The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 242
Silence filled the director’s office. Ham Seok-jeong sat at her desk with her eyes closed. Then, a polite knock sounded. Without opening her eyes, she responded.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and a young man with a gentle smile entered. It was Jung Bin. After a slight bow, he stood properly in front of Ham Seok-jeong.
“I have reports and a few requests. What’s the status of the incense altar proposal?”
“Rejected. They don’t even pretend to listen. Seems they don’t want to incite unease.”
“This time, not just Awakened but many civilians also died. Without bodies, how are they supposed to hold funerals… Some of those who were devoured by that monster didn’t even leave remains. They’re likely in another dimension entirely…”
“It’s not the first time we’ve held a funeral without a body, is it?”
“…”
Jung Bin fell silent. Ham Seok-jeong finished rubbing her face roughly and muttered.
“…Sorry. That was thoughtless.”
“It’s fine.”
“And Song Jo-heon? What’s his stance?”
“He’s surprisingly cooperative. Thanks to him, we’ve gathered quite a bit of useful information on Prometheus.”
Jung Bin handed over a file. Ham Seok-jeong frowned as she quickly scanned its contents.
“And that researcher, Ga-young?”
“After offering her body as a test subject to Prometheus, she was allowed in the guild for health checks. They need someone to act quickly if side effects occur. According to Song Jo-heon-ssi, he didn’t have any deep conversations with her.”
“A strictly professional relationship?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“And the hunters who defected to Prometheus?”
“He claims they volunteered… but we’ll need to ask directly to see if there was any coercion involved. However…”
Jung Bin lowered his eyes, a strange, expressionless look on his usually gentle face.
“It’s questionable whether they’re in any state to speak. According to J’s testimony, they’d all lost their sanity…”
“…”
“Still, we received a report from the Seowon Guild that they’re developing an antidote. Apparently, Lee Sa-young-ssi provided them with a tablet containing detailed information about the drug.”
“That’s fortunate. Matthew will need to be restored as well…”
“…”
Ham Seok-jeong let out a long sigh. Now, the most critical topic remains. This was only the beginning of the end. The more they spoke of it, the faster it seemed to accelerate. She tapped her fingers on the desk and asked an idle question.
“When’s the next beginning supposed to be?”
“According to the Rift Management Bureau’s predictions…”
The sound of him swallowing was stark. In a heavy tone, Jung Bin answered.
“It could start in as little as ten minutes.”
“…”
“But…”
“But?”
Ham Seok-jeong looked up. Jung Bin wore an unusually troubled expression.
“It’s been in that state for days now.”
“…”
“As if someone’s gripping the leash tight.”
***
“Ah, those days of old~”
“Can that day ever return again?”
The nostalgic melody flowed, and the lyrics painfully tugged at his heart. The jellyfish plushie hanging from the rearview mirror swayed back and forth. There were no cars on the highway. Had people given up on traveling, or had those who needed to go already gone? Only meaningless thoughts floated around his mind. Cramped into the narrow passenger seat of the old Damas, Cha Eui-jae grumbled.
“This song is ancient.”
“What? It’s Jang Mi-sook-ssi’s favorite karaoke track number 0.”
Since it was Jang Mi-sook’s favorite song, he couldn’t complain anymore. Cha Eui-jae had a particular soft spot for people around his aunt’s age. Instead of grumbling further, he rolled down the window and hung his arm out. The cold wind didn’t matter; after all, Mackerel in the driver’s seat had rolled his window down all the way too.
Even though Cha Eui-jae knew that Lee Sa-young was in Incheon, he didn’t have a driver’s license. Taking the subway would make him the headline of every news alert, and borrowing a helicopter from the Awakened Management Bureau would weigh on his conscience. The universal key, A Small Miracle Seo Min-gi, was with its original owner. In the end, he’d called on Mackerel.
With a smirk, Mackerel said loud enough to be heard.
“You know this is going to incur travel expenses, right? I’m high-value labor, you know? Do you have any idea how many hunters want to see my face? I’m not cut out to be dragged around as a chauffeur.”
“Isn’t driving a person better than driving a goldfish?”
“You don’t know how skilled we fish are.”
“Goldfish can’t pass a police checkpoint.”
