The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 290
“Are you crying?”
“…”
Instead of answering, he shook off the hand that touched him. Smack. His hand, that was flung into the air, stung. Ouch… A small groan escaped, and the sound of heavy breathing stopped. Rubbing his throbbing hand, Cha Eui-jae called out to him.
“Lee Sa-young.”
“…Just sit down and don’t get up.”
“Stop giving orders and answer me.”
“Oh, fine. Stay standing then… if you don’t want to walk ever again.”
His voice was rough, like a growling beast. Instinctively, Cha Eui-jae’s body tensed. But he clenched his teeth. If he backed off now, nothing would change. He deliberately stepped forward toward the table. However,
What he stepped on was not the floor, but something firm, large, and slanted—
‘…A foot?’
It was probably Lee Sa-young’s foot. But before he could process the thought, his body tilted forward. Fortunately, just before he completely fell, a pair of strong hands grabbed his shoulders. A growling voice spoke.
“I told you to sit down, didn’t I?”
“Explain yourself. What’s going on?”
“If I say, ‘There are shards of glass all over the floor, so don’t move,’ would you listen?”
Well, that was a good enough reason to sit down. When Cha Eui-jae nodded, a sigh came from above his head. The hands that had been holding him let go. Now was the time. Cha Eui-jae tapped the table.
“Come here.”
No response. No movement. Only the sound of running water continued endlessly. Cha Eui-jae called again.
“Come here. I don’t know where you are.”
Lee Sa-young really was someone who required a lot of care. Cha Eui-jae spread his arms wide.
How long did he wait? It felt like a long time— long enough for his arms to grow sore. Just when he thought there was hesitation, a large body crashed into him. But unlike before, Lee Sa-young didn’t fully lean on him. If he had, they both would have fallen or gotten hurt.
Their skin touched, and a cold breath grazed him. Goosebumps rose. A nameless terror pressed down on Cha Eui-jae’s entire body. A suffocating pressure. The fear that he might have his throat ripped out at any moment. His heart pounded. Just as Cha Eui-jae lowered his head—
A chilling voice whispered into his ear.
“Take a deep breath.”
“…”
“Breathe out… That’s it…”
Lee Sa-young’s fingers pressed lightly against Cha Eui-jae’s back, as if monitoring the rise and fall of his chest and shoulders. Cha Eui-jae was gripped by the fear that those fingers might pierce straight through him. It would be easy, wouldn’t it? Driving a hole through a single body.
But Cha Eui-jae didn’t push him away. He endured, clutching the hem of Lee Sa-young’s coat with trembling hands. Even as nausea threatened to rise, he held on. If nothing else, he was good at enduring. Lee Sa-young muttered,
“What made you think it was okay to call me over? When you’re like this.”
“…Don’t talk.”
“Why… are you scared?”
Cha Eui-jae tried to steady his breathing. The fingers on his back traced along his shoulder blades and spine. Every touch made his body stiffen. The sound of water had disappeared. Instead—
“…”
A sound, as if someone was holding back sobs, was unmistakably clear. Cha Eui-jae released the coat he had been gripping and reached out toward where Lee Sa-young’s face should be. His hand fumbled through the air until it touched soft hair. He moved a little more. His fingertips brushed against something damp. Wet eyelashes tickled his skin.
“…”
Without saying anything, Cha Eui-jae wiped the tears away. The moisture on his fingers burned hot. Did this guy have poison in his tears or something? A ridiculous thought. He continued wiping, but the tears didn’t stop. Cha Eui-jae murmured.
“You…”
“…”
“Are you crying because of that… other guy again? Not because you want to?”
That would explain why he was clinging like this. Lee Sa-young didn’t answer. Instead, he pressed his cheek against Cha Eui-jae’s hand and rubbed against it. In no time, Cha Eui-jae’s palm was soaked. Cha Eui-jae cupped both of Lee Sa-young’s cheeks in his hands. Slowly, he pulled him closer. With a soft thud, their foreheads touched. His heartbeat quickened. Not from excitement—
From fear.
Forcing out a voice that barely came, Cha Eui-jae whispered,
“…Don’t cry.”
“…”
“I can’t hold you like before.”
Lee Sa-young remained silent, only rubbing his cheek against Cha Eui-jae’s palm. That made it even more pitiful. And terrifying. His body kept trembling. His mind kept wavering between pity and fear of the unknown being in front of him. His hands, wet with tears, stung. Damn it. Maybe this bastard really did have poison in his tears.
The chilling voice murmured.
“…That’s why you died.”
“What?”
“You were trying to die before you turned into some kind of monster.”
Yeah. Probably. Cha Eui-jae nodded slightly. A large hand brushed through his hair.
