Annoying(?) Prison Life #2
The warden slammed me against the wall with a loud thud, grabbing my collar. He snarled, “Who the hell are you?”
“What do you mean?”
“How the fuck do you kill three people on your first day in here?”
Jacob and two others had died at my hands. Right after I killed Jacob, I’d thrown out some deliberately provocative words. The skinheads who heard them had ground their teeth and rushed me all at once. I’d brutally slaughtered two of them—crushing their gums, ripping off their ears, then snapping every bone in their bodies. After that, the remaining skinheads had been too terrified to come near me. But the commotion had drawn the guards, and they’d dragged me here. That was why I now stood in the warden’s office.
“I was only defending myself.”
At my calm reply, one of the guards standing behind the warden stepped forward and swung his baton across my face.
Crack!
A numb sting. My mouth split open, filling with the metallic taste of blood. For a prison that supposedly didn’t care who lived or died, the reaction to three dead inmates was surprisingly violent. The eyes of every guard in the room burned with murderous intent—like they wanted to kill me right then and there.
Judging by their reaction, Jacob must have been kicking a portion of his protection money upstairs to them. That would explain how he’d been able to move so freely, beyond the usual reach of surveillance. They’d all been making a tidy profit together. And I had just ruined their little arrangement.
Blood trickled from the corner of my lips. The bruised area swelled instantly. The warden stared at my perfectly composed face despite the pain and ground his teeth audibly. Without taking his eyes off me, he asked another guard, “What’s this bastard’s file say?”
One of them tapped at the device on his wrist, scanned my face, and read the results.
“Alex Song. Twenty-year-old Korean male. Arrested in Mississippi three days ago and transferred here today.”
“Charges?”
“None yet. He’s still pre-trial.”
“They caught him a few days ago and sent him straight here? Without a trial?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Suspicious son of a bitch. Must be some kind of terrorism charge, huh?”
I answered that one myself. “If it were terrorism, they would’ve sent me to a political prison. I wouldn’t have arrived in just three days.”
Slap!
My head snapped to the side. The warden had backhanded me across the cheek. He growled in a low voice, “Who told you to open your fucking mouth?”
“I was brought here unjustly.”
“Every criminal says that. You slaughtered three men and you’re still acting like it’s nothing. You must’ve been pretty well-known outside. What, boss of some Asian gang?”
“No.”
“Doesn’t matter. From this moment on, you’re marked.”
“I’d like to make a proposal.”
“What a joke.”
“You’ve all been taking kickbacks from Jacob’s crew, haven’t you? You, Warden, and every man in this room. The prison director is probably turning a blind eye too, right? After splitting it so many ways, there can’t be much left for each of you.”
The warden, who had been raising his baton to strike again, froze. He took a short, deep breath and slowly lowered his arm.
“That’s a wild accusation.”
“If it weren’t true, you wouldn’t have dragged only me in while leaving the actual instigators alone. And judging by that man’s expression over there, I’d say I hit the nail on the head.”
I jerked my chin toward the youngest-looking guard. The warden glanced at the man’s flustered face, then turned back to me.
“So what? What exactly is going to change? You planning to snitch?”
“Not at all. I intend to get out of here as quickly as possible. And I have more than enough power to do it. Until then, I’d like to live however I please. If you make things as comfortable as possible for me, I’ll send you enough money to satisfy everyone. In other words, I’m offering a bribe.”
The warden and every guard in the room flinched. They weren’t shocked by the amount—they were stunned by the sheer confidence in my tone, the implication that I could walk out whenever I wanted. My consistently relaxed attitude up to this point had only amplified the effect. If I had acted weak, they would have beaten me mercilessly without even listening.
“You don’t even have a commissary account. You’re broke.”
“I was thrown into prison suddenly and without warning. I never had time to deposit any money. Need proof? Just let me make one phone call and I’ll have funds wired in immediately. Who should I send it to? Your wife, Warden? Your kids? Or maybe your parents?”
The warden stared at me in silence, then pulled a phone from his pocket and held it out.
