The Melancholy of Convicted Felons

While the two were having a fun date, the oldest of the Lee siblings was currently moping in his prison cell.

His mind kept bringing him back to Yeo Ri's visit, her last words haunting him. What did she mean by saying that she'll take care of it? What could she even do, that frail little girl? How could someone so weak and in need of protection be able to handle a snake all by herself?

Hyuk was so worried that he didn't even realise that there was suddenly a new addition in his prison cell.

"My darling prisoners, this guy here is your new cellmate, so treat him well," the guard warned as he unlocked the new prisoner's handcuffs and left him to the wolves. Without another word, he left the cell, his eyes drifting to Hyuk's direction briefly.

After the guard left, everyone—except Hyuk—focused on the new man.

The man was young, perhaps around his early twenties, similar to Hyuk. His hair had been cropped short but the look somewhat suited his decently good-looking face. He glanced around the room before settling on a spot farther away from anyone.

"You look familiar... hey, what's your name?" Lee Moon Deok, the de-facto leader of the room asked. He was lying on his side, one arm supporting his head while the other scratching his belly. The young man seemed harmless enough so he couldn't be bothered to muster any menace to scare him into obedience. It didn't work with Hyuk, that scary young b*stard, so he assumed it wouldn't work on the new guy as well; all the young people who got convicted lately seem to be from the crazy kind.

"..."

The young man did not reply. He merely stared at the floor with his knees drawn, looking lonely and isolated in his corner.

"You rude brat—hey, I'm talking to you!" Lee Moon Deok clicked his tongue.

"Wow, even our Hyuk-ie over here had some kinda response. Are you a wooden doll or something?" Remarked Soo Tae Gyu. He had been the second longest-staying resident of the prison cell, and fueled by the feeling of seniority, he insisted on fanning the flames.

Noticing that the sketchy-looking crook was dragging Hyuk into the discussion, Lee Moon Deok immediately shot him a look. The young man was clearly not in the mood to be picked on—not that he ever was in one—and Lee Moon Deok wasn't about to let any hell break loose. "Oi, why are you trying to pick a fight? We're all civilised people here."

"What? Why me?! You were the one who started it. I was just providing some backup."

Lee Moon Deok quietly sat up and stared down at the other man, eyebrows raised. "Do I look like I need backup?"

"...No."

After getting silently threatened by the bigger, older guy, Soo Tae Gyu huffed, turning away and minding his own business.

Kim Bong Pal, the third eldest, shook his head with a smile. He got up from his spot and called out to the new inmate. "Boy, come here, I'll show you around."

The young man glanced at him, and after determining that he was not dangerous, he nodded slowly and approached the older man.

"I'm Kim Bong Pal. I'm currently serving three years. Don't worry, I didn't do anything serious, just some white collar crime," he said, introducing himself. "What's your name?"

Although still defensive, the younger man still minded his manners and replied politely, "Ahn... Yu Bin."

"Oi, new guy, I'm Soo Tae Gyu. You can call me Master Soo."

Kim Bong Pal snorted. "What 'Master'? You crook."

"What? What?"

Kim Bong Pal turned to Ahn Yu Bin, "Ignore him. He's a pathological liar."

"Say it to my face, you b*stard!"

"Stop fighting, hey!" Lee Moon Deok quickly held the incensed man back, stopping him from getting into fisticuffs with the weak-looking man.

Peacefully ignoring the man he had just called out, Kim Bong Pal continued with his induction. "The big guy is Lee Moon Deok. He's the eldest among us. And he's been here the longest."

"So what did you do to get dumped in this sh*thole, newbie?" Lee Moon Deok asked, his eyebrow raised in slight curiosity.

"..." Ahn Yu Bin's jaw locked as he refused to answer. "I didn't do anything. I'm innocent!" He frowned, looking stubborn and unwilling to accept his fate.

The older men exchanged glances with one another, smiling wryly.

"Me too," Soo Tae Gyu said, "I was innocent too! It's their fault for giving me money when it was so clear I was playing around with them. It's their stupidity that's at fault; not me!" He sniggered, finding the boy's claim ridiculous. If he was innocent, then what was he doing in here? Good men don't go to prison!

"It's not the same! I'm really innocent! I was framed!" The man kept insisting. He held onto the believe that he was not the same as these men, who are obviously true criminals just by judging their looks, and that he was a victim of circumstance.

"And? What is this crime that you allegedly did not commit?" Lee Moon Deok pressed. He hadn't been watching the news channel lately on the small TV screen in their prison room, and he wasn't big on reading the newspaper, so he didn't know much about the recent crimes that had been happening.

