The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 197
“Nonsense, huh.”
Lee Sa-young blinked his pale purple eyes a couple of times and responded indifferently.
“I just presented a reasonable opinion… You’re the one who dismissed it.”
“Reasonable? More like the rubbish of a loser.”
“Aha, but if you stumble once, you’ll be a loser just the same… you sure are confident.”
“Hmm… already thinking about running away before even trying…?”
Sa-young covered his mouth with his hand, a slight smirk barely visible beyond it.
“Oh, how strong must that inferiority complex be.”
For a moment, the expressionless face cracked just a little. Sharp words like daggers flew back and forth relentlessly. The voices were so similar, it almost felt like one person was continuing the conversation. Why did I feel like my mental energy was draining? Cha Eui-jae massaged his forehead, trying to trace where things had gone wrong.
“Flapping your tongue like that…”
“Who are you to talk about flapping tongues?”
In that instant, the two Lee Sa-youngs scoffed simultaneously, staring each other down. It felt as if sparks flew between their clashing gazes. The veins bulged on their blackened hands, muscles tensed, and it was clear that they were gripping the handle of their daggers tightly.
Damn it. Cha Eui-jae quickly waved his hands to grab their attention.
“Hey, hey! Didn’t I tell you two not to fight?”
“…”
“Don’t look at each other. Don’t talk to each other. Just look at me, got it? Pretend there’s no one else around.”
The moment Cha Eui-jae finished speaking, he regretted it. Those violet eyes followed his every move as if they would devour him whole. Was it just his imagination, or did their gaze carry a heavy obsession?
‘It’s like trying to tame wild beasts.’
This is insane! Cha Eui-jae sighed deeply and continued.
“So… you rejected it?”
Sa-young gave a brief reply.
“It wasn’t worth listening to.”
“…”
“There’s no need to listen to a loser. It’s not like the world’s ended yet; we still have a chance.”
It was a reasonable statement. After all, there was still a possibility of preventing the end. Just as Cha Eui-jae was about to nod slightly, Lee Sa-young cut in.
“It’s just the arrogance of someone who doesn’t know the end.”
Crash! Something shattered. The corner of the debris Sa-young had been sitting on was charred black. Smiling angelically, Sa-young dusted the white remnants from his hands.
“Sorry? I keep hearing nonsense.”
“…”
“Something about the end of the world, like a scared dog barking…”
“Enough!”
Cha Eui-jae quickly made up his mind. The tension and discomfort wouldn’t go away until this three-way confrontation was over. He raised his voice slightly.
“Alright, let’s say the first one ended in failure. What about when you came to the Awakened Management Bureau?”
“Ah, back then…”
Sa-young’s violet eyes narrowed as he smiled.
“My patience had worn thin, after a week of listening to nonsense.”
His blackened fingers tapped his temple.
“I felt like I was losing my mind…”
The cause of the problem, Cha Eui-jae, averted his gaze. Sa-young cupped his cheek with one hand and sighed deeply.
“But then, you told me to sleep. To someone who wasn’t in their right mind. So…”
“Hey!”
Cha Eui-jae quickly covered Sa-young’s mouth. Then, sensing something, he just as swiftly removed his hand. A black tongue peeked through the lips, licking them as if disappointed.
“What? I was just stating the facts.”
The other ‘Lee Sa-young,’ who had been silently watching, tilted his head. His lifeless pale purple eyes blinked with emphasis.
“Now that you mention it, I’m starting to hear nonsense too. Could you tell that dog to bark quickly if it’s going to?”
Sa-young sighed deeply and twisted his lips before opening his mouth—
“Woof.”
He barked. Sa-young grinned at Cha Eui-jae’s shocked expression.
“Satisfied? Now, I’ll continue.”
Cha Eui-jae screamed internally. What exactly was that supposed to resolve? Handling one Lee Sa-young was overwhelming, but now with two, it was like dealing with five. Their constant mental battles were fraying Cha Eui-jae’s nerves. Regardless, Sa-young slowly continued.
