The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 207
The hall was engulfed in silence.
His ash-gray hair gleamed white under the light, his face and expression concealed by a mysterious black mask. He was dressed neatly in a perfectly tailored suit. The sound of his shoes stepping on the marble floor rang clear. His pace was neither too fast nor too slow.
A person who naturally drew attention. An icy chill and a sense of pressure emanated from him, their source unknown.
“…”
He was proving it. That he was the strongest person here.
Just by his presence.
Click. The sound of his footsteps stopped. Standing in place, J glanced around the room. Ryu Han-baek suddenly wondered. What could he be thinking right now? Did he think he didn’t belong in a place like this?
Surprisingly, his guess was half right.
Cha Eui-jae was thinking.
‘What the hell… Why does the conference room look like this?’
Not only did it resemble a roundtable meeting hall straight out of some low-budget medieval fantasy film, but the sight of the tense Rankers sitting in a circle was equally unsettling. No matter how much Jung Bin and Ham Seok-jeong were present, as long as this group of super hamsters was gathered together, problems were bound to arise.
‘I want to go home.’
Cha Eui-jae glanced down at his smoothly fitted suit and let out a sigh. Considering the trouble he went through to get this suit tailored, going home right now wasn’t an option either. Why? Because he had gone through a whole ordeal to get it made by some crazy guy!
Cha Eui-jae sneakily glanced at Lee Sa-young. Behind the gas mask lenses, his eyes were grinning.
***
Before the general meeting, Lee Sa-young and Seo Min-gi were busy calling people here and there, asking questions. Only Cha Eui-jae was left with nothing to do. He sat on the sofa, hugging a cushion, and alternated his gaze between the two. Just as Lee Sa-young finished his call, Cha Eui-jae seized the moment and asked, rather begrudgingly.
“Can’t I just wear the suit you gave me last time?”
“There’s no way…”
“That’s right, customer… I mean, J. Please be reasonable. If you make even the slightest intense movement, it’ll tear apart.”
“It didn’t tear, though.”
The suit and shoes Lee Sa-young had given him were carefully stored in a single-room flat above a hangover soup restaurant. Just in case, he had even sent them to the cleaners! Why waste money unnecessarily? Just wear it again. This guy, making so much money, seems to have no sense of the value of money. As Cha Eui-jae kept grumbling, Lee Sa-young sighed loudly enough for him to hear and squinted his eyes.
“You must not realize how sharp Jung Bin’s eyes are.”
“…”
“Just stay quiet and follow me.”
“…”
“Unless you want him to realize that the secretary back then and you are the same person.”
“Hm? …Hmph.”
Seo Min-gi glanced at Cha Eui-jae through his sunglasses and gave a silent nod, a gesture that made Cha Eui-jae even more annoyed. A moment later, Seo Min-gi removed his phone from his ear and spoke.
“There’s an opening at Park-ssi’s shop. Someone canceled their reservation, so a spot just opened up.”
“What time?”
“An hour from now.”
“Let’s go.”
Suddenly, darkness engulfed his body. When he opened his eyes, he was inside a van. Lee Sa-young sat next to him, legs crossed, as if he was used to this kind of transportation. Is it really okay to move around like this, as if being kidnapped? Unfortunately, the van didn’t care about his opinion and took off.
After about 30 minutes, the van stopped in a narrow alley. There was a door illuminated by a flickering amber light. Was it the back door? Someone tall stood in front of the door— a woman with her long hair tied up in a bun and a shawl draped over her shoulders. Seo Min-gi got out of the driver’s seat first, and Lee Sa-young whispered to Cha Eui-jae.
“Wait here.”
When Cha Eui-jae nodded, Lee Sa-young got out of the van. Through the slightly ajar door, a high-pitched voice greeted them cheerfully.
“Oh my, Hunter Seo Min-gi, and Hunter Lee Sa-young. It’s been such a long time! Hmph, I’ve missed you since you haven’t been visiting often.”
“It’s been a while, Park-ssi.”
“Hunter Seo Min-gi! It’s been a while. I’ve been following InHeart closely. It seems your dark circles have gotten worse? I didn’t think they could get any darker than last time.”
“Is that so?”
Cha Eui-jae peeked through the tinted window. Ms. Park was laughing, chatting with Seo Min-gi. Lee Sa-young, who was waiting with his hands in his coat pockets, tilted his head slightly.
“How soon can it be finished?”
“Oh, dear! A suit and a pair of shoes, right? And you’ll be choosing the fabric and material yourself again?”
“Yes.”
