The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 220
‘Alright then…’
The air was filled with the metallic scent of rust and oil. The floor, which Cha Eui-jae’s cheek rested on, was cold and trembled rhythmically. He listened closely. He could hear the hum of an engine and the exhaust. Was it a container truck? Given the state of the road, a truck would be necessary. As Cha Eui-jae took in his surroundings, he overheard Lee Mi-jin scolding someone.
“Hold on, I told you not to throw them so roughly. What if they end up getting hurt? Cleaning up the container would be a hassle…”
“…”
“Ugh, never mind. What’s the point in talking to idiots? It’s like talking to a wall…”
“Hyung-nim.”
Another voice interrupted. It was the man who had shown Cha Eui-jae around earlier, introducing various parts of the camp.
“Where should we put this one?”
There were muffled sounds, as if Yoon Ga-eul was struggling, followed by a few thuds. Lee Mi-jin responded nonchalantly.
“Didn’t you lock the container door?”
“We can always open it again. There’s no space in the passenger seat.”
“Check the body of the guy we threw in first. If he’s dead, make room and put this one in the front. I don’t want anyone losing their mind sitting next to a corpse.”
“He seemed like an Awakened, though. Even if his grade is low, he survived a hit from the club earlier.”
“Oh, really? Then he’s probably not dead… Such annoyingly sturdy people. Put him in the container, and don’t throw him this time!”
“Mmmph! Mmm!”
“Miss, if you keep being uncooperative, we’ll have no choice but to respond with violence…”
“Mmm! Mmmph!”
“You seem like you have a lot to say. Go ahead and untie her mouth for a moment.”
“W-Why are you doing this to me? Please, let me go! I need to get home…”
Yoon Ga-eul shouted defiantly, but Lee Mi-jin only responded with a mocking laugh.
“Do you really think we don’t know you’re an S-grade Awakened?”
Yoon Ga-eul fell silent. Cha Eui-jae strained to listen more closely. They knew about Yoon Ga-eul? How? Even among Hunters, very few people knew that Yoon Ga-eul was an S-grade Awakened. At most, they might know that there was a hidden S-grade who was a high school senior and had mental-type abilities.
Lee Mi-jin’s tone suddenly shifted, becoming almost pleading.
“We know all about your abilities, too. You remember the ruined world, don’t you? Are you going to run away again? Without stopping it? While brainwashing yourself into thinking it’s inevitable?”
“…”
“We also want to prevent the apocalypse. We’re willing to try anything to stop it, wouldn’t you?”
After a pause, Yoon Ga-eul asked.
“…What do you want from me?”
“Our leader wants to meet you.”
Lee Mi-jin’s voice changed slightly when she mentioned “the leader.” It had a fanatical quality, the voice of someone who believed deeply in something— almost like a madwoman.
“Our leader has remembered the apocalypse for a very long time. He foresaw that it would come to this world someday and gathered us together.”
“…”
“Though you are an Awakened, you possess a rare ability. We can cooperate. Talk to our leader, see if we might find a solution to this crisis.”
“…Is that really all?”
“Of course. We’ll just talk, and then we’ll return you safely to where you came from.”
“How can I believe that? You kidnapped me out of nowhere…”
“I apologize for the rough treatment. I did tell them to bring you in safely… Seems like these idiots didn’t understand. They can be slow on the uptake.”
“…”
“Will you come with us?”
“If I say no, you’ll just drag me there anyway, right?”
“…”
“…Fine, just tell them to let go of me. I’ll walk on my own.”
Footsteps approached. There was a clicking sound as the lock was undone. Cha Eui-jae quickly shut his eyes. A man entered the container before Yoon Ga-eul. He approached Cha Eui-jae, crouched down, and checked for a pulse at his neck. Grumbling, the man muttered.
“What the… Still alive, huh? Sturdy as hell.”
“…”
“Alright, miss. Get in.”
“…”
“Don’t try anything funny. Let’s keep things civil.”
Light footsteps approached Cha Eui-jae. Yoon Ga-eul sat beside him, curling into a small ball. The door shut again, and the lock clicked into place. At that moment, Cha Eui-jae opened his eyes wide and quickly lifted his head. Yoon Ga-eul gasped, stifling a scream. In a small voice, Cha Eui-jae whispered.
“Why are you here, Ga-eul? Weren’t you at school?”
“A-Are you okay? That was a pretty hard hit!”
“I was pretending. Didn’t even tickle. But why are you here?”
“How could I be at school… with all this going on? After I woke up, I informed the director and was on my way to the Awakened Management Bureau. But then…”
Yoon Ga-eul sniffled and adjusted her crooked glasses. The vehicle shifted heavily to one side as it started moving.
