I told them the truth. I had only replied twice to the texts from the unknown number. When the messages came from a restricted number, I did not answer.

Yehyeon listened quietly as he looked through my phone.

The wide office surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass held three desks. The three members of leadership sat at their own desks, listening to my account. Yun had his arms crossed, staring blankly into the air.

The night view outside pressed in, suffocating. With the soundproofing so tight, not a sound from outside reached once the door was shut. I finished my short explanation and waited for my superiors’ reactions.

All of them, dressed in neat suits, kept their silence.

Yehyeon broke it.

“Yun.”

Yun turned his head.

“Have you seen him recently?”

Who is him?

Yun slowly unfolded his arms. My superior tucked a hand into his coat pocket.

“No.”

“Any contact?”

“None.”

“Hilde’s contact info... no, whatever method was used, it wouldn’t be strange.”

Yehyeon set the phone down and let out a heavy sigh.

Tension made me press my lips shut. What was this? I thought it was just some crazy person throwing nonsense at me.

But everyone here seemed to know exactly who the sender was. None of them asked who Yehyeon meant with his third-person “he.”

They all just wore the expression of people realizing trouble had come.

The Supreme Commander sighed, leaning back in his chair.

I swallowed.

“I’m sorry.”

As I stammered, all eyes turned to me.

“I should have reported it earlier. If I had just ignored instead of replying—”

“Whether you replied or not, it wouldn’t have changed anything.”

Yehyeon’s weary voice tried to soothe me.

“Even if you’d told us earlier, nothing would have changed. You don’t need to feel guilty.”

“Thank you. Still...”

“From the moment the messages reached you, nothing could have been changed.”

He muttered like to himself, then fell silent for a long while, face unreadable.

The silence broke with a sound like a sigh after washing his face dry.

“Hilde. Listen carefully.”

I straightened, tense.

“Sooner or later, he will come to you.”

“...Excuse me?”

“As long as you remain inside the Core, you can’t escape him completely.”

Who the hell is he?

And why am I supposed to run from him?

I must have been making a dumb face, but I could not even think to hide it.

Yehyeon pressed his forehead against his clasped hands, eyes closed.

The others watched him wordlessly.

He muttered like to himself,

“We’ll have to keep you outside the Core for a while.”

“Did I... do something wrong to him?”

I could not hold back the question.

“Do you know why he’s angry with me?”

All eyes turned to me. Even Yehyeon lifted his lids slowly.

I met his gaze amid the weight of their stares.

He slowly lowered his hands.

“I don’t know either.”

There was a strange sadness in his voice.

“I didn’t even know he was angry with you. And I don’t know why. Probably for some absurd reason.”

“Who is he? If I knew his name, maybe I could remember something.”

Yehyeon hesitated.

The others’ brows furrowed. I watched them all scowl at the same thought, clearly thinking of the same person.

The office at night, filled with the glow of the city.

The Commander answered slowly.

“Jaeyeon.”

I blinked slowly.

“Jaeyeon?”

They studied my reaction. I tried to dig through my mind. Jaeyeon. Jaeyeon. Jaeyeon...

Nothing.

Of course. I had even forgotten my own face. Just hearing a short name was not going to magically bring memories back.

With a heavy voice I said,

“I’m sorry. I don’t remember. Could you at least tell me their gender?”

“Gender has no meaning.”

Yehyeon spoke incomprehensibly.

I widened my eyes and looked up.

“Sorry? Why... Ah, maybe very androgynous? Or transgender?”

“No. Sometimes appearing as a woman, sometimes as a man. And there’s no way of knowing in which form he will approach you.”

“What?”

What the hell.

I was dumbfounded, but the others did not look surprised. Instead, they sighed.

Yehyeon rubbed his face wearily with his palm.

“Hairstyle always different. Eye color too.... There’s no point in describing appearance. As long as you’re inside the Core, sooner or later he’ll find you.”

“But what would he want to do once he finds me?”

“Hard to say. But judging from the messages, nothing good.”

Why.

I was speechless, nailed to the spot.