“Since you’ve come to the back door in such a hurry, it must be an urgent order…”
Ms. Park closed her eyes as if deep in thought, then smiled brightly.
“I’ll have it finished by tomorrow. How does that sound?”
“That’s fine. And…”
Lee Sa-young glanced through the slightly open door. Judging by the movement inside, it seemed that several employees were waiting just beyond the entrance. He nodded his chin.
“Clear everyone out.”
“Everyone?”
“Only you remain. The rest, out.”
“Is this a confidential job?”
“The most discreet of all the ones I’ve entrusted to you so far.”
“…”
When Ms. Park knocked on the door, all the bustling sounds disappeared at once. At the same time, Seo Min-gi cast a shadow over the van and the entrance. In the sudden darkness, the only lights left were the dim ones on either side of the door. Lee Sa-young opened the van door and made eye contact with Cha Eui-jae. His eyes, visible through the gas mask lenses, squinted as if to reassure him. He opened the door wide.
“Come on out.”
Cha Eui-jae stepped out of the van. His ash-gray hair, now tinged with a faint amber under the light, fluttered in the wind. When Ms. Park saw the gray hair and the black mask beneath it, her eyes widened. She covered her mouth, speechless.
“Oh my, oh my…”
“I’d appreciate it if you could finish it as soon as possible.”
“You always manage to surprise me. And now, you’ve brought such a high-profile figure…”
Ms. Park flung the door wide open. Despite the narrow entrance, the space inside was vast and expansive. Perhaps the door connected to a warehouse. Every shelf, stacked to the high ceiling, was filled with items. The scent of monsters hung thick in the air.
Ms. Park quickly made her way inside, her voice sounding distant as if she were speaking from far away.
“Since we have such a distinguished guest, we’ll need to use materials that match. Hmm, now, what do we have?”
They passed several storerooms before arriving at a large room filled with desks, clothing racks, mannequins, and fitting rooms. Seo Min-gi, inspecting the desk, asked,
“Has the Kraken material arrived?”
“The Kraken material was used by another client just recently.”
“Who?”
“Hunter Honeybee had something made with it.”
“I figured.”
Cha Eui-jae absentmindedly looked around. Do regular shops stack up this much monster material? Wait, are they actually making clothes here? He nudged Lee Sa-young, who was standing next to him, and whispered.
“I thought only Hong Ye-seong could make equipment?”
“Hmm… It’s a bit different.”
Lee Sa-young motioned to Seo Min-gi to explain. Seo Min-gi responded in his usual mechanical manner.
“The artisan creates something entirely new from scratch. These shops modify the appearance of existing equipment or enhance clothes with monster materials, like leather, feathers, hearts, claws… It’s more of modifying something that already exists.”
“You’re absolutely right!”
Ms. Park, who had appeared with her arms full, chimed in. She spread her items across the desk and placed a red, fiery-scaled leather against a mannequin.
“Like this~ We choose materials and add them to a custom-made outfit. Each monster material has its own unique properties. Dungeon items are often… bizarre, you know?”
Indeed. Cha Eui-jae recalled the poisonous high dungeon rewards, where poison toads roamed. The gear was a thick coat with overlapping purple, yellow, and green patterns, constantly dripping with slime. It was an A-grade item, and its gas protection was top-notch, but no one ever wanted to wear it.
“Hunters these days want to balance both fashion and functionality. Think of it as a hunter’s bulletproof vest, with some design flair.”
Indeed. Cha Eui-jae nodded, and Ms. Park, resting her cheek on her palm, mumbled softly.
“Creating equipment is the domain of the artisan… We deal more in modification and enhancement, not creation.”
I see. As Cha Eui-jae nodded in understanding, Ms. Park giggled.
“You’re much more gentle than I expected, J-nim.”
“…Excuse me?”
Cha Eui-jae widened his eyes, but Lee Sa-young, arms folded, quickly cut in.
“Is this all? The materials?”
“Oh! I have more. I just brought the most noticeable ones, A-grade or above. This is Velosraptor leather— light, flexible, and perfect for nimble movement.”
Lee Sa-young, with a tilted head and a nod, expressed his thoughts. Ms. Park’s hands were swift, but Lee Sa-young’s evaluations were even quicker. Like a judge, he critiqued everything meticulously.
“The fabric is subpar.”
“What use is third-grade monster hide?”
“Next.”
“The color doesn’t match.”
“It doesn’t suit him.”
“This is the best you’ve got?”
“Hmm…”
“It’s not worth the money.”
With each effortless criticism, even the smile of the professional Ms. Park gradually faded from her face.
