The Commander watched me, sitting stiff with tension, and spoke.

“You must have many questions. Please, feel free to ask.”

His unexpected first words made me blink.

Maybe I looked foolish, because the Commander’s tired, expressionless face softened with a faint smile.

I stared at the man’s thin smile.

“...Uh, then...”

“Yes.”

“What should I do now?”

Yehyeon blinked.

Perhaps he hadn’t expected that question? But it was what I wanted to know most. What was I supposed to do now? I had no money, no memories, no ties — literally nothing.

And on top of that, I seemed to be a potential bomb for this organization.

The Commander answered slowly.

“This interview will ultimately be about that.”

“Ah. That’s a relief. That’s what I was most curious about.”

“Before I give you the conclusion, let me explain how I arrived at it. That will make it easier for you to understand.”

If he would do that, I couldn’t be more grateful.

I nodded obediently.

The explanation began.

“There were two wars.”

Ricardo had said something like this on my first day here.

“When the Portals opened, what we now call ‘creatures’ poured through. You faced them yourself a week ago. The two wars that followed were between humanity and the creatures. In the first war, humanity survived by developing the Core shields. That was when borders vanished and life zones came to be defined by these Cores. The largest of them is the Center Core, where you are now.”

Just about what I had guessed.

I nodded as I listened to the Commander’s matter-of-fact tone. I still didn’t know why the Portals had opened, but at least I understood why borders had disappeared.

His flat explanation continued.

“The second war began when the Core shields grew unstable. It was not as catastrophic as the first. By then the Black Badgers were well-organized, and there were many brilliant scientists. The second war ended quickly. After that, the world adapted to its new conditions and became what it is now.” 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

I remembered vaguely what Ricardo and Ami had told me. Ami had said she fought in both wars. Ricardo had fought in the second and survived.

But even with enhanced bodies, not many war heroes survived....

“I’ve summarized the era. Now I’ll explain this organization.”

Yehyeon shifted forward in his story.

“We are called the Black Badgers.”

Black... badger?

“You can think of us as a special military force created to fight creatures. All of us have halted aging and exceptional regenerative abilities. Those conditions are necessary for the implantation of enhanced bodies. In the first war, everyone sent to the battlefield was implanted. In the second, only volunteers for combat were implanted. After the war ended, new Black Badgers were selected separately.”

Ah.

That matched what I had expected. People with enhanced bodies were tightly controlled, so of course they would be selectively chosen.

“Now, the Badgers eliminate creatures that slip into the Cores and work to expand Core territory. That’s the short version. Do you have any questions?”

I hadn’t expected the question to come back to me. Straightening my back, I tried to organize the mess of doubts circling in my head. I needed to phrase it simply if I wanted a clear answer.

After some thought, I barely managed to ask.

“Can enhanced bodies be removed?”

I felt Yehyeon’s eyes on me, so I added an explanation.

“I... I realize I’m a troublesome existence. I’ve heard that if my existence is exposed to the media, it will cause chaos. So I thought you might want to remove my enhanced body. That would solve the problem.”

“That’s a good line of reasoning. But the aftereffects of removal are far too great.”

Yehyeon’s lips curved in a bitter smile.

He laced his pale, slender fingers together and rested them on the desk.

“Unless someone causes an extreme incident, a Badger’s enhanced body is never removed. The time it takes to recover enough to live normally again is far too long. And there’s no guarantee recovery will ever come.”

“But it is possible, isn’t it? If so, maybe it would be safer to take the risk and remove mine...”

It still seemed the most rational solution.

I turned the thought over and over, then blurted it out unpolished.

“For me, losing the enhanced body would be better than being eliminated altogether.”

Silence dropped.

The atmosphere shifted.

The Commander’s large eyes grew even larger. I met his jet-black pupils. He was clearly surprised by my words, but I could read nothing beyond that.

The ticking of the second hand wrapped around me.

I knew I had spoken too bluntly. But I didn’t think I was wrong. Any powerful organization would have sought to eliminate me.

My memories were gone, but not my judgment. An unregistered missile suddenly appears? And the information hasn’t leaked outside yet? Of course they would dismantle it in secret.

Therefore...

“Mr. Hilde.”

My name was spoken heavily. I looked at Yehyeon.

