Black Badger

- End of Part 2 -

The ceremony proceeded according to the order.

There were a lot of reporters. Since they had entered with permission, none of them made any sudden moves.

I could faintly hear the whirring of cameras. Cameras set up on the ceiling, at the back of the auditorium, and along the second-floor railing seemed to catch me from time to time.

I ignored it and focused on the ceremony.

Yehyeon had not made his retirement ceremony extravagant. If he did, the meaning of stepping down and taking responsibility would be diluted.

The predecessor had been pushed out as well, so there had never really been a tradition of holding lavish retirement ceremonies.

The program was simple. We listened to the military anthem, observed a moment of silence for the fallen, and then the host came out to briefly explain the history of the second Supreme Commander.

Then came the retirement address.

Yehyeon, dressed in a neat suit, stood in front of the microphone.

“Good afternoon, Black Badgers.”

With his husky voice, Yehyeon began speaking, not drawing it out.

“I take full responsibility for the series of incidents, and I intend to step down from the position I have occupied for a long time.”

His calm voice resonated through the auditorium.

“This decision was made after strict consideration of many factors, and I would appreciate it if you could understand that deeply. I am stepping away from this duty in a difficult and chaotic time, but I believe that laying down this office is not a wrong choice when measured against various standards.”

People held their breath and listened to their superior.

A space where not even a cough could be heard.

The Supreme Commander, as if he had already organized everything he wanted to say in his head, looked not at the podium or any papers, but at the people seated in the auditorium.

“I assumed this position after national borders were erased from the map. In an era where lives were divided by a barrier that covered the sky instead of lines that split the land, I bore humanity’s hope of wanting to see the open sky once more.”

Brilliant flashes of light burst repeatedly from the corners.

“I swear that I have conducted myself in a manner befitting the gravity of this position. However, regardless of my sincerity, I ask forgiveness for the mistakes that arose from my incompetence, and I offer my gratitude for being given the opportunity to pursue the yearning for an open sky.”

Yehyeon lightly mentioned the circumstances surrounding his appointment as Supreme Commander and moved on.

He skimmed over the history since taking office and delivered a brief word of counsel.

After concisely outlining the tasks the organization known as Black Badger currently had to resolve, he moved into the latter half of his retirement address.

“I commend your heroic actions.”

The superior swept his gaze across those who filled the grand auditorium.

“I thank the specialized personnel who charge without hesitation even at Creatures they have never encountered before, the general staff whose hard work often fails to surface and thus goes without due praise, and the medical staff who accepted the constant influx of patients day and night without complaint and treated them superbly.”

Words of gratitude delivered to people across many fields.

As the ceremony progressed, those who had been sinking into their seats straightened their posture.

“That the errors born of my shortcomings were mitigated was all thanks to your passion. Because of that brilliant will and unbroken faith, countless lives were saved.”

He smiled gently.

“Thank you, truly.”

I kept my eyes on Yehyeon as I watched him bring his speech to a close.

After conveying everything he wished to say, the superior released his grip on both sides of the podium and straightened his posture.

Standing upright behind the podium, the Supreme Commander slowly swept his gaze across the auditorium packed with people.

Then he smiled softly.

“Someday, the sky will open. Faith will become reality.”

Yehyeon bowed politely.

“Thank you for the long years.”

People rose from their seats in a wave.

Applause poured down.

I stood as well and clapped, watching Yehyeon descend from the podium while hearing staff members here and there shout loud words of farewell.

The air was buoyant.

People all around had tears welling in their eyes. Some clasped their hands over their mouths and returned words of gratitude. There were quite a few who clapped with indifferent expressions, but the majority looked moved in one way or another.

It might have been because Yehyeon had served for such a long time, or because they were touched by his speech.

Or perhaps it was the sensation of standing directly within a moment of history.

Whatever the reason, the applause was long and thunderous.

The cheers filling the auditorium continued until Lee Yehyeon disappeared beyond the doors.

Until the person who could no longer be called part of the top leadership vanished from sight.

***

I had clapped almost until the very end, and only after the storm of applause subsided did I turn my body.

Gripping the back of my chair, I looked down at the senior sitting beside me.

Ami, who had been sobbing so hard she could barely clap.

“You said you were happy.”

As I bent at the waist with a bitter smile, Ami rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Huuuh....”

Ami opened her mouth, but instead of words, she cried.

“Y- Yehyeon oppa....”

“Yes.”

“Yehyeon oppaaa....”

I stayed quietly beside her until Ami calmed down.

I did not add any words, only lightly patted her back. As people leaving the auditorium saw Ami crying her heart out, they came over and offered a few words of comfort before moving on.

