When Yun was angry, it was terrifying.
Even on the way down to the Badger sleeping quarters after helping clean up the banquet hall, I had to apologize again and again. I did understand I’d done something wrong, but I hadn’t expected him to be that furious — it surprised me.
Could he actually have been... worried?
...No. He was probably angry because his test subject had almost fallen to his death for something stupid.
Either way, the seniors dragged me into the Badger lounge and shoved me inside.
“If you ever drive drunk, it’s three years of probation.”
Richard spoke firmly.
“And if you get caught for retaliatory driving, you’re out for good.”
The lounge was packed.
Still, I somehow squeezed in and fell asleep. It smelled like alcohol, and the chorus of snoring was loud in the dark. Not exactly pleasant, but I was so tired that sleep came easily anyway.
A shallow sleep.
***
I dreamed.
I was standing on a rooftop with Rei, looking down at the city. Below our feet, a dazzling sea of night lights. The roads still full of cars despite the late hour. Pedestrians scattered like dots.
It was the end of the year.
‘How is it?’
Rei’s golden eyes gleamed as he asked.
‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’
I turned to look at my comrade.
My old friend-in-arms. The one who always complained about how his appearance never aged past the border between boy and young man. He wasn’t wearing his old silver armor anymore. Instead, he wore what people here wore — a navy striped suit that fit him perfectly.
He’d always liked suits.
He never said why, but I suspected it was because they made him look older.
‘That suit? It suits you.’
‘They make these things damn well. Shame I won’t have many chances to wear it.’
‘...What are you talking about?’
‘You know what I mean.’
Carols played faintly from below.
‘You understood Kyle too, didn’t you?’
The world we lived in had collapsed.
Few escaped. Neither Kyle nor I had expected to survive. We’d hidden our anxiety because we had too many people to lead, but when we jumped through that open Portal, none of us believed we’d ever find solid ground again.
It was natural.
But we made it to Earth.
A place beautiful in a way that stunned us.
‘We can do it again this time.’
Rei walked lightly over and tapped my shoulder twice.
His short, spiky white hair fluttered in the winter wind.
‘We always have, haven’t we?’
‘So you’re fully on Kyle’s side now?’
‘Of course.’
My comrade — who had always fought with his back to mine — smiled, eyes shining with his usual reckless confidence.
‘What’s wrong? You’re not usually like this.’
Rei gripped my shoulder firmly.
‘Don’t worry. The victory’s ours for sure.’
‘Kyle doesn’t seem to think so.’
‘A time will come when we can laugh about the hard days.’
He grinned, eyes narrowing like sunlight.
‘Let’s come back here smiling, together.’
That time never came.
I woke up wiping tears from my eyes.
The lounge still reeked of alcohol. My body felt heavy as I pushed myself up.
I looked around at the seniors lost in their own drunken sleep.
Through the half-open blackout curtains, pale winter light seeped in.
It was Christmas Eve.
***
That evening, I visited Hesh’s house.
As he’d said, it wasn’t far from HQ. A wooden house standing just before the foot of the mountain, with several bare trees scattered in the yard.
Naturally, there was a basketball [N O V E L I G H T] hoop in the yard.
Hesh’s father, who wore three stars on his shoulder, greeted me kindly.
“Take good care of Hesh, will you?”
The man, with neatly combed white hair and the commanding aura of a lifelong soldier, guided me into the living room.
“He’s good-natured but a bit hot-tempered. He’ll probably find team life a little bumpy.”
“I don’t think you have to worry too much, sir. I’ve heard he’s well-regarded by his seniors.”
“He’s my little brother!”
As I replied politely, Hesh came out from the back with a blond younger brother in tow.
“Luke Lyle! Luke, this is my comrade Hilde. Say hi.”
The younger one was quieter than Hesh.
He nodded slightly, shy and withdrawn. I bowed back, and we exchanged a few brief words — thanks for selling me the scooter cheaply, glad to hear it’s running well, let me know if it ever breaks down.
When that short exchange ended, Hesh insisted on showing me his room before dinner and dragged me upstairs.
I blinked as soon as I stepped inside.
“Why do you have so many shoes?”
That was my first thought.
“You actually wear all of these?”
“I rotate them.”
“Unbelievable. One pair of these costs a fortune.”
The rows of vividly colored sneakers, neatly arranged, were shocking.
Every time I picked one up and asked, Hesh named the release year with precision. His dedication was impressive — and a little scary.
“You’re not normal.”
“It’s like your gaming thing.”
He said it casually as he gently put a pair of Jordan Highs back in place.
“I like games too, you know. But not as much as you. You’d have been a star if you’d gone into e-sports.”
Dinner, as he’d promised, was excellent.
His father and Luke were both skilled cooks. I thanked them repeatedly as I chewed the perfectly grilled barbecue.
They were the picture of a perfect family — a respectable, fatherly general, a confident eldest son, and a calm, thoughtful younger brother.
His mother, I heard, had gone to visit her mother for the holidays.
Naturally, the white-haired general asked about my parents.
“I don’t know, sir.”
It was the truth.
“I’ve never seen their faces.”
Instead, I grew up in a monastery.
