The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 266
Yoon Ga-eul clenched her fists and fumed.
“There’s no need to protect him! I’m going to report this to the doctor. He needs a stern talking-to to get his head straight.”
“Wait, wait. Ga-eul, what exactly is my relationship with him? With Lee Sa-young?”
“What? Why are you asking that?”
“No, I’m serious. I really don’t know. What’s our relationship?”
“Well…”
Yoon Ga-eul blinked.
“You’re like real family, even if you’re not related by blood, right? You care about each other a lot. Hunter Lee Sa-young listens to you well, too. Well, only you, to be precise.”
“…”
“You’ve always doted on him, calling him your little brother and all.”
Ah, right. His initial panic subsided at once. He’d only overreacted out of guilt. Cha Eui-jae rubbed his face with both hands, as if to dry wash it. It seemed that in this world, kissing and stuff was off the table. Probably. He hoped.
Continuing the conversation might raise suspicions. Cha Eui-jae deliberately changed the subject.
“How am I doing, physically?”
“Oh, should I call the doctor? It’d be more accurate to hear it from him.”
“I’d like to hear it from you, too.”
Yoon Ga-eul muttered, slightly sulky.
“…You already know everything, don’t you? Even hiding things from me.”
Oh, so that’s how I used to act? But I really don’t know anything, he thought. Cha Eui-jae replied, making his voice sound wistful.
“I just want an objective view. How my condition looks from someone else’s perspective…”
“…”
“Would that be okay?”
His voice trembled slightly from thirst, a lingering effect of coughing up blood earlier. Damn, he was thirsty. Cha Eui-jae coughed quietly, glancing around for water. Yoon Ga-eul promptly unscrewed a fresh bottle of water and handed it to him. Had his act worked? Oddly enough, her eyes seemed a bit misty.
Sniffling, she straightened up and stood upright.
“Well… I’m not a medical professional, so I can’t be sure. Most of what I know, I’ve just picked up here and there. Please keep that in mind.”
“Okay.”
“J… weakens after using his power. He becomes almost like a civilian, and every time, he… is in a lot of pain. A lot.”
“…”
“We don’t know why. We’re still investigating, but…”
“Yeah.”
“The doctor suspects that J’s power is so strong it has a severe recoil. It might just be a penalty for having such a powerful ability.”
It made sense. Cha Eui-jae thought hard. If he combined Nam Woo-jin’s theory with his own knowledge…
The Cha Eui-jae of this world was using his robust body and powers to shoulder the rebound effects of keeping the world going. But power wasn’t infinite, so every time he used it strongly, the amount of power would diminish. Until it recharged, Cha Eui-jae would be teetering on the edge of death.
No wonder it hurt so much. Cha Eui-jae propped his chin in his hand and sighed, looking at Yoon Ga-eul’s worried face.
“What about everyone else?”
“Who do you mean?”
“Uh, anyone is fine. I haven’t heard anything about recent events. Just tell me anything— about people, about the world.”
“Hmm…”
Yoon Ga-eul seemed at a loss for where to start. Cha Eui-jae smiled wryly, and then a certain slick face came to mind. Right, if there was Mackerel around in this world, he could get help from him. The guy probably had information on everything.
“How’s the fish market these days? The information-selling place, I mean.”
“The fish market? Oh… you mean the one that used to be in Noryangjin?”
“Yeah.”
Yoon Ga-eul hesitated, fidgeting with her fingers.
“Um, that area has already undergone whitening…”
Cha Eui-jae’s eyes widened. Whitening— the phenomenon that turned regions into wastelands. Wait, then the Mackerels and the people from the fish market in Noryangjin…
“What about… Mackerel?”
“Mackerel…”
Yoon Ga-eul wrinkled her brows, trying to recall, then suddenly brightened.
“Oh, do you mean those twin informants? I just heard they disappeared somewhere. But apparently, only one of the twins survived.”
“Wait, which one— older or younger?”
“Uh… I’m sorry, I’m not sure. It was just something I overheard. Actually, the previous director was the one connected to them, but since she passed away…”
“…What?”
Cha Eui-jae’s eyes grew intense. Yoon Ga-eul looked back at him in confusion.
“Wh-why?”
“The director… You mean Director Ham?”
“Yes… Director Ham.”
“…”
The Mackerel twins’ base, the fish market, was gone, and one twin was left alone. Ham Seok-jeong was dead. The situation was more severe than he’d expected. Cha Eui-jae rubbed his lips, muttering.
