Black Badger

Did people really think the whole world was like them?

When I shot him a look of disbelief, Yoon added a dry explanation.

"What do you think the purpose of the exam is?"

"To check skills."

"Right. The promotion exam is a process to confirm whether you can handle the workload of one full badger."

Yoon pulled up a chair and sat down.

"If you already have the skills to handle one full badger's worth on a regular basis, then there's no need to worry about the exam."

"No, but still, I need to know what it's evaluating."

"I'll teach you everything before the exam anyway. Shooting, swimming, airborne training, climbing, and so on."

I was already failing at shooting, though.

The comfortable thing about talking to Yoon was that he could read my expressions and understand exactly what I was about to say.

This ruthlessly practical man looked at me and gave the precise answer without even needing a question.

"By then, you'll be above the standard for shooting too."

"...Is that so? Still, I'd like to know more details about the exam."

"I'm telling you, it's not about cramming right before the exam. You study normally, and the exam just confirms your skills."

Yoon spouted something incredibly old-school.

It was the kind of boomer talk that would make even the elders weep. Just as I was about to point out how boomer that sounded, my mentor changed his tone.

"But every time I say stuff like this, Ye-hyeon gets mad too."

He shrugged lightly, which was amusing.

"It must be pretty annoying, huh?"

"Were you aware? My goodness."

"But I really don't get why you're so worried about the exam."

Yoon said something absurd and crossed his legs.

"Soon I'll be in a position where I have to learn from you. Why worry so much?"

It felt like a blow to the back of my head.

I opened my mouth and stared blankly at my mentor. I froze like an idiot, unable to react.

We were in that suffocating single room.

The only sound was the whirring of medical robots patrolling the hallway.

I snapped out of it only after the sound of the robot's wheels faded away.

"What do you mean?"

I couldn't help but emphasize the "what."

Yoon chuckled at my reaction.

"Why so surprised?"

"Does it look like something not to be surprised about?"

"It's something I think every time I train you."

Is this guy asking me for a favor or something?

Why was he suddenly acting like this? What was the point of buttering me up? He wasn't the type to shower praise just to make someone feel good.

Ah.

Is this a setup to get me on the operating table?

"I'm not getting on that operating table."

"We have to try it before you regain your full abilities."

Yoon brushed off my words effortlessly and said what he wanted to say.

From the way his hand went into his pocket and came back out, it seemed like he'd thought about smoking but remembered this was a hospital room.

Instead of putting the long cigarette between his fingers, the man crossed his arms and grew a sinister smile.

"Even now, during training, there are times when I almost get my throat slit by you."

"But I haven't left a single scratch on your body yet?"

"You're still sluggish. I don't know what you've been doing all those decades, but that kind of prolonged laziness doesn't fill in easily."

It was stifling.

Decades of gap. From the point my memories cut off until I fell out of the portal.

I couldn't even imagine where I'd been or what I'd done during that time.

But Yoon didn't give me time to wallow in sentiment and threw punch after punch.

"If you'd been fast enough, there were several moments when my head would've flown off. You have a real talent for killing intent without malice."

"...Why are you saying this out of character?"

"I'm just stating facts."

The man said that and held out his smartphone to me.

I took the phone and looked at the screen. It showed a phone number and the owner's name.

[Gabi]

...

I stared at it for a moment before saving the number.

"...Thank you."

"Among existing humans, the one with the highest combat ability is Lee Seung-hyun."

I slowly raised my head.

And reflexively scanned the surroundings. The hospital room was still quiet. As Ye-hyeon had said, outside the office meant ears everywhere, but it didn't seem like anyone other than the elders was listening.

Choi Yoon wasn't that careless.

"The first retainers standing beside the elders are roughly equal in overall skill. In other words, it takes the redhead and the blond next to that platinum pervert combined to match what Lee Seung-hyun can do. Jae-yeon would lose to Lee Seung-hyun by a hair in a fair ring fight, but outside of proper bouts, he often beats him."

I see.

I remembered that Lee Seung-hyun was exceptional. No, he was definitely the standout among the people I trained. So much so that we barely had time for personal talks.

But...

I blinked and asked.

"Where do you rank?"

"Me? I'm about on par with Jae-yeon."

What?

And yet he said something like "soon I'll have to learn from you"?

"Ye-hyeon is slightly better than me, but his learned helplessness means he can't make a move against Jae-yeon."

"It seems like it'll take me a while to catch up to you two."

"Not yet."

Yoon said that and looked at me, lifting one corner of his mouth.

"So, be careful when you go to him so you don't suffer the humiliation of getting beaten by your disciple, old man."

A chill ran through my body.

I nearly dropped the phone I was holding. I froze in place and stared at my mentor, who was grinning wickedly.

Crazy bastard...

My body trembled as I barely squeezed out a response.

"Please don't use informal speech with me."

He raised one eyebrow.

"I'm begging you."

Of course, Yoon didn't respond.

*

I went to see Asil.

Right after discharge. His discharge was a day later than mine. He was supposed to be out sooner, but his condition worsened once in the middle.

Fortunately, he looked fine now.

The senior, who was told he could discharge immediately but had to wait until tomorrow for procedures, observed me as I entered the single room.

His blue eyes narrowed slightly.

"How's your condition."

It was the first thing he said as soon as I sat in the chair.

"I heard you had thoracic intubation."

"I'm fine now."

Asil didn't seem to believe it much.

So, while seated, I rambled on about what had happened. How the surgery went, what I did during hospitalization afterward, and my exact current state.

I also told him about the arena results.

The fact that we were there had been erased from media reports.

