Black Badger - Chapter 18

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Natty

◈ Black Badger ◈

Chapter 18: Cabin (1)

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It seemed we had come out in the opposite direction from the seniors. Even after leaving the auditorium, there were not many people in the hallway. In the distance, I could hear people pouring out, along with the low hum of voices.

Are we going home like this?

If so, I would have to get a ride in Yoon’s car again. I waited as he stopped in the hallway and looked at his phone. The cabin was quite nice, but getting around without a car was inconvenient.

I did not have a car, and I could not even remember whether I had a driver’s license.

Even I think I’m a strange guy.

As I was thinking that, Yoon came over.

“Stay put for a moment.”

He looked around the hallway, then pointed at a recessed area where unused chairs were stacked.

“Sit over there and wait.”

“...Do I really have to hide in that corner?”

“There are more than a few people who’ll try to grab you and chat.”

Yoon explained as I obediently headed toward the dusty chairs.

“It’ll be annoying if they catch you.”

“Yes, sir.”

Whatever the reason, I intended to listen to him.

I slipped into the darkness and sat down. Yoon left without another explanation. I leaned my head against the wall and let out a long breath.

Can I do this well?

Was that introduction earlier all right? I did not know whether I had answered the questions well. Yoon had not given me any sort of evaluation.

Couldn’t you at least give me some feedback...?

I grumbled inwardly about my senior partner’s harshness while also wondering what to have for dinner.

Then I heard voices.

“What is this?”

The voice was laced with dissatisfaction.

“We haven’t recruited anyone recently, have we?”

They were talking about me.

My wandering mind snapped back.

I tensed and reflexively pressed myself against the wall.

Footsteps were approaching. What if I get caught? Just as I thought that, several pairs of footsteps stopped right nearby.

I quietly moved farther in. Then, with my body pressed flat against the wall, I poked out only my head.

I caught a glimpse of the back of blond hair.

It was almost certainly the owner of that voice. I could see his mouth moving.

I could not see the people standing across from him.

The men began talking in the hallway.

“And what’s this? They gathered all the Badgers just to hear some rookie introduce himself?”

“Wasn’t it always like this? Though this rookie is definitely strange.”

“Before, the Head of Personnel called people in as a formality. They didn’t make this much of a fuss.”

That was true. The second voice mumbled in agreement with the blond man’s criticism.

The owner of the blond head continued irritably.

“The Commander-in-Chief ordered everyone to attend something like this? That bastard doesn’t know what position he’s in.”

“Exactly. It’s embarrassing.... Is he bored these days? It’s been almost five years since we last reclaimed any territory.”

“Bored? It hasn’t even been that long since a creature appeared at headquarters.”

“More importantly, why is that rookie’s senior partner Choi Yoon?”

“That’s strange too.”

The blond man spoke in a voice full of malice. His tone carried hostility toward Ye-hyeon.

What? I blinked as I listened in, holding my breath. I thought he had a problem with me. But from the sound of it, he seemed to hate Ye-hyeon more than me.

More precisely, it felt like the blond man hated Ye-hyeon with every fiber of his being.

Why? Because Ye-hyeon was his superior? Or did he not like Ye-hyeon’s methods?

Just as I tried to guess the reason behind that obvious disgust, the blond man added sharply.

“Isn’t that bastard a nepotism hire Ye-hyeon shoved in?”

You got that right.

To have seen through it so easily. I looked up at the ceiling, feeling something like emptiness, fear, and resignation.

Of course. There was no way I could fool people so easily just by altering some paperwork....

“That’s ridiculous.”

A third voice objected.

“Do you know how strict the Black Badger selection process is? Recruiting a human weapon is no joke. If he were really a nepotism hire, heads would roll the moment the media found out. No matter how unqualified that guy is, he isn’t stupid enough to do something like that.”

“He was stupid enough to do it.”

“I hate the guy too, but he isn’t someone who pursues personal gain, is he?”

“He goes easy on Yoon.”

The second voice, which had been agreeing with the blond man so far, objected.

Then the third voice countered again.

“Giving Yoon special treatment and slipping in a nepotism hire are completely different matters. There’s no reason to make that rookie a Badger in the first place.”

A low voice followed.

“The reason for hiring him is probably what they explained, but there must be another issue. Didn’t they say there was a problem with his recovery? We’ll have to see what kind of problem it is. And what his skills are like.”

“He can’t be normal.”

The blond man who had started the gossip snorted.

“If he were normal, there’d be no reason to make such a big deal out of him.”

From what I could tell, the blond man seemed determined to hate Ye-hyeon and everything Ye-hyeon did. Still, he was backing into quite a few correct answers.

Is he actually perceptive?

The malicious voice continued.

“There’s a high chance he has problems beyond just his abilities....”

Footsteps sounded.

The conversation could not continue. People’s footsteps were getting closer. One set was steady and neat, the other relaxed and lazy.

I heard the men, including the blond one, fall silent as the footsteps stopped at the same time.

A familiar voice spoke.

“What?”

It was Yoon’s dry voice.

“What are you looking at?”

“Seniors~....”

The slippery voice that followed belonged to Ricardo.

“It’s been a while....”

What was Ricardo doing here?

It looked like he had come with Yoon. But I could not continue that thought.

The men who had been gossiping threw a question at the people I knew.

“Hey. What’s with him?”

It was the blond man’s voice.

“The rookie? And you’re his senior partner?”

