Black Badger

Chapter 59

Jin Silver had gone missing.

They said people had searched the subway like it was their own backyard. Even after I was taken to the hospital, they visited the subway multiple times.

They found everything I had seen. The tunnel Jin had dug. The lettuce, romaine, and chicks he had raised.

But there was no trace of Jin Silver.

Ami comforted me.

"It's not your fault."

Ricardo told me to stop with the self-indulgent thoughts.

"You think it's your fault~?"

But that was easier said than done. I tried not to show the sinking feeling in my stomach or the wave of shame washing over me.

Strangely, it was a familiar emotion. The shame of shamelessly surviving alone amid hardship. The seniors probably knew this feeling well too.

The worst part was the shame.

Ami and Iho tried hard to console me before leaving. Even Richard Green said something reassuring before going. That the situation wouldn't have changed much even if I hadn't been there. He'd ask questions once I recovered.

It meant he wasn't going to let it slide.

Anyway, with those three gone, only Ricardo and Yoon remained. I thought Ricardo would leave with them too.

The man with green eyes propped his chin and looked down at me quietly.

Then he smiled.

...Why were you smiling so ominously?

"Hilde..."

"Yes?"

As I responded, Ricardo's smile widened.

It was ominous. I had a bad feeling about this.

The senior looked down at me trembling in fear and broke the silence.

"Your next mission mentor is me~..."

What?

I blinked in surprise, and Ricardo's smile deepened.

He laughed at my stunned expression.

"Get better soon.... I'm counting the days~..."

"...What exactly?"

"Hmm-?"

"The mission? Or me."

His eyes narrowed into slits.

Ricardo spoke slowly with a crescent-moon smile.

"It's been years since you started eating your rice—do you really think the mission is what you're looking forward to now?"

Oh god.

He elegantly said he was going to work me like a dog. I watched the man stand up as if he'd said all he needed, my mouth agape in terror.

He left the room leisurely with a smile.

How could you drop a bomb like that and leave so casually?

Why was I doing my next mission with that guy? My mentor was right there beside me.

Yoon hadn't left.

Only after Ricardo exited the room did he turn his gaze to me.

"Hey."

"Yes."

"I have a few things to tell you."

"Then I'll hear the bad news first."

Yoon looked at me expressionlessly.

"There's only bad news."

Why?

The disappearance of Jin Silver alone was more than enough bad news.

I stared at the man standing beside me with tired, sullen eyes.

The guy wearing a shirt ironed obsessively neat.

He stretched his right leg and lazily pulled over a tripod stool to sit.

Then, true to form, he got straight to the point.

"The first news is that Jae-yeon figured out right away that you returned to the Core. Do you know how many days you slept?"

"No. One day?"

"Two."

"How did he find out? It's only been two days."

"That's just how he is."

Yoon spoke calmly, his voice evenly laced with hatred.

I tried once more to recall Jae-yeon but failed. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember him. With Kyle, the name alone brought his face to mind.

He had handsome features and hair as black as ebony. His eyes were confident. His voice captivated the masses.

I needed to ask Ye-hyeon about a lot of things.

Yoon said,

"Do you know how I found out about this?"

"Yes? No."

"A cabin is being built."

I didn't understand.

I silently stared at my mentor's neat features. His eyes, which had been dry and cold as they gazed into space, rolled over to meet mine.

"Your cabin."

"My cabin?"

"The one in front of our house."

"The one in front of the commander's house?"

"Yeah."

"But that one was destroyed, right?"

"Jae-yeon is building a new one for you."

What?

I stayed silent in shock. There were too many questions; I didn't know where to start.

Yoon seemed annoyed to speak first and didn't say anything until I broke the silence.

I barely sorted my thoughts.

"You're saying a new cabin is under construction right across from the commander's house right now?"

"Yeah."

"How do you know it's Jae-yeon's doing?"

"He left a message himself."

Yoon pulled out his smartphone from his pocket and handed it to me.

I looked at the single photo on the screen. The place swept by the climate shift creature. The spot I'd sadly gazed at from inside the Lamborghini.

Now it was filled with construction equipment and workers, and in the corner of the work site stood a wooden sign.

The sign had a message written on it.

In red, like smeared lipstick.

[Hildebert Talev Return Celebration Gift♡]

This crazy bastard.

What was with the heart?

"It's actually a building with your name on it being constructed."

"No, what.... Is this even possible without my consent?"

"You have street smarts, don't you? This guy's above most laws."

I became aware of the location tracker implanted under the skin of my finger.

I recalled the conversation in the High Command office. Ye-hyeon had said it in a heavy voice back then.

Once you leave this office, there are ears everywhere.

I had enough savvy to understand the implication. The Black Badger's privileges were an ageless body and superior recovery. Who wouldn't have wanted that?

I stared at the photo on Yoon's phone for a long time.

"What should I do once it's completed?"

"You'll have to think it over with Ye-hyeon. I'll let you know once we decide, so just keep it in mind for now."

"Yes. This isn't the end of the bad news, is it?"

"No."

My mentor, who seemed congenitally incapable of sympathy, answered flatly.

