208 Warning Bells (1/2)
”Roll call!”
”One!”
”Two!”
”Three!”
”Four! Everyone's present!”
”Good. Get up; play time is here! Time to let you b*stards out of your cages.”
”Finally! I needed some fresh air,” muttered an inmate. He glanced at one of his cellmates discreetly, thinking about how much tension he had brought upon the room these past few days.
The aforementioned cellmate was practically dragging his feet as the group was ushered to the courtyard, where they would spend some 'quality' time with the other inmates.
There was a gloomy aura emanating from him, and anyone with eyes and brains would think twice before picking a fight with him. He'd been in a bad mood lately, and no one in the cell knew why.
The inmate thought back to the day before.
The young man was usually eager to receive his mail, but he did not show his usual excitement as he opened up the familiar pink envelope that he would always get every few days. Once he finished the letter, his mood plunged for some odd reason, as if he had just been delivered bad news.
The other cellmates had sneaked the letter out later that night from the place he would usually keep them, then secretly read it. They'd usually use the contents of the letters as material to make fun of the young man; which would often end up in a 'friendly' spar session once the young man found out about it.
The most recent letter was as flowery as the others; the sender, his darling sister, would describe her day to him, and every few paragraphs she would include words of affection to the young man.
As usual, the three regular diabetes-inducing phrases were scattered throughout the letter—'I love you', 'I miss you', 'Don't cause trouble, come out quickly'.
It was so sickly sweet that the other inmates would blanch at them; but at the same time, they felt envious. At least the boy had someone who was faithfully waiting for his release.
There was clearly nothing wrong with the letter, which left the three inmates perplexed.
While the group walked towards the courtyard, Hyuk could not help but think about what Jin Goo had told him the other day.
He was waiting for Yeo Ri to personally reveal the details to him, but the girl did not show any signs of doing so. It pained him that the girl kept the truth hidden from him.
He used to think that he was the person Yeo Ri trusted the most in the world, and that there was nothing she wouldn't tell him. But then again, even back when their b*stard of a father was still around, she didn't say a word to anyone either. Had he not accidentally found out about what was going on, she would've probably kept the secret to her grave.
He could not help but wish Yeo Ri would rely on him more often. If only he wasn't stuck in this hellhole, he thought. It was the first time he regretted going to jail.
Hyuk snapped out of his thought just as they stepped into the outdoors.
The sky was bright, nary a cloud in sight. It was a good day to stay outside.
The inmates were out and about, enjoying the little bit of fresh air they were allowed to have. Some sat in groups, and some were in pairs. A minority sat by themselves, and there were plenty of them who were walking around, exercising their limbs.
”Woah, woah, woah—”
”Oh, sh*t—”
”Back up! Back up!”