An article?

An article? A newspaper article? A news article? My jaw dropped and I stared blankly at the doctor.

Why would there be an article?

Because of that president, maybe. They did say he was a famous figure.

I felt as if my organs were sinking straight down.

Images of my encounter with Yehyeon and my first meeting with Yun flickered quickly through my mind. If they found out I was a parachute, it would not end with Yehyeon resigning.

How much of it was reported?

Samuel Han clicked his tongue, maybe out of pity at my trembling state.

With his rough hand, he handed me a tablet. It was not for work — seemed to be his personal one.

I opened my eyes wide and looked down at the article filling the screen.

An article with two people I knew blown up huge on the front.

[“Hyung never let go of us for even a moment.”]

I want to die.

Luke, what the hell have you done.

Reading through the story full of tear-jerking praise, my body shook until my hands and feet curled in.

The article was nothing but glorification. That, even while with the president of Cureus Corporation, I had prioritized the children’s lives. That after carrying the children out, I ran back in to save the president. That I had indeed managed to save everyone safely.

The last paragraph stated I was “believed to be a rookie agent of the Black Badgers.”

On the screen was a huge photo of me receiving an oxygen mask from a firefighter.

There was even one of me unconscious.

I stared at the tablet for a long while, speechless.

“Fortunately, the content is favorable, but with something this big, you’ll end up annoyed.”

Samuel scratched the back of his head.

“A new face to the public, with the kind of heroic story they love, and a handsome look too. It’s going to be noisy for a while.”

“It’ll quiet down with time, right?”

“Who knows. You also...”

The doctor looked at me with troubled eyes.

I waited for him to continue, one hand tucked into his coat pocket.

Only after a nurse called him from afar did he speak.

“Anyway, I’m going. If anything happens, press the nurse call.”

From his reaction, I realized not all the responses were good.

The comments, of course. The comments section never had filters. I hesitated, then scrolled down from the article to the comments.

I deliberately looked for the bad ones.

Sure, making a fuss over doing what a Badger is supposed to do. Saving all three at once would ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) have been best.... All valid points....

Ah.

I stopped scrolling at one comment.

「Where did this kid come from?」

When did the Black Badgers recruit a new rookie? When did he enlist? Where’s he from? Why is there no record of even compulsory education, let alone university?

The sharp questions made my heart tighten. I scrolled quickly, and saw several more pointing out the same thing.

Luckily those comments were not getting much attention. Replies shot them down, saying stop prying into someone’s private life.

But what if this grew bigger?

I frantically scoured the internet, hopping through sites and communities to see the reactions.

Thankfully, my origins were not the main focus. A few were curious, but most were talking about the collapsed tower, the sudden surge of creatures, the Cureus president’s late evacuation, my face, and so on.

A small relief.

But would it really die down here?

No answers came to mind. Feeling weighed down, I pulled out my phone.

Unopened messages stacked up. Two worried rookies. Ami telling me to contact her when I woke. Ro sharing the article and laughing. A restricted number texting, “Debuted, huh?”

And Commander Yehyeon.

Yehyeon?

His private number?

Must be official.

It was.

I stared for a long while at the chilling message, saved simply as Commander.

Finally, mustering enormous courage, I opened it.

[We’ll have to see how things develop, but if any unknown person approaches you, report it immediately. Missions inside the Core are prohibited for the time being.]

The message from my superior was dry. Even so, my heart sank with a thud.

I had to go to Yun.

I shoved the phone into the pocket of my hospital gown and stood.

I needed to report to my superior.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going!”

Samuel, coming back, shouted as he saw me carefully removing the IV needle.

“Sit down and behave yourself!”

“I’m sorry, Doctor.”

I hopped off the bed and apologized to the furious doctor.

“I’ll be right back.”

“Hey!”

Right back my ass, and what are you sorry for? If you’re going to leave like that, then don’t come back at all! The doctor looked ready to throw his tablet.

I left him behind with my guilty conscience and stormed out of the ward.

***

Yun was at his desk.

A man sitting neat and orderly in the middle of a noisy space. I fixed my gaze on him and crossed the bustling lab quickly.

As I walked through the lab, people called out from every side. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

“Oh, it’s Taleb.”

Curious researchers craned their heads to look at me.

“You’re up?”

“Good to see you’re healthy.”

“Huh? Still in patient clothes?”

“Taleb! I saw the article! Good work!”

“Hyung never let go of us! Not for a moment!”

“How about the Cureus president? Is he really as much of a jerk as the rumors say?”

