Black Badger

Chapter 42

I relayed the facts. I had only responded twice to the texts from an unknown number. When they came with restricted caller ID, I didn't reply.

Ye-hyeon listened quietly as I explained while looking at my smartphone.

The spacious office, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, had three desks. The three members of High Command sat at their respective desks, listening intently to my words. Yoon stared blankly at the empty space ahead, arms crossed.

The office, filled with a suffocating night view, was so thoroughly soundproofed that no outside noise could be heard once the door was closed. I finished my brief explanation and waited for my superiors' reactions.

High Command remained silent, all dressed in immaculate suits.

The silence was broken by Ye-hyeon.

"Yoon."

Yoon turned his head.

"Have you seen him recently?"

Who was he talking about? Yoon slowly uncrossed his arms. The mentor slipped his hands into his gown pockets.

"No."

"Any contact?"

"None at all."

"Hilde's contact info... No, it wouldn't be strange no matter what method he used."

Ye-hyeon set down his smartphone and let out a heavy sigh.

I tensed up, pressing my lips into a thin line. What was this about? I had thought it was just some crazy person sending me random messages.

The people in this room had accurately anticipated the identity of the messenger. No one showed any doubt about Ye-hyeon's third-person reference to "him."

Everyone just wore expressions that said something had gone wrong.

The Supreme Commander let out a weary sigh and leaned back in his chair.

I swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry."

As I mumbled awkwardly, all eyes turned to me.

"I should have told you sooner. I didn't reply, but..."

"Whether you replied or not, nothing would have changed."

Ye-hyeon scolded me in a voice that couldn't hide his fatigue.

"Even if you'd told us earlier, nothing would have changed. You don't need to feel guilty."

"Thank you. Still..."

"From the moment the message reached you, there was nothing we could change anyway."

Ye-hyeon muttered to himself, then fell into a long silence with an inscrutable expression.

The silence was broken by the commander wiping his dry hands and letting out a sigh-like breath.

"Hilde. Listen carefully to what I say."

I straightened my back tensely.

"Whether soon or late, he'll come to you."

"Pardon?"

"As long as you don't leave the Core, you can't completely escape him."

Who the hell was he?

And why did I need to run from him?

I must have looked dumbfounded. But I didn't feel like fixing my expression.

Ye-hyeon closed his eyes, resting his forehead on his clasped hands.

The others watched Ye-hyeon in silence.

Ye-hyeon muttered to himself again.

"For the time being, I have to keep you outside the Core."

"Did I do something wrong to that person?"

I couldn't hold back my question.

"Do you perhaps know why he's angry with me?"

Eyes turned to me. Ye-hyeon, who had his eyes closed, slowly lifted his eyelids.

I met Ye-hyeon's gaze amid the focused stares.

Ye-hyeon slowly lowered his clasped hands.

"I don't know."

There was a strange sadness in Ye-hyeon's voice as he answered.

"I didn't even know he was angry with you, let alone why he's this furious. It's probably some absurd reason."

"Who the heck is he? If I knew the name, I might remember something."

Ye-hyeon hesitated.

The others furrowed their brows as well. I caught sight of them all simultaneously recalling the same person and looking displeased.

In the midnight office, where the city's lights filtered in, the Supreme Commander answered slowly.

"Jae-yeon."

I blinked slowly.

"Jae-yeon?"

People observed my reaction. I tried to recall the name. Jae-yeon. Jae-yeon. Jae-yeon. Jae-yeon...

Nothing came to mind. Of course not. I had even forgotten my own face. It was unlikely that hearing a short name would magically revive my memories.

I replied in a subdued voice.

"I'm sorry. I don't remember. Could you at least tell me his gender?"

"Gender doesn't matter."

Ye-hyeon said something incomprehensible.

I widened my eyes and looked up.

"Pardon? Why... Ah, is he super androgynous-looking? Or transgender?"

"No... Sometimes he appears as a woman, sometimes as a man. And we can't predict what gender form he'll approach you in."

"Pardon?"

What was he saying?

I was utterly bewildered, but the others didn't seem surprised. Instead, they sighed deeply upon hearing Ye-hyeon's words.

Ye-hyeon rubbed his face lightly with his palm, looking exhausted.

"His hairstyle changes every time, his eye color too... Telling you about his appearance wouldn't mean much anyway. As long as you're inside the Core, sooner or later, he'll find you."

"But what does he want after finding me?"

"Who knows. But judging from the message content, things won't go in a friendly direction."

Why the hell not?

I was at a loss for words. I stood frozen in place, unable to grasp what to say.

The one who spoke up was Ska, who had been listening to the conversation until now.

