Chapter 230: The Train and the Ghost (1)

I turned my head after watching Chen and his squad members brush past me.

When will this ridiculous rumor finally die out? Even though a long time had passed since that day, many seniors were still asking absurd questions.

To think I’m still hearing this even after the new year changed.

I let out a short sigh.

Time flew quickly after the year-end party.

I had done quite a lot during that time. First was Yehyeon’s birthday. Yehyeon always takes vacation from December 26th to 28th no matter what. I spent Christmas quietly with Kairos and Milk, and on the 26th I celebrated Yehyeon’s birthday at his house.

This time too, I extorted the birthday present from Lee Seunghyun.

I had visited Lee Seunghyun’s house the week before Christmas.

‘I became Yehyeon’s godfather this time.’

When I shamelessly said that, Lee Seunghyun looked at me with an expression of sheer disbelief.

He didn’t argue.

Nor did he ask further. I sneered softly, then asked the disciple who had turned his body to do housework—though I don’t know what housework there even is to do in that spotless house:

‘By any chance... do you still have Sasha’s voice?’

His reaction was fast.

Lee Seunghyun snapped his body around. Even I had to marvel at the speed. I wouldn’t be able to move that fast.

If I fought him with all my strength, I’d lose with a 50% probability.

My still-burdensome disciple glared at me.

His face said he wanted to strike me right then and there.

‘Are you going to keep doing this every time?’

‘Probably. As long as I’m still alive next year.’

I looked into those pitch-black eyes and smiled faintly.

‘Sorry for ripping open the wound. But you’ve committed a huge wrong against your kid.’

‘This is my family matter.’

‘So you saw the court records.’

When I said that calmly, Lee Seunghyun’s clenched fist loosened.

I didn’t hide my complicated feelings.

According to the records, even Lee Seunghyun didn’t know for a long time that such abuse was happening. One day, when he was about to leave for work as usual, Yehyeon clung to his pant leg, sobbing in terror, which is how he learned the truth.

Even if Lee Seunghyun pushed Yehyeon back into the house, the boy kept opening the door and coming out.

It was a story that sank my mood whenever I recalled it.

‘It doesn’t have to be long. Just let me hear her voice.’

Staring into his black eyes, I whispered.

‘I heard you didn’t even tell him his birth mother’s name until he was that old. Isn’t it time to stop punishing him?’

Eventually, Lee Seunghyun bent.

This time, he didn’t lose half his reason and go berserk like last time. He was just as furious, but if looks could kill, I would have died already.

But in the end, I got Sasha’s voice.

On the evening of December 26th, before I left the house, I handed Yehyeon the gift.

‘Listen alone at first.’

It was a missing-call message Sasha had left for Lee Seunghyun long ago. I didn’t know what the contents were. I turned it off immediately after confirming Sasha’s voice came through.

That made me a bit nervous, but I guess it delivered properly in the end.

The next day, Yehyeon came to find me with swollen eyes.

‘Thank you.’

The child said that and kept his head lowered for a long time, unable to speak further.

‘How am I supposed to repay all—’

‘Stop talking nonsense and go finish sleeping.’

I sent the child home, thinking he clearly had sleep debt to pay back.

‘And happy birthday again, Yehyeon.’

After the new year, it was Yun’s birthday. But my superior refused to accept any normal gift. He said the best gift would be giving him a chance to dissect me. He said anything money could buy, he could buy himself, so he didn’t need anything.

Unchangingly unpleasant human.

I gave him a bottle of whiskey anyway.

I kept messaging Deltei. Kairos came to the cabin on weekends to see Milk.

I trained and dug through the materials on Yo that Erhart had sent.

And then the TF mission came down.

A dawn before sunrise.

“This is one of the longest railway lines.”

Ami said as she boarded the train behind me.

“I really like this line! The scenery along the way is super pretty.”

“Oh, nice. We’re on it all day, right?”

“Yeah. Ro’s squad will get ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) off after 12 hours, but we have to go 10 hours further from there.”

Since it was such a long trip, the seniors had a lot of luggage.

This time our target location was farther than before. Zones E and F were that large. The train would stop once in F, twice in E. We would ride it all the way to the terminal, rest at the E-zone shelter, then cross a steep mountain into C-zone.

Installing a portal machine there was our first objective.

After installing it, our second objective was basic groundwork to ensure that the safe house in nearby B-zone could be protected by the Core.

The reason this became a TF mission was that fog had begun forming near C-zone.

“What time will you wake up, Hilde?”

“I plan to get up no later than 11 a.m., but if anything happens on the way, please wake me.”

Breathing in the cold air deep into my lungs, I replied.

“I’ll be in the front right compartment.”

The following seniors expressed agreement through silence.

They boarded quietly, swiftly chose their compartments, and threw their luggage inside. Ricardo, Yun, Kal, and Sophia all exhaled only white breaths, saying nothing.

Meanwhile, the squad boarding in the next carriage—Chen’s squad—was noisy.

It was 4 a.m., yet they were full of energy.

“No, I’m telling you I definitely saw it!”

“This senior must have drunk during an operation. Or he’s growing marijuana in the supply room?”

“What a coward this bastard is.”

The partition between our carriage and theirs was open, so I could clearly see them pouring in.

Only Jonathan was quiet among them.

He didn’t even exchange glances with Rona Chen or the other two seniors as he passed them and headed for his compartment.

