Black Badger

Chapter 15

A week passed quickly.

It was a time marked by muscle soreness and the adjustments to the new house. Aside from the muscle-tearing pain and the occasional tears from training, nothing particularly special happened that week.

The schedule ended precisely at 6 p.m., but by then, I had no energy left for anything else. I staggered through dinner, then buried myself in the beanbag chair, scrolling through my smartphone to pass the time.

Whenever I used my phone, I searched for and read articles about Black Badger.

I couldn't read for long because sleep crashed over me overwhelmingly. Still, I learned a fair amount about my boss living next door and the organization under his command.

Supreme Commander Lee Ye-hyeon.

Actual age 78. Physical age 25. A war hero who survived two wars. The one who took down a tier 10 creature that appeared during the First War.

He rose to power through that achievement and held onto that position ever since. He faced criticism as a dictator for his unusually long tenure, but he led the organization without any major scandals or incidents. Society viewed him as something of an icon for Black Badger.

Even on the screen, Ye-hyeon looked strikingly pale and handsome. Online, he was called by various nicknames: hero of turbulent times, pretty boy, vampire.

No matter how much I searched, more articles kept pouring in. Columns that claimed badgers stole the right of ordinary people to die peacefully. Criticisms that, no matter how capable he was, Ye-hyeon was just a mere dictator. Urban legends that insisted he actually held the reins of power in Center Core. Perhaps because he was such a hot-button figure, personal information was hard to come by in searches.

My mentor had told me to ask if I was curious about anything, but this felt too sensitive a topic to bring up casually. More than that, since my mentor seemed personally close to the Supreme Commander, I couldn't muster the courage to ask.

'Maybe ask Ricardo later?'

I doubted he'd give me a friendly answer either.

[Black Badger reclaims land after 5 years. Expected increase in rare earth elements supply....]

[Ye-hyeon. Maintains Supreme Commander seat without incident]

[Immortal Black Badger. Truly society's necessary evil?]

[Rising illegal anti-aging procedures, Black Badger's stance?]

[Creature sighted in Zone 3, suppressed without casualties]

[Black Badger saves 3-year-old child at cost of life, dies at age 42]

'Must be exhausting.'

That was the conclusion I reached after six days of monotonous routine. The organization called Black Badger drew both criticism and admiration from people. It was obvious that life as the head of such a complex entity would be utterly draining.

Yoon hadn't been exaggerating when he said Black Badger's influence was immense.

My shady employment... parachute hiring was more accurate? Whatever it was, getting thrust into Black Badger through an irregular channel made me absolutely certain that I couldn't let it be discovered. The fallout would be too much to handle if it came out.

'Ye-hyeon would naturally face a media backlash too. Gotta be really careful.'

In any case, that's how I spent my time. Days of training, a bit of phone scrolling, and then sleep.

*

It rained.

It had been raining for the past two days straight.

The sound of rain faintly seeped into the house. The air carried the scent of cool dampness.

Anxious about tomorrow's self-introduction, I lay on the beanbag listening to the rain. What was I supposed to say for a self-introduction when I couldn't remember anything? I'd complained to my mentor after training that day, but Yoon showed no sign of wanting to help even a little.

It wouldn't suddenly get postponed or anything...

BAM!

A massive noise came from the door.

It sounded like something had slammed hard against the wooden door. Startled, I opened it, and a gust of wind and rain poured in.

And there, standing a ways off, was Choi Ami.

"Choi Ami!"

I raised my voice, getting pelted directly in the face by the rain.

"What are you doing!"

"My umbrella flew away!"

Choi Ami shouted back as she ran toward the cabin.

It seemed her umbrella had flown in and smacked against the cabin door. I pulled my body back, and sure enough, the umbrella stuck to the open door like a suction cup. It had been plastered to the back of the door by the wind.

The little badger came scampering over to the green umbrella.

"My umbrella!"

"I got it. Come in! What with this rain..."

"Argh!"

Choi Ami clutched her head with her hands and dashed inside to the entryway.

BAM! She yanked the umbrella as she slammed the cabin door shut. The rain, wind, and chill receded in a rush. The patter of rain grew fainter.

A cool silence returned to the cabin.

Choi Ami looked up at me, clutching her wet, seaweed-like hair with both hands.

"Thanks."

"You're soaked. Hold on. I'll get you a towel."

"You really know how to control your strength."

She said something I couldn't quite follow.

Her round eyes looked straight up at me. Instead of asking questions, I decided to grab a dry towel from the bathroom. Choi Ami reached out with both arms and took the fluffy towel.

