Black Badger

“Why do you look like that?”

When I shamelessly asked, Yun pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose.

With his eyes closed and his fingers kneading at his forehead, my master said:

“My head hurts.”

“Do you have a fever?”

Is he actually sick?

I rose from my seat and approached the bed.

Pushing aside the strands of hair falling over my forehead, I pressed my brow against Yun’s. My hands had long ago lost their sensitivity from decades of training.

Hm.

Feels like he has a slight fever.

I straightened my back, thinking I shouldn’t stay too long. Yun looked at me like he couldn’t believe this.

“It seems like you have a mild fever. Please rest.”

“Finish talking about the carrot.”

“At least drink some water, then.”

I opened the cap on the bottled water — probably something Ami had brought earlier.

I handed him a cup of water and sat back down. He drank with a sullen expression.

“You’ll get yourself smashed to pieces.”

“It won’t happen.”

I answered his muttered comment.

Yun snorted.

That dry gaze rolled toward me. He was a master of conveying his thoughts without speaking. His eyes landed squarely on the scarred mark on my abdomen.

What are you going to do about anything after getting kidnapped.

I gave a faint smile.

“I have enough skill now to strike back. And if the bait plan goes smoothly, the enemy will appear in front of me exactly at the timing I intend. I’m confident in dealing with him then.”

“You think you can lure him out?”

“Oh. That’s an excellent question.”

Yun gave me a look that said stop spinning it and get to the point.

I curved my eyes to show I understood.

“No matter how I think about it, You’s ultimate target is me.”

“And?”

“From his perspective, the one thing he won’t tolerate is me dying at someone else’s hands. Whether that’s my own hand or a stranger’s.”

“So what, you’re going to stage a suicide attempt?”

“I considered that, but I doubt he’d believe it. Kyle is alive and well, and I’ve already met fellow kin like Kairos. It makes no sense for me to suddenly kill myself.”

“The point.”

“I’m going to pretend to get drunk and put myself in danger.”

Yun stared at me.

This man never blinked at times like this.

A real reptile.

“Are you capable of getting drunk?”

After drilling holes into me with that scalpel-like gaze, he spoke.

“You drink anyone under the table.”

“I’ll share an interesting fact.”

It felt like betraying some secret of my kin, which is why I’d never bothered mentioning it before. But with the situation being what it was, I had no choice.

I smiled as my master raised one eyebrow.

“We get knocked out by plum liqueur.”

Only then did Yun finally blink.

“Plum liqueur?”

“Yes.”

“You personally? Or all of you.”

“All of us. Well, some of us can handle it better, but in general, plum liqueur makes us lose control.”

Which was why plum liqueur consumption was strictly regulated.

A complete ban would've only created a black market, so production and consumption weren’t forbidden — just tightly controlled. Only licensed establishments could brew and sell it. Think of it like marijuana on Earth — mildly restricted, moderately regulated.

And as for why we’re so weak to it... I don’t know either.

“Yehyeon’s next external schedule is that banquet at Glasshouse.”

“And you’ll act drunk there? Do they even serve plum liqueur?”

“It won’t be hard to arrange.”

“How drunk do you get?”

“For kin born with weak tolerance, overdrinking can be life-threatening... I’m a heavy drinker compared to them, but even I’ve blacked out three or four times.”

“You blacked out?”

His tone didn’t vary much, but I knew him by now. Yun was genuinely surprised.

I nodded with a bitter laugh.

He didn’t say anything for a long while, so I poured him another glass of water.

“One time I blacked out and woke up sprawled on the Prince’s bed. I thought my life was over.”

“Not the Princess’s?”

“Yes. Thankfully. The man himself was asleep on the couch.”

It had been Kysis who forced plum liqueur down my throat.

There were very few people capable of restraining him, and Cecil had merely watched. It happened the day after I reached the Swordmaster stage.

Waking up and seeing the ornate canopy of Kysis’s bed... I had never been so terrified. Not even when facing a dragon.

Even now, remembering it made my knees tingle, and I shuddered reflexively.

“Anyway, I’m good at acting drunk, so it’ll be fine. Don’t worry. I’ll report more once the Carrot Plan’s details are finalized.”

My master stared at me indifferently.

He clearly didn’t believe in the plan’s viability.

I couldn’t help but grin. After taking his empty cup, I asked if he needed anything else. Yun waved me off, too annoyed to bother replying.

He definitely wasn’t in his usual condition, and he was definitely going to recover completely.

My rampaging anxiety quieted down a bit.

“Anyway, I’m glad you’re safe. I still have many questions I want to ask — I was worried I’d never get the chance.”

“What.”

Ah. Should I ask now?

I went straight into it without a buffer.

“Why do you feel so uncomfortable around the Personnel Director?”

Instantly, my master shot me a flat stare.

Seeing I wasn’t going to let it slide, I added:

“He is unique, yes, but it feels like you’re especially uneasy around him compared to others.”

“That man locked me in a mental hospital once.”

?

...Pardon?

“...What?”

“Ask Yehyeon for details.”

Yun replied blandly and leaned back against the bed.

That was all the explanation I got. I stood frozen in the room, dumbfounded. But Yun closed his eyes and drifted into a half-sleep, so I couldn’t ask further and had to leave the room.

What on earth did I just hear.

Locked Yun up?

Locked him up where.

A mental hospital?

Choi Yun?

Choi Yun? In a mental hospital?

In a daze, I stumbled out into the darkened street.

Then with my hands shoved into my pockets, I stood in the cold wind for a long time.

