WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Natty

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Black Badger ◈

Chapter 22: Fellow Recruits (2)

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I did not know enough to answer, so I quickly turned the question around.

“Why did you two apply?”

I looked at my brown-haired and red-haired fellow recruits.

“Was becoming a Badger always your dream?”

“Of course!”

“Um.”

Their reactions were clearly different.

Hessi answered in a confident voice, while Tom made a sound as though he were thinking over his answer, just like I had. I blinked, then looked at Hessi, who seemed ready to answer right away.

Hessi poured cola into a paper cup with a glug, glug.

“It’s been my dream since I was young. I come from a military family, but I was the only one who wanted to become a Badger instead of a regular soldier. My younger brother followed our father and became a soldier.”

Were there regular soldiers in this world too?

In any case, I nodded with a neutral expression.

The pizza we had just ordered was hot and savory. Before taking another bite of stretchy pepperoni pizza, I asked another question.

“Why did you want to become a Badger instead of a regular soldier?”

“I wanted to save people, and I admire Ye-hyeon. I grew up watching him through a screen, and I’ve always thought he was amazing. I still can’t believe I get to work under him.”

“Really? Why do you admire him so much?”

“Because he’s worked tirelessly to save lives for as long as I can remember.”

What a pure-hearted guy.

Or maybe idealistic. Either way, I thought it was a slightly unusual reason for applying. Of course, I admired Ye-hyeon too. He had taken risks and shown me kindness.

But could you admire someone that much when you had only ever seen them through a screen?

I still did not know much about what kind of person Ye-hyeon was. I knew he was kind and capable, of course. There was a goodness in the impression he gave off. But separately from that, I had no sense of what he was like in private.

Then again, knowing someone inside and out and admiring them were different matters.

Maybe someone like Hessi was exactly the sort of person suited to being a Badger. Unlike someone like me, who had somehow ended up becoming a Badger.

I nodded silently.

Tom, who had been sitting in an old chair, set down his pizza.

“I applied because I wanted to help people too.”

He stared into space in silence for a moment, then continued.

“...Because it’s honorable work. My parents always supported me too.”

“I see.”

I gave a short reply because I did not know what else to say.

Then, thinking it had sounded a little insincere, I added something.

“Both of your families supported you.”

“That’s right. They understood without even being surprised, even though they would never see grandchildren or watch their son grow old. My younger brother opposed it at first, but eventually he supported me even more than my mother did.”

“Did your family oppose it?”

Tom asked carefully beside Hessi, who had answered proudly.

I reproached myself for not expecting the question to come back to me, then smiled awkwardly.

“Ah, I don’t have parents.”

Silence fell instantly.

I should not have brought up family. No, I should not have asked the question back. Why had I stupidly failed to realize that the question would naturally turn toward me?

I regretted it as I looked at my fellow recruits’ apologetic expressions. This was entirely my fault for changing the subject badly.

“You don’t need to worry about it. I haven’t had parents for as long as I can remember, so it’s normal for me.”

My fellow recruits looked even worse.

Ugh....

“I really mean it. Let’s talk about something else, okay?”

“I’m sorry. That was too careless of me to ask....”

“No. It was a completely natural flow of conversation. It would’ve been disappointing if you hadn’t asked in that context. So really, don’t worry about it. Want more cola?”

“Huh? Oh, thanks.”

Tom, who had not known what to do, took the cola I suddenly held out.

Hessi, who had been quietly watching me, set down his pizza and scratched the back of his head.

“Hey. I’m really sorry. I got all excited and kept talking without knowing your situation.”

“I said it’s okay! Relax and eat your pizza.”

But neither of them relaxed.

I probably would have felt the same in their position. Still, I desperately wanted to break the awkward atmosphere.

I anxiously rolled my eyes and looked around the room. There had to be something to change the subject. Anything, a strange poster or even a conversation about a clothing brand lying around....

My gaze landed on one corner of the room.

“Is that a game console?”

