Chapter Text
Eunjang High Security Prison
July 01, 20XX
17:45
It’s quiet for once in Sieun’s gilded cage, no background noises of guards shouting or prisoners clambering for mealtime. He lets out a relieved sigh at the welcome reprieve the interview room provides from the prison’s hustle and bustle. Within the plain white walls and cool air, Sieun both tenses at the threat of interaction and relaxes in the comforting familiarity of raw analysis. Here, the only sound is dual mingling breaths and his own voice. Here, he can bask in the brief silence—finally able to focus and concentrate on his work. Or he would be able to, if not for the enigma that is his first subject—Inmate 405.
Handcuffed and sitting ramrod straight in his uncomfortable seat, 405 looks as if he’s being held at gunpoint by Sieun. His breathing is shallow, and Sieun can’t determine if he wants to run away or inch closer to the space filled by the table separating them. He’s been unnaturally quiet ever since Sieun introduced himself and asked for his name—which Sieun of course knew from studying the prison notes—but politeness is customary in his profession, even if Sieun would prefer to simply get to the point.
Normally, Sieun would welcome this silence to think and analyze his subject, but the subject in question—Ahn Suho—cut the peace from his lovely quiet with his ever present, heavy gaze. Sieun busied himself by organizing his notepad and folder on the cool table; yet he couldn’t escape the inmate’s piercing gaze—almost shivering under its weight. But Sieun didn’t let up an inch. When he finished placing his color coordinated notes neatly onto the table, he glanced up to make direct eye contact with the inmate. Ahn Suho's eyes swiftly darted away, landing back onto his lap like a child caught eyeing a cookie. Sieun bit his lip—interesting.
Sieun estimates it’s been just long enough since his introduction that he could reasonably make another attempt at conversation, so he leans back and sighs, briefly considering what to say. Sieun unconsciously clicks his pen once while in thought, but cringes in regret almost instantly. Sieun’s professor would always reprimand him for his ‘distracting bad habit’ of clicking his pen during interviews—but this time it seemed to elicit an unexpected reaction. Sieun sits up a little straighter as he hears Ahn Suho’s voice for the first time, filling the silence of the soulless room. Suho had let out a small pained gasp, almost seeming like it escaped without permission. Or was punched right out of him.
Sieun flicks his eyes up, ready to analyze his microexpressions, but Suho isn’t trying to hide anything. There’s raw emotion on his face, in the set of his eyebrows and his wide eyes, a mix of sorrow and surprise and something unreadable. But it’s gone as quick as it came. Sieun clicks his pen again, testing the waters, but Suho’s wisened up. Other than a light twitch of his handcuffed hands, clasped tightly in his lap, Suho’s face betrays none of his inner thoughts.
Good thing that’s my job to figure out. There’s nothing Sieun enjoys, and simultaneously hates, than a challenge. But Suho surprises Sieun again by opening his mouth to speak of his own accord.
He sports an odd smirk on his face as he finally responds to Sieun’s query for his name from many minutes ago, “I’m sure you have my name in that glossy folder over there, right? Why are you asking for my name, Yeon Sieun?”
There’s a half second pause before Suho spits out Sieun’s name, one that’s almost imperceptible but still seems significant. Suho said his name so fast—it almost seems like he couldn’t wait to get it out of his mouth. Sieun’s fingers itch to note his observations down, but he knows he can’t start taking notes this early in, so he simply files it away in his memory for later analysis. But his mind still falters as he mulls over the comment. Sieun isn’t sure why some part of him trembles at Suho’s cold tone, since he’s well used to subjects wanting nothing to do with him and having to coax them into letting him in. But something about this Ahn Suho—his voice, gaze, and expressions—feels strange. Oddly fake in his coldness. Eerily familiar in his mannerisms.
