Ch.57New Beginning!

#057

A lunch hour twice as quiet as usual.

The guards eating lunch were sitting quite far from a certain table, keeping a watchful eye.

And Dexter, sitting at that certain table, wore a subtle expression as he looked at the peculiar figure in front of him.

“Why is this fellow picking at his food like that? Eat up, come on.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Officer Goswell and Officer Lawrence, you eat up too, hmm?”

The three new guards at Honeygood Correctional Facility were smiling, but their stomachs were getting increasingly knotted.

‘I won’t be able to digest until dinner.’

Dexter, taking a spoonful of potato salad, glanced sideways to see Judy with her lips quivering and Gomer sweating profusely as they forced themselves to eat.

It was obvious to anyone that they were struggling.

“Am I making you uncomfortable?”

Instead of answering, the three shook their heads vigorously.

The person sitting across from Dexter was Robert Branson, the warden of Honeygood Correctional Facility and CEO of P&J Secure, the private company that operated the prison.

Unlike a typical CEO, Robert—a middle-aged man approaching his senior years—had bright golden curly hair reaching down to his neck, giving him the appearance of an outdated hippie rather than a CEO.

Yet the man himself didn’t come across as frivolous.

Despite wearing an unbuttoned shirt with slacks, claiming neckties were a luxury, he didn’t look cheap or unprofessional. Instead, he exuded the aura of a leader who pursued freedom rather than being bound by formalities.

“No, no! Of course not!”

“N-not at all!”

Judy and Gomer vehemently denied while forcing themselves to shovel food into their mouths.

Watching them, Dexter was a bit afraid that what he had said jokingly might actually come true.

‘Those two are going to have a rough evening.’

Even Dexter, who had experienced various situations traveling through space, was uncomfortable. He couldn’t imagine how uncomfortable his two colleagues, who had little social experience, must be feeling.

Just as Dexter was feeling sympathy for the two, that moment…

“Officer Hughes, aren’t you the only one here with prior experience?”

An arrow flew at Dexter while he was off guard.

‘Oh crap.’

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

Unable to deflect the arrow, Dexter swallowed the remaining potato salad in his mouth and replied.

“Where did you say you worked before?”

“New Mexico area, sir.”

“Ah, then it must have been a Centsivic facility?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I see… Have you encountered any difficulties working here?”

At Robert’s question, Dexter’s mind began racing.

‘In times like these, it’s best to speak honestly about what I’ve actually experienced.’

Taking a sip from the water glass on the table to clear his throat, Dexter spoke.

“Ahem. Nothing in particular so far. In fact, compared to other prisons, the welfare facilities for guards are better, and it far exceeds the standards of both private and federal prisons. Especially the quality of lunch is exceptionally high.”

Dexter was speaking smoothly, as if his words were buttered.

“Also, unlike other women’s prisons, the inmates aren’t violent, and the atmosphere inside the prison is quite good. I’ve never seen a medium-security facility with so few disturbances.”

Robert nodded with satisfaction at Dexter’s flowing, positive response.

“You should be working in P&J Secure’s PR department, not as a guard.”

“You flatter me, sir.”

Dexter showed a modest demeanor as if embarrassed.

Normally, Robert would have questioned Judy and Gomer as well, but having forgotten to do so after Dexter’s cosmic-level eloquence, he moved on to the main point.

“I take Officer Hughes’ words as confirmation that ‘my ideal prison’ is being well-managed.”

“Ideal prison, sir?”

“Let me give you a simple example.”

Robert pointed to the bowl containing his lunch and said:

“In private prisons like Centsivic, and even in federal prisons, ramen is used as a currency. I’ve heard that inmates spend their commissary money and prison labor earnings on ramen at the prison store, apart from necessities.”

Robert speared a roasted asparagus from his bowl with his fork and continued:

“Why do you think that is?”

“Because the food is bad and the portions are small.”

Judy, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

“At Honeygood, I understand that each meal costs about $2.50. But at other prisons, it’s less than $2, around $1.70.”

“Precisely. Officer Goswell seems to have done her homework.”

Robert nodded lightly and said:

“Why do we provide better food than other prisons? I can only answer that question very briefly.”

“What is it?”

“It’s an experiment.”

The words from Robert’s mouth were an unexpected answer.

“Until now, prison policies have been almost Puritanical. Tasteless food, severe restrictions. A truly ascetic lifestyle. So I wanted to try running things the opposite way.”

“Is that it? That seems like an overly simple reason.”

Dexter, not fully understanding the concept of running an ideal prison simply to fulfill inmates’ needs, asked.

“The reason may be simple, but the results have been quite complex. Since I started this experiment, guard injuries have noticeably decreased, and crime within the prison has been lower than average.”

Robert smiled and continued:

“Complaint rates have significantly decreased statistically, and our self-evaluations have received quite good scores. Just as flowers grow well when watered, inmates respond well when treated well.”

It was self-praise mixed with the pride of an executive, but the three listening thought Robert had every right to boast.

Unlike prisons depicted in movies and TV shows, inmates here rarely caused problems.

“I’ve heard that other prisons in Nevada generally operate at a level where inmates can just barely survive. Because of that management style, inmates express a lot of complaints to the guards who are on the front lines.”

Judy cautiously shared.

Even Judy, who looked more fragile than most inmates, rarely had to reprimand any prisoners.

