The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 201
A black puddle-like figure appeared in front of the large door. Soon, a round head popped out of the puddle, followed by a whole body that slowly emerged. Seo Min-gi dusted off his clothes and grabbed the door handle.
“Excuse me, Guild Leader!”
Without waiting for a reply, Seo Min-gi threw the door open. The first thing that caught his eye was a broad back standing firm like a mountain, and a red-haired head. The owner of the back and the red hair turned to look. It was Bae Won-woo and Kang Ji-soo. Seo Min-gi quickly bowed his head.
“Oh, you’re both here as well. Good day to you.”
Kang Ji-soo waved.
“Hey. What’s up? Barging in like that.”
“I have an urgent matter to report.”
“Haa…”
An annoyed sigh escaped from between the two people. Seo Min-gi tilted his head to find the source of the sigh. Lee Sa-young was sitting at a desk, wearing glasses, with piles of documents and electronic devices spread across it, leaving almost no empty space. He frowned slightly.
“What is it this time?”
Just as Seo Min-gi was about to answer, Kang Ji-soo crossed her arms, standing with a cocky posture similar to the irritated Lee Sa-young.
“Guild Leader, instead of picking a fight, it’d be better to flip another page. The research team’s been pestering you to give them your opinion. They said they’re going to sit tight until you respond.”
“The official documents from the Awakened Management Bureau and the Rift Management Bureau also need your attention. You have to handle them before the General Assembly.”
“Can’t you take care of those things yourself?”
“I’ve already handled the trivial matters. What’s left are the things you need to look at personally.”
“Haa…”
Even as he sighed, Lee Sa-young obediently turned the page of the document he was holding. Seo Min-gi glanced between the thick documents in his hand and the towering piles of papers on the desk. It didn’t seem like this much work was here before.
“Why is he being buried alive in work?”
“He already had three months’ worth of tasks piled up, but he’s been running around all over the place since he woke up.”
Bae Won-woo clicked his tongue. Seo Min-gi asked curiously.
“Didn’t you manage to take care of some of it?”
“It all piled up again. You were always chasing after J, weren’t you? You two seemed to have a lot of fun.”
“And things were normal when J wasn’t around? No, not at all. It’s been crazy… Anyway, he’s catching up on what I couldn’t handle.”
“How unfortunate. But I really do need to report something urgently. Would you mind stepping aside?”
“Huh? Is it something we’re not supposed to hear?”
“That’s for the Guild Leader to decide.”
Lee Sa-young motioned towards the door with his chin.
“Step out for a bit.”
“Aye, aye.”
“Aww, but I’m curious.”
Though they grumbled, the two of them quickly complied and left the room. Seo Min-gi looked around the guild leader’s office. The usual ash-gray hair was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is J?”
“Off to meet Ham Seok-jeong.”
“You didn’t tag along for once, I see.”
“I’m not a dog… I don’t always follow him around.”
“…”
“So, the report?”
“Oh, we handed over information about Prometheus’ lab to Honeybee, right? Mackerel had also been keeping an eye on it, but…”
“Yeah.”
“It’s all been wiped out. Honeybee even pulled in Gyu-Gyu and scoured the place to the last bit.”
“…”
“They rescued a few hunters during the process, but most of them were at the final stage of experiments and have lost their sense of self. They’ve been moved to the basement of the Seowon Guild.”
Lee Sa-young raised an eyebrow. As Seo Min-gi handed over the documents, Lee Sa-young snatched them roughly. His violet eyes scanned the words through his glasses.
“Any surviving labs or researchers?”
“Everything on the list we gave them was completely wiped out. I didn’t expect them to handle things so aggressively. I should’ve taken into account how blinded by rage Honeybee was.”
Frowning, Lee Sa-young massaged his temple. A deep sigh escaped him.
“It’s going to be harder to track their trail now…”
***
The back door of the classroom suddenly swung open during the second recess, a time when everyone was starting to feel hungry. Yoon Ga-eul looked up. Min-ji, who had rushed over, whispered urgently.
“Hey! Emergency! Emergency! The tteokbokki truck is here!”
Da-yeon and Su-yeong, who had been lying under blankets, rose like zombies.
“A truck? Like a food truck?”
“That’s what I heard. They’re selling tteokbokki in paper cups. People are going crazy, saying it’s super tasty. They asked to spread the word.”
“The school gate’s gonna be guarded, though.”
“You know that low fence? The one some crazy guy rammed into and left a dent? They parked the truck right in front of it. Let’s go, huh? Let’s go.”
“…”
That green fence. Was it just her imagination, or did it feel oddly familiar? It was the same spot where J had shown up before. Yoon Ga-eul pretended not to care but listened intently. Of all places, right there? Could it be a coincidence?
“And… I heard the guy is super hot.”
Yoon Ga-eul narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
“How hot could he be?”
“Maybe people just have low standards now?”
“No, they said he’s wearing a mask, but you can tell he’s really handsome. Like, seriously.”
“Ugh, just say he’s got a nice personality instead.”
“Come on! I’m curious! Let’s just go! Ga-eul, come on. It’s my wish.”
Min-ji grabbed Yoon Ga-eul’s arm and tugged. Yoon Ga-eul rolled her eyes and scratched her temple with the back of her mechanical pencil.