Maybe it’s just how his eyes sparked the first time they really met—when Sieun first introduced himself to all the prisoners as “Yeon Sieun, investigative journalist interning here for the summer,” at mealtime. Maybe it was the way he stared right into him at lunch, almost knowing—You’re not here because you belong, are you? You want something. You’re searching for something.—before he transformed into a bloodthirsty beast, out for the blood of those two inmates. Maybe it’s the way his eyes never seem to truly leave Sieun’s, the weight of Suho’s gaze lingering even when his body language tightens up and his eyes drift back down to his lap. Maybe it’s just pure attraction—the man was good looking despite being in prison, rough stubble lining his jaw and sharp angles composing his striking face, as if he was carved straight from a marble statue.
But the oddest part of it was that no matter how Sieun dug into his psyche, he couldn’t pinpoint why Ahn Suho felt almost—magnetic. Yeon Sieun was anything if not self aware and aware of others. His whole job depended on it. Failing wasn’t something he was familiar with, so being at this loss for a concrete conclusion frustrated him to no end. Sieun narrowed his eyes slightly at Suho, whose expectant gaze was already on him. Ahn Suho, I will figure you out.
“I do know your name, yes. But it’s polite to ask anyway. We’re going to be talking a lot from now on, I want you to feel comfortable, for us to become friends,” Sieun responds cooly.
The instant he finishes his sentence, Suho noticeably flinches.
Sieun’s thoughts start running rampant—was it because of the word ‘friends’?—but he tamps down on his analyzing instinct, continuing without missing a beat, “So, that’s why I wanted to do a regular introduction. In my experience, pretending we met somewhere else, someplace a bit more normal will make this whole process easier for you.”
Suho doesn’t hesitate to counter, with gritted teeth, “It won’t make it easier for me.” The statement carried an air of finality with it—with a hint of anger thinly veiled underneath.
What an odd response.
But as his tone left no room for argument, Sieun relented, “Ah…I see.”
For once, Sieun felt at a loss for any calculated response. Not after that anomaly.
But Suho left little time for the silence to fester, anger fully unveiling itself as he continued, “So, Yeon Sieun, do you just offer to be every inmate’s friend? There’s a lot of prisoners here who don’t exactly want to be your friend,” he spits out the offending word with vitriol, “if you didn’t notice. I didn’t think you were that dumb.”
Sieun’s whole body tenses up, finger hovering back to his pen as his mouth opens involuntarily, “Actually, if it was up to me, I wouldn’t want to your friend, or any of the other inmates. I came here to do my job, not make friends,” He hisses out, “But unfortunately my job involves getting information from you. So I really have no choice, you see.”
Sieun blinks in shock at himself. That response was accidental, raw. He didn’t meticulously pre-plan it in a split second in his head, didn’t utter it in the exact cadence and tone deemed necessary for the situation—he spoke on instinct. And emotion. He unwittingly bore his true self, and left himself vulnerable. One word from Suho, calling him something as tame as dumb—when he’s heard omega whore and bitch thrown around plenty—and he forgot all his training. This Ahn Suho was going to be a problem.
With his true feelings and thoughts vulnerable to the vulture sitting across him, Sieun holds his breath in expertly concealed fear. But Suho’s eyes just widen at the comments. His steel expression breaks out into a wide smile, one that almost feels genuine.
“Now we’re talking,” he chuckles, slightly crooked teeth on display.
Sieun’s heart stutters in his chest. He’s unfairly handsome when he smiles, and that look—it was criminal. Familiar. He’s stunned for a moment. There’s something so eerily soft and old in that smile, that unguarded look. It’s distinctly different from the resigned, satisfied smile he’d seen him sporting after the guards pulled him off the incapacitated inmates at lunch. Sieun swallows, hand trembling over the ballpoint of his pen, taking a half second longer to collect himself than it usually would.
He matches Suho’s fading smile with a nod of acknowledgment, “Well then, Inmate 405, I’ll take that as a sign that maybe we can try again at the introductions. My name is Yeon Sieun, and yours is…?”
