The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 312
“Wait a minute, isn’t killing him a bit much?”
“Hey, Yoon Ga-eul.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Is there anyone like this guy in your memory?”
Student Ga-eul. We’ve shared some time together, haven’t we? Cha Eui-jae looked at her with the most desperate eyes he could manage. But Yoon Ga-eul hesitated, then shook her head.
“No… I’ve never seen him before.”
Fucking system bastard.
“Same here. This is a Memorial Dungeon… Someone who doesn’t exist in anyone’s memory just popped out like a foreign object, and we’re supposed to let him live?”
“…”
“Even when I strangle him, he doesn’t die easily…”
The grip on his neck tightened.
“The fewer variables, the better.”
“Well, that’s true…”
Cha Eui-jae frowned. Damn it, why is his arm so thick? Honestly, Lee Sa-young was absolutely right. If it were Cha Eui-jae, he’d probably make the same call and eliminate the variable. But…
‘You’re supposed to recognize me.’
An inexplicable sadness reared its head. Cha Eui-jae didn’t hold back and struck the arm tightening around his neck with his fist. A frustrated sigh came from behind him. A low voice whispered in his ear. It sent chills down his spine.
“Stay still… I’m holding back right now.”
Holding back what?
He didn’t need an answer to know. The grip on his neck only got tighter. Ah, right. You were holding back your desire to kill me. Lee Sa-young really isn’t someone who kills people just like that. How admirable.
This psychopathic bastard.
He really couldn’t take it anymore. Just being apart for a little while and now this…
Thwack!
“…Urgh!”
The strength in the arm choking him faded. The body pressed against his back slumped forward. Cha Eui-jae, who had slammed his elbow into Lee Sa-young’s solar plexus, quickly escaped his grasp. He was faster than expected. He always had been.
Cha Eui-jae pointed a finger at Lee Sa-young’s face and shouted.
“You start by choking someone out and try to kill them! Are you serious?! Are you out of your mind?!”
“…”
“You could at least hear them out before attacking, you rude punk!”
“…”
“Is that how I raised you?! Huh?!”
Cha Eui-jae fired off a barrage of rage like a machine gun. You’ve completely lost your discipline while I was gone. This isn’t okay. Do you even know how hard it was to get here? Do you know how worried I was about you? Lee Sa-young, clutching his hit solar plexus, just stared blankly up at him.
Meanwhile, Honeybee muttered with a serious face.
“He’s speaking another language again… Is he really a foreigner?”
At any rate, Cha Eui-jae’s combo of scolding, nagging, and venting finally ended. He felt totally refreshed, having said everything he wanted. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Cha Eui-jae looked satisfied. Lee Sa-young mumbled.
“Fuck… What is he even saying…”
“Sorry, but after the part about being rude… what did you say?”
Unfortunately, Cha Eui-jae’s tirade didn’t seem to have gotten through properly. Apparently, only the part up to “You rude punk!” made any sense. How hopeless.
‘Does everything get distorted if it includes anything about me being Cha Eui-jae?’
This was going to be a pain again. Honestly, escaping a Memorial Dungeon is simple. You just wait until your role is complete.
‘But if we do that… Lee Sa-young would have to stay here way too long.’
That’s why Cha Eui-jae came to get him. So he wouldn’t have to spend too much time alone. Because being alone for too long is just too lonely.
Open the dungeon entrance, bring out the three people trapped inside. That was his goal… but Cha Eui-jae glanced around. Honeybee had her rapier raised, shielding Yoon Ga-eul behind her. And Lee Sa-young…
“…”
Was staring at Cha Eui-jae so intently it was almost unbearable.
Still holding his solar plexus where he’d been hit. Felt like he’d burn a hole through him with that stare. Cha Eui-jae quietly looked away.
‘I messed up from the very start.’
He didn’t look like he’d willingly follow just because he was told to. Then, an excellent idea struck him.
‘Let’s knock him out and take him.’
Lure him to the dungeon entrance and knock him out. He could carry one on his back and tuck the other two under his arms. By the time they came to, they’d be back in the real world, where conversation might actually work. Cha Eui-jae smiled with satisfaction. Do first, explain later. It was time for the Cha Eui-jae method to shine.
So Cha Eui-jae ran.
“Huh? Wait! Hey! Where are you going?!”
“W-What do we do? Should we follow? What if it’s a trap…”
“Don’t lose him.”
“Ga-eul-ah, if you can’t run, hop on!”
“What? Oh, okay!”
Good. All three started following him. Cha Eui-jae scanned the area with the Tracker’s Eye. Fortunately, the portal he came through wasn’t far. Shaa— His black combat boots kicked up pale dust as he came to a stop. The dungeon entrance shimmered with a blue light, spinning slowly.
The others caught up soon. Honeybee, who had carried Yoon Ga-eul on her back, widened her eyes.
“…What the— Is that a portal?”
Thank goodness. If they could see it too, there was no need to knock them out right away. Cha Eui-jae pointed at the dungeon entrance and spoke clearly.