My fellow recruits turned their heads at my mutter.

Hessi blinked his hazelnut-colored eyes, then nodded.

“Yeah. A console I’ve had since I was young. I still can’t control my strength perfectly, so I haven’t touched it.”

“What titles do you have?”

I asked, half distracted.

Strange fragments of memory surfaced. A hand holding a console. Game cases scattered across a white floor. I was playing a game with someone. When was it? The memory was hazy as if shrouded in fog, and my view was narrow, like a frosted window.

A voice came from beyond the edge of that white view.

“You really like games.”

You’re better at it. ...than....

Part of the voice was blurred, and I could not hear it properly. But it was familiar. Androgynous and intelligent. Calm and full of warmth....

“I have lots. Want to play?”

Hessi’s voice brought me back to reality.

I looked at the console in the corner of the room, then nodded.

* * *

“Why are you so good?”

Tom’s stunned murmur fell beside my ear.

I returned to reality.

My concentration suddenly loosened, and sensations from my surroundings rushed in. My character had crashed into an obstacle with a bang. The score filled the screen.

I died. Holding the Joy-Con, I stared blankly at the screen.

Then I came to my senses and looked up at Tom and Hessi.

They stood beside me, staring blankly.

“Sorry. I got too absorbed.”

“Hey, that’s a new record.”

Hessi was not looking at me.

Instead, he stared at the thin screen with a dazed expression. Tom slowly nodded while looking at the same spot. His blue eyes were fixed on the screen Hessi had reportedly brought.

Feeling awkward, I turned my gaze to the screen.

I had just finished one round of a running action game, the third title we had played.

“I’ve never made it this far.”

“I just got lucky that round. If you try a few times, you’ll get this far soon enough. It’s not that difficult.”

“I’ve played this game since elementary school.”

Hessi replied. Having nothing to say, I closed my mouth.

Tom, whose mouth was slightly open, murmured as if to himself.

“Were you training to be an esports player?”

“...Um. No.”

I was not sure, but I chose the answer that sounded more plausible.

Feeling a little awkward, I quietly put down the Joy-Con in my hand. But neither of my fellow recruits showed any sign of coming to their senses. Hessi blinked a few times, then suddenly began looking for his phone.

His movements were urgent.

“A photo.”

He picked up his phone and muttered.

“A photo. Don’t turn it off. Let me take a picture.”

“...Okay.”

“That’s seriously amazing.”

Tom looked down at me as I stared at Hessi’s behavior in disbelief.

“If you had gone into that field, you definitely would’ve become a world-famous star! Have you thought about changing paths, even now?”

“Unfortunately, not at all.”

“I think it’s your calling.”

Tom sounded genuinely disappointed.

“Why has no one recognized you?”

They were both exaggerating.

I watched with indifferent eyes as they made a fuss and took pictures of the score on the screen. I watched as they asked my permission, though I had no idea why they needed it, and sat on the bed saying they wanted to try as well. I watched them finish a round with miserable scores, perhaps because they had not fully adapted to their enhanced bodies, and gape as they said it was too difficult.

The gathering did not break up until nearly eleven.

Hessi put the console and games into my hands as I returned to Room 304, and I did not refuse.

* * *

Sunday night.

A low, eerie voice fell over my back as I was absorbed in a game.

“Hey.”

I jerked up with a silent scream.

“What are you doing?”

“Argh!”

My scream came out a moment later.

I barely caught my fellow recruit’s Joy-Con before I could throw it onto the floor. I staggered, nearly fell while trying to stand, then turned around as if I had been struck.

A man had been standing behind me without making a sound.

Looking at the man who seemed to radiate coldness, I spoke in a hoarse voice.

“Senior partner?”

Yoon moved only his eyes like a ghost, without so much as twitching an eyebrow.

“Didn’t you say you would absolutely not bother me on weekends?”

“The situation changed.”

The man answered in a voice that contained no trace of apology.

