The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 147
It was a mess. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the grape juice slowly spilling out. It was clear that no one intended to forcibly wake Lee Sa-young. Bae Won-woo asked urgently.
“Then, do we have any idea when he’ll wake up?”
“How would I know! I’m not some fortune-teller, this is about Lee Sa-young’s soul. It’s up to him.”
“Even though you’re a god-given genius, the best artisan?”
“La~la~la~, I can’t hear you.”
Hong Ye-seong plugged his ears and fled to the corner of the conference room.
“…So, the best course of action is to just leave things as they are now.”
After Jung Bin’s words, silence fell over the conference room again. According to Hong Ye-seong, all they could do was wait. Without being able to do anything, overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness.
I should have stayed closer.
If only I had delayed dealing with the whale a bit longer.
Cha Eui-jae clenched the hand that had been resting on the table. Though his grip was weak, the already unstable glass overflowed with juice. The juice spilled out of the glass and began spreading wider and wider. As he watched the purple trail, he closed his eyes. Between the darkness that engulfed his vision, a pair of purple eyes emerged.
When did it start? The once detached and observing eyes now held warmth.
“Come back soon, Hyung.”
Did Lee Sa-young know his own future back when he farewelled me like that? He probably did. Didn’t he hand me the transfer scroll while pretending to make a pinky promise?
“…”
Cha Eui-jae’s life had always been a series of choices. Until now, he had always chosen the path where he could save the most people.
“…”
But.
The image of Lee Sa-young lying helplessly in the bathroom flickered in front of his eyes. Cha Eui-jae gritted his teeth. Just then,
Clap!
A sharp clap echoed in his ears. Startled, Cha Eui-jae snapped back to reality and looked up. Standing beside him, Jung Bin was staring at him quietly.
‘How long have I had my head down?’
As Cha Eui-jae straightened his hunched body, Jung Bin smiled softly and patted his back.
“Now it’s time to think about what we can do.”
“We?” It felt strangely unfamiliar. Cha Eui-jae looked around at the people sitting in the conference room. Come to think of it, Cha Eui-jae wasn’t alone right now. Jung Bin continued speaking slowly.
“We need to find other ways to fill the void left by Lee Sa-young. Fortunately, he’s not a hunter whose every move is under scrutiny, and here…”
His gaze shifted to J.
“…Thanks to J, who suddenly appeared and handled the whale excellently, the attention will be on him for a while. The sudden emergence of a number-one hunter is a big deal. Still…”
Jung Bin gestured toward the window with his eyes. White ash was still gently falling from the sky.
“The situation being what it is, someone is bound to come looking for Lee Sa-young. A few unanswered calls are fine, but continued silence will raise suspicions.”
Bae Won-woo, who had been pondering with his head down, muttered.
“…Can we just say he’s abroad for a bit?”
Seo Min-gi burst out.
“Are you trying to make him become a traitor in this situation? Even Hunter Gyu-Gyu is in Korea right now!”
“Damn it, why is Gyu-Gyu still in Korea when it’s not even Chuseok? What do we do?”
“No matter what, we can’t hide Lee Sa-young’s absence for long. The other guilds will be eager to seize this chaos as an opportunity to expand their power. They’d want to take the national hero’s place.”
“Is there… anything you could do to help us? After all, we’ve been through so much together, like chopping firewood and blowing on our hands to warm them in that run-down hut with Lee Sa-young, right, Captain?”
Bae Won-woo put on a pitiful expression, clasping his hands and furrowing his eyebrows in a pleading manner. But Jung Bin shook his head.
“I’ve already factored my cooperation into what I’m saying.”
“Oh no…”
“If.”
The voice, altered and emotionless, caught everyone’s attention. The voice belonged to J, who was sitting with his legs crossed. He rubbed the table with his index finger and tilted his head slightly.
“If I start to act properly.”
“…”
“Could I cover up Lee Sa-young’s absence?”
A serious expression settled on Jung Bin’s previously startled face. He stroked his chin and muttered.
“…For a while.”
“Not for long?”
“Public interest shifts easily. But we could hold out for a month or two.”
“Then let’s do that.”
“What?”
“Two months.”
J held up two fingers, forming a V.
“I’ll be active on the front lines for the next two months, so leak the story to the media and get all the attention focused on me.”
“…”
“If Lee Sa-young still hasn’t woken up by then, we’ll figure out another way. Anyone opposed?”
No one responded. But it was familiar. Being on the front lines, the lack of response. And…
“Then it’s settled.”
Becoming a hero.
With those words, he stood up without hesitation and walked straight to Hong Ye-seong, who was folding cranes in the corner.
“Hey, you.”
Hong Ye-seong blinked up at him.
“Huh? What? Oh, right. Are you here to tell me how the mission went? How was it? I worked really hard—”
Enough was enough. Cha Eui-jae clamped his hand over the mouth that was spewing words like a waterfall. Hong Ye-seong’s bright brown eyes widened in protest.
“Mmph! Mmph!”
The altered voice gave a short command.
“Turn it on. The one… where your eyes turn gold.”
“Mmph?”
“Hurry up. We don’t have time.”
