A week passed quickly.

It was a time filled with muscle aches and adjusting to my new home. Nothing but tearing muscles and tear-inducing training.

Our daily schedule ended precisely at six, but by then I had no strength left for anything. I staggered through dinner, then collapsed into the beanbag and scrolled through my phone.

During those times, I searched and read articles about the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ Black Badgers.

I couldn’t read for long—sleep crushed me like a hammer—but I still managed to learn a bit about the superior next door and the organization under his feet.

Supreme Commander Yehyeon.

Actual age 78. Physical age 25. A war hero who survived both wars. The one who killed a stage-10 creature during the First War.

That feat propelled him to power, and he had remained in the position he seized back then ever since. His unusually long tenure drew criticism that he was a dictator, but he had led the organization without major scandals or accidents. Society regarded him as the very icon of the Black Badgers.

Even on screen, Yehyeon looked strikingly fair and handsome. Online, he was called many nicknames: Hero of Chaos, Pretty Boy, Vampire.

The articles poured endlessly. Columns claiming Black Badgers had stolen the common people’s right to die in peace. Criticism that no matter how capable, Yehyeon was still just a dictator. Urban legends that he secretly held all power in the Center Core.

Perhaps because he was such a hot potato, private information was scarce even after thorough searches.

My mentor had said to ask him if I was curious, but this seemed too sensitive to bring up lightly. More than that, he seemed personally close to the Supreme Commander, which made me hesitate all the more.

Maybe I’ll ask Ricardo later?

Though I doubted he would be any more friendly in answering.

[Black Badgers reclaim land for the first time in five years. Rare earth supplies expected to rise...]

[Yehyeon retains Supreme Commander seat without upset]

[Immortal Black Badgers: truly a necessary evil for society?]

[Illegal anti-aging procedures increasing — Black Badgers’ stance?]

[Creature appears in Zone 3, suppressed with no casualties]

[Black Badger who saved a 3-year-old child at the cost of his life dies at 42]

Tiring, surely.

That was my conclusion after six days of monotonous living. The Black Badgers were simultaneously criticized and envied. To lead such an organization, caught in such a complicated position, must be an exhausting life.

Yun hadn’t exaggerated when he said the Black Badgers held overwhelming influence.

My irregular employment... no, more like parachute employment, was something I must absolutely keep hidden. If it were exposed, the fallout would be unmanageable.

Yehyeon would surely face a storm of media attacks. I have to be careful.

And so my days went by—training, a little time on my phone, then sleep.

***

It rained.

It had been raining for two days straight.

The sound of rain seeped faintly into the house. The air smelled cool and damp.

On the eve of tomorrow’s self-introduction, my mind was restless. I lay in the beanbag listening to the rain. How was I supposed to introduce myself when I remembered nothing? After training today I had whined to my mentor, but Yun had shown not the slightest intention of helping.

No way it would suddenly be postponed—

KWAANG!

A tremendous sound at the door.

Something had struck the wooden door hard. Startled, I opened it—and wind and rain crashed inside.

In the distance stood Ami.

“Ami!”

Rain pelted my face like bullets as I shouted.

“What are you doing?!”

“My umbrella flew away!”

She yelled, sprinting toward the cabin.

So that was what had slammed into the door—her umbrella. Stuck against the open door like a suction cup, pressed there by the wind.

The small Badger dashed for the green umbrella.

“My umbrella!”

“I’ve got it! Come inside! This rain is—”

“Eek!”

She clutched her head and darted into the entryway.

Bang! I yanked in the umbrella and shut the door. The wind, rain, and chill were cut off at once. The sound of rain dulled sharply.

Cool silence returned to the cabin.

Ami clutched her seaweed-like wet hair with both hands, looking up at me.

“Thanks.”

“You’re soaked. Wait here, I’ll get you a towel.”

“You’re really good at controlling your strength.”

She said something I didn’t quite understand.

Her round eyes looked straight up at me. Instead of questioning, I went to the bathroom and brought back a dry towel. Ami reached out both arms and took it.

She stood at the entryway, toweling her hair.

“Come inside.”

“No, I’m drenched.”

