The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 158
Shortly after, they sat across the table from each other. The only difference from earlier was that Lee Sa-young had taken the seat where Kkokko had been, while Kkokko now sat beside Cha Eui-jae. One arm resting behind his chair, Lee Sa-young traced the rim of his cup slowly with his index finger.
“…So, to summarize.”
Gulp. A swallow. The finger stopped. A lethargic voice murmured.
“You noticed that there’s someone else inside me.”
“Yeah.”
“And you came looking for Hong Ye-seong to figure out what’s going on…”
His black finger precisely pointed at Kkokko.
“And that chicken bastard is Hong—”
“Wait, wait.”
Cha Eui-jae quickly reached out to clamp Lee Sa-young’s mouth shut as he half-rose from his seat. His violet eyes narrowed. He put a finger to his own lips with his other hand and whispered, “Shh,” as though to emphasize his point.
“We can’t say that outright. There’s still a lot to hear.”
They hadn’t yet figured out how to resolve this. They couldn’t just send the otherworldly Hong Ye-seong back without solving the problem.
At that moment, Lee Sa-young’s black hand gripped Cha Eui-jae’s wrist tightly— surprisingly strong, even to Cha Eui-jae. Their eyes met. Lee Sa-young’s gaze was filled with annoyance. He pulled Cha Eui-jae’s hand away from his mouth and snapped sharply.
“Don’t do that.”
“What? …Cover your mouth?”
Cha Eui-jae remembered something Bae Won-woo had mentioned— Lee Sa-young hated being controlled. Cha Eui-jae withdrew his hand from Lee Sa-young’s mouth, though Lee Sa-young gestured at his other hand with a nod of his chin.
“The shushing.”
That was an unexpected response. Cha Eui-jae blinked in confusion, wiggling the finger he’d placed against his lips.
“This? Why?”
“…Just don’t. It’s annoying.”
Lee Sa-young’s curt reply was followed by silence as he closed his eyes. He looked utterly exhausted. He’d always been moody and difficult to deal with, but now it seemed even worse— probably because he’d just woken up from a three-month coma. Cha Eui-jae clicked his tongue quietly.
‘Right, he has every reason to be unstable…’
He wasn’t just Lee Sa-young anymore— he was essentially two people in one body. Handling one Lee Sa-young was already difficult enough, and now there are two. Cha Eui-jae massaged his neck absentmindedly as his instincts screamed a warning.
‘Lee Sa-young’s one thing, but…’
He thought back to the way Lee Sa-young’s fingers had trailed over his palm, his gaze completely focused on Cha Eui-jae as if nothing else existed. That eerie, worn-out aura… the ‘Lee Sa-young’ who no longer seemed entirely human.
And then…
Cha Eui-jae glanced up at Lee Sa-young. The other man, pressing his fingers into his temple, blinked as if sensing Cha Eui-jae’s gaze. Cha Eui-jae quickly looked away, but the atmosphere across the table grew tense. If he were an ordinary person, he would have fainted from the pressure alone. Damn, now he couldn’t even look at Lee Sa-young for no reason. Either way, Lee Sa-young was a problem.
Cha Eui-jae sighed, fingering the edge of his cushion.
‘This is going to be exhausting…’
Both of them weren’t going to make things easy, that much was clear. And being caught in the middle? He was going to suffer the most. Just then, Kkokko, who had been quietly perched atop a pile of cushions, opened his beak.
“Can I speak now?”
“If it’s about Lee Sa-young’s condition.”
“Of course it is. Anyway, for some reason, their souls haven’t fully fused yet.”
Lee Sa-young brushed a lock of hair back from his face and asked,
“What’s the reason?”
“…”
“…”
An awkward silence followed. Lee Sa-young raised an eyebrow. Kkokko glanced at Cha Eui-jae, who quickly and discreetly jabbed Kkokko in the side with a finger. Feeling a sharp poke, Kkokko responded mechanically.
“It’s just what I said— some kind of external interference, an unfortunate accident, if you will… I don’t really know the details!”
He knew.
“Hey, if you don’t know, just skip it. There’s no point dwelling with an unknown cause. Nothing will come of it.”
Something will come of it.
“…”
Lee Sa-young shot Cha Eui-jae a suspicious look, but Cha Eui-jae just smiled. After all, not even Lee Sa-young could complain about someone smiling, right?
Luckily, his tactic worked. After staring at Cha Eui-jae’s face for a long moment, Lee Sa-young sighed and turned his head away. Seizing the opportunity, Cha Eui-jae jabbed Kkokko again. The ceramic chicken spilled out words like an answering machine.
“The truth is, there’s no clear solution right now. It’s not like before, when messing with it would cause an explosion, but things are still unstable. And the system is probably watching.”
“Do you think I came all the way here to hear that?”
“But it’s the truth. How do you feel, though?”
Kkokko turned to Lee Sa-young.
“How’s your body? Do you see anything unusual? Having trouble with your memory?”
“…”
Lee Sa-young pursed his lips tightly. A scab that had formed on his lips cracked and started bleeding again. Cha Eui-jae and Kkokko waited patiently for him to continue. Finally, Lee Sa-young pressed his fingers to his temple and spoke slowly.