His eyes blinked blankly, and then golden patterns began to emerge and rotate in his eyes. It was undoubtedly the Eye of Appraisal, but…
‘It’s different from the one I saw in the Memorial Dungeon.’
The Eye of Appraisal he saw there was more complex, chaotic, and vivid.
‘Are they entirely separate entities?’
Cha Eui-jae removed his hand from Hong Ye-seong’s mouth. Hong Ye-seong tilted his head.
“Why the Eye of Appraisal all of a sudden? Got something you need analyzed?”
‘But… it’s not clear yet.’
Cha Eui-jae held onto a sliver of possibility. If, like Lee Sa-young, the two shared the same soul origin, there must be a connection somewhere.
‘You said this was the last chance.’
‘Hong Ye-seong’ had helped the Cha Eui-jae of the first world when he turned back time. And, likely, he’d been watching over him ever since. Watching his struggles to prevent the end.
‘He’s probably watching even now.’
Cha Eui-jae pulled out his phone with the cracked screen and handed it over.
“Put your number in.”
Hong Ye-seong’s eyes sparkled with an overwhelming brightness.
“Wow… Are you asking for my number?”
“Just put it in.”
“Can I text you whenever I’m bored?”
“Don’t.”
As soon as the number was entered, Cha Eui-jae snatched the phone back and briskly opened the conference room door. He gave a quick bow to the people who stared at him with dumbfounded expressions.
“Well then, I’ll be off. If you need to get in touch, do it through Seo Min-gi.”
Click.
Once the conference room door closed, silence settled in. He let out a short sigh. The tightness in his chest showed no signs of easing. Cha Eui-jae started walking, casually tapping his chest near his heart with his fist. Then it happened.
“Hey, wait a minute!”
A familiar, deep voice stopped him in his tracks. It was the voice he’d heard morning, noon, and night at the hangover soup restaurant.
Habits are truly frightening. Without thinking, Cha Eui-jae instinctively turned around, slipping his hand into his pocket, ready to pull out an order pad and pen. Of course, there was no pen. He was wearing his combat uniform, after all!
‘Damn it, fuck.’
Cha Eui-jae stood awkwardly and faced Bae Won-woo. Fortunately, Bae Won-woo seemed distracted and didn’t pay any attention to the strange posture in front of him. Bae Won-woo hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Uh, by the way.”
“Yes?”
“That… do you…”
His heart pounded with guilt. Could it be about the hangover soup restaurant? Surely he hadn’t figured out that Cha Eui-jae was the part-timer. Cha Eui-jae clenched his fist behind his back, ready to resort to memory-erasing (by force) if necessary. But what Bae Won-woo said next was entirely unexpected.
“Did you know that Sa-young had been looking for J all this time?”
“…What?”
Cha Eui-jae’s mouth opened slightly. Bae Won-woo scratched his head.
“Ah… I wasn’t going to mention this. Please don’t pretend you know about this even if Sa-young wakes up later. I’m serious. Promise me.”
Bae Won-woo clasped his hands together and made a pleading gesture. Watching him, Cha Eui-jae took a deep breath and stepped back.
“No, it’s okay.”
“Sorry?”
“You don’t need to tell me.”
“But still…”
“I already know.”
“…”
“I know that Lee Sa-young was waiting for me, that he was searching for me.”
His heart pounded chaotically every time he mentioned Lee Sa-young’s name. Cha Eui-jae paused for a moment before lowering his head.
“I appreciate it, but I’ll hear it directly from Lee Sa-young when he wakes up.”
“Oh, okay…”
“Goodbye.”
Only after the black figure disappeared and the sound of footsteps faded completely did Bae Won-woo let out a big sigh. Cold sweat was beading on his forehead. He exhaled and glanced back slightly.
“…Did it show? That I was nervous?”
Seo Min-gi, who had appeared from Bae Won-woo’s shadow, pushed up his sunglasses.
“He’s not that much of a psycho. Probably.”
“I know, man. But what can I do if my body tenses up after getting beaten up so badly?”
“…”
Seo Min-gi didn’t respond, just shrugged his shoulders. Indeed, that day, J…
“Was like a ghost.”
“Hmm?”
“Nothing. Hunter Jung Bin is calling for you.”
“Ah, okay.”
Bae Won-woo trudged back into the conference room. Seo Min-gi rubbed the back of his neck as he stared down the empty hallway. Cold sweat had soaked him before he realized it.
On the Day of Change, J lost his mind and went on a rampage in the house of Guild Leader Lee Sa-young, only to be subdued by A Small Miracle Seo Min-gi, Shield Guy, and Jung Bin. In truth, saying he was subdued isn’t accurate. To be precise…
He ‘allowed himself’ to be subdued. Probably…
“…”
Even while losing his mind, he was concerned about causing harm to Lee Sa-young.
‘It seems he doesn’t clearly remember what happened that day…’
Seo Min-gi rubbed his mouth, letting out a rare sigh. Being personally singled out by J meant that he was in for a grueling time ahead.
Of course, as the ultimate workaholic, Seo Min-gi secretly welcomed the emergence of his new master.
