The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 158

A moment later, they were sitting across the table from each other. The only difference now was that Lee Sayoung had taken Kkokko’s place, and Kkokko was sitting beside Cha Uijae. Sayoung, supporting himself with one arm behind his back, slowly traced the rim of a glass with the finger of his other hand.

“So, to summarize…” Sayoung's languid voice muttered, the finger stopped its movement as he swallowed.

“You realized there’s someone else inside me.”

“Yes.”

“And you came here to figure out why by finding Hong Yeseong…” He paused and pointed directly at Kkokko.

“And that chicken is Hong…”

“Wait, wait,” Uijae quickly cut him off, half-rising from his seat and hastily reaching out to cover Sayoung’s mouth. Sayoung’s violet eyes narrowed as Uijae brought his other hand to his lips, raising his index finger in a "shushing" motion. 

“Shh, don’t say that out loud. We still need to hear more.” They couldn’t afford to let the Hong Yeseong from another world leave just yet, not before they got the solution to this whole mess.

At that moment, Sayoung grabbed Uijae’s wrist with surprising strength, the force of the grip catching him off guard. Their gazes met, and Sayoung’s eyes were filled with displeasure. He pried Uijae’s hand away and snapped.

“Don’t do that.”

“What? You mean covering your mouth?”

Uijae suddenly remembered something Baewonwoo had once told him—that Sayoung hated being controlled in any way. He withdrew his hand nervously, but Sayoung gestured toward his own face with a tilt of his chin.

“The shushing. Don’t do that.”

Uijae blinked in surprise, still holding up the finger he had just used. “This? Why?”

“Just… don’t.”

Sayoung responded curtly, then closed his eyes, clearly exhausted. He had always been emotionally volatile, difficult to read and please, but now, after waking up from three months of slumber, it seemed worse than before. Uijae clicked his tongue quietly.

‘Of course, he’s unstable…’

After all, Lee Sayoung now had two people inside one body. It was overwhelming enough when it was just him, but now doubled? Uijae rubbed the back of his neck, feeling an unease settle in.

‘Sayoung’s a problem, but…’

His mind flashed to the other version of Sayoung—the one with eyes so hollow they looked like mirrors, reflecting only Uijae. He wasn’t human anymore, not in any real sense. And then there was…

Uijae glanced over at Sayoung. His friend was pressing his fingertips against his eyes, as though he sensed Uijae’s gaze. Uijae quickly looked away, but the hostile energy that radiated from Sayoung was unmistakable, enough to make anyone faint. Damn, now he couldn’t even look at him without feeling like he was being watched.

Uijae fidgeted with the seam of his cushion, thinking to himself.

‘This is going to be exhausting…’

Neither of them were going to be easy to deal with, and Uijae, caught between them, was going to have the hardest time of all. At that moment, Kkokko, who had been perched on top of a pile of cushions, opened its beak.

“Is it finally my turn to speak?”

“Only if it’s about Lee Sayoung’s condition.”

“Of course it is. Anyway, the problem is that the souls didn’t fuse properly due to some… unforeseen circumstances.”

Sayoung pushed his hair back and asked, “What are those circumstances?”

“…”

“…”

There was an awkward silence. Sayoung raised an eyebrow. Kkokko glanced at Uijae, who quickly jabbed the ceramic bird in the side with his finger. Startled by the subtle but undeniable threat, Kkokko answered mechanically.

“As I said, unforeseen circumstances. Some external factor must have interfered. I don’t know all the details!”

It knows.

“Hey, if you don’t know, then we’ll move on. No point in wasting time on unknown causes.”

It does know.

Sayoung shot Uijae a suspicious glance, but Uijae forced a smile, thinking, *Even Lee Sayoung wouldn’t throw a punch at someone smiling at him.*

Fortunately, Sayoung didn’t press further. He stared at Uijae for a long moment before sighing and turning his head. Uijae took the opportunity to jab Kkokko in the side again. The ceramic chicken quickly continued speaking like an automatic answering machine.

“To be honest, there’s no perfect solution right now. It’s not as unstable as it was before, where it could ‘blow up’ if triggered, but it’s still in a delicate state. Even the system is probably keeping an eye on it.”

“You think I came all the way here to hear that?” Sayoung snapped.

“But it’s the truth. How are you feeling, anyway?” Kkokko turned its head to face Sayoung. “Does anything seem off? Memory problems, perhaps?”

“…”

Sayoung pressed his lips tightly together, his cracked lips threatening to bleed again. Both Uijae and Kkokko waited patiently. Finally, Sayoung pressed his temple and spoke slowly.

“…My memories are jumbled. Mine and someone else’s are mixed together.”