“Tell me more? About the rankers, especially. Everything you know.”
Since Ham Seok-jeong’s death, Jung Bin had been recommended for the next director role. However, he declined and remained a team leader, leaving the director position vacant. A-grade Hunter Song Jo-heon courageously led his guild against a monster wave and died in battle. Whitening was crippling not just Korea, but the entire world, and since leaving for overseas, Gyu-Gyu had lost contact, with his life status unknown. Bae Won-woo and Matthew are doing their best in their respective positions. Yoon Ga-eul mumbled softly.
“The whitening phenomenon is spreading across Korea, and even the Awakened Management Bureau headquarters was affected… Seowon Guild has become the new headquarters.”
“Hmm.”
Basically, the world was falling apart. Together. Cha Eui-jae stared at the white ceiling. He’d expected this, especially after seeing fragments of the world through Yoon Ga-eul’s ability.
‘Things are truly dire…’
Terraforming had advanced considerably. Most key players had died or disappeared, and in 162 hours, he was scheduled to die, too. Once he was gone, things would really turn into chaos. Yoon Ga-eul tucked her hair back and added.
“And the artisan has shut himself away in some remote mountain.”
“The Awakened Management Bureau isn’t protecting him?”
“Um, no… I heard he asked not to be found.”
So, even the guy who’d loved society so much had isolated himself. This world’s Hong Ye-seong likely had made contact with the first world’s “Hong Ye-seong.” Once he got better, he’d have to go find him first. Cha Eui-jae smiled.
“Thanks.”
“Did that help a bit?”
“Yeah. It helped a lot.”
“Hehe, that’s a relief.”
Yoon Ga-eul smiled brightly and tidied up the roses in the vase.
The Yoon Ga-eul of this world affected the student Yoon Ga-eul he knew, too. She could see the past, and she was the one who had seen him right before he died. So what if he revealed that he would die in a week? Cha Eui-jae opened his mouth.
“Student Ga-eul… no, Yoon Ga-eul.”
“Yes, J?”
“I…”
I die in a week. Precisely in 162 hours. Just as he was about to say those words—
His voice wouldn’t come out. It was as if something had blocked his throat. Cha Eui-jae widened his eyes, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t even make a sound. Yoon Ga-eul looked at him, puzzled.
“What’s wrong?”
“…”
A warning message in bright red floated in his field of vision.
[First Warning! Do not interfere with the past. Do not disclose future events.]
[Note: Upon receiving three warnings, a penalty will be applied.]
Damn it!
Cha Eui-jae clenched his fist. The warning message spun around his vision a few more times, as if to make sure he understood, and then disappeared. Only then did his throat unblock. Cha Eui-jae rubbed his neck.
“J?”
“…”
It said not to disclose, right? So what if he just hinted at it? Cha Eui-jae narrowed his eyes, reaching toward the roses that Yoon Ga-eul was arranging. There were seven roses in the vase in total. He reached for them.
“Who brought these roses?”
“Sometimes the doctor or I do, but usually Hunter Lee Sa-young replaces them himself.”
“…”
Cha Eui-jae took a deep breath, his hand brushing the soft rose petals as he put on his most forlorn, sorrowful face.
“What if… my life ends when all these roses wither?”
Thankfully, this time his throat didn’t seize up. Maybe it allowed rhetorical questions. Cha Eui-jae sneaked a glance at Yoon Ga-eul. She looked at him with a stricken expression.
“Wh-what do you mean by that?”
“Nothing… just a thought.”
“Please don’t say things like that! I’ll replace them with fresh flowers before they ever wither!”
Yoon Ga-eul shouted tearfully. No, Yoon Ga-eul, that’s not it. Cha Eui-jae looked at the roses and smiled.
“How many roses are there?”
“Seven… sir.”
“What does the number 7 make you think of?”
“Um… a rainbow of seven colors?”
“True. That’s one thing. What else?”
“Um… a week?”
That’s it! Exactly that! Cha Eui-jae smiled brightly, nodding. Yoon Ga-eul, who had been glancing back and forth between him and the roses, widened her eyes. She murmured gravely.
“Ah, I get it. You’re saying to think of these flowers as being like you, J.”
Is that it? Well, close enough!
“And,”
Yoon Ga-eul nodded with determination toward Cha Eui-jae.
“I’ll make sure to replace them with fresh ones every week, even if you’re not in the hospital!”
No, that’s not it!
Cha Eui-jae silently screamed in frustration.
