The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 189
Cha Eui-jae tightly shut his eyes after witnessing a reality he didn’t want to face. Sharing a bed in the Memorial Dungeon was one thing, but now they were wearing the same pajamas? Ridiculous!
Fortunately, Lee Sa-young was sitting on the sofa, eyes closed, and didn’t witness Cha Eui-jae’s distress. From the way he was rubbing his temples, it seemed like he had fallen asleep. Cha Eui-jae moved quietly, tiptoeing into the living room.
The wallpaper, the house’s layout, the familiar furniture— most of it was recognizable, except for a few differences. It was unlike the house he had seen in the Memorial Dungeon.
The sights seen through the Memorial Dungeon and the clock belonged to the first world. So then…
‘It doesn’t seem to be the first world.’
Did he come to the right place? Cha Eui-jae pulled back the white curtains covering the living room window. His face twisted.
“…”
Only darkness greeted him.
He should have been able to see the street outside, but beyond the large window was nothing but perfect darkness. Just like beyond the door of the Memorial Dungeon.
‘Are they telling me to see for myself…?’
The glass reflected Cha Eui-jae’s image like a mirror. The man in loose silk pajamas with black hair staring back at him was Cha Eui-jae. Cha Eui-jae absently ran a hand through his hair. At that moment, a pitch-black shape appeared behind him in the glass. A flickering, human-like shadow with bright, violet eyes.
Cha Eui-jae whipped around, but there was nothing— just the peaceful living room and the sleeping Lee Sa-young. He looked back at the glass. The shadow had already shifted into the form of Lee Sa-young, his violet eyes narrowing.
Cha Eui-jae narrowed his eyes in return.
“You…”
‘Ah, I didn’t expect you to come here through such a method… how creative.’
A voice tinged with amusement echoed. Lee Sa-young cupped a hand over his mouth and chuckled. So, it seemed he had come to the right place. After laughing low for a long time, Lee Sa-young murmured.
‘But still, I’m glad you came to see me… though it’s a shame we didn’t sleep together.’
“Sleep together, my ass. Hey, I don’t have time to mess around with you. I came here for information.”
‘Of course… So, what is it you want to know from here?’
“How the apocalypse came, what caused it.”
‘And?’
“How to stop it.”
Lee Sa-young tilted his head.
‘Aha… But you’ve already failed twice.’
“Didn’t you send me back in time thinking I could stop it?”
‘Me?’
“Yeah. You.”
‘No, I didn’t.’
Cha Eui-jae’s eyes widened. In the glass, Lee Sa-young tilted his head, smiling softly. A lock of hair fell across his eyes. This was the most expressive he’d ever seen the Lee Sa-young of the second world. His lips moved silently.
‘Do you really think I sent you back in time to stop the apocalypse?’
“Isn’t that the case?”
‘Oh my… Think a little harder.’
Lee Sa-young exaggeratedly shrugged and sighed, clearly intending to make a point. This bastard… Cha Eui-jae was about to snap back when Lee Sa-young spoke first.
‘I sent you back in time… because you died.’
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
‘Of course not. Even if the apocalypse comes and the world ends, as long as you’re alive… the end of the world means nothing.’
His face darkened, a sinister smile faintly appearing beneath. It stretched, as if his mouth had been torn.
‘It wouldn’t matter at all.’
“…”
‘So stop talking nonsense about stopping the end of the world. Don’t even think about it.’
“Just watch it all fall apart? Do you think I can do that?”
‘I figured you’d say that, but hearing it in person doesn’t feel great.’
The devilish smile vanished like melting snow, replaced by a blank expression. Returning to his usual emotionless self, Lee Sa-young shrugged.
‘Since you’re here anyway, might as well look around. You won’t find the information you’re after, though.’
With that, Lee Sa-young disappeared into the darkness. Cha Eui-jae stared at his reflection in the glass for a long moment, then ruffled his hair.
He’d definitely come to the world that creepy bastard had shown him. Next thing to check… Cha Eui-jae peeked beyond the curtain. Lee Sa-young was still asleep on the sofa.
‘Did Lee Sa-young cross over too?’
He could just wake him up and ask. Cha Eui-jae tiptoed closer to Lee Sa-young and bent over, folding his arms behind his back as he stared intently at Lee Sa-young’s face.
His plump lips were slightly parted, his long lashes occasionally fluttered, and his high nose stood out… Cha Eui-jae studied his face closely, just about to call his name and wake him.
“Mmm…”
The thin eyelids twitched, and beneath them, violet eyes slowly appeared. Lee Sa-young, dazed, gazed blankly at Cha Eui-jae. Cha Eui-jae waved his hand in front of Lee Sa-young’s face for no reason.
“Are you awake?”
“…”
“We need to talk.”
“…”
Lee Sa-young blinked slowly, still out of it. He looked like he hadn’t fully gathered his senses. Oh well. Cha Eui-jae grabbed Lee Sa-young’s cheek and pulled.
“What are you doing?”