“Now you can eat cake and hang out together, right?”

Leeho came over and said awkwardly.

“Cheer up, sunbae. He looks very relieved himself.”

“Where is Yun sunbae?”

“He’s in the office, packing his things.”

I answered Shu’s question in his place.

“Even though the retirement ceremony is over, there’s still a lot to take care of, so he can’t go home right away. He said he’d help with the cleanup.”

I saw Ami off after she had finally stopped crying.

She took the various things Yun had set aside and headed back to his place first. The senior, having received the car keys from Yun, hugged me tightly and then got into the driver’s seat.

It was as if she already knew that it would be hard for us to see each other’s faces for a while.

Not asking in detail about the reason was very Ami-like.

She looked up at me with swollen eyes.

“See you next time.”

“Are you completely calm now?”

When I smiled, Ami nodded.

“I’m happy again now.”

“That’s a relief. Once things settle down, I’ll come visit.”

“Yeah. Come soon!”

Ami smiled brightly.

“Let’s go paragliding with Yehyeon oppa!”

Yehyeon probably doesn’t know about this plan yet....

He doesn’t know that the schedule involves climbing in the morning, archery, lunch at a popular restaurant, and then paragliding in the afternoon, so he can smile so freely, right?

He also has no idea that she’s debating whether or not to stop by a self-photo studio after paragliding.

Shouldn’t Yun stop this plan...?

I thought about it seriously for a moment.

Yehyeon had become endlessly soft toward Ami, so it felt like he wouldn’t be able to refuse.

Thinking that I should at least bring it up to Yun, I saw the blue car off.

After the car disappeared from view, I turned and headed toward the underground parking lot reserved for the top leadership.

There was a place there where you could smoke, an area regular staff didn’t access. Quiet and deserted, it even avoided the reporters’ eyes.

I was told that the seniors were gathered there right now, smoking.

That Ska Owen was inhaling the last few hours of his freedom....

Having received the message, I quickly crossed the parking lot.

And there, I spotted the people who had once stood in front of my cabin.

Yun, Ricardo, and Ska were gathered in a corner, puffing away at their cigarettes.

Three hulking men dressed in black, wrapped in hazy air.

They looked like members of a criminal organization.

“Ami went home.”

As I approached and said that, Yun exhaled a thick stream of smoke.

“Yeah.”

“Yehyeon won’t be able to clock out until the evening, right?”

“Once everything’s done, 9:30.”

It was Ska who answered.

He still looked a bit out of it.

“That means I’ve got about four hours of freedom left.”

“Looks like Aide Gilbert told you to enjoy your last bit of freedom.”

“I didn’t refuse.”

Ska replied, exhaling smoke like a sigh.

Ricardo twisted up the corner of his mouth as he glanced sideways at his comrade. He only brought the cigarette he was holding to his lips, without saying anything in particular.

“I thought I’d have more time to learn this and that....”

Ska’s mutter drifted into the air along with the cigarette smoke.

“Life really is sudden.”

I smiled faintly.

“You’ll do well.”

Things that wouldn’t have happened if Kyle hadn’t awakened when I returned.

I had been thinking about those things these past couple of days. About the changes that I, Kyle, and the Elders had brought about. About the many ripples we would cause going forward.

“I won’t make it too hard on you.”

The seniors stared at me.

I accepted their sharp gazes and smiled awkwardly.

Was that too presumptuous a thing to say?

But honestly, it was something I’d already thought I should say to Ska in advance....

“You....”

Screeeeech!

The instant Ska opened his mouth, a sharp screech of brakes sounded behind us.

We whipped our heads around to see a car charging straight at me.

A vehicle reversing at insane speed, its trunk facing forward, slamming to a stop right in front of my nose.

“What the hell?”

“Reporter?”

“Boss!”

Before our bewildered eyes, Rose appeared.

She jumped out of the driver’s seat with a bright smile and ran toward us.

“I brought him!”

Huh?

Before I could even think further, the trunk popped open.

And then... someone bound hand and foot appeared.

A man flailing with his long arms and legs tied behind him.

“Ah.”

The blond man looked up at me.

A face that somehow looked even slicker than I remembered.

Lin, who had been trying to escape, broke into a radiant smile the moment he saw me.

“Boss! It’s been a while!”

“Human trafficking?”

Yun tossed out flatly.

I pretended not to hear my mentor’s low voice.

Staring down at the trunk in speechless disbelief, I watched as Lin rattled on nonstop.

“Have you been well all this time? I truly missed you! Ah, I should have come to see you much sooner. I really meant to. But our current leader repeatedly warned me not to even think about visiting, so as not to disturb you while you were confused. So I barely managed to suppress the urge to rush over the instant I sensed your presence....”

