By Zephyria 
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‘You said humans couldn’t get in?’
―You aren’t exactly human. At this point.
It was absurd. He had been to strange religious facilities, cleaning companies, and even cult gatherings, but he never imagined he’d end up in a prison.
For someone who grew up abandoned in the slums, Mu-hae had never once accumulated a criminal record. He had beaten people half to death, but since those people had done things that deserved it—leaving them with no grounds to complain—it didn’t count as a record; it was void.
He rarely visited Sakdal unless it was for work, and he usually settled disputes between mercenaries quietly.
As long as he had a head on his shoulders, it was the obvious course of action if he didn’t want his already exhausting life to become even more miserable.
And yet now, despite it being an infiltration, he was marked as a high-risk prisoner and loaded into a vehicle barred with iron grates.
He felt strange and bitter. He was at a point where Joo-oh’s compliments about him looking strong didn’t even register in his ears.
“Don’t do anything reckless. Especially avoid any behavior that stands out.”
“I can stay quiet.”
“Just let it go if someone picks a fight. If you’re hungry… haa, fuck. I’ve already arranged for outside food delivery, so just wait one day.”
Mu-hae didn’t know why Joo-oh looked so unreliable, even as he answered diligently.
Mu-hae tried to tidy up Joo-oh’s stray hairs, only to realize his own hands were tied, and he clicked his tongue.
Sshhhhh—.
Before long, the vehicle came to a halt. Hearing the beeping of machines outside, it seemed they were passing through security checkpoints.
“No. 28057. No. 28078. Disembark.”
The rear door opened, and a prison guard in a blue uniform thrust forward a palm-sized pad. The Link Watch on his wrist emitted a short beep.
The machine, which had read through all sorts of information in an instant, displayed a match.
Jeong Han-seok/M/26
Lee Jun-woo/M/20
Mu-hae repeated the names—names that wouldn’t be called inside the prison anyway—over and over again.
He had to be so familiar with them that they would come out naturally even if he were poked while sleeping, so that he wouldn’t make a mistake anywhere.
“Is it alright to keep their faces covered like this?”
“Didn’t you get the official memo? They’re crazy. Apparently, he throws a fit whenever his face is exposed, so he even underwent a psychiatric evaluation.”
“Ah. The one who bit other inmates, so they had to muzzle him too…”
Based on what had been communicated, the guards looked at him as if he were a lunatic.
Mu-hae passed through the security gate with an uncomfortable feeling. He was scanned from head to toe by an imaging device, and he ignored the man who was mouthing something toward him.
Only after undergoing all sorts of inspections did he receive the prisoner’s issued supplies. After roughly putting on the stiff shoes and following the guard, the path split in front of a corridor lined with iron bars.
“Good luck.”
The guard in charge of Joo-oh headed toward the stairs. It seemed he was to be incarcerated on a different floor.
The white face that had been acting expressionless was now filled with melancholy.
‘This feels shitty.’
It was a relief that this was an infiltration. If this were a real situation, Joo-oh wouldn’t have stayed locked up quietly.
Since he was a guy who could bend metal with his bare hands and easily slice through a person, he would have bent the bars and escaped, carrying Mu-hae on his back even if Mu-hae said he didn’t want to.
“The schedule is posted on the wall. Prisoner labor starts tomorrow at 9 AM. An educational video will be played, so make sure to familiarize yourself with it.”
Clang. As the iron bars opened, he stepped into a shabby space. Perhaps because of the high-risk mark, he was unexpectedly assigned a solitary cell.
A fixed steel bed that didn’t look particularly clean. A toilet attached to the wall without a single partition, looking filthy.
It felt as though only dirty water would come out of the sink next to it. Jin Mu-hae shuddered at the overall hygienic environment, where he didn’t even want to take a deep breath.
While working as a mercenary, there were times he had to sleep in places even more desolate than this, but at least there had been a distinction between where he slept and where he relieved himself.
―You are hereby notified of your detention in this correctional facility. This video explains the duties of the inmate, daily procedures, and regulations that must be strictly observed. Failure to follow regulations may result in disciplinary action, so please watch carefully. CHAPTER 1. Rules and Authority.
The monitor attached to the wall recited in a stiff, mechanical voice. Mu-hae watched the pictograms moving back and forth before sinking onto the bed.
Flump. Dust flew up. His facial muscles beneath the mask twitched slightly at the musty, suffocating smell.
‘Didn’t you say he was research “material”? Why is he a human?’
―There are cases where clinical trials are necessary, and someone must be the subject.
‘Even so, human experimentation is…’
―There is no coercion in that process. We only make deals with inmates for research that has been verified for safety to some extent. We only accept applications from those who have gone through selection and wish to reduce their sentence or replace their labor.
And some of those studies were so secret that not even a speck of dust could be taken out, so the “material” had to be detained and sent to the facility.
