Chapter 3
Chapter 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Black Badger (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I was dragged to the infirmary without even coming to my senses.
I followed the doctor along with the three people who had been watching me. A spacious room came into view. It was white and bright, with a desk and several chairs for visitors.
A cool breeze carrying the scent of sterile air wafted through the flawless room.
The man who had burst out of the door earlier sat down at the desk with quick steps.
He gestured for the entering people to sit.
“Samuel? Something wrong?”
People sat scattered on the chairs here and there. Ami, the only one who didn’t sit and instead came to stand by my side, asked the man in the white coat.
The man called Samuel waved his hand.
“It’s a bit tricky to explain. It’s not a health issue. Except for the fact that his stomach is completely empty right now.”
“If it’s not a health problem, then what kind of problem could it be?”
Ami asked again, her eyes wide.
“We just did a health check, right? If there’s a problem in the health check, that means there’s a health issue.”
Exactly. Very reasonable words.
But strangely, the doctor shook his head vigorously.
“First, feed him something.”
The doctor said in a gruff voice, eyes fixed on the screen.
“I’ll show you pictures and explain. Get ready to contact Ye-hyeon.”
“The Supreme Commander~?”
“You’ll freak out too when you see it.”
What.
What’s the problem now. I listened to the conversation between the doctor called Samuel and the others, growing terrified. It was already confusing enough to appear in an unfamiliar place with my memories gone, and now there was another problem.
Everyone’s faces except Ro’s hardened rigidly.
My insides grew ice-cold.
The sound of the mouse wheel clicking away seemed unusually loud. The doctor told us to wait as he searched for something on the computer.
I tensed up completely and bit my lip.
I had no idea what the problem was, but if it was a big one, what would happen to me?
I clenched my sweaty fists tightly.
At the same time, Ami spoke.
“Mr. Hilde.”
I whipped my head around in surprise.
“Yes?”
“What do you like?”
Do you remember? What you liked? Ami looked at me with her round eyes. I could see her phone in her hand. The screen showed photos of various kinds of food.
I blankly alternated between the screen and Ami.
“Ah…. I can’t remember well. Sorry….”
“It’s okay.”
She replied breezily and tilted her head to examine my face.
“Your expression doesn’t look good.”
“It wouldn’t. How could he feel good when there’s a big health problem?”
“No, I said it’s not a health problem.”
The doctor sighed heavily at Ro’s interjection.
Judging from how Ami and Ricardo didn’t seem particularly surprised, Ro must often say such out-of-the-blue things. I gave an awkward, worried smile as I watched Ro raise his eyebrows as if to say, Huh? Then what is it? This is a hospital and you’re a doctor.
So yeah. What the hell is all this.
Ami said she’d just order a safe bet, a hamburger. I nodded slowly as I watched her tap firmly on her phone screen.
“Look at this.”
Then the doctor’s voice made me turn my head.
“You guys can read this graph, right?”
He pointed to the hologram window.
What’s that. I blinked dumbly at the new thing that appeared. The vivid window was filled with incomprehensible numbers and explanations.
I couldn’t read it.
But the others seemed able to parse the information.
People raised their voices.
“Huh! Is this really Mr. Hilde’s?”
“Oh~?”
“What? What’s that mean?”
Reactions varied.
The hologram window showed an adult body image and various graphs. The graphs had numbers and incomprehensible words. But even blinking and reading again, I couldn’t understand what the numbers indicated.
Fortunately, Ro looked as confused as I did.
However, Ricardo and Ami showed undisguisable bewilderment on their faces. They kept their mouths shut for a while, just staring at the graphs.
A silence full of chaos settled over the infirmary.
The doctor provided the explanation.
“This guy’s an Enhanced Body possessor, just like you all.”
“I’ll report to the Commander and come back~.”
“Huh? Hey, say something that makes sense!”
Ricardo stood up and left the room, while Ro raised his voice.
“I’ve never seen a Badger like this! And it’s been years since the war ended—there’s no way an unregistered Black Badger exists! Hey? Even I know that much, and I’m not smart!”
