Convict Unit: Black Parade

“That title.” Ghost raised her index finger. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“Why not?”

“Because you and I are not master and disciple yet, you brat.”

Grumbling, Ghost pulled out a napkin and wiped up the soju she’d just spat. “Why should I take you on as a disciple?”

“But I met all the conditions you laid out!”

“That was just talk. And even then, I only said I’d consider it. I never said I’d accept you.”

“Then please consider it!”

“There’s nothing to consider… I gain nothing by taking you on.”

She was right. Ghost had nothing to gain from taking on a disciple. It would just be a hassle.

He had to explain what was in it for her. “If you take me as your disciple… uh… it’ll make your life easier?”

“Easier?”

“I’ll do anything you ask! I’ll clean for you, and—uh—give you massages? I can cook and do laundry, too!”

“Isn’t that more of a servant than a disciple?”

“Hmm… Ah! I’ll even perform tricks for you!”

“What exactly is a ‘disciple’ in your head?” Ghost huffed incredulously and filled her empty glass with soju. “I’m a lone wolf. I don’t need a servant. I get by just fine on my own. Do I look like I need someone’s help?”

“…”

For some reason, you look incredibly lonely, he wanted to say. Like you’re always cold and sorrowful.

Instead of being so honest, Jae-hee feigned a playful tone. “Hey, y’never know! Maybe having a cute disciple around will bring some new joy into your life! The kind you’ve been missing!”

“…”

Clink. After downing the freshly poured shot, Ghost jutted her chin at him. “Is that everything you have to offer?”

“…”

“If you don’t have any more cards to play, this negotiation is over.”

Groaning, Jae-hee pulled his final trump card from inside his shirt. “This! I got it as a reward from the last mission!”

“…?”

“I’ll give you this. It’s a seven-day Leave Pass!”

“…!”

Ghost's hand shot out. By the time Jae-hee blinked, the pass was already in her hand.

“…”

It was a real Leave Pass. A seven-day pass, issued by Hae-eun Seo herself.

Holding it up to the light, Ghost asked in a low voice, “You’re giving me this? For real?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

“You must not realize how valuable this is. You can leave the prison for a full week. You can breathe the free air of the outside world.”

Jae-hee scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “But… I don’t have anywhere to go even if I get out.”

“…”

“Honestly, this prison is way better. I get to eat delicious food like this.”

“Bullshit.” Her face hardening, Ghost muttered, “No delicacy in this world is as sweet as freedom.”

“…”

“Well, fine. I’ll accept this, for now.” Ghost extended her index finger right in front of Jae-hee’s face. “And for the duration of this pass, I will teach you.”

Blinking blankly, Jae-hee asked, “You’ll teach me for seven days?”

“That’s right.”

“A temporary master? A temporary disciple? A seven-day apprenticeship?”

“Right.”

“Wait, so if I get more Leave Passes, can I extend the period?”

“Right.”

Jae-hee whined. “That’s not fair! It’s not like I’m topping up my time at a net cafe…”

“Don’t like it? Then forget it.”

“Hey, who said I didn’t like it?” Jae-hee planted his fists on his hips, his round eyes wide as he shouted. “I’ll take it! A master-disciple contract!”

“Fine.”

“A temporary one!”

“Fine.”

“It’s still a master-disciple relationship!”

“…I suppose it is. Fine.”

Letting out a short sigh, Ghost waved the pass held between her fingers. “And we’re using this Leave Pass together.”

“Huh?”

“We’re going out together. We’ll split it. Three days and twelve hours each. Okay?”

Jae-hee blinked and tilted his head. “We can do that?”

“We can.”

“You could just go for the full seven days by yourself, Granny.”

“Next time, I will. But first, I need to teach you the taste of freedom.”

Jae-hee tilted his head the other way. “Why?”

“Because that’s the duty of an adult.” Ghost’s tone was stern. “It’s the natural duty of an adult to teach a kid that no matter how terrible this world is, it’s still a much better place to live than some damn prison.”