Recently, faint memories had returned — running around the wide temple grounds, helping the clergy. It was a distant past now, but the memories were not bad. I was probably a war orphan.
The priests had raised me lovingly after receiving me from my dying parents.
I replaced “priests” with “fathers and nuns” in my explanation.
The kindly general listened quietly.
“You turned out well.”
“Thank you, sir.”
His gentle tone made me smile.
The unconditional love I’d received back then had indeed become the foundation of who I was.
“I was raised with love.”
At my lighthearted remark, the general smiled faintly.
After dinner, naturally, we played basketball. My skills couldn’t compare to Hesh’s, but he was a basketball maniac who knew exactly how to make even a beginner enjoy the game.
He even praised my ability, saying I was surprisingly good for a novice.
How gracious of him.
“Join the club.”
“Sorry.”
I declined the offer on the spot.
“I’m joining the gaming club.”
“There isn’t one.”
Truly an unfair world.
I slept in the guest room — a small, warm space with soft blankets. Completely unfamiliar, yet strangely cozy. I slept without dreams, thankfully. Lately, dreams had been the thing I feared most at night.
Falling asleep amid human warmth on Christmas Eve.
My visit ended the next morning with a Christmas gift exchange.
“Whaaaaat!”
Hesh fell to his knees and screamed when he saw my gift.
“How the hell did you get this?! How did you even—?!”
“Calm down.”
I soothed the man who looked ready to faint over four front-row NBA tickets.
“I just logged in early and bought them.”
“How did you even get in?!”
“You click fast.”
I patted his shoulder solemnly.
“My friend, gaming sharpens reflexes like these. So how about joining me next time?”
He rejected the offer immediately.
Heartless bastard.
***
At Christmas lunch, I returned to the cabin.
Without stepping outside, I opened the gifts people had sent and replied to their messages. Thankfully, many seniors had sent me presents.
Ami sent me a gaming keyboard and two simulation game chips — one about farming, one about running an amusement park. Hesh gave me a pair of sneakers. Tom sent a mulled wine kit. Bobby sent a luxury restaurant voucher, Leeho a coffee brand card, and Asil a capsule machine.
Ricardo sent a sleek wallet, and Ska gifted a smooth Zippo lighter.
From Spitfire came a box of cigars, from Sukhoi a bottle of 30-year-old Ballantine’s.
And Colton...
...Was this car keys?
“Oh, come on.”
Even worse — the brand was the same as the sedan I once ran over with a truck. Colton’s car brand.
“This thing isn’t going to explode someday, is it?”
Of course, I didn’t have the guts to return it.
I set the smooth car key down carefully. Only two gifts genuinely scared me to open. But I had to check the other one too.
I opened Yun’s gift, bracing myself.
To my surprise, it was completely normal.
“...Looks expensive though.”
A watch.
“He wouldn’t take it back anyway.”
He’d once commented before a social event that my wrist looked “too bare.”
I closed the elegant box without trying it on. Then I checked the final gift.
Yehyeon’s.
[Returning this to you now.]
That was what the card said.
[Merry Christmas.]
The small stone was from my world — a hard, dark obsidian whetstone. One I’d used to sharpen my blade.
I held it in my hand for a long time before standing up.
I organized all the gifts carefully, giving each its place. Then I sat in front of the beanbag, sent thank-you messages, and started up a game. I didn’t want to waste my rare day off.
Especially since I’d have to face Jaeyeon tomorrow.
I also planned to give Yehyeon his Christmas-slash-birthday present tomorrow.
***
It really was a brilliant roguelike.
I thought as I woke up refreshed — only to find someone humming.
A woman with fine, neatly braided blond hair.
She was moving busily in the kitchen. Eggs, coffee, bacon, and potatoes lay on the counter.
My ingredients.
I stared blankly at her back.
She glanced at me from the corner of her eye as I sat up.
“Sleep well? How do you want your eggs?”
Rubbing my neck, I walked toward the kitchen.
“Sunny side up. Don’t cook the yolk at all. And mix soy milk in the coffee.”
“Soy milk?”
As I scratched my head and trudged toward Jaeyeon, the refrigerator door closed — and a sorrowful-looking Yehyeon appeared from behind it. I jumped.
“I don’t think we have soy milk.”
“Commander!”
Oh no.
So Jaeyeon dragged him here too.
My superior’s eyes were a mix of resignation and despair as he pulled out milk.
“Is milk fine?”
“Yes, fine. I can drink Americano too. But I told you I don’t like formal speech—no, wait, before that, how did I end up in this cramped, shabby place first thing in the morning—”
“I said I’d throw a party!”
Jaeyeon beamed at us, and just then, the oven dinged!
That detestable being cheerfully ran over and pulled out an enormous roast chicken.
“I even baked a cake!”
Stop it.
Complaints didn’t work, and a few minutes later, the three of us were seated around the cabin’s round table.
A cake far too large for three people, roast chicken, and various dishes.
Steam rose from the warm lattes with milk.
Yehyeon and I stared gloomily at the table.
The cake’s surface was packed with candles.
“Come on, blow them out!”
The only excited one was the golden-haired menace.
“Happy birthday, Yehyeon!”
