The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 152
Tears that started to trickle down, drop by drop, soon began to fall rapidly. Cha Eui-jae froze, still holding onto Lee Sa-young’s hand.
‘Is he crying?’
Lee Sa-young?
‘Why?’
What could possibly make him cry as soon as he saw me? A flood of thoughts bubbled up in his mind.
‘Because I wasn’t there when he woke up?’
There’s no way Lee Sa-young would cry over something like that. Cha Eui-jae dismissed the first possibility. Lee Sa-young would be more likely to get annoyed or angry, but crying? No way. Or maybe…
‘Did he have a dream about me dying?’
…
Cha Eui-jae lifted his gaze from the hand he had been staring at and looked at Lee Sa-young. He gasped softly.
The pale face staring back at him was shockingly devoid of emotion. The expression that had once looked like he’d seen a ghost was long gone. It was as if that had been the last remaining emotion.
He was just staring. At Cha Eui-jae. As if nothing else mattered, those violet eyes, once brimming with so many emotions, now reflected only one person like a mirror.
Cha Eui-jae alone.
“…”
Cha Eui-jae opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again.
There was something ‘off’ about Lee Sa-young standing before him. If it weren’t for the constant flow of tears and the warmth emanating from the hand he held, Cha Eui-jae might have thought he wasn’t alive at all— like he was somehow…
…separated from this world.
As that thought crossed his mind, his vision swam. A throbbing headache hit him. Cha Eui-jae winced, clutching his head. The hand that had been holding his slipped away like a snake.
Blood-stained lips, red from biting, parted.
“Cha Eui-jae.”
Hearing his name, Cha Eui-jae’s body tensed up. It was an instinctive reaction. The blackened hand that had touched him earlier wrapped around Cha Eui-jae’s hand again, gently pulling it closer. Then, it slowly traced the long scar on his palm. A shiver ran down Cha Eui-jae’s spine.
“…I thought it was all meaningless.”
“…”
“Everything I did…”
A short sigh escaped. Long, tear-laden lashes trembled. Through the mirror-like eyes, a faint hint of tenderness emerged.
“I’m glad.”
“…”
“You look alright…”
He lowered his head near Cha Eui-jae’s hand, stopping just short of touching it. His lips moved, leaving a tiny gap.
“…Did I protect it?”
“…What?”
“Of course… I probably didn’t.”
Lee Sa-young released Cha Eui-jae’s hand and took a step back. Left behind in Cha Eui-jae’s hand was the watch he had forgotten. The second hand ticked away. Lee Sa-young, with his hands shoved into his coat pockets, nodded toward the watch with his chin.
“Take good care of that watch… It’s important.”
Cha Eui-jae grasped the watch tightly and looked up. As the wind blew, Lee Sa-young’s black hair and coat fluttered. A strange sensation crept up from Cha Eui-jae’s feet.
‘That’ Lee Sa-young wasn’t the Lee Sa-young he knew. Yet, he was also the ‘Lee Sa-young he knew.’
Suddenly, his vision blurred.
Everything was red. The metallic scent of blood wouldn’t fade. His body was numb. His dry throat burned with pain, but he kept muttering. He knew he couldn’t bear the silence.
There was no one to make noise for him. The physical pain had dulled, but the scene that pierced his heart was inescapable…
Flap,
Something black covered his head and upper body. The red scene disappeared, and darkness fell. Cha Eui-jae slowly stopped muttering. He sensed the presence of something alive.
‘…’
‘…’
‘……’
A lukewarm warmth touched him through the coat. Someone whispered.
“Come back… Quietly… please.”
His dazed mind suddenly snapped awake. The sound of waves crashing against the breakwater and retreating back into the sea sharpened his senses. But it still felt like a heavy stone was pressing down on his head.
Frowning, Cha Eui-jae asked,
“You… What are you? Why…”
“Ah…”
He muttered,
“I can’t hold on much longer…”
Lee Sa-young, who had blinked a couple of times, closed his eyes. At that moment, his large body lost its balance and collapsed. Cha Eui-jae quickly extended his arms to catch him. The heavy weight fell onto him, but he didn’t stagger. Soon, a faint groan escaped from Lee Sa-young in his arms.
“Damn it…”
The voice was laced with irritation. Cha Eui-jae glanced down at the black-haired head nestled in his arms. Lee Sa-young blinked, as if trying to grasp the situation, then widened his eyes when he saw Cha Eui-jae holding him. His eyes were swollen and red, and his long eyelashes were still wet with tears.
“…Hyung? What’s going on?”
Lee Sa-young, realizing it was Cha Eui-jae holding him, straightened up and looked around. Then, noticing the memorial stone behind them, he scowled.
“…Incheon? Why are we here?”
“That’s what I want to know.”
“What do you…”
“You were the one here. I came looking for you.”
Cha Eui-jae sighed and patted Lee Sa-young’s back soothingly. Lee Sa-young, who had been staring at him in confusion, soon wiped his face with his hand. But then he froze, seeing the tears on his hand. His expression twisted in frustration.
“Ah, damn it, what the hell…”
Lee Sa-young rubbed his eyes with his fingers, but the tears wouldn’t stop falling. He roughly rubbed his face again.
“Why is this happening…”
The more he rubbed, the redder his eyes became. Cha Eui-jae took Lee Sa-young’s hand and gently wiped away the moisture with his jacket sleeve. But the tears wouldn’t stop. The more he wiped, the more they flowed.
