I found Yehyeon too.
There was a reason I hadn’t spotted him right away — he was surrounded by several Badgers.
And he was dozing off with a faint smile on his face.
With something like a Choco Pie in his hand.
“He’s pretty popular.”
“One third are suck-ups gone mad, one third are trying to pour him drinks until he drops dead, and the last third just genuinely like him.”
A clear explanation, indeed.
I watched Yehyeon, who nodded off like a sick chicken yet smiled faintly whenever a subordinate spoke to him. He handed the Choco Pie in his hand to whoever was talking to him.
Then his head bobbed again as he drifted.
“Does he always fall asleep when he’s drunk?”
“He smiles like an idiot and passes out.”
That was a rather tame drinking habit.
“Is he good at drinking?”
“Not really.”
My conscience hurt even more.
I pressed my lips together and watched him hand a marshmallow to another subordinate. After placing it in the subordinate’s hand, he closed his eyes and nodded forward again.
I let out a small sigh.
“Going to apologize now would be a clueless move, right?”
“It’d be a stupid move. You’d only make the others hate you more.”
True enough.
“There are already plenty who hate that you’re getting special treatment.”
I’d figured as much.
I’d have to apologize on the 26th. Even if I did it now, he wouldn’t remember anyway. He already seemed busy enough just humoring everyone around him.
I reached for a fry and looked around.
Wow.
Someone had wrapped fairy lights around John Mühlen.
“He’s drinking just fine.”
At Yun’s low comment, I looked up.
My ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) senior, with the same unreadable face as always, was watching me.
“Yeah, now that I think about it, I do enjoy vodka myself.”
“Did you grant Lee Seunghyun’s request?”
I quietly nodded.
“I almost died, though. Not a joke—really almost died.”
“I thought you’d be hospitalized again. You’ve got some luck.”
“The TV broke, the sofa broke, but I made it back alive.”
“I thought your neck would snap.”
Thud!
I whipped my head toward the noise.
A couple of seniors I didn’t know were sprawled on the floor. Looked like they’d run into each other while dashing across the hall. People hurried over, lifting them back up.
A bottle shattered nearby. At another table, a line of bomb shots toppled like dominos.
Everyone was starting to lose it.
Chewing on a sausage, I surveyed the chaos. Tom, whose face had been flushed for a while now, was laughing madly beside Angela, waving his arms around in huge motions.
Hesh, drinking with the Personnel Director and other seniors, was breaking his umpteenth glass.
“Ah, I didn’t mean to do that—”
Crash!
“Ah, I really didn’t mean—”
Smash!
I turned my head.
There was Bobby. She was perfectly sober-faced, cheering as she popped a cork across from Walker. Ricardo and Jonathan Kudo were sitting in a corner drinking sake, though Kudo kept dropping his utensils while Ricardo laughed and teased him.
“What’s with this cheap booze?!”
Jason Trevain’s drunken voice rang out.
“Figures it’s Yehyeon’s event. Couldn’t they at least buy something decent?”
“The supplies probably came from the finance department.”
“You talking back to me?”
How beautifully his personality shined.
“If you can’t drink, just shut up and stay put!”
“Jesus, calm down, man.”
Chen laughed softly and pulled Trevain back.
“Treat the rookies well, yeah?”
Asil was cleaning.
He was gathering empty bottles and collecting caps while someone crouched beside a massive whiskey bottle, mumbling to it like it could talk back. Pitiful.
At this rate, he’d get kicked by someone dancing.
“Drink more!”
At the next table, a fairly senior-looking man kept pouring.
“Why can’t you drink? Come on, more!”
Elsewhere, people were flailing their arms.
“Ahhh! I’m falling!”
“Catch it! Catch it!”
A pyramid of plastic bottles collapsed.
Next to it, someone was trying to balance chopsticks on top of each other.
Utter chaos.
Yun walked slowly through the mess.
“Commander.”
He called for Yehyeon quietly.
The Badgers around Yehyeon turned their heads toward him. Those seated at the head table fell silent all at once.
“Whoa! He’s going!”
Someone flushed and raised an arm, shouting.
“The Captain’s going!”
“Shut up, idiot!”
“Freedom!”
Next to the one trying to quiet him, another jumped up and cheered.
“We’re free!”
Even with the drunken noise, the head table didn’t flinch.
No one gave the rowdy ones a glance. Yun looked down at Yehyeon and murmured something too quiet for anyone to hear.
Yehyeon blinked drowsily up at him.
Then handed him a gummy shaped like a shark fin.
Did he pick that one on purpose?
Yun wordlessly set the candy back on the table and lifted Yehyeon up in one smooth motion.
“Good night, sir!”
One drunk Badger suddenly stood and saluted.
Another beside him sprang up and followed.
“Have a restful night, sir!”
“Wanna play a game?”
A voice right next to me made me jump.
I turned and saw some seniors I didn’t know. They reeked of alcohol, but their eyes were surprisingly focused.
They were looking down at me with eager expressions.
“I heard you’re good at games. Want to join our team?”
“Oh, uh, sure. What game?”
“Pump.”
“...Excuse me?”
Did he mean that Pump?
“DDR.”
DDR? They brought DDR machines here?
I followed the senior’s gesture and saw, in the corner of the hall, two glowing dance machines standing side by side, lights flashing brilliantly.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
How had I not noticed earlier?
I let out a small incredulous laugh and stood up slowly.
“Sounds great.”
“Hey, if you break that machine, you’re paying for it.”
“Yes, sir.”
I answered half-heartedly to the not-so-friendly tone.
No way I was going to break it anyway.
Excited, I followed the seniors toward the DDR machines.
***
Yun returned to the year-end hall.
