So they say.

“Hesh, how does it feel to drink for the first time?”

“I haven’t drunk yet!”

“Red-haired kid, don’t just stand there looking timid—come in and sit down.”

A storm of voices.

I gave polite, awkward answers to the seniors whose names I didn’t even know yet, saying things like “Finally drinking, huh?” or “Are you surviving under Senior Yun?” or “Are your eye colors natural?” while forcing a smile.

There were too many seniors. Most of them were faces I was seeing for the first time, and it was overwhelming.

A whole crowd of seniors—looked like they’d formed something like a Badger basketball club—approached us in a noisy rush.

“We’ve been waiting for you, our newbies!”

They grabbed Hesh and dragged him off.

Poor Hesh, pulled away by tall, overbearing seniors without understanding a thing.

Ami shouted toward their retreating backs.

“Don’t bully him!”

After yelling that, she looked up at Tom and me.

“How much can you two drink?”

I didn’t know.

Standing next to Tom, who admitted honestly that he wasn’t good with alcohol, I just stood there blankly. I didn’t dislike alcohol. I used to enjoy brewing drinks with apples and drinking them.

But I couldn’t remember how much I could handle.

Ami noticed my silence and quietly pulled Tom and me along.

We sat down at a round table.

“This table’s food looks pretty good.”

Paella, empanadas, jamón fries, and shrimp salad topped with avocado were all laid out. The dishes varied from table to table.

The table over there had dim sum. The one across from it had scallops and sashimi.

I could also see boxes stacked neatly with bottles of alcohol.

The selection was dizzyingly wide.

“If you want something else, tell me. I’ll steal it for you,” Ami said as she poured water into our cups.

“If you’d rather drink with other seniors, go ahead. And if you ever want to escape, send an SOS on your phone. I’ll come rescue you.”

“I’m the most senior one here, after all!” she added proudly, lifting her chin.

Tom and I both chuckled at the same time.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you. I was planning to go say hello when Angela arrives.”

Tom looked at Ami with eyes full of warmth, like one would look at a younger sister.

I understood his attitude. Ami looked like a much younger sibling even to me.

In my case, she actually was much younger.

I was resisting the urge to pat her round head when a group of people approached our table.

The man in front reached out and ruffled Ami’s hair.

“Don’t touch my head!”

Smack!

Ami whipped her head away angrily.

The man withdrew his hand, laughing.

He was an Asian man wearing a loose black sweatshirt and jogger pants.

“Planning to hog all the newbies for yourself, kid?”

That voice sounded familiar.

“Don’t get too greedy.”

“I’m not,” Ami replied flatly, looking up at him.

“Go over there, Chen. Trevain’s sitting right there.”

Following her pointing finger, I saw Jason Trevain sitting with one leg up on another round table. Next to him sat a man with curly hair tied back in one bundle.

Ah!

This Chen guy—he was the one talking with Trevain right after my self-introduction!

Memories from a few months ago came back. Back when I was shoved into a corner under Yun’s orders, I had overheard that conversation. There had been three people there. The voice that kept agreeing with Jason Trevain had belonged to this man.

He probably dislikes me...

“Go join your friends. Quickly.”

“I will. But wait—your hair color, is that natural?”

Maybe not.

The question wasn’t malicious.

I turned toward him.

“Yes, it is.”

“Really strange. Are those gray hairs?”

Hmm.

In the world I came from, white hair was common. But I knew that on Earth, white hair meant aging.

“I’m not sure.”

“What, you’ve never been to a hospital?”

“Hospital?”

“Chen! Don’t say rude things!”

Ami snapped.

Chen looked utterly baffled as to why that was rude. He stared down at Ami, eyes wide and innocent. There was no malice there.

“You really remind me of my dog!”

Ami’s scolding was interrupted by another voice.

A woman who had been watching me beside Chen craned her neck forward.

There was no malice in her tone either.

“Your white hair is so pretty.”

“Oh, I see—the dog must have white fur then?”

“Yeah! His name’s Sugar!”

“Hey, isn’t that even more insulting?”

Chen laughed, looking at the woman with tightly bound curly hair.

Hands in his pockets, he shrugged lightly.

“She just said I look like a dog.”

“Chen, get lost.”

A sultry voice cut in.

New people kept popping up—it was hard to keep track. I blinked when I saw the woman who calmly walked over and laid a hand on Chen’s shoulder.

Dark brown skin, silk-black hair flowing down like water.

She was the senior who had rested her chin on her hand and asked me a question during my introduction.

Beautiful enough to make heads turn just by walking past, she smiled faintly at the blinking Chen.

“You’re making things dull before we’ve even poured a drink?”

