Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Exile Order (3)
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“No.”
Ye-hyeon answered simply.
“I’ve never met you in person.”
I fell silent.
It was because I needed time to suppress an emotion I couldn’t quite name. I had no idea why that flat response was twisting my guts so much.
My sour expression must not have been hidden, as Ye-hyeon’s gaze softened.
“But it’s a good question. If I’d answered yes, things would’ve wrapped up neatly for you.”
He was right.
If I had crossed paths with Ye-hyeon before, it would’ve confirmed I’d been staying here, and it would’ve made sense why Jaeyeon specifically mentioned December 26th. It would’ve also explained why Ye-hyeon had info on me.
But with a no, my speculations circled back to square one.
I felt a bit down. Not because I couldn’t unravel the text’s mystery, though.
I was just disappointed.
“Jaeyeon’s grudge against you has nothing to do with me. He probably just thinks it’s efficient to screw over two people at once. Hilde, don’t get down about not understanding Jaeyeon.”
“Yes. No, it’s not that I’m down about...”
Ever since that day I ran into Ye-hyeon sleeping on the sofa. Ever since he said he’d hand me a knife. There was something I’d been hoping for.
I just...
“I was just hoping that the old me might’ve known the Commander somehow.”
Ye-hyeon looked at me with a startled face.
Silence settled over the office. An eerie stillness that felt like everyone had lost their words in shock.
Suddenly, the hum of the computer hit my ears loudly.
I regretted spilling my true feelings a little.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
My master broke the silence, his eyebrow arched.
“Why would you say something like that in this context?”
“No, it’s just... The Commander’s a good person, so...”
“That’s why I’m asking why it came up.”
“Ease up on the kid.”
Ye-hyeon glanced at Yoon in embarrassment. Meanwhile, Ska snickered with his arms crossed.
The aide, with his dazzling silver piercing, spoke up, all traces of unease wiped from his tone.
“It makes sense, so why hassle him? I’d probably hope the same—that some forgotten connection was with Ye-hyeon instead of Jaeyeon.”
Yoon scoffed.
I stared at Yoon sullenly as he scoffed. As we eyed each other indifferently, the quiet brown-haired man spoke to me for the first time.
“Rookie, you’re getting along okay with Yoon, right?”
Ska burst out laughing.
Ye-hyeon’s businesslike expression softened into a faint smile. I caught Yoon raising an eyebrow at the brown-haired man and answered politely.
“I’m managing somehow, thanks to Ami’s help.”
“I’ve been too soft on you. You keep climbing.”
“I’m learning a ton under my overly generous master.”
Ska let out a small chuckle at my quick pivot.
The brown-haired man wore a faint smile too. I watched the mildly smiling group before turning my gaze back to the Supreme Commander.
The city outside had darkened further. The view beyond the window looked past midnight. Leaving it here would make me the sharp junior, but I wasn’t ready to end the conversation yet.
There was one more thing I wanted to ask.
“Sorry for dragging this out, Commander. Just one more question.”
“Ask as much as you want. I’ll answer what I can.”
“Is Jaeyeon a Badger?”
The office froze.
The faint smiles lingering on lips vanished like ghosts. Even Yoon’s face, which had taken my teasing in stride, lost its indifference.
Ye-hyeon stared at me steadily.
“You always hit the nail on the head.”
I dipped my head slightly at his quiet reply.
“Thank you.”
“What do you think?”
He turned the question back on me. It seemed like he wanted to hear my answer and judge from there.
Luckily, I had the answer I’d expected, so I didn’t falter.
“I don’t think so.”
“Why?”
“You’ve always described Jaeyeon’s whereabouts as mysterious. Ricardo said Badgers are managed like guns with serial numbers. My hiring was already a potential issue in that context, so I figure an organization that handles its employees so meticulously wouldn’t have a malicious, vanished staffer.”
“Spot on.”
Ye-hyeon praised me matter-of-factly.
I slowly closed and opened my eyes. I didn’t think it was some brilliant deduction. Just facts anyone could piece together with a little thought.
And ever since becoming a Black Badger, I’d thought a lot about the Badgers. I’d mull over the stories Ye-hyeon, Ricardo, and Yoon had shared with me, the clueless newbie, before bed.
It was all the memories I had to mull over anyway.
“So what do you think Jaeyeon is?”
From here, it’d just be a one-sided string of my theories.
But you can’t not answer your top boss.
I just spit out what I’d been thinking.
“Assuming he’s human, I think he’s an Enhanced Body owner. You said it’d be hard for me to escape on my own.”
“And?”
“And if that’s right, it means there’s someone with an Enhanced Body who isn’t a Black Badger, so this is pure speculation on my part, but...”
I tried to organize the thoughts I’d had while people debated where they stuck the trackers.
Lost in thought, my senses dulled. I rubbed my jaw with my hand.
“I figure it’s one of three cases. First, a rare success in illegal Enhanced Body implantation. Second, there’s an official group countering the Black Badgers, and Jaeyeon’s part of it. Third, okay, this might be me spinning wild fantasies, but Anti-Aging and top-tier recovery? That’s too tempting. Things humanity’s dreamed of forever. So maybe there’s some elite class secretly implanted with Enhanced Bodies, enjoying immortality away from society’s eyes...”
“Stop.”
The firm voice snapped me back.
My hazy vision sharpened. Distant sounds grew clear.
I widened my eyes blankly, taking in the flood of sensations. Silence pounded my ears. The office was dead quiet. No one moved, no one made a sound.
Unconsciously, I dropped the hand that had been stroking my jaw.
Ye-hyeon stared at me with an inscrutable expression.
“You went too far.”
“...Sorry.”
