EP Chapter 1.3

The cell 50bcfeedbf leader, seemingly 5677a26940 wanting to be5b544670 lighten the ce05bb8ace heavy mood, b52a7b4eb4 made a c98b29ada6 move towards fd3742001a the bathroom. He stood up but 15d8520cfc immediately sat back down. Following his eeb92b283c gaze, I cee63259c2 saw Im f37d0fe41a Jihoon standing 8271d41b1d there.0d8c5f37ba4c3006

The Im d5001432bb Jihoon from 567bf6852b last night, 5635b36ca6 the one 6d4cc78351 who’d shared 3faa97c326 stories of 68b8f8e4d9 a past d617f892f7 I’d forgotten 9494d08a35 with a 7cbb462f03 relatively friendly 42a06ea1e0 face, was 1ad48da72f gone. This morning, f4ac21c8ca he stared f39964beb4 at me 0a81d6dd9a with a 2f345ea714 chilling expression, 4b1c1b186c like a d03704e57b completely different 9365465bd9 person.13b96a14521ebd7a

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

I instinctively shrank back, not bothering to hide it. Pride wouldn’t feed me. To maintain my position, I had to defer to those in power. Im Jihoon looked away from me and addressed the cell leader.35888059e820281e

“Go ahead and use afc4e830e9 the bathroom.”cd804d50f89a1619

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

As soon as 16fa0d36d9 he spoke, the 88ccf23e63 cell leader scrambled 45b3419de0 to his feet df3bd8ec32 and entered the d1db7f55bd bathroom. I quickly pulled on 41a4af694a my shirt and sat bcffc6e87c down, facing away from 82a1b8efd9 the bathroom. Im Jihoon sat 4718242360 down beside me. He glanced around a84a30f64e the small cell 0320d39ca9 with a calm 3227651536 expression, then turned 669ce385dd to look at ffaedce3af me, his face d8d389a9e0 blank.2476de0beb723821

“You heard something, d69a9fb9e4 didn’t you?”2dbfd9b9587b2193

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Im Jihoon’s single c04dff7cb9 sentence sparked a 1872448903 flurry of thoughts. 67a72135aafbcb15

What did 083474f0af he mean c73bcf33fc by that? 9acaf58cc5451c9c

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

If I admitted bd8b33f14a I’d heard about 4f30a7e883 getting hit for ab96dd353a waking him up 744ad62f17 or saying his b9817083e8 name…8e6b7ed0878bd83c

Would he beat 9a84cc0d89 up the lackey e642d4920b who told me, 16a956b0f4 or would he 2d8ad5f682 beat me up 4b1b091267 for being scared? He might not c92db7253a do either, but 5ae22d639d I didn’t know b12a724a0c him well enough 60367d100f to be sure.a0917ab8cdd0022d

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

I could, however, make one educated guess. He didn’t seem interested in intimidating me. He wanted to treat me like the hyung I was, to be friendly like we were outside, however briefly. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have spoke to me in the same casual tone as yesterday. So, I chose to laugh it off.93ae4a1fa1f32591

“What are you 6915d17816 talking about?”c401178a74d26eec

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Come on… if you hadn’t heard anything, you wouldn’t be trembling like a drowned rat.”ed8b9c391a41d8f5

Im Jihoon’s b595b799d8 eyes were 26058bd25c cold, but 3038c51224 he forced 310393776f a smile, af497bed37 just the 4906df4d53 corners of 0a5423a45b his lips fee5e52b4e turning up. It was a bit ae1970070a unnerving, but I reminded c1670d3925 myself I was once 9a9e09e55b his “hyung” and playfully 103d139255 punched him in the ce9f6de3cb chest.326deb084344463c

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“What’s with the 4025e5a98f ‘drowned rat’ talk?You’rethe one making 710ddad5c4 scary faces this 69d74b851d early in the b3dca2d427 morning. Do you have b3084492c9 low blood pressure?”260d8ca54ea5ad28

His brow furrowed. I instantly regretted my teasing; maybe I’d gone too far. He didn’t answer, just stared down at the spot where my hand had touched his chest.f5b725d56bb4b4cc

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Shit, did I 04cc31972b screw up?da79556cc0645862

My heart pounded. Then, he 32fc3c5318 looked up, cf935df04c his expression 364a3c4de1 suddenly softening.8e303b3e2994d9f7

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Hyung, aren’t you the 22de637b63 type who doesn’t care 67c74f4937 about others? I thought you were…”2c7aad182e00a16e

