Black Badger

The party hall was spacious and elegant.

People dressed to impress streamed through the open doors. My energy was already being drained just watching them.

As soon as I spotted Spitfire, I’d ask for the game.

Then I’d get out of here. I was sure the place was filled with extravagant food and delicacies, but I had no appetite. I just wanted to hole up in the cabin and eat cup noodles alone.

Where was the host?

I looked around but couldn’t see the Elder—nor any of his underlings.

Maybe he was the “main guest” type who arrived fashionably late.

I trudged farther inside.

Keeping pace with Yun, I muttered quietly,

“Judging by the atmosphere, I doubt he’ll show himself before two hours have passed.”

“No big shot like that greets his guests personally.”

“Still, black suits you better than I expected.”

He usually wore that white lab coat; it felt like such a waste now.

“You should wear dark suits more often.”

Yun rolled his eyes, looking me up and down.

“You’re one to talk. Stop wearing only T-shirts and windbreakers all the time. Try a suit.”

“Something wrong with the windbreaker?”

He didn’t answer aloud—his eyes did it for him.

I rubbed my neck awkwardly and chuckled.

“I didn’t think it looked that bad....”

“You look best in formal wear.”

Yun said it matter-of-factly.

I guessed that was a compliment.

No need to ask.

We entered the hall filled with loud chatter. Others probably all knew each other already—and even if they didn’t, they’d have someone around to make introductions. But from a social standpoint, I wasn’t the type who belonged at gatherings like this.

Yun wasn’t the type to introduce me to anyone either.

Even people here weren’t sure whether he was a physicist, a biologist, or something in between.

The eldest son of the Choi family, Choi Hyunjun, chairman of Aitek, approached with a polished smile.

“Mr. Taleb. It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Chairman.”

I accepted his offered handshake lightly.

“Good to see you. Have you been well?”

A formal answer came back.

And that was that.

Naturally—the man had nothing to gain from me. ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) That was the way of high society.

Under Hyunjun’s lead, a group of scientists began to talk.

I wasn’t clueless enough to wedge myself into their conversation.

It looked like Hyunjun was trying to develop a new item with that scientist and wanted to have its feasibility checked by his adopted younger brother. I watched Yun, trapped by the elder brother, forced to listen to their discussion with a blank expression.

When it became clear that the talk would drag on, I slipped away.

I had nowhere to go, but still....

The hall was like a museum with its high ceiling. Sculpted white statues lined the walls at even intervals—each one headless. Some had wings, some twisted in agony, some sat in serene poses, but not one had a head.

What a taste in decor.

The tables came in all shapes too.

I walked toward the only one without people.

Might as well eat something.

“Excuse me....”

I had just popped a canapé into my mouth and was looking over a bottle of whisky when someone spoke behind me.

I set the bottle down and turned.

“Yes?”

“Is this your first time at one of these parties?”

When I lowered my head, I saw a glamorous woman looking up at me.

“If you’re alone, would you like to join me at that table over there?”

Jaeyeon?

That was my first thought.

Disguising himself as someone else and causing a scene was exactly his specialty.

If he had gone all in on a disguise, there’d be no way for me to tell. I quickly dropped the suspicion and focused on what the woman was saying.

“They have some amazing drinks over there. I tried one during a shoot once—it’s sweet and lovely.”

“Ah.”

An actress, then.

I didn’t know her name; I had no knowledge of the entertainment industry.

She looped her arm around mine and pulled me close.

“Come on?”

Before I could answer, she was already tugging me along.

“That way, inside.”

Reluctantly, I let her lead.

This was odd.

Well, it’s a social event—meant for socializing—so I didn’t refuse.

The place she led me to was dimmer, the lighting different.

I narrowed my eyes. The atmosphere was entirely different from the refined museum-like hall.

In an instant, the surroundings darkened. Unlike the hall, people here smoked and drank freely.

And something smelled off.

“Marijuana?”

“You really are new here, huh? Just say what you want—they’ve got everything.”

She looked up at me with a bright grin, glitter sparkling near her eyes.

“You didn’t come to talk business, right?”

Ah.

So the main hall was for politicians and financiers, and this section was for artists and entertainers.

Typical of the host.

Memories flashed—being injected with drugs in the Colosseum. Not pleasant ones.

“What can I get you? Weed?”

“I’m fine.”

Didn’t they say a Badger caught using drugs would be stripped of their enhanced body?

“I can’t take anything. Occupational hazard.”

“Of course—you’re an aspiring actor, right?”

...Excuse me?

No?

“It’s fine, no reporters here! I can introduce you to some seniors.”

She pointed with a glittered nail toward a massive semicircular sofa.

The table in front of it was crammed with bottles. Several men and women lounged lazily there. As we got closer, I recognized some of their faces.

Actors, all of them. I even recognized one personally.

But—seriously—I wasn’t an aspiring actor.

Ignoring my confusion, the woman stopped in front of the table.

Now she was fully wrapped around my arm.

Should I tell them I wasn’t who they thought I was?

Just as I thought that, the man sitting in the center of the sofa spoke.

“What’s this stray mutt?”

“Excuse me?”

“He said it’s his first time at a party, so I brought him.”

The woman laughed, resting her face on my shoulder.

“Cute, isn’t he?”

“Never seen him before.”

