The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 332
Despite its focus on its goal, the end didn’t come in haste. It seemed to take its time to prepare, as its goal was to destroy the world.
Furthermore, ‘it’ blinked occasionally. When it closed its eye and once again became a ‘black hole’, not only did it halt the whitening process, but even mutations didn’t occur. Thus, the exhausted hunters took advantage of the opportunity to rest and plan for when it opened its eye yet again…
In front of the Pado Guild.
“Please stand in line properly~”
“Everyone can enter, so don’t cut in line! If you do, you won’t be admitted! I’m watching!”
The hunters shouted loudly. Cha Eui-jae lowered his baseball cap and pulled his black mask higher, then glanced down to his side. Park Ha-eun held Cha Eui-jae’s hand, swinging her arm back and forth. She looked bored. Busy voices buzzed through his in-ear monitor.
—…We must complete the evacuation of residents before it turns back into a white hole.
—The black hole is estimated to last for 53 minutes.
—Residents near the Guro-dong underground dungeon have been evacuated…
After the white hole first opened its eye, schools near eroded dungeons were ordered closed. Notices were placed in mailboxes indicating the locations of shelters. Fortunately, Park Ha-eun and her grandmother were placed in the Pado Guild shelter. However, the grandmother, who had difficulty moving, was taken first by a strange man wearing sunglasses. It seemed Seo Min-gi had a hand in it.
‘I should thank him when I see him.’
Cha Eui-jae glanced at the sky. The swirling clouds were still dark. Then, Park Ha-eun tugged his hand.
“Uncle.”
“Yeah?”
“My leg hurts.”
Park Ha-eun patted her leg. After standing for over 30 minutes, it was understandable for her feet to ache. Cha Eui-jae turned his back to Park Ha-eun and crouched down. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, and he stood up, carrying her on his back. Her mischievous laughter rang in his ears.
“Hehe. Uncle, you’re the best.”
“You’re not faking it, are you?”
“Nooo? It really hurts?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Uncle, I’m bored. When are we going inside?”
“Well…”
Cha Eui-jae poked his head out and looked at the line ahead. It looked like they were checking every official document and ID. This was going to take a while. Cha Eui-jae shrugged.
“We’ll have to wait a little longer.”
“Uuugh.”
“Don’t make any noise. Why don’t you take a nap?”
“It’s so noisy I can’t sleep…”
Park Ha-eun began swinging her legs quite hard. Cha Eui-jae faced sideways to avoid hitting the people in front and behind him.
“Park Ha-eun, don’t kick. Someone will get hurt. Did your teacher teach you that?”
“No…”
Park Ha-eun pursed her lips and buried her face in his shoulder. Cha Eui-jae let out a small sigh. Park Ha-eun wasn’t the only one whining. There were parents everywhere trying to soothe their children. When one child cried, another would start to weep, then burst into tears. The sound of a child’s cry brought back buried memories.
Parents.
Memories of them remain fragmented.
“Run!”
A hand shoved him on the back.
“Eui-jae-ya, run!”
A voice like a scream.
“Go quickly! Hurry!”
A driving urge to move his legs.
“…Hurry, Uncle!”
“Uh, huh?”
A weak force tugged at his hair. Cha Eui-jae suddenly came to his senses. Park Ha-eun, who had been pulling his hair, pointed ahead.
“There’s a seat up front!”
“Oh, yeah. Okay.”
Cha Eui-jae bowed to the person behind him and walked over to fill the empty seat. Park Ha-eun, who had been playing with his hair under his hat, nuzzled her cheek next to Cha Eui-jae’s ear and whispered.
“Uncle.”
“Yeah?”
“Your hair is so white.”
“…”
“You should dye your hair again, right?”
“…I know.”
“I was the one who told you about it, right?”
“Yeah, Ha-eun is the best, after all.”
Park Ha-eun seemed to be delighted by the word “best,” and immediately began swaying her hips and singing a nursery rhyme. Cha Eui-jae prayed that Park Ha-eun wouldn’t notice his cold sweat.
That Cha Eui-jae now stood in front of the mirror once a day. Checking his hair color, inspecting his entire body from his fingertips to his toes, opening his mouth to check for any white spots.
What would happen if he mutated?
Would I become like the monsters I’ve killed?
The unanswered questions always ended with one question.
If I became a monster, could anyone kill me?
‘If no one could kill me…’
At that moment, a chilling sensation overwhelmed his head. While everyone else was fixated on the ground or their phones, only Cha Eui-jae raised his head.
The black hole above was gradually brightening. The darkness cleared, and a pure white light slowly poured down. Cha Eui-jae put Park Ha-eun down, whom he was carrying, but then hugged her again. Park Ha-eun blinked.
“Uncle?”
Noise filled his monitor.
—Emergency! Emergency! The white hole is opening faster than expected!