Suho’s already fading smile disappears in the blink of an eye. His eyes darken and face shadows under the weight of something invisible, something just out of Sieun’s reach.
His empty eyes don’t meet Sieun’s challenging gaze, but he responds nonetheless, “Ahn Suho. It’s…” He pauses, voice slow like an aching wound, “...nice to meet you, Sieun.”
Every word is dark with something like hate, yet tender with vulnerability. Sieun only clicks his pen, and opens up his interview folder.
Eunjang High Security Prison
July 01, 20XX
010:32
Sieun’s shaking. He can feel it in his bones, shutter through his being. The fear. His first day in a real prison—first day in the field. Sieun knows no amount of studying can prepare him for the field, for his first real interview. And as his professor used to say, no one really knows their field potential until they’re put on the spot. And for Sieun, he wouldn’t just have to prove his competence as the first investigative journalist to intern at Eunjang, but hide everything about what he’s really investigating. It wasn’t just his first internship on the line, but his everything. His missing past lay here, in this metal cage of constricting walls and high ceilings.
Sieun was shaken out of his own nervous reverie by an unnaturally cheery voice, “Yeon Sieun? Is that you? Over here!”
A man stood on the other end of the atrium, waving widely with both hands high up to the ceiling. Anymore, and he’d be jumping up and down in giddiness. Quite embarrassing. Sieun clicks his pen in disapproval as he makes his way across the impressive atrium. He hadn’t expected Eunjang’s lobby to look this upscale and polished, with tall green plants plotted along the edges of the sleek black walls. Sieun tilts his head up to appraise the arched beams criss-crossing the ceiling. He estimates the top must reach at least 8 stories high. Checks out, given that his studying revealed there were at least 5 blocks for prisoners alone.
Reviewing the facts over and over in his head eased some of his nerves. Interview techniques, the food rotation in the kitchen, the number of minutes it’d take to walk from the interview room to the nurse’s office—he had it all memorized. As he walks along the checker-tiled floor, the guards’ station comes in closer view. The idiotic man who was waving like he himself needed a psychiatric evaluation had finally stopped, instead simply standing with his smile undisturbed. He stood next to a laid-back guard with his hands in his pockets. Sieun decided he’d avoid the pair, instead heading directly to the end of the security area to the rest of the guards who sat oddly in awkward silence.
“Ah, Gotak, did you see that? He’s ignoring me,” the insane man whined.
Sieun tuned them out as he walked past them and didn’t hear “Gotak”’s response.
As he approached the gaggle of guards, Sieun spoke up, “Excuse me. My name is Yeon Sieun. I need—”
“Ah, the omega?” One guard spoke up from the group sitting in what Sieun now realized is the rest area. It looks different from what I studied…did they make changes? “You’re for them. Unfortunately.” They all laugh at the comment like fucking hyenas.
The guard kept staring with a leery gaze and Sieun’s eye twitched as he could feel his disgusting eyes roaming his body. His finger hovered over his pen, grounding himself to compartmentalize and analyze, not react. He couldn’t fuck this up by getting violent, not this close to answers.
Sieun looked a bit closer and almost let his jaw slacken from shock. Were they—smoking? The group of guards reminded him of a gang, now that he’s properly appraising them. It seemed that what Sieun previously assumed was awkward silence was just intoxication. They sat with their legs up, passing the lighter around quietly. Belts off as if they had just been—Sieun wrinkled his nose, pushing the disgusting thought out of his mind.
Sieun was the last one to be a stickler for rules, but this prison—it just wasn’t what he expected. A deviation full of contradictions. Fancy architecture and expensive fixings, but drunk guards smoking on duty. What he studied—and what he’s been reviewing in his head for the past few hours—might be useless. He took a deep breath in. That’s okay, fuck the facts. I’ll adapt.
Reluctantly he turned back around to the two guards who were still standing, patiently waiting for him. Gotak and Smiley. Damn, he was really hoping he could switch so he didn’t have to be with Smiley. He might complicate his job if he tries to pry too much. They smoke, but are still strict with guard assignments, huh?