Her name, apparently, was Ria.

She shooed Chen and his group away from our table. With her arm around Chen’s shoulder, she led them back toward Trevain’s table.

On the way, she ruffled Ami’s hair and gave us, who were silently watching, a gentle smile.

We watched their retreating figures quietly.

Chen took a seat beside Trevain and the curly-haired man.

Ami gulped down some water and explained.

“Those three are always together. You’ve both met Jason Trevain, right?”

“Yes.”

“Yes. At the Library of Beginnings.”

“My brother and I call those three the First Jin, Second Jin, and Third Jin.”

...What?

Ami pointed at Jason Trevain, Chen, and the curly-haired man in turn with her palm.

“Jason’s the leader, so he’s First Jin. Chen’s the one who laughs next to him, so he’s Second Jin. The curly one with his own world is Third Jin. Shortened, they’re the Jin-Jinz.”

“...Huh.”

“Does the curly-haired one really have his own world?”

Tom asked carefully.

Ami nodded so hard her round head bobbed up and down—it was almost funny.

She lowered her voice meaningfully.

“No matter what happens tonight, never sit at the table where Third Jin is.”

“...Does he have a bad drinking habit?”

“He infinitely repeats the highlights of his own achievements.”

She leaned forward and whispered earnestly.

“The atmosphere at that table always ends in ruin.”

The tables were gradually filling up.

I had to keep standing up often to greet people I knew and those who had come just to meet the new recruits. From what I heard, one of the fun points of the year-end party was watching the rookies’ drinking ceremony. Once the upper command arrived, the official party would begin, and it was tradition for Yehyeon to pour drinks for that year’s new recruits.

That would be the first drink we’d take since receiving our enhanced bodies—right in front of the seniors.

That was what Ricardo told me as he put an arm around my shoulder while I stood to greet Richard.

“You didn’t sneak a drink early, did you~?”

“Of course not.”

I answered, looking at the smiling senior with the green eyes.

Then I bowed slightly to the man standing beside him with no expression.

“Hello, Senior.”

Jonathan Kudo didn’t answer.

He just nodded at me as if wondering who I even was.

In a way, he’s even more impressive than Yun.

At least Choi Yun remembered people’s names after meeting them once. Looking at this sharp, neatly dressed senior reminded me of that gray-haired genius scientist in the lab.

A shining figure in the scientific community, a lab’s living NPC.

He’s probably holed up in his lab again, doing research like a plant...

“Uwah!”

I nearly jumped when John Mühlen stepped out of the elevator—with Ro beside him.

“What the—!”

“Ah~.”

Ricardo pressed down on my shoulder, laughing.

His green eyes curved like claws as he glanced at John and Ro.

“Looks like Ro dragged him here~.”

John Mühlen walked stiffly out of the elevator like a robot.

I stared blankly as the tall scientist followed behind Giacomo Ro. His movements were wooden, like an old tree.

The other Badgers turned their heads to stare. It must have been rare for him to attend events like this.

That’s another table I ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) definitely need to avoid.

Ricardo, amused by how tense I looked, left his seat after patting my shoulder and pushing me gently back into my chair.

“When the Commander gets here, ask for the most expensive drink~.”

Apparently, you could choose your drink.

“Since it’s proper etiquette to down it in one go, pick something you can handle~.”

The seats filled up quickly.

I greeted Bobby, who was excited about the year-end party (thankfully, she said her prosthetic leg didn’t bother her at all), and listened to Shu talk about last year’s stories. Before long, it was almost time for the higher-ups to arrive.

Most people who had been wandering around the hall were now seated.

Conversations had dropped to a hush.

Just as Yun pulled out the chair next to me and sat down—almost the last to enter—the elevator gave a soft ding and stopped.

“Hello.”

And into the suddenly silent hall walked Yehyeon.

“Looks like everyone’s here.”

Behind him followed his aides and the Personnel Director.

The Badgers all rose to their feet at once.

The year-end party had begun.

***

Yehyeon wasn’t one for long speeches.

There was a clean, short greeting. Sitting at the head table, the Commander took the microphone and gave the year-end address. He neatly summarized the year’s performance and wished for everyone’s continued effort next year.

When he mentioned plans to reclaim new territories in the new year, the hall stirred.

But the murmur didn’t last long. When the leadership stood and bowed in unison, applause filled the hall.

Then came the gazes directed at us.

“The newcomers need their drinks.”

Personnel Director Kang Ju smiled brightly at us.

“Hesh, Tom, Hilde. Come here.”

Wow.

So this is how it goes—being given drinks under the eyes of all these seniors.