Now his eyes no longer held surprise, but an emotion I couldn’t name.

“What do you think about yourself?”

“...Excuse me?”

Why ask that?

I stared at his face.

“Uh... I don’t think much at all. I remember nothing but my name. There’s nothing to think about.”

“Wouldn’t most people grow more obsessed with themselves in such a situation?”

“Would they? Thankfully, I lived comfortably for a week. Since I had no discomfort, I had no reason to brood about myself.”

“Aren’t you curious what kind of person you used to be?”

Why had the topic turned this way?

Still, I considered carefully before answering. Of course I was curious. I hadn’t recovered any more fragments of memory, but I still wanted to know what life I had lived.

But not desperately enough to cling to it every day.

I slowly rubbed my neck.

“I am curious, and I do try to recall the past. But not to the point of obsession. Curiosity won’t solve anything.”

“I see.”

“Yes.”

The Commander fell into thought.

In the returning silence, I observed him. He unclasped his fingers and dropped his gaze to the documents on the desk. His half-lowered eyes slid slowly sideways.

Those black eyes rolled across the page.

He read quietly, then closed the papers.

“Well, forgetting can be a blessing.”

It sounded like he was talking to himself.

While I blinked, he raised his head.

Yehyeon’s unreadable face turned to meet my eyes.

“You may not need to remember everything.”

Why did he say that?

I wished he would explain it to a slow-witted man like me.

Maybe my thoughts showed, because the Commander’s blank face gained a faint smile.

“Mr. Hilde.”

“Yes.”

“We will not dismantle your enhanced body, nor will we secretly eliminate you.”

...Eh?

Then what? Keep me locked away forever?

“We won’t confine you in a hotel room either. Don’t worry.”

He must have read my mind again.

I gave an awkward laugh, and Yehyeon’s eyes curved gently.

“We’ve prepared a solution that isn’t so extreme. I explained about the Badgers earlier, yes?”

“Yes? Yes.”

“Do you remember?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“I want you to become a new Black Badger.”

What?

My mouth hung open.

Yehyeon let out a small laugh.

“If you become a legitimate Black Badger, having an enhanced body will no longer be a problem. We happened to be preparing to recruit one new Badger. The timing works out well.”

“Uh... um... thank you for the offer. But am I really the kind of person for that? I only ran away from the creatures, nearly to death....”

“That is an entirely normal reaction. In fact, it is one of the most important qualifications for a Black Badger. To be normal.”

“But still...”

“I am not forcing you. Becoming a Badger means gaining youth at the cost of never dying a natural death.”

My mouth refused to close.

Yehyeon’s smile faded. His eyes turned clinical as he studied my reaction.

His following voice carried no trace of emotion.

“The end of a Badger is always miserable. A Black Badger’s happiest end is either euthanasia of their own choosing, or a painless instant death on a mission. Those are the only two. It is such a high-risk occupation that despite not aging, their average life span is no longer than an ordinary human’s. And while those around them grow old, they stay young — the psychological suffering is immense. Objectively speaking, it cannot be called a happy life.”

Yehyeon spoke with the cold detachment of someone talking about another’s fate.

I sat frozen in silence, waiting until he finally added: “So if you say you do not wish to become a Badger, we will find another solution. Though it would mean staying confined much longer.”

The comfortable office hardly suited the job he described. The faint scent of old books. The tall glass wall, with the clear blue sky beyond.

How had I ended up here?

Just as Yehyeon lowered his eyes and told me to think it over, I found the answer I wanted to give.

“I don’t dislike it. If it solves the problem, I’ll gladly become a Badger.”

Yehyeon lifted his head to look at me.

I met his large eyes squarely as I answered.

“I don’t have anything in particular to lose.”

Another unidentifiable emotion flickered through the man’s gaze.

I never figured out what it was. I didn’t dare ask, and he didn’t intend to explain.

Silence, as expected, wrapped the office. The man did not speak for a long time.

Only when the sunlight cut diagonally across the desk did he finally break it.

“Very well.”

Perhaps it was my imagination, but his voice carried affection, even pity.

And so, my relationship with Yehyeon turned into that of superior and subordinate.

***

I had wondered whether those who brought me here were waiting outside.