“Ugh, fine… Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
After all, Yoon Ga-eul was still a growing high school student.
When they reached the fence, it already looked deserted, as if people had swept through the area. The ground in front of the fence, where people frequently walked, was bare of grass. Just as Min-ji said, a truck was parked beyond the fence.
In the truck sat a man with black hair, wearing a white mask. Dressed in a black hoodie, a black cap, and a black apron— his entire outfit was black. He looked suspicious no matter how you saw it, but… her friends were too focused on the tteokbokki to notice. Meanwhile, Yoon Ga-eul was lost in nostalgia, staring at the apron.
‘That apron looks familiar…’
J used to wear an apron like that too. That past felt strangely distant. The man stirred the tteokbokki on the iron plate with a ladle, and a groan escaped her lips.
“Oh man, I’m so hungry.”
“That looks amazing…”
The scent of the tteokbokki was the most delicious smell she had ever encountered. The spicy aroma was mouthwatering, and the rice cakes, covered in a glossy red sauce, glistened. Even Yoon Ga-eul, who hadn’t been hungry, found herself swallowing her saliva. The man politely bowed his head to the students crowding behind the fence.
“Welcome.”
…What?
Yoon Ga-eul’s head snapped up. That voice sounded strangely familiar. She adjusted her glasses, rubbed her eyes, and squinted to get a better look at the man. His rough black hair, the white mask, and his eyes hidden under the cap… Just then, the man slightly lifted his head. Their eyes met directly.
His shadowed, cold gaze. His dark eyes briefly glowed blue. Yoon Ga-eul suppressed a scream. This can’t be happening.
‘It’s J!’
The man quickly lowered his head again. Turns out that black hair was a wig. No wonder it looked so dry! Yoon Ga-eul, who had been standing slightly back from her friends, hurriedly pressed herself against the fence.
“I-I’ll climb over.”
“Huh? Are you sure?”
“I’m wearing my gym pants… I’ll be fine!”
“Should we give you a boost? Help you over?”
“No, no. I’ve been working out lately.”
“Damn… this girl’s living her best life.”
“Uh, everyone wants tteokbokki, right? One cup each?”
“Yeah!”
Yoon Ga-eul took a deep breath and grabbed the fence. Though a part of her thought she should act casual, struggling over the fence so her friends wouldn’t suspect anything, that thought quickly vanished. She grabbed the fence and leapt over it with ease. Whoa, that was wild. She heard her friends exclaim in surprise as she hurriedly pressed herself against the truck.
For something hastily put together, the food truck was well-equipped. Aside from the makeshift price sign, scrawled on a scrap of paper reading “Cup Tteokbokki 1000 Won,” and the old, outdated radio in the corner, everything was surprisingly well set up. A song Yoon Ga-eul didn’t recognize was playing from the radio. She lowered her voice and whispered.
“What are you doing here? Why are you here like this?”
“Well, you know, it’d be weird for a guy to just hang around in front of a girls’ high school…”
J— Cha Eui-jae —lowered his mask slightly and smiled sheepishly. A small shriek seemed to come from behind them.
“I couldn’t exactly show up wearing a disguise again… I needed to come quietly this time.”
“Last time, you came in a van. That seemed better, honestly.”
“…I couldn’t really get help from the Pado Guild or other people this time. So here I am.”
“So you’re doing this instead?”
Yoon Ga-eul swallowed as she looked at the glossy tteokbokki. This was serious! Cha Eui-jae, now with his mask back on, mumbled self-consciously.
“…Is it lame? The Mackerel guy said this was the best option.”
Honestly, it was a genius move, considering the eating habits of high school girls. Even Yoon Ga-eul, who usually stayed holed up in the classroom, had been lured out by the tteokbokki. Yoon Ga-eul muttered along.
“…I think it’s a stroke of genius.”
“Glad to hear that, then.”
“Did you make the tteokbokki yourself?”
“Yeah. Should I serve you?”
“Yes, please…”
When Yoon Ga-eul nodded, Cha Eui-jae skillfully stirred the tteokbokki and began filling a cup. After a brief silence, he spoke while continuing to work.
“I have something to ask you.”
“Y-yes, go ahead.”
“You mentioned before that ever since your awakening, you’d been hearing a voice, but after visiting the ruined world, the voice disappeared… You said you thought it was another Ga-eul.”
In that black van, with J and Lee Sa-young inside, Yoon Ga-eul had explained her situation after checking Lee Sa-young’s condition.
“But… after I returned from the ruined world, I haven’t heard that voice again. I thought about it. The master artisan said it, right? That the same soul would merge together…”
Yoon Ga-eul nodded obediently.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Can I talk to the other Ga-eul? Or, could you try remembering something?”
Yoon Ga-eul’s head shot up. At that moment, a large paper cup was handed to her. Instinctively, she took it. There was a small sticky note attached to the cup. The handwriting matched the scrawled price sign on the wall.
It read: [Apocalypse.]
Yoon Ga-eul’s eyes widened. Cha Eui-jae quickly raised a finger to his lips. Yoon Ga-eul gulped nervously. He whispered.
“If she’s still in there, ask her about the clock.”
“…”
“Ask how she learned about its existence. The Ga-eul from that world.”
