The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 264
Cha Eui-jae blinked slowly. A strange white ceiling greeted him. Where am I? He tried to sit up, but a searing pain in his lower back stopped him. Gasping, he bit back a scream. Just then, a cautious hand rested on his chest.
“Stay lying down.”
“…What?”
Cha Eui-jae blinked. Lee Sa-young, wearing a gas mask, was huddled in a small chair. He sighed and, with a touch as soft as a feather, began to stroke Cha Eui-jae’s hair, even with black leather gloves on.
“You fainted, Hyung.”
“…I fainted? How?”
“By hugging you.”
“Huh?”
“To be precise… you fainted because I overexerted my arm.”
He fainted just from hugging? Cha Eui-jae gingerly touched his waist. Even lying still, a dull ache spread through his whole body, and touching it made him wince. He lifted his shirt with difficulty.
“…Damn.”
There was a large blue bruise on his stomach and waist, in the shape of the arm that had hugged him. His shoulders and neck, which Honeybee had clung to, also throbbed. Bruises on my body? Is this for real? While Cha Eui-jae reeled, Lee Sa-young propped his chin on his hand and muttered feebly.
“…I’m reflecting on it.”
“Reflecting on what?”
“I didn’t expect you to faint from that…”
Yeah, I didn’t expect that either. Cha Eui-jae looked at the IV needle in his hand. No wonder it hurt so much when Honeybee hugged me. Normally, even if Bae Won-woo rammed into me with all his strength, I wouldn’t budge.
Cha Eui-jae looked around. On the bedside table was a vase with a red rose and his mask. A cool breeze drifted in from a slightly open window, fluttering the white curtains. The small room was neatly arranged— a hospital room with just one bed and one chair.
“Where are we? Seowon Guild?”
“That’s right.”
Lee Sa-young gave a slight smile.
“They say it’s a special room.”
“…”
“Specifically, a room just for J.”
“…”
“Nam Woo-jin even knows your face under the mask.”
Shhh, a faint hissing sound escaped from Lee Sa-young’s gas mask. It was a sound Cha Eui-jae hadn’t heard in a long time. When was the last time Lee Sa-young had put on his gas mask and gloves in front of him? It felt like ages ago. Ever since Lee Sa-young discovered that Cha Eui-jae was immune to poison, he’d always shown his true self in front of him— at least when they were alone.
Lee Sa-young asked in a low voice.
“There’s really something wrong with your body, isn’t there?”
“…Seems like it.”
“What’s exactly wrong?”
“Since I entered the city, I’ve felt odd. At first, I thought I was just heavy, but gradually, there was pain around my heart. I think it started when I took over as this world’s J.”
“And then?”
“When Honeybee hugged me, it hurt like being hit by a truck.”
“…”
“Normally, I wouldn’t feel pain, let alone stagger…”
Cha Eui-jae answered honestly. Fainting from a strong hug was serious. Could my body have weakened? Both reaction time and physical response seemed to have dulled. Watching Cha Eui-jae clench and unclench his fist, Lee Sa-young muttered.
“The J in this world… died from an illness.”
“…”
“And it seems you’ve inherited that illness.”
“Do you know what kind of illness it was? You know… that other you?”
“I don’t know. They just said it felt like his life force was being drained…”
A cracking sound as Lee Sa-young gripped his fist tightly. His breathing grew rough. Cha Eui-jae gestured for him to come closer. Lee Sa-young hesitated, then pulled his chair forward. Cha Eui-jae reached up and tousled his hair. Lee Sa-young’s hand paused mid-air, and instead, an irritated voice shot back.
“What are you…”
“Anyway, this is temporary, right? Isn’t that true?”
“…”
“This… dungeon or whatever, it’s probably a phenomenon that only happens here. Don’t worry too much.”
“…Don’t say things like that.”
“Hm?”
“…Nothing.”
Lee Sa-young stood up from his chair. He roughly combed back his disheveled hair and looked down at Cha Eui-jae. Oddly, his gaze was unreadable behind his lenses.
“I’m going to check in with Nam Woo-jin. Don’t try anything funny while I’m gone.”
“How could I do anything funny when I’m hurting this much?”
“Because it’s you, that’s why.”
“Don’t worry. Go on.”
“…”
Lee Sa-young kept looking at Cha Eui-jae until the very last moment before he closed the door. With a soft thud, the sliding door of the hospital room shut. Cha Eui-jae tried to focus on Lee Sa-young’s retreating footsteps, but he couldn’t sense them as sharply as he once could.