“…”

“Want me to be more honest?”

Sayoung’s violet eyes burned brightly as he leaned forward, placing his hands on the table. His voice dropped to a harsh whisper.

“For a moment back there, I thought you were dead.”

“…”

“There was blood pouring from your head and your mouth… I thought I’d gone insane.”

At that moment, Uijae recalled the time by the memorial stone, when Sayoung had touched his head and temple as though checking if he was still alive…

Sayoung let out a sharp breath and covered his face with his hand.

“When I realize this is reality… I feel better. But it’s right after I wake up that’s the problem.”

His pale face was cast in shadow as he pressed his hand to his chest.

“I can still feel someone else inside me, but it’s not unfamiliar. It feels like that person is also me… almost as if we’re the same.”

His red lips twisted bitterly.

“It feels disgusting.”

“…”

Sayoung slowly stood up, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black leather coat. He tilted his head, staring down at Kkokko.

“Are you satisfied now, Hong Yeseong?”

Suddenly, the air in the room stilled. A gust of wind followed, and a white screen appeared before everyone’s eyes. Kkokko, wide-eyed, hurriedly opened its beak.

“Wait, did you even listen to what I said? If you say my name out loud like that, I’ll be kicked out—”

“I know.”

Sayoung’s lips twisted into a smirk.

“I did it on purpose. I want you gone.”

“You ungrateful little—!”

Hong Yeseong flapped his wings in fury, but Sayoung just stared down at him with cold, unforgiving eyes.

“I don’t need your help. I understand better than anyone.”

“What did you say?”

Sayoung wrapped one hand around his own throat as if to strangle himself.

“I know better than anyone what this bastard wants.”

“…”

“So get lost.”

Hong Yeseong shot Uijae a reproachful look.

“Friend, what the hell did you do to raise him?”

Uijae, taken aback by the sudden blame, was at a loss.

“Why are you dragging me into this?”

“The Sayoung I knew wasn’t this rude!”

Uijae had no response to that. After all, he knew that Sayoung could be the sweetest person, welcoming him home with an apron and cooking rolled omelets for him. The Sayoung Hong Yeseong had known was probably that version. The realization left Uijae feeling dizzy.

‘Maybe it’s my fault for being apart from him so long…’

Just then, a sweet scent filled the air, and Uijae felt a warm breath brush against his ear. Sayoung had moved close to him, leaning down to whisper.

“That’s not it.”

“…”

“I’ve always been rude….”

“…”

“I was just pretending to be nice.”

His low voice tickled Uijae’s ear, sending shivers down his spine. Uijae tensed, but before he could react, Hong Yeseong shouted.

“Enough! I’m leaving on my own before I get kicked out!”

A flash of white light erupted from Kkokko. When the light faded, Uijae hastily picked up the ceramic bird. It blinked its black eyes—its intelligent gaze was gone. What Uijae now held was just a smooth, lifeless porcelain chicken. No more Hong Yeseong, just Kkokko.

“Cluck?”

‘Damn it, he left me here alone!’

Uijae shook with betrayal. He had considered Hong Yeseong a friend, but now he’d run off, leaving him alone with this shameless version of Sayoung!

Kkokko flapped its wings and freed itself from Uijae’s grasp, scurrying off to curl up beside the sleeping Hong Yeseong in the next room. Now, it was just the two of them. Sayoung’s soft voice called out.

“Hyung.”

Uijae didn’t respond, lowering his head, feeling emotionally drained. Sayoung, undeterred, gently ran his fingers along Uijae’s exposed nape.

“Your hair color…”

His black fingers brushed through the gray strands of Uijae’s hair, causing a slight shiver to run through him

. Sayoung murmured as he toyed with the short hair.

“It’s gotten whiter.”

“…Really?”

“Mm-hmm…”

Sayoung’s voice lingered as he drew the word out. Uijae lifted his head slightly, as if to check the color of his hair, only to meet Sayoung’s violet eyes.

“Hyung…”

“…”

Sayoung knelt down in front of Uijae, bringing his face closer. Slowly, his hand moved to cover Uijae’s eyes, plunging him into darkness. Uijae’s lips parted slightly. A soft, amused chuckle followed. Something warm and rough pressed against his lips—an unfamiliar mixture of blood and sweetness.

A low laugh slipped between their connected lips.

“Ah, I get it now…”

“…”

Sayoung pulled back just a little, biting his lower lip lightly.

“You kissed me, didn’t you? While I was asleep.”

Ah, crap.

“I figured it out once I tried it myself.”

Before Uijae could respond, Sayoung’s tongue pushed past his lips. Whatever answer he might have had melted away between their entangled tongues. Uijae squeezed his eyes shut.