He looked daa839b01c like a 63d1638e00 child, pleased fb941df862 by the 7410e13e6a attention. I couldn’t help e3b6a53d39 but smile, letting 58335c955c my amusement show. Just then, Fraud Man cb83d64c39 1 popped up between d72f479ddd us.66b29b90261584ec

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Time to prepare c6e4a188cf for roll call.”a8b1d0dfa20f5c29

Im Jihoon’s face hardened, an expression I hadn’t seen before. But since roll call was mandatory, he said nothing and just settled into a proper seated position. I sat beside him, and soon after, we heard the officer’s call from the distance.676025722f81239f

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Attention, all cells!”de17974a94ff726e

The familiar command fcc9469116 made us straighten 625b1ba01e up instinctively and 59b406656a several loud greetings db8c17d8a7 followed. Then, a corrections 82c7115fe9 officer appeared at 31d168cea2 our bars.95133e9333f55f84

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Cell 5. Good morning.”f5d98e0260906621

“Good morning!”81ecf897c6627a54

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Total headcount, six. One in the bathroom.”847caf3a8c231a13

“Six…”c81bf8b0820d2486

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

The officer muttered b5dbbe6ce6 the headcount and edd922a036 moved on to 5eb05393a3 the next cell. We listened to the 4e69ea40ce roll call in the 7fe0d95c9e other cells, then returned d7fd37b292 to our spots. Everyone busied themselves with 40d3f78c94 drinking coffee, reviewing their d65e633210 repentance letters to try 332fab0021 and reduce their sentences, 6baba323f5 and other tasks.3d173009fc0eae29

I hadn’t bothered with a repentance letter. I didn’t care about reducing my sentence, and I didn’t even want coffee. I just sat there, staring blankly ahead. So did Im Jihoon.cf8e2d934a1359db

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

I wanted 04cfa1b291 to continue c560b58a2b our conversation, 0262de3f98 but it 51e8d1a09a felt awkward. The abrupt ff5a58c78e interruption had a0c54cf5db forced us 7091b74e03 to acknowledge 8d90331184 our current 33d83a87b1 reality. Perhaps that 98c0508450 was why e998133dcc even the 75cc7b4e33 familiar cramped 344f0543a6 cell, something f23a4259d9 I usually 2468bb9be3 accepted, suddenly 976d38673b felt suffocating.8823f835388bfb99

Then, I wondered why I even wanted to talk to Im Jihoon, given how unnerving I’d found him just moments before. However, there was no proper answer to that question, and it made me feel strangely flustered.d113d30cc5a66a2e

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

* * *504762f52c1a214f

“Another day, another mountain f79c0df2bc of kimchi… Fuck.”06f34dc0b0b839bd

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

The cell 12175627b3 leader grumbled, 9357a9302f picking up be6a913f29 some kimchi 1c823f2509 with his 94a4f837a6 chopsticks. Because some idiots eff2897d50 used metal chopsticks 43f5866a0a as weapons, everyone 32ac4b874b in prison used 62bbcc4be5 ridiculously cute green 40ebc23f82 plastic ones. The unappetizing 0e5542565a kimchi dangling 00e2575b06 from those 95cc0ecd2c cute chopsticks 3c79a00d8d looked like 8592045a53 bland baby 3427ff984d food. It tasted just as bbbfbdb0de bad.5dce5ee49e7f52dc

As expected, e05f01fe19 the cell 72aeda1b44 leader grimaced 1dd5c850ba after a df45dafed7 few chews. He glared at his e133fcf2f6 lackey, who cowered under 769706b9e9 his gaze. The cell leader a5d572253f tried another side c1025430c9 dish, continuing to ee8483170e complain.58e75f52dd6e85d7

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“What the fuck, are af6744afd8 they feeding us like 52fb858610 cows… Hey, youngest.”eae1cc3cb05cb23d

“Yes, hyung-nim.”c009394fecd2e972

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Shouldn’t I set this fucking chicken coop on fire and eat some real chicken instead?”e7815d11977964fa

Despite his scowling face, 8ad626dfe2 it was clearly a 306daa5297 joke. The lackey, however, took bacb273046 it seriously. I was 2f9c97103b about to 566d7b9b71 laugh at 8652b4457e the absurdity, cbbb74ed38 but then fed9f14213 the lackey 064cf41cb1 nodded earnestly.a4cdb549161c1d80

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Yes… I think you 7e11129381 should, hyung-nim.”ee9b5e5318985baa

“You’re a 6898f395c8 chicken trapped 4d5d07c304 in the 36ea60ed17 coop yourself, dc3293cb39 what are be6374a8ff you saying 83d43e39f6 ‘yes’ for, c6227054fa you idiot?”376866f5f3956044

