The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 199
The words that flashed through his mind were those he saw on Prometheus’s website. That mankind must prevent the end. That they must gather their strength to stop it. A chill crept down the back of his neck. If what Lee Sa-young said was true, wasn’t that a signal that the end was already coming?
“Then… you don’t even know when it will arrive…?”
“I don’t. No one will know. But…”
His violet eyes gazed into the dark void.
“Our worlds are merging more and more… So it will probably come faster than what I experienced.”
“…”
“The world that should have vanished is staying behind and merging. As your world takes on the form of the destroyed one… more people will start to recall memories of the past. That’s how fear etched into the soul works.”
And as that happens, the end will come quicker. Cha Eui-jae swallowed. His throat felt swollen, as if it was difficult to pass. Lee Sa-young lightly tapped his temple with his black fingers.
“It would be wise to prepare well. Though preparing itself will be difficult…”
It was a dilemma. To prevent the end, they needed to combine their strength. But the more they did so, the faster the end would accelerate. Cha Eui-jae sighed. It was overwhelming. A problem that couldn’t be easily solved. But even if it was daunting, it had to be done. Hadn’t he already sworn to see it through?
Lee Sa-young, who had been looking down at Sa-young nestled in Cha Eui-jae’s arms, tilted his head slightly.
“That’s right. Once you get out of here… how about looking for Yoon Ga-eul?”
An unexpected name came up. Cha Eui-jae widened his eyes and looked up.
“Ga-eul… the student?”
“Ah, is she still a student there?”
Humming softly, Lee Sa-young muttered under his breath.
“She’s one of the few who survived until the very end after the world was swept by the end. Along with me. Most of the others died. But she survived, somehow. That’s something worth complimenting. Survival is a skill, after all.”
It was a cutting remark. Lee Sa-young pointed somewhere with his black fingers. Cha Eui-jae lowered his head to look where he was pointing. The watch on his wrist. The second hand on the old, worn-out watch was still ticking away diligently, as if signaling the remaining time.
“It was Yoon Ga-eul who told me about the watch too.”
“What?”
“One day, she came and said that it might be possible to turn back time using the watch. That there was a watch among your things that might do it.”
“…”
He recalled her eyes, glowing golden behind her glasses. Could Yoon Ga-eul have read traces of the first world even in the destroyed one? In a peaceful world, had she been the only one to read the memories of the end?
Lee Sa-young stood at an angle.
“Since she survived until the end… the fear etched into her soul must be deep. Try talking to her. Yoon Ga-eul seemed to like you quite a bit, after all.”
“…”
“Well… it seems like I’ve said all I needed to.”
With a wave of his hand, the black barrier around them lifted. The white ruins surrounded them.
The destroyed world. Cha Eui-jae looked at Lee Sa-young with a complex gaze. Lee Sa-young didn’t avoid his eyes and met his stare. His dry lips moved slightly.
“My thoughts haven’t changed. I still don’t think you can stop the end.”
“…”
“That fact will probably never change. I saw the end, and you’ve already died once. You won’t be able to convince me.”
Cha Eui-jae knew it too. The Lee Sa-young in front of him was the sole survivor of the end. No matter how much Cha Eui-jae preached about stopping it, it wouldn’t resonate with him. In his world, Cha Eui-jae had already died, and the world had perished. Lee Sa-young, having lost everything to the end, was merely drifting.
“Even so…”
His violet gaze lowered. In his eyes, stripped of their original color, was a reflection of himself. Another version of himself, one who had not been betrayed, who had proven trust.
“I believe in you…”
“…”
“Because I confirmed that what I did wasn’t meaningless.”
A white wind howled. Lee Sa-young’s figure began to fade into the distance. Before long, the wind grew so strong it was hard to stand. Holding Sa-young close, Cha Eui-jae called out into the wind.
“Hey, Lee Sa-young! Wait! Hey!”
“…”
The wind seemed to calm down slightly. Seizing the moment, Cha Eui-jae shouted.
“You, did we meet at the West Sea rift?”
“…”
The blackness that had surrounded him, cutting off his blood-colored vision, and the voice that echoed through the still space. Cha Eui-jae raised his voice.
“Was that you back then? Just answer that before you go! Hey!”
There was no response. The wind howled louder. He took a step toward it, but Sa-young stirred in his arms. He immediately stopped. His vision wavered dizzily. Damn it. Cha Eui-jae clenched his eyes shut.
…The moment he opened his eyes again.
The room that came into view was far more desolate than the one in his dream. It seemed he had returned properly. Cha Eui-jae let out a sigh of relief but then paused.
The first thing he noticed was the large body pressed tightly against his. Cha Eui-jae tried to push himself up by gripping the bed, but he couldn’t because of the body coiled around his waist and legs like a snake. He could have used force to break free, but…
Damn it, this guy’s got a strong grip. With effort, Cha Eui-jae twisted his body to look at the “snake” wrapped around him. Lee Sa-young was asleep, his mouth slightly open. He could hear the faint sound of soft breathing.