“Oh! He looks kinda familiar, though.”

“Is he someone new Spitfire’s sponsoring?”

The handsome men and women on the sofa took turns making comments as their eyes raked over me, scoring and judging.

Their glances and words came like rain, and I missed my chance to clarify that I wasn’t an actor.

“Come on, who lets someone unknown in here? That’s weird.”

“Maybe someone saw potential in his looks?”

“As if looks alone make you succeed here.”

“But Spitfire’s got odd tastes, you know that.”

“He’s the type to back someone he’s into—money, fame, whatever.”

“Still, he used to have standards.”

The actor who’d called me a mutt—his face was vaguely familiar—spoke again.

A whiskey glass dangled lazily from one hand, a cigarette from the other as he reclined arrogantly.

“I used to think I could tell who deserved an invitation and who didn’t.”

“Matthew.”

“Guess I was wrong this time.”

Hm.

So they were looking down on me, thinking I was some nobody.

“Seshi, no matter how handsome he is, trying to get over your ex like this isn’t it.”

The blonde beauty beside him looked at the woman holding my arm and laughed.

When she brushed her hair back, the golden strands fanned out like silk.

“It’s rude to the guy.”

I smiled faintly and listened quietly to their gossip.

“You’re just using him to make Michael jealous.”

“What?”

“Come on, no one’s interested in you anymore. Don’t you get it?”

Entertaining, honestly.

If I’d still been memoryless, their attitude might have stung. But after everything I remembered, it barely registered.

I even found their petty sparring amusing.

“Rachel, didn’t you brag on that talk show about chatting up newbies who couldn’t blend in at parties? Who’s desperate for attention here again?”

“Look at you, bringing him here for his looks and sneaking glances at Michael the whole time—pathetic.”

“What’s your name?”

The male actor in the center ignored their bickering and asked me directly.

I blinked, then met his gaze.

“Hildebert Taleb.”

“Never heard that name in my life.”

Of course not.

When you were born, I probably wasn’t even on Earth.

“How’d you get in here? Who’d you bow down to?”

I stared at him silently.

I knew that face. Which meant he was a famous actor—one of the few I recognized despite never watching dramas or films.

So that explained the arrogance.

I kept staring until he frowned. Then I opened my mouth—

But someone shouted first.

“Senior!”

Every head turned.

I followed their gaze—and saw a tall man approaching.

He was dressed perfectly, clothes tailored to his frame, with sharp, clean features. An all-black outfit, crisp shoes clicking clearly on the floor.

Just walking drew every eye in the room.

Even the arrogant actor straightened his posture.

As the focus of attention came closer, the space buzzed with excitement.

“We thought you wouldn’t come today!”

“If I’d known, I’d have brought your favorite drink—I got something incredible this time.”

“Hey! Make room, give him a seat!”

“Sit here, sir!”

The man said nothing.

He ignored their greetings, pretending not to hear as he bent down slightly. Then, smoothly, he picked up a cigarette pack from the table.

He pulled one out and placed it between his lips.

One of the actors quickly lit it for him.

Watching the whole scene, I let out a long sigh.

Ha.

“You’re here?”

Jaeyeon turned to me with a grin.

“Hair’s gotten longer.”

Just what I didn’t want to see.

I stared blankly at him as he smoked.

His face hadn’t changed at all since last time—the sharp eyes, the well-shaped nose, the perfectly styled hair.

What the hell was he doing here without Colton?

I didn’t bother hiding my annoyance.

“What are you doing here.”

The actress clutching my arm gasped softly.

But I ignored her stepping back—and the other actors’ alarmed faces.

“Came to see you.”

Jaeyeon’s smirking reply made my mood worse.

“Growing your hair out again? Like the good old days?”

“Just too lazy to cut it.”

I ignored his deliberate mimicry of Kyle’s speech pattern.

“Hair grows if you leave it.”

Jaeyeon exhaled smoke with a loud hiss.

The sound cut sharply through the air. Suddenly the room went silent. The actors’ mouths shut as they listened to us.

How had the mood shifted so fast?

Some stared wide-eyed, others kept their lips pressed tight.

What was Jaeyeon’s standing here anyway—some veteran actor?

While I blankly observed their shocked expressions, the blonde woman turned toward him.

“Is this man... an acquaintance of yours, sir?”

“My old friend,” he said.

Since when?

“You’ve been treating him well, right?”

“Ah... well....”

“You do drugs?”

He suddenly offered me a syringe.

I raised my palm to refuse.

He knew perfectly well I wouldn’t.

“Not my thing.”

“Really? I figured with the way things have been lately, you might be needing something.”

He smirked, voice needling.

“Guess life’s still tolerable, huh?”

Maybe I should find a moment to punch him.

I seriously considered it as he smirked right in front of me. With Colton and Yehyeon both absent, now seemed as good a time as any.

Honestly, there might not be a better chance later.

If trouble came of it, I could just claim I was drunk.

The thought actually lifted my mood a bit.

I smiled faintly—right as Jaeyeon’s gaze shifted past me.

The fox-eyed man bared a row of perfect teeth in a smile that was anything but friendly.

“Oh my, sweetheart.”

I turned my head quickly.

A familiar face met my eyes.

“I’ve been waiting.”

Choi Yun.

My cold-faced mentor was approaching, expression barely restraining his murderous intent.