The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 221
Ran away? Who’s running?
“You are.”
Don’t talk nonsense.
“Then why can’t you remember?”
I don’t know.
“How convenient, to just say you don’t know and think everything’s solved.”
…
“Try to remember as hard as you can… It’s the only way to save the life of J, whom you love so much.”
A black shadow approached. It was much larger than Lee Sa-young. In front of it, Lee Sa-young was shrinking smaller and smaller. The once-clear vision blurred into distortion. A pain long forgotten returned. Lee Sa-young stifled a groan, bowing his head. The hand that touched the ground was grotesquely mangled and deformed. No sound escaped him. Even the short moments of breathing were agonizing. The shadow rested its hand on Lee Sa-young’s head, who was gasping from the pain.
“I’ll help you.”
…
A lazy voice, mocking, whispered.
“Retracing memories is my hobby, after all…”
***
Cha Eui-jae and Yoon Ga-eul reached an agreement, albeit dramatically. Instead of changing his surname to Yoon, Cha Eui-jae would keep his own name. Aside from that, there wasn’t much else to decide. It was easy enough to explain away the age gap since they weren’t blood-related. Cha Eui-jae, muttering and memorizing the details they had agreed on, lifted his head.
“Come to think of it, Yoon Ga-eul, don’t you have a phone?”
“Oh, uh, no… it got taken away.”
Yoon Ga-eul answered gloomily.
“They took anything that could communicate.”
“I see…”
Cha Eui-jae glanced at the smartwatch on his wrist. He hoped Yang Hye-jin would notice something was off and track them. It was at that moment that the car’s engine stopped, and the vibrations ceased. The sound of several footsteps approached the container.
The lock clicked open, and the door swung wide. Light suddenly flooded in. Both Cha Eui-jae and Yoon Ga-eul squinted against it. Armed men marched into the container with confident steps. They pointed their guns at Cha Eui-jae.
“W-wait a second!”
Yoon Ga-eul stepped in front of Cha Eui-jae, shielding him with her body, glaring at the men.
“He’s my brother. If you’re rough with him, I won’t cooperate.”
“What? Hey, miss…”
The shorter man sneered in disbelief.
“Do you think you’re the boss here? Do you even know where you are?”
“You brought me here because you want something from me, right? Didn’t someone important say they wanted to meet me?”
“…”
“If you lay a finger on us, I won’t say a word. And when they ask why, I’ll say it’s because of you.”
The shorter man exchanged glances with the man behind him. The other man lowered his gun.
“…But we’re still going to restrain him. We’re civilians, and that guy’s an Awakened. This is for safety, no room for negotiation.”
Yoon Ga-eul turned to Cha Eui-jae. Cha Eui-jae, expressionless, nodded slightly. He could always break free if he needed to. Yoon Ga-eul nodded as well, following his lead.
“…Okay.”
“Hey, put your hands together.”
The man grumbled as he moved forward to handcuff Cha Eui-jae. With a metallic click, the cuffs snapped shut. They were thicker and heavier than the ones used by police, resembling the ones from the Awakened Management Bureau.
If it was the same kind, that was actually good news. Cha Eui-jae could easily break them with his strength. But the man pulled out one more thing— a short, thick chain. Yoon Ga-eul, who had been watching quietly, intervened.
“Wait, what’s that?”
“A safety measure. I told you, it’s necessary.”
“How is that a safety measure? There’s no need for something like that!”
“It’s not up for debate.”
“Yoon Ga-eul.”
“…”
“It’s okay.”
Cha Eui-jae gestured to her with his eyes. There was no need for her to make enemies here. Aside from being an Awakened, she was just an ordinary high school student. She couldn’t handle violence. And no matter how strong the restraints were, they wouldn’t stand a chance against Cha Eui-jae’s grip. Yoon Ga-eul bit her lip and lowered her head.
The man scoffed in annoyance and motioned with his fingers.
“Look up.”
Cha Eui-jae raised his head. A rough hand secured a collar around his neck. The moment the metal clicked into place, something sharp jabbed against his skin from the inside. It didn’t pierce through, but it was clear that it could.
‘So it’s meant to dig into the skin if necessary…’
It was hard to breathe; the collar squeezed his neck uncomfortably. Cha Eui-jae grimaced as he ran his fingers along the edge of the collar. The man sneered threateningly.
