WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Natty

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Black Badger ◈

Chapter 42: Expulsion Order (2)

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I told them the facts. I had replied only twice to messages from an unknown number. I had not replied when the caller ID was withheld.

Ye-hyeon quietly listened as he looked at my phone.

The spacious office, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, had three desks. The three members of the leadership sat at their respective desks and listened to me. Yoon stood with his arms folded, staring sullenly into space.

The office offered a breathtaking night view. The soundproofing was so thorough that once the door was closed, no noise came in from outside. After my brief explanation, I waited for my superiors’ reactions.

All three were silent in their immaculate suits.

Ye-hyeon broke the silence.

“Yoon.”

Yoon turned his head.

“Have you seen them recently?”

Who was that?

Yoon slowly unfolded his arms. My senior partner shoved his hands into the pockets of his lab coat.

“No.”

“Have they contacted you?”

“Not at all.”

“Hilde’s contact information... No, it would not be strange no matter what method they used.”

Ye-hyeon set down my phone and let out a heavy sigh.

I pressed my lips into a tight line, growing tense. What was this now? I had thought some lunatic was just sending me nonsense.

The people here clearly knew who had sent the messages. No one showed any doubt about whom Ye-hyeon meant by “them.”

They all just looked as though something had gone wrong.

The Commander-in-Chief sighed wearily and leaned back in his chair.

I swallowed hard.

“I’m sorry.”

When I hesitantly spoke, everyone looked at me.

“I should have told you earlier. I should not have replied...”

“Whether you replied or not would not have changed anything.”

Ye-hyeon reassured me, unable to hide the exhaustion in his voice.

“Even if you had told us earlier, nothing would have changed. You do not need to feel guilty.”

“Thank you. Still...”

“From the moment the messages reached you, there was probably nothing we could change.”

Ye-hyeon murmured as if to himself, then stayed silent for a long while with an unreadable expression.

The silence broke when the Commander rubbed his face and released a breath that sounded almost like a sigh.

“Hilde. Listen carefully.”

I straightened up tensely.

“Sooner or later, they will come for you.”

“What?”

“You cannot fully escape unless you leave the Core.”

Who were they?

And why did I have to run from them?

I was surely making a stupid face. But I did not feel like fixing my expression.

Ye-hyeon closed his eyes, resting his forehead against his clasped hands.

The others watched him without speaking.

Ye-hyeon murmured as if to himself.

“I will have to keep you outside the Core for a while.”

“Did I do something wrong to that person?”

I could not hold back my question.

“Do you know why they are angry with me?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to me. Ye-hyeon, who had had his eyes closed, slowly lifted his eyelids.

Amid all those gazes, I met Ye-hyeon’s eyes.

He slowly lowered his clasped hands.

“I do not know either.”

There was an odd sadness in Ye-hyeon’s voice as he answered.

“I did not know they were angry with you, nor do I know why they are this angry. It is probably for some ridiculous reason.”

“Who are they? If I know the name, I might remember something.”

Ye-hyeon hesitated.

The others frowned as well. I watched them all think of the same person and look displeased.

The nighttime office, with city lights filtering in.

The Commander-in-Chief answered slowly.

“Jae-yeon.”

I blinked slowly.

“Jaeyeon?”

Everyone watched my reaction. I tried to remember that name.

Jae-yeon. Jae-yeon. Jae-yeon. Jae-yeon...

Jae-yeon?

I could not remember. Then again, I had even forgotten my own face. Hearing a short name was not going to magically restore my memories.

I replied in a gloomy voice.

“I’m sorry. I do not remember. Could you at least tell me their gender?”

“Gender does not matter.”

Ye-hyeon said something I could not understand.

My eyes widened as I looked up.

“What? Why... Ah, do they look very androgynous? Or are they transgender?”

“No... Sometimes they appear as a woman, and sometimes as a man. And we do not know what gender they will take when they approach you.”

“What?”

What did that even mean?

I was dumbfounded, but the others were not surprised. Instead, they sighed deeply as they listened to Ye-hyeon.

Looking tired, Ye-hyeon lightly rubbed his face with one hand.

“Their hairstyle changes every time, and their eye color too... There is no point in describing their appearance. As long as you are inside the Core, they will find you sooner or later.”

“But what do they want to do after finding me?”

“Who knows? But judging by the messages, things will not go in a friendly direction.”

But why?

I was speechless. I stood frozen in place, unable to figure out what I should say.

Ska, who had been listening to the conversation until then, spoke.

“The December 26 birthday party.”

The tall man turned toward his superior.

