WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Natty

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◈ Black Badger ◈

Chapter 5: Black Badger (5)

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I soon arrived at the floor with the break room.

When the elevator doors opened, a scene like a hotel lobby spread before me. The floor felt deserted. Ivory sofas sat beneath dim lighting, and a long hallway stretched beyond the lobby, which practically radiated wealth.

Ami stepped out first, then turned to me.

“Give me the trash.”

She held out her hand toward the hamburger bag I was still carrying.

I waved it away.

“No, I’ll throw it out when I see a bin.”

“It’s right there.”

Ami pointed at a silver pillar.

That was a trash can?

I tossed the plastic bag into it, then looked back at the small woman. Ami was watching me with round eyes.

She was still wearing the same clothes she had worn when we first met.

Looking down at someone who did not look twenty-two, much less seventy, I said what I had wanted to say.

“The hamburger was really good. Thank you.”

Ami’s eyes widened further.

She stared up at me, then smiled, her eyes crinkling.

“I’ll buy you something even tastier next time.”

A good person.

Perhaps my gratitude was obvious. Ami let out a bright laugh. Even her laugh sounded childlike. Though she had a pistol and dagger hanging from her waist, she still seemed young.

“The room is over there. The senior staff use it to get some sleep when they’re too busy to make it home. It’s always kept spotless, so you shouldn’t have any trouble staying there.”

“Thank you very much.”

The Head of Personnel must have evaluated me favorably, which was why I could sleep here. As I walked down the hall, I thought of the man who had gone home from work, only to return to work again.

How had he made a judgment after speaking to me for only a few minutes?

Following Ami, I cautiously brought it up.

“By the way, the Head of Personnel…”

“You mean, how he made that decision so quickly?”

Sharp.

When I nodded, Ami turned to explain.

“The Head of Personnel has a natural talent for that sort of thing. He does have plenty of blind spots, but nobody is more accurate when it comes to reading people. He knows exactly where to place someone and what will raise that person’s morale. That’s why he can leave work right on time every day and still keep his position. Even if his paperwork is full of holes… Even if he dates people of every age and sex, just like the legend that he was never single even during the war, and it causes problems… Of course, he’s also good in a fight.”

I felt as though I had just heard several incredible things.

I looked at her with wide eyes, but Ami offered no further explanation. Instead, she trotted ahead and flung open a door at the end of the hall.

Ami gestured for me to come inside.

A huge bed. Smooth glass windows that took up an entire wall. The night view reflected in the glass was dazzlingly beautiful. Countless clusters of lights lay beneath the dark blue sky.

Come to think of it, I had not looked outside since regaining consciousness.

I had never properly seen what this world looked like.

I shut the door and stood there blankly, gazing at the window.

Perhaps noticing my reaction, Ami made a small sound.

“Do you want to see outside?”

“Yes, if that’s possible.”

“Of course it is! I’ll open the upper window too. The weather’s nice.”

Ami walked to the window in the center of the room. She pushed open the upper pane, and cool night air rushed against my face.

I moved toward the window.

Ami stepped back.

“I’ll be here in the morning too. I’ll wait on the lobby sofa in front of the elevator, so come out whenever you wake up. If you suddenly feel sick in the night or something urgent happens, press the emergency call button beside the bed.”

I nodded as I looked outside. The night wind scratching my cheeks had a scent.

The smell and the wind stirred my memories.

A cityscape from some unknown time, with glimpses of my white hair fluttering in the wind. An endless city spread beneath my feet.

I was startled by the memory that surfaced, layered over what I was seeing.

I was standing on a rooftop. At its edge, I looked down at the black shoes on my feet and the city below.

Someone stood beside me, white fabric fluttering around them.

‘What do you think?’

They spoke to me.

‘Isn’t it beautiful?’

Slowly, I turned my head. Car lights disappearing from view, replaced by the night sky.

And a soft, androgynous voice, impossible to identify by gender, calling my name…

“Hilde.”

Ami’s call brought me back to myself.

“Y-Yes?”

“It’s dangerous to lean out like that.”

Ami came toward me.

She grabbed my shirt and pulled. With far more strength than I expected, she yanked my body, which had been halfway out the window, back inside.

I nodded in a fluster.

“Thank you.”

“Are you all right?”

“Yes. Of course.”

Carefully, I shut the window.

The night wind stopped. The chill faded, and the room’s warmth wrapped around my face. I met Ami’s gaze as she tilted her head and studied me.

An unfamiliar room. Unfamiliar people.

I was an unexpected variable to them, someone who needed to sleep here quietly.

It hurt that I could not remember exactly what that memory had been. Still, I had recovered it simply by looking at the night view. Other memories would return gradually too.

I reassured myself to think calmly.

After collecting myself, I smiled.

“Thank you for being so kind to me in so many ways.”

Ami stared up at me, then grinned.

She retrieved a bag of clothes Joo had ordered from outside the room, told me to sleep well, and disappeared.

*　　　*　　　*

I slept without dreams.

After waking, I stared at the ceiling for a long time. I wondered whether something might have changed if I closed and opened my eyes again. Unfortunately, nothing had. Only my name and fragmented pieces of memory remained intact.

After lying awake beneath the soft blanket for some time, I realized I was hungry. I also remembered that Ami might be waiting in the lobby in front of the elevator.

I sprang up and checked the time.

Nine in the morning.

Bright sunlight poured over the bed.

