The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 249 second end
Cha Eui-jae grasped the sides of Lee Sa-young’s face, which was curling up with tension, and examined it closely. A satisfied rumbling sound echoed.
“Since I can’t watch over him all the time, you go in and check his condition, too!”
It was more of a command than a request from the esteemed “Hong Ye-seong.” In this state, Lee Sa-young seemed more in touch with his instincts than usual. He clung tighter, craved touch, and longed for physical closeness more than usual. The moment Cha Eui-jae pulled away even a little, Lee Sa-young showed his displeasure. Well, maybe the talking-to from last time worked because he didn’t cling beyond a certain point.
Cha Eui-jae stared intently at Lee Sa-young, who was rubbing his cheek against his palm, and asked,
“Are you okay?”
“I can… endure it.”
“How long do you have to stay today?”
“I don’t know…”
Lee Sa-young started nibbling on Cha Eui-jae’s palm. Cha Eui-jae sank down onto the damp floor with a soft thud. Lee Sa-young leaned in, filling Cha Eui-jae’s embrace. The chains and iron bars pressed sharply into Cha Eui-jae’s hand. He couldn’t pull them out, either.
His heart felt heavy. It felt like there was nothing he could do.
As he gently stroked Lee Sa-young’s hair, who was now nuzzling at his collarbone, Cha Eui-jae closed his eyes.
What value do I have if I can’t fight?
The thought suddenly crossed his mind.
***
The call from Park Ha-eun came right after Cha Eui-jae had finished washing up in the Pado Guild shower. He saw a missed call and returned it, only to hear Park Ha-eun’s glum voice.
—Uncle, can you come pick me up today? Only if you’re not too busy…
How could he refuse after hearing that? Cha Eui-jae immediately contacted Seo Min-gi. Seo Min-gi complained about being used as a personal driver, yet still drove him in an old truck to Park Ha-eun’s school. When they arrived, it was just after school had let out. He spotted a small figure walking with her head lowered. Cha Eui-jae spread his arms wide.
“Ha-eun-ah!”
Park Ha-eun’s head shot up. Her gloomy face brightened with a big smile, and she ran at full speed into Cha Eui-jae’s arms. Of course, if they collided head-on, she’d get hurt, so Cha Eui-jae caught her mid-run with his hands.
“So, you know, the teacher gave us homework…”
“Yeah?”
Cha Eui-jae, with Park Ha-eun’s pink character bag slung over his shoulder, took her hand as she chattered away happily, leading her toward a convenience store. They sat across from each other on plastic chairs on the terrace, and he stuck a straw into a yogurt for her. Park Ha-eun took a sip and pointed at his hair.
“Uncle, aren’t you dyeing it anymore?”
“Dyeing it?”
Cha Eui-jae lifted his bangs that had fallen over his eyes. Even when he used that expensive dye with Kraken ink, the black didn’t last long. It faded to a dull gray as if he had never dyed it. The last time he dyed it, the color was already fading. Cha Eui-jae shrugged.
“Yeah, I decided to just live with it. How’s school lately? Everything okay?”
“It’s fine… except for the boring stuff.”
“Why is it boring?”
“The teacher tells us to go straight home and doesn’t let us stay in the computer or library room. All the kids go to academies
…”
Park Ha-eun swung her feet. Is she having trouble getting along with her peers? Cha Eui-jae tried to recall his own memories, but anything from her age was fuzzy. Besides, she was from a generation that had grown up with Rifts and Awakeneds, so her outlook might be different.
Cha Eui-jae opened a bag of snacks and spread it on the table.
“Do you want to go to an academy too, Ha-eun?”
“No… It’s just that I don’t have anyone to hang out with.”
“Because everyone’s at academies?”
“Yeah. And now you’re not around either.”
The top of Park Ha-eun’s head looked particularly glum. It must be hard for her not to hang out with kids her age. Even if she got along well with them in school, she’d feel lonely if they didn’t hang out after. Cha Eui-jae vaguely recalled his own childhood.
“…Do they still have taekwondo
these days? How about joining a taekwondo or hapkido
dojang? It might be fun.”
“…Uncle, do you have a lot of money?”
Cha Eui-jae, who’d heard people assume he was rich and ask to borrow money, had never been asked outright if he had a lot of money, so he fell silent. Park Ha-eun let out a grown-up sigh as she sipped her drink.
“Uncle, you’re unemployed.”
“Where did you even learn that word…”
“Min-ji lives with her unemployed uncle, and her mom is always mad about it.”
“…”
Cha Eui-jae feigned ignorance.
“I told you, I work at the Pado Guild. I make plenty of money.”
“…”
Was this the look of an elementary schooler? Park Ha-eun scrutinized him with a suspicious look, as if she wouldn’t believe him without proof. Guess he’d have to get a fake business card printed. Scratching his head, Cha Eui-jae replied,
“I’ll show you my business card next time. Will you believe me then?”
“Okay.”