The answer came quickly. At Yehyeon’s call for them to enter, the office door opened and familiar voices poured in. Personnel Director Ju, aide Ska, Ricardo, and Ami stepped inside.

Ami’s eyes widened as she rushed toward me.

“How did it go?”

“You’ll be their junior now.”

Yehyeon smiled faintly.

Ami’s face lit up, and smiles spread across Ska’s and Ricardo’s faces as well.

“Really? That’s great!”

Something about her genuine joy warmed me inside.

“So Hilde is my junior now!”

Her bright voice rang in my ears. She darted to my side and grinned, while Ricardo gave my back a light tap. There was real affection in that small touch.

I was grateful. That they were this glad for me.

Seeing these people I had oddly grown attached to in a week made me smile.

Once we got closer, I would have to thank them again.

Even the Personnel Director...

Ju wore his inscrutable smile.

“Congratulations on becoming one of us, Mr. Hilde.”

“It just happened like this, suddenly. Thank you.”

“Not at all. And, ah, you must have been frustrated waiting a whole week. Since the important matter is settled, shall we move on quickly to the secondary ones?”

Hm?

Puzzled, I looked at him. Ju’s eyes curved kindly.

With a smile so bright it felt like petals might scatter behind him, the Personnel Director spoke.

“Hilde, your mentor will be Choi Yun.”

Thud.

Ami dropped her phone to the floor.

Now, of all times?

But it wasn’t coincidence. The hands of Ska and Ricardo, resting on my shoulder, twitched as both men’s heads whipped around.

Two pairs of eyes widened at once.

These tall men stared blankly at the Personnel Director.

What was this?

Startled by their sudden reaction, I blinked.

What is going on?

“...Why Yun, of all people?”

Yehyeon’s voice was low and ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) weary.

The Commander looked exhausted by a single word from Ju. He pressed his white hand against his forehead.

Why was he reacting like that?

Personnel Director Ju ignored the speechless looks around him with a cheerful smile.

“Because Yun is the most suitable mentor for Hilde.”

“Yun? I think Yun is the least suitable person to be anyone’s mentor...”

“For most juniors, yes. But with Hilde, it will fit.”

“Personnel Director.”

Ricardo gave Ju a peculiar look.

“Did Hilde do something to offend you~?”

“No? I honestly think they’ll be a good match. You all know this — when it comes to personnel, I set aside personal feelings. I’ve never misjudged a pairing yet.”

“But Yun is... to teach a junior? He doesn’t even like teaching anyone in the first place...”

“Exactly.”

At Ska’s cautious words, Ami cut in firmly.

“Yun oppa hates teaching anyone!”

“But this time, he’ll do well.”

“On what grounds do you base that judgment...?”

“Instinct.”

“...Personnel Director, just this once, maybe you should reconsider that instinct...”

“Enough.”

Yehyeon’s tired voice ended the exchange. All eyes turned to him. I also turned my head.

Without lifting his gaze, the Commander declared:

“We’ll go with the Personnel Director’s judgment. Hilde’s mentor will be Yun.”

“Ugh! Commander!”

“Yes. My instincts have been right so far, so they’ll be right this time.”

“Well~... if the Commander decided that way...”

Ami was aghast, Ju smiled, Ricardo shrugged. Ska shoved his hands into his pockets with a troubled look.

And I... felt fear.

I stared at the Commander, who sighed heavily in his chair.

What sort of man was this Choi Yun, to make people react like this?

It had been the same with Personnel Director Ju — people had reacted strangely, and when I met him, he turned out not exactly normal. Not a bad person, but not normal either.

But Yun, who even made the seasoned Commander sigh?

Who was he?

Who?!

“Hilde.”

Yehyeon’s call pulled me out of my inner scream.

“Y-yes.”

“If Yun gives you trouble, don’t hesitate to tell me. I’m the only one who can control him, more or less. He usually listens to me.”

Yehyeon’s weary voice drummed in my skull.

What? Control? That was a word for beasts, not for people.

I stared blankly ahead, dumbfounded.

A bad feeling... only a bad feeling filled me.

Who in the world was Choi Yun? And why had such a man become my mentor?

Reeling from the sudden reactions, I sat frozen for a long time, unable to rise.