“Finally decided to greet us, Yeon Sieun?” Gotak chuckled with a lopsided grin and heavy lean, hands still buried deep in his pockets.
Now that he’s up close to the two men, he could do what he does best. Analyze. These were his guard assignments, who’d be showing him around the prison and escorting him everywhere, so he had to get a good read on them.
But first, play dumb. “Are you my guard assignments?” Sieun tilted his head in mock confusion, while discreetly moving his eyes over every detail.
Gotak..wasn’t Gotak. His name tag spelled out ‘Go Hyuntak.’ Sieun supposed Smiley and Gotak were close then—enough to call each other nicknames. But Smiley did give the impression that he acted close with everyone, so Sieun still couldn’t conclude anything definitively.
Gotak’s grey uniform was perfectly up to dress code, in contrast to the little gang, who had their jackets fully unzipped. Smiley—Park Humin, by the name tag—looked slightly less presentable, with some dirt smattered over his shirt and an untucked collar that looked like it was for “style”. Still, these two seemed like perfect, model guards in comparison to the group behind him. Sieun is suddenly grateful for Smiley, as he thinks of the leering eyes he can still feel on him.
Speaking of Smiley, he seems like he’s itching for a second to interrupt Gotak, who’s explaining basic safety procedures and going over the security briefing. Sieun listens, but just to confirm it all matches up with what he studied. A lull in Gotak’s drivel, and Smiley pounces.
“Now that he’s done yapping about that boring stuff, let’s introduce ourselves properly. I’m still a little hurt that you ignored me, Yeon Sieun, but I’m willing to let it go for the sake of friendship,” he sighed like he was doing Sieun a huge favor, “My name’s Park Humin, but all my friends call me Baku.”
He winked, and leaned forward to bump him with his shoulder.
Sieun’s nose crinkled in annoyance. The audacity of this guard to act like they were old high school friends when they just met. He’s definitely going to be a problem.
Schooling his expression, Sieun turned to fully face Baku, simply raising an eyebrow, “Do I know you? Are we close?”
Gotak slapped him hard on the back, “Baku! You creeped out our assignment,” Baku choked a little and Gotak had to hide his laugh in his sleeve. Okay, they’re definitely close friends. “Sorry about that, Sieun. I’ve been rude too, I never properly introduced myself. I’m Go Hyuntak, but you can call me Gotak. I just won’t force you to, like Baku here.” An elbow to the side. Sieun hid his amusement.
Gotak then turned around, muttering something about an ID card, and Baku’s face suddenly became serious.
“Sorry if I made you uncomfortable,” Baku’s expression was as serious as Sieun thinks is possible for him. He bows low in sincerity, and Sieun nods at him on his way back up. “You can call me Park Humin if you want to, I won’t be mad.” Still, Sieun caught a small pout on the man’s face.
Gotak finally finishes fumbling around behind the desk, handing Sieun his ID card as he starts on another long-winded tangent about access and clearance. The ID card has his name and picture on it a bit too large for Sieun’s liking, but he clips it on nonetheless. He’s half listening to Gotak, scanning the room for other deviations from the blueprint, until the guard suddenly leans in close to Sieun.
“And Sieun…just stick with us. I’m sure you know this but you’re the only omega we’ve had around here in a long time. This is an alpha prison. Even some of the other guards aren’t exactly the savory kind. And make sure to completely stay away from the inmates.”
“How will I stay away from the inmates when I’m supposed to interview them?”
Baku let out a hearty laugh at that, and Gotak looked a little sheepish. But with his ID card clipped on now, Sieun had everything he needed from them. He clutched his pen to steel his nerves and swiftly passed through the metal detector. His luggage would arrive separately, but Sieun’s empty hands still felt odd. Two lefts after the kitchen, and then he can finally meet Juntae again.
