The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 248
About three weeks after that day, the Awakened Management Bureau held a secret meeting with Prometheus. Only a small number of people attended the meeting, and though the exact content of their discussions wasn’t revealed, all of the abducted hunters were transferred to the Seowon Guild. The reason for using the term “transferred” was simple.
Thud, a dry fist slammed down onto the table.
“They’re incredibly violent, rabid to the point of trying to bite anything that moves. They can’t even tell what’s what. They’re practically animals. All of them!”
Even though they’d been freed from the research facility, they still had to be contained.
Nam Woo-jin sat back in his chair, looking displeased. His hair was a tangled mess, his white coat was scorched and wrinkled, and there wasn’t a part of him that looked untouched. The marionette behind him began tidying his disheveled hair as soon as he sat down. Nam Woo-jin also took off his glasses and held them up in the air, inspecting them. Jung Bin, who was sitting opposite him, let out a sigh.
“Is treatment impossible?”
“We were researching it. We were making progress until someone decided to interfere.”
Nam Woo-jin snapped irritably, tapping the table.
“Honestly… we’re not a combat guild. Do you have any idea how hard we’ve worked? And if you’re going to transfer them, you should give us a heads-up! Who just dumped a dozen people on us out of nowhere? Do they think this is a guesthouse?”
“My apologies for that. Originally, the Pado Guild was going to take some of them too, but, well…”
Jung Bin shook his head, looking troubled.
“We haven’t been able to get in touch with them. Not sure if they’re busy with something else…”
“Tsk…”
Nam Woo-jin clicked his tongue in frustration, crossing his arms.
“I won’t say too much since we owe that guy, but now my workload has doubled. We need more manpower.”
“Are you talking about management staff?”
“Yes. Our guild members aren’t strong enough to subdue berserk Awakeners. Most of them are more intellectually inclined.”
“I’ll speak with the Director about it. However, it’s unlikely.”
“Why not?”
“The inside of the Management Bureau isn’t exactly secure either.”
A shadow crossed Jung Bin’s usually calm face.
“The Bureau isn’t staffed only with Awakeners. There may even be someone affiliated with Prometheus, and we’ve observed suspicious signs to that effect… We can’t narrow down the personnel, so we’ve concluded that it would be difficult to manage the situation on our end.”
“You think they’re up to something? They’re the ones who handed them over to the Bureau in the first place.”
“They could kill them before a cure is found. They’ll need their own weapons too.”
Jung Bin’s voice dropped. He let out a small sigh before continuing.
“Although we’re cooperating temporarily to resolve this crisis, in reality, the Bureau and Prometheus are fundamentally incompatible. They have vastly different philosophies.”
“That is curious. With the Director’s personality, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d deployed a task force to wipe them out.”
Jung Bin gave an enigmatic smile. The boy, who had been tidying up, finished brushing Nam Woo-jin’s white hair and started tying it up. Nam Woo-jin shrugged, letting his head tilt back slightly as the boy tugged his hair.
“What, does it bother you that they’re civilians?”
“…The scale is larger than expected. Mackerel-ssi has been investigating, but even if people don’t know the name Prometheus, their ideals have spread quite widely.”
“Ideals?”
“They believe we shouldn’t rely on Awakeners and that humanity should overcome hardships on its own…”
“Well, that sounds lofty.”
“Furthermore, after the last incident, they set up small counseling centers in various places while rescuing and treating civilians. They’re still helping those who are struggling because of that time.”
“Ah, so they have a good reputation in the local community?”
“Yes. It seems sharing a common pain is quite effective.”
“Cunning. They’ve really struck a nerve in the right place. So that’s why you haven’t made the Song Jo-heon incident public yet?”
“Yes. In a situation like this, revealing that a Guild Leader of one of the top three guilds… committed such an act would only tarnish the image of Awakeners.”
“You won’t be able to keep it hidden forever.”
“The Director is aware of that as well.”
A brief silence followed. The boy placed a clean white coat on the desk. Nam Woo-jin stood up, shrugged off his scorched coat, and put on the new one, finally looking somewhat presentable. He let out a deep sigh, dragging his Crocs as he headed somewhere. Watching him leave, Jung Bin lowered his gaze.
“Mackerel-ssi has assessed that if we recklessly provoke them, the story could spread that an awakened individual attacked civilians… and even that it was a hunter from the Awakened Management Bureau.”
“That kid made a smart decision. I’d agree with that.”
A rich aroma of coffee filled the air. Nam Woo-jin poured himself a cup from the pot and downed it in one go. His pale face, with dark circles under his eyes, looked worn out. After rubbing his face roughly, he pointed at Jung Bin with his index finger.
“Go ahead and head back. I’ll try asking the Pado Guild or Honeybee for some management personnel support.”
