Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Master (2)
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Yoon flatly changed the subject.
“Then shall we handle the next issue?”
Buoyed by the fact that I’d gotten the cabin for free, I nodded with a bright smile.
My master shot back.
“Don’t ever smile like that again. Last warning.”
Hey, come on.
I reflexively made a face that said as much, but Yoon ignored it.
He spoke without unfolding his arms.
“I’m going over the administrative details, so listen up. The admin side will handle creating and registering your social security number. If anyone asks, say your birthday is August 20th—the day you arrived. Age twenty-eight. You don’t know who your birth parents are. If questioned, say you grew up in an orphanage. You took all your elementary, middle, high school, and college courses online, and after that, you scraped by doing odd jobs online. You passed the recruitment exam this year but got delayed in assignment due to issues in the Anti-Aging and recovery enhancement process. If they ask about the recruitment, say you signed a confidentiality agreement and can’t discuss it.”
My (fake) administrative identity had lived a pretty unfortunate life.
It couldn’t be helped, since until about a week ago, I hadn’t existed in this world. Making someone who didn’t exist into someone who did wasn’t easy.
Isn’t this illegal...?
I didn’t voice the question that popped into my head. Of course it was illegal.
Ye-hyeon must have bent the rules out of consideration for me. They could’ve quietly killed me or removed the Enhanced Body inside me to solve everything. If he hadn’t saved me from being chased by that creature, all their problems would’ve vanished.
The thought made my chest feel heavy.
Yoon’s emotionless voice rang out.
“Got all that?”
“Yes. Understood.”
“What’s your birthday?”
“August 20th.”
“Questions?”
“Uh...”
I’d originally planned to ask about the master himself. If he gave me the chance, that is.
But the realization that Ye-hyeon had committed the crime of forging my identity just to hire me had made me forget what I wanted to ask.
I stared into Yoon’s cold eyes for a while.
“What happens if they find out my identity is fake?”
Yoon looked at me with unreadable eyes.
“Ye-hyeon would be in a tough spot.”
The dry answer hit me like a weight in the gut.
My master didn’t react to my darkening expression. He was so parched, you could almost hear him crackle. He showed no expression at all.
Amazed by his utter lack of humanity, I tried to sort out my troubled feelings.
The café’s gentle background noise enveloped us.
“...Would it be that bad for him?”
“Yeah. You know next to nothing about this world right now, so it might not seem like it, but Black Badger has massive influence. Ye-hyeon’s the head of it. If your real reason for being hired comes out, the media will explode. Ye-hyeon will have to resign for sure, and things probably won’t settle down after that.”
“Maybe it’d be better to just remove my Enhanced Body...”
“I don’t know why Ye-hyeon made this choice either.”
There was no resentment or irritation in Yoon’s voice.
He shrugged.
“It’s a decision worthy of him, though. Anyway, just don’t get caught. Simple as that.”
“...Is it simple?”
“Even if it isn’t, make it simple. No backing out now. Your social security number and records are probably all registered by this point.”
Why had the Supreme Commander made this call?
Out of moral righteousness? But if Yoon wasn’t exaggerating—and he didn’t seem the type—then the risks if we got caught were way too high. Not just Ye-hyeon, but most of Black Badger would suffer.
If I were in his shoes, I’d have removed the Enhanced Body and assigned me a personal doctor.
I’d bring it up with him next time we met. Ask if removing it was really that fatal.
As I looked down at my coffee, Yoon spoke.
“Anyway, with the housing and admin stuff more or less sorted, let’s get to the main point.”
What’s the main point?
I looked up at him, but Yoon sat there with the same unchanging face.
What a strange guy. Why do we even need to control someone with zero tells like this?
Such a man closed his eyes and sighed.
Suddenly?
“Choi Ami.”
Yoon called her name lowly, and the person at the table behind us whipped her head around.
A pair of big, round black eyes came into view.
Whoa.
“Yeah!”
“What are you doing here?”
Yoon leaned one elbow on the backrest and twisted his upper body.
The siblings faced each other. I watched the scene unfold before me with wide eyes.
The man with his torso turned back, and the woman who’d turned to look at us.
Weird. They seemed so different in personality that it was hard to believe they were siblings, yet there was something undeniably similar about them that I couldn’t quite pin down.
The man looked at Ami with exasperated eyes.
“You’ve got no reason to show up at the research building.”
“I got worried you might bully Hilde, so I came to check.”
Ami blinked her round eyes.
“You said you were meeting here at 3! I felt bad leaving sweet Hilde with you for so long!”
“It’s been twenty minutes?”
“Exactly.”
Ami’s such a good person.
I was touched that she’d come all the way here for me. She was the first person I’d grown attached to since falling into this world—truly a relief.
She was dressed like a student again today: a light purple cable-knit cardigan and pale blue jeans.
Yoon looked at Ami with an emotionless face.