The prison had only allowed three channels to be broadcasted inside the prison—the news channel, the documentary channel, and the old movies channel. Since there wasn't much to look forward to in the first two channels, he would only watch the movie channel. There was only so much boring business-related reports and droning nonsense that a man could bother listening to, after all. Crime-related news weren't all that frequent, and it was usually something petty like theft or hit-and-runs. Those were too common and too boring for his tastes.

"I'm innocent," Ahn Yu Bin firmly replied.

"What, did you kill someone or something? Why so serious, geez," Soo Tae Gyu grumbled. The boy was really adamant with his innocence nonsense.

Hearing the word 'kill', the younger man visibly tensed. "I didn't kill anybody! Everyone's wrong! That woman was already dead when I found her! It was that b*stard's fault! He made me his scapegoat!" He roared.

Soo Tae Gyu looked at him with bewilderment. "Why are you yelling at me?! Did I accuse you of anything?! What, am I the judge who sent you here?! Crazy!" He was just making a passing comment... did this little sh*t have to go off on him like that? What happened to 'respecting the elders'? He was already getting enough disrespect from Hyuk, and now this one too...

Ahn Yu Bin's face flushed as he fought to contain his emotions. He had been going through so much undeserved hate and anger, and now that he was finally allowed to settle down, everything seemed to just explode out of him. He carried a look of indignation as he tried to control his heavy breathing.

"I'm innocent!" He cried out again.

"Alright, alright, we get it. You're innocent!" Kim Bong Pal said, agreeing with his words so that the young man would calm down.

"—Anyways, come sit down," Kim Bong Pal ushered the boy to sit, patting his shoulder in a fatherly manner. He offered the younger man a kind smile, coaxing him like a father would to his child.

"Oh, that's right—you haven't been introduced to Hyuk yet, right? That guy over there is Lee Hyuk. He's about the same age as you, so get along, alright?"

"Hyuk? Hey, Hyuk, come greet the new guy," Kim Bong Pal called out, trying to catch the brooding man's attention. However, Hyuk continued to ignore him as if he was lost in his thoughts.

"Oi, siscon! We're talking to you! Siscon!" Soo Tae Gyu yelled, trying to rile him up by using Hyuk's most hated nickname.

Just as expected, Hyuk finally snapped out of his reverie, turning his head to glare at the b*stard who dared to make fun of him. "What? Siscon? Say that again, I dare you!" He had already spent years struggling with his attraction to Yeo Ri, now this b*stard wanted to rub salt on his wounds?

Hyuk got up from his position and rushed to grab the older man by the collar. Soo Tae Gyu was clearly not a match for the aggressive young man, and thus Lee Moon Deok stepped in, holding the angered man back just as he usually did.

Lee Moon Deok sighed. "You dumb*ss, you know not to talk about him like that!" He hissed at the crook. "Hyuk, you too, don't get so angry over such a petty thing. Besides, it wasn't like he was in the wrong."

"You f*cking b*tch—" hearing the obvious jab, Hyuk became even more incensed.

"Woah, woah, calm down! Didn't you just get back from seeing your sister? Are you going to disappoint her again? See, you love her a lot, right? Just take his words as a compliment!" Lee Moon Deok held onto Hyuk with even more strength, restraining him from throwing his hands around like the maniac he was.

Meanwhile, sitting on the ground watching all of the rowdiness unfold, Ahn Yu Bin turned to Kim Bong Pal, confusion in his gaze. The middle-aged man leaned closer to the young man, whispering in a hushed manner, "Lee Hyuk, he's a pretty okay guy, but don't touch his sister. Don't even talk or ask about her. She's his inverted dragon's scale. Remember: never mention his sister in front of him. Ever!"

Ahn Yu Bin knitted his brows, "Why? What's wrong with his sister?"

"Didn't you watch the news?" Kim Bong Pal asked back.

"What?" Ahn Yu Bin tried to think hard if he ever saw Hyuk on the news. He'd been fighting his own case for over two years now, and never really had any time to spare for someone else's case.

"Never mind, then," Kim Bong Pal said as he observed the cloud of confusion on the younger man's face. Pulling back, he said, "Not my story to tell. If you're curious, just ask him. Can't guarantee he won't sock you in the face for it, though."

Ahn Yu Bin turned back to the three fighting men, his gaze zeroing on Hyuk. The guy didn't look like a good guy, and if he was to encounter him in public, ten out of ten times he would assume Hyuk was a delinquent. However, after hearing the bit about Hyuk's sister, Ahn Yu Bin thought that perhaps he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

Perhaps, they might even be in a similar situation.

Ahn Yu Bin stared at Hyuk with determination. Perhaps, he could get an ally in this hellhole.