Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: The Rumored Youngest (3)
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Do people really think the whole world is like them?
When I shot him a look of utter disbelief, Yoon added a dry explanation.
“What do you think the point of the exam is?”
“To check our skills.”
“Right. The promotion exam is a process to confirm whether you can pull your weight as a full-fledged Black Badger.”
Yoon pulled up a chair and sat down.
“If you’ve got the skills to handle your share on a normal day, there’s no need to worry about the exam.”
“No, but still, I need to know what they’re testing.”
“We’ll teach you everything before the exam anyway. Shooting, swimming, empty-hand combat, climbing, and so on.”
I’d already be eliminated from shooting.
The convenient thing about talking to Yoon was that he could read my expressions and guess exactly what I was thinking.
The ruthlessly pragmatic man looked at me and gave the precise answer without me even asking.
“You’ll surpass the shooting benchmark by then.”
“…You think so? Still, I’d like to know more details about the exam.”
“I’m telling you, it’s not about cramming right before. You study consistently, and the exam just confirms your skills.”
Yoon spouted the most ridiculously old-school nonsense.
It was the kind of boomer talk that would make the elders weep.
Just as I was about to point out how boomer that sounded, my master changed his tone.
“But every time I say stuff like this, Ye-hyeon gets mad.”
Shrugging lightly, he looked amused.
“Guess it’s that annoying, huh?”
“You aware of it? Dear lord.”
“But I really don’t get why you’re so worried about the exam.”
Yoon said something absurd and crossed his legs.
“I’ll be the one learning from you soon. What’s there to worry about?”
It felt like a smack to the back of my head.
I gaped at my master in a daze, frozen like an idiot and unable to respond.
We were in that godforsaken single room.
The only sound was the whirring of medical robots patrolling the hallway.
I snapped out of it only after the robot’s wheel noise faded away.
“What did you just say?”
I couldn’t help emphasizing the “what.”
My reaction must’ve been funny because Yoon smirked.
“What’s with the shock?”
“How could I not be shocked?”
“It’s something I think every time I train you.”
Does this guy want something from me?
Why’s he suddenly acting like this? Riding the rollercoaster for what?
He’s not the type to butter someone up just to make them feel good.
Ah.
Is this groundwork to get me on the operating table?
“I’m not getting on that table.”
“We need to open you up before you recover your full abilities.”
Yoon brushed off my words like water off a duck’s back and said what he wanted.
From the way his hand dipped into his pocket and came back out, it seemed he’d thought about smoking but remembered this was a hospital room.
Instead of wedging the long cigarette between his fingers, the man crossed his arms and let a sinister smile grow.
“Even now during training, I nearly get my throat slit by you sometimes.”
“Have I ever left a single scratch on you?”
“You’re still sluggish. I don’t know what you were up to for those decades, but that kind of long-term laziness doesn’t vanish overnight.”
That hit too close to home.
Decades of gap. From when my memories cut off until I fell out of the portal.
I couldn’t even imagine where I’d been or what I’d done during that time.
But Yoon didn’t give me time to wallow and fired off punch after punch.
“There’ve been plenty of moments where you were fast enough that my head would’ve flown if you’d meant it. You’ve got real talent for killing intent without malice.”
“…Why are you saying this out of nowhere? It doesn’t suit you.”
“Just stating facts.”
The man said that, then held out his phone to me.
I took it and looked at the screen. It showed a phone number and the owner’s name.
[Gabi]
…
I stared at it for a moment before saving the number.
“…Thank you.”
“Among living humans, the one with the best combat ability is Lee Seung-hyun.”
I slowly raised my head.
Reflexively, I scanned the surroundings. The hospital room was still quiet. As Ye-hyeon had said, outside the office there were ears everywhere, but it didn’t seem like anyone besides the elders was listening.
Choi Yoon wasn’t that careless.
“The top aides by the elders’ sides are roughly equal overall. Meaning you’d have to combine the redhead and blond by the platinum pervert to match what Lee Seung-hyun does. Jaeyeon would lose to Lee Seung-hyun by a hair on the ring, but off the fair fight, he beats him often.”
I see.
I remembered Lee Seung-hyun being exceptional. No, he was definitely the standout among the ones I’d trained. So much so that we barely had time for personal chats.
But…
I blinked and asked.
“Where do you rank?”
“Me? I’m about equal to Jaeyeon.”
What?
And he’d said something like “I’ll be learning from you soon” despite being that skilled?
“Ye-hyeon’s a tiny bit better than me, but his learned helplessness keeps him from acting against Jaeyeon.”
“I’m still a long way from catching up to either of you.”
“Not yet.”
Yoon said, then looked at me and curled one corner of his mouth.
“So watch out when you go see your disciple, old man. Don’t suffer the humiliation of getting beaten.”
A chill ran through me.
I nearly dropped the phone in my hand. Frozen in place, I stared at my master grinning wickedly.
Crazy bastard…
My body trembled before I barely squeezed out a response.
“Please don’t use casual speech with me.”
He raised one eyebrow.
“I’m begging you.”
Naturally, Yoon didn’t answer.
***
I went to see Asil.
Right after discharge. His discharge was a day later than mine. He was supposed to leave earlier, but his condition worsened midway.
Fortunately, he looked fine now.
He could’ve been discharged immediately, but due to procedure, it was set for tomorrow. The senior watched me as I entered the single room.
His blue eyes narrowed slightly.
“How’s your condition.”
It was the first thing he said the moment I sat in the chair.
“I heard you had thoracic intubation.”
“I’m fine now.”
Asil didn’t seem convinced.
So, still seated, I rambled on about what had happened. How the surgery went, what I did during recovery, my exact condition now.
I also told him about the arena results.
All mention of us being there had been scrubbed from the news.