“…My memories are all jumbled up. Mine and… someone else’s, all mixed together.”
“…”
“You want me to be more honest?”
Lee Sa-young’s violet eyes burned like fire, as if they wanted to consume Cha Eui-jae whole. Leaning forward across the table, Lee Sa-young spat his words out quietly.
“Earlier, I thought you were dead.”
“…”
“There was blood running down your head and neck… Ha, fuck. I thought I’d lost my mind.”
Suddenly, Cha Eui-jae remembered the day at the memorial stone, when Lee Sa-young had touched his head and temple, his face white with fear…
With a short breath, Lee Sa-young buried his face in his hands.
“When I realize this is real, it’s… better. But when I first wake up… that’s when it’s bad.”
A shadow passed over his pale face. Lee Sa-young pressed a hand to his chest.
“I can feel him inside me… another version of me. But it doesn’t feel unfamiliar… It’s like he’s claiming to be me, too. He’s similar to me.”
His blood-red lips twisted into a bitter smile.
“Disgusting…”
“…”
“Well…”
Lee Sa-young slowly stood up. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black leather coat, then tilted his head, looking down at Kkokko.
“Are you satisfied now? Hong Ye-seong.”
The air seemed to freeze. Moments later, a fierce wind kicked up. Wooong. A bright white window appeared before their eyes. Kkokko’s eyes widened as he frantically opened his beak.
“Wait, did you even listen to me? If you say it outright like that, I’ll get kicked out—”
“I know.”
Lee Sa-young curled his lips into a cruel smile.
“I did it on purpose. To get rid of you.”
“You ungrateful bastard!”
Hong Ye-seong flapped his wings in anger, but Lee Sa-young only looked down at him with cold eyes.
“I don’t need your help. I know better than anyone.”
“You what?”
Lee Sa-young clenched his hand around his throat, as if choking himself.
“I know exactly what he wants… better than anyone.”
“…”
“So get lost.”
Hong Ye-seong shot a resentful glare at Cha Eui-jae.
“Friend, what did you do raising this kid?”
Cha Eui-jae was taken aback.
“Why am I suddenly getting cursed at?”
“The Lee Sa-young I knew wasn’t this rude!”
Cha Eui-jae had no response to that. He knew the Lee Sa-young Hong Ye-seong was talking about— the one who wore an apron and welcomed him home with a rolled omelet. Cha Eui-jae couldn’t help but feel a little dizzy.
‘Did living apart from me really change him this much?’
At that moment, a sweet scent wafted in, and a warm breath tickled Cha Eui-jae’s ear. Lee Sa-young, who had moved closer, was leaning in to whisper.
“That’s not it.”
“…”
“I’ve always been rude.”
“…”
“I was just pretending to be nice.”
His low voice grazed Cha Eui-jae’s ear. A shiver ran down his spine. Just as Cha Eui-jae flinched, Hong Ye-seong shouted.
“Enough! I’ll leave before I get kicked out!”
A flash of white light burst from Kkokko’s body. When it dimmed, Cha Eui-jae quickly scooped Kkokko up. Kkokko blinked his black eyes. The intelligence that had once resided in his black, bead-like eyes was gone. What remained in front of him was just a sleek, porcelain chicken— not Hong Ye-seong, but the real Kkokko.
“Bawk?”
‘Damn it, he left me behind!’
Cha Eui-jae trembled with a sharp sense of betrayal. He had thought of him as a friend, but now Hong Ye-seong had run off, abandoning him alone with the insufferable Lee Sa-young!
Kkokko flapped his wings wildly and escaped Cha Eui-jae’s grasp. Then, he disappeared into the bedroom, likely to nestle beside Hong Ye-seong, who was lounging under a blanket. Finally, they were alone. Lee Sa-young spoke softly.
“Hyung.”
Cha Eui-jae didn’t respond, lowering his head. His heart felt heavy. Lee Sa-young, undeterred, ran his fingers over the nape of Cha Eui-jae’s exposed neck.
“Your hair color…”
Lee Sa-young’s black fingers brushed through the gray strands of hair, tickling slightly. Cha Eui-jae’s head twitched ever so slightly from the sensation. After playing with the short locks for a moment, Lee Sa-young mumbled to himself.
“It’s gotten whiter.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah…”
Lee Sa-young’s words trailed off. Cha Eui-jae lifted his head to check his hair color, only to find himself staring straight into Lee Sa-young’s violet eyes.
“Then… Hyung.”
“…”
Lee Sa-young knelt on one knee in front of Cha Eui-jae. Slowly, his hand reached out to cover Cha Eui-jae’s eyes. Darkness fell over him. Cha Eui-jae’s lips parted slightly in anticipation. He heard a soft laugh, as if in approval. Something warm and rough brushed against his lips— a mixture of the metallic taste of blood and a hint of sweetness.
Between their joined lips, a low laugh escaped.
“Ah, I get it now…”
“…”
Lee Sa-young pulled back slightly, lightly biting his lower lip.
“You kissed me, didn’t you? While I was asleep.”
Oh, damn it.
“I can tell now.”
Before Cha Eui-jae could respond, something soft slipped between his lips. His reply melted into the tangle of their tongues. Cha Eui-jae squeezed his eyes shut.
