(Saturday, November 4, 2020 – 9:22 PM)
The dim glow of the desk lamp cast long shadows across the warden's office. Papers were neatly stacked, a half-smoked cigarette rested in the ashtray, its tendrils of smoke curling lazily into the air. The room smelled of ink, old wood, and a faint hint of tobacco.
A sharp knock broke the silence.
"Come in."
The door creaked open, and a uniformed guard stepped inside, posture rigid, eyes trained forward. He carried a thick folder under his arm. "Sir, your weekly report." he stated, placing it carefully on the desk.
The warden, a man in his late 40s with a face carved from stone, reached for the folder, but the guard didn't move. He was hesitating. The warden narrowed his eyes. "What?"
The guard straightened. "There was an incident today, sir. After the lunch break of Section B."
The warden leaned back in his chair his hands folded in front of him. "Go on."
The guard took a breath. "Inmates Jin Lee and Gun Park fought in the yard."
That made the warden pause. His gaze sharpened. "And?"
The guard exhaled. "It was… intense. The entire yard watched. They went at it for over forty minutes, trading blows. The fight escalated beyond normal prison scuffles with cracks in the concrete and walls."
The warden's fingers tapped against the desk. "Who won?"
The guard hesitated only for a second. "Jin Lee, sir. He knocked Gun Park unconscious."
The warden's brow twitched slightly. He had expected the boy to be skilled. The bank robbery, the escape, the way he toyed with the police before being arrested, he had assumed Jin was a reckless fighter, but nothing like this.
"Jin Lee…" the warden muttered, reaching for the folder. He flipped through the pages, scanning the details on the boy. His gaze lingered on the police report, specifically, the name of the officer who had brought him in.
Kim Mu-Jin.
The warden huffed a quiet chuckle. "Mu-Jin… beating up kids in the middle of the street?" He shook his head. "That man is going to get himself in trouble one of these days."
Still, this was interesting. The reports he had on Jin only mentioned his intelligence and combat ability, nothing about him being able to defeat Gun Park in a straight fight.
"This kid." the warden murmured, leaning back. "He's a problem."
The guard remained silent, waiting for orders.
The warden tapped his fingers against the folder, thinking. It would be easy to clamp down on them now, punishments, isolations, stricter rules, but that wasn't his style. No, they still had time left in this prison. There was no need to rush.
He smiled slightly. "Let them enjoy their little victory for now. We'll see how long they last."
The guard nodded. "What are your orders, sir?"
The warden exhaled through his nose. "Incite some resentment. Stir up tension in the ranks. Let the other inmates know that those two are the cause of the punishments." His eyes darkened. "And make sure they do something about it."
The guard gave a curt nod. "Understood."
As the door shut behind him, the warden picked up his cigarette, taking a long drag before exhaling a cloud of smoke.
"Let's see what you're really made of, Jin Lee."
(Sunday, November 5, 2020 – 12:41 PM)
The cafeteria was filled with the usual chatter of trays clattering, spoons scraping against cheap plates, and inmates murmuring among themselves. Jin sat at his usual table, eating lazily while his roommates whispered among themselves. Across from him, Gun quietly ate, his bruises from yesterday's fight barely visible now, though the intensity in his eyes hadn't faded.
The fight had already spread through every corner of the prison, and despite neither of them acknowledging it, they could feel the stares. Some filled with awe, others with jealousy.
Then, the loudspeaker crackled to life.
"All inmates, listen up."
The cafeteria quieted slightly. Jin continued chewing.
"Due to the reckless actions of two individuals yesterday, the field grounds have suffered significant structural damage. For the safety of all inmates, repair work will commence immediately."
A few murmurs rippled through the room.
"This means the field will be inaccessible until further notice."
Silence.
Then-
"The fuck?!"
The cafeteria erupted.
A tray slammed onto the table, followed by another. Inmates stood up, some shouting in frustration. The field was the only place where they could escape the suffocating walls of the prison, even if just for a while. Without it, they'd be crammed inside, tempers rising with nowhere to let out steam.
Jin took another bite of his food, unbothered, but he could feel the pressure in the air shifting.
A voice from another table rang out.
"Who the hell caused this?!"
The entire cafeteria seemed to turn toward them.
Gun, as always, remained unbothered. He continued eating as if nothing had happened. Jin, however, set down his spoon and exhaled through his nose.
"Well." he muttered, glancing at Gun, "looks like we're famous."
The murmurs turned into open accusations.
"Their fight caused it."
"Those two ruined it for everyone."
"They don't care about anyone else."
Jin's roommates looked around nervously. One of them leaned in and whispered, "This ain't good, Boss."
Jin simply smirked. "Oh?"
At another table, a group of inmates from Section C whispered among themselves.
"This is the perfect excuse."
"They've been getting too strong. The warden won't stop them, but if we all."
"The other area bosses need to hear about this."
Meanwhile, across the room, Dojin, the defeated former area boss, sat with his head propped on his hand, watching the commotion.
"So they've finally pissed off the whole prison, huh?" he muttered, amused.
His second-in-command grinned. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
Dojin tapped his fingers against the table.
"Maybe it's time to see if these two are as untouchable as they think."
The atmosphere in the cafeteria shifted. Inmates whispered, plotted, and tensions boiled beneath the surface.
Jin leaned back in his chair, tilting his head toward Gun. "So, how long until someone starts something?"
Gun didn't even look up from his food.
"Doesn't matter."
Jin grinned. "Yeah. Doesn't matter."
(1:16 PM)
The prison intercom buzzed with static before the warden's voice echoed through the halls.
"Due to the field being under repair, sections A, B, and C will now have free movement within the main prison corridors and communal spaces. Standard prison rules apply."
Then, a single rule followed, cold and absolute.
"No killing."
BEEEEEEPPPP.
Every cell door in the facility clicked open at once.
Silence.
Then, the creaking of metal as inmates cautiously stepped out with their eyes darting around. The air was thick with unspoken tension, like the moment before a storm.
Inside Jin's cell, one of his cellmates, a lanky guy with sharp eyes, swallowed hard as he looked at the hallway outside, then back at the others.
"…Did the prison just indirectly say we can hunt each other?"
No one answered.
Except for Jin.
Still on the ground, he continued his push-ups at a steady rhythm in a controlled breath. Then, he chuckled. A slow, amused sound.
"They're cooked."
The cellmate blinked. "Huh?"
Jin exhaled through his nose, pushing himself up one last time before flipping onto his feet in a single smooth motion. He rolled his shoulders, stretching out his arms before turning to his cellmates with an easy grin.
"But I didn't say we are."
The atmosphere in the room shifted. His words settled over them, breaking through the nervousness creeping in their bones. Jin paced in front of them, in his casual but deliberate tone.
"I trained you guys myself, didn't I?" He looked at each of them in the eye. "Even if you didn't realize it, you've gotten stronger. Before, you were just background extras, fodder, at best."
A pause.
Then his grin widened slightly with his eyes glinting.
"But now, you can proudly call yourselves background named characters."
The cellmates blinked. Then, slowly, realization dawned. Their bodies weren't shaking like before. Their stances had steadied. It was true. The training Jin put them through had changed them.
No longer weaklings waiting to be stepped on.
Jin turned toward the open cell door, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"Now then… let's go see who wants to get beaten the most."
----
I hope Jin doesn't find the "don't wipe" guy 😰.