Black Badger

“Your subordinate, right?”

Yehyeon said as he looked at me.

“The one who follows Hilde around so closely.... Did you come to ask something about the Choi family?”

“Did something like that happen?”

I muttered in confusion.

“Rose divorced Heath, so she shouldn’t have any ties to that kind of network anymore. Could it be because of that Elder?”

It was possible that the Third Elder had some kind of connection to the Aitek family.

In any case, the combination was so unexpected that I blankly stared at the man and woman standing in front of the yard.

“The Third Elder shouldn’t have any connection to Aitek.”

Yehyeon said.

“Well, they’ll be coming in soon, so we can just ask him directly.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yun and Rose separated.

Yun didn’t show any particular expression, and Rose left after giving a very polite farewell, so I had absolutely no way of guessing what kind of conversation they had just had.

Yehyeon and I stared at Yun as he entered through the front door.

Yun, who walked in with an indifferent face, lifted his head as if he felt our gazes.

“What.”

“Yun.”

I opened my mouth, slightly tense.

“Why did Rose come to see you?”

Yun stared straight at me.

“Why are you asking so tensely?”

Instead of answering, he threw back a question.

I pressed my lips into a straight line before replying slowly.

“It’s just... a strange combination.”

“What’s strange about it.”

“Unless something special happened, don’t they seem like people who would never talk to each other?”

“That person is fairly normal when she’s not in front of you.”

My eyes widened at Yun’s indifferent remark.

“You’ve talked to her before?”

“A few times.”

Yun walked further inside at a slow pace.

“She came to ask me to sell her something. It was a personal matter, so if you’re that curious, ask your subordinate yourself.”

Huh?

I blinked at the unexpected answer.

What could Rose possibly want to buy from Yun?

Yun wasn’t a private businessman, nor was he the type to collect limited-edition items or anything like that. So the idea that Rose had asked him to sell her something sounded extremely strange.

Did she come to say she would pay off the debt instead?

As far as I knew, Rose was quite wealthy. I had learned more about it recently through Kairos. Apparently, she even had an account at a private bank.

If it were her, it wouldn’t be strange for her to go to Yun and offer to repay the debt on my behalf.

“Ah.”

I was about to ask if Rose had said something like that, when Yehyeon suddenly let out a tired voice.

“I think I get the general idea.”

Strangely, Yehyeon let out a deep sigh.

“Yun. You still have that?”

“Advisor.”

Yun shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at Yehyeon with a faint smile.

“How is the preparation for the sports festival going?”

So it wasn’t about debt, but an object?

Still confused, I observed the expressions of the two men.

But I couldn’t find the answer. The conversation came to an end with Yehyeon letting out a weary sigh.

I wanted to ask more, but Yun disappeared, saying he was going to wash up, and I lost my chance.

Since Rose hadn’t made any special report, it probably wasn’t anything serious.

She’d likely answer if I asked, but after seeing her reaction earlier that morning, I didn’t quite have the courage to question her.

If it were something problematic, Yehyeon would have told me....

For some reason, Yun had left work earlier than usual, and not long after, he came out into the living room wearing a T-shirt.

I should have stood up to greet him, but I didn’t have the energy, so I remained sitting on the sofa.

To be precise, I was half lying down.

Yun quietly looked down at me sprawled across someone else’s sofa.

“You’ve got it easy, huh?”

“Yun.”

I raised my upper body from where it had been leaning against the sofa cushion.

“Rose didn’t come to say she’d repay the debt, right?”

Yun lifted one eyebrow.

“No.”

“That’s a relief.”

A faint smile of relief appeared.

“If she ever comes and says something like that, please don’t accept it. Even if it takes time, I’ll repay everything myself.”

“I won’t accept it, so don’t worry.”

Yun suddenly curled the corner of his lips into a sinister smile.

The moment I saw that ominous expression, a chill ran down my spine.

At the same time, countless thoughts flooded in. Should I have borrowed money from Kairos, like Yoow said, and paid off Yun’s debt? Yoow said he was digging through Colton’s assets—how much would that even amount to?

How fast was the interest accumulating again?

“I’m going to collect the full amount from you.”

If I still couldn’t repay it even after earning money through advertisements...

I...

Smack!

A crisp sound snapped me out of the wave of thoughts.

“Yun. Don’t pressure Hilde with money.”

“Ah.”

Yun let out a short sound after getting hit on the back by Yehyeon.

“Didn’t you say violence was bad?”

“I know you pretty well.”

Yehyeon looked at Yun with a sullen face.

“You definitely drafted something like an experimental consent form or a body forfeiture agreement and showed it to him, didn’t you.”

“Ugh.”

A sound slipped out of my mouth reflexively.

The moment I made that sound, Yehyeon quickly jabbed Yun lightly in the side.

“Violent, aren’t you.”

“You didn’t sign anything, did you, Hilde?”

Yun muttered without changing his expression, and Yehyeon leaned his head out and asked me.

I gave a bitter smile.

“I didn’t. But considering how much Yoow owes, I did say that presenting a body forfeiture agreement might be justified....”

“See? I didn’t force an unfair signature, so why am I being scolded?”

“You know exactly why you’re being scolded. Don’t pretend you don’t.”

At that, Yun pulled up one corner of his lips.

Yehyeon sighed as he looked at Yun’s strange smile.

“Hilde. I’ll talk to him, so don’t sign anything. And don’t feel too burdened about repaying the debt. Both of us have enough money. There’s no need to repay it quickly.”

“Why ‘both of us’?”

Yun asked.

“I might want it back immediately.”

“Yun.”

“I even set the interest lower than bank loan rates. Isn’t that a pretty merciful senior?”