“That’s why you should come in. I’ll lend you clothes.”

“My house is right there, it’s fine.”

That was true enough.

Across from the cabin lived Yehyeon, Choi Yun, and Choi Ami. While I holed up here, Ami often stopped by to ask if I needed help.

A genuinely kind person.

I handed her a jacket.

She grinned up at me. When she smiled, she looked mischievous.

She rubbed the towel over her hair.

“A typhoon’s coming.”

“Yes. It’s been raining nonstop, seems to be getting worse...”

“It’s not a natural typhoon.”

Huh?

She laughed brightly like a child at my blank face.

“It’s a climate-shifting creature. Ever since the typhoon started forming, the scientists at HQ suspected it, and now they’ve confirmed it. It’s heading this way.”

“...There’s a creature like that?”

And why here?

The little kitchen window rattled in the wind. The sound of rain and the shaking frame filled the bluish cabin.

“Yeah. All sorts exist. Everything that spews out of portals, we just lump together as creatures. That’s why they’re so inconsistent. Remember the weird ones we ran into before? Some look like that. And now, inside the eye of this typhoon, there’s one that looks like a butterfly.”

“A butterfly?”

“Yeah. Like a huge butterfly.”

“...How do you even fight that?”

“Usually we don’t. They’re hard to catch, and the damage isn’t that severe.”

I decided I’d search about creatures next week. Originally I’d planned to study the First and Second Wars, but learning about creatures seemed more urgent.

Ami folded the towel in half.

“But this time, we’ll probably have to.”

“Because it’s coming here?”

“Yeah.”

Of course. With the Supreme Commander living right across the street, no one would just watch a creature approach.

I snatched the folded towel from her hands, refusing when she offered to wash it and return it.

Ami watched me place the wet towel on top of the shoe cabinet.

“Have you ever accidentally broken something in the house?”

What kind of question was that?

Startled, I looked down at my senior.

“Uh... no.”

“Amazing. Controlling strength isn’t easy.”

She pointed at the door I had slammed shut moments ago.

“Especially in sudden movements like that, it’s common to lose control. Not just rookies—even Badgers with five years of service sometimes slip. It takes about ten years with an enhanced body before mistakes almost stop.”

“Really? I’ve never been conscious of it...”

“Yeah. My brother said so.”

Yun?

I felt my eyes widen. No wonder—Yun had given me no other praise during the whole week.

Except endless scolding about shooting.

Ami smiled brightly.

“He said your body is definitely enhanced, but you never slip on strength control. Said you handle it like you’ve lived in it for twenty years.”

“Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment?”

“Of course it’s a compliment! Though Yun oppa was probably just stating facts.”

Well, he wasn’t the type to hand out compliments anyway.

I was mulling over the past week with my mentor when Ami’s voice rose from below.

“Isn’t it really strange?”

Strange? Me?

RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE! A loud noise stole our attention. The window shook violently, and within the heavy sound of rain came the faint thrum of an engine.

Ami’s face brightened.

“It’s Yehyeon oppa!”

The Supreme Commander?

“He must be back from his trip! He said he’d attend your introduction if possible, Hilde.”

Just kill me.

Why would the highest-ranking man in the organization want to watch the lowest rookie give his self-introduction? A man this famous? Like Ami said, he was so busy that even those living with him rarely saw him.

Ami grabbed the door handle and looked up at me.

“Thanks for catching my umbrella and giving me the towel. I’ll head back now.”

“Ah, yes! Please be careful. The rain—”

“My house is right there. If you open the door again, the rain will pour in. Go back inside.”

“No, I should greet the Commander too.”

I reached past Ami’s shoulder to grab the handle.

She thanked me again and took her green umbrella. As she opened it, I pulled the door open.

The outside air rushed in. Sheets of rain lashed the entryway. The smell of storm and the downpour limiting all view of the yard.

Across the way, a sleek black car was parked in front of the residence.

“Yehyeon oppa!”

Ami ran to the man stepping from the car in a black suit.

“Is your trip over?”

Yehyeon raised a black umbrella.

The pale man saw Ami running toward him and smiled. He spoke gently to her, lips curving with warmth. I stood frozen, missing the timing to greet him.