The one to speak was Ska, who had been listening quietly until now.

“December 26th. The birthday party.”

The tall man turned toward his superior.

“With respect, sir, could it be that he’s actually aiming for you, not Hilde? If Hilde’s background is exposed, you’re the one who’d be in the most difficult position.”

“I agree that’s plausible.”

The brown-haired man beside him spoke. His voice was still boyish.

“December 26th is your birthday, isn’t it?”

“No.”

Yehyeon’s rebuttal was brief.

He lowered his lids halfway, speaking in a thoughtful tone.

“He wouldn’t do something that would cause that big a social shock.”

“And why are you so sure?”

Yun, frowning throughout, asked.

Yehyeon’s eyes turned. My superior met his gaze squarely. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

“Yehyeon. That bastard hates you.”

“Yeah. But the most he could do is drag me into a locked room and gouge my eyes out. That’s the upper limit of direct violence permitted to him.”

The most?

Gouge out eyes? My head spun at the flood of dreadful words. Yun grimaced, lips tight with displeasure at everything.

The Commander muttered without checking anyone’s reactions.

“His master wouldn’t allow anything beyond that....”

Ska’s brow furrowed deeper. The brown-haired man bit his lip.

A grim air sank down. Everyone looked disturbed.

I was silent, frozen. No questions came to my lips. I only felt a gnawing sense that I was entangled with something truly dangerous.

When had I ever incurred this Jaeyeon’s wrath? What had I done?

Never had I regretted my missing memories so much. If only I could remember, maybe things would be clearer.

I bit my lip, eyes lowered.

Then Ska’s gentle voice made me raise my head.

“Hilde. Don’t blame yourself. He probably hates you for a completely absurd reason.”

He looked at me with the consoling gaze of a senior to a much younger junior.

His next words were soft, though the content was grim.

“He hates everyone.”

What a terrifying man.

“But among all, he especially hates Yehyeon. Commander, I have no intention of standing by if that bastard comes for you again.”

“Right. And I won’t stand by if Hilde ends up dragged off by him. If Jaeyeon has returned, we must prepare to meet him.”

At Yun’s words, Yehyeon leaned back in his chair in reply.

His hand on the armrest tapped, tap tap. I breathed in the cold air and waited for their decision.

It was Ska who addressed the superior lost in thought.

“In the end, Jaeyeon will find Hilde.”

Yehyeon lifted his head and met Ska’s eyes.

As Yehyeon nodded, Ska said,

“Then we should attach a tracker to Hilde. Escaping Jaeyeon alone won’t be easy.”

So they were convinced I would be abducted sooner or later.

I wasn’t afraid. Maybe because the idea still felt unreal. I listened quietly as they debated whether a tracker would even work, whether implanting a chip under the skin would be more reliable.

Almost midnight.

The talk dragged on. It was Yehyeon who finally wrapped it up.

“Hilde will be sent outside the Core for the time being.”

His voice was tired but firm.

“Assign the best Badgers to him, creatures will be drawn.”

“I’ll inform Personnel Director.”

The brown-haired man answered.

Yun nodded silently. I pressed my lips together, watching Yehyeon straighten in his seat. His already pale face looked even paler.

“Send him out as soon as he’s recovered. Until I give orders, Hilde is to remain outside the Core.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I also think a tracker is necessary, but that’s Hilde’s decision.”

Me?

I had thought the meeting nearly over, but all eyes were on me.

I swallowed instinctively and met Yehyeon’s gaze.

The Commander’s husky voice came.

“Will you accept it?”

“Eh? Y-Yes...”

“If you have questions, ask.”

The pale superior spoke softly.

“I’ll answer as much as I can.”

Standing before ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) him always pulled questions from me.

This time was no exception. I chose the one I most wanted answered. Looking back over everything so far, I picked a question that might sound off-topic to others.

I looked straight at Yehyeon.

“Excuse me.”

Even with everyone waiting, I needed courage to ask.

“It may sound sudden, but... have I met you before, Commander?”

The three seniors’ eyes widened.

Only Commander Yehyeon, meeting my gaze, did not look surprised.