Black Badger

Chapter 10

Yoon calmly changed the subject.

"Let's move on to the next issue."

Feeling good about getting the cabin for free, I nodded and smiled brightly.

The mentor shot back.

"Don't ever smile like that again. That's your last warning."

Hey, that was too much.

I instinctively made a face to show it, but Yoon ignored it.

He spoke without unfolding his arms.

"I'm going to go over the administrative details, so listen carefully. The administrative side will handle creating and registering your social security number. If anyone asks, say your birthday is the day you arrived—August 20th. Age twenty-eight. You don't know who your biological parents are. If questioned, say you grew up in an orphanage. You took all your elementary, middle, high school, and university courses online, and after that, you made a living doing various odd jobs online. You passed the recruitment exam earlier this year, but there were complications during the aging suspension and physical recovery enhancement process, which delayed your assignment. If they press for details on the recruitment process, say you signed a confidentiality agreement and can't discuss it."

My fabricated administrative identity had lived a pretty unfortunate life. It couldn't be helped, since until about a week ago, I hadn't even existed in this place. Turning a non-person into an existing one wasn't easy.

Wasn't this illegal...?

I didn't voice the question that popped into my head. Of course it was illegal.

Ye-hyeon must have taken this risk out of consideration for me. If they quietly killed me or removed the Augmented Body inside me, everything would be resolved. If he hadn't saved me from being chased by that creature that day, their problems would have disappeared.

The thought made my chest feel heavy.

Yoon's emotionless voice rang out.

"Got all that?"

"Yes. I understand."

"Your birthday?"

"August 20th."

"Any questions?"

"Uh..."

I had originally planned to ask about the mentor himself. If he gave me the chance, that is.

But the realization that Ye-hyeon had committed the crime of forging my identity by recruiting me had made me forget what I wanted to ask.

I stared into Yoon's cold eyes for a while.

"What happens if they find out my identity is fake?"

Yoon looked at me with unreadable eyes.

"Ye-hyeon would be in trouble."

The dry answer hit me heavily in the gut.

The mentor didn't react to my darkening expression. He remained as stoic as ever, showing hardly any emotion at all.

I admired Yoon's detachment even as I sorted through my troubled feelings.

The café's ambient noise enveloped us.

"...Would it be a lot of trouble?"

"Yeah. You don't know much about this world yet, so it might not seem like it now. But the Black Badger organization has enormous influence on the world. Ye-hyeon is its leader. If your real reason for recruitment came out, the entire media would explode. Ye-hyeon would definitely have to resign, and things probably wouldn't settle down after that."

"Maybe removing my Augmented Body would be..."

"I don't know why Ye-hyeon made this choice either."

There was no resentment or irritation in Yoon's voice.

He shrugged.

"It's a decision worthy of him, though. Anyway, as long as it doesn't get found out, it's fine. Don't let it get found out. Simple as that."

"...Is it simple?"

"Even if it's not, we have to make it simple. We can't back out now. Your social security number and resume are probably all registered by this point."

Why had the Supreme Commander made such a decision?

Because it was the morally right thing to do? But if there was no exaggeration in Yoon's words—and he didn't seem like the type to exaggerate—the risks if it got out were too great. Not just for Ye-hyeon, but for most of the Badgers.

If I were in his position, I would have removed the Augmented Body and assigned me a dedicated doctor.

I'll have to bring it up again when I see him later. Ask if removing the Augmented Body was really that fatal.

As I looked down at my coffee, Yoon said,

"Anyway, with the residence and administrative issues more or less settled like this, let's get to the main point."

What was the main point?

I looked up at him, but Yoon sat there with his unchanging expression.

What a strange guy, I thought, at the same time wondering why someone so still needed to be controlled.

The man closed his eyes and sighed.

Suddenly?

"Choi Ami."

When Yoon called her name in a low voice, the person at the table behind us whipped her head around.

A pair of black, round eyes came into view.

Wow.

"Yeah!"

"What are you doing here?"

Yoon leaned one elbow on the backrest and twisted his upper body.

The siblings faced each other. I watched the scene unfolding before me with wide eyes.

The man with his upper body turned backward, and the woman who had turned to look at us.

It was strange. They seemed like complete opposites in personality, to the point where it was amazing they were siblings. Yet there was something about them that unmistakably resembled each other, something I couldn't quite put into words.

The man looked at Ami with exasperated eyes.

"There's no reason for you to show up in the Research Wing."

"I came because I was worried you'd bully Hilde."

Ami blinked her round eyes.

"You said you'd meet here at 3 o'clock! I thought leaving sweet Hilde with you for too long might be bad!"

"It's been twenty minutes."

"Exactly."

Ami really was a good person.

I was touched that she had come all the way here for me. The first person I'd grown attached to after falling into this world was Ami—I was really glad about that.

She was dressed in student-like clothes that day as well: a light purple cable-knit cardigan and light blue jeans.

Yoon looked at Ami with an emotionless face.

"Ye-hyeon said something similar to me last night. Told me not to bully the kid. If he was that worried, he shouldn't have assigned you as my mentor. I've held off until now, so why bring it up now?"