“Let’s go.”
“…”
“Don’t tell me this sounds weird too? Let’s go. Get out. Okay?”
“We heard that. Wait, is this the strange energy reading we picked up earlier? Is this really a dungeon entrance?”
Lee Sa-young, who had been observing the portal, responded.
“The color’s the same as the one at the underground dungeon in Jongno 3-ga. The energy too.”
“Oh my god…”
A bright smile slowly spread across Honeybee’s face. She grabbed Cha Eui-jae’s shoulders, excited, and started bombarding him with questions.
“You opened a sealed dungeon? How’d you do it? Who even are you? Did you come here on purpose? To rescue us? Wait, is this really the entrance?!”
Cha Eui-jae nodded in response to each question. With every nod, Honeybee’s face brightened more and more. It was the kind of radiant smile you only see in commercials. She pulled Yoon Ga-eul into a hug, beaming.
“Holy crap! Ga-eul-ah, we can get out of here!”
“U-Unnie…!”
“Ugh, this godforsaken hellhole! I need to get out fast. I don’t want to see Matthew die with my own eyes.”
Without hesitation, Honeybee strode into the portal. Her figure disappeared without a trace. Classic Honeybee, bold and decisive. But Yoon Ga-eul hesitated in front of the portal.
At that moment.
A strange pulling sensation rippled through the air. Cha Eui-jae quickly looked at the portal. The swirling portal was shrinking. A frantic voice came from beyond.
“I can hear… but I can’t hold the gate for much… Come back…!”
“…!”
“J-nim! …if you don’t… we can’t… open the gate again—!”
Damn it! Cha Eui-jae clenched his jaw. The portal’s duration was running out. There was no time to hesitate.
“Sorry, student Ga-eul!”
“Huh? Wah—!”
Cha Eui-jae gave Yoon Ga-eul a firm push on the back. With a short scream, she vanished into the portal. Now, only two remained. Had he finally been recognized for who he was?
“Lee Sa-young! You need to—”
Cha Eui-jae turned around, but a large body suddenly wrapped around him from behind, preventing him from seeing the face. Thick, solid arms encircled his shoulders and neck. A large hand caressed the bandaged nape of his neck. Where the fingertips brushed, a dull pain tingled. Soft hair tickled his ear, and a low voice whispered.
“Hyung.”
“…”
“Can you stay here with me?”
“…”
“Just the two of us… until the world ends.”
“…What, so you can strangle me again when you forget who I am?”
“Hmm… not thrilled about it, but if you want me to.”
“That’s not a kink of mine, thanks.”
“I’m joking. All of it.”
As he chuckled, the tremble of his body passed through their contact. Cha Eui-jae stared at the shrinking portal and replied.
“So you do recognize me now?”
“Ahaha… Sorry about earlier… I thought I was hallucinating again.”
“…”
“You just looked too much like how you did when you died… I didn’t think it could possibly be real.”
Cha Eui-jae had nothing to say to that. His lips twitched as they brushed his ear, then a wet tongue grazed the rim. Shit. His back shivered. He scrunched his shoulders and neck. A low laugh spilled against his skin. Soft lips brushed his temple and cheek. It felt like something empty was being filled. Cha Eui-jae clutched the arms wrapped around his neck.
“…Does my face still look weird to you?”
“Yeah. It’s kind of fuzzy… like it’s wrapped in fog.”
“But you still want to do this?”
“Did I ever like you for your looks?”
A large hand gently cupped his chin, turning his face toward the other. Cha Eui-jae didn’t resist. Their eyes met. In those violet eyes was the familiar warmth that had returned. Slightly rough lips met his. As always, Cha Eui-jae slightly parted his lips, but the tongue didn’t come. Instead, feather-light kisses rained down, like a bird pecking. Through their joined mouths, a soft voice slipped in.
“I like you because you’re you.”
“…”
His mind was melting. There was so much he wanted to say. He wanted to talk about what he saw in Prometheus’s lab. About the past that Lee Sa-young wasn’t part of. He wanted to ask, what were you like then? Because just seeing those fragments broke me, what about you?
Before he knew it, the portal had shrunk to the size of his torso. There was no time left to hesitate. Cha Eui-jae donned his black mask and grabbed Lee Sa-young’s hand.
“Let’s go.”
“…”
“It’s time to go home.”
Lee Sa-young smiled.
They could talk about all those things later. There was plenty of time. Cha Eui-jae reached for the portal. His body was sucked in. But then—
Tap.
“I can’t go.”
What?
The warmth that had been in his hand vanished. Cha Eui-jae frantically turned around. Nothing was there. A jumbled sensation shook his entire body. A cacophony of noise filled his ears.
“J-nim has returned!”
“J-nim has re-entered the base!”
“Three members recovered successfully!”
Cha Eui-jae opened his eyes. He slowly uncurled his fingers, the ones that had been holding Lee Sa-young’s hand.
All that remained was a single black glove.
