Chapter 6.1

Chapter 6.1

Three days, three packs of cigarettes.

Outside these walls, it wouldn’t have been a big deal.

A pack of the newly released 88 Light cost 450 won; three packs would be 1,350 won at most. For those who had nothing, even that was a stretch, but like I said, I was Geummi. If I’d been a heavy smoker, cigarettes wouldn’t have been an issue. I could’ve hoard hundreds of cartons without blinking.

But inside these walls, things were different. Cigarettes, the most luxurious commodity, were like gold among inmates.

Could I manage to get three packs of cigarettes in three days?

I shook my head, dismissing the “what ifs.” I was a realist. I didn’t indulge in fantasies or daydreams. Instead of hoping for “maybe” or “if only,” it was better to focus on what I could do right now. Calming my unsteady breath, I listed ways to get money inside this prison.

First: Send a letter to Ham Yeohee’s family asking for commissary money.

For two months, I hadn’t seen a single visitor or letter from my family. I didn’t even know where to send the letter. Even setting those aside, it would take over a week for a letter to go back and forth. So, scratch that.

Second: Borrow cigarettes from other inmates.

Not from someone broke like Eyes, but maybe someone with plenty of commissary money. Like…

“Excuse me, I know you’re all resting, but, ahem, I have something to say.”

After finishing the evening meal distribution and, as usual, doing the dishes that were my responsibility, I stood in the middle of the cell. The water was so cold my hands were numb from the chill. Rubbing my hands together like a fly, I called out to the people passing the free time before roll call.

Wangnyeo, lying in the corner, Yera plucking her gray hairs, and Eyes scribbling some nonsense talisman turned their heads towards me. As always, their expressions remained unchanged, their gazes blankly fixed on the soles of their feet.

Wondering what nonsense I was about to spout, their pitying gazes met mine. I straightened my back, trying to look as trustworthy as possible.

“As you saw yesterday, I’ve been going to the workshop, but they say I don’t have a single won in my commissary. But there’s something really important to me. So, if anyone has some to spare, could you lend me three packs of cigarettes?”

As I finished, a brief silence filled the less-than-two-pyeong space.

A harsh, grating laugh like sandpaper scraping tore through the silence. Wangnyeo clutched her stomach, laughing on the floor. Only then did I notice Yera’s mocking smirk and Eyes’s somewhat sympathetic expression.

“Oh my, oh my. Do you see how cute this little b*tch is?”

Wangnyeo laughed so hard it was almost embarrassing. I was the one who needed money, but I felt a bit offended. After all that effort to speak up.

“I’m not joking. I’m being serious.”

“I’m being serious, kayyy? What bullsh*t.” 

Yera mimicked me, twisting her mouth in an infuriating way.

That damn b!/tch. I felt my blood boiling but forced myself to stay calm.

“…I’m not just asking you to lend it to me. I’ll pay it back. With interest.”

“What’ll you give us if we lend it to you?”

“…I’ll empty the chamber pot at night and do the dishes.”

“That’s your job anyway, you shameless thing.”

My job, she said. That was true, but it wasn’t originally my job.

“Then I won’t do it?”

“Would you look at this b*tch? Hey, are you threatening me now?” 

Wangnyeo snorted derisively. Yera chimed in like a spiteful sister-in-law.

“Don’t do it if you don’t want to. We’ll just snitch to the guards that you’re not doing your share. Do you think anyone here’s on your side?”

A shared cell with multiple inmates was like a single organism. In principle, everyone had assigned tasks, and if someone didn’t do theirs, the whole cell’s routine fell apart. The punishment for that was each person’s to bear.

I have already gotten on Chief Park’s bad side just a day ago.

“…Fine, then I’ll clean too. And I’ll take less food.”

The watery soup with nothing to scoop, half-bean, half-barley rice, and a couple of under-seasoned side dishes came three times a day in plastic bowls and containers.

Even if the portion was for five, Wangnyeo, with her big appetite, took more than half, leaving little for the rest. And I was saying I’d eat even less of that until I paid back the cigarettes.

“Yeah, right. You’re giving up something so great, wow.” 

Yera said casually, inspecting her nails. It was infuriating how she acted like it was nothing when she’d fight tooth and nail for an extra side dish.

“…I’ll skip dinner too, then.”

Skipping dinner entirely was a big decision for me.

Prison nights came early. Working all day without a spoonful of food and making it to morning was agonizing to even think about. But with the cards I had, I had no choice.

Suddenly, I felt pathetic and wronged. Why was I going through this? What did I do wrong?

“Oh, you’re so pitiful I can’t stand it.” 

Wangnyeo cackled, stuffing a cream bun into her mouth. Yera’s needle-point gaze scanned me from head to toe.