WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Natty
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Black Badger ◈
Chapter 16: Introductions (1)
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They said I would not have to say much.
Joo would explain most of it. After briefly hearing from me, Joo would take the microphone again and wrap up the event. It would not take long, and they definitely would not make me sing or anything. Yoon would be standing beside me, too....
I felt a little calmer.
That did not untangle the knot in my stomach, though.
“Shall we go in?”
Joo looked at me with a warm smile.
Since I had officially become a Black Badger, through a rather unofficial route, Joo had become my superior as well. Since that day, Joo had been speaking to me casually.
“It’s not time yet, but you’ll be able to see our people coming into the auditorium. Let’s go wait there.”
“...Should we?”
“Of course! Come on.”
Joo gave my back a push.
The stage was dimly lit, and the seating area was wide. With a heavy heart, I stepped onto the stage.
Murmuring filled the auditorium. The sounds of chairs lowering, people sitting down, and footsteps blended together.
Joo spoke brightly behind me.
“Do you know anyone?”
I stood beneath the curtain’s shadow at the edge of the stage and looked over the seats.
People of all kinds were entering the auditorium. Their races, hair colors, eye colors, heights, everything was varied. The senior Black Badgers glanced at me onstage as they took their seats.
I tried hard to act as if I did not notice their piercing stares.
I scanned the room for familiar faces.
There were not many, but....
“Ricardo.”
“Oh, right. Ricardo was assigned to keep an eye on you.”
I nodded without taking my eyes off Ricardo as he entered the auditorium.
As always, Ricardo’s glasses suited him amazingly well. He wore a neat black coat and suit, with what seemed to be his habitual smile resting on his lips.
He entered while talking to a man in a purple coat, who was as tall as Ricardo. I did not know the man in purple.
The next person who came in was familiar, though.
Ro, with curly hair, came bustling in with a group of people. Ro was at the center of them. I could not hear what they were talking about, but they were laughing loudly as they headed toward the stage.
As I watched Ro approach blankly, Ro met my eyes.
The senior who had asked whether I had anything to eat when we first met raised one hand high.
“Oh! Rookie!”
Everyone’s attention snapped toward us.
“Long time no see! You doing well?”
“Ah, yes. Thanks to you....”
“I hear your place is across from Ye-hyeon’s?”
Ro cackled while looking up at me onstage.
The Badgers around him widened their eyes. The broad men, who looked as if they had skipped shaving for several days, stared at me with button-like eyes.
I did not know exactly what had surprised them, but they certainly seemed surprised.
Before I could awkwardly respond, Ro cut in.
“You poor bastard! How did your life go so far off course?”
It’s not that unfortunate. I’m very satisfied with my cabin, Senior.
“Anyway, good luck with your introduction!”
Ro did not wait for my reply, instead saying whatever came to mind, waving a hand around, and turning away.
The Badgers surrounding Ro reluctantly took their eyes off me.
One by one, they sat beside Ro.
They were all people I had never met before. I wanted to know their names too, but there were quite a few of them, so I could not ask Joo to introduce every single one.
There will probably be a chance to introduce ourselves later....
A tired voice came from right below the stage.
“Rookie.”
Startled by the hoarse voice, I flinched.
“Today is your introduction, right?”
It was Lee Ho Chang.
The senior I had briefly spoken to while catching mushrooms.
Lee Ho looked tired today as well. The dark circles beneath his eyes were still there. Today, he wore a navy windbreaker instead of a gray anorak.
Lee Ho always gave off the air of an office worker completely worn down by work. Still, he was oddly easy to be around, even though I had only met him once.
I smiled warmly and greeted him.
“Yes. It’s been a while, Senior.”
“Just call me Lee Ho. What’s with the senior stuff?”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
“Do well.”
Lee Ho spoke lazily.
“It’s nothing much, so don’t be nervous.”
After saying what he wanted to say, he shuffled off toward the seats.
People casually greeted Lee Ho. Lee Ho tiredly returned their greetings, then perched at the far end of the auditorium. Even the way Lee Ho perched looked weary.
He seems like someone I should brew a tonic for.
“Had you introduced yourselves already?”
The head of personnel poked his head out.
I met Joo’s eyes and nodded.
“Yes. We met briefly when I was catching mushrooms. Ricardo introduced us.”
“That’s good. He’s a nice kid. He joined through open recruitment about ten years ago, and he’s done well consistently. He’s always tired, but that’s just because his energy is lower than most people’s.”
It certainly seems that way. Lee Ho was like that last time, too.
After taking my eyes off Lee Ho, whose eyes were closed, I looked over the auditorium.
The wide seating area was nearly full. I could hear people whispering as they glanced at me.
The pressure is so bad I can barely think. It’s a good thing I skipped lunch.
I tried not to listen to them whispering among themselves, but it was not as easy as I wanted it to be. Snippets of conversation reached me.
Did we not decide not to recruit any newcomers this time?
They say this is a special case, so the commander-in-chief gathered us personally.
He’s good-looking, though.
