Ska laughed quietly.

“Are you satisfied now?”

Yun raised one eyebrow instead of answering.

The tall aide-de-camp showed a rare hint of humor in his tone.

“You got to watch Hilde’s chest being cut open — did that satisfy your curiosity?”

“I didn’t get to confirm what I wanted to confirm.”

“I’ll make sure to leave a dying message before I die.”

I muttered emptily, staring up at the ceiling.

“The culprit: Choi Yun.”

“Yun. Don’t cross the line.”

Ska’s voice cut in, sharp but calm.

I was deeply moved by his cool-headed rebuke. He really was a good superior... the kind who should stay forever as my mentor’s boss for all eternity.

He could have brushed it off as a joke.

Of course, my mentor was a master at letting nagging go in one ear and out the other.

“I’ll be careful.”

The lie rolled smoothly off his tongue.

“It’s late. You should go back in. The surgery went fine.”

But the seniors didn’t leave immediately.

They stayed a little longer, getting a more detailed explanation from Yun, then showered me with bits of information before finally heading out. I was grateful for their natural thoughtfulness — thanks to them, I learned that Bobby had already been discharged and gone home, and Asil would be released in two days.

Still, they really didn’t need to stand there watching me cough so intently.

In the end, I had to practically beg them to go.

“I’m going to take another painkiller and sleep now!”

“Mm~ yeah~... who said you couldn’t sleep?”

“Please, Senior, go get some rest. I’m begging you.”

“Don’t mash the painkiller button like an idiot.”

My mentor said dryly.

“Do that and you’ll see hell tomorrow.”

I was hospitalized for a week.

It was a painful time — having to cough to reinflate the collapsed lung. The days grew shorter, mornings colder, and it became harder to get up. I shuffled through the hospital corridors, forcing myself to cough, ironing out my lungs with pain and phlegm, taking every pill they handed me.

During that time, a few people came and went to visit.

The first to show up were my fellow rookies.

“You all right?”

“You okay?”

Tom and Hesh came into the room with wide eyes.

It was getting a little embarrassing to see this scene repeat — at least they didn’t seem to think their classmate who ended up hospitalized after every mission was pathetic.

They were good-natured that way.

Both had clear, solid values and didn’t care much about what others thought.

“They said you’ll be discharged soon, right?”

“Yeah. A week at most, they said.”

“Think you’ll be able to drink at the year-end party?”

While I was answering Hesh’s question, Tom spoke up again in a worried voice.

I blinked stupidly.

“Year-end party?”

“Oh. Guess no one told you yet.”

Tom set down a jar of apricot jam — a get-well gift — and explained.

The story wasn’t long. There was going to be a year-end party — a dinner gathering for the Badgers working near headquarters.

A big banquet, with even the leadership attending.

“When exactly in December?”

“The twenty-third this year.”

“Then you’ll be fully recovered by then.”

Hesh said brightly with his usual cheerful grin.

“And trainees get the 24th and 25th off.”

Christmas, huh.

That meant Yehyeon’s birthday was coming soon.

Reyaen’s ominous text and the thought of Lee Seunghyun came to mind at the same time. He’d said he was throwing a grand party on the 26th — was that still happening?

And Lee Seunghyun... what was his phone number again?

I was lost in thought when Hesh called my name hesitantly.

The usually bold classmate, obsessed with collecting Air Jordans and half-crazy about basketball, was stammering as he spoke — something that didn’t suit him at all.

“So, uh... what are you doing on Christmas?”

I looked into his hazel eyes and blinked slowly.

“Probably going to play games.”

“...Alone?”

“Most likely?”

What was that question supposed to mean?

And why was it so hard for him to ask? Watching Hesh fluster like that made me uncomfortable. Hesh Lyle was like a runaway train labeled ‘Justice.’ The kind of person who would punch even a third-year or twentieth-year senior if he thought they were wrong. Seeing him stammer felt bizarre.

Fortunately, the answer came quickly.

“Then, uh, want to come to my house on the 24th?”

He rubbed his neck, looking away, which made it even funnier.

“My dad and younger brother are opening some whiskey. The house isn’t far from headquarters. Guest room’s free, it’s quiet, and dinner’ll be good.”

A smile tugged at my lips.

He must have felt sorry that I’d be spending Christmas alone, with no family.

A kind invitation.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have felt lonely even if I stayed in my cabin and gamed all day.

But I didn’t want to turn down a brave, warmhearted offer like that. I was actually curious to meet his brother — and I owed him thanks for selling me that scooter cheap.

Still smiling, I nodded.

“Sure. If it’s not an inconvenience.”

“What inconvenience! Great. I’ll tell my brother right now.”

Face brightening, Hesh jumped to his feet.

Tom and I watched him dash out of the room.

Thud! The door broke from his strength, leaving silence in its wake.

“Come to my place next time too.”

Tom broke the quiet.

