Chapter 17 - Self-Introduction (2)

My respectful greeting drew a burst of applause. There was no need for me to say anything more. Zhu smoothly took the microphone from my hand.

All eyes shifted to the person holding the microphone. Inwardly relieved, I turned slightly toward Zhu. He stood comfortably in the spotlight and began to speak with easy good humor.

"It's just us here, so I'll keep this informal."

I stood to Zhu's left, Yun to his right. My training officer was gazing down at the audience with bored eyes. Zhu, by contrast, looked as though flowers might come fluttering behind him.

The head of HR spoke.

"Hildebert is a new recruit who was only officially appointed this month. He's twenty-eight. He actually passed the recruitment exam early this year, but complications during his arrested-aging and enhanced-healing procedures delayed his appointment and introduction."

The explanation continued in an even tone. His smooth account matched what my training officer had told me: my fabricated official details. A man who had completed all his schooling online, then made a living doing assorted jobs over the internet.

Zhu neatly summarized it all to conclude the introduction. The people gathered in the auditorium listened quietly and attentively to the head of HR. His measured voice mingled with the rain outside the windows.

Just as it was starting to get a little boring, he wrapped up.

"That concludes the official introduction. Now we'll hear a few words from our new recruit, followed by five minutes of open questions."

The microphone came back to me.

So the moment had finally come.

I accepted it, trying to hide the resignation seeping into my smile.

RRRUMBLE, BOOM!

An enormous noise came from outside. Heads turned reflexively. The windows shook in the wind and rain, rattling precariously.

SHHHH!

The cold sound carried through the glass.

"It's really coming down," Zhu murmured with a smile.

The tornado must have drawn closer. The rain kept getting heavier. I glanced at the windows, then turned back to the audience.

I intended to get this over with quickly. A little earlier, Zhu had taken some pressure off me by saying most recruits kept their introductions short. People got bored, so I should keep mine short too.

"Hello. Allow me to introduce myself once more. My name is Hildebert Taleb."

My voice rang through the auditorium. Thank goodness it wasn't shaking. With everyone's eyes on me, I continued.

"Complications with my enhanced-healing procedure mean I'm only now able to make this belated introduction. As the head of HR explained, my background is nothing to boast of, but that makes me a clean slate, ready to learn everything you have to teach. Some of you may be wondering where this stray stone rolled in from. Since I've rolled in here uninvited, I'll work hard to ensure that, even if I can't be a stepping stone, I won't be a stumbling block. I know I'm the one who needs to prove myself. I'll do my best. Please look kindly on me."

I dipped my head. Applause followed. Letting out a small breath, I looked out across the auditorium.

Everyone was looking at me. The one saving grace was that it was too dark to make out their expressions.

If only they wouldn't ask any questions...

"Who's your training officer?"

Of course they would.

The question came from a man with graying hair seated in one of the front rows. His presence was formidable. Even with the height of the stage between us, I had to make an effort not to be cowed.

Meeting his piercing gaze, I answered.

"Choi Yun."

The hall stirred. I could see the agitation spreading, slowly filling the auditorium. Eyes rounded at my answer.

I knew this reaction. Everyone in the commander-in-chief's office had reacted the same way. So had Iho.

That's right, everyone. My training officer is that very man standing beside me.

With an air of serene resignation, I listened to the whispers breaking out.

"Yun? Doesn't his work in the Science Department keep him from training recruits?"

"It's less the Science Department and more his personality..."

"Hey. Keep it down. The recruit's right there."

"So that's why he's up there. I was wondering why he was standing there with that look on his face."

"He really looks like he couldn't be more bothered."

"But he always looks like that..."

"Will he have the time? Isn't he one of the Science Department's two leading brains?"

"But seriously, isn't that setting the difficulty a little high for the new guy's first year?"

My seniors' murmurs kept coming, each one hitting home.

I stood smiling, hands neatly clasped in front of me. Play this right, Hildebert. I couldn't let my true feelings show the way I had in front of Iho.

The man who had asked the question folded his arms and looked me over appraisingly. But just as I was trying to perfect the smile painted on my face, a familiar voice rang out.

"Hey, the new guy's already resigned himself to his fate!"

It was Ro. He looked at the smile plastered on my face and clicked his tongue.

"What happened to the kid to make him look like that already?"

What was wrong with my expression?

But plenty of people agreed with Ro. I spotted heads nodding here and there. Some people covered their mouths, others looked at me with eyes full of pity... And over there, Riccardo was clutching his stomach, holding back laughter.

You find this funny, do you?

"Oh, poor thing. We'll have to be nice to him..." someone murmured.

"Just buy the new guy a meal," another Badger chimed in.

Yes, everyone. Please be nice to me. Though I'm doing better than you all think.

The murmuring continued. Their whispers showed no sign of stopping. Through it all, my training officer stood beside me onstage, as impassive as ever.

Yun spoke dryly.

"I understand your reactions, but all of this was the head of HR's decision."

Every gaze swung to Zhu. A faint smile rested on his lips. The murmurs started up again.

As people gave him looks demanding to know what he thought he was doing, he put a hand to his chin, tilted his head, and studied me.

"Hmm..."

The head of HR scrutinized my desperate smile. I turned to meet his eyes, then beamed at him with everything I had. His eyes curved into crescents too.

"Hilde."

Daisies seemed to flutter behind him.

"I'm so glad you seem to be doing well."

"Hey!"

Ro slammed a hand on his armrest.

"What part of that face says he's doing well? The light's gone out of his eyes!"

"What's wrong with his eyes? He looks perfectly handsome to me."

"Ah, thank you, sir. And thank you for your concern, Ro. But I really am doing well."