“I think it may be about you, Commander. Maybe they are trying to set you up, not Hilde. If they expose Hilde’s situation, you would be put in the most difficult position.”

“I think that makes sense as well.”

The brown-haired man beside Ska spoke.

He had a beautiful voice.

“December 26 is your birthday, is it not?”

“No.”

Ye-hyeon refuted him concisely.

With his eyelids lowered halfway, he explained in a thoughtful voice.

“They would not do something that would cause such a huge social uproar.”

“Why are you so certain?”

Yoon, who had been frowning throughout the conversation, asked.

Ye-hyeon turned his eyes toward him. My senior partner met his gaze directly.

“Ye-hyeon. That bastard hates you.”

“True. But the most they could do is drag me into a locked room and gouge out my eyes. Direct violence is the absolute limit of what they are allowed.”

The most they could do?

Gouge out his eyes? His eyes?

I could not process the horrifying information pouring in. Yoon frowned. He fell silent, looking like he disliked every part of this.

In the ominous atmosphere, Ye-hyeon murmured to himself without checking anyone’s reaction.

“Their master would never allow anything more than that...”

Ska’s frown deepened. The nameless brown-haired man bit his lip.

A disturbing air settled over the office. It was night, and everyone looked troubled.

I stood there without a word. I did not feel like asking any questions. I only had the instinctive feeling that I had become entangled with something terribly complicated.

When had I earned the anger of someone named Jae-yeon? What had I done?

I had never regretted my missing memories so much. If I could remember, perhaps this situation would become easier.

I bit my lip and lowered my eyes.

Then I looked up at Ska’s gentle voice.

“Hilde. You do not need to blame yourself. They probably hate you for some ridiculous reason.”

Ska looked at me as though comforting a much younger junior.

His next words were just as gentle, despite what they said.

“They hate everyone.”

What an impressive person.

“But they especially hate Ye-hyeon. Commander, I have no intention of standing by and watching that bastard beat you again.”

“Right. I have no intention of standing by while Hilde might be taken away by them, either. If Jae-yeon has returned, we should prepare to welcome them.”

At Yoon’s words, Ye-hyeon replied while leaning far back in his chair.

He rested one hand on the armrest and tapped it with his fingers. Tap-tap, tap-tap.

I breathed in the cold air and waited for their decision.

Ska spoke to the highest-ranking superior, who was deep in thought.

“If this is how things are, Jae-yeon will find Hilde eventually.”

Ye-hyeon raised his head and met Ska’s eyes.

Ska continued as Ye-hyeon nodded.

“Should we not attach a tracking device to Hilde in preparation for that? Escaping Jae-yeon alone will not be easy.”

So these people were convinced I would someday be kidnapped by Jae-yeon.

I was not afraid. Perhaps because such a possibility did not feel real. I quietly listened as the men discussed whether a tracking device would even be effective, and whether, if they did use one, implanting a chip under the skin of my hand rather than attaching it to my clothes would be most accurate.

It was almost midnight already.

Ye-hyeon was the one who wrapped up the lengthy discussion.

“Hilde will be sent outside the Core for the time being.”

He gave the order in a tired but firm voice.

“Creatures will gather, so assign the best Badgers.”

“I will inform the Head of Personnel.”

The brown-haired man answered.

Yoon silently nodded as well. With my lips pressed tightly together, I watched Ye-hyeon straighten his upper body. His already pale complexion looked even whiter than usual.

“Send Hilde out as soon as Hilde recovers. Keep Hilde outside the Core until I give further instructions.”

“Yes.”

“I think a tracking device would be best too, but we should hear Hilde’s opinion on that.”

Me?

I had thought the conversation was nearly over, so I was startled by the attention suddenly fixed on me. Everyone in the office was looking only at me now.

I reflexively swallowed and met Ye-hyeon’s gaze.

The Commander-in-Chief spoke in a husky voice.

“Would that be all right?”

“What? Yes...”

“If you have questions, ask them.”

My pale superior spoke quietly.

“I will answer as much as I can.”

Whenever I stood before this person, countless questions surfaced.

This time was no exception. Once again, I chose the question I was most curious about, the one whose answer I wanted most. It was a question that had come to me as I thought back over everything that had happened. To others, it might have sounded unrelated to the conversation.

I looked straight at Ye-hyeon.

“I...”

Although everyone waited for me to speak, I still had to gather my courage to ask.

“This may sound like a strange question, but have I ever met you, Commander?”

The three seniors’ eyes widened.

Only Commander-in-Chief Lee Ye-hyeon met my gaze without surprise.

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