***

Unfortunately, I couldn’t ask Yehyeon immediately.

He was always impossibly busy. I considered asking Ami, but since Yun specifically said to ask Yehyeon, there had to be a reason.

Next time I see Yehyeon, I have to ask.

I made the resolution as I watched Center Core speeding past outside the window.

We were heading toward Ska’s place.

To have a cup of coffee with him.

The early-winter river beneath the suspension bridge was deep blue. Its sunlight-reflected surface cooled my mood a little. With confidence that Yun would recover, and with a preliminary plan against You forming clearly, my chest felt lighter.

Thankfully, I’d also gotten in touch with Hesh yesterday.

‘Hey! Answer your damn phone!’

‘Sorry sorry, was playing basketball. What’s up?’

Unpredictable brat...

Apparently he’d cut his hand while chasing down a hitman You had sent as a threat. If he hadn’t chased him, he probably wouldn’t have gotten hurt.

Unbelievable.

I lectured him nonstop, telling him not to run around like a fresh rookie when his younger brother had just joined as a new recruit.

He kept saying yeah yeah, got it before suddenly bursting out laughing.

‘Your nagging is worse than my mom’s!’

Because you won’t behave.

‘I’ll be careful, so don’t worry. You’re okay, right?’

If I said something was wrong, he’d immediately run off hunting for the culprit.

I emphasized I was perfectly fine, then hung up. After shoving my phone away, I told Kairos — who had overheard the call — to keep an eye on Hesh. For his little brother’s sake, I couldn’t let him get hurt more because of You.

Kairos smiled and said he would.

And today, we were driving the sports car to the meeting spot.

[Ska: Ricardo can join too, right?]

It was the message from before we left.

Of course I said yes.

He was obviously going to talk about Jonathan.

“Kairos. Even if you learn the name of the man who hit me, don’t go after him. That’s not a request — that’s an order.”

“If you say so, Captain.”

Kairos smiled.

“And it seems he looked after you quite well before things went south.”

“He treated me very well.”

Even now, thinking of the kindness Jonathan showed me made my chest ache.

“I wasn’t the one who told him the truth, so of course the shock hit harder...”

The engine noise swallowed the end of my sentence.

The speed climbed rapidly.

The red sports car tore across the road.

Thanks to my kin who still hadn’t shaken off his racetrack habits, we arrived almost thirty minutes early. The meeting spot was not Ska’s home but a small café near it. Today was his day off. Since it was a personal conversation, he’d chosen his holiday for the meeting.

If I go in first and order coffee, they’ll come soon. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Thinking that, I stepped inside — and saw two familiar men.

“You’re early.”

Ska lifted the corner of his mouth.

“We just got here too. Good timing. Want something to drink?”

Ska, Kairos, and I all ordered iced Americanos.

Ricardo alone shook his head vigorously and chose an espresso.

I thanked Ska as he paid and grinned.

“So even the aide-de-camp drinks Americano and not espresso.”

“Italians have weird taste.”

The aide-de-camp said casually.

Without even looking at his old friend, Ricardo shot back:

“Don’t want to hear that from an American~...”

We didn’t jump into business right away.

We were the only customers in the café. The owner, her hair tied up in a bun, sat behind the turntable fiddling with a pad. We sat in seats drenched in sunlight pouring through the large windows.

We drank coffee and chatted about nothing special for a while.

Now and then, a customer entered and took a seat.

Then suddenly, Shu appeared with her hoverboard tucked under her arm.

“Oh.”

She blinked at the four of us.

“Hello.”

“Oh, hi.”

“Good afternoon, senior.”

“Long time no see, Shu.”

Ska, Kairos, and I greeted her.

Shu blinked her blue eyes.

“Are all four of you off duty?”

“Yeah. Are you on patrol?”

“Yes. With Asil. He’s at the gas station right now.”

Ah. So she’d stopped by for a drink.

The two-toned senior said she’d get going and nodded casually. Kairos and I nodded back at the same time.

Ricardo didn’t bother returning the greeting. Instead, he stuck his hand out with a card pinched between his fingers.

“Kiddo~.”

Shu, who had been walking toward the counter, froze.

“Use this to pay~.”

“Oh.”

Her round eyes widened.

She looked surprised, but didn’t hesitate long.

“Thank you, senior.”

Holding a strawberry yogurt smoothie topped with whipped cream, she returned and handed the card back to Ricardo with another polite thank-you.

Ricardo accepted it with a bright smile, and Ska told her to stay safe.

After bowing politely to her distant seniors, Shu turned to her juniors.

She told Kairos she’d buy him a meal later, then looked at me.

“You know... I think there’s been some progress in the latest research about the disappearance cases inside portals. My dad said he’d contact you.”

“Oh—yes!”

I hadn’t expected that.

I straightened up immediately.

“Please reach out anytime.”

Once she left the café, the others turned their attention to me.

Ska was the one who asked:

“Disappearance cases inside portals?”

“Yes... I think you can guess what it’s about, but I’ll explain in detail later.”

I laughed awkwardly and took a sip of iced Americano.

“After hearing the aide-de-camp’s story...”

Ska quietly nodded.

Then he fell silent for a moment, staring into his mug with a thoughtful expression.

Suddenly the café filled with noise.

Jazz spilling from the LP. Laptop keys clacking. Conversations drifting through the air. In that soundscape, we waited wordlessly for the handsome, braided-haired man to speak.

The tall aide-de-camp didn’t open his mouth until Ricardo finished his espresso.

“Yesterday, I met Jonathan Kudo, just after he returned from his mission.”