Chapter 4.2

Chapter 4.2

“You think there’s only one or two girls that call him out, stand him by the gate, and flash their chests? But he doesn’t even glance, doesn’t touch, just gets red ears, so they call him a Baengchungi or a novice. What a load of cr*p.”

“…”

“Even the girls who throw themselves at dried-up pollack soaked in water like that are desperate, but with someone like Deputy Ki? Honestly, outside, you wouldn’t get this close to a guy like him.”

I nodded. Even I, who lived among people dressed to the nines under dazzling lights, could see Deputy Ki had a presence that drew eyes.

“Forget it, he’s a wall. A wall.”

Eyes waved her hand in front of my face.

“Deputy Ki doesn’t curse and treats us decently compared to the other guards, so everyone’s gossiping, trying to get a shot at him. But the way I see it, that’s not gonna happen. Deputy Ki is…”

I waited for her to continue, but Eyes didn’t. She just followed Deputy Ki, who was crossing the yard, with a slightly off-kilter gaze.

“Anyway, don’t even dream about Deputy Ki. You know Yera from our cell? She’s got it bad for him. You have to be careful. She might act tough because of Wangnyeo, but she’s the scariest one. You know how lonely it gets in here, don’t you? Jealousy drives people crazy.”

I pictured the woman with long hair down to her chest. They called her a “Pretty Nutcase” or something. She was in her thirties, in for fraud or embezzlement, I’d heard. She wasn’t someone I’d want to get involved with, here or outside.

“I’m not dreaming about Deputy Ki or anyone else. I’m not interested.”

I meant it. All that mattered were the priorities in my head: getting news from the outside, letting the outside know about me, finding someone who could help.

“Yeah, that’s Unni-ya. She makes things easy during evaluations. See that woman with her hair up?”

Eyes subtly pointed to a woman in her forties with stylishly permed hair. It was impressively well-groomed in this prison. She even had red nail polish on her fingertips.

“She’s the boss of Cell 3. I think her charge was seducing under a fraudulent marriage? Anyway, when she first got to Cell 3, she was just like you.”

“What about me?”

“Getting beat up, cursed out, sleeping near the latrine, smelling like piss.”

“…”

“But how’d she end up running Cell 3? Because…”

Eyes paused for effect, then lowered her already quiet voice to a whisper.

“She’s got Chief Park.”

This. She held up her pinky finger, as if sharing some grand secret.

“She gave Chief Park a few bl*wj*bs, got rid of the b*tch3s harassing her, and now she’s playing queen with the girls who suit her tastes.”

“Is that even possible?”

Eyes clicked her tongue, looking at me like I was clueless.

“Unni-ya, you’re kinda naive, huh? That’s why you keep getting beaten up. If you just pretend to grovel to Wangnyeo, your days would go a lot easier.”

No matter if my bones broke or my hair was ripped out, I’d sworn never to bow to Wangnyeo.

“Since you seem clueless, Unni-ya, I’ll let you in on something. At least in Cheongjin Women’s Prison, it’s either this—”

Eyes made a gesture, poking her finger through a circle. Then she formed a circle with her thumb and index finger, spreading three fingers, and continued.

“That’s how you survive.”

S3.x or money. Give your body or spend cash.

“You’re especially pretty, so you need to be extra careful.”

I knew that. Anywhere, a pretty woman without backing is the easiest target, and Ham Yeohee was exactly that. Powerless and strikingly beautiful. It was almost surprising she managed to stay unscathed this long.

“Have you checked how much commissary money you have?”

“…No.”

“From what I can tell, Unni-ya, you look broke as hell.”

Eyes looked me up and down with pity.

“Still, check it. Your family might’ve put something in. Buy a Choco Pie or something to give to Wangnyeo. She might ease up a bit.”

Her words made me think the outside and this place weren’t so different. S3.x or money. That’s what ultimately made the world run. Then a thought struck me.

“Can you buy magazines or newspapers with commissary money?”

“Magazines and newspapers? Those don’t get in. The guards use ‘censorship’ as an excuse to read them all and toss them out.”

“…”

“But you know, it’s not like there’s no way at all.”

“A way? What is it?”

Eyes seemed to be debating whether to tell me or not.

“I’ll buy you a Choco Pie, Eyes-ssi.”

“…Well, it’s not like I want something in return. Fine, whatever. Go to the laundry workshop and find ‘Choksae.’”

“Choksae?”

“Yeah, she gets outside stuff and news.”

“Oh…”

Choksae. I nodded. Seeing me nod eagerly, Eyes spoke as if doing me a favor.

“Well, want me to ask for you?”

“You can do that?!”

“Why not? No big deal.”

“Then, I’d like to ask a favor. Um, the singer Geummi, if there’s any new news or anything like that…”

Eyes made a face like she couldn’t understand.

“Unni-ya, are you really out of your mind? Do you know how expensive Choksae is? And you want her to dig up gossip about some singer?”

“…It’s because it’s important to me.”

With a face half-pitying, half-exasperated, Eyes reluctantly nodded.

“Ugh, Unni-ya’s life too… Fine, I’ll look into it—hup!”

Eyes was answering in a bored, indifferent tone when she suddenly panicked and jumped to her feet.

A shadow fell over my vision. Looking up from my seat, I saw Deputy Ki standing in the bleak winter sunlight, the ornament on his cap glinting that made me instinctively squint. Eyes tugged my arm, pulling me to my feet awkwardly.

Without a word, Deputy Ki bent down and picked something up from the ground. His large, neat hand turned the packet over. The bag with the playful character crinkled loudly.

His low, firm voice that matched his character cut through the dry winter air and reached my ears.

“Don’t you know personal items aren’t allowed in the exercise yard?”

“Yes, yes! Sorry, Deputy Ki. How did that get dragged along?”

Eyes’s exaggerated, groveling tone emphasized it was just a mistake.

From what I’d observed in my time here, the prison’s rules were strict but flexible. Break the same rule, and if you were unlucky, you’d get solitary confinement; if you were lucky, you might just get a reprimand.

Luck depended entirely on which guard caught you and their mood.

Was I lucky or unlucky today?

“Rule violation means three days’ ban from the exercise yard.”

It was only fifteen minutes after lunch. Without it, I’d be stuck in the suffocating cell block and workshop all day.

“Um, Deputy Ki.”

His face turned to me. Backlit by the sun, he felt like a shadow. Nervously, I fixed my gaze on his third button and spoke cautiously.

“Could you… let it slide just this once?”

There are exceptions to every moment. I put on the most pitiful, pleading expression I could muster.

For this moment at least, I wished the things I’d done all this time could serve as an excuse. Just a mistake by poor, crazy 7059, who gets beaten up in the cell all the time… Maybe he’d let it go.

But his response was smooth as if sanded down, without a hint of wavering.

“No exceptions. 7059, you are banned from the exercise yard for three days.”

Ah…

Ignoring my low sigh, Deputy Ki turned and walked back to his post.

Baengchungi, novice—what nonsense! Deputy Ki, who just bluntly spit out what he wanted to say and walked off like it was just business, was no different from a brick wall.

I glared irritably at his retreating figure holding the confiscated Apollo packet. Just my rotten luck.

…But how did he know the Apollo was mine? I hadn’t even picked it up from where Eyes placed it.

Beep. The grating chime rang out. After just fifteen minutes in the dim winter light, I stepped back through the iron gate, carrying a damp, uneasy feeling like half-dried laundry.