“Where are you going?” Baku shouted, probably confused by his fast pace.
“Nurse’s office.”
“Why? Are you hurt?” Baku’s voice pitched up in likely performative concern.
“No.” Sieun walks fast, leaving Baku and Gotak further behind.
Baku jogs to catch up to him, “And how do you expect to find it? This place is a maze you know. On purpose. Prevent escapes and all that.”
“Shut up Baku, you get lost all the time.” Gotak slaps him on the back.
“Hey!” Baku shouts in indignation.
Their dumb exchange makes Sieun pause in realization. A mistake. He made a mistake on his first day. And a fatal one at that.
Come on, you have to act dumb. “You know what? Show me the way. Please.” He looks up at Baku through his eyelashes, watery eyes wide. Please don’t notice anything.
Baku chuckles nervously, rubbing the back of his neck with a shy grin. “I have to for safety anyway..” he grumbled.
Baku’s definitely all brawns and no brains, but Gotak seems somewhat sharp. If Baku hadn’t called him out, he might’ve actually revealed that he knows his way around here—like the back of his hand.
Fuck. Even now, Gotak might already be onto him. He glances in his direction discreetly, but finds Gotak already staring with a strange glint in his eye. But he looks away quickly, too soon for Sieun to analyze anything. Shit, does he already suspect me? No, no way. Probably just thinks I’m overconfident. Breathe, Yeon Sieun.
Just one more left until the nurse’s office.
⧪⧪⧪
“Well, here we are,” Baku exclaims proudly, as if he had navigated through a jungle.
Sieun steps in through the door, and quickly scans for Juntae. His luggage—a cute dog printed suitcase—is perched near the wall, but he’s nowhere to be seen. Still, Sieun pivots on his heels to face the two guards.
“Bye,” Sieun says dryly, making a move to close the door. He didn’t have to hide that he and Juntae knew each other, as it’d inevitably come to light, but there’s no benefit to showing his whole hand of cards on the first day.
“Hey, what are you—” Baku’s voice cuts off as Sieun slams the door with perhaps a bit more force than was necessary.
“I thought he wasn’t hurt?” Gotak’s voice is barely audible through the door. Perfect.
“Yah, Yeon Sieun! We’ll be waiting for you here! Don’t think you can get rid of us that easily,” Baku shouts through the closed door, somehow still loud despite the barrier.
Sieun shakes his head in exasperation, but a faint smile creeps up onto his features, quickly becoming a visible one when he catches a glimpse of Juntae in the doorway.
“Sieun-ah!” Juntae exclaims, glasses threatening to fall off his frame as he runs over to embrace Sieun.
Sieun stiffens at the tight hug Juntae gives him, still a bit unfamiliar with the other’s overflowing affection. Still, Juntae’s touch is comforting, if a bit tight, so Sieun forces himself to relax slightly into the hug. He doesn’t wrap his arms around him, but hides his soft smile into the crook of Juntae’s shoulder. Juntae squeezes Sieun even tighter in response.
“Juntae…Can’t breathe…”
“Sorry, Sieun-ah,” Juntae relaxes his hold, stepping away as Sieun gulps in breaths of sweet air, “But I couldn’t help it, I haven’t seen you in forever!” Juntae tilts his head sincerely, pushing his frames back up from their precarious position on the tip of his nose.
“It’s only been a month since school ended…”
Sieun would never admit it out loud, but he missed the other too. It was written all over his flushed face. Sieun breaks eye contact, looking away in embarrassment. Juntae, understanding as always, takes pity on him. He guides him through the office, talking his ear off about how hard it was to find his way into the prison and the odd security guards. Sieun nods, half listening as he scans the nurse’s office. Not one prisoner is here…and the nurse herself is nowhere to be seen.
“Juntae-yah, when did you get here? Have you seen the nurse at all?”