Dexter too found that, with the exception of special cases like Jessie, inmates were generally compliant, and some even approached him with fondness.

This applied to Gomer as well, despite his relative lack of work efficiency, and he was nodding in agreement with Robert’s words.

Feeling as though he was looking at his own enthusiastic followers, Robert laughed with embarrassment:

“Ah, it seems I’ve just been boasting to the new guards! Hahaha!”

“Not at all. We’ve learned a lot.”

Looking at Dexter, who had spoken the most in this meeting, Robert casually asked:

“Officer Hughes, why do you think I arranged this meeting?”

Dexter thought for a moment, then carefully said:

“People in lower positions rarely get to meet those in higher positions. I think you’re providing us, as entry-level employees, with an opportunity to learn from you, Warden.”

“Ah, that’s a good perspective.”

Robert took out a notebook from his pocket, wrote down exactly what Dexter had said, and continued:

“Just as you’ve given me an idea, I believe that if you keep asking questions, regardless of who you’re talking to, you’ll eventually learn something valuable. This is a survival skill I’ve developed since my days as a researcher at Universe X.”

Dexter nodded at Robert’s management philosophy.

‘Indeed, someone who runs a company is different in a meaningful way.’

It must have been ideas like these, accumulating one by one, that allowed him to build P&J Secure, a mid-sized company with Universe X as its parent company.

“I hope this workplace becomes one where all three of you can gain many insights.”

“We’ll keep that in mind.”

Dexter answered on behalf of the group, and the other two nodded.

Behind Robert, who was looking fondly at the new guards, a woman appeared wearing a greenish suit, with wavy red hair and an impressive chest.

“Warden? It’s time for you to leave.”

“Hannah? Ah, is it that time already? Then I’ll be going first.”

“Thank you for your time, Warden.”

As Robert stood up with a light smile and left with the woman carrying his dishes, Judy let out a deep sigh.

“Finally over.”

“Good job, everyone. You too, Officer Lawrence.”

“N-no. It’s be-because Officer H-Hughes spoke so well.”

Dexter was a bit surprised to hear such words from Gomer, which was unusual.

‘He can say things like that?’

While Gomer wasn’t impolite, he typically didn’t speak unnecessarily, so compliments for others were rare from him.

“Officer Lawrence is right. Mr. Hughes, you represented us well.”

Judy smiled brightly at Dexter.

“It wasn’t much, but I appreciate the thought. Ah, would you like some soda? My stomach feels unsettled.”

“Yes, me too… I should go to the infirmary later for some digestive medicine. I thought I was going to die from nervousness.”

“How about you, Officer Lawrence? Want a drink?”

When Gomer nodded, Dexter headed toward the beverage dispenser, thinking about the woman who appeared to be the warden’s secretary.

‘Hannah, was it?’

A woman with a figure as impressive as Jessie’s.

‘Somehow, since returning to Earth, it feels like my eyes are being treated well.’

Just as Dexter was recalling Hannah’s deep gaze, someone approached him from the side.

Thinking it was just another guard coming to get a drink, Dexter moved aside without turning his head, but when the person continued to wait beside him, he turned to look.

“You’re from earlier…?”

“Hannah Hobbs. I’m the warden’s assistant.”

Hannah stood next to Dexter with a confident expression.

When she offered a handshake, Dexter shook her hand, feeling a bit dazed.

“Nice to meet you. Since we don’t have much time, I’ll get straight to the point. I have something to discuss with you privately. Could you come to the visitation room after lunch?”

“Pardon? Can’t we talk here?”

“Unfortunately not.”

Even for someone as experienced as Dexter, he couldn’t help but smile at the thought of a sensual woman wanting to meet him privately.

‘Ah, I can’t control my expression.’

“Well, I guess I have no choice. I’ll see you at the visitation room later.”

“Great. See you then.”

As Hannah left the cafeteria, Judy noticed Dexter’s twitching lips as he returned with three drinks.

She tilted her head curiously at Dexter’s subtle smile.

“Did something good happen?”

“What? No, nothing special.”

Though Dexter waved it off, Judy began to eye him suspiciously, noticing his elevated mood.

“That’s strange.”

“I don’t think there’s anything strange. Does something seem off?”

As Dexter avoided giving a direct answer, Judy thought about how his expression had changed after speaking with Hannah near the beverage dispenser.

‘Why do I feel upset?’

The thought of Dexter talking with that woman made her feel uncomfortable.

‘Why am I even suspicious in the first place?’

Her relationship with Dexter was merely that of colleagues, with him helping her with exercise.

‘I don’t know. Just seeing another woman talking to Dexter…’

-Splash.

At that moment, Gomer knocked over a water glass on the table, turning it into a puddle.

“Officer Lawrence, you need to be careful.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Dexter pulled some tissues from the box on the table to clean up the mess, and Judy also reached for tissues as some water dripped onto her thigh.

Their hands touched on the tissue box.

His hand looked rough but felt soft.

Dexter didn’t think anything of it, but Judy froze for a moment.

“…”

“Officer Goswell?”

When Judy suddenly stopped with her hand extended toward the tissue box, Dexter looked at her.

“Are you okay?”

“…Yes, I’m fine.”

Dexter pulled out some tissues and handed them to her, saying:

“Dry it quickly. It might get more wet.”

“…Yes.”

Hurriedly wiping the table with tissues, Dexter failed to notice the embarrassed expression on Judy’s face.