Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: D Zone (4)
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What the hell did you do?
The fact that those words came out of Ye-hyeon's mouth was something even I, who was furious from head to toe, could hardly imagine. He was gentle in private, but soft-spoken in his official duties.
You're angry?
I swept the scraps of ingredients off the cutting board into one corner and made eye contact with Ami.
"What did you do to piss off the Supreme Commander like that?"
"The trigger was the two-week vacation."
Ami grabbed my elbow and explained in a clear voice.
"The HR Director normally comes in at 10 a.m. and leaves at 4 p.m."
"Huh?"
"But he took two weeks off during the busy season."
...He does do his work, right?
I gaped at the unimaginable commute times. Coming in at 10 and leaving at 4 left barely any time for actual work. He wouldn't skip lunch in between either.
On top of that, from what I knew, he was in an office job and didn't run field ops.
But Walker and Aki didn't seem surprised, as if it was common knowledge.
Ami continued explaining as she watched me freak out alone.
"There was already a backlog."
"...I can see that."
"The swirling scandals are personal, so even if they bothered him, he didn't touch them. But the HR Director's flashy scandals didn't start overnight. Even so, meeting people is his job, but Ye-hyeon had made comments about him not keeping proper hours."
"And then he takes a two-week vacation right when he should be watching his step."
"Exactly. He'd held out without cracking under that demonic talent until then, but he picked the wrong moment when Ye-hyeon was in a bad mood."
No wonder he blew up.
I wondered how he'd held his temper that long. Memories of the first day resurfaced. People panicking when HR Director Joo left work and came back. Even the scar-faced HR Director had been shocked.
So that really had been a shocking incident.
Aki, who had been listening quietly, slowly shook her head.
"The Commander gets scary when he's mad."
"Ska gave me a brief rundown."
Ami's eyes curved with amusement.
"He was out on a trip and came back to the office. Suddenly, Ye-hyeon stared at his monitor expressionlessly for a while. Then in a flat voice, he said, 'What is this?'"
"He saw the vacation request the HR Director submitted."
"Yeah. He stared at Joo's vacation request screen for a bit, then quietly went down to the HR office. The HR Director's secretaries want to erase what happened after that from their memories."
"How has he not been fired yet?"
"He's a genius at reading and handling people like no one else."
The senior with the round eyes explained simply.
"In fact, even then, he brought in Will as an achievement and barely got forgiven by Ye-hyeon."
William Walker tossed the rag again.
The kitchen was mostly cleaned up. The curry was finished too. Walker lifted the huge pot. I offered to carry it, but he refused.
Instead of asking again, I quickly gathered the utensils. The two seniors helped us pack up.
We walked the chilly hallway carrying dinner. It felt like we were the only ones left in a ruined world.
Dinner was in what used to be a Gothic art exhibition hall. We used things that once stood behind red ropes with "Do Not Touch" signs. We pulled over desks and chairs that had been exhibits and sat down. We set the meal on a walnut desk, dripping curry drops.
But how the hell did he bring in Senior Walker?
And how many scandals does he have to cause for Ye-hyeon to say something like that?
As I set the curry, I casually asked. Ami burst out laughing.
"The HR Director is the ultimate homme fatale in my book."
"Huh?"
"Watch out, Rookie."
Aki glanced at me and tossed out the words.
She stared at me as my eyes widened.
"You're pretty enough. You never know when his seductive touch might reach out."
"To me?"
"Yeah? Yeah? There are more than a couple Black Badgers who've fallen for the HR Director and suffered for it."
"But me?"
"Something about Hilde doesn't seem like Joo's type."
Ami muttered like she was talking to herself.
"If he was into you, he'd have made a move ages ago... And Ye-hyeon Oppa hasn't warned you about him either..."
She dragged over chairs for the others coming to the exhibition hall, truly talking to herself this time.
"Ye-hyeon Oppa would know best about Joo's love life for various reasons..."
Why's that?
"Tastes good, right?"
I tried to ask, but Tvein smacked my back.
A weird noise came out of my mouth instead. When I came to, I saw the seniors gathered in the exhibition hall. They'd each had personal maintenance time before coming here.
Dressed more casually, but still armed.
They settled onto the exhibit furniture.
The only senior missing was the one called Barbie. She was still on duty in the ops room, apparently. At safe points, people rotated shifts in the ops room for night watch.
So much new info was overwhelming.
