PASSION Chapter 5 Part 9

Chapter 5 Part 9

"There aren't many rooms. This seems much narrower than other floors."

"Why would we need it as wide as other floors? If a branch had so many people to lock up, they should just quit this human resource development nonsense."

"Ah, yes..."

Tae-ui closed his mouth without a peep. From the instructor's words, it seemed there weren't more spaces elsewhere. Well, if this whole floor was solitary, there wouldn't be much use for it being too wide. There wouldn't be that many people getting locked up in solitary anyway. Most of the rooms they passed had been empty.

Come to think of it, that guy who rushed into the cafeteria with a .50 caliber revolver wanting to kill Ilay first thing in the morning on joint training's first day must be stuck somewhere on this floor too... It would be quite something if he were locked up in the same room as Ilay.

"There were lots of empty rooms. Do people who come here all get single rooms?"

"Why waste electricity like that? We put together people who seem unlikely to cause trouble."

Though he wanted to say what electricity when there were barely one or two Christmas light-sized bulbs to turn on, the words that rose to his throat didn't leave his mouth.

People unlikely to cause trouble, huh. Then that guy Ilay would definitely get a single room. Wonder what kind of guy I'll be staying with for the next ten days.

The instructor stopped, presumably having reached the room for Tae-ui. It was a room in the very corner of corners. Maybe it was his imagination but it looked darker and narrower than other rooms.

Tae-ui thought it didn't matter either way. Even being slightly brighter would only mean one Christmas light's worth. Since he couldn't read books anyway and had nothing particular to do, he wouldn't need light. And though it was somewhat narrow, it didn't look cramped enough to feel stifling with two or three people locked up.

"Alright, get in there, you troublemakers. Cool your heads and come out. Don't cause problems."

The instructor kicked Tae-ui's behind after positioning him in front of the creaking classical rusty iron door that seemed to have cost quite a bit to make look old. With his wrists still bound by handcuffs, Tae-ui had no proper way to grab and support himself, so he fell flat on the floor.

"Ugh..."

Tae-ui grimaced as his elbows scraped across the floor. Fortunately the stone floor was smoothly polished so his skin didn't tear, but he would definitely bruise.

As he fell, his handcuffed fists that couldn't move hit the shin of someone sitting against the wall. Though hard to see in the darkness, that person silently rubbed his shin as if it hurt somewhat.

"Oh, sorry..."

Tae-ui apologized to that person while rubbing his elbow against his waist since he couldn't use his hands. Then there was a clang of metal hitting from behind.

"Here's the handcuff key. Unlock it yourself. Meals will come three times a day, modestly portioned. If you need anything, there's an internal phone on the wall to contact us. Know you'll be punished if you contact us for unnecessary things."

The instructor spoke sternly then turned around. His footsteps echoed softly as they grew distant.

Muttering "Old man, if you're going to explain, explain properly..." Tae-ui soon gave up and felt around the floor. Though he groped in the direction the key sound seemed to come from, he couldn't find it. The key must have bounced somewhere else after hitting the floor.

"Damn it, where did it go..."

Thinking surely he wouldn't have to stay with these handcuffs on, Tae-ui started feeling around a wider area. But even after searching for a while, the key wouldn't turn up.

Though he couldn't tell how much time had passed, after searching every corner of the floor for what felt like at least half an hour, Tae-ui finally sighed and sat down.

He couldn't tell which corner it had gotten stuck in. Plus with only fingertips and vague shapes visible in the darkness, even good eyesight was barely any help.

Tae-ui sighed and briefly stopped looking for the key to look around.

The room was dark. Looking up at the ceiling, there really was just one small yellow light - barely two or three times bigger than a Christmas light. Moreover, the light was so dim it seemed about to go out, only properly illuminating right below it, while the corners were pitch black and almost invisible.

There was only one man in the room - the one whose shin Tae-ui had unintentionally hit with his fist earlier. Though not clearly visible leaning against the dark inner wall where light didn't reach, he seemed to be silently watching this way. Some kind of shelf must have jutted out above his head casting shadows, as only around his knees and shins were faintly visible.

Tae-ui leaned against the wall beside him with an "alright." Then looking toward the invisible man, he offered a greeting of sorts:

"Looks like we'll be staying together for a while... Which instructor's team are you from?"

