Chapter 17.1

Chapter 17.1

It started with a single jar of cream.

I’d casually mentioned that my lips and the backs of my hands were cracking and stinging from the dry weather. Everyone else used Vaseline, but I felt awkward borrowing it all the time, so I just stopped using anything altogether.

Deputy Ki, perceptive as ever, didn’t ask the obvious, why I didn’t just buy some with my commissary money. He could tell from the way I lived that I didn’t have any.

Instead, the next day during the item distribution period, a jar of Vaseline was handed to me as part of my allocation. Of course, it wasn’t something I’d bought.

Eyes, who knew damn well I was broke, looked delighted, thinking my family must’ve finally sent some money.

After that, the small requests continued. Nothing excessive, and never asked for directly. I tested Deputy Ki by dropping hints instead, seeing how far he’d go. I was impatient, but I couldn’t afford to rush and ruin everything.

Two packets of Apollo candy, three moon-shaped breads, a box of Choco Pies, a set of stationery and a pen, a copy of The Heart Sutra (that one was just to keep up my “humble inmate” image), even a monthly magazine I’d been dying to get my hands on, all came my way after a single offhand comment.

There was only one thing I hadn’t managed to get: a bra.

When I complained that my chest hurt from bouncing around whenever I walked or ran, he flushed bright red to the tips of his ears and pretended not to hear. If I’d gone so far as to tell him my size, he probably would’ve fainted.

Still, with him, “Ham Yeohee” seemed to work like magic.

Like clothes slowly soaking in drizzle, each small request added up, and even as they grew larger, Deputy Ki granted them without much resistance.

What made him even more likable was that he never tried to make a show of it.

Men like that were rare. Most would puff up their chests over something as small as buying a girl a hairpin. But Deputy Ki didn’t act like he wanted credit. His manner was as clean and disciplined as his appearance.

If I’d met him outside, back when I was still “Geummi,” I might’ve actually tried to seduce him for real.

Once I realized he’d meet my material requests, I shifted gears. Items were easy enough to come by; they were nothing compared to what I really wanted.

In this prison, intangible things, favors, small privileges, quiet leniency, were worth far more than any item.

For instance, getting an extra five minutes in the yard before the others, being allowed to slack off a little in the workshop without punishment, or walking away with just a warning when caught with a banned item.

Those invisible, formless kinds of power were the things that truly held value in this place.

In winter, even getting a longer shower once a week counted as one of those invisible privileges.

Today, Deputy Ki had given me something rare: fifteen whole minutes to shower alone. And not under the usual lukewarm drizzle that barely counted as water, but under a proper stream of hot water.

After weeks of washing in what was practically cold water, feeling the heat spread through my whole body made every muscle melt. This must be what heaven feels like, I thought. Nothing else could compare.

He’d even given me disposable shampoo and soap, so now my skin smelled faintly sweet and clean. I spoke softly, shyly.

“Thank you, Deputy Ki.”

When I kissed him lightly, his gaze darkened. He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple shifting as he murmured close to my ear.

“Three times a week… before you go to clean the infirmary, I’ll let you use the showers.”

I threw my arms around his neck in delighted surprise, then pulled back as if worried.

“But won’t that cause trouble for you, Deputy Ki? What if Chief Park notices, or someone finds out…?”

His hand, which had been tracing the bare skin at my waist, slid up to my chest. His expression turned dazed, like a young man touching a woman’s body for the first time.

“Chief Park… won’t be around at that time.”

“I see… I get it.”

Suddenly, it was uncomfortable sitting like this. Beneath me, something hard pressed against my hips—his thick length, stiff against his thigh. I shifted deliberately, pressing down on it.

“Ah…”

Deputy Ki exhaled sharply, his brow tightening. The look on his face only made the heat inside me flare up again. We couldn’t stay out here too long, or the others would start to suspect something. We had, at most, twenty minutes.