“You were the one who refused when Jack Black offered to repay everything on behalf of your kind. Like I said before, money is a sensitive issue, so you shouldn’t pressure him like that.”

“It’s fine.”

I listened for a while, then got up from the sofa.

“What Yun said isn’t entirely wrong. And even though the amount is large, I think I’ll be able to repay it somehow in the end. Really.”

“But lately, because of money, you pick up food and then put it back down.”

Yehyeon pointed it out gently, hitting right where it hurt.

For a moment, I felt a bit sad and embarrassed.

Ha....

No, it was just that one time I went with Igor. How did he even find out about that moment in the supermarket?

I couldn’t help but feel a little resentful toward Aide Gilbert. I wanted to grumble, Aide, you knew the situation—why would you tell Yehyeon that?

When Yun turned to look at me with interest, the psychological damage deepened.

For a moment, I resented Colton for making my life difficult even after death, then replied,

“Actually, I thought it would be right to at least buy Ricardo something—like furniture or something... anyway, Yun, I really will repay everything. When I try to earn money, I’m actually pretty good at it.”

“Sordi?”

Yun’s eyebrow curved.

“You owe Sordi too? You’ve got more debt besides the Core device?”

“No!”

I shouted reflexively, but then I thought that maybe it wasn’t entirely wrong.

After hesitating for a moment, I confessed,

“Didn’t he have to move because of me....”

I explained the situation to Yehyeon, who blinked, and Yun, who had raised an eyebrow.

I didn’t even explain in much detail, but they immediately understood. There was no way they could have forgotten that Ricardo Sordi’s house had been attacked as a consequence of striking the Elder. And of course, they remembered that I had secretly gotten involved there.

However, it seemed they didn’t know that Ricardo’s house had been destroyed by the grenade I threw.

Well, it wasn’t like Ricardo would have reported that part.

They also hadn’t been present when I asked Ricardo to let me repay the debt.

Next to Yehyeon, who looked surprised, Yun let out a short laugh.

“A hit-and-run property damage offender, huh.”

“I know.” 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

I muttered gloomily.

“But when I woke up, Ricardo had already finished moving cleanly. I asked him to let me at least buy him furniture, but he refused.”

Still, I was planning to buy something.

Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Yehyeon, who had been watching me, spoke carefully.

“Sordi has very firm tastes, so maybe that’s why he refused something big like furniture.”

“He did say something like that, but the truth is, the house was completely destroyed because of me, so I can’t just do nothing.”

“It wasn’t because of you. It was because of the intruders. If you go further back, it was because of Colton, who acted so underhandedly.”

“There was no need to throw a grenade, though.”

Yun cut into the conversation, lifting one corner of his lips.

With both hands in his pockets, he looked at me and smirked.

“With his skills, he could’ve subdued all the intruders without a grenade. If he hadn’t been pointlessly trying to fake his own death, that is.”

Hit right in the mark, I became even more depressed.

Yehyeon lightly tapped Yun’s arm with his elbow.

“I told you not to.”

“Well, if I were Sordi, I wouldn’t want to receive furniture he picked out either.”

“Ah, Yun. I was planning to ask around before buying it. I was even going to include the receipt so it could be exchanged or refunded.”

“But Sordi lives well, doesn’t he?”

Yehyeon muttered as if talking to himself.

“Yun, do you know?”

“No.”

“Right? ...Hmm. But from what I know, Hilde, he’s quite well-off. More than most Badgers.”

“It’s not about assets....”

“Right. But Sordi really seems like the type who wouldn’t want to receive it.”

Yehyeon gave a faint smile.

“I understand your position, Hilde, but that boy might actually feel hurt and annoyed if you sent furniture to his house.”

It wasn’t something I hadn’t considered.

But Yun’s words definitely had a point, and I still felt uneasy.

To be honest, if Ricardo refused to accept the furniture until the very end, I felt like I’d be a little upset too.

But logically speaking, it was right for me to give him something, so at this point, shouldn’t Ricardo accept it?

When I expressed that general sentiment, Yun sat down on the sofa opposite me and replied indifferently.

“That’s not something a debtor should be saying to a creditor.”

I sank back into the sofa gloomily, and Yehyeon lightly hit Yun on the back.

He continued gently,

“If it’s not furniture but a light housewarming gift, he might accept it. I don’t know him well, but... wouldn’t it be good to ask Leeho Chang or Kudo about Sordi’s preferences?”

“Leeho?”

I blinked and asked.

“Why Leeho?”

“Because Leeho used to be Sordi’s sub.”

“What?!”

Startled, I raised my voice reflexively.

“Leeho was Ricardo’s sub?!”

“As far as I remember.”

“Hey. Stop freaking out.”

Yun, who had somehow started scanning my body with a medical device, spoke indifferently.

“The readings aren’t coming out right. Why are you getting so worked up over something like this?”

“How am I not supposed to be surprised? Why didn’t Ricardo or Leeho tell me this?”

“Maybe because it was quite a long time ago?”

As he answered, Yehyeon handed me a blanket. I didn’t refuse and quietly covered myself with it.

By now, I had grown somewhat used to these kinds of reactions from the people around me.

It didn’t make me entirely happy, but I was grateful and sorry at the same time, so I tried to rest in a way that met their expectations.

In other words, I accepted warm tea, blankets, and helping hands whenever they were offered.

Following Yoow’s grumbling, I also tried not to think too much for the time being. I even tried to let time pass meaninglessly.

However...

“Leeho was kidnapped because of me in the middle of all that. I even went out with him to rescue him—so why didn’t he say anything?”

As I spoke gloomily, Yun responded in a voice that genuinely didn’t understand.

“What would change if he told you?”

“....”

“I don’t really get why you’re bringing this up.”