“If it’s alright, I’ll visit frequently to help.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You think I don’t know how busy you are? You’ll probably get called away for another public service commercial under the guise of ‘improving our image.’ I can guess how those bigwigs think.”
Perhaps feeling a hit, Jung Bin only offered a painted-on smile without responding. It was the kind of smile fitting for the top hunter in demand for public service announcements. Nam Woo-jin waved his hand irritably toward the boy.
“Escort him to the entrance.”
“Understood.”
After Jung Bin and the boy left, Nam Woo-jin covered his eyes with his hand. His burned eyes throbbed with a sharp pain that seemed to bite more than usual today.
***
In the lobby of the Incheon building where the Pado Guild’s research lab was located, there was a large LED panel. Normally, it would display the Pado Guild’s history or recruitment images inviting people to join. But today was different.
[The Awakened Management Bureau is always by your side.]
A public service ad showed the top hunter for the role of ideal son-in-law and civil servant hunter, Jung Bin, offering a gentle smile and extending his hand. Cha Eui-jae, hands in his pockets, stared quietly at Jung Bin’s face on the screen. Although passersby glanced at him, he paid them no mind.
‘This seems like a new ad.’
During his time hiding from Lee Sa-young at the fish market, Cha Eui-jae had watched all the videos in Mackerel’s collection, unable to sleep anyway. Among them was an entire set of Jung Bin’s public service announcements, collected because, as Mackerel had put it, there was quite a demand.
‘Oh, I heard it’s especially popular with civil servant hunters…’
Apparently, watching those ads when feeling burnt out gave them a bit of comfort. “If Jung Bin can keep going, then who am I to complain?” —a mindset that seemed to bring a sort of relative peace. Maybe not the most positive outlook, but it did help some.
‘Still, the higher-ups ordering him to do this at a time like this…’
It likely wasn’t what Jung Bin wanted, either. As Cha Eui-jae clicked his tongue, he heard a steady set of footsteps behind him.
“J, you’re here.”
It was Bae Won-woo. After giving a short bow and scratching his cropped hair, he asked,
“You’ll be going in again today, right?”
Cha Eui-jae simply nodded, not bothering to reply. Without another word, Bae Won-woo began to lead him. They boarded the elevator and headed down to the basement in a short but seemingly long descent. As the silence stretched, Bae Won-woo suddenly spoke.
“I…”
“…”
“I’m really glad… that you keep coming here, J.”
“What’s made you feel that way?”
“Well, when someone is with you during tough times, it’s… reassuring, you know? I know it’s embarrassing, but even I couldn’t hold out against Sa-young’s poison for long. And honestly… he likes you more than they like me.”
“…”
“Oh, anyway, we’re here now.”
Bae Won-woo scratched his head awkwardly and stepped out of the elevator. Ignoring the tickling sensation in his chest, Cha Eui-jae followed him. The door, as if sensing Cha Eui-jae’s arrival, was already half-open. Lying across the makeshift bed opposite the door, Hong Ye-seong looked up.
“Oh, here already? You’re so diligent.”
“There’s nothing else to do anyway.”
“What about… whatever Prometheus?”
“I was ordered not to make contact with them.”
Cha Eui-jae hadn’t been allowed to attend the meeting between the Awakened Management Bureau and Prometheus, even though they had exploited him at every opportunity. The instructions were strict; if J got involved, all conditions would be voided. Cha Eui-jae didn’t really want to go anyway, so he accepted it… but after the meeting, the director gave him a single warning: don’t make contact with them.
After considering asking Jung Bin, Cha Eui-jae nodded. Hong Ye-seong, feeling anxious, began flailing his limbs as his Eyes of Appraisal flared.
“Ah, why! Can’t we just kill them all?”
“Do you think you should talk about killing so carelessly?”
“I hate those guys!”
“You think anyone likes them? I’m going in.”
Ignoring Hong Ye-seong’s flailing, J walked into the darkness. As he stepped on the damp floor, the door closed behind him. He walked through the dark, unfazed and familiar with the path, stopping when he heard a faint sound of breathing. A pair of violet eyes gazed back at him.
“I’m here.”
“…Welcome.”
A small chuckle seemed to echo as wet arms wrapped around his legs. He ran his fingers through the wet hair, gently stroking it.
Lee Sa-young was spending more and more time here. The fact that the “Eye of the Apocalypse” lingered out of sight for so long meant that it was keeping a close watch on this world. Perhaps they’d end up staying in this place all day. He wanted to stay, even if just a little longer.
A damp arm slipped up from Cha Eui-jae’s thigh to his waist, wrapping around him. Bending his knees, Cha Eui-jae drew the warm, clinging form closer, holding it tightly. He, too, could feel it instinctively.
There wasn’t much time left.