“Kidnapping~...?”

“Lin.”

I ignored Ricardo’s quiet mutter as well.

Without turning to look at the seniors, I cut off my subordinate.

Lin flinched inside the trunk.

“Yes.”

“It’s been a while.”

I bent down and tore apart the ropes binding Lin with brute force.

As my subordinate hurriedly muttered thanks and sat crookedly in the trunk, I pulled a ziplock bag out of the inside pocket of his jacket.

A ziplock bag filled with pills.

“What’s this?”

As I muttered while examining the green and yellow tablets, Rose—standing nearby with a flushed face—answered.

“They’re monster supplements!”

“I—!”

Lin hurriedly held out his palms.

“I have a monster I’m raising at home!”

Thud!

I threw the ziplock bag.

I fully intended to smack my subordinate’s head—this man who showed not a shred of remorse and only fired off excuses after being captured.

But the ziplock bag never reached its target.

Because Lin caught it out of the air.

I stared straight at the subordinate who had snatched the flying object.

“Uh....”

Lin began frantically reading my expression.

“Th-that is... um.... Nice swing?”

“You caught it?”

This is unbelievable.

“Lin. You caught it?”

“Ghk.”

Lin clasped his hands together and started trembling violently.

“I’m truly sorry...!”

I told Rose to take Lin away.

To seat him in the back and escort him comfortably all the way to the hideout. Rose nodded briskly, dragged the deathly pale Lin out of the trunk, and—

regardless of what he muttered or how he struggled—shoved him into the back seat.

The door closed, and the sedan drove off smoothly.

Only after the ash-gray car disappeared from sight did I turn back to the seniors.

The stares they shot at me made the back of my head ache.

“I’m sorry. He’s not anyone important, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

“That was a savage capture~.”

The green-eyed senior grinned.

“Thank god I came in first....”

“Ah, sunbae. Not at all. You know I’m not usually like this.”

“The pharmaceutical chairman’s wife is still in Center Core?”

Ska grinned as well, cigarette between his lips.

“And you ordered her to carry out a kidnapping? Impressive. I’d better brace myself for your future moves.”

“I’m telling you, it’s really nothing.”

“Your binding technique is top-tier.”

Yun added lazily, puffing smoke.

“You put that guy «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» in the back seat because you were conscious of us watching, didn’t you?”

Only after being thoroughly teased did I finally get released.

Ska and Ricardo went off to eat dinner, and Yun returned to the leadership offices, saying he needed to check the remaining baggage. I exchanged greetings with Hesh for the first time in a while, then briefly stopped by the Science Division.

People working out of temporary offices after their original ones were wrecked in the battle with Meierbold.

The scientists told me that Yehyeon had just stopped by.

He was making rounds through the headquarters offices, and apparently he’d even said goodbye to Martin.

“It felt like something that had been sitting on his shoulders was gone,”

Kate said with a smile.

“He said he’s going to sleep on the sofa as much as he wants now. Honestly, I was a bit jealous.”

I waited while greeting this person and that person.

Cafeteria cooks, café staff, general office workers.

After greeting Samuel Han and the hospital staff, I also bowed properly to every senior I ran into.

We would meet again, but since I didn’t know when that would be, I put my heart into each farewell.

I also apologized for causing confusion with my article.

Before long, it was time for Yehyeon to leave work.

Most of the reporters had dispersed, and even the sounds of construction had faded away.

I met Yehyeon as he came out to go home, standing in front of the Bentley.

I guess I can’t attach the word Supreme Commander anymore.

“Hilde.”

“You worked hard.”

I smiled with curved eyes.

“You really did well. Now let’s rest with ease.”

The tears welling in Yehyeon’s eyes did not fall.

He stood there quietly, then slowly smiled.

“Thank you.”

He looked genuinely happy.

“I look forward to your continued guidance, Hilde.”

I pulled the man—standing there in a now-wrinkled suit after visiting so many places—into a tight hug.

Then I saw him off as he drove home. I stayed there until the car, filled with flowers and plaques of appreciation, disappeared from view.

If things hadn’t become so chaotic, we would have held a celebration party that night with Yun, Yehyeon, and Ami.

The seniors knew well why we couldn’t, and thankfully, they didn’t resent it.

They even chose to turn a blind eye to what I was about to do.

Something I could never explain in elegant words.

“Let’s go.”

I spoke to the subordinates emerging from the darkness of the underground parking lot.

“To see some tiresome faces.”

Those who had believed in me and waited through long years answered simply by stepping closer.

Sensing their presence, I smiled—

and walked out into the night of Center Core.