Instead, it was reported that a creature went berserk and caused the arena to collapse. The police negligence, the existence of Green Dream, and the fact that Black Badgers were in the arena were all buried. Along with public opinion that "those who committed such illegal acts deserve to die."

"Nice work."

Asil muttered.

It was directed at Ye-hyeon. He'd probably think covering the media was solely Ye-hyeon's doing.

I didn't correct him.

Instead, thinking of the host who had recited our past, I replied.

"At least the rumors haven't spread, so that's a relief."

Asil, who had been looking out the window, turned his head.

"I'm sorry for overhearing without permission, senior."

I wanted to apologize to Ricardo too.

But he had already returned to duty and was out of the Core. He left me just one message: "See you at the year-end party~"

I wondered if he was resting well.

As I frowned thinking of the senior who must have suffered in secret, a gruff response came back.

"It's a story most people already know anyway, so don't worry about it."

I see.

"I should be the one apologizing. We get pulled for those missions often, so we must be a thorn in their side, which is why the mafia came up with that plan."

Yeah, probably.

The anger accumulated from defeats against badgers must have led Marie to whisper sweet proposals to the mafia. With the Green Dream left to me, let's tailor it to them.

The mafia couldn't have refused such a sweet deal.

But it wasn't the seniors' fault.

Arguing wouldn't get through, though.

I changed the subject.

"By the way, can I ask you one thing?"

"What?"

Asil made a face like he had a question mark floating above his head.

I got straight to the point.

"Why did you grab Yoon by the collar?"

His expression turned peculiar.

Asil kept silent with a subtle look on his face.

After a long pause, he said quietly.

"You remember that cop."

Jae-yeon.

"Yes."

"He killed the police chief right in front of me and then vanished."

As expected.

"After that, I kept tracking him, but no leads. It was like I'd dreamed it all up—every photo, video, report of him just disappeared."

That made sense. Jae-yeon was someone who didn't tolerate being recorded.

I knew there was a separate team that erased his digital traces from CCTV, cameras, and such. They got paid by Colton and did that all day. I'd heard there were people who erased his biological traces too—hair, fingerprints, saliva.

A single detective couldn't uncover that.

"That's why he became a badger."

"I see."

"Even after becoming a badger, it took a while to find any trace of him."

That was obvious too.

How could an ordinary Black Badger...

"Until I saw Choi Yoon coming out of the A-Tac building with him."

Ah?

Ah. Sudden realization hit me.

I got it now.

That was why he went to Yoon the next day and grabbed him by the collar.

"Turned out it was the day of the shareholders' meeting."

"...Aha."

"Yoon didn't look pleased, but anyway, the two of them were in suits, talking as they left the building and disappeared. I was staring at Jae-yeon like an idiot until they were out of sight, so no chance I saw wrong."

"Why didn't you question him separately?"

Even if he passed out from the chop to the neck that day when you grabbed his collar.

The next day, instead of apologizing, he could have asked rationally. Especially someone he'd been chasing.

At my question, Asil furrowed his brow slightly.

The senior stared at the hospital bed railing without smoothing his brow.

"The supreme commander told me to drop it."

"Yes?"

My voice jumped idiotically.

No, he went straight to Ye-hyeon?

"You've probably guessed, but he said it's not someone I can just arrest."

Insane execution.

He was a man of quiet passion. He probably barged right into the high command office. I could picture him ignoring those trying to stop him and charging in.

The flustered secretaries and Ye-hyeon blinking in surprise.

He didn't detail exactly what they talked about, but Asil confessed he'd half-given up on capturing Jae-yeon after that.

Until their reunion at the Colosseum.

"I'll report to the boss after discharge."

Do that. Ye-hyeon probably already knew.

"But you forget about it."

What?

Jae-yeon?

When I looked at my senior with puzzled eyes, Asil stared back with a serious face.

His following words were thick with sincerity.

"You're quick on the uptake and good at reading situations for your age, so you'll understand why I'm saying this. Completely erase everything about that cop from your mind."

"Ah."

"Listen. It's too dangerous."

The former detective emphasized in a firm voice.

With an expression anxious that I might not listen.

"Forget that you even met him."

If only I could.

I swallowed my inner thoughts down my throat.

*

Time passed quickly.

Center Core steadily filled with year-end atmosphere. Cold air where white breath came from mouths. People in coats and padding. Folks bustling around until late.

Shops were decked out in Christmas decorations and shining, carols echoing here and there.

A hectic time with restaurant reservations bursting for year-end parties.

I stood in front of the monotonous apartment building.

"Are you a visitor?"

As I stood blankly in the apartment lobby, a security guard approached from inside.

"Which unit are you visiting?"

A high-end apartment in the heart of Center Core.

I was visiting an apartment where reconstruction talks kept coming up due to its age.

Even his home suited him...

I looked down at my phone to answer.

"Unit 2102."

"I'll connect you to unit 2102 via intercom."

"No, it says they're not inside right now."

I said it while staring at the curt reply.

It was a message in a low, cold voice, different from Choi Yoon's. I thought time had changed many things, but not that much.

"They said they're on the way, so they'll be here soon. I'll just wait in the lobby..."

"I'm here, so let's go."

Make some noise when you walk.

I turned my head at the voice from behind.

And slowly pocketed my phone before turning around.

A familiar face met mine.

Fine features and neat facial structure, but with a prickly, nitpicky impression. The man standing there had features arranged just like Ye-hyeon's. Seeing his face up close brought back forgotten memories.

My long-time disciple.

Lee Seung-hyun.

The most outstanding among the disciples I trained, he was now the father of my top superior.

"Long time no see."

"Let's go up."

He replied in his unchanged voice and headed inside.

"We're both busy."

His personality hadn't changed either...

Amazed, I followed him.