The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 203
Nam Woo-jin slowly blinked. Yoon Ga-eul clenched her fists tightly.
“I… you may not believe me, but I’ve seen the previous world. It was a bit different from ours… but we were there, and the end came. J fought desperately… and failed. Then, they turned back time. Using the clock.”
“…”
“At the very last moment, the clock J was holding didn’t break. J was the last one to hold it… So if we can find that clock… maybe we can turn back time too. We could get one more chance.”
Yoon Ga-eul finished speaking, her breath coming in gasps. Nam Woo-jin took a deep breath. Even breathing seemed difficult for him, but he forced himself to respond.
“If that’s possible…”
“…”
“It would be a miracle.”
“…”
“And right now… we need a miracle. But…”
His eyes, burning white, gazed quietly at Yoon Ga-eul. Her clenched fists trembled. Nam Woo-jin tilted his head slightly. His skeletal fingers barely moved.
“You’re hesitating.”
Yoon Ga-eul bit her lip. Nam Woo-jin exhaled a rough breath, eyes closing.
“Of course, you are. Turning back time would mean giving up on this world…”
“…”
“So, here’s my opinion.”
Nam Woo-jin slowly clasped his skeletal hands together.
“We can’t give up on this world based on our judgment alone. People are still fighting against the end. We can’t just abandon it.”
Yoon Ga-eul started to say something but closed her mouth. Nam Woo-jin nodded off, almost as if dozing.
“I understand what you’re thinking. You’re wondering what’s the point of fighting if we can’t win against the end anyway… that it’s all going to be destroyed.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But.”
Nam Woo-jin rested his sharp chin on his hand. A crooked smile spread across his gaunt face.
“Our failure will lay the foundation for success. I believe that.”
“…”
“You came up with a way because of that, didn’t you? I don’t know how, but you saw J turn back time as a last resort.”
“…”
“Let’s also save that as our last resort.”
His eyes, burning white, searched the air and then fixed on something. It was precisely where Cha Eui-jae stood. Could he possibly be seeing him? No, that couldn’t be. It was impossible.
Then, a bright smile appeared on his lifeless face. His withered lips moved.
“The end comes quietly. Without reason or purpose. It just arrives. To take the life from everything. As if it were the natural order. Like a natural disaster.”
“…”
“There’s no avoiding it. But we can reduce the damage.”
“…”
“To find out how… we must keep fighting until the end.”
His withered finger pointed at Cha Eui-jae. Nam Woo-jin’s whisper struck like a lightning bolt.
“We will figure it out.”
Cha Eui-jae’s eyes flew open.
Hooonk! The blaring of a horn rang out. Cha Eui-jae gasped and snapped back to his senses. The truck had made its way onto a road crowded with cars. This wasn’t the dark library. Cha Eui-jae quickly turned to his right. Yoon Ga-eul, who had been slumped over, let out a faint groan as she opened her eyes.
“Ugh… huh?”
Yoon Ga-eul blinked, looking around, then locked eyes with Cha Eui-jae. Her mouth opened slightly. She scratched her head awkwardly.
“We… we saw…”
“…”
“The same thing… right?”
“…Probably.”
Cha Eui-jae stared blankly at the road full of cars.
“We will figure it out.”
Nam Woo-jin’s final words echoed throughout his body. He instinctively knew.
Those words were clearly meant for him.
‘He was talking to me…’
Cha Eui-jae tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
***
A boy in a white coat hurried down the hallway. Each time he passed someone, he bowed his head in greeting, and they returned the gesture. The deeper he went, the fewer people he encountered. When no one was around, he opened the door at the end of the hallway and descended an endless flight of stairs.
At the bottom was a tightly sealed iron door. The boy held up a keycard to the reader next to it. Thud… The iron door slowly opened.
It was a massive prison.
Hands covered in spikes reached out from the prison bars, arranged in a circle around a surgical table in the center.
“Hey, high five.”
Someone crouched in front of the bars, slapping their hand against the spiked hand. A howl echoed from within. Beneath the pale fluorescent lights, a man in a white coat with long white hair stood, along with a woman wearing a cap pulled low over her face. The boy pulled a file from his coat.