“Go ahead. Want me to give you the account number too?”
“I don’t need it.”
I took the phone with a smirk, glanced around at the bewildered guards, and dialed Marcela. The warden immediately snatched it back and switched it to speakerphone.
A moment later—
“It’s me. Wire two hundred thousand dollars to the warden of Florida State Prison right now.”
“Understood.”
The conversation ended there. The call disconnected immediately. The warden’s face flushed crimson then turned deathly pale. He clearly thought I was toying with him. He raised his arm to strike me—
Beep—!
His phone rang. He looked at the screen with an expression that said no way, and his eyes widened to twice their normal size. After checking the amount, he opened his mouth slightly and released my collar.
“How did you know about this account?”
“It went into the secret slush account you set up, didn’t it? I guarantee it’s completely untraceable, so don’t worry. If the amount isn’t to your liking, I can send more.”
“What the…”
“Just accept the offer. I’ll make sure every man in this room gets a generous cut. I’ll even take care of any annoying inmates you want removed. By the way… didn’t I just call you on your personal phone?”
“So?”
“And the secretary who answered naturally called me ‘boss.’ Didn’t you find anything strange about that?”
“……”
It had been an unknown number, yet the person on the other end had addressed me with perfect familiarity. The warden’s face twisted with unease as he realized it. I pressed my advantage.
“I’ll be out of here soon. Wouldn’t it be nice to make one last big score before I go? What’s the point of scraping by on those pathetic kickbacks? You have to split them with so many people anyway. With your measly salary, you probably can’t even afford decent meals. You look old enough to start thinking about retirement funds. So, what do you say?”
The warden took one step back. His eyes were still full of suspicion. He seemed to want to verify whether the money I’d sent was truly safe to keep. He might be wary now, but they had no choice but to accept. I was practically showering them with cash—an instinctual human desire—and the capabilities I had just displayed would have planted deep anxiety in the warden. If I knew about his hidden account, it stood to reason I knew everything about him and his family. And that was exactly the case. Marcela had already gathered detailed personal information on every single person in Florida State Prison.
“Hmm…”
Looking at the warden’s stupidly flustered face, I could tell he was extremely anxious. But what could he do? Among the inmates here were plenty of high-ranking gang members. If he’d chosen to extort them, he should have been prepared to face retaliation.
After a brief moment of hesitation, the warden’s aggressive posture softened.
“I need to confirm this is safe. I’ll hold off on answering until then.”
“How exactly do you plan to check? Do you even have the ability?”
“……”
“Do whatever you want. As for me, I’d like to rest today…”
The warden immediately understood what I was implying and nodded.
In a noticeably gentler tone, he asked, “Should I round up Jacob Pope’s crew? Or I could move you to a decent solitary cell for a while. Pick one.”
Even though he’d said he was postponing his answer, offering to lock up the skinheads for me was as good as accepting the deal.
“I’ll take the solitary cell. Throw in some blankets, decent food, and daily necessities. You’ve received plenty of money, after all.”
“Fine. But if this money turns out to be fake…”
“Kill me or do whatever you like.”
“Good.”
The warden ordered one of the guards to transfer me to solitary. It was the same man who had struck my face with the baton earlier, but this time he handled me with extreme care. Following his lead to the solitary cell, I was genuinely surprised. The room was twice as large as a regular cell. The mattress was thick, the pillow looked soft, and there was even a light switch inside the room. It was far better than “decent.” The only downside was the lack of a TV.
After locking me in, the guard said through the door, “Put your hands through.”
I obediently placed my hands on the large food slot in the center of the door. Once he removed the handcuffs, I asked, “The other solitary cells aren’t like this, are they?”
“Of course not.”
They must have renovated this one in advance for wealthy inmates. If every solitary cell were this nice, prisoners would be fighting to get sent here…
Still, the level of corruption here exceeded even my expectations. Then again, where in the world wasn’t corrupt?
“I’ll bring the items you mentioned shortly.”
“Understood. When is dinner?”
“In two hours… but if you need it sooner, just say so.”