Jae-hee propped his chin on his hand and hummed. “…Is that really a good idea? I’ve still got three hundred years to be locked up in here.”

“Then earn your Credits and get out of here faster, you brat…”

Muttering, Ghost poured the last of the soju into her glass. “It’ll take a little time for the leave request to be approved. Probably a few weeks. I’ll let you know when it comes through.”

Jae-hee beamed. “Yes, Master!”

Ghost flinched, her entire body tensing.

Jae-hee blinked his round eyes and asked cautiously, “What’s wrong, Master?”

A strangled groan escaped Ghost’s throat.

Downing the last glass of soju, she slammed the empty cup down on the table with a sharp crack and lowered her voice to a menacing growl. “Don’t call me that.”

“Huh? Then should I just keep calling you Granny?”

“…Well, that’s not quite right, either.”

Ghost scratched the back of her head, then finally seemed to make up her mind and nodded. “You can call me Master, but only for the period I’m teaching you. Got it?”

Jae-hee broke into a guileless, brilliant smile. “Yes! Master!”

“…We’re not having a lesson today, so start calling me that tomorrow.”

Pressing a hand to her temple as if fighting off a headache, Ghost took a deep breath. “Fine. If I’m going to do this, I might as well do it right.”

“Ooh!”

“Be at the central elevator on Deck 0 by seven tomorrow morning.”

Ghost rose from the table first.

Her piercing blue eyes stared directly at Jae-hee. “It’s your first lesson. Don’t be late.”

And with that, she walked out of the restaurant.

Left alone, Jae-hee stared blankly, picking at the leftover gamja-tang and rice before putting his spoon down. Unlike usual, he had no appetite.

Was it the relief of finally becoming Ghost’s disciple? Or was it just because he’d paid such an exorbitant price for the meal?

“Check, please…”

Leaving his own portion untouched, he called for a server as he got up to leave.

The staff member approached and said, “The guest who left first already paid.”

“Wha?”

“She said, ‘Promise or not, I can’t have my disciple paying for me’…”

Payment was handled by tagging one’s cuff at the counter by the entrance. Ghost must have tagged hers on the way out.

Staring vacantly in that direction, Jae-hee suddenly spun around and rushed back to his seat.

“Hold up, don’t clear it! I’ll finish eating! Free food baby! My appetite’s back!”

***

The next day, 7:00 AM.
Deck 0, a.k.a. “Rock Bottom.” Central Section.

As befitting a ship originally designed as a luxury cruise liner, each deck had an area designated for exercise facilities.

Of course, now that it was a prison, no equipment remained—only empty space.

Ghost made a practice swing with a wooden sword, cleaving air with a swish. The place was more than big enough for training.

And Jae-hee was training with Ghost.

Day one of his apprenticeship… On this monumental first day of their temporary arrangement, the first thing Ghost decided to teach him was stance.

“My swordsmanship has no set moves or forms, but it does have principles,” Ghost instructed in a stern voice.

“Center of gravity, low.” With a wooden sword, she tapped the inside of Jae-hee’s knees, forcing him to lower his posture.

“Core, tight.” She corrected his unstable posture, ensuring both his feet were firmly planted on the ground.

“The power of a sword starts in the lower body. You need a solid stance to properly channel power all the way to the tip of the blade. Remember that.”

Jae-hee replied with a booming voice. “I will remember that, Master!”

Though she winced, still not used to the title, Ghost continued her instruction. Only after his lower body was corrected did she teach him how to hold a sword.

“You’re right-handed, yeah?”

“I’m mostly ambidextrous, but my right hand is dominant.”

“Then hold the grip like this.”

She placed a wooden sword in Jae-hee’s hands, then corrected his upper body posture as well. “Curl your right hand around the grip just below the guard. That’s it. Now, place your left hand about a hand’s span down and grip it for support.”

“Okay.”