He’d already put Ami and Yehyeon to bed in the leadership quarters. His timing was perfect, as always. After so many decades of this routine, he could sense precisely when to come back.
The ones who’d planned to leave were already gone; the ones who were blackout drunk had been carried to the Badger lounge by their teammates.
It was past midnight — the quiet lull at the end of a party.
Choi Yun walked slowly toward the survivors.
“Did you collect Ami safely?”
Ska, lounging in his chair with a glass of whiskey, smiled.
Yun nodded silently.
Then turned his head, scanning the hall.
“Where is Hildebert?”
At the massive central table, the survivors looked up.
The usual lineup: Ska Owen, Richard Green, William Walker, Samuel Han — who’d joined late to a round of thunderous cheers — and Shu Diamond, who hadn’t drunk a single drop.
Shu answered.
“He was hitting perfects on DDR, then said he needed some air and vanished.”
“What do you mean, DDR.”
Yun’s voice was flat with disbelief as he dragged over a chair and sat down.
Shu sipped her orange juice.
“The seniors brought DDR machines. He was really good. I lost track after he hit over 200 combos.”
“He doesn’t get drunk, does he?”
“You should’ve been keeping an eye on your junior.”
At Yun’s muttering, Richard snapped.
The man radiating constant authority slammed his glass down on the table.
“Your sub finally drinks for the first time and you vanish? Call him right now and drag him back!”
“Yes, yes.”
Yun answered lazily.
He knew arguing logically wouldn’t get him anywhere. Crossing one leg over the other, he pulled his phone from his pocket.
Samuel set down his fork, still skewering a shrimp.
“You even take care of the kid properly?”
“Of course.”
Yun replied immediately.
Richard shot him a disapproving look; Samuel gave him one of disbelief. Yun didn’t care.
The hall was littered with trash, the snores of drunk staff echoing off the floor.
Yun called Hildebert and switched to speaker. The dial tone rang loudly through the hall.
Everyone stared at the phone screen.
The wait didn’t last long.
“Hilde.”
Yun called once the line connected.
“Where are you?”
[Ah, you found me?]
The voice from the other side was perfectly calm.
Everyone left in the room exhaled in relief.
As the focus shifted from the phone, tense shoulders relaxed.
Until Hilde spoke again.
[I’m on the rooftop.]
Yun reacted first.
He shot up from his chair. He didn’t ask any follow-up questions or say a word to the others — just bolted toward the stairs with the phone still in his hand.
The others caught on a moment later.
“I told you to keep an eye on him!”
Richard roared, chasing after him.
“Just because he sounds fine doesn’t mean he is fine!”
“Shu! Get your hoverboard!”
Ska shouted, sprinting after them.
Shu nodded quickly and dashed to the opposite stairwell. Samuel spat a stream of heavy curses and ran for the elevator. Walker tossed aside the chicken leg in his hand and charged for the stairs.
Naturally, Yun reached the rooftop first.
The railing wasn’t that high. He kicked open the door and strode toward Hilde, who was standing at the edge, looking down.
Then he grabbed the rookie by the back of the neck and yanked him roughly backward.
“Ugh.”
Dragged back with a choked sound, the rookie’s eyes went wide.
He stared up at his senior’s cold gaze, speechless, confusion written across his face.
The golden eyes flicked to the others arriving behind Yun, widening further.
“Why is everyone here...?”
Hilde straightened slowly, looking blankly at the panting seniors.
“Did you... worry about me?”
His voice dripped with surprise and disbelief.
No one answered. They just stood there, catching their breath, staring at him. His white hair fluttered, gold eyes glowing faintly — his refined features stood out even in the dark.
A man whose name had already passed every Badger’s lips at least once.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t that drunk....”
Hilde rubbed his neck.
“I just wanted to remember something.”
Smack!
The sharp crack of impact cut through the dawn air.
Hilde blinked in shock, clutching the back of his head, staring at Yun.
The senior shoved the hand that had struck him back into his pocket.
“Do you have a death wish?”
His voice mixed anger with chill.
Hilde’s eyes widened with genuine surprise. He only blinked.
The seniors held their tongues until the younger man found his voice again.
“I’m sorry.”
The apology finally broke the silence, genuine and heavy.
“I’ll be careful from now on. I’m really sorry.”
“You’d better be!”
Richard barked.
“What were you thinking, drinking and then coming up to the roof?!”
“I’m sorry.”
“You want to be remembered as the rookie who died before even taking his promotion exam?!”
“No, sir. I’m sorry.”
“Get your head on straight!”
“Yes, sir.”
“You too, Choi Yun! You were supposed to keep your eyes on your sub from the start!”
“Why did you come up here?”
Ska gently intercepted Richard’s fury.
The aide smiled faintly, still watching Hilde.
“Was it really a memory you could only recall up here?”
The rookie fell silent.
Silence returned. Even as Samuel arrived panting and cursing, even as a pale Shu soared up on her hoverboard — Hilde said nothing.
Finally, after Shu touched down, he spoke.
“I’m fine now that I remembered.”
“I won’t do this again.”
“You weren’t thinking anything weird, were you?”
“Ah, no. Not at all. You don’t need to worry.”
He answered Ska’s question in a low voice.
“Really, I never intended to do anything that irresponsible.”
The seniors didn’t press further.
His voice was too firm, too steady. There would be no other answer even if they asked again.
But they didn’t relax, either. Years of experience — or instinct — let them sense the faint wrongness beneath the surface. It wasn’t the clear danger you’d feel from a Badger with PTSD, but rather something quieter — the unease that came from someone who stayed too composed.
A presence that felt like it had carried heavy sorrow for far too long.
“I’ll head down and start cleaning.”
They watched silently as the rookie bowed his head and began to walk.
Their eyes never left Hildebert Taleb.