“That’s why it’s a big deal. And lower your voice, kid! This is a hospital!”
“This is insane.”
Ami muttered to herself, her eyes wide open.
I sat there like an idiot, unable to understand the doctor’s words, turning my head. Ami stood by my side, staring at the hologram window.
Ignoring the bickering Ro and doctor, she added in a clear voice.
“The HR Director will have to come back and pull an all-nighter too.”
What’s a Black Badger.
What does it mean that I’m an Enhanced Body possessor. It hadn’t even been a few hours since I’d come to my senses, and now I faced another incomprehensible term.
On top of that, unlike before, this didn’t seem like it would resolve easily.
I sat quietly with my mouth shut amid the excited people.
To protect my own safety among these complete strangers.
The white infirmary. Excited, surprised strangers. Unfamiliar smells, unfamiliar environment. Strange names and strange words.
Suddenly, I was ravenously hungry and exhausted.
I just wanted to forget this whole situation and fall asleep.
***
Ricardo returned with the hamburger.
A man with softly curved green eyes, but an irrepressible edginess pouring from his body. He opened the infirmary door holding a bag with the hamburger inside.
I turned to the man who called me “Hilde” so familiarly.
Instead of the somber black combat uniform he’d been wearing earlier—combat uniform, I assume—he now wore a neat shirt and pants.
The glasses he had on suited him surprisingly well.
The man walked into the infirmary with a grin.
“Hamburger…. You waited a long time, huh~?”
“No, thank you so much.”
“Hey. This guy’s really Enhanced Body confirmed.”
I finally took the paper bag with the hamburger using my freed hands, while Ro fidgeted his legs from his chair.
Ricardo looked down at Ro over his glasses.
“Yeah~?”
“Yeah. I even arm-wrestled him myself.”
And lost spectacularly.
A few minutes ago, Ami had uncuffed me and suggested I arm-wrestle Ro, so we did a round. Of course, I didn’t think I’d win. Ro clearly had a sturdy, athletic build honed by training.
I lost to Ro without any chance to resist.
But Ami and the doctor didn’t focus on the outcome of the arm-wrestle. They seemed focused on the fact that my muscles were unharmed even after arm-wrestling Ro.
Ricardo seemed the same.
His green eyes scanned my arm.
“This is something. The situation’s getting weirder by the minute….”
“Peanut went off somewhere to report. No idea what she’s reporting.”
“Of course~. It’s an unprecedented emergency.”
Ricardo replied in a voice tinged with an odd amusement.
As I rustled out the hamburger, I stole glances at the man standing in front of me. It’s okay to eat here, right? I’d been starving since entering the infirmary.
As if reading my mind, Ricardo added breezily.
“Eat comfortably here…. That’s why I brought it here.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“Your expression doesn’t look good?”
He watched me unwrap the hamburger.
“Is it because people’s faces changed and they’re making calls everywhere over the Enhanced Body thing? Don’t worry too much~. Even if it becomes a problem, it’s our command staff who’ll be in hot water, not you….”
“Um…. I’d prefer not to cause trouble for anyone if possible.”
“That could be. If the command staff covers well. Your existence hasn’t leaked outside yet, right~?”
Ricardo grinned, then lifted his long leg to pull over a wheeled chair.
He perched on the chair and waved for me to eat the hamburger.
“Eat up~. You must be hungry….”
“Thank you.”
I thanked him and bit into the hamburger.
The juices from the meat, the hamburger sauce, and the crisp lettuce burst delightfully in my mouth. My eyes widened at the unexpected taste. Delicious. Weird, the fragmented memories of hamburgers didn’t taste this good.
I checked the wrapper, but it wasn’t a brand I recognized.
Anyway, I should eat it gratefully. It seemed my appearance had caused all sorts of headaches, but these people were treating me decently anyway, and I was thankful.
Ricardo’s gentle smile widened.
“How much did Samuel Han explain to you~?”
So Samuel’s full name was Samuel Han.
I swallowed the hamburger and answered.
