Black Badger - Chapter 423



Only Noblemtl

423. Retirement Ceremony (3)

– Part 2 complete –

The food was served in order.

There were a lot of reporters. Since they had received permission to come in, they didn’t do anything rash.

I could faintly hear the sound of cameras moving. Sometimes, the cameras placed on the ceiling, at the back of the auditorium, and on the second-floor railing seemed to catch my eye.

I didn’t care and just focused on eating.

Ye-Hyeon didn’t hold a fancy retirement ceremony. That would have diminished the meaning of stepping down from her position while taking responsibility.

Since his predecessor had also been pushed out, there was no tradition of holding a grand retirement ceremony.

The ceremony was simple. After listening to military songs and paying tribute to the fallen soldiers, the host came out and gave a brief history of the second commander-in-chief.

And then there’s the retirement speech.

Ye-Hyeon, dressed in a neat suit, stood in front of the microphone.

“Hello, Black Badgers.”

Yehyun opened her mouth briefly in a husky voice.

“I feel responsible for the recent events and would like to step down from the position I have held for a long time.”

A calm voice resonated through the auditorium.

“I would appreciate your consideration as this decision was made after careful consideration of many factors. I am stepping down from this position during a difficult and confusing time, but I believe that my decision to step down was not a wrong one when viewed from various perspectives.”

People held their breath and listened to their boss.

A space where not even the sound of coughing can be heard.

The commander-in-chief seemed to have everything he wanted to say in his head, and he looked not at the podium or the paper but at those seated in the auditorium.

“I took up the job after borders were erased from the map. In an era when life was divided by a curtain covering the sky instead of a border dividing the land, I took on the hope of humanity to see the sky again without a curtain.”

A dazzling light kept bursting out from the corner.

“I know that this is a very important position, and I swear that I have acted in a manner worthy of the position. However, I ask for forgiveness for the mistakes that have been caused by my incompetence, regardless of my faithfulness, and I express my gratitude for the opportunity given to me to pursue my longing for the open sky.”

Ye-Hyeon briefly mentioned the events that occurred before and after he assumed the position of Commander-in-Chief.

He briefly reviews the history of his time as Commander-in-Chief and gives a few words of advice.

After briefly explaining the issues that the Black Badger organization currently needs to address, he moved on to the latter half of his retirement speech.

“I salute you for your heroic actions.”

The supervisor looked over the people who filled the auditorium.

“I would like to thank the special staff who rush to meet creatures they have never encountered before without hesitation, the general staff who often do not receive proper recognition because their hard work is not recognized, and the medical staff who receive patients who come in day and night without complaint and treat them well.”

A word of gratitude to those in various fields.

As the meal progressed, people who had been sinking into their chairs straightened their posture.

“It was all thanks to your passion that my mistakes due to my shortcomings were alleviated. Thanks to your dazzling will and unwavering faith, I was able to save countless lives.”

He smiled softly.

“Thank you so much.”

I watched him finish his speech without taking my eyes off Yehyun.

The boss, who had said everything he wanted to say, took his hands off the sides of the podium and straightened his posture.

The commander-in-chief stood upright behind the podium and slowly scanned the people filling the auditorium.

And then he smiled brightly.

“One day the heavens will open. Belief will become reality.”

Yehyun bowed her head politely.

“Thank you for your time.”

People stood up from their seats one after another.

There was a thunderous applause.

I also stood up and applauded. I watched Ye-Hyeon coming down from the podium and heard the staff members shouting out their farewells in between.

The air was heaving.

Here and there, people were in tears. Some people put their hands to their mouths and returned the words of thanks. There were quite a few people who clapped with indifferent expressions, but most people looked impressed in some way.

It could be because Ye-Hyeon has been working for so long, or it could be because he was moved by his speech.

Or maybe it’s because of the feeling of standing directly in a scene from history.

For whatever reason, the applause was long and loud.

The applause that filled the auditorium continued until Lee Ye-Hyeon disappeared behind the stage.

Until those who can no longer be called leaders disappear from sight.

***

I had been clapping almost until the very end, and only turned around after the applause had stopped.

I looked down at the senior sitting next to me while holding onto the back of the chair I was sitting on.

ARMY couldn’t even clap properly because they were crying so hard.

“I said I was happy.”

Ami rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand as she bent down with a bitter smile.

“Ugh… .”

Ami opened her mouth and cried without saying a word.

“Yes, Oppa Yehyun….”

“yes.”

“Oppa Yehyeon….”

I sat quietly next to Ami until she calmed down.