Choi Ami rubbed her hair while standing at the entryway.

"Come inside."

"No, I'm all wet."

"That's why you should come in. I can lend you some clothes."

"My house is right there, so it's fine."

That was true enough.

Across from the cabin was the house where Ye-hyeon, Choi Yoon, and Choi Ami lived. While I'd been holed up here, Choi Ami had stopped by occasionally to check if I needed any help.

She was a really kind person.

I fetched a jacket for Choi Ami.

Choi Ami looked up at me with a grin. She looked so cheeky when she smiled.

She rubbed the ends of her hair with the towel.

"They say a typhoon is coming."

"Yeah. It's been raining nonstop. Seems to be getting worse..."

"It's not a natural typhoon."

Huh?

Choi Ami saw my blank expression and let out a clear, childlike laugh.

"It's a climate shift creature. I'd been suspicious ever since the typhoon started forming, but the headquarters scientists confirmed it this time. It's heading this way."

"...There's a creature like that?"

And why here of all places?

The small kitchen window rattled in the wind. The sound of the rain and the rattling window filled the dim cabin.

"Yeah. There are all sorts of creatures. We just lump everything that pours out of portals under the term 'creature.' That's why they're so inconsistent. Remember the ones we ran into last time? Some look that weird, and others look like the butterfly that's probably in the eye of this typhoon right now."

"A butterfly?"

"Yeah. It looks like a really huge butterfly."

"...How do you catch something like that?"

"Usually, we don't. It's tricky to catch, but the damage isn't that severe."

I should search about creatures next week, I thought idly while listening to Choi Ami. I'd originally planned to look up the First War and Second War, but studying creatures seemed more urgent.

Choi Ami folded the towel in half.

"But this time, I think we have to catch it."

"It's coming here?"

"Yeah."

Well, yeah. With the Supreme Commander living right across the street, they couldn't just let a creature head this way.

I took the folded towel from Choi Ami. I refused when she said she'd wash it and return it.

Choi Ami stared blankly as I placed the wet towel on top of the shoe cabinet.

"Have you ever accidentally broken something in the house?"

What kind of question was that?

I looked down at my senior in confusion.

"Uh... no."

"Impressive. Controlling your strength isn't easy."

Choi Ami pointed to the door I'd just slammed shut with a BAM!

"Especially actions like that, when you're moving in a hurry, people often fail to control their strength. Not just rookies—even fifth-year badgers slip up sometimes. It takes about ten years after getting the augmented body implant to mostly avoid mistakes."

"Is that so? I haven't really thought about it..."

"Yeah. Oppa said so."

Yoon?

I felt my eyes widen. I couldn't help it, since Yoon hadn't given me any other evaluation all week.

I'd only gotten a ton of nagging about shooting.

Choi Ami smiled slyly.

"He said you're definitely someone with a solid augmented body who doesn't make strength control mistakes. That you handle it without any trouble, like you've had the body for twenty years."

"Thanks. That must be a compliment?"

"It's a good thing! Oppa was just stating objective facts, though."

Yeah, he wasn't the type to give compliments.

As I reflected on the week I'd spent with my mentor, Choi Ami's voice came from below.

"Isn't it amazing?"

What? Me?

Rattle rattle rattle! A loud noise drew our attention. The window shook noisily. And amid the heavy rain, the faint sound of an engine mixed in.

Choi Ami's face lit up.

"It's Oppa Ye-hyeon!"

The Supreme Commander?

"He must be back from his trip! Well, he did say he'd attend your introduction if possible."

Please, no.

Why would the highest-ranking person in the organization want to watch the lowest newbie's self-introduction? Someone this famous in the world? As Choi Ami said, a person so busy that even living together, you rarely saw his face?

Choi Ami grabbed the entryway door handle and looked up at me.

"Thanks for grabbing the umbrella and giving me the towel. I'll head out now."

"Ah, sure! Be careful. It's raining..."

"It's right here? If you open the door, the rain will pour in again. Stay inside."

"No, I wanted to greet the Commander too."

I reached past Choi Ami's shoulder to grab the handle.

Choi Ami thanked me and took hold of the green umbrella. I opened the door just as my senior unfurled it.

The outside air rushed in. Raindrops battered the entryway. The smell of wind, and pouring rain limited visibility in front of the house.

Across the street, in front of their residence, a sleek black car was parked.

"Oppa Ye-hyeon!"

Choi Ami ran toward the man in the black suit stepping out of the car.

"Back from your trip?"

Ye-hyeon opened a black umbrella.