Exactly like on screen.

The more I knew about him, the more uneasy I felt.

Our eyes met.

Even at me, Yehyeon smiled softly. His long, slanted eyes folding as he did. I bowed my head quickly. The rain was too heavy for him to hear my greeting anyway.

He gestured for me to close the door.

I nodded and shut it, but I caught the shape of his lips.

See you tomorrow.

God. The pressure was enough to bring my dinner back up.

***

After watching Hilde slip back into the cabin, Yehyeon and Ami turned toward the house.

Once the door closed, the sound of rain faded.

Yehyeon folded his umbrella and leaned it by the shoe cabinet, removing his shoes. Ami folded her green umbrella and pulled off her soaked shoes.

As the two lingered in the entryway, Yun walked out from inside.

“You’re back.”

“Yeah.”

Yehyeon replied calmly and smiled at him.

Then he rested a light hand on Ami’s shoulder.

“Ami, go wash up first.”

“I’ll use the second-floor bathroom, so it’s fine!”

“Why are you so soaked?”

“My umbrella blew away in the typhoon.”

At her casual answer, Yun snorted in exasperation.

Ami brushed off her brother’s curt attitude. She pulled off her wet socks, stepping barefoot into the living room, making a disgusted noise at the sight of the damp fabric.

Beside her, Yehyeon shook raindrops from his shoulders.

Yun’s eyes turned toward him.

“Weren’t you supposed to be back tomorrow?”

“Right. But Hilde’s formal introduction is tomorrow, so I came back a day early.”

“For that?”

Yun raised a brow.

Taking off his black jacket, Yehyeon smiled faintly.

“Two birds with one stone. The business ended early anyway... How is Hilde? He’s your first subordinate, after all.”

“The first human who fell out of a portal.”

Yun’s voice was cold.

Ami, socks in hand, looked up at him. Her round black eyes chased her brother’s dry gaze.

Yehyeon studied Yun with an unreadable face, then spoke.

“Not untrue, but first I want your objective assessment.”

“If he’s honed properly, he’ll definitely surpass the average Badger. He’s got talent for physical training. Good focus, little fear, plenty of grit.”

“All praise, then.”

Ami, who had been watching her brother with a blank face, broke into a smile.

She beamed as if she herself had been complimented.

“That’s great! He’s kind, so I worried he wouldn’t adapt.”

“How do you know he’s kind? You’ve barely seen him.”

“He is kind.”

When Yun dryly objected, Yehyeon answered gently but firmly.

With his long pale fingers, he loosened his navy tie.

“Yun. Hilde has a good nature. Even if you don’t like him, treat him well. You’ve always been somewhat fond of good-natured people, haven’t you?” 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

“You need to know what he really is. Look at this typhoon.”

With one hand in his pocket, Yun rolled his eyes. His dry gaze flicked out the window, then back.

In the natural silence that followed, Yun spoke.

“That kid is drawing creatures in.”

His low voice echoed in the spacious house.

“It makes no sense for you to act like it’s nothing when you know it.”

Yehyeon silently met his gaze.

Rain battered the windows, relentless. The sleek house filled with a bleak chill, a silence born from waiting for the superior’s reply.

At last, Yehyeon lowered his eyelids.

The Supreme Commander broke the silence with a husky murmur.

“Perhaps one day I’ll regret this choice.”

It was nearly a whisper, and the siblings kept quiet.

His face thoughtful, Yehyeon stared at the floor for a while. Then he lifted his head.

The man, so different now from his public demeanor, closed his eyes gently.

“I’m tired. I only slept three hours last night.”

“Go wash up and sleep. Hand me your jacket and tie. Ami, you too—go wash.”

“Okay!”

The three parted. The two who had come in from outside went to the bathroom, while Yun carried Yehyeon’s clothes into a room.

They had lived with Yehyeon long enough to know that ignorance was sometimes mercy. When he chose not to explain, he had his reasons. Even if they pressed, they would get no answer—and knowing the truth might drag them into burdens they didn’t want.

The siblings swallowed their questions.

***

D-Day.

I came to the auditorium for my self-introduction.