Chapter 7.2

Chapter 7.2

“Hic… What on earth did I…”

“7059, get up right now and walk forward.”

“…Waaah…”

“7059!”

That damn 7059. My anger surged up.

“I’m going, I said I’m going!”

I lashed out in a fit. If it were another guard, he might have slapped me, sent me to solitary, or cursed me out, but Deputy Ki was a wall. No matter how much I pounded, spat, or threw a tantrum, he remained consistently the same wall throughout.

“Sob… Hic.”

I stood up again. Wiping my tear-and-snot-smeared face, I took another step forward.

Was it because my energy was drained, or because of my rubber shoes were too worn out the soles were smooth and slippery—my toes slipped on the gray hallway, and my body tilted forward.

Ah, I’m going to crash like this. Is there still more bad luck left? How much will it hurt? As I watched the gray cement floor approaching, I squeezed my eyes shut.

The pain of a broken nose or shattered shoulder bone didn’t follow. Instead, something soft yet firm steadily caught my body as it tilted forward.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Deputy Ki’s long arm blocking across my chest. The hem of his dark navy jacket felt smooth, unlike the rough texture of my prison uniform.

Deputy Ki straightened me with efficient movements. In that instant, a strange yet familiar scent reached my nose. Not the unique body odor of women crowding together, nor the harsh detergent smell from the laundry, nor dust. It was a refreshing, cool scent.

From Deputy Ki came the smell of a midwinter forest. I wondered for a moment if I had any memory of smelling such a thing, but regardless, it was a good smell. A fragrance you couldn’t find anywhere in this prison.

That stirred me.

I had been longing. Someone who could accept me and still had that kind of stability. I yearned for the kind and warm faces when dealing with ordinary people. Perhaps that’s why I had let my guard down with Doctor Ahn’s fluffy tenderness.

I wanted to be hugged tightly, by someone.

Not this thin and worn prison uniform hem, not the shabby blanket that’s practically single-layered, but something thick and warm with body heat, to hold me tight.

That impulse shook my head.

Confirming I was standing properly on both feet, Deputy Ki dropped his hand from my shoulder. As always, his long legs stepped back to position himself about a step behind.

No. I don’t want that. I don’t want to let it go. Just for now.

I gasped at the warmth trying to move away from me. I stretched out my arms and burrowed into the man’s chest wearing a navy jacket.

Through the winter jacket, Deputy Ki’s solid chest felt firm. I reached out to hug his waist, but due to his thick torso and broad chest, my two hands embracing him didn’t meet. I clutched the hem of his jacket with both hands, afraid I might fall.

“…7059, do not touch the guard’s body.”

“…Just a little.”

I rubbed my face against the man’s chest without permission. Along with the man’s unique body scent came the smell of the outside. The scent of a world without walls.

Naturally, the man had warmth. There was a heat in his breath that I seemed to lack. I felt like I was dead, but the man was alive.

That warmth was something I envied and yearned for. My shoulders felt cold, my nape hollow, and it was unbearably sorrowful. In that moment, I must have been desperate.

“…Could you hug me tight just once?”

The man’s lips under the cap were set in a firm line. Undeterred, I buried my head in Deputy Ki’s chest again.

“It’s so cold, so…”

Naturally, nothing came back.

In fact, even in this moment, I was surprised by how cunning my own mind could be. Like how Chief Park made the permed-haired woman a third-room pass, maybe I could cling to Deputy Ki and live a bit more comfortably. I can’t deny that I harbored such a fleeting expectation.

However, that faint expectation burst like a misplaced balloon upon realizing the man before me was Deputy Ki.

It might have worked if it were Chief Park. But with Deputy Ki, there was no chance.

“Let go and stand in place. 7059.”

I slowly released my arms hugging him and sniffled once. It was a bit awkward.

Rubbing my eyes roughly with the coarse cuff, I stepped forward first without Deputy Ki telling me to. After walking three or four steps, the sound of Deputy Ki’s neat boot steps came from behind.

It was a little embarrassing, but I took comfort in the fact that no one else was here, and that Deputy Ki, feeling displeasure at the sudden hug, didn’t lock me in solitary.

Dragging my feet wearily, I found myself in front of the workshop. I bowed my head deeply toward Deputy Ki as he handed me over to the guard inside the labor yard.

He turned and walked away without letting his gaze linger even once.