The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 95
“…So.”
“Yes.”
“In summary of what I’ve heard so far.”
“Yes.”
“Ga-eul went into the eroded dungeon to find a fragment of the world, and Hong Ye-seong, who had suddenly disappeared, entered the dungeon with her for some unknown reason.”
“Yes.”
“For some reason, the dungeon was restructured. In the midst of that, I encountered you, and while I was protecting you from the dungeon master and lost consciousness, J suddenly appeared and defeated the golem in one blow?”
Crunch.
“Exactly.”
“And J said to tell everyone that he has returned? Directly?”
“Correct. J is incredibly strong. As expected from the number one in the rankings. He pierced through that huge golem in one blow, wow.”
“Bawk!”
“…Do I have to believe that?”
“What can I do if it’s true? It’s sad if you don’t believe me even when I’m telling the truth.”
“Hoo…”
A deep sigh escaped as if the ground was sinking. The owner of the sigh was Jung Bin, who was sitting on a hospital bed wrapped in bandages.
Around the bed were baskets of fruits and flowers and boxes of health drinks. The pink ribbon with the message wishing for a speedy recovery fluttered in the breeze coming through the open window.
He placed his relatively intact left hand on his forehead and murmured.
“How did the story of my collapse spread?”
“Well, through the ranker chat? It seems it only circulated in the first channel. It was shared by big guilds like HB Guild, Pado Guild, and Samra Guild.”
“…”
“There are no secrets in information powerhouse Korea, official-nim.”
Next to Jung Bin, who was staring blankly at the white ceiling, was Hong Ye-seong in patient clothes, munching on a red apple. At his bedside, a chicken was sitting curled up. Compared to Jung Bin, he looked quite clean.
The place where a critically ill patient, a mildly ill patient, and a chicken were lying down was the inpatient room within the Seowon Guild. It was a cozy and secret space only allowed for those who had received permission from Guild Leader Nam Woo-jin, but it wasn’t comfortable. After all, Nam Woo-jin was about to come to hear their stories.
The problem was that Jung Bin knew nothing about the current situation. The last sensation left in his head was the enormous fist flying towards him and the excruciating pain that made his body feel like it was breaking apart. When he opened his eyes, he saw the white ceiling of the Seowon Guild.
As soon as he barely regained consciousness and blinked his stiff eyelids, he turned his head toward the sound of movement and saw Hong Ye-seong, the very person who made him want to flee, sitting there.
Before Jung Bin could say anything, Hong Ye-seong brazenly and kindly pressed the call bell. Immediately, a marionette arrived and smoothly pulled Jung Bin’s bed to the examination room.
‘Something is wrong.’
Jung Bin thought while being connected to countless machines and an IV. He needed to gather more information from Hong Ye-seong, who had barely been released from endless tests.
But he was of little help, as the countless words Hong Ye-seong and the chicken babbled could be summarized in one sentence.
‘And then J appeared…’
Was this some sort of master key? Did they think everything would be resolved by mentioning J? Of course, before the West Sea Rift, it was mostly like that, but not now.
He was tired. Just being around Hong Ye-seong drained his mental energy. Despite his dizzy head, Jung Bin summoned his public servant spirit.
“First… please do not touch the gifts addressed to me. They need to be sent back. You can have the ones from the Awakened Management Bureau.”
“What, are there still price limits on gifts?”
“Yes, it’s the law. There’s no good in being indebted to guilds or hunters… it’s best not to receive anything at all.”
“That’s so lame.”
“Yes, don’t become a public servant. It’s an extreme job where you have to clean up after people like Hong Ye-seong with a battered body.”
Jung Bin answered gently and began typing something quickly on his phone with his left hand. It was a message to the security team, which was likely still on emergency duty. Hong Ye-seong, who wiped his hands with a wet tissue, grumbled.
“Did you just insult me?”
“You’re perceptive. Yes, I did.”
Just as Hong Ye-seong pouted his lips to start grumbling in earnest.
Knock, knock. There was a rhythmic knock. The white sliding door opened smoothly, and a man in a white coat walked in silently.
“Seeing you chattering away, you must be doing alright. I was shocked when a corpse was brought in.”
It was Nam Woo-jin. He adjusted his glasses and crossed his arms. Jung Bin let out a small groan and corrected his posture.
“You’re here.”
“Stay lying down. Although the treatment is over, you need to rest more. If it weren’t for the chains, it would have been difficult to recover with my abilities.”
His pure white eyes glanced at the cast on Jung Bin’s right arm. Jung Bin smiled bitterly.
“Yes, thank you.”
“Alright…”
Nam Woo-jin rubbed the back of his neck and let out a small sigh.
“I can’t help but listen to the story. I received a formal report from Lee Sa-young. There was a sudden dungeon restructuring phenomenon in the eroded Dungeon, and the dungeon’s grade was upgraded to S+. Is that right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Do we know the cause of the restructuring?”
“Not yet.”
“Well, J said it was because of him.”
“…What?”
“Yes?”