“Bring it now. And give me something to read as well.”
“Got it. Oh, and… um…”
The guard hesitated. He clearly wanted to ask me for a favor. I gave him a gentle smile.
“Go ahead.”
“My wife’s relative is drowning in debt. Could you possibly take care of it? It’s about one hundred and thirty thousand dollars.”
“Phone.”
The guard glanced around nervously before slipping his phone through the slot. I dialed Marcela, told her exactly what Sinclair wanted, ordered her to handle it, and returned the phone.
“Check after you get off work or call to confirm. Whichever you prefer.”
“R-right. Understood.”
Sinclair, still half-doubting, kept muttering “no way” to himself as he disappeared down the corridor.
For the next two days, neither the warden nor any of the guards gave me any further reaction. They were probably still verifying whether the money was safe. Once they confirmed it, they would grant me complete freedom to do as I pleased and make sure nothing leaked to the outside. If all the guards worked together, they could fabricate any story they wanted. Covering things up would be easy.
Clink.
I was lying on the soft pillow with the back of my head resting comfortably when the sound of metal clashing against metal came from the door. I sat up. The food slot opened and Sinclair’s voice drifted through.
“Hey.”
“What is it?”
“You’ve got a legal visit.”
So the Doctor had finally come for me. Disguised as a lawyer, no doubt. I sprang to my feet and thrust my hands through the slot. Sinclair cuffed me, opened the solitary cell door, and even shackled my ankles before leading me toward the visitation room. He spoke quietly.
“Thank you.”
“The debt’s been taken care of, right?”
“Yeah. And… sorry about hitting your face earlier. You stay in a place like this long enough and your temper just gets worse.”
This was exactly why people—no, why a Demon King—needed power. The moment you showed strength, they bowed on their own.
“That’s understandable. I get it. Is the warden still not convinced?”
“He still can’t quite believe it. Honestly, two hundred thousand dollars appeared in seconds… You can understand why he’s being cautious, can’t you?”
“I suppose so. But you seem to trust me, Officer.”
“I’m quicker on the uptake than the warden. I read your file. You were arrested, locked up without even a chance to do anything, and transferred here in just three days, right?”
“Yes.”
“After what happened last time, you didn’t even have time to hire a public defender or a private attorney, yet a lawyer showed up. That convinced me you’re a big shot. I’m curious about your real identity, but I’d rather not know. Like you said, I’ll make things as comfortable as possible until you leave. Just don’t cause me any trouble.”
“You’re a reasonable man. I like people like that. My right to a private conversation will be protected, yes?”
I was referring to the prohibition of recording or monitoring inside the visitation room. Sinclair nodded.
“No cameras, no observers. However, once you’re inside, I have to secure your hands and feet. There’s no way around that. If I get caught, I won’t just lose my job.”
“That’s fine.”
We continued chatting until we reached the visitation room. Before Sinclair opened the door, I put on my best exhausted, pitiful expression.
Creak…
The door opened. Sinclair ushered me inside. In the cramped visitation room, I saw the Doctor standing there. She looked a little pale. She must have been suffering terribly. Seeing her after so long made me want to hold her tight.
She had been wearing an anxious expression, but the moment I entered, her face brightened. Then she saw my split lip, the wounds on my knuckles, and my swollen face. Her entire body began to tremble violently.
She remained standing in silence while Sinclair fastened me to the chair, never taking her eyes off me. Her pupils shook. Her body quaked as if she were experiencing an earthquake. She was clearly furious.
The instant Sinclair finished his task and left the room, the Doctor burst into tears.
“Hic…!”
She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around me tightly. Burying her face in my shoulder, she kept apologizing over and over.
“I’m sorry…! I’m so sorry, Jihyeok…!”
“It’s okay. I’m doing fine.”
My voice trembled ever so slightly. I wanted to look strong in front of the woman I loved, but the harshness of prison life made my exhaustion bleed through.
“Huaaang…!”
The Doctor, completely taken in by my act, broke down in heavy sobs.