“Not in much detail…. Just that the Enhanced Body was implanted perfectly, with no physical issues at all.”
“That’s just like him~. He only gives medical opinions…. He doesn’t say anything outside his field since he doesn’t know how far to go~.”
“What’s the problem with that?”
The one butting into the conversation was Ro, who had been playing a game on his phone.
He looked at us with his thick eyebrows furrowed.
“You can explain Black Badger and Enhanced Body stuff. Right?”
“Well…. Yeah…. It’ll be more comfortable for Hilde and us if I explain it properly~.”
“If it’s okay, I’d appreciate it.”
I picked up a french fry and politely requested. I’d heard bits and pieces, but new situations had brought new questions.
I wanted explanations about Enhanced Body and Black Badger.
Ricardo stared at me with unreadable eyes, then let out a chuckle.
“With eyes like that, I can’t just skip it~….”
Thank you.
“Simply put, you’re like a pistol without a registered serial number~.”
Clear explanation.
“Enhanced Body possessors are treated as living weapons…. So when implanting an Enhanced Body, the recipient’s personal info is registered in the database, and they’re always under headquarters’ control…. But you’re not registered at headquarters, and you’re an Enhanced Body possessor we didn’t even know existed—that’s the problem~. Plus, you popped out of nowhere in the portal zone. It’s like a missile we didn’t know existed suddenly appearing in the sky over a danger zone. Good analogy~?”
“Ah.”
I got the gist.
My body didn’t feel particularly different, but I could understand why people freaked out at my health check results. An Enhanced Body possessor was probably closer to a missile than a pistol. They wouldn’t report straight to the commander over a mystery pistol.
Anyway….
“Why do I have an Enhanced Body?”
With no memories, it was frustrating enough to drive me crazy.
Ricardo chuckled softly at my dumb question.
“Yeah~. How did you end up with an Enhanced Body…. It’s so unimaginable, I can’t even guess….”
“Did you get some illegal surgery or something? Lost all your memories as a side effect.”
“Ro…. Illegal surgery wouldn’t implant this perfectly~. If it was illegal, you wouldn’t be chatting normally like this right now….”
“Insane!”
The conversation cut off.
Bang! With a loud noise, the infirmary door flew open, and I reflexively flinched back. I stared wide-eyed at the person who had flung it open.
A woman with round black eyes wide open. It was Ami, who had gone out moments ago saying she needed to talk to Yoon.
What the hell?
Ricardo and Ro also raised their eyebrows at Ami.
Silence descended in the sudden situation. We blinked at each other for a while, frozen like someone had hit pause.
Then Ami spoke.
“Mr. Joo’s coming back to pull an all-nighter.”
Thud!
Ro dropped his phone on the floor.
“He even got home, but he’s turning right back!”
“Crazy!”
Bang! As Ro jumped up, the chair he’d been sitting on toppled backward.
The atmosphere shifted. Even Ricardo, who rarely seemed surprised, asked, “The HR Director~?”
Ami nodded frantically at Ricardo’s question and Ro’s “Wait, really? For real?”, then dashed wildly into the infirmary.
She paced frantically around the room.
After a while of failing to contain her excitement, Ami turned to me, who was still dumbfounded.
“It’s thanks to you, Mr. Hilde!”
Ami shouted happily.
Ro exclaimed in admiration.
“Man, you see everything living long enough.”
The curly-haired man approached me and patted my back heartily.
“Well done. You pulled off what even Ye-hyeon and his predecessor couldn’t. You’re the only one who’s dragged Joo back after he clocked out.”
Genuine delight laced his words.
Even Ricardo let out a chuckle.
I just blankly watched everyone’s reactions. I didn’t really get it, but some HR Director I didn’t know was coming back to work over this emergency, and they were all so thrilled….
I didn’t voice the thought.
Instead, I sat quietly clutching my hamburger, flashing awkward smiles until Ro and Ami calmed down. Buried in curiosity about what kind of person this HR Director Joo was.
I wanted to meet that HR Director as soon as possible.