The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 230
Cha Eui-jae glanced at Seo Min-gi. He shook his head slightly, signaling not to respond. The two of them focused intently on the sounds beyond the door, holding their breath. However, the man outside was certain of their presence. Knock knock, the sound of knocking came again.
“Could you please open the door? I’d like to speak with you face to face.”
At that moment, an irritated voice cut in. It was Song Jo-heon.
“So now you’re treating me like I don’t even exist. I suppose the door is more important than a betrayed partner like me?”
“No way. You’re our only partner. But…”
There was a rustling sound from the other side of the door.
“The word ‘betrayal’ is misleading. We haven’t betrayed you.”
“Then what do you call acting without giving me prior notice?”
Despite Song Jo-heon’s sharp tone, the man remained completely unfazed.
“Ah, I suppose ‘communication failure’ would be a more appropriate term. I sincerely apologize for that. We’ll compensate you later. Now, may we finish what we were doing?”
Click. The sound of someone gripping the doorknob and turning it echoed. Right, we forgot to lock the door. Fortunately, Seo Min-gi was already holding the doorknob firmly in place. Click. Click. Click-click-click-click-click. Song Jo-heon let out a sarcastic laugh. The man on the other side rattled the doorknob violently, as if trying to rip it off.
“J, J. Will you answer me? I know you’re in there. J, I’ve been dying to talk to you… ever since the moment you killed the whale.”
His voice grew more excited. Seo Min-gi, who was holding the doorknob, looked at Cha Eui-jae with an unusually flustered expression. He mouthed silently, gesturing toward the door.
“Do you know him?”
Cha Eui-jae quickly shook his head. No way he knew a weirdo like that! One weirdo, Lee Sa-young, was enough for his life. With him, his quota of odd people was already full.
The man not only kept rattling the doorknob but started knocking on the door as well.
“Are you avoiding me because you’re uncomfortable? Or maybe you’re shy? Oh! I understand. Then how about we talk like this? I have so many questions and things I want to discuss… about the end.”
“…”
Mackerel had warned him. Prometheus was stirring distrust about J. Cha Eui-jae had seen it clearly with his own eyes— the posts on the website. But the man behind the door didn’t seem to harbor the kind of malice one would expect from someone who had denigrated J. He continued to speak in a rambling, disjointed manner.
“It must feel overwhelming! Is it too much? I’m- I’m sorry. But after hearing from Yoon Ga-eul, I couldn’t contain my excitement.”
Yoon Ga-eul. Cha Eui-jae clenched his fists for a moment. Had Seo Min-gi not been holding the doorknob, and had he not been shaking his head so frantically, Cha Eui-jae might have opened the door. Seo Min-gi mouthed silently again.
“Let’s hear him out.”
Cha Eui-jae nodded. The man, his voice still brimming with excitement, continued hesitantly.
“Ah, I, I talked with Yoon Ga-eul quite a bit. She spoke so highly of you! Hearing about you made me realize— you really are a hero. It was impressive.”
“Stop it already, sir! Is that how you show respect to your partner?”
Song Jo-heon’s sharp voice cut through, and the excited tone abruptly stopped. A tense, foreboding silence filled the space beyond the door. As Cha Eui-jae focused more intently, the man’s voice returned, low and calm, as if he had never been excited in the first place.
“Everything has its proper order.”
“…”
“Your turn will come much later. Wait.”
“You—!”
The sound of a struggle began, accompanied by thuds and crashes. Damn it.
‘Is he trying to kill someone?’
Song Jo-heon used to have a wild streak, and the strength of an S-grade awakened one could be dangerous. If he lost control for even a moment, someone could easily die. No matter how strange the man was, Cha Eui-jae couldn’t let him die. Seo Min-gi seemed to have the same thought, as he flung the door open.
And they were greeted by a completely unexpected scene.
“…”
“Ugh…”
Song Jo-heon was on his knees, crawling on the floor, his face pale and blue. In front of him stood a man with brown hair, slightly hunched over. The man in the white lab coat turned around as if sensing their presence, withdrawing his hands from his pockets. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and bowed his head.
“Ah, ah. You came out? I should have done this sooner. Sorry for the noise.”
