WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Natty

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◈ Black Badger ◈

Chapter 10: Senior Partner (2)

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Yoon calmly changed the subject.

“Then let's deal with the next problem.”

Happy at the thought of getting a cabin for free, I nodded and smiled brightly.

The senior partner snapped back.

“Don't ever smile like that again. Last warning.”

That was too harsh.

I reflexively made a face that said as much, but Yoon ignored that too.

Without uncrossing his arms, he continued.

“Listen carefully. We'll go over the administrative matters. The administration department will create and register a social security number for you. If anyone asks, say your birthday is August 20, the day you arrived. You're twenty-eight years old. You don't know who your biological parents are. If anyone asks, say you grew up in an orphanage. You took all your elementary, middle school, high school, and university courses online, then made a living doing this and that online. Say you passed the recruitment exam early this year, but your assignment was delayed because something went wrong during the age-arrest and recovery-enhancement process. Say you can't tell them about the recruitment process because you signed a confidentiality agreement.”

The administrative version of me had lived quite an unhappy life.

There was no helping it. I had not existed here until nearly a week ago. It couldn't be easy to turn someone who hadn't existed into someone who had.

Wasn't this illegal...?

I didn't voice the question that came to mind. Of course it was illegal.

Ye-hyeon must have accepted that risk for my sake. Everything would be resolved if they secretly killed me or removed the enhanced body inside me. Their problem would have disappeared if they hadn't saved me when I was being chased by that creature.

Once my thoughts reached that point, my stomach felt heavy.

Yoon's emotionless voice reached me.

“Do you understand everything?”

“Yes. I understand.”

“When is your birthday?”

“August 20.”

“Questions?”

“Um...”

I had originally intended to ask a few things about the senior partner himself, if he gave me a chance.

But the thought that Ye-hyeon had committed the crime of forging an identity to recruit me made me forget what I had wanted to ask.

For a while, I stared into Yoon's cold eyes.

“What happens if people find out my identity is fake?”

Yoon looked straight at me with unreadable eyes.

“Ye-hyeon will be in trouble.”

The dry answer struck heavily through me.

The senior partner didn't react even though my expression must have darkened. He was so dry I felt like I could practically hear him rustle. He never made any expression at all.

While marveling at Yoon's lack of humanity, I tried to settle my troubled feelings.

The cafe's moderate noise wrapped around us.

“...Will it cause a lot of trouble?”

“Yes. You hardly know anything about this world yet, so you wouldn't understand it now. But Black Badger has enormous influence on the world. Ye-hyeon is the head of that organization. If the real reason for your recruitment comes out, every media outlet will be thrown into an uproar. Ye-hyeon will certainly resign, and even then, the matter likely won't be resolved.”

“Then maybe removing my enhanced body...”

“I don't know why Ye-hyeon made this choice either.”

There was no resentment or irritation in Yoon's voice.

He shrugged.

“It is a decision Ye-hyeon would make. In any case, we just have to make sure no one finds out. Don't get caught. Simple, isn't it?”

“...Is it simple?”

“Even if it isn't, we have to make it simple. We can't take it back now. Your social security number and records should be registered by now.”

Why had the Commander-in-Chief made this decision?

Because it was morally right? But if Yoon wasn't exaggerating, and he didn't seem like someone who would, the risk of being discovered was far too great. Not only Ye-hyeon, but most of the Badgers would be harmed.

If I had been in Ye-hyeon's position, I would have removed the enhanced body and assigned a personal doctor to me or something.

When I met Ye-hyeon later, I should bring it up again. Ask whether removing an enhanced body was really that dangerous.

As I lowered my eyes and stared at my coffee, Yoon spoke.

“Anyway, the housing and administrative issues have been dealt with more or less. Let's get to the main point.”

What was the main point?

I looked up at him, but Yoon sat there with the same unchanging expression.

He was such a strange person. At the same time, I wondered why anyone would need to rein in someone who barely moved.

Then the man closed his eyes and sighed.

Suddenly?

“Choi Ami.”

When Yoon called the name quietly, the person sitting at the table behind us swiftly turned her head.

Black, round eyes came into view.

Wow.

“Yes!”

“What are you doing here?”

Yoon rested one elbow on the back of his chair and turned his upper body.

The siblings faced each other. I widened my eyes and took in the scene before me.

A man with his upper body turned back, and a woman who had turned around to look at us.

It was strange. Their personalities seemed so different that it was surprising they were siblings, but there was something about them that looked alike. I couldn't put it into words exactly.

Yoon looked at Ami with an exhausted expression.

“You have no reason to show your face in the research wing.”

“I was worried you might bully Hilde, so I came to check!”

Ami blinked her round eyes.

“You said you were meeting here at three! I thought I had left kind Hilde alone with you for too long!”

“It has been twenty minutes.”

“Right.”

Ami was such a good person.

I was touched that she had come all the way here for me. I was truly glad that Ami was the first person I had grown attached to after falling into this world.

She was dressed like a student again today. A light purple cable-knit cardigan and pale blue jeans.

Yoon looked at Ami with an emotionless face.