“Why are you still crying? …Are you hurt? Are you feeling sick?”
The violet eyes glared at Cha Eui-jae from beneath the sleeve. Cha Eui-jae could sense the relief hidden beneath the irritation and discomfort.
Eyes filled with warmth.
Not the empty eyes that had mirrored only Cha Eui-jae earlier.
“…”
Lee Sa-young slightly lowered his head to make it easier for Cha Eui-jae to wipe away his tears, then murmured.
“…I’m not the one crying.”
“What?”
“It’s not my will. I don’t know why this is happening… Damn it…”
His tone was like a child throwing a tantrum, except for the curses that followed.
Lee Sa-young grabbed Cha Eui-jae’s hand that was wiping his eyes and pressed it against his cheek. He let out a small sigh, burying his tear-soaked cheek and face into Cha Eui-jae’s firm hand. It was almost like a big beast seeking comfort. The wet eyelashes brushed against Cha Eui-jae’s palm, tickling it. Then, a small whisper followed.
“How annoying…”
Wait, is he saying he’s annoyed at me? Cha Eui-jae was about to retort indignantly when Lee Sa-young, as if sensing his reaction, glared sharply at him.
“Not you.”
“…”
This guy’s like a ghost, Cha Eui-jae thought, feeling a bit awkward as he gently stroked Lee Sa-young’s eyes with his thumb. Lee Sa-young, who had been biting his lips, spoke.
“…Hug me.”
“What?”
“Hurry.”
Lee Sa-young urged. The guy, who was usually relaxed and leisurely in most situations, was now acting impatient, leaving Cha Eui-jae flustered. Cha Eui-jae looked at Lee Sa-young, who was rubbing his cheek and nose against his hand as if anxious, and asked suspiciously.
“Are you really okay—”
“Haaa…”
Lee Sa-young let out an exasperated sigh. Then, he grabbed Cha Eui-jae’s hand and pulled it toward him. Cha Eui-jae didn’t resist. His vision flipped upside down. The gray pier and sea spun around, and soon his view changed to the ashen sky.
Thud, Lee Sa-young’s black fingers lightly pushed against his shoulder. Something cold and hard touched the back of Cha Eui-jae’s neck. He glanced up and behind him. Somehow, he had ended up almost lying down with only his shoulder propped against the memorial stone.
Lee Sa-young was hovering above him, supporting himself with both arms and legs. His hands were pressed into the ground near Cha Eui-jae’s shoulders. His black coat and hair covered Cha Eui-jae. Lee Sa-young lowered his head. The familiar sweet scent tickled Cha Eui-jae’s nose, and he unconsciously held his breath.
Lee Sa-young’s brilliant violet eyes drew closer, almost as if they were about to devour him.
“For the love of everything…”
“…”
“When someone says something… just listen the first time.”
Something lightly brushed against Cha Eui-jae’s mask and then pulled back. The heavy weight pressed down on him again, and something soft and ticklish touched the back of his neck. It was Lee Sa-young’s hair. Lee Sa-young buried his face in Cha Eui-jae’s neck, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist as he lay on top of him.
Cha Eui-jae was honestly dumbfounded.
“…Huh?”
“Don’t sigh; just say my name.”
Lee Sa-young growled. Judging by how the back of his neck was still wet, it seemed the tears hadn’t stopped yet. Cha Eui-jae glanced around. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any CCTV cameras around… Well, even if there were, Seo Min-gi would probably erase the footage. With that thought, he ran his fingers through Lee Sa-young’s soft hair and whispered.
“…Lee Sa-young.”
The ragged breathing calmed down a bit. Maybe he was trying to gather himself. Lee Sa-young, who had no problem talking about anything else, always clammed up when it came to things related to himself. That’s why it was so hard to figure him out.
What had happened, what kind of dreams he had while asleep, what he had seen, what he was thinking. There were so many things Cha Eui-jae was curious about. He felt like if he could just hear everything and dig down to the bottom, this anxiety would go away. The fear of losing him again.
“Sa-young-ah.”
Yet, as he faced the myriad emotions in his eyes, as he felt the breath on his palm and saw every movement of him being alive, Cha Eui-jae’s anxiety began to subside.
Does Lee Sa-young even realize? That it’s not just his reaction that’s precious.
How much time had passed? The wind that had been blowing suddenly died down. The sound of waves had calmed, and the breathing in Cha Eui-jae’s arms had also steadied. It was the familiar sound of breath he’d heard every time Lee Sa-young slept. Cha Eui-jae gently pushed the hair away from his face with the hand that had been stroking him. The tears had finally stopped. At last.
Lifting his head, Cha Eui-jae looked around and spotted a black van parked at the end of the pier. He flicked his finger at the shadow cast by his hand. A shadowy figure the size of a finger stood up from the van, struggling to its feet. Cha Eui-jae twisted a strand of Lee Sa-young’s hair around his finger and whispered.
“Tell your master.”
The Lee Sa-young who had wandered through the second world— only Yoon Ga-eul had seen him in person. The Lee Sa-young whose eyes had mirrored only Cha Eui-jae with all his emotions seemingly stripped away, and the Lee Sa-young who now couldn’t hide his emotions, pouring out his anxiety and unease. They were different.
He had to figure out what was going on. The black mask tilted slightly.
“I need to go see Ga-eul.”
