The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 146
Two and a half months ago.
It had been about two weeks and two days since Lee Sa-young had fallen asleep. Bae Won-woo, who not only sported a dark bruise around his eye but was also covered in bandages, gathered some people together. Among them, though he didn’t remember it, was Cha Eui-jae— J, the one responsible for giving the 11th-ranked hunter and regular customer at the hangover soup restaurant, that bruise.
“…”
“…”
“…”
A small group of people gathered together, invited by Bae Won-woo. Even though he had carefully selected them, an awkward silence filled the Pado Guild’s meeting room. The attendees sat sparsely around a large table.
J, Bae Won-woo, Jung Bin, Seo Min-gi, Yoon Ga-eul, and Hong Ye-seong…
Despite his usual shamelessness, Cha Eui-jae uncharacteristically bowed his head. It was understandable, considering that he had beaten up more than half of the hunters present in the room. Not that he remembered it. He was glad to be wearing his mask. He glanced over at Jung Bin.
Jung Bin had bandages wrapped around his head…
Cha Eui-jae cautiously asked, “Are you okay?”
“Hm? Oh, yes. I’m fine. I received treatment from Nam Woo-jin.”
Jung Bin smiled softly, as if to reassure him. However…
“Why does the Shield Guy have a bruise around his eye? Who hit you?”
Even the usually calm Jung Bin couldn’t maintain his composure when faced with the overly innocent but borderline malicious question from Hong Ye-seong. Cha Eui-jae pretended not to notice the slight flinch in Jung Bin’s shoulders. Bae Won-woo, who had been rolling an egg over his bruised eyelid, grumbled.
“Keep it down.”
“Wait, you really got hit?”
“No.”
“Alright, enough with the jokes.”
As the meeting room door suddenly swung open, the previously awkward atmosphere became tense in an instant. A sharp, suffocating killing intent filled the room. Nam Woo-jin, who bore the full brunt of this hostility, tilted his chin up without changing his expression.
“Is this how hunters greet their guests these days? I don’t mind, but the student over there looks like they might pass out.”
All eyes turned to Yoon Ga-eul, who sat in the corner, her face pale and drenched in sweat. Bae Won-woo hurriedly reined in his energy with a flustered expression.
“Oh, I’m sorry. It wasn’t intentional. I’ve just been on edge lately…”
“It’s, it’s okay…”
“Here, would you like some juice? How about we all have a drink? I think we need something sweet.”
Bae Won-woo quickly stood up and opened a refrigerator in the corner of the meeting room. Hong Ye-seong curiously peered inside.
“Why is there a fridge in here?”
“Some people get angry when their blood sugar drops.”
Grape juice and orange juice were placed in front of everyone. After taking a sip of orange juice, Nam Woo-jin spoke briefly.
“Lee Sa-young has fallen asleep.”
“Wait, really? Are you sure he’s just sleeping?”
Nam Woo-jin crossed his legs and turned in his seat, responding curtly to the bewildered Bae Won-woo.
“There are no signs that suggest brain death. On the contrary, his condition is identical to someone in a deep sleep.”
“But is it okay for him to sleep this long?”
“Black holes turned into white holes, and whales flew in the sky. Is it really that strange for someone to sleep a bit longer? It’s entirely possible.”
“But…”
Nam Woo-jin raised a hand, cutting off Bae Won-woo.
“Of course, it’s not normal. His body remains perfectly preserved without any need for external nourishment. There’s no muscle atrophy. He simply exists there. As if time has stopped.”
Time stopped. Cha Eui-jae bit his lip. Bae Won-woo murmured sullenly.
“That’s right…”
“He’s not just any hunter; he’s a guild leader. We can’t hide his absence for too long. First, think about how to handle this.”
“The secret…”
“Will be kept. I’ll cooperate as much as I can, but…”
Nam Woo-jin clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“The moment his absence is discovered, that old cunning fox won’t sit idly by. Make sure you have a plan.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“…”
Nam Woo-jin’s cold, white eyes scanned the meeting room, his gaze finally settling on Cha Eui-jae. After briefly observing Cha Eui-jae with a mysterious expression, he turned and left the room.
Silence returned.
“…”
Bae Won-woo, who had been rubbing his temples, looked at Yoon Ga-eul.
“I heard from Jung Bin that our guild leader went to rescue you. Do you have any idea why? We need to know the reason to try anything.”
“Ah, actually, I do have a theory…”
Yoon Ga-eul swallowed nervously.
“But it’s just a hypothesis, so don’t take it too seriously.”
Her glasses glinted as they caught the light.
“I met Lee Sa-young-ssi from that ruined world. For whatever reason, he saved me. And not long after, J and this world’s Lee Sa-young-ssi came to rescue me in that destroyed world.”
Bae Won-woo cast a cautious glance at J, Cha Eui-jae. Cha Eui-jae nodded slightly to confirm. Yoon Ga-eul, biting her lip, asked,
“But can two versions of the same person exist in one world?”
“…What?”
“The person I met was wandering that world, waiting for the end to come. He chose not to leave that ruined world of his own will. But then this world’s Lee Sa-young appeared, meaning there were two Lee Sa-youngs in one world.”
Two Lee Sa-youngs in one world. The system’s rules were absolute, and it demanded balance and order. Cha Eui-jae murmured in his altered voice,
“One has to disappear…”
Or they have to merge.