Jung Bin and Nam Woo-jin widened their eyes at Hong Ye-seong. However, the person who dropped the bombshell was engrossed in peeling an orange.
“J said so. He thinks the dungeon restructuring happened because of him, but he doesn’t know why yet. Until he finds out, he said he would only appear when absolutely necessary, like this time.”
“…”
His voice was unexpectedly calm, indicating it was no joke. And the J that Jung Bin knew was someone who could say such things. Nam Woo-jin muttered.
“So J actually appeared. It wasn’t a system error; he actually escaped from the West Sea Rift alive.”
Jung Bin glanced at the thinking Nam Woo-jin. There was a peculiar heat in the pure white eyes staring into space while touching his lips. Even though his eyes and the light in his head were taken away, his thirst for knowledge was endless. It seemed he would not be satisfied even if he burned himself out entirely.
Jung Bin deliberately coughed loudly. Cough, cough. When his shoulders shook, the white eyes turned towards him. Fortunately, the strange heat that had momentarily flickered soon subsided, replaced by concern for the patient.
“Are you alright? Is the room temperature a bit low?”
“No, it’s fine. It’s just right.”
“Alright… I’ll contact Ham Seok-jeong. Don’t even think about going out until your right arm is fully healed.”
Nam Woo-jin, who issued a stern warning, fluttered his gown and left the room. Jung Bin rubbed his mouth and took a quiet breath. The weather outside was surprisingly sunny. As he gazed at the leaves shimmering in light green in the warm sunlight, Jung Bin spoke.
“Hong Ye-seong.”
“Yes?”
“How was J?”
Hong Ye-seong widened his eyes. Jung Bin murmured.
“Did he seem alright? Was he hurt anywhere?”
What was J like in Jung Bin’s memory? Too much time had accumulated since their last encounter, making it indistinct.
At that time, everyone was on edge. It was hard enough just to survive. The most they could do when they occasionally crossed paths was a nod.
No, there was a time when he offered J a cigarette. There was also a day when J seemed in a good mood. Probably. Because J was a person, too.
Hong Ye-seong quietly handed over a cleanly peeled orange cut in half. Jung Bin widened his eyes and stared at the orange flesh.
Only after being urged a couple of times did he finally take it. Hong Ye-seong smiled.
“He seemed alright.”
“…”
“He smiled after breaking the golem. It was kind of scary.”
“…Is that so?”
Finally, Jung Bin smiled faintly. He clumsily tore off a piece of orange with one hand and put it in his mouth. His soft face twisted subtly.
“…It’s sour.”
“That’s why I gave it to you.”
“…”
Baaawk! The chicken let out a long cry. It sounded like a laugh, or perhaps a sneer.
***
The day before Jung Bin and Hong Ye-seong were admitted, at the entrance of the underground dungeon in Jongno 3-ga.
Thud. A pair of trembling hiking boots stepped out of the dungeon entrance onto the ground. The boots were covered in dirt, white ash, and bloodstains, all mixed together. Cutting through the quiet dawn air, the owner of the boots spoke in a trembling voice.
“So… heavy.”
Hong Ye-seong, who was holding Jung Bin like a princess, made a crying face. With a broken arm, he couldn’t carry him on his back, and he couldn’t wrap the person who had protected them in a mat, so carrying him was the only option. Lee Sa-young briskly walked past the trembling Hong Ye-seong like a newborn calf.
“Bear with it.”
“Lee Sa-young, can’t you carry him?”
Lee Sa-young twisted his lips as he turned back.
“Ah… if you want to see Jung Bin die, go ahead.”
“You bastard.”
Hong Ye-seong made a face as if he was about to cry. Cha Eui-jae, who was standing next to Lee Sa-young, mumbled awkwardly.
“Should I carry him…”
“No.”
Lee Sa-young moved slightly to block Cha Eui-jae’s view.
“Hyung, don’t even think about meeting Nam Woo-jin.”
“Cut it out, you crazy bastard.”
Cha Eui-jae pushed Lee Sa-young’s head away. The actions of the two, bickering back and forth, had a natural familiarity as if they had been doing it for a long time. Watching this, Yoon Ga-eul cautiously called out to Cha Eui-jae.
“But… J.”
Cha Eui-jae responded with a questioning sound, “Hm?” At the same time, Lee Sa-young’s sharp gaze also focused on her. Feeling a sudden chill, Yoon Ga-eul pretended to brush off the dirt on her pants and muttered with her head down.
“Telling everyone that J has returned is good and all… but what about the hangover soup restaurant?”
“Hm? The hangover soup restaurant? Why?”
“Well… if you’re going to be working as J, won’t you have to quit the restaurant job?”
“Of course not.”
“What?”
“I’m going to do both.”
“What?”
With a confident smile, Cha Eui-jae put his hands behind his back.
“Hero J and the part-time worker at the hangover soup restaurant, Cha Eui-jae, are different people. Right?”
In the era of great hunters, where hunters are also models, actors, and even dungeon ASMR YouTubers, the number one ranked hunter confidently declared he would have two jobs: a hunter and a part-time worker at a hangover soup restaurant.