“Ye-hyeon said something similar to me last night. Told me not to bully the kid. If he was that worried, he shouldn’t have assigned you as master in the first place. Why now, after all this time without making me do it.”
“That’s what I’m wondering too. HR Director Joo decided it.”
Wanna go ask him yourself, Oppa? Ami stared at Yoon with her round eyes and slurped her smoothie.
Yoon showed clear emotion on his face for the first time.
“Tch.”
He clicked his tongue skillfully and furrowed his brow lightly.
“I’d rather not run into that guy if I can help it.”
His low mutter was oddly amusing.
To see that kind of reaction from someone who seemed so devoid of emotion. Just what was the HR Director’s position in this organization...?
As I quietly enjoyed it, Ami asked.
“Hilde. You okay?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. He’s been nicer than I expected.”
I even got the cabin.
Before I could add that, Yoon turned his head.
“Hey. Let’s go. Gotta check your skill level. Time to start training too.”
Now?
It must’ve shown on my face. But Yoon didn’t care. He hopped up from his seat. Ami, blocked from view by him, craned her neck to look at me.
The sudden shift hit my senses. The afternoon café bathed in sunlight streaming in. Golden light filled the space as people chatted pleasantly. The aroma of roasting coffee. The clack of laptop keys.
Ami smiled at me.
“If Oppa bullies you, tell me right away.”
“Yeah, of course.”
“You can go now. I’ll keep my distance too. Ye-hyeon’s watching, so I’ll behave even more.”
Ami, with Yoon’s hand pressing her crown, looked up. A long smile spread across her face as she gazed at her big brother.
“Be good to Hilde.”
“I am being good.”
“Yeah. Keep being good from now on. You’re his master now, Oppa.”
Ami spoke brightly, then grinned.
Yoon looked down at her for a while. Then he moved his large hand and ruffled her round head. It was clearly the gesture of a brother doting on his little sister—I was a bit surprised.
That’s why he seems kinda normal.
Ami beamed.
We left the café soon after. As I trailed behind Yoon, Ami waved goodbye.
I waved back and followed Yoon’s back through the unfamiliar place.
People passed by. We took the escalator to the third floor, then crossed a skybridge.
The surroundings grew quieter.
I sensed we were nearing our destination. Fewer people coming the opposite way. The café floor had been wrapped in pleasant sunlight hues, but here it felt cool and filled with bluish air.
We’re headed to something like a gym.
The moment I intuited it, tension and worry flooded in. How was my stamina? My intelligence?
They wouldn’t know my abilities since they didn’t even know my face until a week ago.
I might not meet this guy’s expectations, but I didn’t want to disappoint the people I’d met.
The danger of my fake identity that Yoon mentioned resurfaced, and thoughts of the upcoming test made me uneasy. What if I turned out completely useless?
Then I’d tell them to remove the Enhanced Body for real this time.
Those thoughts evaporated the instant we arrived at what looked like a training ground.
Because Yoon picked up a chainsaw.
“You learn better with the right stimulation.”
You psycho!
Vrrrrr!
The moment Yoon revved the chainsaw, I bolted for the door.
Surprisingly, it was firmly shut.
When did it close? And why’s it locked?
Bang bang bang!
“Ami! Ami! I’m in here!”
“Calm down. I’m not trying to kill you.”
How am I supposed to calm down with a guy holding a running chainsaw in front of me?
Should I break it? Smash the door? I twisted the handle frantically, but the lock didn’t budge. Staring at the solid gray door, I debated.
If I put all my strength into it, I could probably break it.
A dry voice came from behind.
“Don’t break it if you don’t want to pay for damages.”
The chainsaw noise cut off abruptly.
“I’m not killing you. I didn’t pick this up to use it on you in the first place.”
Huh?
Only then did I muster the courage to turn around. It was an unremarkable place. A sturdy door opposite. Long horizontally, with a ceiling about one-and-a-half stories high. Nothing else noteworthy.
Overall, a clear gray tone.
The emotionless man thrust the chainsaw toward me.
I flinched reflexively.
“Huh?”
“You’re using it.”
Yoon shot me a look that said take it already.
“Take it. Gotta have a weapon, right? Don’t know if you ever used a gun before, or if you’d remember how even if you did, so something like this. Same for swords or spears. With a chainsaw, you just hold it and swing.”
Why do I need a weapon?
I thought it’d be like a fitness test. Push-ups, sit-ups, that sort of thing.
Narrowing my eyes, I eyed my master cautiously before asking.
“Why do I need a weapon?”
“Might be tough without one. Plus, I wanna see how you move.”
“What’s gonna be tough?”
“You’ll see. Taking it or not?”
I took the chainsaw. Didn’t want Yoon getting annoyed if I hesitated longer.
The unfamiliar weight settled in my hands. Gripping it, I stared at my master. He’d explain, right? He couldn’t just hand me a chainsaw out of nowhere without proper explanation.
Yoon obligingly added one.
“Wait here quietly. I’ll bring the target for you to use it on.