Then, looking at me standing there stupidly without understanding the situation, he pointed his thumb at the door.

“We’re leaving now.”

“What?”

“Outside the Core.”

Once again, there was no further explanation.

“Get ready to leave now.”

“Now?”

I asked in a dazed voice.

What time was it.... I turned toward the electronic clock on top of the dresser and realized Sunday had just become Monday.

It was midnight?

Still dazed, I looked at the clock, then turned back to my senior partner.

He wore a black windbreaker and carried a duffel bag similar to mine.

“You can sleep while we travel.”

As if he had read the doubt in my blank eyes, my senior partner continued.

“We’re taking the train, so just pack toiletries.”

“A train?”

“We need to resupply.”

Yoon spoke flatly.

“Your fellow recruits and their senior partners are leaving too, so get ready quickly.”

Hessi and Tom were going too?

Before asking any more questions, I hurriedly got up. I put away the game I had been playing and quickly changed clothes.

I found a windbreaker like my senior partner’s, put it on, and zipped it up. I threw toiletries and a towel into my duffel bag.

“Let’s go.”

Yoon turned as soon as I stood in front of him with my duffel bag over my shoulder.

I quietly followed behind my senior partner. I had been ready to go to sleep. What on earth was going on? Thank goodness I had showered earlier.

The lights came on as we stepped into the hallway. We crossed the empty corridor at a quick pace. We went down to the first floor in no time, passed through the quiet lobby under dim lights, and went outside the dormitory.

The air smelled cool and crisp in that particular midnight way. People stood gathered in the darkness softened by streetlights.

Hessi and Tom. And the Badgers I had seen in the auditorium.

One of them was the blue-eyed man I had encountered when I first fell into this world.

“They say loading is complete.”

The blue-eyed man reported as soon as he saw Yoon. His voice was as low as Yoon’s and had a strange metallic quality.

Yoon nodded as he went down the steps in front of the building.

“Leave in your own cars and gather at the station. Be there within thirty minutes.”

“Yes.”

“What about the rookie’s combat uniform?”

The brunette woman standing beside Tom asked.

That must be Angela. I remembered Ami casually asking Tom that afternoon, “You heard it from Angela, right?” Judging by their distance, Angela seemed to be Tom’s senior partner, while the blue-eyed man appeared to be Hessi’s senior partner.

If I remembered correctly, his name was Kal Dowe.

I had not properly introduced myself to either of them. Still, I gave the female senior a slight nod.

Yoon slipped his hand into his windbreaker pocket and answered dryly.

“I brought it.”

He took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

“Report that we’re leaving. See you in thirty minutes.”

Angela, who had received the greeting, and Kal, who had remained silent, nodded and quickly dispersed. Hessi and Tom, who seemed just as bewildered by the situation as I was, followed their respective senior partners.

At least that was a relief. It seemed I was not the only one who had come out in a daze.

Relieved, I followed my senior partner.

The man, who had already lit a cigarette, stopped in front of a new white car.

“Get in.”

“You bought a new car already?”

“Yeah. I bought it yesterday.”

Yoon got into the driver’s seat indifferently and opened the window. I quickly got into the passenger seat.

The car pulled away smoothly as soon as I shut the door. I watched Yoon exhale smoke through the window, then press his cigarette into the ashtray to put it out.

The sharp smell of tobacco faded in the wind. My senior partner’s black hair blew in every direction in the breeze coming through the window.

“Do you smoke?”

“...No.”

“You wouldn’t remember.”

“Yes. More precisely, I don’t remember.”

After I answered, my senior partner nodded indifferently and looked ahead.

I waited for an explanation, but silence settled between us.

The car sped smoothly down the road. I waited for the silence to break, then looked away from my senior partner. I figured he would explain when the time came.

Keeping my mouth shut, I watched the city pass by.

The current time was 12:05 a.m.

He had said to arrive within thirty minutes, so wherever we were going, we would arrive in the early hours of the morning.

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