‘He told me to stay put…’
But I need to at least understand my own physical state, don’t I? Then I’ll know how to act accordingly. This doesn’t count as doing anything ‘funny.’ Cha Eui-jae quickly rationalized it.
Groaning, he slowly lifted himself from the bed. Even that much took a lot of effort, and every muscle in his body screamed. Suppressing a scream, he turned himself to sit at the edge of the bed.
The moment his bare feet touched the floor and he tried to stand, he staggered wildly.
“Ugh…!”
Thud! He fell heavily. His whole body ached, and his cheek pressed against the cold floor. Blood seeped from his IV-wounded hand. Is this for real? I can’t even stand up? Gritting his teeth, he struggled to push himself up, but suddenly, a white screen appeared before him.
[Checking synchronization progress…]
[Synchronization 100% complete.]
[Welcome! This is the Memorial Dungeon created by ■■. Your role is J.]
[Warning! Entity J is subject to ■■■ ■■■. The system imposes physical penalties on the body: weakness, disease, shortened lifespan…]
[Calculating time remaining until death…]
The numbers swirled into a blur. Cha Eui-jae coughed suddenly, splattering blood on the floor. His vision turned red. He blinked numbly.
‘What…’
He couldn’t think straight. Another coughing fit came. He covered his mouth, feeling the wetness of blood on his hand. Finally, the coughing subsided. He pulled his hand away, seeing it drenched in bright red.
The numbers began to slow down, eventually stopping.
[168:00:00]
It settled. Red text appeared on the system screen.
[Entity J has 168 hours remaining until death.]
168 hours. One week. Half-sitting up, Cha Eui-jae stared blankly at the screen. Then, new red letters appeared.
[Warning! If you die in the Memorial Dungeon, the synchronized soul also perishes.]
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed, and the sliding door swung open. Cha Eui-jae turned his head. As always, his actions lagged behind his thoughts.
I shouldn’t be seen like this.
“…Hyung!”
A voice, unfamiliar but urgent, filled the room. He wanted to say he was fine, but his mouth wouldn’t move. Instead,
[167:58:51]
The decreasing numbers taunted him in his vision. Large hands carefully supported his body. Cha Eui-jae, his blood-soaked hand gripping the other’s, opened his mouth with difficulty.
“Sa-young…”
“Don’t talk! This… Nam Woo-jin!”
“No… no. I need to say this now…”
The metallic taste of blood lingered in his mouth. In a rare surge of strength, he swallowed hard and, enunciating each word with effort, said clearly,
“We’re fucked.”
“What did you say?”
“I said… we’re fucked.”
Darkness returned. Damn it, I should’ve told him why we’re fucked, too. Next time, I’ll explain the reason before the conclusion. Cha Eui-jae closed his eyes, lulled by the hands holding him tightly.
***
When Cha Eui-jae opened his eyes again, the time had ticked down from 167 hours to 164. Why was time passing so fast? Scowling, he tried to swipe away the irritating system window, but his hand wouldn’t move. Or more precisely, something firm was binding his wrists.
“…Huh?”
He lifted his hand. Both wrists were tied with some kind of soft fabric. What is this? He quickly looked around and spotted Lee Sa-young standing in the corner, facing the wall, his silhouette unusually ominous. Cha Eui-jae cleared his throat.
“Hey, Lee Sa-young. What’s this?”
An eerie voice responded.
“Straps.”
“And why tie me up with them?”
“If your limbs are restrained, you won’t fall to the floor.”
“No, I didn’t exactly fall earlier, I—”
“Nam Woo-jin already recorded it as a fall.”
“I was trying to get up and ended up collapsing—”
“Which, in the end, means you fell, doesn’t it?”
“I just wanted to check how bad my body really is!”
“And you couldn’t wait until I was here to do that?”
“I didn’t want to bother you with—”
“That’s enough.”
Lee Sa-young turned around slowly, his footsteps echoing, each step deliberate.
“Let’s leave it at that.”
For some reason, Cha Eui-jae felt a chill run through his body. Was he…scared? He blinked in confusion as Lee Sa-young’s gloved hand brushed gently against his cheek. This time, he could clearly see his eyes through the lenses.
A bloodshot, piercing violet gaze.
“I’m holding back. A lot.”
