68 – Cigarettes (4)

The second week at the training center dawned, but nothing particularly changed.

Like a hamster on a wheel, the same actions repeated. The morning schedule consisted of the parade ground and ballet, and the afternoon schedule consisted of sex education.

If anything was different from last week, it was that Hayoon’s punishment had ended.

To shorten a week’s worth into just four days, one had to wonder if Kim Seonah’s determination was impressive, or if Instructor Gan was completely smitten with her.

“Hayoon.”

Hayoon was stroking the nape of her neck where the leash had been, lost in thought, when someone quietly called her name and approached.

Turning her head, Jin Siwon stood there with a worried expression on her face.

“What’s with that look?”

“…I told Sohyun. That I don’t think I can… go with her.”

“I figured.”

Hayoon replied with an indifferent face, as if she wasn’t surprised at all.

Even if Jin Siwon hadn’t come to tell her, it wasn’t difficult to know that she had decided not to go with Shin Sohyun.

After all, the two of them, who had been inseparable throughout the day, were walking far apart today. As the physical distance grew, so did the distance in their hearts.

When Hayoon replied like that, Jin Siwon lowered her head and muttered.

“…Should I have stopped her more firmly?”

“If she was the type to listen to words, she would have given up when I told her.”

Seeing that she still hadn’t come to her senses, she wouldn’t have listened no matter how much Jin Siwon tried to stop her.

Besides, she was someone who had been involved in human rights movements, of all things.

Setting aside her beliefs, she must have been quite stubborn. If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t be doing things like advocating for the rights of infected people in this day and age.

“Are you going to tell the instructor?”

If she was caught before escaping, she could receive a lighter punishment for attempted escape. But Jin Siwon shook her head and said.

“No… I’d rather pray she doesn’t get caught. Even if she technically remains as a trainee, in the end, both are the same.”

Hayoon nodded instead of answering.

She wasn’t wrong. There was a difference in degree, but in the end, both were used like objects.

However, whether one’s limbs were intact or not was a difference that was quite important.

Anyway, so she finally decided to escape. Hayoon thought as she watched Shin Sohyun, who was diligently fiddling with something near her bed.

‘Three days… no, she might be caught in a day.’

Well, it’s none of my business. Hayoon, having dismissed Shin Sohyun from her mind, walked down the hallway, spotted Hongryun approaching, and smirked as she said.

“Yo, Instructor’s lackey.”

“…Tch.”

Hongryun, who had been so dejected while being punished, was back to her arrogant self, and she clicked her tongue as if disgusted and passed by.

Baek Sora followed behind her, glancing sideways, but Hayoon snorted and looked at her with a smug expression.

Watching the two disappear in the opposite direction, Jin Siwon muttered.

“By the way, it seems like Ryu Jina has broken away from the group. I thought those three would stick together until they were discharged.”

Perhaps if Hayoon hadn’t entered Somang Training Center, it might have been as she said.

No, even if she didn’t actively agree with Hongryun like Baek Sora, if she had just kept her mouth shut, it would have been.

Wasn’t it because she interfered, saying that it didn’t seem right, that things turned out this way?

As a result, it was beneficial to her, but Hayoon said with a cynical face.

“She’s just a moron.”

“You’re really…”

Jin Siwon looked back at her as if dumbfounded, but Hayoon had no intention of taking back what she had said.

Ryu Jina had certainly helped, but in the end, she was also someone who had collaborated with Hongryun to torment her.

Her belated pangs of conscience and help were not appreciated; rather, she was more annoying than Hongryun.

Especially since their beds were facing each other, having to see her drooping face before going to sleep was quite bothersome.

If only their bed locations were different. As Hayoon was thinking that, her vision suddenly turned black.

“Guess who?”

“…Kim Seonah?”

“Correct!”

Not even an elementary school student would do this. Hayoon was about to grumble, but when she said her name, Kim Seonah smiled brightly and said.

“What were you two talking about so intently?”

“Well, just an extension of this morning.”

“An extension of this morning, you say… You mean Shin Sohyun? What did she decide to do?”

“She’s going to escape sometime today or tomorrow, if nothing goes wrong…”

“Did you try to persuade her?”

At Kim Seonah’s question, Jin Siwon shook her head with a dark look. Seeing that, Hayoon added.

“Forget it. Don’t worry about what Shin Sohyun does anymore. Once someone has decided to do that, they won’t listen no matter what you say.”

There’s someone like that here too. Looking at Kim Seonah with those eyes, she also noticed the gaze and hugged Hayoon tightly, saying.

“Why are you looking at me like that? It’s as if you’re talking to me.”

“If you know, then listen.”

“Hey, if I listened, would you and I be talking normally like this now?”

“That’s… probably not.”

She would probably be surrounded and tormented by Hongryun’s gang, just like on the first day she received pet punishment.

When Hayoon answered with a reluctant expression, Kim Seonah giggled as if to say, “See?”

“Sometimes, you have to ignore what people say and move forward. Shin Sohyun will probably do that too.”

“But unlike your case, the risk is too great this time. If she gets caught, it’s as good as dead.”

“Then she just shouldn’t get caught, right?”

“If that was easy, every dog and cow would escape, and the training center would be empty.”

