Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Intense Gaze
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9:03 AM.
Deoksoon heads to Orca's office for her scheduled morning interview.
"Have a seat, Deoksoon."
"Ah, y-yes...!"
Orca begins the conversation as warmly as usual, watching Deoksoon, who still moves awkwardly and fussily but is starting to look a bit like a proper inmate.
"You've got 56 days left until your release."
"Y-yeah... hehe..."
Orca has no idea why she's scratching the back of her head like she did something great, but today, Deoksoon's attitude rubs her the wrong way.
Now that she's aware Deoksoon's ability could one day trip up both her and Crow, she can't treat her like a model inmate anymore.
"But a few weeks ago, you were caught in an illicit act with Crow. You even got sentenced under the telecommunications obscenity laws, and now you've committed another sex crime."
"Wh-what? Really?"
Orca's mind is already made up. Unlike Deoksoon, who's just blinking blankly, Orca has her strategy fully prepared before the interview even starts.
Deoksoon senses something's gone terribly wrong. Her survival instincts kick in, making cold sweat pour down again.
"You'll face trial again for that incident. That's all you need to know..."
"N-no! Wait, um... Correctional Officer...?"
Deoksoon bows and stammers out a question at Orca, who continues as if it's the most natural thing in the world. Her stuttering is so bad it's painful to listen to.
"S-sex crime...? And...! I've already done solitary for that...!"
"That was the prison's disciplinary action. Any changes to your sentence are up to the judiciary."
Wait, what?
This isn't right.
She has to get out in two months and eat all the delicious food she wants, do everything she pleases...
"Nooo... Correctional Officer? This is too weird. It wasn't a sex crime... Crow oppa—no! M-Mr. Crow said it was okay, so we did it with consent!"
It's a logical rebuttal,
but it doesn't faze Orca much.
"Yes, you can explain that at trial. I hope you serve your time properly and get out on schedule."
She's just following the regulations. Few could find fault with her handling of this case.
As a correctional officer, Orca simply reports internal sexual misconduct to the judiciary for trial.
Of course, with her influence, Deoksoon's chances of being found guilty and having her sentence extended are very high.
"You can go now."
"Y-yes...? No, Correctional Officer... this is really not fair... I've been a model inmate so far! I haven't caused any trouble...! And that really wasn't a sex crime...! Ask Mr. Crow!!"
"You did engage in sexually promiscuous behavior. And it did disrupt prison order."
Of course, this won't be the end of it.
Orca plans to scour for Deoksoon's misdeeds or provoke them to extend her sentence.
She knows it's wrong,
but she also knows she can't let Crow go like this.
She has to hold out at least until she bears his child,
or until he desires her intensely.
"Return to your duties. The guards will inform you about the upcoming trial procedures."
"Ah, ugh..."
That's why she hardens her attitude even more toward Deoksoon, who's now shedding thick tears. Deoksoon cries easily to begin with, but today she's especially distraught and wronged, tears pouring out.
"You're too harsh..."
No matter how much Deoksoon spread obscene materials and churned out content on her own whim,
prison life isn't suited for a simple, pure-hearted shut-in like her.
Deoksoon doesn't have the confidence to endure a few more months here.
She'd been toughing it out with just two months left in mind...
Sometimes, there are days like this.
Days when someone who's always grinning and sucking up to others suddenly curls up alone, sobbing without a word. Sad days.
10:13 AM.
"What's up with that bitch?"
"Who knows. You'd think her sentence got extended."
"Leave her be. Touch her when she's like that, and shit hits the fan."
Times like these, it's tricky to approach.
Especially in a prison's unique environment, where everyone has a few ticking time bomb buttons, even the weakest ones shouldn't be poked sometimes.
Today is that day for Deoksoon.
The day hope turns to despair,
and suffering doubles.
"Sob, hic... fucking bastards..."
She spends the day with a hollow face, bawling her eyes out. Tragedies like this don't suit a sensitive soul like Deoksoon.
