The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 281
Awakened Management Bureau, Interview Room.
Tap, tap, the end of a pen tapped on the desk.
“Let’s summarize. You contacted Yoon Ga-eul at Nam Woo-jin’s request, correct?”
“Yes. For a specialist in infiltration like me, it was as easy as pie.”
“Right. And Yoon Ga-eul provided surprising information.”
“Indeed.”
“She met J in a dream. The J we know. Lee Sa-young, Honeybee, and J are trapped in a dungeon within the eroded dungeon but require no additional support… Is that correct?”
“Yes. It seems they’re gathering information about the apocalypse. Customer… I mean, Hunter J, was about to discuss the stages of the apocalypse but got kicked out before he could finish.”
“…At least their survival is confirmed. Thank you for informing us.”
Jung Bin smiled softly. Seo Min-gi, who had been gazing at him, shrugged his shoulders.
“According to Yoon Ga-eul, custo… I mean, Hunter J looked healthy. Well, probably.”
Jung Bin let out a long sigh. Seo Min-gi pushed up his sunglasses. It had been two weeks since the disappearance of the three key forces in the eroded dungeon without a trace.
Nam Woo-jin was collaborating with Prometheus on a vaccine, but no promising results had emerged. Gyu-Gyu returned home yesterday, but since today was Sunday, he refused a meeting with Jung Bin, citing church services as an excuse. Meanwhile, Matthew quickly returned to the guild, filling in for himself and Honeybee.
And…
“Is there still no progress on the vaccine?”
“They say the cause of the mutation remains unclear. There’s simply too little information.”
“…”
Jung Bin’s face darkened. The number of people mutating continued to rise. Reports came in from overseas about an exponential increase in mutated humans. Countries were too preoccupied with their issues to join forces. Any leaks or lapses in information could happen in an instant.
There are limits to controlling information and diverting public attention.
Jung Bin glanced out the window. White ash fell like heavy snow, swallowing all sounds. Both laughter and screams of the people.
He stood up and grabbed his suit jacket. Seo Min-gi raised an eyebrow.
“Are you heading out?”
“Yes…”
Jung Bin adjusted his attire and smiled gently.
“To attend church service.”
***
At some point, no.
Rather, when Lee Sa-young had repaired about 67% of the broken hospital room wall, Cha Eui-jae had noticeably grown quieter. Instead of poking around in strange places, he quietly buried himself in a pile of books. Is it good when things are quiet? Not at all. This was never a good sign. Every time it happened, trouble followed.
As soon as Lee Sa-young sensed something was off with Cha Eui-jae, he subtly asked several people if J seemed strange. But every response was the same.
“He seems the same as usual?”
The only one who sensed even a hint of unease was Honeybee. Tilting her head, she murmured,
“Now that you mention it… he does seem a bit quieter. Not long ago, he was more… impulsive, like acting on instinct, wasn’t he?”
For someone who couldn’t live quietly by nature, acting quiet meant something was wrong, no matter what.
Lee Sa-young watched Cha Eui-jae as he leaned against a bookshelf, flipping through pages. Judging by his reaction time, he hadn’t lost his abilities. Yet, there was a familiar sense of caution… He was hiding behind thick walls, just like the first time they met in that alley near the hangover soup restaurant.
Ash-gray hair spilled naturally over his black mask. Had the color lightened a bit? When Lee Sa-young reached out, Cha Eui-jae tilted his head slightly to dodge. Though the movement was natural, Lee Sa-young knew.
“…”
He had dodged. Deliberately.
No matter how sharp Lee Sa-young’s gaze became, Cha Eui-jae leisurely turned another page. Lee Sa-young reached out again. But the annoying man skillfully avoided his touch once more. So this is how it’s going to be. Lee Sa-young let out a short sigh and stood up, looking down at the round, ashen head.
“What are you doing?”
Flip, another page turned. The modulated voice answered indifferently.
“Reading.”
“Why are you dodging my hand?”
“It’s distracting.”
“Hmm… Am I a distraction? I’m useless, so get lost?”
“You’re overanalyzing again… Sa-young, let me read. I’m nourishing my mind right now.”