I quietly returned the phone to its owner and braced myself for the next news. I'd grown somewhat accustomed to the world crashing down on me like this.

Until my memories returned, I'd kept getting swept up like this. Even if I'd learned a lot, there was still so much more to learn, and in the midst of it, my forgotten past was frighteningly chasing me down.

I steeled myself and asked him to tell me the next news.

"You've been invited to Poden's salon."

Who was Poden?

Yoon answered as my expression asked the question.

"The chairman of Cureus Corporation that you rescued."

"Oh, that building owner?"

"Yeah."

My mentor then furrowed his brow ever so slightly.

"I'm going too, along with Choi Ami and Ye-hyeon."

"Do I have to go as well?"

Why had they invited me there? I heard Yoon was like an adopted son to some big corporation chairman. Ami was Yoon's blood sister, so she must have been adopted with him. Ye-hyeon was a famous figure who had dominated a generation.

But unlike those three with their social prestige, I was just an ordinary badger. There was no reason to invite me.

Moreover, didn't he think I had abandoned him?

Yoon sighed.

"It's better for your safety if you go."

"Ah, that kind of thing?"

"It's a salon with only select invitees. I'm not saying go network and succeed, but if you don't, Poden might get petty, and your life will get complicated. Got it?"

"Yes. It's really dirty and petty. Why invite me in the first place?"

"You'll know for sure once you go."

My mentor let out a second sigh.

Then he spat out a curse as naturally as breathing.

"Guess I'll have to see those dog-like bastards' faces again."

"...You don't like some people there?"

"Yeah. His whole family will be there too."

Yoon rolled his cold eyes filled with irritation and grumbled.

"The entire A-Tac chairman's family will probably show up. If it weren't for Ye-hyeon and Ami's request, I wouldn't go."

It seemed his relationship with the adopted family wasn't great.

I didn't have the guts to pry further. I listened carefully as Yoon told me the date and location of the salon afterward. Unfortunately, the salon was in two weeks. Since I expected to be discharged within this week at the latest, I couldn't use my injury as an excuse to skip it.

Beyond that, my mentor efficiently relayed a lot of information. Dress code, places to buy clothes, keywords to search online.

And what I needed to do going forward.

In the short term, it was getting discharge approval from Samuel.

Yoon told me to contact him once I accomplished that. He wouldn't disturb me while I recovered.

My mentor, who had delivered the words dryly, slowly stood up.

Seeing him about to leave, I urgently leaned my upper body forward.

"Yoon."

"What?"

I had something to tell him.

Medical staff bustled in the hallway.

In the now-familiar dense crowd, even as we talked, I retraced the memories that kept surfacing abruptly. The cool breeze that brushed my hair. The underground air that seeped into my lungs.

The sound of the train on the tracks.

The person who had jolted awake unnaturally, sensing something. Striding forward, then turning back with a smile. The words said with that smile.

The explosion.

I sifted through the memories and opened my mouth.

"Do you have the HR Director's number?"

Yoon's brow furrowed.

Why did my mentor hate the HR Director so much?

Even as he gave me the number, Yoon didn't smooth out his furrowed expression. I saved the number while glancing at his face and thanking him.

He had a grumpy expression.

"Why do you dislike the HR Director so much?"

I couldn't hold back my curiosity and asked.

Yoon's brow furrowed even more.

"Why do you need the HR Director's number?"

"I have something to tell him."

Dodging the question was suspicious.

But my mentor ultimately didn't answer. He left the hospital after telling me not to do anything unnecessary.

Too bad. I would find out someday.

As I texted the HR Director, I resolved to ask the right person.

Would Ami or Ye-hyeon answer if I asked?

I wasn't sure if I'd have the courage.

Anyway, I made an appointment to meet the HR Director.

*

Kang Joo visited the hospital room the next evening.

I had just moved to a private room. I felt like I could be discharged now, but Samuel was throwing a fit (Are you the doctor? If you're going to act like this, you do the surgery and checkup!), so I was spending boring time in the quiet room.

Hesi and Tom were out of the Core, and the seniors said they wouldn't disturb me and didn't visit. I just kept searching online about Poden and A-Tac on my phone.

That was when Joo arrived.

He still looked as if flowers might bloom in the background.

"Hilde, good work."

He approached lightly and sat in the chair beside the bed.

"How's your condition?"

"Very good. I think I could discharge now."

"Really? That's a relief."

Joo, dressed in casual clothes, smiled brightly.

I looked at his casual outfit with puzzled eyes.

A gray crewneck?

Why had he worn a gray crewneck to the company?

As I wondered about his attire for a moment, I remembered it was 7:30 now.

Right, he got off at 4.

Poor commander....

I briefly offered a silent prayer for Ye-hyeon. After finishing, I met eyes with Joo, who was smiling warmly.

He was a man with a soft, kind impression. In casual clothes, he really looked like a college student.

As I watched my boss who never lost his pace, I said,

"HR Director."

"Yeah, speak."

"Have you heard about Jin Silver?"

A hint of bitterness appeared in Joo's eyes.