Even back in school, she'd endured all the bullying and side-eyes with the thought of just hanging on a few more months,
but the prospect of enduring months more of agony feels like a death sentence.
"Fucking bastards, fucking bastardsfucking bastardsfucking bastards..."
The only ones approaching such a Deoksoon
are the beautiful Lily with her pink hair,
Crow, holding her hand and walking with her,
and Creep, trailing behind them.
"Deoksoon unnie, what's wrong?"
Lily speaks first. Her soft, gentle voice soothes Deoksoon's heart a little.
"I-I'm fine... mind your own business..."
But Deoksoon isn't in the mood to talk. Even on normal gloomy days, she'd just cry alone or masturbate to feel better...
Ah, but there is something she needs to tell Crow. Thinking about it, this mess involves him too.
"Sob, hic... I'm in big trouble now..."
Communication isn't Deoksoon's strong suit,
and she's used to getting beaten around,
so of course she can't articulate well.
Still, she pours out half her sadness and half her resentment to Crow about today's events.
"Th-they're saying... I'm going to trial for that time with you oppa... when we did it and I went to solitary... What am I gonna do..."
Her thinking was a bit shortsighted.
Lily had specifically told her not to call Crow "oppa," and Lily hadn't even known about their sex before.
Now, Lily learns every detail of the deal between them, and her expression hardens rapidly.
This big-titted pig dared spend happy time with her oppa?
"What are you talking about...?"
Crow, meanwhile, frowns, unable to grasp Deoksoon's sudden resentment. What has Orca done now?
"Tell me everything. Okay...?"
Crow doesn't harbor any real ill will toward Deoksoon. If anything, he pities her a bit.
At first, he'd felt repulsed by how she lusted after his body,
but now he places no value on his thoroughly defiled one.
He's confused by his own murky sense of justice, one even he can't fully grasp.
That's why he worries about Creep and Deoksoon. He feels no real hatred for Creep, who's like a child now, or Deoksoon, who's hardly villain material.
The ones he hates
are Justice and Orca, who shoved him into this hellhole.
3:04 PM.
Crow is dragged into the correctional officer's office, trembling from withdrawal. The two guards are drenched in sweat, clearly struggling to control him.
"Ah, Crow!"
Whether she knows that or not,
Orca is simply thrilled to see him and checks his condition.
His withdrawal symptoms are still severe,
and his eyes are bloodshot,
but he's not shaking like he's about to die anymore.
"Is your body feeling a bit better...? Huh? It is, right?"
Orca's actions grow more extreme by the day, but in contrast, she shows him a surprisingly decent side.
She needs Crow to recover his health and powers somehow. So she does her utmost to create a comfortable environment for him.
"Lie down first. Yeah, like that."
But Crow doesn't open his mouth. He grits his teeth, enduring all his pain and torment in silence.
"Why are you sweating so much? You don't have a fever... Are you hot? Is that it?"
Using her power to freeze a whole person to act like an air conditioner.
Someday, she might kick off the covers in regret over this embarrassing act,
but Orca has no other options.
"Say something. Why are you so quiet today? Huh...?"
Even as she bathes him in cool air, Orca feels uneasy. If he yelled or cursed at her, she'd feel better.
"R-right! Justice, yeah? Next time she tries to visit, I'll help you out. You never want to see her again, right?"
She peeks at his expression, trying various lines, but Crow gives no reply, just stares blankly at the ceiling.
Even through his trembling lips and eyes from withdrawal, Orca can sense immense rage.
Silent fury.
"...Fine, whatever. Don't talk, just rest."
Orca forces a calm demeanor as she covers him with a blanket. The moderate coolness and warmth only seem to torment his itchy body more.
No,
perhaps it's rejection of comfort. The awkward comfort Orca suddenly offers.
In place of gratitude, Crow shoots hatred from those dark eyes.
It pierces like it could bore through skin.
His intense gaze pierces even Orca's chill, filling her with hot unease.
And with that gaze,
Crow adds just one line.
"...Can't you stop with the disgusting shit for once? Huh?"