Lee Sa-young frowned, swatting Cha Eui-jae’s hand away. Good. Judging by his attitude, this was the Lee Sa-young Cha Eui-jae knew. Lee Sa-young glanced around the room before looking back at Cha Eui-jae.
“…What’s with those pajamas?”
“I don’t know. I woke up wearing them. You’re wearing them too.”
Lee Sa-young looked down at the clothes he was wearing and sighed.
“Looks like we made it… judging by the state of things.”
“Seems like it.”
Leaning back on the sofa, Lee Sa-young asked,
“Alright. We’ve solved the first problem, so… what are you going to do now?”
“I’m going to search his memories thoroughly. How the apocalypse came, how it was resolved. I’ll find even the smallest clue.”
“Fine, do that.”
Lee Sa-young got up, and Cha Eui-jae asked absentmindedly:
“…You’re not going to stop me?”
“Why would I?”
Lee Sa-young blinked, and Cha Eui-jae blinked too. Right. Why did he think Lee Sa-young would stop him? Was it because of the warning ‘Lee Sa-young’ gave?
Lee Sa-young rubbed the back of his neck, speaking lazily.
“We came all this way to find that out, didn’t we? Even if we had to grind up against each other.”
“You always have to say weird things, don’t you?”
“What, I’m not wrong. Anyway…”
His violet eyes scanned the empty air sharply.
“Let’s finish this quickly, whatever it is.”
“Why? Did you notice something strange?”
“Don’t you feel it?”
“Huh?”
Cha Eui-jae looked at him in confusion. Now that he thought about it, Lee Sa-young’s delicate face had a hint of discomfort. Lee Sa-young clenched and unclenched his fists, rolled his neck, and moved his legs, as if testing his range of motion. He muttered in frustration,
“My body feels unusually heavy. Like I’m under some kind of curse or restriction.”
Cha Eui-jae flexed his hands and feet, testing his own body. He didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary. His state was just like in the original world. Had ‘Lee Sa-young’ pulled some kind of trick? He eyed Lee Sa-young with concern.
“Can you still fight?”
“I’m not sure, honestly.”
“Do you want to wait here? I can explore on my own.”
“What kind of nonsense is that…”
Lee Sa-young gripped Cha Eui-jae’s shoulder tightly, his violet eyes blazing.
“Go change your clothes. Let’s see what’s so important about these memories.”
Luckily, the wardrobe was filled with the black clothes that Cha Eui-jae often wore during his time as J, and there was even a mask neatly placed on one side. After putting on the mask, Cha Eui-jae stepped out into the living room. Lee Sa-young, casually draped in a coat, looked at Cha Eui-jae with tired eyes.
“You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m not so weak I can’t move… I just feel a bit sluggish.”
Just as he said, his eyes were half-closed. After rubbing his eyes, Lee Sa-young headed toward the front door. Two pairs of boots and a pair of striped slippers were neatly lined up at the entrance. As he pushed his feet into the boots, Lee Sa-young spoke.
“In the memory dungeon, we lived in a different house from this one, right?”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“Why do you think we live in this house in this world? The house where you used to live?”
Cha Eui-jae stared at Lee Sa-young’s back as he fumbled with his boots and spoke what came to mind.
“Maybe… we moved to a safer house back then?”
“…A safer house?”
Lee Sa-young, now fully in his boots, took a few steps forward and turned around. As Cha Eui-jae laced up his boots, kneeling on one knee, he continued speaking.
“In that world, you weren’t an awakened. On top of that, your eyes were hurt from the poison, and you were a regular person. I imagine you might’ve moved to a place with better security or closer to a hospital.”
“…”
“…Well, I mean, that’s what I would’ve done, and that Cha Eui-jae is still me…”
After finishing his sentence, Cha Eui-jae felt awkward. Clearing his throat unnecessarily, he got up from his kneeling position. Just then, a rough hand grabbed Cha Eui-jae by the arm, pulling him close. He was about to shake off the grip but stopped when Lee Sa-young’s face came close. Their faces drew nearer and nearer, almost touching Cha Eui-jae’s mask when—
Beep— Beep— Beep—
A loud alarm rang out. Cha Eui-jae’s eyes widened as he looked around. An alarm, out of nowhere? At that moment, Lee Sa-young, who had been holding onto Cha Eui-jae, let out a strained groan and hunched over. Cha Eui-jae hurriedly supported Lee Sa-young by the shoulders. Small sparks flickered and crackled around Lee Sa-young.
“Sa-young! What’s going on, why are you like this?”
“I don’t know, it’s just…”
Lee Sa-young’s body jerked and twitched sporadically, as if he was being electrocuted.
Wait a second… That loud, annoying alarm— where have I heard that before? Just then, a bright white window suddenly appeared in front of them.
[Warning! Please act according to your role.]
[Lee Sa-young’s role is: Beloved Younger Brother.]
“Huh?”
“What the hell is this crap…”
Lee Sa-young barely managed to spit out a curse. Hold on, act according to the role? Then what about me? Cha Eui-jae scrolled through the window to check his own role. And then he saw…
[Cha Eui-jae’s role is ( ).]
Nothing. There was nothing listed.