“Don’t try anything. I can set it off anytime.”
“…”
“It’d be better for your sister if you just stayed still. Got it?”
Cha Eui-jae didn’t reply but simply nodded. The man pulled out a black cloth next.
“Both of you are wearing this. Refuse, and I’ll rip your eyes out. You can still flap your mouth even if you’ve got no eyes.”
“…”
“Understand? Nod if you do.”
Yoon Ga-eul glanced anxiously at Cha Eui-jae. Cha Eui-jae nodded again. The man roughly blindfolded him with the black cloth, tying it tight. How excessive. He then grabbed the chain attached to Cha Eui-jae’s collar and yanked him to his feet. In the distance, Yoon Ga-eul let out a small shriek. Had she seen the tension in Cha Eui-jae’s arm? The man taunted.
“How protective of your sister. Don’t worry, I’m just making sure you can walk straight.”
“…”
“Walk straight! Don’t stumble.”
Another man kicked Cha Eui-jae hard in the back. Should he keep his balance? Should he fall? Two choices raced through his mind, but Cha Eui-jae quickly made a decision. It would be better to fall here.
Thunk! Cha Eui-jae collapsed face-first onto the ground. The dry scent of sand filled his nose. He wasted no time grabbing a handful of dirt. Rough sand, small pebbles, gritty against his skin.
‘…A mountain? An open field? A construction site?’
Then, a scream erupted behind him.
“Aaaah! What the fuck!”
“What happened?”
“M-my leg… I think it’s broken, aaagh! What is he, made of stone?”
‘That’s what you get for kicking people.’
Serves him right. Ignoring the wailing voice, Cha Eui-jae rolled his eyes behind the blindfold. Thankfully, dim light filtered through the cloth. They were outside… were there trees? They hadn’t come that far, had they?
“Aaaaagh!”
The man who kicked Cha Eui-jae screamed in agony. The other man clicked his tongue in irritation.
“Idiot. How many times do I have to tell you not to attack an Awakened?”
“Damn it! We should just kill them! They’re monsters, not even human!”
“Shut up. Hey! Take this idiot to the medics.”
A few footsteps brushed past Cha Eui-jae. The man grabbed the chain around Cha Eui-jae’s neck and yanked hard. They were treating him like a dog. Cha Eui-jae staggered to his feet. Something cold and round pressed against his back.
“Just keep walking straight.”
“…”
The sound of sand and gravel beneath his feet gradually faded, replaced by the smooth texture of concrete. The air shifted from the scent of sand to the harsh smell of disinfectant and bleach.
It seemed to be a large space; distant voices echoed faintly. He wanted to hear more, to learn about the current situation… the Management Bureau’s movements… J… the Rankers… But they were too far away. And with the gun pressing into his back, he couldn’t stop walking.
How long had they been walking? A soft ding sounded, followed by the sensation of doors opening to either side. The man pressed the gun into Cha Eui-jae’s back.
“Take three more steps and stop.”
“…”
So there was an elevator. The door closed with a thud. The elevator hummed as it descended. Quite some time passed before the man yanked at the chain around Cha Eui-jae’s neck.
“Follow me.”
‘Yes, yes.’
Cha Eui-jae grimaced, scanning his surroundings. The bright lights made it possible to see faintly through the blindfold. White floors, white ceilings, white walls, and people in white lab coats bustling around. And scattered about, steel bars.
Behind the bars…
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Someone grabbed the bars and shook them violently, howling like a beast. A person in a lab coat sighed dramatically, muttering in frustration.
Did someone forget the sedatives again? Was it you? There they go again…
What should we do?
What do you mean? Isolate them and dose them until they’re out of it…
The sound of a doorknob turning reached his ears. The door creaked open. The man grabbed Cha Eui-jae’s leash and dragged him inside. He muttered.
“Don’t try anything.”
It was time to speak. Cha Eui-jae rolled his eyes under the blindfold, scanning the surroundings. A square room with steel bars at the front. Nothing was visible beyond the bars. Had they installed a one-way mirror?
“Where’s my sister?”
“She’ll meet hyung-nim.”
“Will she be released?”
“If things go well.”
“How long will I be like this?”
“Until she finishes talking.”
The man grabbed Cha Eui-jae’s hair and slammed his head back into the wall with enough force to bang it. Then,
Clink!
He fastened the chain to the wall and removed the blindfold.
