The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 98
That day, he never once regretted holding that boy’s hand at the Mangwon Rift. However…
Cha Eui-jae muttered nonchalantly with his hands in his apron pockets.
“He got a lot better with continuous treatment. Well, he wasn’t completely cured. He needed periodic antidote treatments… but I couldn’t return from the West Sea Rift. The supply of antidote materials must have stopped.”
What weighed on his mind was that he couldn’t take full responsibility. The boy, who likely died quietly due to J’s absence, lingered in a corner of his heart.
Did J save everyone who entered the West Sea Rift after leaving the boy behind? No. He saved no one. Moreover, he lives on, thrown into a peace that exists without him. The back of the hero, once idolized, was stained with failure.
Perhaps that’s why the people he saved from the Jongno 3-ga underground dungeon felt more precious to him. They were people he saved after countless failures.
Cha Eui-jae, not understanding why he was telling this long-buried, scattered story, continued speaking awkwardly. Come to think of it, he had never shared this story with anyone before.
As he scuffed the sole of his shoe on the ground, he added,
“It’s been 8 years since I entered a rift. That’s how it is.”
“….”
Seo Min-gi listened silently, without a hint of sympathy or worry. That made Cha Eui-jae feel more at ease. The man, tapping his tablet pen on the screen, finally spoke.
“I’m just confirming, so please don’t be offended. Have you ever tried hiring a detective agency? There are many errand centers run by hunters nowadays.”
“I tried, but they kicked me out as soon as I mentioned the conditions. Well, it’s understandable.”
“And requesting to view medical records? If it was 8 years ago, there should still be records at the hospital.”
“Of course, I tried that. They said only the patient, family, or legal guardian could access the records.”
“Hmm…”
“Well, J might be able to get them, but I’m not J, I’m Cha Eui-jae.”
Cha Eui-jae glanced at the calendar.
“And in the first place… I didn’t admit him to the hospital through formal procedures.”
“…Pardon?”
Seeing Seo Min-gi’s puzzled reaction, Cha Eui-jae confessed a secret he had been holding back.
“I, uh, secretly admitted him under J’s name. I had some dealings with the hospital.”
“Pardon me?”
Seo Min-gi’s voice rose an octave. Cha Eui-jae shrugged.
“Back then, they rarely accepted people who were sure to die. There were too many people injured by monsters, and… there was a shortage of manpower and hospital beds. Most people thought it was better to save more than ten others than to hold onto someone who was already dying. Hunter hospitals were even more so.”
Three years after the Day of the Rift. Thanks to J and Jung Bin’s efforts, South Korea regained stability faster than other countries, but confusion still lingered.
There were no rift detectors, no healers. The only treatment for monster-inflicted wounds was the rare potion. In such circumstances, there was no place that would provide a bed for a civilian dying from poison. It was too obvious they would die soon.
Cha Eui-jae reminisced and added,
“And we kept the boy’s existence a secret from the outside world. It could have become troublesome.”
“Ah, I understand. It could have become a vulnerability. Especially for someone like J.”
Nodding, Seo Min-gi carefully observed Cha Eui-jae’s reaction.
“Sorry if that was too blunt.”
“No, you’re right.”
A brief silence followed. What was the point of finding someone who was probably already dead? Still, Cha Eui-jae felt he had to find even the smallest trace. That was the duty of the survivor.
With a low sigh, Seo Min-gi nodded slowly and put away his tablet.
“Honestly, there aren’t many clues, so I can’t guarantee we’ll find him, but I have an idea of where to start.”
He pushed up his sunglasses with a serious look.
“Let’s start by thoroughly investigating the hospital. Leave it to me, sir. Which hospital is it?”
He extended his hand for a handshake. When did the promise to commit a crime ever feel this trustworthy? No, this was the first time Seo Min-gi had ever seemed so reliable. Cha Eui-jae took his hand out of his pocket and shook it slowly.
“It’s now called Hunter National Hospital. It used to be a private hospital.”
“…Pardon? Hunter National Hospital?”
“Yes, national.”
Seo Min-gi’s face seemed to turn pale. He began fidgeting with his fingers, as if trying to pull his hand away. But,
[Trait: Enhanced Strength (S+) activated.]
Cha Eui-jae never let go once he grabbed hold of something. Seo Min-gi’s hand turned white under the tight grip. He spoke in a trembling voice like a goat.
“S-Sir? You’re really strong.”
“Pardon? We’re just shaking hands.”
Squeeze.
“Ouch, ouch, ouch.”
“You’ll do it, right?”
“Ah. D-Did you know that Hunter National Hospital is closely connected with major guilds and most large guilds, sir?”
“It seems to have grown a lot in 8 years.”
“Ouch, the security is also very tight.”
“I just found that out.”
“…Ouch. Alright, I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you.”