“Some people in white clothes grabbed me. They asked if I was Yoon Ga-eul. I denied it, but…”
She held up the student ID hanging from her neck, showing her name, Yoon Ga-eul, printed in large letters. Cha Eui-jae nodded in understanding. Yoon Ga-eul sniffled again.
“I didn’t think about the ID… I was too out of it.”
“…”
“And that’s how I ended up here. What about you, J?”
“I was investigating these people. Thought I’d blend in with this look.”
“Right.”
“I said I was looking for my lost younger sister, and I used some of your information as cover. I figured you’d still be at school, so it made for a good excuse.”
“…”
“Didn’t expect to find you here though…”
What a cruel twist of fate. Yoon Ga-eul hung her head in despair.
“I’m sorry, it’s my fault…”
“No, I got in here of my own will.”
If he wanted to, Cha Eui-jae could escape anytime. He could rip the container door off and jump out. Sure, he’d roll on the road a bit, but that wouldn’t even leave a scratch. Lying face down on the container floor, Cha Eui-jae began to think. This might actually be for the best. From what he’d heard, it sounded like they were about to meet the person responsible for creating Prometheus. He couldn’t pass up such a great opportunity. Cha Eui-jae muttered.
“Ga-eul, I’m really sorry for saying this, but…”
“Yes?”
“I could take you with me and escape, but I won’t.”
Yoon Ga-eul pushed up her glasses, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve, and nodded. Cha Eui-jae glanced sideways at her.
“You’ve noticed the apocalypse speeding up, haven’t you?”
“Yes, those huge monsters… I remember them. They appear at the start of the end.”
This world had already set itself on a path toward destruction. There was no escaping it. The apocalypse would chase them until the very end. The only way was to push forward. Cha Eui-jae muttered again.
“In our world, there’s a massive wild card called Prometheus. A variable we don’t fully understand. Even if we want to stop the apocalypse, we can’t make a plan without accounting for them.”
“You’re right.”
“If we can’t exclude them… we need to find out more about them.”
“…”
“I’m planning to gather as much information as I can from this chance. What do you think?”
“…Do you think we can escape?”
Yoon Ga-eul looked at Cha Eui-jae with anxious eyes. Cha Eui-jae propped himself up on his elbows and gave her a confident grin.
“I’m J, remember?”
“…”
“Trust me.”
The anxiety in Yoon Ga-eul’s face faded, replaced by a faint smile. She nodded, reassured. Cha Eui-jae spoke solemnly, and Yoon Ga-eul seemed to tense up as well.
“And we should get our story straight.”
“O-Okay.”
“How about we pretend we’re siblings with different last names? It’s pretty common after the Day of the Rift, with non-blood relatives forming families.”
Yoon Ga-eul’s expression softened into exasperation. Cha Eui-jae suddenly checked his watch, his mind drifting briefly. He remembered how he had longed to be part of a family with Lee Sa-young. He knew his aunt would never return, so maybe that was why he had clung to Lee Sa-young so much. He wanted to bind them together as a family— because they were each other’s only ones.
“Do you kiss your younger brother?”
A teasing voice echoed in his mind. At that moment, Cha Eui-jae slammed his head into the floor. Yoon Ga-eul let out a small squeal of surprise.
…He hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.
Cha Eui-jae rubbed his forehead against the metal floor. His once-scattered thoughts were now focused on one name.
Lee Sa-young.
Was he alright? Cha Eui-jae let out a short sigh.
***
Jung Bin said that he melted the entire research facility. He stood alone amidst the ruins, covered in poison.
…I don’t remember it well.
Did my brain erase the memories to protect my body and mind? I can’t be sure. Lee Sa-young’s last memory is of a suffocating sensation, hot and overwhelming, like boiling lava. Even that was recalled with difficulty.
During the time spent with Jung Bin and Bae Won-woo in the old house, they would ask him every night. What was the research facility like? Do you remember anything? Is there anyone you recall? It would be helpful if you could remember something. That way, we can track them down and punish them… But every time, Lee Sa-young would shake his head. The only answer he could give was;
“I don’t know.”
It’s strange. His memories of being in the hospital were so vivid, yet no matter how hard he tried, nothing about the facility would come back to him. Lee Sa-young remembered holding Ga-young’s hand, and with difficulty, they left the hospital and got into a strange car. That’s where the memory is cut off.
“It’s probably a defense mechanism.”
A black shadow muttered. Lee Sa-young looked up. The shadow, which had suddenly risen from the ground, was staring at him silently. Then, it curled its lips into a smile.
“You ran away.”
At the same time, Lee Sa-young glared at the shadow.
