The Sweetest Spice
In a luxurious old-fashioned room where gentle classical music flowed softly, two men faced each other.
One wore the bright orange jumpsuit of a prisoner, while the other stood in crisp, immaculate warden uniform.
“So, what do you have to propose?”
“It will be tempting.”
“It’s always been tempting, that’s why the flies are circling around.”
“That’s evidence that it’s full of substance.”
The warden, following the old custom of hospitality, first showed the guest that the food and tea were free of poison.
As a Russian and the world’s best mercenary who had traveled the world, Vladimir Borshch also knew this custom.
Soon, Vladimir brought the teacup to his mouth following the warden, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
In this era, since all troublesome tasks are left to machines, it’s not easy to taste properly brewed black tea, yet the man in front of him was quite skilled.
If a man devotes his heart to small but important matters, regardless of his personality or how dirty the surroundings are, it’s worth proposing something profitable.
“I’ve received information that there will be a major reform regarding Special Duty and prisoner management from the prison side.”
“Not surprising. You have countless eyes and ears.”
“That’s why I’ve come like this. To make a proposal to add just one spoonful of spice to that major reform.”
“More details.”
The warden’s posture became more relaxed, and Vladimir also smiled faintly while sending the prepared materials as data.
It was an information transmission method only possible among those wearing smartlinks.
The warden, who received the information, looked at it for a moment as if pondering something, then asked Vladimir with a puzzled expression.
“What is this?”
“It’s a money-making method that can be immediately applied to all prisoners if the prison side cooperates. The initial investment is not much, but the expected return rate is beyond imagination, according to our internal evaluation.”
“Really, this becomes a money-making method?”
“Then let me ask back. Is there a reason it won’t be a money-making method? In this world, there are countless fools who buy even stones lying on the street for millions after fancy packaging. It’s the same context as modern art, where a piece of trash with just one dot on a white canvas can be easily pulled in tens of billions using a famous painter and famous exhibition hall.”
“So, you can sell this expensively by using your reputation and connections?”
“Half right, half wrong. It’s true that I handle distribution and sales, but the supply must be provided by the prison side. More precisely, all prisoners who participate in Special Duty are the suppliers.”
The warden let out a soft laugh unconsciously at his answer.
After all, what Vladimir was asking for now was too absurd and unbelievable.
“Promise extra rewards to the prisoners participating in Special Duty, attach headcams and bodycams, and sell the media content containing their hardships, adversities, fears, chaos, despair, and death… That’s not sane.”
“But it will be tempting.”
“Not wrong.”
After all, a man like Vladimir Borshch, without considering his own position, suddenly comes to propose to the warden himself.
Moreover, the analogy he mentioned earlier also makes it tempting.
In this world dominated by extreme capitalism, even stones lying on the ground can be sold expensively with fancy packaging.
Actually, the luxuries and indulgences of the upper class and the rich never cease, and the pigs who have been at ease in peace for a long time desperately want bizarre stimulation they will never experience.
“What do you think prisoners imprisoned in this hellish prison value most?”
“...That’s out of the blue. Obviously, life, right?”
“People who haven’t experienced being a prisoner usually answer like that. But it’s actually different. What prisoners truly value is not life, pride, or petty power or pleasure. It’s hope.”
“An interesting perspective.”
“Actually, the reason prisoners in hellish environments work hard and struggle to survive is not because they don’t want to die, but because of that sliver of hope that they might survive. In fact, death row inmates know they will definitely die someday, but they still participate in Special Duty as earnestly as possible, don’t they? Even though it increases the probability of dying faster and more painfully.”
Hearing that, it made sense.
“And in this world, there are more than you think of perverts who think the tiniest hope others have and the horrible despair that overflows when that hope is shattered as delicacies.”
“……”
Vladimir knew who he was referring to.
People more than those who buy a single dot on a white canvas for tens of billions.
Actually, the real power brokers hiding behind the shadows, ruling the world.
That’s why they are the farthest from despair among anyone.
“The target audience for the business I proposed are exactly those people. Now you understand why I said the expected returns will be beyond imagination, don’t you?”
“You said that much, so it’s strange that you don’t know.”
Only then did the warden realize that he was not in a position to receive, review, and finally choose to accept or reject the proposal.
Vladimir had given him a stone called notification wrapped in a fancy proposal.
“But is it really okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Regarding that… weird space existing under this prison, active research by the government, military, and corporate alliance is still ongoing, along with strict information control. But if the most sensitive information here leaks out as video media to the outside, something unpleasant might happen, right?”