Thanks to that, Mu-hae was wearing a prisoner’s uniform he had no business wearing, incarcerated in a building where no artificial sunlight reached even on a sunny day. All for the sake of being dragged to the Tamjeunggwan.
For some reason, a hint of amusement had seeped into Gu-reum’s voice. He had definitely thought this was a fitting fate.
‘Damn it.’
Since it would be suspicious if two prisoners transported together both wore masks, he couldn’t cover Joo-oh’s face.
He wondered if he would be okay with such a conspicuous appearance. Mu-hae frowned slightly while rubbing his wrists, where the marks of the restraints remained.
* * *
“This is the helper. No. 28331. Give him the precautions and handle him appropriately.”
“Yeees.”
“If you slack off this time, I can’t give you a warning.”
“Would I ever? I’ll keep the kids in line.”
As the iron door closed, Joo-oh looked around frantically. Dirty concrete walls. A mattress much thinner and older than the one Jin Mu-hae had given him.
With no windows and a dim ceiling light, it felt exactly like the study at Starlight Road when the lights were off.
The only difference was that there, it smelled of Jin Mu-hae, but here, there was only the smell of cold stone, the fishy scent of metal, and the smell of flesh from humans who didn’t care about anyone.
Still, it was fine. This was his first time actually entering a correctional facility, which had only been briefly mentioned in the game.
Everything was new and fascinating. Even the black stains on the wall were interesting.
“Hey. Hey. Is this guy out of his mind? 078. Can’t you hear me?”
“Huh. Huh? I hear you.”
“A crazy bastard’s come in. Stop hugging your clothes and looking around; throw your stuff over there.”
“Okay. Sure.”
“Fuck. I told them to send the psychos to the hospital, but they keep stuffing them all in here… Look at this and just do as you’re told. And during exercise time today, don’t go outside. You understand?”
The educational video moved on the small monitor on the wall. Joo-oh focused on it as if he were watching a popular TV show, only barely reacting when No. 331 called him.
Exercise time? Come to think of it, he had talked about the schedule with Jin Mu-hae.
He said that was the only time they could meet. He told him to come to the left corner of the exercise yard.
“I can’t.”
“What?”
“I have to go to exercise.”
“You blockhead piece of shit.”
Grab. As soon as he shook his head, his hair was seized. A man whose earlobe was split in two—perhaps from some old injury—shoved his head right up to Joo-oh’s chin and threatened him fiercely.
“Do as you’re told and don’t be a prick. If I can’t get a warning because of you, I’ll make you wish you were dead. Remember that.”
“Why? Why can’t I exercise?”
“Just live quietly until I’m with you. Don’t cause trouble.”
“I don’t cause trouble. I said I’d be quiet.”
Thwack! The fist hitting the side of his head was quite sharp. Joo-oh pouted and rubbed his head discontentedly.
Jin Mu-hae told him. If someone hits him, he should break their arm. But then he also told him to stay quiet inside here.
He was confused about which one to follow. Still, since he didn’t want Jin Mu-hae to be in trouble, he decided to endure it once.
Whether he recognized this effort or not, No. 331 was grabbing Joo-oh’s chin again.
“Look at your face.”
“Jin Mu-hae likes it.”
“Who cares if some Jin-whatever likes it? Fuck, you look like you’ll get wrecked the moment you stick your head out. If you want to keep your hole intact for a few days, don’t linger in front of the badges. You look normal but you can’t understand a word, it’s annoying.”
Listening to him, he felt he understood what he meant. Though his speech was vulgar and unpleasant, he was a person giving good advice.
He was glad he waited without pulling his arm away. Still, he had to go to the exercise yard.
Joo-oh licked his lips and hugged his clothes tightly.
“I’m going out.”
“Shit, fine. As long as it doesn’t show on your face.”
No. 331 curled his fist. Thump. With a dull sound, a punch flew into Joo-oh’s stomach.
“The blanket isn’t very cozy.”
“That’s all there is. Who gives cozy blankets to criminal bastards?”
“I’m hungry.”
“Fuck, I told you I don’t have money. I already emptied all my outside stuff!”
“….”
“It’s almost mealtime… I’ll give you mine then. Ah, ah.”
No. 331 limped and quickly backed away. Joo-oh shook a rustling snack bag a few more times, and after confirming he had scraped up every last crumb, he smacked his lips in regret.
He should have put more food in his Inventory. Since he couldn’t see Jin Mu-hae, he felt hungry and sad, so he had eaten all the jellies and candies.
Even so, he felt an empty void in his chest. With a gloomy face, Joo-oh covered himself with the thin blanket.
Well, it’s okay. He managed to be able to go outside during exercise time.
No. 331 wasn’t the kind of NPC who dropped money when beaten, but after a series of “massage” actions, he had become reasonably kind and docile.
“I think a bone broke…”
“It didn’t break.”
Human flesh and bone are fragile; they crush with just a little pressure. He had beaten him with that in mind, but a guy as big as Jin Mu-hae was just exaggerating.
205 – I Became an Aberration in a Dead Game