Black Badger

Soon Yun’s face came into view.

He wore his usual expressionless look. His clean features held no emotion.

But the moment my eyes met his, my feet tingled with guilt and I blurted,

“I’m sorry.”

Yun raised one eyebrow, so I added,

“Am I... being charged with desertion?”

He didn’t answer. Instead he walked toward the bed.

The one who replied was Yehyeon, who was taking off his jacket.

“Don’t worry about it. I told them I summoned you urgently.”

“What?”

Startled, I looked at Yehyeon. He gave a faint smile.

“I already made sure it wouldn’t be treated as desertion. This is just how the military works.”

No...

I blinked, opening and closing my mouth.

It wasn’t technically wrong, but... something about hearing it from the highest authority felt odd.

And though I was relieved not to be court-martialed, I still needed to explain myself to the others. There was no way I could pretend that the incident where I’d bolted through the window like a madman could be brushed off with, “The Commander called me.”

Fortunately, Yehyeon said I had the freedom to summarize the truth however I wished. I could replace “Elders” with “the powerholders of that time,” or similar.

But Yun did not ask why I ran out.

He simply narrowed his eyes and studied Yehyeon’s face.

“Did you cry?”

“A little.”

Yun’s brow creased.

“Why?”

Yehyeon let out a bitter laugh and sank into his chair.

“Hilde remembered everything.”

Yun’s dry eyes shifted toward me.

He was silently demanding an explanation.

I gave him a faint, resigned smile.

He certainly had the right to know—he had seen and known enough already.

So I calmly explained what memories had resurfaced and what I had done after jumping out of the window.

Since I had already told this to Yehyeon once, it was a bit easier this time.

Yun stood beside Yehyeon and listened without a word.

Then, the moment I finished, ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) he spoke.

“They can force absorption?”

A very Yun-like question.

I sighed and rubbed my neck.

“I didn’t know either, but apparently yes. Maybe they figured it out while reviewing footage of the 10th-stage Creature. If this ability spirals out of control, the absorption keeps going without stopping....”

“How did they do it?”

“They placed me beside a nutrient source and then stimulated—something in my nerves, I guess.”

It hurt like hell.

Worse than being branded by the seal. That bastard Colton.

‘If you refuse to keep absorbing, I’ll have to use rough measures,’ he said—so I thought he would literally cut me open without anesthesia. But no, he was even more insane than expected.

He always had been.

Even thinking of his name now makes my stomach burn.

Lost in useless thoughts, I suddenly realized the room had gone quiet.

“What is it?”

I looked at Yehyeon’s shocked eyes and Yun’s scrutinizing stare.

“Was something strange in my explanation?”

“You were tortured?”

“What? No. It hurt that much, but it wasn’t torture. They did it to treat me.”

“Do you remember exactly what he did?”

“Not really. I was out of it.”

I answered Yehyeon’s horrified question, then Yun’s next one.

Yehyeon rubbed his face, troubled.

Yun lowered his gaze, deep in thought.

“If we learned the method, it could be useful.”

Yun was promptly hit by Yehyeon.

Every time he argued, another blow followed. “Even if it hurts, if we can heal severe injuries instantly, isn’t that a good thing? Better than dying,” that was his logic—but it only made things worse.

He only regained his freedom after promising he would never try it on his own.

He went upstairs and came back dragging another chair.

Still wearing his uniform—he must have come straight from HQ.

“When we’re out in the field, I’m never letting you cook.”

That was his opening line as he sat down.

I looked between the Lexic noodles and my superior.

“I cook... reasonably well.”

“Sure you do.”

“But then how do you handle meals in B or A Zone?”

I twirled the noodles with my fork as I asked.

The question brought reality flooding back—our mission wasn’t canceled, only postponed.

“And am I still squad leader?”

I asked before swallowing the noodles. Yehyeon blinked.

“Yes.”

“I don’t doubt your judgment, but...”

“Every time you want to disagree, you say that.”

Ah. Caught.

“No one knows Creatures as well as you. You’ll do fine.”

“But there is also no Badger who knows less about field logistics than I do. For example, I don’t even know how we eat or sleep out there.”

“You’ll learn that when you receive your gear.”

Yehyeon brushed off my polite objection.

Arms crossed, Yun added,

“To answer the question, we use supplies stocked in C Zone. If that’s not enough, we hunt the animals outside.”

Ah. Modern-day camping...

I ate my Lexic noodles, recalling memories of outdoor missions. Wherever it was, camping was always exhausting—you couldn’t wash properly or sleep comfortably.

Though I suppose the tents will be better.

Anyway, I should study more before deployment. I didn’t want to make stupid mistakes out there.

Even with my past recovered, I had no intention of looking back.

No—because I remembered, I intended even less to look back.

“Do we depart tomorrow?”

“In three days.”

Huh?

