He is a legendary prison guard

Episode 21
What’s Up with This Prison?

In less than two days, Shi-hyun became a celebrity among the documentary team.

Every time inmates caused a riot, the CRPT team would rush in and resolve the situation in an instant.

When seeing the furious inmates with red faces turn into docile sheep in an instant, one couldn’t help but wonder if it was all staged.

Perhaps thinking such scenes would greatly pique viewers’ interest, the main PD of the documentary team instructed the new PD, Han Yi-seol, to take charge of Shi-hyun.

Thanks to this, Yi-seol prepared a dedicated camera to follow Shi-hyun and captured every moment of him from the morning.

She also asked questions whenever she had the chance.

“What made you choose to become a prison guard?”

“I just chose my university and major based on my scores, and it happened to be the correctional protection department at Kyonggi University. As I went through college, I wanted to utilize my major, so I decided to become a prison guard.”

“I noticed that quite a few guards wear masks while on duty. Is there a special reason for that?”

“Oh, that’s because this is a building-type prison, and the ventilation isn’t great, so there’s a lot of dust. You can’t see it well, but it’s there. Among those who have worked here for a long time, there are several with respiratory issues. It’s a sort of occupational disease. So, wearing masks helps filter out some of the dust.”

“You seem to calm down the inmates who cause trouble very easily. Do you have any special techniques?”

“Haha, I’m sorry, but that’s my trade secret. No comment.”

“It’s lunchtime, Han PD. Let’s take a break.”

The assistant director said from behind.

<0x18> <0xCD> ◈

“Hey, Han PD. Did you hear? There’s a huge uproar about the inmate interviews.”

While eating in the prison cafeteria, a senior PD approached and spoke to her.

Yi-seol put down her spoon and looked at the senior PD.

“Why? Is it that the inmates aren’t cooperating well?”

“No, it’s not that. They’re all crying and causing a scene.”

“What? Is that a problem?”

Before filming, Yi-seol had watched several documentaries dealing with correctional facilities.

It was common for inmates to burst into tears during interviews for various reasons.

Of course, some cried out of remorse for their victims, but she felt that most were lamenting why they had made such mistakes and ended up wasting their youth in prison.

So she thought that the inmates crying wasn’t a problem. But why was there such an uproar?

“Exactly. They say you’ll know when you see the footage later. I haven’t seen it yet either, but the main PD is worried about it. They’re concerned that if the inmates’ reactions are all the same, people will think it’s staged.”

“Really? I’m really curious about how it turned out.”

Yi-seol looked very curious.

How could all the inmates have the same reaction? Everyone has different lives, personalities, and backgrounds.

“Right. Let’s watch it after today’s shoot.”

<0x18> <0xCD> ◈

“Wow….”

Yi-seol squinted and adjusted her glasses as she watched the inmate interview footage.

There were scenes she had never seen in any documentary before.

How is prison life for you?

She only asked a simple question.

But suddenly the inmate frowned and showed a deep expression of remorse. Soon, his eyes turned red, and he began to cry. Struggling to speak through his tears, he stammered:

I’m living too comfortably compared to my crime. Sob… I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry to the victims. During the remaining time in prison, I want to live with a repentant heart. Waaaah…

The inmate, who had a fierce appearance, was sobbing uncontrollably, which seemed completely out of character.

Whether sincere or not, it looked like he was genuinely regretting his actions. If this was acting, he should immediately become an actor.

It wasn’t just one inmate.

When you’re released, is there something special you want to do?

Again, it was just a normal question.

-Hah… I want to personally apologize to each victim, but I can’t bring myself to do that for fear of bringing back bad memories. However… However… I want to sob.

The inmate wiped his flowing tears with the back of his hand. He truly seemed remorseful.

-I’m sorry… sob…  I want to work hard and earn money to repay even a little of what I took from the victims.

The same went for other inmates’ videos.

Yi-seol stood up abruptly.

“What is this? Is there some brainwashing going on in this prison?”

… If it were just a couple of them, it might be understandable, but all of them?

This was utterly ridiculous.

“Even if you beat them up, they wouldn’t cry like that.”

The senior PD shook his head in disbelief.

“Right? It doesn’t make sense, does it? Is this even possible? It’s just mind-blowing. But it’s real. It’s genuine.”

The main PD looked excited.

“I guarantee that if we edit the teaser well and promote it online, we could hit 8%. 9%? No, maybe even over 10%.”

“Documentary 72 Hours” usually records ratings around 5-6%, but episodes dealing with intriguing subjects often exceed 10%.
The highest rating was 14% when they covered their comedy program.

“But this seems too manipulated, doesn’t it?”

The senior PD said.

Yi-seol nodded in agreement.

“I was worried about that too. But logically, does it make sense for the inmates to collude? Viewers know exactly what kind of people they are. They’re not the kind of people who would easily comply. When we filmed, I was shocked at how many troublesome complainers there were. But that’s exactly who’s here.”

It seemed that the main PD, who had been troubled by this, decided to go ahead.

“But, you know.”

Yi-seol raised her hand.

“I think it’s fine as it is. But if we show Shi-hyun the prison guard subduing the inmates, it loses all realism. If we combine the two.”

“Ah, whatever! Just go ahead. When have we ever staged a broadcast? We have the trust of our viewers built over time, so let’s just go with it.

This episode about Daehan Prison feels like it’s going to be a hit. You can’t find footage like this anywhere else. I’ve watched almost all foreign documentaries about correctional facilities, and nothing like this exists. After it airs, it’s bound to be a sensation.”

The main PD smiled as if envisioning high ratings.

“Oh, and this time, don’t let the assistant director handle the teaser. Han PD, you do it yourself.”

<0x18> <0xCD> ◈

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Han Yi-seol thanked Shi-hyun.

Though it had only been a short time, they had spent a lot of time together, and she had developed a bond with him.

Though they hadn’t known each other long, he seemed like a decent person.

In terms of work, he handled his duties perfectly, making her feel that he was truly a born prison guard.

“Thank you too, Han PD.”

Shi-hyun offered his hand for a shake.

He was around her age, and it was impressive that he had passed the notoriously difficult media exam to work as a public broadcaster.

Yi-seol smiled and accepted his handshake.

“If you don’t mind, could we exchange contact information?”

Her intuition told her that this man, currently at level 9, could become someone far greater in this field than anyone could imagine.

“Wow, thank you. It’s been a long time since a woman asked to exchange contact information.”

Shi-hyun joked as they exchanged numbers.

“Make sure to watch the broadcast. Officer Shi-hyun will be featured a lot.”

“When is it airing?”

“In three weeks.”