He didn’t say anything, just lightly patted her on the back. People leaving the auditorium came up to Ami, who was sobbing, and offered words of comfort.

“Now we can play together and eat cake.”

Lee Ho stood next to me and spoke awkwardly.

“Cheer up, senior. You look very relaxed yourself.”

“Where is Senior Yoon?”

“I’ll be unpacking at the office.”

I answered Shu’s question on his behalf.

“Even though the retirement ceremony is over, you can’t go home right away because you have a lot of work to do, so I’ll help you clean up.”

I saw off Ami, who had just stopped crying.

She went back home first with the various things that Yoon had left behind. The senior, who had received the car keys from Yoon, hugged me tightly and got into the driver’s seat.

It seemed like he already knew that it would be difficult for me to see his face for a while.

It was rude of me not to ask in detail about the reason.

She looked up at me with swollen eyes.

“Next time, guaranteed.”

“Are you completely calmed down?”

Let’s laugh, Amy nodded her head.

“I’m happy again now.”

“That’s great. I’ll go and visit once things are sorted out.”

“Okay. Come quickly!”

Ami smiled brightly.

“Let’s go paragliding with Yehyun oppa!”

Yehyun… probably doesn’t know about this plan yet.

You can laugh happily when you don’t know that you’re going to go climbing in the morning, do archery, have lunch at a popular restaurant, and go paragliding in the afternoon.

You probably don’t even know that I’m worrying about whether I should stop by a self-photo studio after paragliding.

Shouldn’t Yoon stop this plan?

I thought about it seriously for a moment.

Yehyun is so toxic to ARMY that I don’t think she’ll be able to refuse.

I saw the blue car off, thinking that I should bring up the subject to Yoon.

After the car was out of sight, he turned around and headed toward the underground parking lot for the executives.

There is a place where regular employees can smoke in an area that is off-limits to them. It is a quiet and deserted place where they can avoid even the eyes of reporters.

They say the seniors are gathered there now, smoking cigarettes.

Scar Owen is sucking up what few hours of freedom he has left… .

After receiving the call, I quickly crossed the parking lot.

Then I find the members who were once standing in front of my cabin.

Yoon, Ricardo, and Scar were huddled in a corner, smoking cigarettes.

Three men dressed in pitch black, engulfed in the smoky air.

They seem like members of a criminal organization.

“I went to Army’s house.”

When I approached the seniors and spoke, Yoon blew out smoke.

“okay.”

“Ye-Hyeon, you’ll be able to get off work in the evening, right?”

“When everything is finished, it’s 9:30.”

It was Scar who answered.

He was still a little dazed.

“That means I have about four hours of freedom left.”

“I guess Assistant Gilbert told you to enjoy your last bit of freedom.”

“I didn’t refuse.”

Scar replied, exhaling smoke as a sigh.

Ricardo quirked the corners of his mouth as he glanced at his comrade. He simply brought the cigarette he was holding to his lips and didn’t say much.

“I thought I would be able to learn more things for a longer time….”

Scar’s muttering drifted into the air along with the cigarette smoke.

“Life is so sudden.”

I smiled faintly.

“You will do well.”

Things that wouldn’t have happened if Kyle hadn’t woken up when I came back.

I’ve been thinking about those things yesterday and today. About the things that Kyle and the elders have changed. About the various waves that we’re going to cause in the future.

“I won’t make it too hard for you.”

The seniors stared at me.

I smiled awkwardly, receiving their sharp gaze.

Was that too off-topic?

But really, this is something I wanted to tell Scar in advance… .

“you….”

Squeak!

The moment Scar opened his mouth, a sharp brake sound was heard from behind.

We turned our heads and saw a car speeding towards us.

A car that reverses at incredible speed, its trunk sticking out, and stops right in front of me.

“what?”

“reporter?”

“Captain!”

Rose appeared before us, who were confused.

She smiled brightly, jumped out of the driver’s seat, and ran toward us.

“I brought it!”

her?

But before I can think any further, the trunk door opens.

And then… a man with his limbs bound appeared.

A man struggling with his long legs and arms tied behind his back.

“oh.”

The blond man looked up at me.

A face that seems more pale than I remember.

Lin, who was trying to escape, smiled brightly as soon as she saw me.

“Chief! Long time no see!”

“Human trafficking?”

Yoon said casually.

I pretended not to hear the shooter’s low voice.

As I was looking down at the trunk, speechless, Lin started to blurt out words.

“How have you been? I really missed you! Oh, I should have come to see you sooner. I really meant to. Our current leader strongly advised me not to even think about coming to see you for a while so that you wouldn’t be confused. So I barely suppressed the urge to run over as soon as I felt your presence… .”