"There you have it. Come see me anytime you have a problem, Hilde. My office is on the ninth floor of headquarters."

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

"It's too late for him," a beautiful, dark-skinned woman pronounced with a smile. "He's already scared stiff."

I was not.

I'd even been given a house. I was doing just fine.

None of this reached the people sitting in the auditorium. Keeping the bright smile firmly in place, I turned back to the audience.

The battle-hardened veteran who had asked the question was studying me with an unreadable expression. Iho watched the proceedings in disbelief. Riccardo was doubled over, choking back laughter, while Aide Ska wore a sympathetic smile in the back row.

Yehyeon was watching events unfold with a faint, enigmatic smile. Careful not to meet his eyes, I scanned the others. I spotted Ami blinking her round eyes over and over.

Yun broke the silence again.

"For the record, he's moved into the cabin next to my house, not the dormitory. Don't waste your time poking around the dorms looking for him."

His dry voice echoed through the auditorium. Groans erupted all around. Even seniors who had kept quiet until now voiced genuine pity for me.

I kept smiling as I watched this whole spectacle.

My cheeks felt about to cramp.

"How did you end up living there, new guy?"

The beautiful woman who had just assessed my prospects propped her chin on her hand and met my eyes.

"Where did you live before?"

Ah.

What should I say? For a moment, I couldn't think of a suitable answer.

Yun came to the rescue.

"He's penniless. He got kicked out of his one-room place not long ago. It's a sore subject, so don't pry," he said in his parched voice.

"He had nowhere to live, so I gave him a cabin I wasn't using."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Her large eyes turned toward me. Beneath long lashes, those dark brown eyes searched my face. I struggled to broaden my trembling smile.

"That was thoughtless of me."

"Not at all. Thanks to that, I have a home in a lovely place, and I'm doing well. I think this is precisely what they call a blessing in disguise."

"What an amiable boy. Is that why the head of HR paired him with Yun?"

"Do you train around there too, then?" a man asked. "You don't use the training room attached to the dormitory?"

"No, we plan to use it. We need to coordinate schedules with the teams using it at the moment."

Once again, Yun answered. He looked away from the questioner and swept his gaze over the auditorium.

"Who's training the recruits immediately above him?"

Two Badgers raised their hands. I recognized one of them. He was among the people I'd encountered when I first fell into this world: the man who had worn a mask up over his nose. I remembered him standing beside Shu before Riccardo and Ami sent them home partway through.

Those vivid blue eyes had left enough of an impression that I recognized his unmasked face immediately. He was a sturdy-looking man with a slightly square jaw.

The other man was a stranger.

Yun looked at them and asked, "Have those two recruits gone outside the core?"

They shook their heads without a word.

Apparently there were two recruits immediately above me. Did that include Shu? Somehow I had a feeling it didn't...

Yun's voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"I'm planning to take him out tomorrow."

The auditorium filled with noise once more. Voices of horror. Sharp intakes of breath. Someone asking, "But wasn't he only appointed yesterday?"

The reaction was so explosive that I couldn't pick out what people were saying this time. Nor did I have the energy.

Just smile, Hildebert. Smile!

Even amid the chaos, I struggled to maintain a likable expression.

When was this introduction ever going to end...

RRRRUMBLE, KRA-BOOM!

A tremendous clap of thunder shook the auditorium, loud enough to seize everyone's attention. The murmuring stopped dead.

A chill silence settled over the room.

Zhu smiled at the windows.

"The rain just won't let up."

He gestured for the microphone. I promptly presented it to him with both hands. Taking it, he turned toward the auditorium with a broad smile.

"I'm sure you all have plenty of questions, but unfortunately, our time is up. The rain's getting worse, and we need people to guard the core, so we'll end the introduction here. Teach our new recruit well, and give him plenty of help settling in."

His measured voice rang through the auditorium. He looked with satisfaction at the Black Badgers listening quietly, then cast his gaze toward the back.

"May I dismiss them now, Commander?"

Everyone turned at once. Yehyeon, who had been sitting motionless with that faint, enigmatic smile, blinked slowly. The Badgers' gazes shot toward him.

Silence spread over the audience in an instant. I watched the commander-in-chief's reaction tensely too.

He unclasped the hands resting on his crossed legs and looked down at his subordinates.

"Yes. Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come."

His husky voice resonated through the auditorium. No one moved as they waited for their superior to finish.

"As the head of HR briefly explained, this is an unusual case. Complications during his enhanced-healing procedure delayed his appointment. I thought it best to introduce him to as many Badgers as possible, which is why I arranged this gathering. His healing still has issues, so take particular care in guiding your junior."

That last sentence might have sparked another wave of murmurs, but no one spoke. The Badgers remained perfectly still, looking at Yehyeon.

"I've kept you too long."

Yehyeon rose after that evenly spoken remark. The two men beside him stood in turn. They turned and walked toward the main auditorium doors, Ska stepping ahead to open them.

Light from the hallway poured into the dim auditorium. Stepping out into the bright corridor, Yehyeon concluded gently.

"Thank you for coming without complaint despite the bad weather. Get back to your work now. It's rough out there, so be careful."

"Dismiiissed!" Zhu called brightly.

"Dismissed! Get back safely, everyone! Last one out, lock the auditorium doors!"

The auditorium filled with noise again. People rising from their seats. Greetings, conversations, footsteps heading outside.

They began streaming out, their noise drowning out the heavy rain. It was like watching a movie theater as the end credits began to roll. The way they gathered in little groups to leave...

Someone laid a hand on my shoulder.

"Let's go," Yun said impassively. "Before the annoying ones catch us."

The annoying ones?

I wasn't oblivious enough to ask that aloud. I nodded at once and hurried after him toward the back of the stage.