As he opened the train compartment door, he looked back at me.

“Long time no see.”

Receiving his piercing gaze, I smiled gently.

“Let’s eat lunch in the dining car later.”

Jonathan nodded once.

“And you.”

“I also planned to go to the dining car around 11, so if the timing works, how about lunch together?”

“Good.”

Jonathan didn’t toss his luggage like others.

Instead, holding it firmly in one hand, he looked straight at me.

“I heard you’re going outside E-zone.”

“Yes.”

“Be careful. Your regeneration is on the weaker side.”

It was amazing how much a person could change.

I grinned and nodded.

“Yes. Rest well. See you at lunch.”

The fact that he still didn’t throw his luggage suited him.

After watching him disappear into his compartment, I crawled into mine.

***

I woke around 10.

Heading to the shower booth, I ran into Yun coming out.

My superior emerged shirtless, towel-drying his hair.

“Creatures.”

“Maybe because it’s a safe region, I barely sense any.”

Yun nodded.

“You eating lunch later?”

“Even if I refuse, Choi Ami will drag me out.”

The man grumbled, his brow faintly furrowing.

“Do I really have to eat with those noisy things?”

It did seem like he wasn’t compatible with the neighboring squad.

But Yun’s prediction was right. After finishing my shower and heading toward the dining car around 11, I ran into my superior again. Ami was beside him.

Ami had her arms looped around Yun’s and was dragging him along. Her hair was still damp, suggesting she had just showered.

The neighboring squad members were already seated.

Except for Jonathan Kudo, the remaining four were sitting together eating brunch.

“The neighboring team is here.”

The one who yesterday yelled at Chen asking if he was growing marijuana munched on bread as he scanned us. He had a sturdy build and bangs that almost covered his eyes.

For a moment I almost mistook him for a man. But he had no Adam’s apple.

Then that must be Jun.

The blond man next to him must be David.

“How come only classy folks ended up in this team.”

“Hey, isn’t that the famous gray-hair rookie!”

David turned his head, spotted me, and brightened.

“I wanted to chat with you—great timing! Let’s have a smoke together later.”

“Nice to meet you, senior.”

I greeted politely while avoiding giving a firm answer.

Chen’s squad would disembark at E-zone’s first stop.

The roster was something else. Their team was made of Ro Giacomo, Chen, Jun, David, and Jonathan Kudo.

It wasn’t as disastrous as that time when Personnel Director Ju gathered all the problematic people together. But their compatibility was the worst.

The reason this personnel disaster happened was because the Personnel Director was on vacation.

That’s right. Ju took a one-week vacation as soon as the new year began.

“They normally don’t send Kudo outside the Core.”

I was planning to sit and drink coffee while waiting for Jonathan and Ricardo to arrive.

Sitting across from the Choi siblings who were eating breakfast, I sipped a warm Americano. Ami spoke slowly.

“You know that junior sucks at group activities.”

“Yes. I imagine so.”

“That’s why they always assign him patrol duty. Who knew this kind of huge mess would happen.”

Ami spread blueberry jam onto her bagel diligently.

Yun chewed a plain bagel and let out a short laugh.

“At this point it’s almost a retaliatory personnel assignment.”

“...Well... I don’t know the other three very well, but Ro senior is at least straightforward.”

“If you combine the intelligence of those four—excluding Kudo—it still wouldn’t amount to half of Kudo’s intelligence.”

My superior snorted, adding that remark.

Ami didn’t deny her brother’s words.

Good grief.

I knew the exact way to get an accurate reputation assessment of seniors: ask the oldest Choi siblings. Ami tended to see a person’s strengths; Yun tended to see their weaknesses. If I asked both and averaged their answers, I’d get the most accurate evaluation.

The fact that their opinions aligned meant Yun’s added comment was very accurate.

Jonathan would have a tough mission ahead.

He was probably currently spending time at Ricardo’s cigarette break.

Thinking I should at least treat him well until he disembarked, I waited for the seniors who would soon arrive.

Until the noisy chatter at the neighboring table became even louder.

“Hey, you handsome punk over there!”

Through the noise, Ro’s voice came.

Was he calling Yun?

I turned my head with a puzzled look, but Ro was staring directly at me.

“Yeah, you, the only normal-looking guy! You, across from Peanut!”

“Are you calling me?”

“Yeah, you.”

He crooked his finger.

“Come over here.”

“What the hell, Ro! Why are you ordering another team’s member around!”

“Shut it, Peanut.”

“Senior.”

I gave a bitter smile, then walked toward Ro and said:

“You remember my name, right?”

With all the creative ways he addressed me, it looked like he’d forgotten.

But how could he forget, after the kind of shocking way we first met?

Puzzled, I approached their table. Ro dug into his ear with his pinky and raised an eyebrow.

Then he said:

“Kumbelevrtkumchum? Something like that? That kind of vibe, right?”

...What?

“Kum... Kumdeberrtwarrr. I think there were lots of r’s.”

“...Not ‘Kum,’ it’s Hil. And not ‘warrr,’ but Taleb....”

“Oh right. Taliban.”

I’m going insane.

“Kumbeverrt Taliban, wasn’t it?”

“Just call me however you want.”

I resigned at light speed and turned that resignation into a smile.

“What did you need, senior?”

“Chen was in the middle of telling a ghost story he saw outside the Core.”

David grinned and jumped into the conversation.

“You believe in ghosts, rookie?”