sihyeon nodded as if it was as expected.
It appears that the government not only granted special management to the Hunter Association, but also handed over ultimate responsibility.
Even so, the street number was not wrong.
It was something that had to be reported to the detention center leaders anyway.
“Then I think I’ll go and talk to you in person.”
Sihyeon said.
“So…? Then will you do that?”
The head of the security department readily answered.
It would have been better for the person with the information to speak directly.
“yes.”
“Okay, then do it. I’ll let the warden know.”
◈ ◈ ◈
For the first time in a long time, Sihyeon entered the 10th floor of the Hunter Association building, the Inspection Bureau.
This was because I could only think of one person whom I knew and who was in a high position with whom I could talk about such an important matter.
Seo Yong-gil, team leader of the Inspection Bureau.
Anyway, he was definitely the right man to talk about these things.
“Come this way.”
When I said I had promised to meet Team Leader Seo, the employee guided me to where he was.
I saw a door plate that said, “Deputy Director’s Office.”
‘Deputy Director?’
As Sihyeon looked puzzled, an employee knocked on the door and said.
“Chief Sihyeon Lee is here.”
“I ask you to come in.”
The team leader’s voice came from inside. The employee opened the door and motioned for Sihyeon to go in.
Sihyeon slightly bowed his head in return and went inside.
I could feel the staff carefully closing the door behind me.
“Welcome. It’s been a while.”
Team leader Seo greeted me and invited me to sit down.
“I think I last saw you a few months ago, but I guess you got promoted recently.”
“That’s it.”
“Congratulations.”
Sihyeon said with a smile and sat down in front of Deputy Director Seo.
“thank you.”
Deputy Director Seo responded with a smile.
“But this… I’m so anxious because Hunter is looking for it first. Hunter is the type of person who drives things around.”
It was said as a joke, but it was definitely not a joke.
Deputy Director Seo was one of those who knew very well the troublesome matters that Sihyeon had been involved in ever since he was a myeongu technician.
So I had no choice but to say something that wasn’t a joke.
“Actually, I came here today not as Hunter Lee Si-hyeon, but as prison guard Lee Si-hyeon.”
Sihyeon said with a straight face.
“Ha… This makes me even more anxious.”
Although he said that with a slight smile, Deputy Director Seo’s eyes had already turned serious.
“We have received highly credible information that there are people attempting to escape Choi Kang-hyuk from prison.”
It was a quiet voice, but the ripples were not small. So much so that it agitates Deputy Director Seo, who is unfazed by most things.
The Deputy Director stared at Sihyeon with a stern expression.
If another low-level hunter of the same level as Si-hyeon had said it, it would have been treated as just absurd nonsense.
However, Deputy Director Seo did not think of Sihyeon as such a trivial hunter.
The events he has experienced and survived so far were the worst battlefields where even A-class hunters could not guarantee survival.
But he survived.
It’s not just about surviving.
The giant monkeys also played an outstanding role during the Ganghwa Island disaster.
In short, he is a warrior among warriors who survived a fierce battlefield even though his rank was low.
Since he decided that it was not empty information, he came all the way here and brought up the story in person.
This was something that could never be taken lightly.
“hmm….”
Deputy Director Seo moved his body and sat down towards Sihyeon.
“Who on earth would you give that information to?”
“I can’t reveal that.”
Sihyeon answered right away.
“But if you don’t know who the informant is, you can’t help but doubt the credibility of the information.”
“Because the informant may be dangerous.”
They were fully prepared based on Toya’s information, so if the emperor’s plan fails, they will try to find out how the information flowed into Korea.
And they would never leave that person alone.
It was obvious that his life was in danger.
Therefore, Si-hyeon decided from the beginning to keep the fact that the informant was Toya a secret.
“It goes without saying that the identity of the informant must be kept strictly secret. I don’t think you need to worry about that.”
“Of course, I trust Director Seo, but the enemy’s power in plotting is too strong. They have the ability to steal information from the Inspection Bureau if they put their mind to it.”
“Hmm.”
Deputy Director Seo’s frown frowned slightly.
The security of the Inspection Bureau is also the best in the Hunter Association.
Really important information was completely locked away, and only the leadership knew about it.
Being denied such thorough security can’t help but feel a little uncomfortable.
“The security of the Inspection Bureau is more thorough than you think, Hunter. I wonder who the enemy is that makes you say that.”
“he is….”
Sihyeon started crying.
His next words fell heavier than any other words.
“…I am the emperor.”
fantasy,