When something splits into two, it must become one again. That’s likely the conclusion the system came to. Yoon Ga-eul looked between Jung Bin and Cha Eui-jae.
“This is a bit off-topic, but haven’t the occurrences of falling debris from the white holes decreased since Lee Sa-young-ssi fell into his deep sleep?”
“…”
Jung Bin answered with a troubled expression.
“We’ll have to investigate that.”
“Both the Lee Sa-young from that world and the one from this world are fundamentally the same person.”
It was then that Seo Min-gi, who had been silently listening from the shadows, raised his hand.
“Wait, how can you be so sure of that?”
“What’s this all of a sudden?”
“Because nothing is certain. I’ve heard the general story from Jung Bin, but that world has already been destroyed, hasn’t it? We should consider the possibility that the essence we know might have been altered while he was alone there.”
“That’s…”
Yoon Ga-eul’s gaze wandered around the room before settling on Cha Eui-jae. Noticing her stare, Cha Eui-jae widened his eyes and pointed at himself, mouthing,
‘Me? Why?’
Yoon Ga-eul’s expression turned awkward. She clenched her skirt over her tracksuit pants and averted her eyes.
“…I just felt they were the same person. No, I’m sure of it.”
“Do you have any basis for that?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Could you tell us what that is? For the sake of trust.”
“…”
After a moment of hesitation, Yoon Ga-eul lowered her head and muttered,
“…Obsession.”
“…Pardon?”
Seo Min-gi, who had been retracing Yoon Ga-eul’s line of thought, covered his mouth in shock. Cha Eui-jae, too, was left speechless, staring at Yoon Ga-eul. Why on earth would she say that while looking at him? At that moment, someone filled the silence.
“Then their souls must have merged.”
“What?”
Everyone’s attention turned to Hong Ye-seong. He blinked as he folded and tossed a paper airplane made from scrap paper.
“If they’re fundamentally the same, that means their roots are the same.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
Bae Won-woo asked bluntly. Hong Ye-seong clicked his tongue in annoyance, then suddenly stood up.
“Alright, let this genius explain it so even you can understand. Can someone lend me their cup? Oh, I’ll use this. You’re done drinking, right? Excuse me.”
Hong Ye-seong grabbed the cups from Jung Bin and Bae Won-woo, placing them side by side on the table. The two, whose juices had been snatched, looked baffled, but he paid them no mind. Both cups contained grape juice, though in different amounts. Hong Ye-seong pointed to the left cup.
“What do you see?”
“A glass.”
“That’s the container. What’s inside?”
“Grape juice.”
“And this one?”
“That’s grape juice too.”
“Alright then…”
Hong Ye-seong poured all the juice from the right cup into the left cup. The juice filled the glass to the brim, almost overflowing. He pointed at the glass again.
“Now, what happens if two grape juices are forced to combine, regardless of their own will? What does that become?”
“Grape juice…”
“Exactly. When you combine the same juice, it doesn’t suddenly turn into wine. Now, let’s imagine this grape juice is Lee Sa-young’s soul.”
Cha Eui-jae uncrossed his arms. It made sense. Jung Bin, too, widened his eyes in surprise.
“That Lee Sa-young was holding onto an entire world, right? Then, their soul isn’t ordinary. And the Lee Sa-young we know is also no ordinary person…”
Hong Ye-seong lightly tapped the glass with the tip of the paper airplane. The surface of the fully filled juice wobbled dangerously, as if it would spill any moment.
“Now, two such souls have been poured into one body, filling it up just like this cup. That’s why it’s an emergency, so they’ve gone to sleep for now.”
“Wow…”
Clapping loudly with his large hands, Bae Won-woo jumped up from his seat.
“Hong Ye-seong, you’re a freaking genius. That’s crazy.”
Hong Ye-seong’s lips began to curl into a smile. Seo Min-gi, who had been standing like a reaper in the shadowy corner, also joined in clapping.
“You managed to make the Vice-Guild Leader understand at once… truly, you’re a genius.”
“What? Me, the world’s greatest genius, the divine artisan blessed by the heavens, Hong Ye-seong?”
“I didn’t quite say it like that.”
Ignoring the comedy act unfolding before him, Cha Eui-jae tapped on the armrest of his chair. So far, this was the most reasonable and convincing theory. But soon, his suspicions crept in, and he glared at the artisan.
‘Is this guy the same Hong Ye-seong from the Memorial Dungeon?’
It was understandable. That Hong Ye-seong seemed far more intelligent than the one he knew. Sensing his confusion, Jung Bin leaned in, covering his mouth with his hand, and whispered in his ear.
“I call this his intermittent genius state.”
“Is he always like this?”
“Very rarely.”
Maybe it was like a broken clock being right twice a day. Just then, Bae Won-woo, who had been clapping, asked with concern.
“Then, is there no way to wake him up other than waiting? Can’t we wake him up somehow?”
“Hmm? If Lee Sa-young’s state really is like this cup…”
Hong Ye-seong tapped the edge of the table. The table creaked, and the cup shook with it. Eventually, some drops of juice spilled out of the cup.
Hong Ye-seong shrugged as he looked at the juice pooling below the cup.
“Even the slightest disturbance could ruin everything.”