The strikingly pale man smiled at the approaching Choi Ami. He gave her a gentle smile and said something softly. I missed my chance to greet him and just stared at the two.

Just like on the screen.

It was good to learn more about him, but the more I knew, the more uncomfortable I felt...

Ye-hyeon met my gaze.

He gave me a soft smile too. His long, large eyes crinkled. I bowed my head deeply in greeting. Anyway, with the rain so loud, he probably wouldn't hear me even if I said something.

Ye-hyeon gestured for me to close the door.

As I nodded and shut it, I lip-read what Ye-hyeon mouthed.

'See you tomorrow.'

Whoa. The pressure was so intense I felt like I might throw up dinner.

*

After watching Hilde enter the cabin, Ye-hyeon and Choi Ami turned away.

As the front door closed, the sound of rain faded.

Ye-hyeon folded his umbrella and leaned it against the shoe cabinet before taking off his shoes. Choi Ami folded her green umbrella and removed her soaked shoes.

As the two lingered in the entryway, Yoon came walking from inside.

"You're back."

"Yeah."

Ye-hyeon answered straightforwardly, smiling at Yoon.

Then he lightly placed a hand on Choi Ami's shoulder.

"Choi Ami, go wash up first."

"I'm using the upstairs bathroom, so it's fine!"

"Why are you so soaked?"

"The typhoon blew my umbrella away."

Yoon snorted dismissively at Choi Ami's nonchalant reply.

Choi Ami breezily ignored her biological brother's gruff attitude. She took off her wet socks and stepped barefoot into the living room. She frowned at the wet socks and let out a groan.

Standing beside her, Ye-hyeon shook the raindrops off his shoulders.

Yoon's gaze turned to Ye-hyeon.

"Wasn't it supposed to be until tomorrow?"

"Yeah. But tomorrow's Hilde's official introduction, so I came back a day early."

"For that?"

Yoon raised one eyebrow.

Ye-hyeon took off his black jacket and smiled faintly.

"Killing two birds with one stone. The trip wrapped up quicker than expected too... How's Hilde? Your first deputy mentor, right?"

"The human who fell out of the portal first."

Yoon's response was cold.

Choi Ami looked up at Yoon, clutching her wet socks. Her round, dark eyes followed her blood kin's dry gaze.

Ye-hyeon looked at Yoon with an inscrutable expression and spoke.

"Not wrong, but I'd like your objective assessment first."

"If you polish him right, he's guaranteed to exceed average badger level. He definitely has talent for athletics. Decent focus, no fear to speak of. Persistent too."

"All praise."

Choi Ami, who had been watching her brother expressionlessly, broke into a smile.

She beamed as if she'd received the praise herself.

"Good! I was worried he might not adjust since he's a nice kid!"

"How do you know if he's nice? How much have you even seen of him?"

"He's a nice kid."

When Yoon pointed it out dryly, Ye-hyeon declared it softly but firmly.

He tugged at his navy tie with his pale, long hand.

"Yoon. Hilde's a good kid by nature, so even if he doesn't click with you, treat him well. You do like good people, after all."

"You need to know what kind of guy he is. Just look at this typhoon."

Yoon rolled his eyes, one hand shoved in his pocket. His dry gaze flicked to the window for a moment before returning.

In the ensuing silence, Yoon spoke.

"He's the one drawing in the creature."

The man's low voice echoed in the calm, spacious house.

"It's weird that you're acting like nothing's wrong when you know all this."

Ye-hyeon met Yoon's gaze wordlessly.

Rain battered the windows. It showed no signs of letting up. A chilling quiet blanketed the sleek house amid the eerie air. The silence born of waiting for the superior's reply.

Ye-hyeon, staring at Yoon with an inscrutable face, lowered his eyelids.

The Supreme Commander broke the silence with his husky voice.

"I might regret my choice later."

The siblings kept silent at the near-mumble.

Ye-hyeon, lost in thought and staring at the floor, lifted his head after a moment.

The man closed his eyes in a gentle expression different from when he was at his public post.

"I'm sleepy. Only got three hours last night."

"Go wash up and sleep. Give me your clothes and tie. Choi Ami, you too, go wash."

"Got it."

The three dispersed. The two who had come from outside headed to the bathroom, and Yoon went to his room with Ye-hyeon's clothes draped over his arm.

Having spent a long time with Ye-hyeon, they knew sometimes ignorance was bliss. That he had his reasons for not explaining. That pressing for answers wouldn't yield what they wanted—and knowing the truth could drag them into troublesome affairs.

The siblings swallowed their rising suspicions.

*

D-Day.

I headed to the auditorium for my self-introduction.