Black Badger

Chapter 111

Angry Yoon was terrifying.

Even as I cleaned up the year-end party hall and headed to the badger lounge below, I had to apologize again. I knew I was in the wrong, but I hadn't expected him to get this mad, so I was a bit surprised.

Could he really have been worried about me?

...No way. He was definitely pissed because his test subject nearly met a pathetic end.

In any case, I was dragged by the seniors and shoved into the badger lounge.

"Drunk driving means three years of suspension."

Richard said firmly.

"Revenge driving with a real sentence means dismissal."

The lounge was packed.

Still, we somehow squeezed in and slept. The dark space reeked of alcohol, and the snoring was deafening. It wasn't comfortable, but I was so tired that falling asleep wasn't hard. A shallow sleep.

*

I had a dream.

I stood on the rooftop with Ray, looking down at the city. The dazzling night view spread out at our feet. Even at this late hour, the roads were filled with passenger cars. Pedestrians looked like tiny dots.

It was the end of the year.

"How about it?"

Ray asked, his golden eyes sparkling.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

I turned my head to look at my comrade.

My old comrade-in-arms. The guy who'd always complained about maintaining that boyish-to-youthful appearance no matter how much time passed. He wasn't wearing the silver armor he used to favor. He was dressed in the clothes people here wore. Right now, it was a well-fitted navy striped suit.

He liked suits.

He'd never said why, but it was probably because they made him look older.

"Suits, huh? They suit you well."

"This one turns out sharp. Shame I won't get to wear them much."

"...What are you talking about?"

"You know."

Carols echoed from below.

"You understood Kyle's words too."

The world we lived in had collapsed.

There weren't many who escaped. I hadn't thought even Nana Dol or Kyle would survive. I'd hidden my anxiety while leading so many, but when we jumped through the open portal, I hadn't expected to land on solid ground again.

It was a natural reaction.

But we arrived on Earth.

It was a beautiful place in an amazing way.

"We can do this again too."

Ray walked over lightly and patted my shoulder.

His short, spiky white hair fluttered in the winter wind.

"We always have."

"You fully support Kyle's position too?"

"Of course."

My comrade, who'd fought back-to-back with me, smiled with that characteristic sparkle of confidence in his eyes.

"Why are you acting unlike yourself?"

Ray gripped my shoulder firmly.

"Don't worry. The momentum is definitely on our side."

"Kyle thought so too."

"He said a time would come when we could laugh about the hard times."

My comrade's eyes widened as his bright smile grew.

"Let's come back laughing. To this place."

That time never came.

I wiped away tears and woke up.

The lounge still reeked of alcohol. With the hangover weighing me down, I dragged my heavy body upright.

I took in the seniors, each lost in their own sleep.

Pale winter light filtered through the half-open blackout curtains.

It was Christmas Eve.

*

In the evening, I visited Hesi's house.

As Hesi had said, the house wasn't far from headquarters. It was right at the foot of the mountain. A wooden house with several bare trees that stood in the yard.

Naturally, there was a basketball hoop in the yard.

Hesi's father, who had three stars on his uniform, greeted me with a kind smile.

"Take good care of Hesi."

The man with neatly combed white hair, who exuded a soldierly dignity, led me to the living room.

"He's good-natured but has a bit of a temper, you see. He might not have the smoothest time in group life."

"I don't think you need to worry too much. I've heard he has a good reputation among the seniors so far."

"He's my little brother!"

As I replied politely, Hesi came out from inside, bringing his blond younger brother.

"Luke Lyle! Luke, this is my comrade Hilde. Say hi."

Unlike Hesi, the younger brother was quiet.

I bowed my head slightly to the shy-faced boy, who only nodded faintly, and we exchanged brief, distant words. Thanks for selling the scooter cheaply. Glad you're riding it well, let me know if it breaks, that sort of thing.

Once that short conversation ended, Hesi dragged me up to the second floor before dinner, saying he'd show me his room.

As soon as I entered Hesi's room, I blinked.

"What, so many shoes?"

That was my first impression.

"Do you wear all these?"

"I rotate them."

"No kidding. These are expensive per pair."

The colorful shoes, neatly arranged, were shocking.

When I picked them up one by one and asked, Hesi accurately stated the release year each time, which impressed me even more. He was this serious about it.

"You're not normal either."

"It's like your games."

Hesi said nonchalantly as he carefully placed the Jordan Hi back in its spot.

"I like games okay too. But not as much as you. If you'd gone into E-sports, you could've been a star overnight."

As Hesi said, dinner was excellent.

Thanks to his father and Luke's exceptional skills. I kept thanking them for the invitation and the wonderful meal as I chewed on the perfectly grilled barbecue.

They were like a picture-perfect family. A homely, respectable father. A capable eldest son with leadership. A thoughtful, prudent younger brother.

His mother had gone to her parents' house to visit her grandmother.

Naturally, the white-haired general asked me about my parents.

"I don't know much."

That was the honest truth.

"I've never seen my parents' faces."

Instead, I'd grown up in a monastery.

Recently, I'd vaguely recalled running around the spacious temple, helping the priests. It felt like such a distant old tale now that the details were fuzzy. In any case, my childhood memories weren't bad. I was probably a war orphan.