Juntae sighs, biting his lip in thought, “I got here…maybe 3 hours ago? I haven’t seen the nurse all day. Or any of the patients really. You would think there’d be a lot of fights and injuries in a prison like this.”
Sieun didn’t respond, mulling over his comments in his head. Juntae was right, this prison—if their suspicions were right—should have prisoners that are angry. Mad, deep in their bones, about their predicament.
“You noticed how expensive it all looks, right?”
Juntae nods solemnly, “It’s making me believe even more strongly we might have the right idea about Eunjang,” Juntae slides open a door, leading into a storage room with disorganized but plentiful medical supplies, “We can talk in here for now.” Juntae nervously darts his eyes around the vacant office before locking the door, leaving them in the dark of the storage room.
After a moment of silence, Sieun’s eyebrows furrow, “Where’s the light switch? Turn it on.”
“It doesn’t work.” Juntae presses on his phone flashlight, making Sieun squint from the sudden brightness.
“Do we have to be in here…”
“Sieun-ah, don’t tell me you’re scared of the dark!” Juntae giggles at his misery.
He’s evil. Why am I even friends with him again?
“Shut up,” Sieun growls.
“Hey, I’m not doing this on purpose,” You definitely are. “I know when we studied the plans, the whole office was supposed to be soundproof. Well I tested it—just in case, since I noticed a lot of things are different from the plans—and the entrance wall is soundproof, but the back wall isn’t. The warden’s office is on that side, so it’s best not to risk it. This storage room is fully soundproof though, so we should be good here. No cameras either,” Juntae rolled his eyes, “Not that I think those drunk guards are even watching the footage.”
Sieun’s eyes widened at the explanation. Juntae put so much thought into our plan. Just to help me. He clenches his fists. Juntae has done so much for him, followed him all the way to this dangerous prison just based on a small clue that Sieun might be able to find answers here. Sieun won’t let Juntae’s efforts go to waste. He will find what he’s looking for.
At Sieun’s silence, Juntae presses on, “Anyway, here’s something else odd I noticed. It’s weird enough that the room wasn’t in the blueprint, but it’s also not dusty at all. Seems like it’s being used regularly, but the medicines are all out of order. Some of them were scattered on the floor when I came in earlier. Clearly the nurse isn't going in the room to organize anything, so it looks like there’s just barely any patients. But then I don’t know why it isn’t getting dusty from lack of use…”
Good observation, Juntae. Sieun needs to keep an eye on this room. The location itself is odd as well—right behind the warden’s office.
Juntae continued musing, “Maybe the nurse just sucks at upkeep?” He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
Sieun instantly felt guilty, bowing his head to stare at the lone light on the ground, “Juntae-yah…I’m sorry. If it wasn’t for me you could’ve interned somewhere better. With a competent nurse.”
Juntae suddenly gripped his shoulders, and Sieun startled at the contact with a jolt. He could feel the intensity of Juntae’s expression even through the pitch dark, “Sieun-ah, no. This is more important. You are more important. No more of that talk. Let’s get to work.”
Defeated, Sieun could only sigh and nod in agreement. Still, the knot in his chest never fully went away, even as they exchanged their individual observations on the differences between the blueprint and reality of the prison.
“I’m not surprised it’s so different, with how long ago those blueprints were probably made. But this room…I mean it’s all still a bit odd,” Juntae worries his hand on his forehead.
“Juntae-yah, I should memorize this. Let me take some notes. Do you have paper? I have some, but it’s in my luggage in my room.”
Juntae shook his head in the negative.
Sieun sighed. He supposed he could wait until he got to his room. Grabbing Juntae’s hand, he positioned the flashlight so they could both navigate their way out of the room. But he failed on the first step—foot rolling on something cylindrical, Sieun fell. Right on his ass.
Wincing, he ignored Juntae’s shouts of concern, instead using the faint light from Juntae’s frantically waving phone to squint at the offending object. Sieun cringed—a single pencil caused his embarrassing fall. Sieun felt Juntae crouch down to try to help him up, but he gently pushed him away with a palm in his face.