Is that white hair dyed?
The Badgers kept examining me, even while pretending otherwise. Quite a few did not even bother to be discreet as they openly stared.
“Hilde!”
At the clear voice, I turned my head and immediately brightened.
“Ami!”
She waved as she came toward the front row.
I was genuinely happy to see her.
My face relaxed as I looked at my senior, who was beaming.
“You came!”
“Of course!”
Ami stopped in front of the stage and grinned.
“It really is nothing much, so don’t be nervous!”
After encouraging me, my senior looked around for a seat.
Various people spoke to Ami as she turned her head from side to side.
Ami answered their greetings as she slowly searched for an empty seat. Then, saying she wanted to sit in front, she promptly took a place in the front row.
Even after she sat down, people kept greeting Ami.
She’s popular.
Understandably so.
As I thought that, Joo spoke.
“It starts in five minutes.”
The knot in my stomach tightened again.
“You know Shu, too, right?”
Shu?
When I turned my head in confusion, Joo smiled and tilted his chin. Following Joo’s gaze, I saw a familiar face. A woman with a short yellow bob, its ends dyed pink.
She had been there when I first woke up, but we had never exchanged a word.
She entered with something like a skateboard tucked under her arm.
When I nodded, Joo explained easily.
“Shu Diamond. She’s almost directly above you in seniority.”
Oh.... I’ve heard that the people one class above you are the scariest.
“Introduce yourselves later. Ye-hyeon is here.”
So Ye-hyeon did come after all.
Why would such a busy person come all this way for someone like me?
Ye-hyeon entered the auditorium with Ska.
Seeing Ska’s neat braids reminded me of the time he had run out barefoot to save me.
The dazzling backlight surrounding him.
Everyone’s attention shifted to them at once, then scattered. The Badgers who had been chatting noisily closed their mouths.
Ye-hyeon sat in the very back row with Ska and another man.
The blonde woman seated directly in front of Ye-hyeon tensed up with a sharp inhale.
She must think she chose the wrong seat.
Meanwhile, Ricardo, seated in the row in front of the leadership with his legs crossed, rested an elbow on the backrest and turned toward the leadership. Ye-hyeon answered him gently when Ricardo tossed out some slick remark. Ska seemed to add a blunt comment.
The person seated beside Ricardo turned slightly, then only gave the leadership a silent bow.
I saw Ye-hyeon smile faintly and nod.
“I heard Ye-hyeon came back a day early?”
I heard Joo ask Yoon.
“Ye-hyeon even cut the business trip short by a day. Did you ask Ye-hyeon to?”
Yoon, standing against the wall with his arms crossed, narrowed his eyes.
Yoon stared at the head of personnel with dry eyes. Yoon was the person I had spent the most time with since coming here, yet it was still difficult to tell what he was thinking.
The windows rattled in the wind and rain.
Yoon answered in a dry voice.
“Do you think Ye-hyeon would listen just because I asked?”
“True. You always end up backing down to Ye-hyeon.”
“Ye-hyeon never gives ground when it concerns official matters. Except in exceptional cases like you.”
“Me?”
Joo asked in an innocent voice.
“Why me?”
The look in Joo’s eyes was pure.
Still, I strongly felt that Joo understood what Yoon meant but was deliberately pretending not to. In other words, my instincts told me I was witnessing the ultimate act of feigned innocence.
Yoon seemed to think the same, judging by the incredulous look Yoon gave the head of personnel.
“It’s time.”
Yoon uncrossed his arms and walked forward.
“Let’s begin.”
“I suppose we should.”
Joo smiled and turned away.
My heart, which had begun to calm down, started racing again. Joo looked at me with a kindly smile and patted my shoulder as if to tell me not to worry. Then Joo turned and walked to the center of the stage.
There was a microphone there.
A podium, with a single microphone on top.
“Ah.”
Joo’s voice rang through the auditorium.
People straightened in their seats and turned their attention to Joo.
“Ah, ah. You can hear me, right? Thank you for coming all this way in such unpleasant weather.”
The head of personnel smiled so brightly that it seemed flower petals might scatter.
The auditorium fell silent. Only the sound of rain through the small windows and the sounds of people adjusting in their chairs filled the space.
The lights over the seats had gone out at some point. Spotlights shone on the stage.
On the three people standing there. The head of personnel, Yoon, and me.
A silence waiting for the event to begin.
The expectant silence broke under Joo’s clear voice.
“Then we’ll begin introducing the newcomer. Hildebert Taleb. Come beside the podium.”
After letting out a deep breath, I walked to the front of the stage.
“Shall we just do a quick introduction and greeting first?”
Joo handed me the microphone.
Everyone’s attention settled on me.
I tried to remain calm. According to what the head of personnel had told me before we entered the auditorium, other newcomers introduced themselves too. Though it was apparently the first time people had been gathered on Ye-hyeon’s orders for someone like me....
I turned my gaze to the stage.
Then I bowed politely.
“Hello. My name is Hildebert Taleb.”
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