For now, we ate dinner. I pushed memories of the two-tone researcher, info on Joo, and safe point and D Zone details to the back of my mind. Amid Richard Green's nagging bomb, I silently shoveled hot curry down my throat.
***
The shittiest part is KP duty.
Ami's words. Food waste KP. Trash KP. Whatever it is, we have to handle it all ourselves, so unavoidable stuff. Lots of people hate it and find it tough.
But that was fine. Unhygienic jobs? Knock 'em out quick, wash up, done.
The worst was the shooting lesson with Richard Green.
First evening hit in D Zone. After cleanup, he dragged me outside and shoved his gun in my hands for an express shooting lesson.
Ami insisted, "He's been tense for over 10 hours, let him rest," and Lee Ho argued, "Give him proper rest so his focus improves and he learns better," but it was pointless.
Plus, I had no talent for shooting.
Months without practice made everything feel foreign and new. I couldn't expect the knack I'd had with driving or swordsmanship.
"Your master really didn't teach you even the basics of shooting, huh."
I'd thought I kept up decently for someone who'd neglected practice for so long, but at the end of the express lesson, Richard Green judged coldly.
Disappointment dripped from his voice.
"Rookie basics are lacking."
"Sorry."
"Shooting skills are average too."
"Sorry. I'll work harder."
"I haven't seen your swordsmanship. But with shooting talent this mediocre, your sword skills are probably average too. Doesn't look like you have as much talent as those two greenhorns who just caught up."
"...Sorry."
At least it'll be better than shooting....
"No need to bother checking. It's late anyway."
"I'll work hard."
"Work very hard."
"Richard, keep talking and the halfwit'll cry."
Jason Tvein chimed in with a snicker.
Ignoring his sleazy tone, Green gruffly issued orders.
"Can't expect even ranged support from you, so be the driver for a while."
I obeyed the order in my battered state.
I trudged back into the building. Falling darkness. Chilly wind. I dragged my heavy legs to my cot.
After a quick wash, I didn't move from the cot for a while.
Immense self-loathing crashed over me. I'd never felt this in front of Yoon. Well, Yoon never expected anything from me, so no disappointment either.
On my moping day, Ami and Lee Ho comforted me hard.
Before switching night watch with Barbie, Lee Ho said this.
"No one meets that guy's standards."
He crunched an energy bar and eyed me tiredly.
"Even Aki and William, the geniuses of the century, get nagged by Richard. Don't take it to heart, Rookie."
"Right. Hilde's doing great!"
Ami dragged her cot next to mine.
Then she peered down at me lying there depressed with her round eyes.
"Most rookies don't even make it this far at this stage. It's an exceptional situation. You're doing awesome for that?"
"Thanks. But it's true I'm no help with ranged support."
"Did Hilde waste time while others trained shooting? No, right?"
Ami said firmly.
"It's just the order got switched. By our Oppa's will too. Don't beat yourself up like an idiot, Hilde."
Like Yoon said, without Ami, I'd have suffocated.
William Walker and Aki were talent-born types who sucked at comforting. So Lee Ho and Ami took good care of me. Their kind seniors' comfort let me pull myself together.
Graciously, Ami even gave me an express lecture.
"The magazine's as important as the gun itself. If it doesn't feed bullets right, the gun won't fire. So check the magazine over and over."
"Got it."
"Did Oppa teach you weapon maintenance?"
"No. He checked my gun, but said with my shooting, I'd likely hit friendlies, so don't draw it unless I have to, and that was it..."
"I see. Weapon checks start with zeroing. Just listen lightly. From prone in advance position, fire five rounds at a target 90 meters away. Then adjust the sights based on the bullet group so next time you hit exactly where you want."
Got it. In my case, who knows if it was bad zeroing or just me sucking.
Anyway, Ami didn't blame my shitty shooting.
"Oppa zeroed it for Hilde, but it might not fit. Eye-to-sight distance and stuff. So eventually, Hilde should zero it yourself."
After the helpful express lecture, I mulled over the content and prepped well.
I closed my eyes, resolved to wake at 5 a.m. As the maknae, I got the last night watch as consideration. Not having to wake at dawn was a huge relief.
Gotta work tomorrow so I'm not a burden.
Drive that junk military vehicle again?
Probably not. There must be other cars somewhere in this building. With those thoughts, I drifted into a light sleep.
***
I woke at 3 a.m.
Aki shook me awake.
"Get up. Now."
The building's completely surrounded.
The senior's gruff voice hit my ears.