Of course, showing any sign of reluctance wasn’t an option. We quickly got up and ran to the head table. Yehyeon smiled faintly as he watched us approach; Ska grinned broadly. The brown-haired aide gave us a warm smile as well.

We stood in order of our names being called. Yehyeon looked at Hesh first.

“What would you like to drink?”

“I’ll have dark beer!”

Hesh answered with military precision, voice loud and clear.

I could hear seniors chuckling and whispering among themselves about his choice—“Haven’t seen a dark-beer pick in a while,” “It’s more fun when they go for something stronger,” “Didn’t we just get a new dark beer shipment? Bet that’s what he wanted,” and so on.

Yehyeon nodded and asked for the most expensive dark beer.

The highest officer popped the cap with a pale hand and poured the beer.

He poured the same into his own glass and raised it.

“You’ve done well adjusting to your enhanced body.”

“Thank you, sir!”

Clink!

The glasses met with a crisp sound.

Hesh downed the dark beer in one shot.

“I’ll work hard from now on!”

Applause burst out. Cheers followed. The seniors laughed and whistled as Hesh gave a formal salute like a soldier on parade.

Always full of energy, that guy.

The cheering grew even louder when Hesh accidentally pressed too hard as he set his glass down.

Crash!

“Ugh.”

“That’s it!”

For some reason, the seniors found the broken beer glass hilarious.

“You’ve gotta drink as many glasses as you broke tonight, rookie!”

This kind of flashy debut didn’t seem right for Tom.

Sure enough, Hesh’s booming show of bravado seemed to have deflated Tom a little.

Yehyeon noticed immediately and silenced the room with a gesture.

“What would you like to drink?”

“Uh, I’ll have wine.”

“Red? White? Sparkling?”

“I like them all.”

“Then go with the most expensive one.”

Wine was brought over to where Yehyeon sat.

Tom panicked, saying it didn’t have to be anything that fancy, but Yehyeon waved his hands dismissively.

“This is all we’ve got left. Red wine reserve, seven hundred thousand won a bottle.”

“Whoo!”

The crowd clapped at his words.

They found Tom’s nervous fidgeting beside the Commander, who was pulling the cork, amusing.

“So this year it’s seven hundred thousand, huh?”

“Wine sure is pricey. Huh?”

“Smart choice, rookie!”

“That was the one I wanted to drink!”

“All right, don’t tease him too much.”

Yehyeon smiled faintly as he poured the wine into Tom’s glass.

Tom, though embarrassed, didn’t let his hand shake even once as he received it properly.

“You’ve worked hard this year.”

Clink!

Down in one.

Applause broke out again. Even though Tom set the glass down safely, the seniors cheered, asking how it felt to drink wine worth seven hundred thousand won, joking that last year’s was a million-won bottle and whether he felt disappointed.

They were all clearly having a great time.

Tom gave a polite bow to the applauding seniors and stepped back.

Then Yehyeon’s gaze turned to me.

“Hilde. What kind of drink do you like?”

Oh.

Thankfully, even if I couldn’t remember my tolerance, I still remembered which drink I liked best.

And it was a simple, universal choice—something sure to exist here too.

I was pleased that I could answer without hesitation or stumbling over my fragmented memories. I smiled faintly, breaking the heavy silence that had settled over the hall.

“I’ll have vodka.”

Cough.

Someone choked.

That was the signal—then came an explosion of reactions from the seniors.

“Vodkaaa! It’s here!”

“Hey, don’t get cocky! You have to down that in one go!”

“First high-proof shot in six years!”

“Vodka! Woo! Vodka! Woo!”

What’s wrong with them?

Did the word vodka make them lose brain cells? The shouting was loud enough to shake the tables.

I couldn’t hide my bewilderment as I looked at the seniors.

They were pounding on tables like they were about to break them.

Among the faces, I clearly saw Ricardo’s crooked grin, Yun raising an eyebrow, and Ami staring wide-eyed—as if I’d made some terrible mistake.

Should I take it back? I was stupidly debating that when I heard Yehyeon open the bottle.

I quickly turned and received the drink.

“Looking forward to working with you.”

His greeting was slightly different from the others.

“There will be hard times ahead.”

Clink.

One shot.

I tilted back the transparent glass and swallowed the clear liquid.

In the suddenly silent hall, the sound of gulping echoed loudly. The warm liquid slid down my throat. It had no smell, no taste.

Colorless, tasteless, odorless—perfect alcohol.

Wow. It had been a while, and it felt great.

“Ah.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I set the empty glass down.

“Thank you.”

Thunk.

The glass landed neatly on the table.

“Uwaaaah!”

A roar of cheers erupted.

The year-end party was now in full swing.