“And Hunter Song Jo-heon…?”
“Hm? Ah, he’s fine. I just subdued him temporarily, that’s all. I had a safety measure in place.”
The brown-haired man started to stutter as his hair grew messier, his pale face blushing slightly.
“S-sorry about that. The effects of the drug have worn off. It was meant to, um, facilitate smoother communication.”
He brushed the wrinkles from his white coat and pants, rubbing his palms against the coat. Then, he extended his hand toward Cha Eui-jae.
“I-I heard from Yoon Ga-eul. She said J was here, so I, I really wanted to meet you. My name is Ivan.”
Yoon Ga-eul said that? Could it be true? Yoon Ga-eul was not one to easily give away information. Either she had been forced to reveal it, or perhaps they had found out through CCTV. Cha Eui-jae’s fists tightened, his knuckles cracking as his bones shifted. If they had seen his face…
‘They’ll have to die…’
Instead of taking the outstretched hand, Cha Eui-jae studied Ivan. His build was about the same as Cha Eui-jae’s or slightly bigger. Judging by his hands, Ivan wasn’t someone who had ever fought. There were calluses on his fingers— probably from holding a pen. A researcher for Prometheus, maybe.
Ivan, noticing Cha Eui-jae’s hesitation, forced a smile and tilted his head, as if understanding.
“Ah, are you… worried about your face? Y-you don’t need to worry about that. I’m not interested in your face under the mask. And there aren’t any CCTV cameras around here. I could even blind anyone who saw your face if it’s a matter of trust.”
“…”
Behind his mask, Cha Eui-jae’s face twisted slightly. Why? Wouldn’t that alone be enough to blackmail him? They could ruin Cha Eui-jae’s life with that information alone. Without realizing it, Cha Eui-jae spoke.
“Why?”
“Why…?”
Ivan widened his eyes. He pushed his slipping glasses back up his nose and stammered.
“Why would I, uh, be curious about that?”
“…”
“Y-you’re perfect as you are.”
“…”
“Ah, in case you didn’t understand, let me clarify… It means that no one needs to see the personal, human side of a hero.”
Ivan smiled brightly, bringing his fingertips together.
“Why would people care about a hero’s struggles? They only need you to catch monsters and save their lives.”
“…”
“Isn’t that right? Surely, it must be easier for you this way too.”
Cha Eui-jae suddenly realized something. They weren’t curious about Cha Eui-jae, the man behind J. They didn’t even have the will to know. From the start, they never needed him. All they wanted was the shell— the strongest, most famous hero, J.
“…”
His heart stirred uncomfortably. Ivan, his face still flushed, stared intently at Cha Eui-jae’s mask, seemingly awaiting his reaction. Instead of responding with any elaborate retort, Cha Eui-jae asked a simple question. Fulfilling such expectations was easy. It was simple to act like a hero.
“Where is Yoon Ga-eul?”
“Ah, ah. She’s fine! Not a single hair on her head has been harmed.”
“How can I trust you? I saw you experimenting on awakened ones.”
“You saw that? Ah… as expected, you’re quick.”
Ivan looked oddly satisfied as he clapped his hands together with a sharp sound.
“But Yoon Ga-eul is different. She’s the only person capable of seeing the future from the past. We’re treating her with the utmost care.”
“I need to see her. Take me to her.”
“Of course! But, if you could just do one thing for me first…”
“…”
“You’re not really in a position to be making requests, are you? J could easily destroy this entire base alone.”
Seo Min-gi quickly interrupted, dramatically pushing up his sunglasses. His exaggerated pose and tone made him look like a member of a villainous organization. It was amusing, and it lightened Cha Eui-jae’s mood slightly. Ivan smiled brightly.
“Ah, I know. But… wouldn’t it be easier to hear all the information from me at once than to hunt for it piece by piece?”
“Just say it. What do you want?”
“Just… contact the Director of the Awakened Management Bureau for me.”
The unexpected request made Seo Min-gi squint suspiciously from behind his sunglasses. Ivan chuckled.
“I want to cooperate with the Awakened Management Bureau.”
“…”
“To stop the end.”