“Then your hair.”
“…Huh?”
“Why does it keep turning white?”
“…”
“Even if you dye it black, it barely lasts…”
The hands cupping Lee Sa-young’s cheeks were still wet. Tears kept falling. Yet, his voice was eerily cold, void of emotion.
“What if, without you realizing it, the mutation has been progressing all along?”
“…”
“What if, even if you escape this hellhole and go back, the mutation doesn’t stop?”
Terrifying.
Not the mutation.
The being holding him.
“Would you die then too?”
Cha Eui-jae opened his mouth to answer but struggled to make a sound. He barely managed to shake his head. Lee Sa-young’s gaze pierced through him like sharp needles. The hand that had been playing with his hair went still.
“…Ah, is it hard to breathe?”
Ugh, I feel like throwing up. Unable to even form words, Cha Eui-jae only gave a slow nod. Cold leather gloves cupped his cheeks. He blinked rapidly, unable to predict what this bastard was going to do next. Then, the fingers that had been rubbing his cheek suddenly forced their way between his lips.
“Wha—?!”
“You need to open your mouth and breathe properly.”
Ah, this bastard. Thick fingers rummaged recklessly inside his mouth. Is he insane?! Cha Eui-jae gagged and grabbed his wrist. Lee Sa-young whispered.
“Don’t bite. You’ll chip a tooth…”
“Hey!”
But the fingers didn’t stop. They roamed his mouth, pushing down on his tongue before finally withdrawing. Gasping for air, Cha Eui-jae shoved Lee Sa-young away. Fortunately, he didn’t resist and was pushed back easily. Cha Eui-jae wiped his damp lips roughly.
“What the hell are you—”
“Your mouth is clean.”
“What?”
A cold voice responded.
“I was checking. In case there were any signs of mutation.”
“…”
“While we’re at it, why don’t you take off your clothes?”
“Wait a damn minute!”
A sharp gaze scanned him up and down. Cha Eui-jae instinctively leaned back, gripping the chair behind him. Clearing his throat, he asked,
“And if you find something… what then?”
“What else?”
Lee Sa-young answered without hesitation.
“I’ll memorize everything.”
“…”
“I need to check again later. Whether the same marks appear, or if new ones form.”
This lunatic.
Cha Eui-jae barely held back a curse. Even without seeing, he could tell— Lee Sa-young’s eyes were probably completely unhinged right now. Cha Eui-jae tightened his grip on the chair’s backrest. His hands stung.
Would throwing the chair slow him down, even for a second?
‘…No, it wouldn’t.’
The chair would just shatter instead. It would only make the space even more cramped. In this condition, there’s no way I could ignore the debris and move around freely.
‘I wouldn’t even be able to dodge properly.’
A civilian trying to escape from an S-grade? Impossible. But if he let himself get caught by the maniac Lee Sa-young, who knew what would happen next?
A flat voice called his name.
“Come here, Hyung.”
Screw it, it’s all or nothing! Just as Cha Eui-jae was about to lift the chair—
Bzzzt…
A phone vibrated.
Cha Eui-jae’s eyes widened, searching for the source of the sound. It seemed to be coming from the room he had been lying in earlier. He turned towards Lee Sa-young and spoke.
“Whose phone is that?”
“Dunno.”
“Shouldn’t we check it?”
“Aha… And why would I?”
“It could be Honeybee. Maybe she found something.”
“…”
“Honeybee is our teammate who came in with us. She might have found out something.”
“Tsk.”
Lee Sa-young clicked his tongue, muttering,
“Don’t even think about running.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Don’t move from that spot either.”
“I won’t.”
“You better not. I really don’t want to see more blood.”
Whoosh— a gust of wind brushed past Cha Eui-jae as Lee Sa-young left. Only after his presence faded did Cha Eui-jae finally manage to take a proper breath. He clutched the chair and sank to the floor. Sweat dripped down his face like rain. The nausea that had been clawing at his throat finally subsided a little.
‘When the hell is my body going to recover?’
Could he even fight monsters in this state? Cha Eui-jae clenched and unclenched his trembling hands.
Then, footsteps approached from behind.
“Hyung.”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t collapse. I just sat down because I was tired.”
“That’s not it.”
Something was pushed towards him. Cha Eui-jae reached out, fumbling for it. A phone. Lee Sa-young spoke again, his tone displeased.
“Yoon Ga-eul called.”
“Yoon Ga-eul? Why is she calling?”
Cha Eui-jae took the phone and pressed it to his ear. Before he could even say hello, a frantic voice screamed through the receiver.
—J? J, is that you?!
Lee Sa-young added,
“More precisely… it’s the Yoon Ga-eul from our world.”