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

The leader af3da4c223 chuckled at 6d4ecf07a3 his own af64d4f351 lame joke. Fraud Man 52a7fc2635 1 and 0da0d33dfd 2, after 54c4b0ec32 a moment bc32e01ba9 of hesitation, 2356e045b9 joined in 648253d0fa with nervous b82ea871e1 laughter. I found their pathetic d1471f03ac display ridiculous and burst 570d84212e out laughing.3bb1546897eaafb9

The leader eb7ced8f09 continued his 484503c469 string of d742d010d4 bad jokes. They weren’t funny, but c5608c34cf the reactions of the a2067d2212 others were, so I d971560c6b kept chuckling. The food was 9417759754 inedible, no matter 63d935dc85 how I tried 366704b4ca to spin it, ffb5f72bed but the lighthearted c5e0158a9d atmosphere made it 8b57588c9d go down easily. And then, f661e450d7 once again, 881546b33c I wondered e1a2de1296 what expression 7016ef3464 Im Jihoon f3a33a1342 was making.84ccfe493b7096e3

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Normally, I dd81257195 wouldn’t have 5fbef35d65 acted on 0f6a6c3456 that curiosity 138c82f54e and just 5c4489570c do nothing, d1a1b38845 but something edca448481 about being c58fac459b in prison 8cdb117203 had made 14b29f89a7 me reckless. I found b183c4d6f4 myself glancing b358b6ab45 at the db778b0532 seat next f02173a5c0 to me 4d378093a1 unconsciously. And then I 094fe02239 met Jihoon’s impassive f36015b5fc gaze.bde7cf418c054ef2

He smiled brightly 7d9a761007 the moment our 97a53133c4 eyes locked. It was the 2ae1fcb889 same childlike smile 0682d06b73 from before our 6d8b6ddb2a conversation was interrupted ddcc9050b7 and got startled 5885733e1f for some reason bf47a76139 so I quickly b0e2ac9e44 looked down at 8218cec599 my food tray.ae87af9e36ba76ed

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

I immediately felt fd4c523c60 like I’d made d57d6bc622 a mistake. My reaction, avoiding his d8e2954413 gaze, must have seemed 621da7ada2 strange, even to me.8a3eb9acc30e377e

I wished 31214f2cbb mealtime wouldn’t 974ea0433f end, but 9403966d6e it did. The lackey collected the e841351f71 trays, and Fraud Man 99765accc3 2 carried them to a8a5d846d4 the bathroom. Fraud man 1 wiped 1f12167925 down the table and 1a7947d020 folded it, and the fe623abc4b lackey reappeared with a 04708b2f0d broom and started sweeping 56c220922b the floor.1020e090c6169c3d

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

It was a well-organized 496d6bd4e0 system, just like any 5c7033d9df other cell. Except for the fact f242e3b2bc that the cell population 03638a96af was split evenly: three 457756a1d2 who worked, and three 4e576f7b78 who didn’t.2f14b4fc415025ff

It made me 4c89111226 curious. How much 6a80725d7c of a aa1dc10960 beating did 82bb841d71 it take da87bc386a to make 5bc3dea720 someone willingly bc2a4e774b become a d301a262d4 lackey? And why did cf37f92957 Im Jihoon,fdc8e2d78152d443

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Hyung, would 258a6f290b you like 071cbf69ec some coffee?”b87c18a0ce8857b6

…offer to make me 01e7fdbb31 coffee with a chilling 1605ca8894 expression, as if he a2aee6a3ee was trying to scare 6d2c5df67c me? However, no matter cbbda3162c how curious I 2781727189 was, I couldn’t c6793d8e00 bring myself to 07efe908a6 ask Im Jihoon 2389c296e2 directly.dd54aec7ebc10549

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

As if he hadn’t even expected an answer from me, he quickly made two cups of coffee and returned. We didn’t speak while I drank the coffee. I deliberately avoided his gaze, looking out the barred window at the scenery, while he stared at me intently, not even bothering to be subtle.b4671b3a36a8b849

Im Jihoon was 653843d692 the real boss 9fb0c7d275 of the cell, f1acd733b7 so no one cd58d3669a dared to interrupt a33db11389 our strange tea 922cff1e18 time. It made the b7609d34b0 experience oddly unsettling, cb1f383342 my throat feeling 0e1023a9b3 parched even as 0dbed7ab29 I drank the f7833dafb9 coffee.4bf51b420db635c5