“Kidnapping…?”

“Lin.”

I pretended not to hear Ricardo’s small muttering.

I cut off my subordinate’s words without looking back at my seniors.

Lin flinched inside the trunk.

“yes.”

“It’s been a while.”

He bent down and forcefully cut the rope that was binding Lin.

As my subordinate was hastily thanking me and sitting diagonally in the trunk, I took a ziplock bag out of his jacket pocket.

A ziploc bag containing pills.

“What is this?”

As I looked at the green and yellow pills and muttered to myself, Rose, who was standing there with the aforementioned expression, answered.

“It’s called a monster supplement!”

“I am!”

Lin urgently held out her palm.

“I have a monster that I’m raising at home!”

puck!

I blew the ziploc bag.

He was planning to hit the head of his subordinate who showed no sign of remorse. A man who was caught but kept making excuses at a rapid pace.

However, the zipper bag did not reach its destination.

Because Lin snatched the ziplock bag that was flying through the air.

I stared at my subordinate who was catching the flying object.

“uh….”

Lin started to look at me like crazy.

“That… um… nice swing?”

“Catch it?”

This is incredible.

“Lin. Grab it?”

“omg.”

Lin clasped her hands together and trembled.

“I’m so sorry…!”

I told Rose to take Lynn with me.

“Sit her in the backseat and take her comfortably to Anga.” Rose nodded quickly and pulled the pale, gaunt Lynn out of the trunk.

And without caring what the other person was mumbling and struggling, he pushed Lin into the backseat.

The sedan closes the door and drives away leisurely.

Only after the gray car disappeared from sight did I look back at my superiors.

The gazes they sent at me made the back of my head tingle.

“I’m sorry. It’s not really important, so don’t worry about it.”

“They’re catching you fiercely~.”

The green-eyed senior chuckled.

“I’m so glad I got in first….”

“Oh, senior. Not at all. You know I’m not like that.”

“Is the pharmaceutical company chairman’s wife still at Centercore?”

Scar smiled and lit a cigarette.

“And you ordered him to be kidnapped? That’s amazing. I should be prepared for your future moves.”

“I told you, I’m really going to make sure nothing happens.”

“Your binding skills are top-notch.”

Yoon added lazily, smoking.

“You put that guy in the back seat because you were watching us, right?”

After being teased hard, I was finally released from my seat.

Scar and Ricardo went out to dinner, and Yoon went back to the leadership office to check the remaining luggage. I said hello to Hesi for the first time in a while and then stopped by the science department for a bit.

Those who are working in a temporary office after their office was destroyed in the battle with Myerbold.

Scientists just told us that Ye-Hyeon had come and gone.

He said that he was making the rounds of the headquarters office and said hello to Martin as well.

“It felt like something I had been carrying on my shoulder had disappeared.”

Kate said with a smile.

“I heard you said you’d be able to sleep comfortably on the sofa now. Honestly, I was a little jealous.”

I also waited, saying hello to this person and that person.

Restaurant chefs, cafe staff, and general office workers.

After greeting Samuel Hahn and other hospital staff, he always bowed to his seniors he encountered.

We will meet again, but I said goodbye with all my heart because I don’t know when that will be.

I also apologized for any confusion my article caused.

As it was happening, it was soon time for Ye-Hyeon to get off work.

The reporters who had gathered around had largely disappeared, and even the sound of construction progress could no longer be heard.

I met Ye-Hyeon, who was coming home in front of Bentley.

I guess we can’t call him commander in chief anymore.

“Hilde.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

He smiled broadly.

“You did really well. Now let’s relax.”

The tears in Ye-Hyeon’s eyes did not flow.

He stood still and smiled slowly.

“thank you.”

The child looked genuinely happy.

“I ask for your continued support, Hilde.”

I hugged the man who was now standing there in a rumpled suit, having visited many places.

Then I saw him off as he drove home. I stayed until the car, filled with flowers and plaques, disappeared from sight.

If things hadn’t gotten so chaotic, I would have had a celebration party that night with Yoon, Yehyun, and Ami.

The seniors knew very well why I couldn’t do that, and thankfully they didn’t seem upset.

He even turned a blind eye to what I wanted to do in the future.

Something that can never be explained in words.

“let’s go.”

He spoke to his men as they walked out of the darkness of the underground parking lot.

“To see the boring faces.”

Those who believed in me and waited for me for a long time answered by coming and standing nearby.

I recognized their presence, smiled, and walked out into the night of Center Core.