“Juntae, I’m fine. Shine the light over there,” Sieun gestured towards the pencil.
An entire stack of papers scattered around the floor by Sieun’s fall revealed themselves under the small light. The pencil wasn’t alone either—there were plenty lining the way back like traps.
“Oh…that’s…” Juntae’s voice dropped down to a whisper.
Sieun agreed it was oddly convenient, and a weird location for so much paper and pencils. Still, using just one didn’t have any obvious consequences, so Sieun grabbed a paper. He looked to Juntae to confirm they were on the same wavelength, and while Juntae’s face was obscured, Sieun could feel his nod from the air. So he got to work, pulling his pen from his back pocket and pointedly not using the pencil that made him fall. Not being able to color code his notes was slightly annoying, but he could deal with it.
Minutes later, Sieun finished. The paper now showcased a neat and organized chart showing the blueprint differences, and a map of the differing areas. Placing it in front of Juntae, they both got to work memorizing.
“This probably isn’t all the variations from the blueprint. I’ll add to this paper after we fully explore the prison, and rip it up after,” Sieun explained to Juntae, who nodded in affirmation. Slipping off his left shoe, he folded up the paper and carefully tucked it in his sole. Sieun glanced down at his watch, eyes widening once he realized almost 30 minutes had passed.
“Shit. Those two are still waiting for me. Let’s go,” Sieun gestured for Juntae to guide them back to the office with the flashlight.
In the dark, neither noticed the mark left by Sieun’s foot on the stack of remaining papers.
⧪⧪⧪
Finally out of the dark storage room, Sieun basked in the welcome light, mouth softening in relief. Juntae gave him a knowing look, topped with a shit-eating grin, and Sieun’s face quickly soured in annoyance. Juntae’s smile only widened in response.
Sieun sighed in defeat, “Juntae-yah, will you come for lunch?”
“Ah..I’m not that hungry. I think I’ll just stay here and do some work,” Juntae made a faint glance towards the storage room, and Sieun understood. So he wants to finish investigating it.
Sieun narrowed his eyes. “Okay, but don’t push yourself too hard,” Sieun reminded Juntae strictly, “And eat after you’re done. I’ll find you after I get settled in,” And find a place to hide this paper in my room. Can’t say that out loud here, though.
Juntae nodded sagely, in a way that told Sieun he had no plans of following his advice.
Sieun shook his head, turning around to head out before Juntae’s voice called out to him again, “Oh, Sieun-ah! Who did you say is waiting for you outside?”
“Oh…my guard assignments. Baku and Gotak,” Sieun paused. “They’re annoying.” He half-wished the front wall wasn’t soundproof so the two could hear that.
“Guard assignments? Like escorts?”
“Do you not have your own escorts?”
Juntae pouted, “No…they probably gave it to you since you’re an omega. I’m only a beta so it makes sense.”
Sieun’s hand shot to his mouth, preventing his laugh from escaping, “Those two…have never even been escorts before. They were acting like two hot shots who do this every day,” Despite himself, a small chuckle escaped at the thought.
Juntae pushed him forward with both hands on his back, “Go scold them, Yeon Sieun!”
Sieun let Juntae push him to the door, offering a half-hearted wave goodbye before he stepped outside. Sieun’s eyebrows shot to the ceiling as he glanced at his very experienced guards, half-asleep on the ground.
For a couple seconds, Sieun observed them with a slight smirk adorning his face, before Baku noticed his presence.
Baku scrambled up, whining, “What took you so long? Was the nurse even there?”
Sieun ignored the two loud guards, facing away from them as they scrambled to regain their bearings, “It’s lunch now, right?” The yells coming from his right should be from the prisoners at mealtime in the cafeteria, if this part of the blueprint was still accurate, “I’m hungry.”
Determined, Sieun clenched his pen tightly into his fist. Time to meet his interview subjects.