“You don’t have to worry about that. There won’t be any chance that this ‘content’ will be released to the private market, and if it is released by accident, we can handle it properly according to our method.”
“I don’t not trust you. I’m just saying to be careful not to let a spark hit me.”
“Of course. If this matter goes well, soon you will be one step closer to the center of power, Warden.”
He answered well and his tone was polite, but the warden did not accept Vladimir’s attitude and atmosphere at face value.
How could one belittle the legend of a mercenary who has seen everything from the underworld to this side?
But he had a clear position to protect, unlike Vladimir, so he had no choice but to maintain this attitude.
For that reason, the conclusion came easily.
“Good. In the process of the major reform, we’ll introduce your system. Instead, we can’t force all prisoners to participate. Otherwise, they might feel something’s wrong and reject as a group. So, have the prisoners record videos of the Special Duty area for research purposes, then we buy them first and send them to you. How about it?”
“Then the procedure will become too cumbersome. Rather, we’ll buy directly from your General Store, so just create the underlying system. For example, like the ‘auction hall’ system where prisoners can freely trade goods inside the prison.”
“That doesn’t seem too risky? I know illegal implants, weapons, drugs, etc. are already being traded in the dark.”
“I said it earlier, but what prisoners value most is ‘hope.’ The hope of surviving, the hope that the future will be better than now, the hope that the small happiness they are enjoying won’t disappear. Those who are rotting in prison holding onto that one hope will not shatter their own hope.”
Why do prisoners who are about to be released suddenly make extreme choices? Because there is no hope.
On the contrary, why do death row prisoners live hard every day? Because there is hope.
Hope becomes the driving force of life and the reason for struggle for humans, and it is also the sweetest spice in the world.
Soon, when the major reform starts, all prisoners will feel enormous despair.
The more that happens, the more hope grows, and there is nothing better than harvesting ripe hope as content.
“Then, I understand the conversation went well. The upper bosses will surely be pleased with the warden’s cooperation.”
“...It was a fruitful conversation.”
Vladimir left the warden’s office first, and the warden left alone stared blankly at the teacup for a moment.
Thinking, perhaps the one most obsessed with the hope he mentioned is himself.
“How many no-shows are there in the Special Duty area we are responsible for?”
“Ha, out of the 250 prisoners sent to the Special Duty area... all 250 have no-shows.”
“Other areas? Naturally, other areas should be similar, right?”
“No. It’s said that other areas are not much different from the average return rate.”
“Damn it!”
The warden swung his prosthetic fist hard at the subordinate’s shocking report.
Because of that, the iron desk was greatly crumpled, making it hard to recognize its original shape, but what was important now was not the desk.
Soon it was close to midnight, and not a single prisoner returning from the isolation rooms of the Special Duty area he was responsible for had returned. Not even one.
Normally, about 200 to 300 enter, and about 70 to 80% return, and on good days, 90% return.
On the contrary, even in the worst case where return is really bad, half returning is the worst case, but to think that an unprecedented situation where all no-shows would happen this time.
“You damn idiots……!”
The warden desperately tried to resist the urge to tear his hair with his prosthetic hand and ground his teeth.
Given that such a situation has occurred, even if they have no responsibility, punishment will come.
The country called Korea, when something happens, is a custom to first cut the tails from the top, and grab a few lower officials who are easy to handle and give them a hard time.
They won’t get severe punishment, but even light punishment or warning will have a great impact on the performance review.
Already, due to hard work schedules every day in the prison full of criminals, stress-induced alopecia has come, and now if there’s a blemish in the performance review, how many hairs will fall is unimaginable.
Right at that moment.
“S-Senior! Look at this!”
“...What?”
“A call just came from the isolation room in another area. One prisoner sent from our side has just returned to the other isolation room.”
“What?! Who is that?!”
“Prisoner number... 77777.”
77777, a familiar prisoner number.
Recalling memories, information about a new orange inmate who entered about two weeks ago came to mind.
And the additional information that this new orange inmate is currently being watched quite a bit even inside the prison as a super lucky guy.
“I, immediately request handover! I need to check what happened in the Special Duty area he was sent to!”
“Yes!”
Eventually, after requesting prisoner handover to the guards managing that area.
The rumor that the only returning prisoner from the Special Duty area of 'Modern City Style' achieved 3 returns and 3 record-breaking profits simultaneously spread instantly.
Also, the rumor that the protagonist was covered in blood and flesh and using the public bathroom alone.