Cha Eui-jae muttered as he lay down on the floor, even crossing his legs neatly. The black mask hid behind the book. Lee Sa-young didn’t like the modulated voice. He wanted to hear Cha Eui-jae’s voice— the voice that exposed all his emotions.
The current Cha Eui-jae…
“You said you fall asleep when you see letters and can’t read, right?”
“It’s a picture book.”
“How old are you?”
“A hundred.”
He felt oddly distant. Even though he was right in front of him. That made Lee Sa-young uneasy, anxious. He suppressed the urge to break the black mask hidden behind the book. He wanted to see the face beneath the thick mask.
“…”
Flip, another page turned. Lee Sa-young crouched in front of him.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah.”
He always responded. Time to escalate.
“Cha Eui-jae.”
“Don’t casually switch to informal speech.”
So far, his reactions were as expected. Where did things go wrong? Lee Sa-young reviewed countless possibilities. But there was too little information. He needed to extract more.
“What’s wrong?”
“What is?”
“Did I do something wrong?”
The hand flipping through the pages paused. Ah, good. Finally, a proper reaction. Lee Sa-young suppressed his satisfaction and kept his expression neutral. Patience was easy for him— it was his specialty.
Should I act a bit more pitiful? Lee Sa-young tilted his head slightly and blinked.
“Why are you suddenly…”
“…”
“It’s hurtful.”
As the grip on the book weakened, Lee Sa-young seized the brief moment to snatch it and skimmed through quickly. What Cha Eui-jae had been reading was…
A blank book. Every page. He had been staring at something that wasn’t even a book. Continuously. Lee Sa-young returned the book, speaking in a flat tone.
“You said it was a picture book. There’s nothing in it.”
“Does it look that way to you?”
“…”
“Then it must be blank.”
“…Why were you looking at it?”
“I thought I might figure something out.”
His expression was still hidden. Slowly, Lee Sa-young extended his hand. This time, Cha Eui-jae didn’t avoid it. The hand gloved in black touched the edge of the mask and slipped underneath. A lukewarm warmth was felt. Gently, Lee Sa-young removed the mask.
Click.
“…”
“…”
A face without surprise, indifference, or even a smile. An expressionless face that gazed back at Lee Sa-young like a doll. From the blue, glowing eyes, nothing could be read.
Lee Sa-young— or rather, ‘Lee Sa-young’ —recognized this face.
It was the face of a hero.
—Grab.
—Grab!
The voice echoed in his mind. Without even doubting the voice, Lee Sa-young grabbed Cha Eui-jae’s wrist. His body reacted faster than he thought. A chill ran down his spine, and cold sweat formed on the back of his neck.
Since when? What triggered this? But there was no time to ponder. Lee Sa-young forced out words from his uncooperative voice. He had to say something. He had to hold onto him.
“Hyung, wait a moment…”
“…”
“…Cha Eui-jae!”
“I told you not to speak informally. And who gave you permission to call my name?”
Cha Eui-jae grumbled and easily freed his wrist from Lee Sa-young’s grip. Lee Sa-young stared at him. The being before him was undoubtedly Cha Eui-jae, but not the one Lee Sa-young knew…
Cha Eui-jae picked up the mask from the floor and put it back on. The expressionless face once again hid behind the mask. He gently patted Lee Sa-young’s shoulder as he knelt before him.
“I’m going to meet with the guild leader. I have an appointment.”
“Wait… I’ll go with you.”
“It’s a private conversation. Wait here.”
“Cha…!”
Just as Lee Sa-young raised his voice, Cha Eui-jae turned slightly. He raised a finger to his lips.
“Shh.”
“…”
“No matter what, my name is a secret. You can’t just say it.”
“…”
“It won’t take long. I’ll be back soon.”
Ash-gray hair disappeared between the bookshelves. Lee Sa-young stared blankly at the empty space he left behind. A splitting headache struck as soon as Cha Eui-jae left. Gripping his head, Lee Sa-young groaned. Voices swirled amidst the pain.
“This is a secret.”
“A secret.”
A secret.
Drip. Cold sweat formed a round mark as it fell onto the wooden floor. Lee Sa-young blinked heavily. His eyelashes were damp. His soul was crying out.
“Stop him.”
