The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 276
Cha Eui-jae hastily got up. Thud. Something wet fell off, but he didn’t have the time to care. He wiped his face and eyes, blinking repeatedly, but no light came into view. Nothing. Only darkness.
‘My eyes…’
Cha Eui-jae rubbed his mouth. Could this be the penalty? How long would the penalty last? Was it temporary? Permanent? He groped around his surroundings. Soft and heavy fabric and a warm floor. Probably a blanket. He continued feeling around and grabbed something damp. Lukewarm…
‘A towel?’
Cha Eui-jae stretched the towel out. Someone must have tended to him. No wonder there was moisture left on his forehead. After wiping the back of his neck, Cha Eui-jae carefully folded the towel and set it aside. Fortunately, while he had lost his sight, his awakened abilities seemed to have returned, as he could vividly sense movements outside. The heaviness and pain in his body had also subsided.
“…”
Cha Eui-jae let out a small sigh and opened his eyes wide.
In the darkness, flames began to flicker to life one by one. A small flame and two larger ones wandered around nearby. Closer by was… a motionless flame. Cha Eui-jae let out a sigh of relief. This was enough— for fighting, or for pretending nothing was wrong.
There was no need to speak and create unnecessary worry.
‘I can’t be a burden.’
J without powers was useless. He had already shown enough weakness. There was no need to expose his incompetence any further. He needed to prove his worth. A voice echoed in his mind.
“Prove yourself.”
“Do what you must.”
“Don’t rely on others.”
“After all, you are just…”
“…”
Cha Eui-jae roughly ran a hand down his face. Then, he reached into his inventory and pulled out a mask. Click. As he covered his face with the mask, a sense of stability washed over him. It would hide his aimless gaze as well. Rubbing the smooth surface of the mask, Cha Eui-jae took a deep breath.
‘Alright… This will do.’
A violet flame was approaching. Cha Eui-jae shrugged off the soft blanket and opened the door. Wooden flooring and the smell of earth, the crackling sound of burning wood, and the heat radiating even to where he stood. The scent of pine filled the air.
‘Lee Sa-young did say this was where Hong Ye-seong would be.’
This was likely the suite house he had visited during the Artisan’s Exhibition. This must be the wide wooden hall where Hong Ye-seong had been sprawled out. Cha Eui-jae lightly tapped the wooden floor with his bare foot.
“Hyung?”
A voice called out— it was Lee Sa-young’s. Cha Eui-jae turned towards the sound. The violet flame was looking at him. He shrugged.
“Yeah.”
“How’s your body? You still have a fever, don’t you? Moving around like this…”
A hand extended toward him but stopped midway. Cha Eui-jae, sensitive to even the smallest movements, naturally caught Lee Sa-young’s arm and patted it.
“I’m up because I’m fine. I’m okay.”
“…”
Even without seeing, he could tell. Lee Sa-young was likely looking at him with doubt or perhaps even mocking him. Cha Eui-jae clenched his fist.
“Ah, seriously, I said I’m fine. My strength is back. Whatever this was— whether a cold or something else— it’s gone. If you don’t believe me, want to fight? Or should I hit you first?”
“Hah.”
Lee Sa-young let out a laugh, a mix of a scoff and the hiss of breath through a gas mask. So, he’s wearing a gas mask. Check. Lee Sa-young withdrew the arm that had been grabbed.
“Judging by how you’re talking, you do seem fine. Not long ago, you were groaning in pain, though.”
“Did you put the towel on me?”
“Who else would’ve done it?”
“Our little Sa-young knows how to take care of others now. You’ve grown up.”
“Ha.”
When Cha Eui-jae patted his shoulder, Lee Sa-young let out a scoff, as if in disbelief.
“Who do you think you’re treating like a kid…”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Responding lazily, Cha Eui-jae rubbed his bare foot against the wooden floor and asked,
“Where are my shoes?”
“Over here, by the stone.”
“Ah.”
When Cha Eui-jae let out a dumbfounded exclamation, much like Hong Ye-seong would, Lee Sa-young clicked his tongue.
“As if you’re fine. You’re clearly not in your right mind… Sit down. If I leave you like this, you’ll probably trip while putting on your shoes.”
Alright. For now, I’ll act like Hong Ye-seong. Cha Eui-jae obediently sat on the wooden floor, focusing on Lee Sa-young’s every move and sound. The rustle of fabric, the sound of something hitting the floor. He’s bending down? A cold hand grabbed Cha Eui-jae’s ankle. The touch of leather— it seems Lee Sa-young is wearing gloves.
The hand carefully examined Cha Eui-jae’s ankle. The protruding ankle bone, the top of his foot, and the area above his ankle. The touch was unexpectedly gentle. Lee Sa-young’s voice was slightly muffled by the gas mask.
“No scars here.”
“Well… I didn’t hurt my legs or ankles.”
“Surprising. Considering how much you run around, I thought there’d be at least one scar.”
The hand that had been softly brushing over his ankle stopped. Then, it slightly raised his foot. Something hard and cold touched the top of his foot. What was that? With nothing visible, he had to rely on his imagination.
‘Oh.’
He realized. It’s the gas mask filter.
Wait. Isn’t this kind of like a kiss? Cha Eui-jae tensed his foot. A low chuckle followed.
“What’s wrong?”
Gritting his teeth, Cha Eui-jae snapped back.
“Stop messing around and hurry up, okay? Shouldn’t Honeybee be around here, too?”
“It’s fine. Honeybee’s still busy looking for Hong Ye-seong.”
Now that he thought about it, Cha Eui-jae glanced at the motionless flame. That one must be Romantic Opener, while the ones moving busily were Honeybee and the small flame, likely Kkokko. There was no sign of Hong Ye-seong.