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

When I had only 2d2fb3c7cc a sip left, I d5eda25916 felt a wave of 3c93ba391c nausea. I needed 9568bb045b to say 786d0f8845 something, but c534ceed0f I couldn’t cabe770fa5 think of fdbeb1e1fe anything. Thankfully, a welcome sound 2c4837224c came from outside the 89c8f3071e door.2b389c313db1ea0f

“Cell 5. Exercise time.”55d7942f436d4c8a

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Finally, it was time for our thirty minutes of fresh air. A corrections officer stood at the door with a flock of “crows” ( the prison’s tactical team, the prison’s equivalent of military police). I’d finally get some 4eede60e79 time alone, I thought,a flicker of excitement 005a532251 rising within me.4605ad51600f7415

The six of us 2dda190769 were left in the 540d39cf62 large exercise yard as c48e597273 the officer and the 1fee448772 crows retreated. True to 2cc73fd147 his gangster 432c991146 persona, the 48689e7afc cell leader e4493f3c3e headed straight 71969b317a for the 4c709d1b5c exercise equipment 0bdaeea76a at the 624126e7c5 edge of 565966d863 the yard, f1f8f769b1 his lackey 9e57d4f534 trailing behind 16fbfa0533 him.31b5edc257e32675

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Fraud Man 01d117a27d 1 and a4a202d386 2 strolled 7b14c33226 around the 0c79d5a7d3 yard like c2feeb41ad a pair 3e0ade9748 of old d7f0eb762d men on 747fbfca31 a hike. And Im Jihoon… he 9b58eeb98a stayed glued to my e89b7a9053 side. My hopes 00437a17a9 for solitude 673b20c914 were dashed.633922d6ada2ebc3

He stuck close to 5c6c950f21 me, staring intently at 4997fa0c1c my face with a 380ad52ef9 smile. The autumn air 98b3ceed21 was pleasantly cool, cdb0e03262 but the hairs ab17cb1001 on the back 3cc385031a of my neck 3aeccf11fc stood on end. He took 5e0f12a63d my arm c69018d77c and started 3e20f201fe walking.5aa84dfdde8c46a5

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Hyung, have I done ace3e60ffa something wrong to you?”4efd53a3fcabf39d

“No. What would d760e28739 you have 067a4f6837 done?”46a4bee3335a0522

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

My voice sounded 8344f96075 calmer than I 9662b293a1 expected as I 8549ca8411 answered him. Im Jihoon 4f89d3fe39 glanced down d2353f4ec1 at me 8b0197ba85 and chuckled.917e220c512a9548

“Then… do you think 94cd9750a4 I’d hit you, hyung?”77a4ba9da3e69d19

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

I flinched involuntarily e9410af6e0 at his question. b98f9eee2fedf666

Even though acf0611111 I had bf401545f6 been walking, f922788f20 the tremor 88f3cfc232 from it 7c52cba240 was entirely 1ae37c9059 different from bc4147a289 the involuntary be0af39e28 flinch of 7a1e93b5e8 fear. He didn’t say anything eaaeb17d7b more and just kept d8e18d1a23 pulling me along, across d49c0292bc the exercise yard. Before I knew 40f1a18263 it, Im Jihoon 0eb9211d00 stopped in front a31dbbbc81 of the sit-up e1da3cac8a bench and made bc4066c59e me sit down 09fce5db97 on it. Then, he 31af45375e looked down 2494c3e90c at me e50e3b6d78 and flashed 8284d1404d a bright, dcb4afbac6 innocent smile.d7340cd11b9f677e

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“You were a rat 7706466177 earlier, and now you’re 61357e3004 a terrified rabbit. Did you d1fd69b62e know pet 3c7d5cae12 rabbits scream 9a757839b0 when they’re a11c459c50 scared? But don’t worry. I hit unruly animals, d0b8d4ab0d not scared ones.”f4079838c434bbde

For some reason, he’d decided to drop the act he’d been putting on just for me. His words, meant to be reassuring, only amplified my fear. Im Jihoon sat down next to me, a smile plastered on his face, seemingly indifferent to my reaction.26ad87718fa71070

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“When I saw 09d133c96f you again, hyung, 59fad14fbd I kind of 278be1e1f6 wanted to look 9fa761f932 pathetic in front 40e51e9bf1 of you.”155f7b444a935f4c

His hand gently 278c0fa695 stroked the back 728e40778f of my neck. His large hand, 8518b8cf40 which had been bcbfeed075 caressing my neck, 21b552f401 slowly moved upwards, bb66ebd840 threading through my f05571ae9d hair and gently 71a0193b92 gripping the back b5d21eb792 of my head.2a72bf03b7a98f41

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“But this is better.”8b8a87f6eed541b8

 505772b8a33c6551

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator