The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 331
As soon as Cha Eui-jae and Jung Bin entered the Seowon Guild, a member dressed in a clerk’s uniform rushed out to greet them. He kept wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief as he led the way.
“I sincerely apologize for the delay in welcoming you. Given the circumstances…”
“You must be busy. We understand.”
Jung Bin responded kindly to calm the guild member. Cha Eui-jae looked around. The always-busy green-eyed young man was nowhere to be seen. Alarmed, he asked the guild member that was leading them.
“Do you know where that young man is? The one with green-eyes… who looks like the guild leader’s assistant?”
“Oh, yes. The doll was damaged while trying to stop the intruder and is currently undergoing emergency repairs.”
“Damaged?”
“Yes, yes. It was doused with poison and part of its body melted.”
Poison.
A chilling image flashed through his mind. A test subject struggling inside a glass chamber filled with poison. And Lee Sa-young…
“J-nim.”
A soft whisper roused Cha Eui-jae from his thoughts. Jung Bin gave an attentive, gentle smile.
“You’re too tense. Let’s loosen up a bit.”
Only then did Cha Eui-jae release his clenched fists. Deep nail marks still remained in his palms. Jung Bin nodded in approval, and then expertly asked,
“Can it be repaired?”
“This time, the damage was so severe that we contacted Italy. Ah, here it is.”
The guild member nodded and quickly disappeared. He had led them to an operating room bathed in bluish light. Standing in front of the operating table was Seo Min-gi, who pushed up his sunglasses and greeted them.
“Oh, hello. You two arrived quite quickly.”
“Fortunately, everyone was present at the Bureau. How about Ga-young?”
“She was very resistant. We had a medical professional put her to sleep for a while.”
Seo Min-gi stepped aside slightly, revealing Ga-young’s face, her eyes closed and asleep. She was strapped tightly to the operating table with thick straps. Seo Min-gi shrugged.
“We’ll have to wait a while before interrogating her.”
“If we continue like this, there will be a human rights issue…”
“We still have to impose human rights on a human experimenter?”
“But even so, there is the concept of procedure…”
The two begin to argue about human rights. Meanwhile, Cha Eui-jae approaches the operating table. Ga-young, still asleep, appears unharmed except for a smear of blood on her cheek.
Should I kill her?
His fingers, which had just relaxed, tensed again. He clenched his fists. But then, Cha Eui-jae caught his breath and loosened his grip. He then turned to Jung Bin, who was still arguing, and asked.
“Can we keep this person in custody? Guard her tightly so she can’t commit suicide.”
“Well… it is a high-risk situation and she’s caught red-handed… so there’s no reason why it wouldn’t work out. Do you want that?”
“Yes.”
Cha Eui-jae muttered as he adjusted the crooked glasses.
“I want Sa-young to meet this person.”
Lee Sa-young was afraid of Ga-young. Even if he wasn’t aware of it, the fear ingrained in his body was difficult to shake off. Cha Eui-jae wanted Lee Sa-young to be happy. He wanted him to be free from his past. And to do that…
“She needs to be alive. Healthy.”
He would be there for him then. Just like Lee Sa-young had been.
His strong hand crumpled the corner of the operating table next to Ga-young’s head.
***
The HB Guild had a cremation chamber. It wasn’t a formal one, but rather a ventilated space with fireproof floors and walls. This was only possible because the guild leader possesses fire abilities. Some even joke, isn’t this part of the guild’s welfare?
‘What kind of guild welfare is that?’
Crackle, sparks flew. This time, the flames were as big as a small campfire. Honeybee threw a plastic employee ID card into the flames. The red flames greedily devoured the HB Guild letters and the smiling face. Honeybee stared at the burning card and whispered.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t bring back the body.”
She crouched down and examined the items packed in the blue box. A pen, a notebook, a packaged snack, a dirty weapon-cleaning cloth… She had swept everything off the deceased guild member’s desk, but none of it was worth anything. She had taken the guild ID card as a substitute for ashes, and she planned to send the remaining belongings to the bereaved family.
Normally, they would have held the cremation immediately upon their return, but due to various circumstances, they only had time now. Even guild members couldn’t attend due to their busy work at the field.
Team Leader Han approached and picked up the box.
“I’ll go pack it. The death compensation will be according to guild regulations…”
“Team Leader Han.”
Honeybee rested her chin on her knees and said.
“I get paid for advertising, you know, and a deposit. Add my share of that compensation. Subtract the guild’s share and taxes.”
“Honeybee-ssi…”
Team Leader Han frowned slightly. But Matthew nodded, as if telling him not to say anything more. Team Leader Han sighed and nodded.
“…Understood. I’ll do that.”
With Team Leader Han gone, the two were left alone. Honeybee stared into the flames. It was a scene reminiscent of Jung Bin’s funeral she had experienced in the dungeon. The flame Matthew had kindled, and the feeling of helplessness.
The corpse of the guild member stabbed to death by Honeybee herself vanished from the world. The warehouse, barely visible from prying eyes, was empty. Had the system destroyed it, or had it simply turned to ash? It was unclear.
She quickly rose from her seat. Pushing her hair behind her ear, she continued with great effort.
“Why didn’t I just bring him here instead of killing him? I could have gagged him and tied his limbs up. Then he could have been treated… right? I heard the vaccine is progressing well.”
“Honeybee.”
A low voice called out to her. A large hand patted her shoulder.
“There’s no need to pretend to be okay.”
Her hand stroking her hair stopped.
“It’s not your fault he mutated. And you weren’t alone, and the situation was unknown. You made the best decision under the circumstances.”
Matthew, Mok Tae-oh, was a man of deep thought and few words. Kind, yet stern, and never said anything he didn’t mean. That’s the Matthew Honeybee knew.
He was comforting her. He’d been like that since they first met. His voice was magical. A voice full of confidence that made it sound like everything was going to be okay.
It felt strange. It felt like sharp needles were pricking her fingertips.
Honeybee asked, unconsciously.
“…Is that so?”
“Of course. I trust you.”
Honeybee looked up at the man standing beside her. He was tall and sturdy like a bear. Matthew stood tall like an ancient tree. A man unwavering even in the harshest of winds. Flames flickered above his transparent glasses.
“Because we’re looking in the same direction.”
She followed Matthew’s gaze. Flame. The employee ID had already melted away, leaving no trace. An acrid smell wafted. What would be left behind in the fire’s wake?
Ashes, she supposed.
The hand that patted her shoulder felt warm. Suddenly, Honeybee realized that, since he had sobered up from Prometheus’s drug addiction, they hadn’t had a proper conversation.
‘…Huh?’
She slowly tilted her head, skewing her vision slightly. At this new angle, something she hadn’t seen before became visible. A new thought dawned on her.
In the past world, Matthew died. After Jung Bin. That had to be true. There was no way Lee Sa-young would lie about something like that. She didn’t want to see Matthew die. So she escaped as soon as J arrived.
And, in this world, she prevented Jung Bin’s death.
So, next in line…
Matthew, wasn’t it?
“…”
Why wasn’t there any sign?
Was it not time yet? Or was it because he got addicted to Prometheus’s drug? Her thoughts multiplied like a chain reaction.
She suddenly spoke.
“I have a question.”
“Hmm.”
“Why did you get addicted? To the drug.”
The gaze that had been fixed at the flames turned to Honeybee. Honeybee muttered as if possessed.
“I can understand how low-level street hunters can get addicted. Their resistance to drugs is also low. But you’re an S-rank, and you’ve already taken several precautions against poisoning. Because of Lee Sa-young.”
“…”
“If those guys’ drugs are so strong, why aren’t the other rankers addicted? Even old man Song who had a close relationship with them, he might have been in tatters but he didn’t have thorns growing out of his body.”
“…”
“When, how, and why did you get addicted? What happened?”
The hand patting her shoulder stopped, and a warm hand gripped her shoulder tightly, pulling her closer. A large body embraced Honeybee from behind. She gripped the thick arm across her collarbone, ready to break it if necessary. A heavy pressure pressed down on her.
“Honeybee… no, Yoo Chae-hyun.”
Crackle, sparks flew. The momentum was less than before. A fire without firewood was bound to die out.
“Do you remember what I said when we first met?”
Honeybee nodded slowly. A low voice echoed.
“It’s been quite some time. Enough that the world has changed again, and so have the people.”
“…”
“It seems like you’ve changed lately too.”
“…”
“…That’s fortunate. At least one person has changed.”
The arm that had been suffocatingly tightening around her neck suddenly released. Honeybee quickly turned around. Matthew had already turned and was walking towards the door. She tried to chase after him, but flames erupted, blocking her path. Honeybee shouted at the shadow disappearing through the flames.
“Hey, Matthew!”
There was no answer. Honeybee gritted her teeth and shouted with all her might.
“Hey! You bastard! Stop talking nonsense and come back!”
“…”
“Mok Tae-oh!”
The wall of fire disappeared after quite some time. Honeybee hurriedly ran out of the room, but Matthew had already vanished without a trace.
“Damn it…!”
Honeybee bit her lip and ran out.
The ashes that remained in the empty room were flown away by the wind.
