The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 277
Sawdust scattered from the broken tree. Lee Sa-young quickly propped up the tilting wooden pillar with his hands. Seizing the moment, Cha Eui-jae deftly slipped out of harm’s way. Lee Sa-young, now an impromptu pillar, asked in an incredulous voice.
“What the… Are you out of your mind? Seriously, are you insane?”
Cha Eui-jae rubbed the back of his head. No pain, no bump, no dent. Perfect. With confidence, he replied,
“Nope… But I couldn’t exactly kick you, could I? Breaking the pillar was the only option. No choice there.”
“What kind of brain structure do you have? Makes me want to crack it open and see… maybe your brain’s defective.”
“It’s perfectly fine, thank you very much.”
He certainly didn’t want to show Honeybee or Hong Ye-seong the sight of himself kissing someone. Besides, without his mask, his eye movements would give him away. Lee Sa-young was so sharp he’d figure everything out the moment he saw his face.
What kind of expression would Lee Sa-young be wearing now? Probably one of disbelief. Slightly furrowed brows, narrowed eyes. Maybe even a face that screamed, “What now?” Suddenly, Cha Eui-jae found himself wanting to touch Lee Sa-young’s face. If he did, he could see for himself what kind of expression Lee Sa-young was making.
At that moment, quick footsteps approached from behind.
“What’s with the noise? Are you two fighting?”
“Bawk, bawk!”
A tiny flame that looked like a chick dashed over and started pecking furiously at Lee Sa-young. Amid the sharp “peck-peck” sounds, Honeybee came closer to Cha Eui-jae.
“What’s going on? Why’s the pillar like that? Did Lee Sa-young break it?”
“…Close enough.”
After all, the initial cause was Lee Sa-young. When Cha Eui-jae nodded, Honeybee let out a dry laugh.
“Ha.”
Clicking her tongue, she said,
“Typical… J, is your body okay? Are you fully recovered?”
“Yeah, I’m fine now.”
“That’s good to hear. But take it easy… You looked so weak earlier, it felt weird to see. Try leaving the fighting to me and Lee Sa-young.”
A strong hand patted his shoulder. Cha Eui-jae, who had just broken a pillar the size of a grown man’s waist with his head, gave her a bright smile.
“Sure.”
“How about sparing a glance here too… Stop being all buddy-buddy and check on me.”
A brusque voice cut in. Honeybee scoffed loudly.
“Jealous? Keep holding it up. Romantic Opener is still inside. Let go, and he’ll get crushed.”
“He wouldn’t get hurt even if it did.”
“True.”
“What about Hong Ye-seong?”
“Hmm… Seems like he’s heading this way. Where’d he run off to?”
Scrape, scrape. The sound of shoes dragging across dirt grew closer. Along with it came the clinking of plastic and metal containers. As the steps halted, a distinct scent of bitter herbal medicine wafted through the air. After a brief pause, a cheerful voice spoke up.
“Hold on, hold on. What are these thieves doing? I open my door for you, and you go and wreck the place?”
“Where were you?”
“Oh~ Hornet! Me? Just soaking my feet in the valley. You know, regular mood refreshers are a must.”
“Hey, I told you not to call me Hornet. And… ugh, look at your flashy hiking gear and camping equipment. Did you spend days camping out by the valley? You ignored me when I called you.”
“How’d you know? It was a killer camping trip! Let’s go together next time!”
His upbeat demeanor felt almost absurd in the midst of an apocalypse. Honeybee, standing beside Cha Eui-jae, exhaled deeply and clenched his shoulder tightly. Through gritted teeth, she muttered,
“Sorry, but talking to him raises my blood pressure. I’m out. J, you handle this, okay?”
“Huh? All of a sudden?”
“You’re cooler-headed than me, aren’t you?”
Not at all. But before Cha Eui-jae could protest, Honeybee turned on her heel and retreated. Cha Eui-jae turned his attention to the figure he presumed to be Hong Ye-seong, watching the warm, brown flame flicker. What should he say? “Hey, you know me, right?” Too confrontational. “Why are you holed up in a place like this?” Still too aggressive. “Do you even know what’s going on with the apocalypse?” Just as bad.
Cha Eui-jae swallowed hard.
‘All I can do is pick fights with him.’
Being honest with Hong Ye-seong was always difficult. Or maybe it was better to say he hadn’t sorted out his feelings yet. He hadn’t even managed to say sorry or thank you to his so-called “friend.”