That was true. Goldfish were indeed excellent drivers, but there was one significant problem. If the police pulled them over and asked for a license, they had nothing to show! Show your license. I don’t have one. J’s driving without a license? The goldfish is driving. Excuse me? It’d turn into a comedy skit. Fortunately, Mackerel nodded in agreement. Cha Eui-jae tapped on the car’s worn door.
“Where’d you sell off the truck and come out with this old clunker?”
“Oh! Careful. This baby might fall apart if you just stomp your foot. It belongs in a museum.”
“Then why are you dragging out an antique? Don’t you have a sturdier car?”
“Sorry, I did my best! Everyone’s out on call, so this was the only car left.”
“Sigh…”
Leaning his arm on the window, Cha Eui-jae let out a deep sigh. Glancing at Cha Eui-jae’s expression, Mackerel suddenly raised his voice.
“Oh, come on. You’re going to pay for this, right? There’s a credit card fee, too.”
“I don’t even have a card. I’ll pay in magic stones. Figure out how to sell them.”
“Oh, Cash-nim. Actually, we prefer magic stones, anyway.”
Magic stones. Cha Eui-jae frowned as unpleasant memories surfaced.
“Why magic stones?”
With one arm resting on the window and the other on the wheel, Mackerel lifted his hand and spun his finger in the air. In an instant, several goldfish latched onto the steering wheel. So, this was a new kind of self-driving car. Cha Eui-jae squinted.
“You’ve seen the chaos behind the fish market, right? It doesn’t operate for free. That’s our skill, but it costs a lot to maintain.”
“And magic stones are the maintenance cost?”
“Exactly. Jeez, even when we earn, it all goes to buying magic stones.”
Mackerel pursed his lips, muttering in frustration.
“Still, what were you doing all this time without getting a license?”
“I was in the West Sea rift. Why?”
“…”
The atmosphere grew tense. The solemn mood prompted Mackerel to quietly roll up the window and grip the steering wheel with both hands. The goldfish, disgruntled at being displaced, spun around Mackerel’s head in protest. Cha Eui-jae propped his chin and spoke.
“I was kidding. Laugh.”
“Oh… haha.”
“Laugh louder.”
“Hahaha!”
The faint scent of the sea gradually began to fill the air. Cha Eui-jae closed his eyes, letting Mackerel’s loud laughter serve as background noise. He thought about what he’ll say first when he finally meets Lee Sa-young.
***
In Incheon, there was a research facility belonging to the Pado Guild. Its primary focus was on studying rifts and gates, but it also housed a massive training room for assessing the abilities of guild members. There was even a special training room designed solely for Lee Sa-young, who could melt objects.
Wooong… A menacing sound seeped through the tightly shut steel door. Clank, clank, the clashing of metal on metal, snap, snap, the sound of bones breaking. Bae Won-woo, who had heard these sounds more than a few times, could tell exactly what they were. He paced back and forth in front of the door with urgency.
“Hey, are we really sure this is okay? I hear bones breaking. Shouldn’t we get him out of there?”
“Probably…”
Hong Ye-seong, curled up in an armchair beside the steel door, raised his head. His Eyes of Appraisal was spinning faster than ever. His head creaked and twisted toward the door, moving in an unnatural, almost mechanical way, as if he had no control over it. He wiped away the cold sweat with his sleeve.
“He won’t die. It’s just going to hurt like hell.”
“That’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“There’s no other choice. If he doesn’t go through this, we’ll all die.”
Red liquid dripped down Hong Ye-seong’s cheek and hit the floor. He covered his eyes with his sleeve as if he were used to it. Bae Won-woo hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it to Hong Ye-seong’s eyes. The white cloth quickly became soaked with red, but Hong Ye-seong spoke calmly, despite bleeding from his eyes.
“If it looks like he’s really going to die, I’ll tell you to pull him out. Until then, don’t interfere. That’s what he wants, too.”
“…”
Bae Won-woo scratched his head roughly. Hong Ye-seong blinked over the handkerchief covering his eyes. Even with his eyes closed, even as he bled, the Eyes of Appraisal continued to spin, reflecting something beyond the steel door. Something crouched in darkness.
Clink, chains appeared from thin air, binding the hunched figure tightly. Thud, thud, it was so mangled it could hardly be called human anymore. For an instant, a purple light flashed from the dark figure, only to gradually fade away. Hong Ye-seong rubbed at his aching eyes, feeling a tearing pain.
“Just a little more…”
Note: Seeing all these theories makes me want to create a discord so you all can have an in-depth discussion about them.