Only then did Cha Eui-jae smile and release his grip. Seo Min-gi, wincing, poured a potion over his hand from his inventory. Cha Eui-jae also took out a beginner hunter’s potion kit he had received as a gift and sprinkled it over Seo Min-gi’s hand.
Once the whitened hand regained its color, Seo Min-gi sullenly grabbed the door handle.
“Please understand that it might take some time to infiltrate a national hospital.”
“It’s alright. I’m used to waiting.”
“Yes, if you need anything else, please contact me. And if you have to act as J, please contact me or the Guild Leader.”
The last request was unexpected. Cha Eui-jae blinked.
“Why?”
“Huh? To back you up, of course.”
Seo Min-gi also blinked. Cha Eui-jae was momentarily stunned, as if struck by something.
The contract with Lee Sa-young was made when he didn’t know Cha Eui-jae and J were the same person. Now that he knew, he could have extracted anything from him… so why wasn’t he?
As one question arose, others followed, intertwining like ropes. Cha Eui-jae suddenly asked,
“Why are you helping me so much? This isn’t part of the contract.”
“Well… I don’t know either, but…”
Seo Min-gi awkwardly adjusted his sunglasses, revealing a glimpse of his dark circles. After a moment of contemplation, he smiled and opened the door.
“Maybe your good deeds are returning to you?”
“…”
“You might not have thought of it as a good deed, but to someone else, it could have been salvation.”
With that, Seo Min-gi waved and disappeared into the shadow of the door. Cha Eui-jae stared at the dark shadow for a long time, then let out a long sigh.
***
Bang! A fist slammed onto a metal desk, making the files on it shake.
“For the last time, I don’t know who it was. How am I supposed to know the face of someone wearing a mask? You keep making me repeat myself.”
The man sitting in the room with multiple monitors chewed on a paper cup. The screens all showed similar-looking rooms.
In the left monitor, Hong Ye-seong slouched in the interrogation room like a melted slime. The hunter sitting across from him asked again with a troubled face,
“…But Hunter Hong Ye-seong, how are you sure it was J if you didn’t see their face?”
Hong Ye-seong scoffed.
“You know J logged into Channel 1, right? That confirmed he was alive. The director herself verified his survival. He’s a person who can destroy an S+ grade golem with one hit, and he wore a mask. Then he said he was J. How could I not believe him? At that moment, I thought the savior had arrived. Really. He came when I was dying.”
“Why did you escape then?”
“Destiny called me.”
Hong Ye-seong pouted and spouted nonsense. The hunter questioning him sighed unconsciously.
A dungeon restructuring and an S+ grade upgrade— an unprecedented event. This alone would turn the world upside down, and then J appeared and defeated the S+ grade dungeon’s master.
Goodness, J did it again! The Awakened Management Bureau and the Rift Management Bureau simultaneously went into emergency mode. Since Jung Bin was lying in Seowon Guild in a half-dead state, the Awakened Management Bureau began grilling the Super Hamsters for any information, not wanting to miss even the smallest clue.
But,
“Can you handle this?”
It was the Awakened Management Bureau that was being grilled…
The Super Hamsters were too powerful to be easily grilled. Yoon Ga-eul, thought to be the easiest to coax, used the wild card of being a high school senior to escape, and Lee Sa-young exercised his right to remain silent, emitting such a killing intent that a restraining order was placed against him.
The only one speaking was Hong Ye-seong, but he was babbling nonsense. Looking up at the ceiling with clear eyes, Hong Ye-seong yelled,
“When will you let me go? I need to work. I have ideas coming to me. Who will be responsible if my ideas die? I need to go to Bukhansan now!”
The hunter looked sheepishly at the CCTV camera in the corner of the ceiling. It was a plea for help. However, the hunter chewing on the paper cup couldn’t help him.
“Oh my, such rare and precious people are gathered here.”
It was a deep, resonant voice that suddenly filled the room.
A middle-aged man with neatly slicked black hair streaked with gray and a face lined with wrinkles but still bearing a fierce tiger-like expression had silently entered the monitoring room and was now standing straight.
With a tap of his cane on the floor, the hunter chewing on the paper cup hastily stood up and bowed his head.
“Ah, Hunter Song Jo-heon, you’re here! How did you…”
It was Song Jo-heon, the Guild Leader of Samra Guild, one of the top three guilds in South Korea. With a hearty laugh, Song Jo-heon made a soothing gesture in the air, as if to calm the hunter.
“Don’t worry. I came with the director’s permission.”
“Ah, I see. Yes.”
“Well… I’ve heard the rough story.”
Song Jo-heon’s gaze shifted to the central monitor. In another monitor displaying an interrogation room, Lee Sa-young was sitting alone on a metal chair with his legs crossed, eyes closed. A soft smile played on Song Jo-heon’s lips.
“J has returned, right?”