"December 26th birthday party."

The tall man said, turning his body toward his superior.

"It seems like the commander's story. But isn't it actually aimed at making the commander look bad, not Hilde? If he exposes Hilde's situation, the commander would be in the most difficult position."

"I think that's a valid point too."

The brown-haired man next to Ska said.

He had a youthful voice.

"December 26th is your birthday, isn't it?"

"No."

Ye-hyeon refuted concisely.

The superior explained with half-lowered eyelids, lost in thought.

"He wouldn't do something that causes such a big social uproar."

"Is there a reason you're so certain?"

Yoon asked, his brow furrowed throughout the conversation.

Ye-hyeon's eyes shifted. The mentor met Ye-hyeon's gaze head-on.

"Ye-hyeon. That bastard hates you."

"Yes. But the most he can do is drag me into a back room and gouge out my eyes. Direct violence is his limit, the line he's allowed."

The most?

Gouge out eyes? I couldn't keep up with the dizzying flood of information. Yoon grimaced. He shut his mouth, looking displeased with everything.

In the chilling atmosphere, Ye-hyeon muttered to himself without checking reactions.

"His master wouldn't allow anything beyond that..."

Ska's brow furrowed deeper. The nameless brown-haired man bit his lip.

An ominous air settled. Everyone wore troubled expressions in the nighttime office.

I stood there speechless. I didn't feel like asking any questions. I just had the gut feeling that I was entangled with something terribly complicated.

When the hell had I incurred Jae-yeon's wrath? What had I done?

There had never been a time when my lost memories felt this regrettable. If I could just recall them, the situation might become easier to handle.

I bit my lip and lowered my gaze.

Then I lifted my head at Ska's gentle voice.

"Hilde. You don't need to blame yourself. He's probably hating you for some absurd reason."

Ska looked at me with a comforting gaze, as if he were looking at a much younger junior.

The follow-up words were soft in tone, mismatched with their content.

"He hates everyone."

What a guy.

"But he hates Ye-hyeon the most. Commander. I have no intention of just watching you get beaten by that bastard again."

"Yes. I also have no intention of just watching Hilde get dragged away by him. If Jae-yeon has returned, we need to prepare to welcome him too."

Ye-hyeon replied, leaning far back in his chair at Yoon's words.

He placed his hand on the armrest and tapped it with his fingers: tap, tap, tap. I inhaled the chilling air and waited for the people's decisions.

The one who spoke to the deeply thoughtful top superior was Ska.

"Now that it's come to this, Jae-yeon will eventually find Hilde."

Ye-hyeon raised his head and met Ska's eyes.

While Ye-hyeon nodded, Ska continued.

"To prepare for that time, shouldn't we at least attach a location tracker to Hilde? It won't be easy for Hilde to escape from Jae-yeon on his own."

So these people were convinced that I would eventually be kidnapped by this Jae-yeon guy.

I wasn't scared. Probably because such an assumption didn't feel realistically imminent. I quietly listened to the men discussing whether attaching a location tracker would be effective, or if implanting a chip under the skin of the hand would be the most accurate, rather than just on clothing.

It was almost midnight already.

The discussion dragged on. Ye-hyeon summarized the back-and-forth.

"Hilde will be sent outside the Core for the time being."

He ordered in a tired but firm voice.

"Since creatures will swarm, assign the most skilled badgers."

"I'll inform the HR Director."

The brown-haired man replied.

Yoon also nodded silently. I pressed my lips tightly and watched Ye-hyeon straighten his upper body. The superior's already pale complexion looked even more pallid than usual.

"Send him out as soon as he recovers. Until my instructions, make sure Hilde can stay outside the Core."

"Yes."

"I also think attaching a location tracker is a good idea, but we should hear Hilde's opinion on this part."

Me?

I was flustered by the focused gazes, thinking the discussion was wrapping up. Before I knew it, everyone in the office was looking only at me.

I reflexively swallowed and met Ye-hyeon's eyes.

The Supreme Commander spoke in a husky voice.

"Is that okay?"

"Pardon? Yes..."

"If you have questions, ask."

The pale superior said quietly.

"I'll answer as much as I can."

Standing before this man always brought a flood of questions to mind.

This time was no exception. I selected the question I was most curious about, the one I most wanted answered. It was a question that came to mind while reviewing everything that had happened so far. It might sound out of context to others.

I looked straight at Ye-hyeon.

"Me."

Even though the people waited for my words, I had to gather courage to ask the question.

"This might sound out of the blue, but have I ever met you, Commander?"

The three seniors widened their eyes in surprise.

Only Supreme Commander Lee Ye-hyeon met my gaze without surprise.