“Come to think of it, Hong Ye-seong isn’t here.”
“Did you confirm with your skill?”
“Yeah. Looking now, it’s just us and… what looks like Kkokko.”
“Maybe he opened the space and left. Tch.”
Lee Sa-young clicked his tongue. At the same time, Cha Eui-jae felt his shoe being adjusted to fit. The sound of laces being pulled tight. Lee Sa-young was tying his boots. Pulling the laces taut, Lee Sa-young asked,
“Is this good?”
“Yeah.”
Cha Eui-jae nodded. Lee Sa-young skillfully tied the laces before grabbing his other foot. Isn’t this a bit much care? It felt awkward, as if he were a child. When was the last time someone put on his shoes for him or tied the laces? He couldn’t even remember. Probably when his parents had done it for him as a kid.
Cha Eui-jae stared at the violet flame. By now, he couldn’t even clearly recall his parents’ faces. There wasn’t a single photo left, and too much time had passed. All he remembered was their social security numbers. Meaningless numbers. Cha Eui-jae abruptly asked,
“Do you… remember what your parents were like?”
“…”
Lee Sa-young, who had been silent, finally asked,
“Why the sudden question?”
“Because I don’t really remember mine. I was wondering if you did.”
Lee Sa-young replied nonchalantly,
“I don’t remember either. It was so long ago.”
“Figures…”
Cha Eui-jae thought back to the moment he first met Lee Sa-young. That moment stood out vividly in his mind. Amidst the rubble of a collapsed building, there were two outstretched hands struggling to hold on. Their bodies were melted and destroyed by poison, but even then, they had shielded Lee Sa-young, holding him protectively. They must have been Lee Sa-young’s parents.
Cha Eui-jae murmured,
“They must have been good people.”
“Why bring this up all of a sudden?”
“When I first saw you… they were holding you. Even though they were already gone by then.”
“…”
“Because of them, I was able to save you.”
If they hadn’t acted as a shield, Lee Sa-young would have died long before Cha Eui-jae arrived. He wouldn’t have been saved. He would have just been another casualty Cha Eui-jae failed to rescue— a nameless death, one among countless others.
“…I see.”
Cha Eui-jae stared absentmindedly at the violet flames. Was meeting Lee Sa-young a coincidence, or was it fate? For no reason in particular, he tilted his head back, pretending to gaze at the sky— a sky he couldn’t see.
“Anyway, that’s what happened.”
“You’re sentimental… today of all days.”
“Must be because I woke up feeling like crap.”
Cha Eui-jae absentmindedly swung the foot with his shoe on. Lee Sa-young, who was tying the laces on the other shoe, muttered,
“Why? Does it feel uncomfortable? Should I retie it?”
“No, it’s just…”
“Just?”
“This is kind of… embarrassing.”
“…”
Lee Sa-young didn’t have to say anything; Cha Eui-jae could already picture the look on his face— one that clearly screamed, “what nonsense are you spouting now?” But it really was embarrassing, so what else could he do? Cha Eui-jae quickly turned his head away, pretending not to notice Lee Sa-young’s silent stare. Lee Sa-young gripped his ankle tightly.
“…You realize you’re spouting utter nonsense, right? You know, don’t you? You wouldn’t act like this otherwise.”
Cha Eui-jae retorted without backing down,
“No, it’s just that sitting here like this makes me feel like a little kid. It’s embarrassing!”
“Oh? Should I make it even more embarrassing for you? So much so you can’t show your face?”
“Get off, you jerk!”
Cha Eui-jae wriggled free from Lee Sa-young’s grip and sprang to his feet. But Lee Sa-young wasn’t about to let him go so easily. His hand shot out, aiming for Cha Eui-jae’s wrist.
Cha Eui-jae swiftly leaned back to avoid it, but another hand immediately came flying toward him. The two exchanged several moves in rapid succession, their movements quick and fluid. A smile began to form on Cha Eui-jae’s lips.
Huh, this is more fun than I thought.
Relying purely on sensing each other’s movements wasn’t bad at all. But just as that thought crossed his mind, a presence emerged from the direction of the kiln. It wasn’t Honeybee or Kkokko; it was something entirely different.
‘…Hong Ye-seong?’
The moment he turned his head, a strong hand grabbed his collar. Damn it! Cha Eui-jae quickly turned back, but unfortunately, he couldn’t see Lee Sa-young’s expression.
Click. The sound of a gas mask’s clasp being undone echoed ominously. His heightened survival instincts, sharpened by the loss of sight, screamed danger. Cha Eui-jae frantically pointed toward the kiln.
“Hey, over there! Over there!”
“I know.”
The dull sound of the gas mask dropping reached his ears. Cha Eui-jae tried to pry the hand off his collar, but Lee Sa-young’s grip was unyielding. If he forced it off, his shirt would rip clean apart. Cha Eui-jae hurriedly added,
“No, seriously, I think Hong Ye-seong is here!”
“I said I know.”
Lee Sa-young’s calm breaths drew closer. Cha Eui-jae craned his neck as far back as it would go, but it was futile.
A hand reached for his mask. Damn it. Cha Eui-jae squeezed his eyes shut— not that it made much difference since he couldn’t see anyway.
Should I kick him? No, that’s too much. He couldn’t bring himself to hit Lee Sa-young. That left only one option. Cha Eui-jae lowered his head as hard as he could. Ha? Lee Sa-young let out an incredulous laugh.
“What are you doing?”
What was he doing? Building momentum. Cha Eui-jae swung his head back with all his strength—
—and slammed the back of his head into one of the thick wooden pillars of the hanok.
CRACK!
The sturdy pillar snapped clean in two.