"That's what I'm wondering too. It was Joo's decision."

Did she want her big brother to go ask him directly about the reason? Ami stared at Yoon with her round eyes while slurping her smoothie.

For the first time, Yoon showed a fairly clear emotion on his face.

"Tsk."

He clicked his tongue skillfully and furrowed his brow slightly.

"I really don't want to run into that guy if I can help it."

The low mutter was oddly amusing.

To see that kind of reaction from someone who seemed so devoid of emotion. What the hell was the HR Director's position in this organization...?

As I felt a faint amusement, Ami asked,

"Hilde. You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. He treated me better than I expected."

I even got the cabin.

Before I could add that, Yoon turned his head.

"Hey. Let's go now. I need to check what level your skills are at. And we have to start training."

Now?

My surprise must have shown on my face. But Yoon didn't care. He stood up abruptly from his seat. Ami, whose view was blocked by him, craned her neck to look at me.

The sudden shift in the situation brought a rush of sensations around us. The afternoon café, bathed in sunlight. Inside the café, tinged with a pleasant golden light, people chatted. The aroma of roasting coffee. The sound of typing on laptops.

Ami smiled at me.

"If your brother bullies you, make sure to tell me."

"Yeah. Of course."

"You go on ahead now. I'll keep my distance too. Since Ye-hyeon is watching, I'll behave even more."

With Yoon pressing down on the top of her head with his hand, Ami looked up. A long smile spread across her face as she gazed at her biological brother.

"Be good to Hilde."

"I am being good to him."

"Yeah. And you have to keep being good from now on. Since you're his mentor now."

Ami spoke brightly and grinned.

Yoon looked down at Ami for a moment. Then he moved his large hand and gently ruffled her round head. It was an action that anyone could see was full of affection for his little sister, and it surprised me a bit.

That was why he seemed a bit more like a normal person.

Ami grinned.

We soon left the café. As I followed closely behind Yoon, Ami waved goodbye to me.

I waved back and stepped out, then followed Yoon's back through the unfamiliar place.

People passed by. We took the escalator up to the third floor, then crossed the skybridge.

The surroundings grew quieter and quieter.

I instinctively sensed that our destination was near. The number of people coming the opposite way decreased. The floor with the café had been wrapped in a pleasant tint of sunlight, but this place felt cool and filled with a bluish air.

We were probably heading to somewhere like a gym.

The moment I realized that, tension and worry flooded in. What was my stamina like? My intelligence?

Since I hadn't even known my own face until a week ago, there was no way I knew my abilities.

I might not meet this person's expectations, but I didn't want to disappoint the people I'd come to know.

The risks of my fake identity that Yoon had mentioned came back to mind, and thoughts of the upcoming test made me anxious. What if I was completely useless?

If that was the case, this time I would insist on removing the Augmented Body.

All those thoughts evaporated the moment we arrived at what looked like the Training Hall.

Because Yoon had picked up a chainsaw.

"You need proper stimulation for learning to stick well."

You crazy bastard!

Vrrrrm!

The moment Yoon turned on the chainsaw, I bolted for the door.

Surprisingly, the door was firmly shut.

When had he closed it? And why was it locked?

Bang bang bang!

"Ami! Ami! I'm in here!"

"Calm down. I'm not trying to kill you."

How was I supposed to calm down with a guy holding a running chainsaw right in front of me?

Should I break it? Smash the door? I twisted the handle frantically, but the lock didn't budge. I stared at the solid gray door, pondering.

If I put all my strength into it, I might be able to break it.

A dry voice came from behind.

"If you don't want to pay for damages, don't break it."

The chainsaw's whirring stopped abruptly.

"I'm not going to kill you. I didn't even pick this up to use it myself in the first place."

Huh?

Only after hearing that did I muster the courage to turn around. It was an unremarkable place. A sturdy door opposite me. The room was long horizontally, with a ceiling about 1.5 stories high. Nothing else noteworthy caught the eye.

Overall, it was a clear gray tone.

The stoic man held the chainsaw out to me.

I flinched reflexively.

"Huh?"

"You're going to use it."

Yoon shot me a look that said take it already.

"Take it. You need a weapon, right? I don't know if you used to shoot guns, or if you even remember how if you did, so I'm giving you something like this. Same with swords or spears. With a chainsaw, you just hold it and swing."

Why did I need a weapon?

I thought we'd be doing something like a physical test. Push-ups and sit-ups, that kind of thing.

Narrowing my eyes, I eyed the mentor cautiously and asked,

"Why do I need a weapon?"

"Because it might be tough without one. Plus, I want to see how you move."

"What exactly would be tough? Can I ask?"

"You'll see when it happens. You taking it or not?"

I took the chainsaw. If I hesitated any longer, Yoon would probably get annoyed.

The feel of the weapon in my hand was unfamiliar. I gripped the chainsaw and stared at the mentor. He'd explain, right? Since he'd suddenly handed me a chainsaw, he had to provide a proper explanation.

Yoon obligingly added an explanation.

"Wait quietly. I'll go bring the target for you to use the chainsaw on."