Instead, reports said a creature went berserk and collapsed the arena. The police inaction, Green Dream’s involvement, Black Badger’s presence—all buried. Along with public opinion that “those lawbreakers deserve to die.”
“Nice work.”
Asil muttered.
He was talking about Ye-hyeon. He probably thought covering the press was solely Ye-hyeon’s doing.
I didn’t correct him.
Instead, thinking of the announcer who’d recited our past, I replied.
“At least the rumors didn’t spread. That’s a relief.”
Asil, who’d been looking out the window, turned his head.
“Sorry you had to hear that on your own, Senior.”
I wanted to say the same to Ricardo.
But he’d already returned to duty and left the Core. He’d left me just one message: “See you at the year-end party~.”
Hope he’s resting well.
Frowning at the thought of my senior’s hidden hardships, I got a gruff reply.
“Everyone worth knowing already does, so don’t sweat it.”
I see.
“I should be the one apologizing. We get pulled for those missions a lot, so we must be a thorn in their side. That’s why the mafias cooked up that plan.”
Yeah, probably.
The mafias, nursing grudges from Black Badger encounters, must’ve had Maria whisper sweet temptations. With Green Dream left to me, let’s tailor it to them.
They couldn’t refuse such a juicy offer.
But it wasn’t the seniors’ fault.
Arguing wouldn’t get through anyway.
I changed the subject.
“But can I ask you one thing?”
“What?”
Asil’s face looked like he had a question mark floating over his head.
I got straight to the point.
“Why did you grab Yoon by the collar?”
His expression turned peculiar.
Asil stayed silent, his face subtly twisted.
A long while later, he spoke softly.
“You remember that cop.”
Jaeyeon.
“Yes.”
“He killed the police chief right in front of me and vanished.”
As expected.
“After that, I tracked him relentlessly, but nothing. Like I’d dreamed it all—photos, videos, reports, all gone.”
That figures. Jaeyeon doesn’t tolerate being recorded.
I knew there was a separate team that erased his digital traces from CCTV, cameras, etc. They got paid by Colton just to do that all day. I’d heard there were people cleaning up his biological traces too. Hair, fingerprints, saliva.
A mere detective couldn’t find him.
“That’s why I joined Black Badger.”
“I see.”
“Even after joining, I couldn’t find his traces for a long time.”
That was obvious too.
What could an ordinary Black Badger do against Jaeyeon…?
“Until I saw Choi Yoon coming out of the Etak building with him.”
Ah?
Ah. Sudden realization hit me.
That’s why he went and grabbed Yoon by the collar the next day.
“Turned out it was the day of the shareholders’ meeting.”
“…Aha.”
“Yoon didn’t look thrilled, but anyway, the two came out chatting in suits and disappeared. I was staring at Jaeyeon like an idiot until they were out of sight, so no chance I saw wrong.”
“Why didn’t you press him separately?”
Even if he passed out from the nape strike that day he grabbed the collar.
The next day, instead of apologizing, he could’ve asked rationally. Especially someone he’d hunted that hard.
At my question, Asil’s brow furrowed faintly.
The senior glared at the bed rail without smoothing it.
“The Supreme Commander told me to drop it.”
“What?”
My voice jumped stupidly.
No, he went straight to Ye-hyeon?
“You’ve probably guessed—he said it’s not someone I can take down.”
Insane execution.
A quietly passionate man. He probably barged right into the command staff office. Ignoring those trying to stop him, charging in—I could picture it clearly.
Ye-hyeon blinking in surprise amid flustered secretaries.
He didn’t detail their conversation, but Asil admitted he half-gave up on capturing Jaeyeon after that.
Until we reunited at the Colosseum.
“I’ll report to the Boss after discharge.”
Do that. Ye-hyeon already knows anyway.
“But you forget it.”
What?
Jaeyeon?
I looked at my senior puzzled, and Asil stared back with a serious face.
His following words dripped with sincerity.
“You’re quick on the uptake and good at reading situations despite your age, so you’ll get why I’m saying this. Erase everything about that cop from your head.”
“Ah.”
“Listen. It’s too dangerous.”
The ex-detective emphasized in a firm voice.
Looking anxious that I might not listen.
“Forget you ever met him.”
If only I could.
I swallowed my true feelings.
***
Time passed quickly.
Center Core steadily filled with year-end vibes. Cold air puffing white breath from mouths. People in coats and puffer jackets. Folks bustling late into the night.
Shops glittered with Christmas decorations, carols echoing everywhere.
Reservations bursting for year-end parties.
I stood in front of the bland apartment building.
“Are you a visitor?”
Lingering blankly in the lobby, a security guard approached.
“Which unit?”
A pricey apartment in the heart of Center Core.
One constantly buzzing with reconstruction talks due to its age.
Fits him perfectly, down to where he lives…
I looked down at my phone to answer.
“Unit 2102.”
“I’ll connect you to 2102 via intercom.”
“No, says they’re not home now.”
I said it while staring at the curt reply.
A low, cold voice unlike Choi Yoon’s. I thought time had changed much, but not that.
“They’re on their way, so they’ll be here soon. I’ll just wait in the lobby…”
“I’m here. Let’s go.”
Make some noise when you walk.
I turned at the voice from behind.
Slowly pocketed my phone and twisted around.
Familiar face facing me.
Refined features, neat but giving a prickly, nitpicky impression. The facial structure identical to Ye-hyeon’s stood before me. Up close, forgotten memories popped up.
My longtime disciple.
Lee Seung-hyun.
The most exceptional among those I’d trained was now my highest superior’s father.
“Long time no see.”
“Let’s head up.”
He replied in his unchanged voice and went inside.
“No time to waste.”
Personality still the same…
Amazed, I followed him.