Unable to answer all of them, I just raised my voice in a general greeting.

“Thank you for your concern! Ah, as for the Cureus president, the rumors are true!”

“Wooow!”

“What the hell.”

Amid the unexplained cheering, a low voice cut in.

I stopped before my superior, whose eyes were as dry as sandpaper.

That was when all my senses snapped awake. My vision sharpened. The sounds of the lab came clear. The AI, Martin, crawling along the ceiling, its movement tickled my ears.

Accepting the flood of sensation, I stood and reported to the man whose face showed no change.

“I checked the article as soon as I woke up and came here.”

“Looks that way. What’s your business?”

“The Commander sent me a message.”

As expected, Yun straightened his back.

Before he could say anything, I pulled out my phone from my pocket and thrust it out.

“Here it is.”

Yun silently took my phone.

Staring at the screen with an unreadable face, he made me feel that unknown pressure I always did before him. I waited anxiously for his reaction.

While waiting, I let my eyes wander the lab. It was always such a fascinating place, worth looking around.

Wait, someone familiar was sitting beside Yun.

I caught sight of John Mühlen at his desk, staring into his laptop with clear blue eyes.

Just his profile brought back nightmares of the past.

But he had helped me inside the tower. If we had not met face-to-face, I would have pretended to forget, but standing this close, I could not avoid at least a greeting.

I hesitated, then walked over to Mühlen’s chair.

Bowing, I spoke to the man deeply absorbed in his work.

“Hello, sunbae. Thank you for your help back then.”

“....”

No response.

He did not even turn his head.

Was he angry that I had cut off the conversation last time?

“Sunbae.”

“....”

“Sunbae?”

“Useless.”

I turned to Yun. Our eyes met.

He tilted his chin toward his colleague at the desk.

“He can’t even hear you right now.”

“Excuse me?”

“When he gets absorbed in something, he can’t notice anything else. He’s locked into a new research topic I threw him, probably forgot you exist.”

Is he insane.

More insane than I thought. I stared blankly at the researcher who seemed not to notice my presence at all.

So that’s why he asked me who I was back then.

I was not hurt, just dumbfounded. Muttering, “Considering he saved my number as ‘Test Subject 0,’” made Yun chuckle. He reached over and grabbed Mühlen’s phone off the desk.

Yun handled Mühlen’s phone however he liked.

“He saved you as Test Subject 0?”

“Yes. That’s what he did.”

“Ridiculous. Must have liked you a lot. Anyway, means you’re suspended from the Core for now. Got it. Anything else? Doubtful, but.”

“There is.”

Yun, idly fiddling with Mühlen’s phone, lifted his head.

His eyes widened as he looked at me.

“There is?”

“Yes. The Commander said to report immediately if anyone unknown approached me, so I came to tell you.”

“Someone approached you? Who. A reporter?”

“No. Strictly speaking, I don’t even know who it is. But they keep sending strange messages.”

I retrieved my phone from Yun’s desk and showed him all the cryptic texts, starting with the unknown-number messages and ending with today’s “Debuted, huh?”

Focused on explaining and the screen, I did not notice my superior’s reaction.

Only when Yun abruptly shot up from his seat did I realize the gravity of the matter.

“We’re going upstairs to the office.”

His voice was cold.

“Bring your phone and follow me.”

I obeyed without hesitation.

***

The leadership only returned to the office past 10 p.m.

Yun and I, waiting in the small lounge beside the office, stood together at once.

The elevator opened, and the men we had waited over four hours for stepped out. Yehyeon. Ska Owen. And someone I had never seen before.

All three widened their eyes at the sight of me.

“Yun. You had Hilde waiting in patient clothes?”

From Yehyeon’s surprised voice, I understood why they had widened their eyes.

Embarrassment washed over me. I should have changed first, instead of being out of it.

Of course, the man standing beside me — not the one wearing the patient gown — looked shameless as ever.

“Clothes aren’t the important part here.”

“You should have at least given him time to change. He’s still not fully recovered.”

“Tate, prepare some clothes for Hilde.”

Ska leaned over to tell his secretary.

As I stammered my thanks, Yehyeon and the unfamiliar man went inside the office. They passed us, removing their coats. Yun and I waited quietly until they finished getting ready.

The night air, at the end of a long day.

Only after I changed into the clothes prepared by the secretary did the conversation begin.

“Hilde.”

Yehyeon called my name in a neutral tone.

“Have you ever replied to this person’s messages?”