“With natural poise. That’s the foundation I strive for. It has to be natural. Your body should be engaged, but not rigid. Maintain tension, but your breathing should be easy…”

Ghost had never taught anyone before, and Jae-hee had never been taught by anyone before. The novice master’s explanations were convoluted, and the novice disciple’s comprehension was slow.

But regardless, they were both giving it their all.

“When handling a sword, which do you think is more important, the lower body or the upper body?”

“Uh…”

Jae-hee didn’t really know, but he gave his thoughts anyway. “A solid lower body to provide support seems important, but the upper body that actually swings the sword seems important, too.”

“Correct. They’re all important. The balance of the entire body must harmonize to produce the greatest power at the sword’s tip.”

Ghost circled the poised Jae-hee, examining his muscles.

Perhaps because he had grown up malnourished, his frame was decent, but his arms and legs were thin.

“You… seem to have natural flexibility. But you’ll need to build up some muscle.”

“Do I need strength to use my Awakened ability?”

“Your ability is a completely separate matter. Do you think your ancestors are going to do the running, jumping, and sword-swinging for you? You have to raise your basic physical specs, separate from your powers.”

Ghost nodded grimly. “On the battlefield, you never know what might happen. In the end, only the fundamentals will save your life.”

“Fundamentals…”

“From now on, train every day, whether we have a lesson or not. That consistency will become your flesh and blood.”

As if she’d prepared it in advance, Ghost produced a new notebook and, on the first page, wrote out a list of exercises for Jae-hee.

“Deck 1 doesn’t have a proper gym. I’ll make a routine based on bodyweight exercises, so train with this for now. Graduate from Deck 1 and move up to the higher decks as soon as you can.”

Jae-hee seemed rather surprised. “Oh? There are proper gyms on the upper decks?”

“There’s one on Deck 2.”

“A gym!”

“It’s like I always say. The higher up you go, the better the facilities get.”

Handing the notebook to Jae-hee, Ghost said, “Ah,” and snapped her fingers. “And eat meat.”

“Meat?”

“Three meals a day. Eggs and chicken breast. Make sure you eat them. If you can’t, then at least drink protein shakes. They sell them at the commissary. I can’t plan your diet for you, but make sure you’re getting enough protein.”

Examining the boy’s thin wrists, Ghost clicked her tongue. “You’re hanging out with Razor these days, yeah? Steal some of that sterilized milk he’s always chugging.”

“Ehh? But Razor bro gets all cranky if he doesn’t have his milk.”

“Who cares if that little punk gets osteoporosis? You need to strengthen your own bones first. From the looks of it, you’ve still got some growing to do. Got it?”

Clutching the notebook to his chest, Jae-hee beamed and nodded. “I understand. I’ll make sure to drink milk too, Master!”

Every time she heard the title, Ghost gritted her teeth and shuddered. Jae-hee was starting to find her reaction amusing.

Just then, the cuff on his wrist suddenly vibrated.

Startled, Jae-hee looked down at the glowing red display. The words ‘Commander’s Office Summon’ had appeared.

“A summons.” Ghost’s tone was composed, as if this were routine. “Hae-eun Seo is calling for you.”

Jae-hee’s eyes went wide. “What could it be about?”

“When does that devil ever look for a prisoner except for one reason?” Ghost rubbed the back of her neck in annoyance. “A new mission.”

Mission call-ups were usually done like this, through a summons via the cuffs, she added nonchalantly.

As she spoke, the speakers on the ceiling sputtered to life with a tinny crackle.

«That’s right, Boy. From now on, I won’t be so nice as to make announcements. I’ll just use the cuff’s summon function. So you’d better hurry, okay?»

Even though she’d already sent the summons, Hae-eun was making a point of broadcasting it just to this room—a silent threat, a reminder that she was watching their every move.

Jae-hee’s jaw fell open in shock, while Ghost just clicked her tongue.

The Commander’s voice, as always, carried a faintly cheerful tone.

«Time to serve your country, Black Parade.»