There were plenty of topics to bring up. How long have you been here, how long will you stay, how did you end up here, etc.

Though he didn't particularly want to make friends while locked in prison, they would be staying together for ten days, and it would only be uncomfortable to have an awkward relationship without talking. Though he didn't seem like a very sociable person, given how he just watched without helping at all while Tae-ui searched for the key sweating profusely for so long, still if he was someone easy to talk to, time would pass quickly and pleasantly.

Though he spoke with a bit of hope, the man gave no answer for a while. Tae-ui tilted his head.

Was he sleeping? Or maybe he didn't want to talk. Well, even Tae-ui himself would probably become unsociable and gloomy if locked up in such a dark corner for long.

Tae-ui scratched his neck. If he didn't want to talk, he had no intention of forcing conversation. He should just keep looking for the key. Since he couldn't find it even feeling around like this, maybe it wasn't just on the floor...

As Tae-ui sighed and felt around every corner of the floor with his body tightly bound by handcuffs and hard to move properly, a soft helpful voice reached his ears.

"It's stuck in a crack between stones in the corner right beside the iron door."

Flinch.

Tae-ui stopped his moving hands. No, not just his hands but his whole body froze stiff.

That voice from behind him came from the man locked up with him. It wasn't the unsociable and gloomy voice Tae-ui had imagined. Rather, it even had a faint trace of laughter.

However.

"I think I would have preferred an unsociable and gloomy voice..."

Though it was a tiny voice like an ant crawling, that man somehow heard it. He muttered "Haa" then said with a languid laugh:

"Is that your preferred type? That's unique. But I would have thought you'd prefer the voice of a slender young boy."

"Either would be far from your voice, Ilay."

Tae-ui muttered with a sigh. Then suddenly he rushed to grab the iron bars and tried with all his might to look outside. Though it seemed useless, he still wanted to desperately plead with the instructor to change rooms if he was still nearby.

I don't want to share a room with this guy. I still want to live.

But no matter how earnestly he cried out internally, the instructor who had disappeared wouldn't return, and even if he did, it was uncertain whether he would grant Tae-ui's wish.

Tae-ui internally cursed the instructor in charge of solitary in every way possible.

You crazy old man, you say you put together people unlikely to cause trouble, but what's this? What am I supposed to do locked up helplessly in the same room for ten days with this guy who kills people with his bare hands? And in this prison with nowhere to escape to. If I die here I'll haunt this whole solitary as a ghost.

As he hung limply gripping the immovable bars no matter how much he shook them, there was movement behind him. Flinch, he put strength into his fists gripping the bars and quietly paid attention to the presence behind him.

Ilay slowly stood and approached Tae-ui. The sound of skin lightly hitting the floor with each step, perhaps barefoot, grew closer. And when that sound finally came right up behind him.

"Il-"

Just as Tae-ui turned with raised fists, Ilay bent down. After feeling around the corner by the door for a moment, he held something out to Tae-ui.

"Hand. Give it here."

Speaking in a calm voice, Ilay showed no sign of grabbing his neck to strangle him or breaking his arm as Tae-ui had ominously predicted.

Tae-ui lowered his gaze to what he was holding. Though hard to see in the darkness, the long object that reflected light with a cold gleam seemed to be the key. Come to think of it, he had said earlier it was stuck in a crack in the stone wall beside the iron door.

"Ah, thanks."

Tae-ui held out his hands feeling caught off guard. When he obediently held out both hands together, Ilay grabbed the handcuffs, turned them to the keyhole side, and inserted the key. Clank clank, the key didn't move well as if rusted.

Wait. Come to think of it, though it was helpful, that means this guy saw exactly where the key fell and knew all along but just watched while I felt around the floor for so long earlier without saying anything. It's a bit awkward to just be purely grateful.

Though his feelings were complicated, when the handcuffs finally came off, Tae-ui reflexively thanked him again. As his hands that had been bound unable to move for hours finally became free, he sighed and shook them several times. If just having hands bound for a few hours was this stifling, how stifling must it have been for prisoners of old who were locked up wearing chains.

He briefly paid silent tribute to the ancestors who were now gone.

But anyway... With his hands freed and body liberated, one problem remained. Though this problem seemed most troublesome and dangerous, there was no key to solve it.