—Hunters working on the evacuation, deal with the monsters…
—Civilian safety is the top priority!
Cha Eui-jae poked his head out and looked ahead. There was still a long way to go before they could enter the shelter. The hunters helping them also seemed to have noticed something and spoke with serious expressions.
“What’s wrong, Uncle?”
“Wait a minute, Ha-eun-ah.”
The presence of monsters began to appear everywhere as pure white light poured down. Cha Eui-jae put his arm around Park Ha-eun’s head and looked around. Hasty action would lead to chaos.
‘Fighting while holding her is too dangerous.’
However, Park Ha-eun couldn’t be left alone. The monsters began to stir, little by little, instinctively heading towards places where life was abundant.
Right here.
Cha Eui-jae jumped out of the line and started running. He scanned the faces of the people in line. Was there anyone he knew? Anyone he could entrust her with?
Then, Cha Eui-jae’s worn sneakers stopped in front of a large man.
“Instructor!”
It was Park Ha-eun’s Taekwondo instructor, a man who looked remarkably like Bae Won-woo. The instructor, who had been looking at his phone, widened his eyes.
“Ha-eun-ie? And…”
“Ha-eun’s uncle! Are you going to the Pado Guild shelter?”
“Yes? Yes, that’s right, but…”
“I’m really sorry, but could you please take Ha-eun in?”
“Me? You… you’re not going in?”
“Uncle!”
“I…”
There’s no time. Cha Eui-jae patted Park Ha-eun’s back to soothe her.
“I have something urgent to do. Ha-eun, your grandma will be there when you go inside. You should go in with your teacher. Okay?”
“No! I want to go with Uncle!”
“I’m sorry, Ha-eun. Uncle has to go.”
“No! You always do that! You always leave me and grandma alone!”
Park Ha-eun flailed her arms. Cha Eui-jae carefully pulled her away, lest she break her small fists. Just then, a large hand suddenly reached out and held her.
“You really have to go, right?”
Eyes that were strikingly similar to Bae Won-woo’s were staring at him. Cha Eui-jae nodded with a solemn face. The instructor nodded.
“Go. I’ll comfort her.”
“No! No! Don’t go!”
“I’m sorry, Ha-eun!”
Cha Eui-jae turned and started running. Her small hand couldn’t hold onto his collar, and it slipped away. The instructor patted the sobbing child’s back and muttered.
“You’re making the same expression as that damned guy…”
***
Tap, tap, tap. Descending the stairs two or three steps at a time, Bae Won-woo asked.
“All of them haven’t got into the shelter yet?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Vice leader! The process is slow because there’s too many people! Then there are people who forge official documents, not to mention we have to weed out Prometheus cult followers! It’s taking a lot of time.”
“And the black hole timer is over?”
“Yup! So we just have to run down like this!”
“Oh God, I’m going crazy! I’m so busy I could die!”
Bae Won-woo and Kang Ji-soo kicked open the guild’s glass doors and stormed out. A long line stretched out in front of the shelter entrance. Bae Won-woo scratched his head roughly and gestured to Kang Ji-soo.
“Tell the shelter guides to be as quick as possible! If a monster comes, deal with it immediately. Understood?”
“Understood!”
“Aagh, Sa-young-ah… when are you coming back…”
Bae Won-woo cracked his stiff neck. Doing paperwork, guild leader duties, and all sorts of other tasks alone was taking a toll on even the strong Bae Won-woo. But now was no time for excuses. He needed to buy time until all the civilians were safely in the shelter.
“Will someone from the sky come down…”
The White Hole glowed. White ash began to scatter. Monsters’ roars could be heard in all directions. People began to murmur. Bae Won-woo pulled out a massive shield.
Could he protect all these people?
His throat tightened. Bae Won-woo swallowed.
Even if he couldn’t, he had to do it.
That was a hunter’s duty.
That was that.
“Gyaaaaah!”
A scream erupted from the middle of the line. Bae Won-woo ran towards the source of the scream. A man’s limbs were twisting violently. A sign of a mutation. Without hesitation, Bae Won-woo pinned the man down with his shield.
Thud!
A spurt of blood gushed out. Before he could ask the people who screamed if they were okay, another scream erupted from somewhere else.
‘Damn it!’
The moment Bae Won-woo turned his head,
A black shadow appeared on top of his large shield.
“I’ll go.”
A distorted voice.
It’s J!
A pair of sneakers leaped onto the shield, using it as a stepping stone. Bae Won-woo chased the soaring shadow. A huge spear in his hand, a gray hoodie, jeans, and worn-out sneakers.
…Wasn’t this exactly the same outfit as the hangover soup restaurant part-timer?
But wasn’t that J’s voice?
“…Huh?”
A tangled web of incongruous combinations swirled around in his head. Bae Won-woo let out another, dumbfounded sound.
“…Huh??”