The priests had raised me with love, taking me in from my dying parents.

I substituted priests with priests and nuns in my answer.

The kind-faced general listened quietly.

"You grew up well and proper."

"Thank you."

I replied to his gentle words.

In truth, the unconditional affection I'd received back then had become a solid foundation for my life.

"I was raised with love."

At my light boast, the general smiled faintly.

After dinner, we naturally played basketball. My skills didn't even reach Hesi's ankles, but since Hesi was a basketball nut who knew how to play with total newbies, there was no need to worry.

He even praised my skills, saying I was great for a beginner.

How gracious of him, even if it was just words.

"Join the club."

"Sorry."

I flatly refused his casual invitation.

"I'm planning to join the gaming club."

"There isn't one."

What an unfair world.

I slept in the guest room.

It was a small, warm room with a cozy comforter. Though completely unfamiliar, it felt somehow snug, and I was able to sleep without dreams. It was a relief not to dream. Lately, dreams made nights scary.

That Christmas Eve, I fell asleep in the soft warmth of human affection.

The visit to Hesi's house ended the next morning with exchanging Christmas presents.

"Uwaaah!"

Hesi saw the gift I offered and collapsed to his knees, wailing.

"How did you get this! How! How did you get it!"

"Calm down."

I soothed Hesi, who looked about to faint at the four front-row NBA tickets.

"I went in when they opened and paid."

"How did you snag these seats!"

"Click fast."

I placed a hand on Hesi's kneeling shoulder.

"Play a lot of games, and your clicking improves naturally."

Then I added solemnly.

"My friend, games have benefits like this too. So how about we game together."

My sales pitch was immediately rejected.

What a heartless guy.

*

For Christmas lunch, I returned to the cabin.

Without stepping foot outside the cabin, I opened gifts from people and replied to messages. Thankfully, several seniors had sent me presents.

Ami gave me a gaming keyboard, a farming game, and a game chip for running an amusement park. Hesi gave me a pair of sneakers, and Tom sent a bang show kit. Barbie's high-end restaurant voucher, Iho's coffee brand card, Asil's capsule machine.

Ricardo sent a neat wallet, and Ska gave a sleek Zippo lighter.

From Spitfire came a cigar box, and Suhui chose a 30-year-old Ballantine.

And Colton...

...Was this a car key?

"This is insane."

On top of that, this car brand was the same as the sedan of Colton's that I'd crushed with a truck before.

"It's not gonna explode someday, is it?"

Of course, I didn't have the guts to refuse the gift.

I carefully set down the sleek car key. There were exactly two gifts I was afraid to open. I had to check the remaining one.

I overcame my fear and opened Yoon's gift.

Surprisingly, it was perfectly fine.

"...Somehow looks super expensive."

It was a watch.

"He wouldn't listen if I tried to return it."

Before attending the salon, he'd commented that his wrist felt a bit empty.

I couldn't bring myself to try on the watch and closed the luxurious box. Then I checked the last remaining gift.

It was Ye-hyeon's.

The card read: "Now, I'll return it. Merry Christmas."

This small stone was from my world.

A small, hard obsidian. Something I'd used to sharpen blades.

I held it in my hand for a long time before standing up.

I carefully organized the received gifts. After assigning each item its place, I sat in front of the beanbag. I sent thank-you messages to everyone who'd given gifts, then started gaming. I didn't want to waste a rare holiday.

Especially since I had to face Jae-yeon tomorrow.

I planned to give Ye-hyeon his Christmas and birthday gift tomorrow too.

*

It was a really great roguelike game.

Thinking that, I woke up refreshed and spotted someone humming a tune.

A woman with thin blond hair neatly braided down.

She busily moved around the kitchen. On the counter were eggs, coffee, bacon, and potatoes.

My groceries.

I stared at her back sullenly.

The woman glanced sideways and saw me wake up.

"Slept well? How do you want your eggs?"

Rubbing my neck, I walked to the kitchen.

"Sunny side up. Don't cook the yolk at all. Coffee with soy milk."

"Soy milk?"

As I approached Jae-yeon sullenly, tousling my hair, the open fridge door closed, and a sad-faced Ye-hyeon appeared, making me jump back.

"Looks like there's no soy milk."

"Commander!"

No.

This guy got dragged here by Jae-yeon.

My superior, with eyes mixed with resignation and sorrow, took out milk and asked.

"Milk okay too?"

"Yes, that's fine. I drink Americano well too. But I clearly said I dislike formal speech.... No, before that, how did you end up in this cramped, shabby place from morning...."

"I said I'd throw a party!"

As Jae-yeon smiled brightly and turned to us, the oven dinged!

The detestable being ran to the oven with an innocent grin and pulled out a massive roast chicken.

"I baked a cake too!"

Stop.

My protests fell on deaf ears, and a few minutes later, we sat around the cabin's round dining table.

A cake way too big for three people, roast chicken, and various dishes.

Steam rose from the warm lattes with milk.

Ye-hyeon and I looked down at the table gloomily.

Candles were densely stuck into the cake's surface.

"Come on, time to blow out the candles?"

The only excited one was Jae-yeon, her blond hair swaying.

"Happy birthday, Ye-hyeon!"