“Ami!”

Without even washing my face, I hurriedly flung open the door and ran into the lobby.

“I’m sorry! I forgot you were waiting…”

“Oh, you’re awake? Good morning!”

“Hilde~.”

Ami was not the only one greeting me as I ran out in pajamas.

Ricardo waved, his green eyes curving gently. I blinked at the man lounging against the sofa.

Didn’t he need to go to work?

I had no idea what he did for a living, though.

Apparently, my thoughts showed on my face. Ricardo rested one arm over the back of the sofa and chuckled.

“I did go to work, but I received orders to stay by your side… Fine by me. Even if I’d been given other orders, I was planning to make time to come see how you were doing.”

“Ah… So I’ll be spending today with Ricardo instead of Ami?”

“I told you to drop the honorific.”

“I’m coming too.”

As Ricardo replied with a serious expression, Ami popped her head out and added her own comment.

I looked down at Ami, who was sitting beside Ricardo. She was dressed much more comfortably than yesterday. White sneakers, light blue jeans, and an ivory sweatshirt.

“Is that all right?”

Ami asked, and I nodded.

“Of course. I should be the one asking you. I’m truly sorry for waking up late. Have you been waiting long?”

“No! And don’t add honorifics to my name either. Given what we do, we care about rank insignia, but not age.”

“Um… If that’s what you both say…”

Should I stop speaking formally too?

I considered it for a moment, but Ricardo had told me to drop the honorific, not to stop speaking formally.

Since I was not sure, I decided to be cautious. I would use their names freely while continuing to speak politely.

“Ricardo… Ami. Please take care of me today.”

“Sure… Let’s get breakfast first. Ye-hyeon won’t have time until the afternoon…”

“Brunch! Brunch!”

Ami jumped up from the sofa.

Ricardo smiled at the excited Ami.

“First, you should change out of your pajamas… They suit you very well.”

“Ah.”

I had forgotten that I was wearing the black silk pajamas Joo had bought me.

I looked down at the pitch-black fabric, then answered calmly.

“The Head of Personnel has excellent taste. Thanks to him, I slept very comfortably.”

Small smiles appeared on the faces of the two people on the sofa.

Determined not to keep them waiting any longer, I quickly added,

“I’ll get changed and come out right away. Please wait just a moment.”

“Take your time~.”

“We’ll buy you new clothes today too!”

Ami said in a clear voice.

I felt as though I was accumulating debts that would only grow harder to repay.

As I returned to my room, I thought of everything I had received from them. I did not know when I would be able to repay them, but debts of gratitude were not something to forget.

A hamburger set. Pajamas and underwear. A comfortable place to sleep.

If the time came when I could repay them, I would make sure to do so.

I ran down the hall and flung open the door. Sunlight streamed through the open window. Crossing the room, far too large for one person, I headed into the bathroom.

I turned on the shower and looked for the provided toiletries. As I busily washed beneath the hot water, I found a shampoo set and a plastic bag beside it.

Hmm.

It looked like something someone had accidentally left behind.

It was a medicine pouch.

I picked it up and turned it over. The outside was printed with medicine names I could not understand. Green-and-white and red-and-white capsules rolled around inside the transparent pouch, each individually wrapped.

It must have belonged to whoever used this room before.

I should take it out and give it to Ami and Ricardo. They might know who it belonged to.

I put the medicine pouch somewhere visible and focused on showering.

*　　　*　　　*

I noticed something strange after I finished showering, got dressed, and slipped the medicine pouch into my pocket.

Clatter!

A loud sound echoed through the room.

What was that?

Rubbing my hair with a dry towel, I froze.

I blinked and turned my head from side to side.

Where did that sound come from? Had Ami or Ricardo come looking for me?

I scanned the spacious room, but nothing stood out. The door was closed, and there was no sign of anyone inside.

There was the enormous bed, big enough for two people with room to spare. A luxurious mahogany desk, a mirror on the wall, and the pajamas I had folded over a chair.

There was nothing especially strange.

I could not see anything that might make that sound.

Was there construction going on outside?

I looked around as I moved past the bed. I had been about to leave. My hair was still damp, but I did not want to make the other two wait any longer.

It would dry in the sunlight outside. I hung the towel I had been using on the armrest of the chair.

Then I tried to leave.

Thud!

The booming noise stopped me in my tracks.

What was that?

Frowning, I turned around.

Where in the world was that sound coming from…

Oh.

The moment I saw the window, I froze.

Something was stuck to it. It was not an insect. A shadow covered half the enormous window.

The sunlight behind it created a silhouette. Its long shadow stretched through the room.

I forgot even to make a sound.

What was that?

What the… No, what was that? Was it alive?

A machine? Or had a new species appeared while my memories were gone?

Its shape was too bizarre for that. Eight spider-like legs clung to the window like suction cups. The legs jutted from a body covered in writhing fur, and the body had a horse-like head. Several eyeballs were attached to its forehead.

…Were they filming a horror movie?

The instant I tried to convince myself with that reasonable explanation, the window shattered.

A leg came through the broken glass.

A black suction cup rushed toward me at astonishing speed, and I cried out in panic.

“What the hell is this?!”

The monster’s leg wrapped around my body and yanked me toward the window.

At the same time, the door flew open.

“Hilde!”

“Grab the window frame!”

Ami and Ricardo shouted urgently, but before I could answer, my body went into free fall outside the window.

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