“Master, a letter has arrived from the Awakened Management Bureau.”
“Just leave it over there.”
Nam Woo-jin gestured with his chin. The woman shrugged her shoulders.
“I’ll summarize it for you. They want you to attend the next general assembly.”
“So, you got one too?”
“They probably sent it to everyone who usually attends. And hey, stop messing with those poor souls and come over here, will you?”
“I was just playing with them because they looked bored~”
The man crouched in front of the bars stood up. His light blue hair shimmered in the light, turning white. Gyu-Gyu— Ban Gyu-min —stuffed his hands into the pockets of his fur-lined jacket and swaggered over.
“Honestly, even after turning into that mess, can they still be called hu—”
Clang—
A sharp metallic sound rang out. The tip of a glowing rapier was pointed precisely at his throat. A murderous glint flickered in Honeybee’s eyes. Gyu-Gyu raised both hands in surrender. Honeybee’s voice was a low, threatening growl.
“Watch your mouth…”
“…Almost made a mistake. Sorry?”
Nam Woo-jin, busy working with his hands, snapped irritably.
“Quit fighting, idiots. I can’t focus.”
“Ah, my bad.”
“…”
Honeybee sighed and lowered her rapier. Nam Woo-jin clicked his tongue in annoyance and continued his work. Lying on the surgical table, bathed in pale light, was Matthew. Though spikes protruded from various parts of his body, he still retained his human form. Honeybee chewed on her thumbnail nervously.
“…How is he? Is there any improvement? Do you think it’ll work?”
“…”
“I’ve used everything on the list I got from Lee Sa-young. I scraped up all I could. If this doesn’t work…”
“Honeybee.”
Nam Woo-jin sighed, straightening up.
“Don’t be too anxious. Rushing things won’t help.”
“But…”
Honeybee murmured weakly, then let out a deep sigh. She slapped both her cheeks hard enough to make a sharp sound.
“No, the doctor’s right. There’s no point in getting worked up. Matthew isn’t going to wake up just because I’m like this.”
“…”
“I’d better go. I need to prepare for the assembly. I’m counting on you to take care of Matthew.”
“Got it. Leave him to me.”
As she turned to stride toward the iron door, Honeybee glanced back. Gyu-Gyu was still standing there. Honeybee frowned.
“Why aren’t you coming?”
“Huh? I’m supposed to go too?”
“Our contract hasn’t ended yet. Follow me!”
“Alright, alright… got it~”
Gyu-Gyu gave Nam Woo-jin a small nod, then followed after Honeybee. The iron door closed with a heavy thud. From a few steps away, the boy asked quietly.
“Is there anything I can help with?”
“Not right now.”
“Are you alright?”
“…I’m fine.”
Nam Woo-jin coughed quietly, his shoulders shaking.
“It’s strange…”
The boy’s clear eyes shone, waiting for more words to come.
Nam Woo-jin held his hand up to the light from the ceiling. It was withered, like that of a mummy. His skin clung tightly to the bones, barely holding on. He blinked and opened his eyes again. His hand looked normal. Was it an illusion? A hallucination? He gestured behind him, and a small figure approached.
“How do I look?”
“178 cm tall, slim build, long white hair, glasses, white eyes, slight forward head posture…”
“No, no, not like that.”
Nam Woo-jin clenched and opened his fist. His hand had returned to that of a mummy again. Or perhaps his eyes were deceiving him. He turned around. The boy was still standing there, waiting for his command. Nam Woo-jin spread his arms wide and asked.
“Do I look like a mummy to you?”
“No, Master. Your weight has decreased by approximately 300 grams since last week, but there are no visible changes to your appearance.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. Is something wrong?”
“Perhaps.”
Nam Woo-jin glanced around before picking up a scalpel to reflect light into his eyes. His face, skin shriveled and clinging to bone, and deep-set eye sockets stared back. Only his eyes, glowing with that white flame, remained unchanged. Nam Woo-jin muttered to himself with a sigh.
“Whatever it is, something’s gone terribly wrong.”