If a trainee escaped, they would be caught and returned within a week, no matter how long it took. There were cases that took longer, but they were extremely rare, and most people were like that.

Besides, someone like Shin Sohyun, whose expected destination was clear, would probably be caught in a day or two.

Returning might be later than that, though. As Hayoon was thinking that, Kim Seonah exclaimed as if she had remembered something.

“Ah, then how about this?”

“What?”

“Secretly tell one of the instructors.”

“Tell them what, that Shin Sohyun is trying to escape?”

“If you tell them that, she’ll leave the training center and receive a different punishment. Let’s do something with a lower level. For example, spreading rumors about the instructors…?”

“Would that work…”

At Kim Seonah’s words, Jin Siwon muttered as if dumbfounded, but Hayoon blurted out.

“No, it’ll work.”

“That would work?”

“In the end, whether it’s a punishment or a reward within the training center, the instructors can do whatever they want. It’s not hard to find fault with even trivial things and torment them.”

And if it was that, she would definitely receive a lower-level punishment. She would suffer for a while, though.

“Well, if it’s that, she won’t leave the training center and won’t be severely punished, so it seems like a good idea.”

“But to do that, someone has to tell one of the three instructors, but who will do it and who will they tell?”

“That’s your job, so you—”

“Stop with the nonsense and get ready for roll call.”

Hongryun, holding a clipboard and speaking in a testy voice, startled the three of them, and they looked at her in surprise.

“Jeez. Make some noise when you walk around, you damn bitch.”

“Then don’t be chattering in the middle of the hallway.”

“…Did you hear? What we were talking about.”

“I don’t care what kind of plot you’re hatching. Don’t make me say it twice, get ready for roll call.”

It was impossible to tell if she had heard but didn’t care, or if she hadn’t heard at all.

But it was true that roll call was approaching, so the three of them had no choice but to follow, even with suspicious eyes.

As they did, the people inside the living quarters slowly came out and stood in the usual roll call formation, waiting for Hongryun’s words.

“No one’s missing, no one’s sick. Then we’ll move on to the instructor duty assignments, so those who are called should go on their own.”

She said that, glanced at Hayoon, and said.

“Hayoon, Instructor Park is calling for you.”

“Tch.”

“Phew…”

Hayoon’s clicking of her tongue and Yoon Serin’s sigh of relief echoed at the same time.

“Kim Seonah, Instructor Gan is calling for you.”

The fact that Instructor Gan had been singling out Kim Seonah for duty assignments recently was already a familiar story to the trainees.

Thanks to her, only two of the remaining eight had to deal with the instructors, and the rest could get through the night without suffering.

Kim Seonah nodded silently, and Hongryun glared at her with dissatisfied eyes before turning her gaze away.

At the end of it was Shin Sohyun, standing with a nervous face.

“Shin Sohyun, Instructor Choi is calling for you.”

“…Me?”

“Why are you making a face like something impossible has happened?”

Hongryun smirked and said.

“That’s the end of the evening roll call. Those on duty should go find the instructors on your own, and the rest should rest on your own.”

At those words, the gathered trainees broke up into groups and scattered.

Hayoon, Kim Seonah, and Jin Siwon were no different.

“Instructor Choi is calling Shin Sohyun for duty, I wonder if something’s going on?”

“What’s so special about that bastard calling her that you’re saying that?”

“But it’s Instructor Choi, not just any instructor.”

“That guy’s just a beast who likes to fuck.”

The essence of the training center instructors was nothing more than beasts of lust, no matter how much they tried to dress it up. There was no need to assign meaning to each of their calls.

“…Anyway, since she’s been called by Instructor Choi, she won’t think about escaping today. Sohyun is weak.”

“More than that, I’m more suspicious of Instructor Park calling Hayoon instead of Yoon Serin. Why is he suddenly calling Hayoon?”

“Ah, about that.”

At Kim Seonah’s words, Hayoon ruffled her hair with her hand and said.

“I had a promise with a VIP, and Instructor Park is going to take over for me. So there’s some involvement here and there.”

“With a VIP…?”

“You’re really…”

Instead of answering the two gazes that looked at her with pity, she just clicked her tongue.

“By the way, since Hayoon is on duty with Instructor Park, shouldn’t you do what you said earlier?”

“Tell Instructor Park about Shin Sohyun?”

“He’s the better one among the three, at least. He doesn’t hit, he just… fucks like crazy.”

Well, if she had to choose among the three, Instructor Park was better. At least he didn’t use his fists.

Hayoon nodded as if she couldn’t help it and said.

“Then I’ll tell Instructor Park about Shin Sohyun. Let’s split up here today.”

“Hayoon, I’m counting on you.”

“Shut up. I won’t help you anymore after this time. That’s the promise in the first place.”

Jin Siwon had something she had promised Kim Seonah this time, so she was helping, but once this was over, she had no obligation to help anymore.

But Jin Siwon smiled and nodded.

“It’s okay. This will give me another chance to persuade Sohyun.”

“Tch… Kim Seonah, you too, good luck.”

“Hehe, you too, Hayoon!”

Author’s Note

Since Hayoon’s cigarette and Shin Sohyun’s escape commotion are happening at the same time, I feel like the episode name “Cigarette” is a bit faded.

But I can’t think of anything else…………