“Ye-hyeon said something similar to me last night. Told me not to bully the kid. If he was going to be that anxious, he shouldn't have assigned me as a senior partner. Why now, when he never did before?”

“I wondered that too. Joo made the decision.”

Do you want to go ask why yourself? Ami stared at Yoon with round eyes as she took a long sip of her smoothie.

For the first time, Yoon showed a fairly clear emotion on his face.

Tsk.

He clicked his tongue expertly and faintly furrowed his brow.

“I'd rather not run into that person if possible.”

The quiet mutter was strangely funny.

It was surprising to see that reaction from someone who seemed so devoid of emotion. What exactly was the Head of Personnel' position in this organization...?

As I felt faintly entertained, Ami asked me a question.

“Hilde. Were you okay?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes. He treated me much better than I expected.”

I even got a cabin.

Before I could add that, Yoon turned his head.

“Hey. Let's go. I need to see how capable you are. We need to start your lessons too.”

Now?

My surprise must have shown on my face. But Yoon didn't care. He sprang to his feet. Ami, whose view he had blocked, craned her neck to look at me.

The sudden change in situation brought my surroundings rushing back. A cafe in the afternoon, full of sunlight. People chatted in the cafe, tinted a pleasant golden color. The smell of roasting coffee. The sound of keyboards clacking.

Ami smiled brightly at me.

“If he bullies you, make sure you tell me.”

“Yes. Of course.”

“You should go now. I know how to stay within bounds. With Ye-hyeon watching, I'll behave even better.”

Ami, whose head Yoon was pressing down with his hand, tilted her head up. A long smile spread across her face as she looked up at her older brother.

“Be good to Hilde.”

“I am being good to Hilde.”

“Yes. Keep being good to Hilde. You're Hilde's senior partner now.”

After speaking brightly, Ami grinned.

Yoon looked down at Ami for a while. Then he moved his large hand and rubbed her round head a few times. I was a little surprised by the gesture, which clearly showed how much he cared for his younger sister.

That made him seem a little more normal.

Ami smiled.

We soon left the cafe. Ami waved goodbye to me as I trailed after Yoon.

After returning her greeting, I followed only Yoon's back through the unfamiliar place.

People passed by us. We rode an escalator up to the third floor, then crossed a skybridge.

The surroundings gradually grew quieter.

I sensed that we were nearing our destination. There were fewer people coming our way. The floor with the cafe had been wrapped in pleasant sunlight, but this place seemed full of cool, bluish air.

It looked like we were heading somewhere like a gym.

The moment I realized that, tension and worry rushed over me. How good was my stamina? My intelligence?

I had not even known my own face until a week ago, so there was no way I could know my abilities.

I might not live up to this person's expectations, but I didn't want to disappoint the people I had met.

The danger of my fake identity that Yoon had mentioned came back to me, followed by thoughts of the test I was about to take. What if I was completely useless?

If that happened, I would insist that they remove my enhanced body this time.

All those thoughts vanished the moment we arrived at what appeared to be a training hall.

Because Yoon picked up a chainsaw.

“Learning works better with the right amount of stimulation.”

You crazy bastard!

Vrrrrrrrr!

The moment Yoon started the chainsaw, I ran for the door.

To my surprise, the door was firmly shut.

When had he closed it? And why was it locked?

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Ami! Ami! I'm in here!”

“Calm down. I'm not trying to kill you.”

How could I calm down when there was someone holding a running chainsaw in front of me?

Should I break it? Should I break down the door? I twisted the doorknob desperately, but the lock wouldn't release. I stared at the solid gray door and considered it.

I thought I could break it if I used all my strength.

A dry voice came from behind me.

“Don't break it if you don't want to pay for it.”

Click. The chainsaw's whine died.

“I told you I wasn't going to kill you. I didn't pick this up to use it myself in the first place.”

Huh?

Only after hearing that did I find the courage to turn around. The place was nothing unusual. There was a sturdy door opposite me. The room was long and wide, with a ceiling about a story and a half high. Other than that, there was nothing worth looking at.

Everything was a clear gray.

The mechanical-looking man held the chainsaw out toward me.

I flinched reflexively.

“Huh?”

“You'll use it.”

Yoon gave me a look telling me to take it quickly.

“Take it. You need a weapon, don't you? I don't know whether you used to shoot a gun, or if you did, whether you remember how to use one. So I'm giving you this at least. The same goes for swords and spears. You just have to hold a chainsaw and swing it.”

Why did I need a weapon?

Wasn't I doing something like a physical fitness test? I had expected push-ups and sit-ups.

I narrowed my eyes, studied the senior partner, and cautiously asked.

“Why do I need a weapon?”

“You might have a hard time without one. And while we're at it, I want to see how you move.”

“May I ask what it is that might be hard?”

“You'll see. Aren't you going to take it?”

I took the chainsaw. If I hesitated any longer, Yoon seemed likely to get annoyed.

The weapon felt unfamiliar in my hands. After taking the chainsaw, I stared at the senior partner. He would add an explanation, surely. He had handed me a chainsaw out of nowhere, so naturally he should give an explanation to go with it.

Thankfully, Yoon did explain.

“Wait quietly. I'll bring something for you to use the chainsaw on.”

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