“It takes time to recalibrate the portal. And you’ll need time to recover and explain yourself to your squad.”

His last sentence dropped heavily onto my heart.

I forced a smile and emptied the Lexic noodles.

He was right—before departure, a proper explanation was the best choice. I planned to do it soon. But the thought of revealing my past tomorrow already churned my stomach.

Yehyeon quietly took the empty plate from my hands.

“I...”

“Don’t get out of bed today.”

Before I could protest properly, he had gone downstairs and returned briefly.

Meanwhile Yun stared at me.

“What’s with your face?”

Puzzled, I stared back.

“What about my face?”

“You don’t want to explain? Want me to cover for you?”

“Oh.”

So that’s what he meant.

I felt unexpectedly touched that he was offering to help—for the first time.

“It’s okay. I’m afraid of their reactions, but talking itself isn’t the problem.”

“What’s there to be afraid of?”

A very Yun-like question.

I gave a soft laugh.

“It’s scary to be hated by people I care about.”

Yun blinked his dark eyes.

“Why would they hate you?”

“I mean... if not for the hardliner Elders, I would’ve sided with the Titans. Barging into someone else’s land, then planning an invasion again—anyone would resent that.”

“You would’ve just blended in if the powerholders hadn’t provoked you first.”

“That’s true, but still. I didn’t choose humanity of my own free will.”

“You chose it of your own will.”

Yun’s tone was flat.

“How is that not your choice?”

I laughed again.

“They lost precious people in the war....”

Ricardo, or Sophia...

Sophia already hated me, so that didn’t matter. It was really Ricardo I was afraid to face.

Kyle would probably accept it calmly like before. But that was just my hope—I didn’t actually know him well enough to be sure how he felt about me.

Ami was the only one I felt safe telling.

“If we depart in three days, does that mean I can go with Ami?”

As I asked desperately, Yehyeon’s stern face softened into a smile.

“You want Ami to come?”

“Yes. I mean... replacing Choi Ami with Choi Yun is too much of a shock, don’t you think?”

“This bastard is getting bolder by the day—no, wait. You’re Yehyeon’s godfather now.”

All irritation disappeared from Yun’s voice at once.

What was that drastic shift?

Terrified, I turned toward my superior sitting close by.

Yun spoke smoothly,

“Please take care of me from now on, Father.”

Ah.

“I’m sorry. I overstepped. Please stop.”

“I’ll take responsibility and make Yehyeon happy.”

?

I stared straight at Yun.

What the hell did he just say.

Yehyeon grumbled at him to stop the stupid jokes, but I did not react.

I only stared holes into Yun before speaking,

“Step over my corpse first.”

Yun let out a short laugh. Yehyeon blinked.

When I finally said I wanted to rest alone, they both left without fuss.

***

I need to tell Ami first.

That was my first thought the next morning.

I didn’t yet have the courage to face Ricardo or Kyle. I should go to Ami’s hospital room and talk to her.

Ami was scheduled to be discharged tomorrow. Yehyeon had ordered that the five of us—including her—deploy to B Zone together. He said that once B Zone, the danger level rose too sharply for even a few trained Badgers to handle alone.

Whatever the reason, I was glad my light and salt in life would be with us.

With permission to visit at 10 a.m., I left the cabin.

I’ll bring her a frappuccino tomorrow after she’s discharged.

Thinking that, I stopped in front of her private room—just as someone else stepped up to the door.

“Ah~...”

Oh no.

“Isn’t this our squad leader~...”

Ricardo.

Of all coincidences.

Or—was it really a coincidence?

I instinctively stepped back and looked at the tall man beside him.

He was in casual clothes. White shirt, glasses. Crisp black slacks.

His sharp green eyes narrowed at me.

I trembled under that gaze. Unlike Yun, whose expressionless face was readable in its own way, Ricardo’s was frightening because it revealed nothing at all.

“So~... did you handle the Commander’s urgent order from yesterday~?”

“I’m sorry.”

I apologized immediately.

“I’ll... explain everything inside.”

“No need to apologize~. I heard you ran out because of an urgent command~.”

“I’m truly sorry. I completely lost my senses at the time....”

His words still carried thorns.

Not knowing how to respond, I let my voice fade. Truly, nothing short of the full truth could explain this.

Glancing at my senior, I gestured toward the door with my palm.

“Please... go in first.”

Ricardo did not take his eyes off me as he turned the doorknob.

The door opened smoothly.

Ami’s voice came from inside, and his green eyes shifted toward her.

I quickly followed behind him.

The hallway noise faded as the door shut. With the window closed, the room quieted instantly. A calm silence pressed gently against my skin.

Breaking it with the sound of our footsteps, we walked toward Ami, who was sitting on the bed.

She greeted us brightly.

Setting down her game console, she asked,

“So the mission you tried to leave without me has been postponed to tomorrow?”

Her curious eyes flew toward me.

“What happened, exactly?”