“Anyway, I wasn’t in the right state of mind… So, I came in here unprepared. Originally, I had the upper hand, but in here…”
Sa-young gestured with his chin to the side.
“The neighbor’s dog took control. There wasn’t even time to reject; the contract was sealed.”
Lee Sa-young’s stoic face barely managed a smile.
“Seizing the opportunity… that’s the more accurate description.”
As Sa-young began to get irritated again, Cha Eui-jae quickly interrupted.
“What was the contract?”
“That guy meets you and persuades you… Though I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”
“Like this?”
“You choose to…”
Ah.
Sa-young trailed off. Eventually, he turned his head as if he no longer wanted to speak. Through his tousled hair, his violet eyes appear sunken in darkness.
Cha Eui-jae barely managed to calm his churning emotions. Just because he understood someone’s choice didn’t mean the scars disappeared. Sometimes, even if the mind understood, the heart couldn’t follow. Regret lingered like a shadow.
‘I should’ve done it where no one could see.’
It was a regret Sa-young would have been angry about had he known.
The silent ‘Lee Sa-young’ spoke up in place of Sa-young, who had closed his mouth.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect you to choose that method either. Really.”
“…”
“I didn’t think you’d come here either.”
“…”
“You could say you knew my weakness well. Or maybe it was J…”
His blackened hand gripped the edge of the shattered debris he was perched on. In that moment, the overwhelming pressure he exuded became apparent. It was a force that could rival any monster Cha Eui-jae had faced. Instinctively, he knew.
‘He’s not human…’
But that didn’t mean he had turned into a monster either. The figure in front of him was more like a wraith— an entity tangled in delusions and resentment, wrapped in a human shell. Yet, he was still someone you could communicate with. Cha Eui-jae had seen it clearly. In the moment they made the pact, a flicker of humanity returned to those pale purple eyes.
“…”
He turned his head. Sa-young was still looking elsewhere. The crimson bloodstain on his pallid cheek remained vivid. In the haze of blood and his dimming vision, he recalled the last face he saw. A hollow face, like someone who had lost everything.
No, perhaps in that moment, he really had lost it all. Cha Eui-jae had—
“…”
Lee Sa-young was his first success. Even after crossing three worlds and witnessing two apocalypses, that much hadn’t changed. His success was sitting right next to him. And Cha Eui-jae had the responsibility of seeing it through.
He chose his words carefully. But there were too many emotions to refine into speech. In any case, Cha Eui-jae wasn’t one to think long about things. He always acted first.
Cha Eui-jae spread his arms wide and bent forward—
“…Huh?”
And pulled both Lee Sa-youngs into a hug at once. With a thud, Sa-young and ‘Lee Sa-young’s’ shoulders collided, and their large bodies stiffened within his embrace. Their cold forms gradually warmed with Cha Eui-jae’s body heat, and a sweet fragrance filled his nostrils.
After a moment, it was Sa-young who first snapped out of it, annoyed, and tilted his head back.
“Wait… what are you doing?”
“Apologizing.”
Sa-young’s eyes widened in surprise.
“…What?”
“I’m sorry. You must have been really shocked earlier. Both of you.”
The bodies in his arms remained rigid. Cha Eui-jae thought he heard a faint sigh, but wasn’t sure who it came from. He continued resolutely.
“It might seem strange to apologize now, but… I felt like I had to.”
“…”
Someone carefully rested their chin and cheek on Cha Eui-jae’s shoulder and neck. A hand wrapped around his waist. Cha Eui-jae easily bore the combined weight of the two leaning on him. The words he had planned to say next got stuck in his throat.
‘If, perhaps, a situation like this arises again…’
Cha Eui-jae would do what was necessary. He would not hesitate to drive a blade into his own body. After all, a hero couldn’t afford even the slightest hesitation.
However,
Cha Eui-jae now knew the value of the warmth leaning against him. Before stabbing himself, there would be the smallest hesitation.
And…
“Do whatever you want. Because now, hesitation has taken root in you.”
He was certain Sa-young would never let go of that hesitation.