“…”
He looks so peaceful and pretty like this. Overcome with annoyance, Cha Eui-jae couldn’t resist pinching Lee Sa-young’s cheek for no reason. The delicate face slightly scrunched up. With a groan, Lee Sa-young’s eyelids quivered as they slowly moved. Beneath them, vivid violet eyes appeared.
“…”
“…You awake?”
Lee Sa-young’s eyes blinked slowly, as if responding. Yeah, it looks like we’re back properly. Relief washed over Cha Eui-jae, but it was short-lived as the hands around his waist pulled him even closer. His eyes widened. Being face-to-face like this, the embarrassment slowly crept up.
“…Hey, how about we get up? There’s a lot I need to tell you…”
A soft kiss landed on his chin. Cha Eui-jae’s eyes popped wide open. This again?! But the lips didn’t stop, brushing along his chin, cheek, and the bridge of his nose. Cha Eui-jae reached out a hand to push him away.
“Now’s not the time for this—”
“Ha, when is it ever the time…”
Lee Sa-young’s low, hoarse voice murmured. His violet eyes gleamed sharply. Before Cha Eui-jae could react, Lee Sa-young’s lips claimed his. A black tongue forcefully pried through the gap between Cha Eui-jae’s shocked lips, attacking fiercely as if to devour him. The slick sound of tongues mingling filled his ears, as if melting him.
Ah, seriously!
Cha Eui-jae placed his hand on Lee Sa-young’s forehead and shoved him back. Lee Sa-young glared at him with an unmistakably irritated look, not even trying to hide his displeasure. Cha Eui-jae shot upright, matching his glare with his own annoyed tone.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing as soon as you wake up?!”
“Kissing.”
“And why the hell are you doing that?!”
Lee Sa-young’s eyes glinted. It was the look of someone who had been waiting to say something. He ground his teeth and muttered bitterly.
“You don’t know how much I held back. All because of some crazy bastard…”
The “crazy bastard” was probably ‘Lee Sa-young’ himself. Cha Eui-jae slowly scooted backward, preparing to escape from the bed. But Lee Sa-young was also an S-grade hunter. He narrowed his eyes.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“…To get some water.”
“…”
“I-I’m thirsty.”
The excuse that just tumbled out unexpectedly worked. Lee Sa-young let out a deep sigh, bowed his head, and sluggishly crawled out of bed. As he grabbed the doorknob, he warned,
“Don’t even think about going anywhere. Stay right here.”
His face, now much shinier than when he had fallen asleep, looked as if he had finally found some kind of compromise with himself. After he left, Cha Eui-jae sighed with relief and began to straighten up the blankets. Then a thought crossed his mind.
‘Come to think of it…’
Looking back, despite his abrasive personality, Lee Sa-young was surprisingly well-connected. Although Pado Guild was a small, elite group, its influence was quite large, gathering only the best. The way Bae Won-woo treated Lee Sa-young like a younger brother, Kang Ji-soo joking with him, even his interactions with Honeybee, and his noticeably closer relationship with Jung Bin compared to the second world. Although Lee Sa-young would never admit it, any outsider could see it clearly.
‘According to the Director, wasn’t it Jung Bin and Bae Won-woo who supported him right after his awakening?’
And that wasn’t all. He seemed to have a lot of interactions with Hong Ye-seong, had met Nam Woo-jin several times, and seemed to click well with Seo Min-gi. As for Romantic Opener… that one was still a mystery.
Still, just from this, you could see how different he was from the second world’s Lee Sa-young, who had zero social skills. That version didn’t care about anyone else, only focusing on Cha Eui-jae.
Where did the difference come from? As Cha Eui-jae carefully reviewed the differences, his mouth opened slightly. He didn’t even need to think deeply to realize the biggest difference.
Could it be…
‘Because I’m not there… he actually developed social skills?’
Why does that sound plausible?
No, this must be the answer. Should I be happy about this or not? The fact that his presence alone could alter someone so drastically made his feelings all over the place. Cha Eui-jae buried his face in his hands. He stayed like that even when he heard the door opening.
A voice filled with disbelief asked,
“What are you doing? …Does your head hurt?”
“…No.”
“Then?”
“…I was just thinking about how hard it is to raise a child.”
“Hah.”
Lee Sa-young let out a mocking laugh.
“Looks like you’re finally starting to understand my pain.”
A cold sensation touched the back of Cha Eui-jae’s hand, which was still covering his face. Slowly, Cha Eui-jae parted his fingers to peer through. Lee Sa-young was holding out a 500ml bottle of water.
He had a soft smile on his face.
“I found this in the fridge, but I’m not sure if it’s okay to drink… It shouldn’t have gone bad thanks to the preservation stone.”
“…”
“Smell it first. If it seems off, I’ll go buy a new one.”
For some reason, Cha Eui-jae’s heart wavered. He took the bottle from Lee Sa-young’s hand. The surface of the bottle was cold. In the clear water, Lee Sa-young’s smiling face seemed to reflect, and Cha Eui-jae quickly closed his eyes.