Thankfully, Hong Ye-seong spoke first.
“You looked like you were in rough shape earlier, but you seem fine now. That’s a relief.”
“Thanks to you… Wait, you’ve been watching since earlier?”
“This entire mountain’s my sweet home. I see pretty much everything. Didn’t expect you to break a pillar with the back of your head, though.”
Hong Ye-seong hummed a tune as he strolled past. Wait, he knew exactly how the pillar broke? A chill ran down Cha Eui-jae’s spine. If he had gotten caught up in the mood and kissed… Cha Eui-jae bit his lip.
‘Good thing I broke that pillar.’
Thunk. The sound of someone placing their hand on a tree came. Probably Hong Ye-seong. His voice was bright.
“Hey, Lee Sa-young. Just hold on for a sec!”
“I’ve been holding it this whole time.”
“Yup. I’ll fix it in a jiffy.”
The sound of something soft being applied echoed. It smelled like wet earth. Was it clay? Hong Ye-seong did dabble in pottery. Perhaps it was his special clay? Without sight, Cha Eui-jae had to rely entirely on touch and imagination. He crossed his arms.
‘This feels… uncomfortable.’
He wondered if Lee Sa-young had gone through something similar. Probably. Lee Sa-young must have felt even worse, being unawakened at the time.
“Okay, all done. Just let it dry, and it’ll harden. You can let go now!”
“We’re just leaving it like this? Is it safe?”
“It’s fine! This is my special formula.”
The rustling of clothing drew closer, and a sickly sweet scent wafted toward Cha Eui-jae. A chillingly low voice whispered in his ear.
“Later… let’s talk, just the two of us.”
“…”
Cha Eui-jae turned his head away. Even without sight, he could feel him glaring at him. The pressure felt like his temple might burst. A large hand briefly touched the back of his head before pulling away. It seemed he was curious about whether Cha Eui-jae’s head was intact.
Thud, the sound of plastic fabric crinkled as Hong Ye-seong presumably sat on the wooden floor.
“So, what brings you here? I told you I don’t meet people. I only opened the door because it was you guys.”
“I have something to ask you.”
From afar, the chick-shaped flame let out a loud crow. The previously still space was stirred by a breeze, carrying the fragrant scent of pine.
“You’ve already stirred things up, haven’t you?”
Cha Eui-jae blinked into the darkness. Hong Ye-seong sighed audibly and asked,
“You want to know how to get out of here, right?”
“…”
“Don’t do anything. Just spend your time here, and eventually, you’ll leave naturally.”
Cha Eui-jae fixed his gaze on the lone red number visible in the darkness. It steadily ticked downward, not too fast, not too slow. Counting down to his death.
He asked slowly,
“Are you… the Hong Ye-seong I know?”
“No, I am Hong Ye-seong.”
“…”
“But I knew you’d come here. You had to.”
Hong Ye-seong stood up. The sound of shoes scraping through dirt echoed as he shuffled around. Sand and soft soil scattered.
“This place… It’s a reconstructed memorial dungeon based on memories. Not just one person’s memories, but those of everyone who resisted until the very end.”
The people they’d encountered here felt real, alive. Jung Bin’s smile, Nam Woo-jin’s scolding, every passing face— all of them. It was hard to believe they were merely echoes of the past.
According to Hong Ye-seong, they had all been real people once.
“If you’re wondering why we left behind traces of a failed world instead of erasing them…”
He paused before continuing,
“Someone said there’s something to learn from failure.”
“…”
His previously low voice brightened as he clapped his hands and exclaimed,
“Of course, I wouldn’t know. I’m a genius potter! I believe in smashing failed works and starting fresh!”
Of course, you would. Cha Eui-jae relaxed his tense body. Lee Sa-young, who had been standing close by, interjected.
“So… you’re telling us to just waste our time here? Do nothing, and watch as this world’s people fail?”
“Exactly.”
“Maybe I could, but this guy over here definitely can’t. He’s already stirred things up.”
Lee Sa-young jabbed a finger into Cha Eui-jae’s back. Cha Eui-jae retaliated by kicking Lee Sa-young’s foot. Hong Ye-seong cheerfully replied,
“Then he’ll just have to die!”
Cha Eui-jae’s eyes widened.
What?
Note: It’s a bit late, but now you can access Cha Eui-jae’s birthday side story in the episode list.