“The sunset’s beautiful there.”

Sometimes Hesh and I had no idea how to respond to Tom’s poetic streak.

This time I was the only one left bewildered, but I accepted his offer too.

It was such a them-type of thing to do. Feeling bad for the classmate who’d be alone for Christmas, and taking turns inviting him.

Young, sweet, and thoughtful.

Reading the dry, jaded messages of the Elders afterward only made the contrast clearer.

***

[Heard you went through a lot.]

Colton, that bastard, had a talent for making people furious with just one line.

[The game center’s finished.]

And a talent for pleasing them with another.

I replied with a flood of thanks — You’re the best old friend, thank you, I owe you one, etc. — only to be ignored.

Even the follow-up text — You got all the latest games, right? — went unanswered.

But I didn’t mind.

Better that way.

It’s not like I wanted to be texting a psychopath. There wasn’t much to say anyway. He had some responsibility for the arena disaster, but in truth, his only fault there had been “poor oversight of Jaeyeon.”

He ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) knew that, which was why he’d sent such a brief message.

A roundabout way of saying, We’ll bury this incident.

There was no contact from Spitfire or Sukhoi.

Instead, I got a message from Yehyeon.

[Can you keep the 26th free?]

Probably because of Jaeyeon’s message.

I replied yes, of course. Then started racking my brain on how to find Lee Seunghyun’s number.

I couldn’t ask Yehyeon directly.

Ami was still outside the Core in Zone C, not returning until the 20th.

And I couldn’t ask Yekaterina, either — owing even a small favor to an Elder was never wise.

So, in the end, only one option remained.

The one I’d been trying to avoid.

“Respected mentor.”

The evening before my discharge, I called out to the man reading my progress report intently.

Yun slowly rolled his eyes toward me.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“What is it.”

He sat there in a pale blue shirt, utterly motionless as always. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

“If you’ve done something stupid, confess now.”

“...I didn’t do anything stupid.”

“Just a favor, then?”

He turned his head fully to look at me.

“You? What kind of favor?”

I swallowed hard.

And carefully studied his face.

I knew this wasn’t the kind of request he’d easily grant. Honestly, I had no real reason to ask for Lee Seunghyun’s number. It’s not like we’d been close. I hadn’t even remembered his name right away when I saw him.

And Yun... Yun despised Lee Seunghyun.

So my voice came out lacking confidence.

“Please give me Lee Seunghyun’s number.”

Yun’s brows knit together.

A heavy silence immediately filled the air.

I forced a smile that twitched at the corners of my mouth, waiting for his answer.

It came slowly.

“Why.”

“I want to contact him and ask a favor.”

“What favor.”

Honestly, I didn’t want to say.

It was something that might not even work — and I wasn’t sure how Yun would take it.

But since I knew my mentor hated waiting, I didn’t drag it out long.

“Can you promise not to tell anyone?”

“Depends on what it is.”

“...At least don’t tell the Commander...”

“You’re not going to tell him either? Shouldn’t he know?”

A reasonable point.

But not for this. I sighed shortly.

My lungs had healed enough that breathing no longer hurt like before. After the surgery, I’d been pressing the painkiller button constantly — but now, at least, I could think straight.

I took another breath and made my decision.

Then I told my mentor my plan.

“...Huh?”

That was his reaction when he heard it.

“You think that bastard’s gonna agree to something like that?”

“There’s no harm in trying, is there?”

He wouldn’t accept it easily, sure — but I wanted to try. Even if it didn’t work this time, maybe next time.

It was worth the attempt.

Yun didn’t deny that. I waited for his final response.

The first step of my plan.

And the only person who could help me take it.

After a long moment of thought, hands in his pockets, Yun spoke quietly.

“Go ahead, try it.”

“Thank you!”

I knew you’d say yes!

I clenched my fists in joy — but then his next words froze me.

“The payment?”

“...Sir?”

“The price for giving you Lee Seunghyun’s number and keeping it secret from Yehyeon.”

What kind of person charges for that?

I wanted to say it out loud, but lacked both courage and cash.

And I definitely wasn’t planning to give the answer he wanted — the obvious ‘I’ll get back on the experiment table.’

“I’ll ask Asil Fiscer tomorrow why he grabbed you by the collar that time.”

“Don’t care.”

“Ah, then how about we call it even for not telling me about the promotion exam?”

I was still a little mad about that.

But Yun blinked, looking genuinely puzzled — clearly unaware he’d done anything wrong.

He probably thought Why make such a fuss? It’s still six months away.

Tom and Hesh had known long before, but he must’ve thought my case was unique — that there just hadn’t been a good time to tell me. If he told me three months ahead, that’d be plenty, right?

...Wrong.

All of it was wrong. Because the answer he gave next was something I never could’ve imagined.

A response I didn’t even understand at first.

“Do you actually study for exams?”

...You son of a bitch.