“Watch it. Once you leave this office, there are ears everywhere.”
I shut my mouth.
My heart started pounding faintly. My hands felt oddly numb, so I clenched and unclenched my fists.
For the first time since entering this office, something worried me. I couldn’t quite explain what was making me uneasy.
But if I hadn’t completely missed the mark,
If I wasn’t just being oblivious,
Then Jaeyeon wasn’t the first case or the second.
No matter how he got my contact info, it wouldn’t be weird if...
“Can I implant a tracker?”
The Supreme Commander asked calmly.
I stared blankly into the striking man’s eyes in front of me.
“Pardon? Yes. Of course, sir.”
“Good. Then we’ll do that. You already know, but don’t tell anyone what we discussed here.”
“Yes.”
“Not even Ami or Ricardo.”
“Understood.”
“Yeah.”
Ye-hyeon glanced down at his desk as if to jot something.
Then he slowly stood. I watched dazedly as the Supreme Commander rose and stepped out from behind the desk. Ska and the brown-haired man followed, standing from their desks.
Heading home? It was late.
Should I just head back to my room now?
“Good work.”
Ye-hyeon gave Ska brief instructions, then turned to me.
He smiled gently. A smile like the sleepy one when he’d handed me banana pudding.
“You did well. Impressive.”
“...Me? Thank you. I’m not sure what I did.”
“Go rest. Sorry for keeping you so long.”
I’d get tomorrow’s schedule from Yoon. To his soft voice, I just nodded vigorously. I stayed frozen in place until the three command staff finished prepping to leave.
Ye-hyeon gestured for Ska and the brown-haired man to go first. The two seniors tossed me a “good job” and headed out. I bowed to them and waited obediently. I planned to follow once my master left.
As the Supreme Commander stepped away, Yoon moved too. Ye-hyeon’s farewell wrapped up the meeting completely.
And Ye-hyeon’s parting words blew away all thoughts of Jaeyeon with their intensity.
“Get better quick. You’re heading out of the Core.”
I squeaked out a “yes.”
***
Hilde returned to his room.
He could hear Samuel grumbling and scolding. Hilde’s cheeky pleas followed.
Yoon liked Samuel quite a bit. He also enjoyed teasing the white-haired rookie attached to him. Normally, he’d happily watch his cheeky junior get chewed out by Samuel, chat a bit with the doc, then head home.
But not tonight.
He stopped as he watched Ye-hyeon walk to his car.
“Hold up inside a sec. Gonna smoke one with Aide Ska.”
Ye-hyeon paused opening the passenger door.
He stared at Yoon with wide eyes.
“You’re gonna talk shit about me, huh.”
“Yeah. Sharp as ever. Lock the doors and nap.”
Ye-hyeon climbed in obediently.
Yoon pulled out his cigarette pack from his pocket as he passed the car. He ignored what Ye-hyeon said while closing the passenger door.
Ye-hyeon murmured lowly.
“Don’t worry too much. It won’t be as bad as last time.”
Yoon put a cigarette in his mouth instead of answering.
He climbed the stairs in the corner of the underground lot and stepped outside. The city past midnight. A cool chill brushed his cheek.
In the sunken darkness, the flickering cigarette glow caught his eye. Yoon cupped his hand against the wind and lit up.
He inhaled the acrid smoke and walked over to the aide leaning against the building wall.
Ska turned to him, exhaling smoke.
“Hilde did good.”
He said to Yoon.
“I’d heard he was a solid junior from folks, but didn’t know he was that sharp. Train him right, and he could be one of ours.”
“He was never ordinary.”
Yoon replied in a dry, raspy voice.
“No normal human could tangle with Jaeyeon and survive.”
Ska took another drag.
The silence affirmed it. Night wind filled the air around them. They smoked in quiet for a while. A smoking area rarely frequented even normally. The cigarette embers swayed in the pre-dawn gloom with the breeze.
Ska spoke first.
“I’m not planning to just watch Jaeyeon run wild either.”
Yoon turned to stare at Ska.
Ska looked down at his cigarette, then crushed the butt in his fist.
“I’ll support the Commander well, so you keep a close eye on Jaeyeon’s movements, Yoon.”
“Yes.”
“Take care of Hilde too.”
Yoon raised one eyebrow.
Ska gave a wry smile at the what’s-this-about-now expression.
The aide opened his hand over the outdoor ashtray.
“He’s a rookie anyway. Don’t know his deal, but he’s likable, and your first disciple to boot...”
“He won’t be under me for a bit, so what’s to ask?”
Yoon retorted dryly, lighting another cigarette.
“Not planning to leave the Core myself.”
“Yeah. Figured you wouldn’t. Need researchers to watch the Core, and someone to stop Jaeyeon. HR Director’ll assign the right people.”
“Ami won’t go with him? Of the ones who know Hilde’s situation, only Sordi and Ami are solid, but Sordi’s patrolling inside the Core for a while.”
“Probably. Ami, and maybe a Walker. Depending on the sitch... Richard Green’ll want Hilde, but depending on rotation, could be Tvein. Aki’s a possibility too...”
Ska muttered to himself, then frowned slightly.
After a moment’s thought, he let out genuine sympathy for the unique rookie.
“He’s in for it.”
Yoon affirmed with silence.
Quiet returned. One cigarette burning down fast, another turning to black ash falling into the ashtray.
No talk until the embers died.
Yoon and Ska always kept a proper distance. They didn’t share personal stories, but they never brushed off each other’s words.
Finally, Yoon finished his smoke and headed to the ashtray.
He stubbed it out and said flatly.
“If the greenhorn comes back alive from outside the Core, I’ll keep a good eye on him.”
Ska answered with a bright laugh.