“He’s the rookie, and I’m his senior partner. What else do you want to know?”

Yoon answered indifferently.

He was truly an unpleasant person. He was equally rude to everyone, not just me. Ami and the Commander-in-Chief seemed to be the only exceptions.

“What senior partner? When did they recruit that rookie?”

“I told you it was the Head of Personnel’s decision.”

Yoon replied in a bored voice.

“I’m more curious than you are, so go ask them yourself. Do I look like someone who pays attention to the recruitment schedule for every rookie?”

“When did you stop knowing when your junior got recruited? The recruitment process seemed strange too.”

“I’m not interested.”

Yoon lied as naturally as he breathed.

But no one seemed to doubt him. His answer was as natural as air. The men who had been gossiping so eagerly did not press him further, apparently thinking Yoon was telling the truth.

Instead, the second voice, who had been agreeing with the blond man, asked.

“Why are you wearing a combat uniform?”

“I’m going to catch a creature.”

Yoon’s voice remained indifferent.

“If you’re done talking, get going.”

“A creature? What creature? You only handle creatures near headquarters. There’s nothing around right now.”

“He’s probably going to catch some butterflies.”

The blond man cynically joined in.

“The typhoon is heading toward your respected Commander-in-Chief’s home. So he has to catch creatures he normally would not, even if there’s no real damage. Even if it means using emergency personnel. What if our Commander-in-Chief ends up in danger?”

“You really like Ye-hyeon.”

Yoon replied without emotion.

My senior partner really.... He had a natural talent for being rude.

“There isn’t another Badger who thinks about Ye-hyeon every day like you do.”

Bang!

It sounded like the blond man had stomped his boot against the marble floor.

The sound echoed off the walls. No one reacted.

A brief silence passed. Once the echo of boot against marble had completely faded, I heard the three grumbling men leave.

I listened to their receding footsteps, and to the blond man grind his teeth as he spat out one final remark.

“We’ll see what kind of guy your junior is.”

Why am I catching the fallout here?

“He’d better not be some rude bastard like you.”

Why are you taking this out on me?

There’s no way I’m as rude as this person. Didn’t you see me introduce myself politely?

The protests in my head never became words.

I quietly listened to the footsteps growing distant, until smooth silence returned to the hallway and I could faintly hear the rain outside.

They’re gone.

Even after I was sure the men had left, I could not bring myself to come out of the shadowed gap. It felt like I had accidentally overheard something I should not have heard.

I’ll just crouch here until they come looking for me.

Ricardo suddenly poked his head in.

“Ah! What the hell!”

“What do you mean, what...?”

I jumped in surprise at the sight of his bright green eyes, and Ricardo narrowed his own.

His familiar sly smile appeared.

“What are you doing in there~?”

“I told him to go in there.”

Yoon walked over.

He looked at me with cold, unreadable eyes and crooked his index finger.

“Come out.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You heard all that, didn’t you?”

Ricardo laughed as I quickly emerged.

I smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of my neck. The hallway was as empty as before. Only two tall men stood looking at me.

Ricardo wore the same pitch-black special suit as when I had first met him. Yoon wore the same outfit.

Black suited Yoon unbelievably well.

“Let’s go.”

My senior partner spoke without caring about my wide-eyed reaction.

“Before the eye of the typhoon reaches home.”

“Yes. Um, but why is Ricardo here?”

“Why... should I just leave?”

This person was not easy to deal with either.

I smiled brightly. Smile, Hildebert. Smile.

“I’ve suffered terribly from not seeing you, Senior.”

“You sure can talk.”

“Hey. We’ll be late if we don’t get moving, so let’s go.”

Yoon turned and started walking.

As always, he strode off without explaining anything. I hurried after him. Ricardo lazily replied, “Yes, Senior,” and followed Yoon too.

Without speaking, we quickly headed to the underground parking lot. Without running into anyone we knew, we reached the place where the car I had ridden in that morning was parked.

The black Lamborghini was still sleek and beautiful.

The car started as soon as I shut the back door.

* * *

I could not see ahead.

Heavy rain lashed the car. With my mouth half open, I looked at the disaster beyond the window. We were not far from our destination. But I was starting to wonder whether we would actually make it there.

Is this really okay?

The windshield.... Visibility is just zero. And the sound of the wind hitting the car does not seem normal either.

What if we get blown away with the car?

But despite how tightly I gripped my seat belt, the car continued down the road. The wheels began to slip and our speed gradually slowed, but it never stopped moving forward.

As we kept going, I felt us enter a familiar road.

The feeling of familiarity itself was strange to someone whose memories had all disappeared. Yet even though I could barely see, the surroundings felt oddly familiar.

“Is that your cabin?”

Ricardo, who had been sitting in the passenger seat with his eyes closed, broke the silence.

His green eyes were slightly open. I quietly followed the end of his gaze.

A small silhouette stood amid the pouring rain, adorably tiny beside a huge silhouette.

My sweet home.

The moment I saw the house, an unfamiliar emotion rose in me. Was this longing? At the end of a long day, I was overwhelmed by the feeling of returning home.

I answered happily.

“Yes! That’s....”

Kraaaash!

Something flew through the sky with a deafening roar.

A black silhouette vanished into the rain and wind with a tremendous crash.

I stared wide-eyed at the shadow soaring on the whirlwind.

What is that?

“Your roof is blowing away.”

Yoon spoke from behind the wheel.

“I warned you.”

“...What?”

“Oh dear~.”