“And about taekwondo, if you’re interested, we can start this month. I’ll tell Grandma. Or do you want to sign up right now?”
Park Ha-eun looked up at him, her eyes sparkling in excitement. It was quite adorable.
“Really? Can I?”
“Yeah. Do you have a place in mind?”
“There’s a taekwondo school Min-ji goes to. It’s nearby!”
Park Ha-eun jumped up from the plastic chair, and Cha Eui-jae followed the small figure bouncing ahead of him with her colorful bag slung over one shoulder. She seemed to have grown a bit since the last time he saw her. Since the hangover soup restaurant closed, he hadn’t paid much attention to Grandmother and Park Ha-eun.
‘I need to be more attentive.’
Following Park Ha-eun, they came to a familiar alley— the one with the hangover soup restaurant. His pace slowed. Though he had visited several times since the shop closed, it felt different coming here with Park Ha-eun. He felt as though he might walk in and find it open for business again.
“…”
Cha Eui-jae purposely looked away from the red-lettered sign, knowing it wasn’t possible. But his mind was filled with thoughts about the restaurant. He didn’t think Grandmother would reopen it, not with her bad knees. Someday, they’d likely sell it off. He couldn’t return to work there anymore.
“It’s just ahead!”
Park Ha-eun’s small, skipping figure stopped in front of a building beyond the hangover soup restaurant alley. Cha Eui-jae looked up. A cute tiger in a white uniform, kicking, was printed on a sticker, along with a slightly worn blue sticker on the window that read;
[Awakening Taekwondo]
Now they just stick the word ‘Awakening’ onto anything. Cha Eui-jae looked at the place skeptically before heading up the stairs. The dojang
was tucked away in the corner on the third floor, with the door wide open. Cha Eui-jae peeked in to check it out. Slippers and small shoes were scattered around the entrance, and the place looked decently clean. The shouts and laughter of children echoed from within. This seemed good enough. Just as Cha Eui-jae was about to scratch his chin, he sensed someone’s presence.
“How can I help you?”
“Oh, I’m here to register. Huh?”
Cha Eui-jae’s eyes widened, his mouth slightly open. The man in the white uniform in front of him looked exactly like Bae Won-woo, whom he’d seen in Incheon earlier. Cha Eui-jae, realizing it was rude, pointed at the man in the white uniform despite himself.
“S-Shield Guy!”
“…”
The man’s expression turned sour, though he quickly smoothed it out and bowed slightly, as if he were used to reactions like this.
“He’s my cousin.”
“…The Shield Guy is? Or you?”
“My cousin is the Shield Guy.”
“Oh, oh, I see… Yes…”
They looked so much alike he could have believed they were brothers. Shield Guy’s cousin looked Cha Eui-jae up and down, then smiled at Park Ha-eun, who was standing next to him with shining eyes. Even his smile was identical to Bae Won-woo’s, giving Cha Eui-jae chills.
“Is this the student you’d like to register?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’m Min-ji’s friend. Min-ji goes here, right?”
“Min-ji… Jang Min-ji? Yes, she should be here in about ten minutes.”
“Uncle! I want to go here!”
“Alright, alright…”
Cha Eui-jae was already a bit out of it. So, this was Shield Guy’s cousin, the instructor. Cha Eui-jae sat through the instructor’s explanations of the curriculum and schedule, nodding absent-mindedly the whole time. That’s when he noticed something in his field of view; a framed photo in the corner of the small office. It looked like Shield Guy and the instructor, arms around each other’s shoulders.
‘They really look creepily alike…’
Just as Cha Eui-jae made a weird face, hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway. Both Cha Eui-jae and the instructor turned their heads. A student, looking a few years older than Park Ha-eun, burst into the office on the verge of tears.
“Instructor!”
“What is it? What’s wrong that you’re…”
“They’re here again downstairs… they’re even trying to block the stairs!”
“…”
The instructor’s face turned cold. He stood up abruptly and bowed slightly to Cha Eui-jae.
“My apologies, but could we continue this conversation a little later?”
“Oh, sure. Can I come with you?”
“…It’s better if you don’t…”
“Well, I am an Awakened, you know. Only D-grade, but still.”
Cha Eui-jae blurted out the lie as smoothly as if it were second nature to him by now. But the instructor’s face grew even grimmer. He slowly shook his head.
“In that case, I especially advise you not to come along.”
“Why not?”
There was a faint sound, like the voices of a crowd shouting in unison.
“Awakened, go away…!”
Cha Eui-jae’s face hardened as well.
The academies here likely refers to training centers or institutions where students learn specific skills or disciplines.
Taekwondo is a
and
involving punching and kicking techniques. The word Taekwondo can be translated as
tae
(“strike with foot”),
kwon
(“strike with hand”), and
do
(“the art or way”).
Hapkido is a Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, throwing techniques, kicks, punches, and other striking attacks.
Dojang is a term used in Korean martial arts, such as Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, Kuk Sool Won, and hapkido, that refers to a formal training hall.
