The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 163

Whoever took that picture, Uijae vowed to find and deal with them. He fought down the surge of destructive desire and subtly moved his foot away from the touch. He ignored the snicker from beside him.

"Sa-young, you should be thanking J for carrying you so carefully like that."

*Please, just stop talking.*

Uijae clenched his teeth. Baewonwoo’s clumsy attempt to both support and lecture on manners was useless. Noticing the slightly raised corner of Sa-young's lips, Uijae resigned himself. There was no escape from this situation now.

The sound of rustling paper filled the room as the pages of the newspaper were turned. A brief laugh escaped, and then an arm wrapped around Uijae’s shoulder, bringing the scent of cinnamon closer. Sa-young whispered teasingly,

"...Thank you?"

*Does that even sound like someone being grateful?*

Baewonwoo, however, blushed, looking as if he were Sa-young’s doting father.

“Aww, sorry about that. Sa-young may not show it well, but he’s a good kid.”

“Ah, right.”

“Not many are as nice as me, though…”

Did the dictionary definition of “nice” change while he was trapped in that fracture? Uijae found himself at a loss for words as Baewonwoo rubbed his arm. Sa-young, who had been leaning lazily against Uijae, narrowed his eyes.

“Are you hurt?”

“Huh? Oh, no... I’m fine. Lately, my arm’s just been aching a bit. The doctor says there’s nothing wrong with the bones or muscles.”

Baewonwoo gave his arm a few taps and shrugged.

“Maybe I’ll try acupuncture. Anyway, I’m glad you’re up and about. There’s a lot to discuss besides this. The general assembly is coming up soon. If I’d had to attend in your place again, it would’ve been a headache.”

Sa-young frowned slightly.

“General assembly? What’s that?”

“Oh! You wouldn’t know. It’s only been around for a couple of months. Where do I even begin…”

“First of all,” Sa-young tilted his head toward the hallway, “let’s go inside and talk. It sounds like it’s going to take a while.”

---

A short time later, they were sitting in Sa-young’s sparse living room. Sa-young had changed out of his bathrobe into casual clothes. The long sofa was occupied by Sa-young and Uijae, while Baewonwoo took the single armchair. Baewonwoo pointed toward the large window.

“You’ve seen how things are outside, right? Do you know what’s going on?”

Sa-young answered indifferently.

“I’ve got the gist of it.”

“Then let’s get to the point. After the Day of Change, Director Ham Seok-jeong started gathering Hunters. You know, to deal with the aftermath of the Day of Fracture and to restore social order. Most of the representatives from the large and mid-sized guilds gathered.”

“Hmm…”

Sa-young smiled crookedly.

“I figured as much. What about him?” He pointed a black-tipped finger at Uijae. Uijae, leaning against the back of the couch with his arms crossed, answered slowly, as if sensing Sa-young’s gaze.

“Baewonwoo told me about it, but I didn’t go.”

“Why not?”

“No real reason… I didn’t think there was much point in going.”

The real reason was that he was uncomfortable with the idea of meeting people like Ham Seok-jeong or Song Jo-hun. If they met, of course, the past would come up. They were people tied to his past, just like him.

He wasn’t ready to confront his past yet. Not until he found the remains he was searching for. Not until he fulfilled his responsibility.

“……”

At that moment, a large hand landed on his head, tousling his hair. Uijae instinctively swatted the hand away.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, just checking if you’re all there,” Sa-young muttered in a casual voice, flipping through a tablet screen as if nothing had happened.

“A general assembly without the first and second ranks seems pretty pointless, don’t you think?”

It was an arrogant remark, and Baewonwoo smiled bitterly.

“I’ve been attending in your place so far. Most of the big guilds send their guild leaders to the meetings.”

“Well done. So what’s next?”

“Anyway, during the first meeting, there was a suggestion that we gather regularly. You know, to combine forces. To summarize, it’s a gathering of top-ranked Hunters to discuss things. Usually, attendees are from the top 100.”

“I’m surprised they even managed to gather.”

The image of skilled Hunters all gathered together immediately brought the Artisan Exhibition to mind.

*Is it really a good idea to gather them like that?*

Having witnessed firsthand the disaster that occurred at a gathering of top-tier Hunters, Uijae couldn’t help but voice his doubts.

“So… does the meeting actually run smoothly?”

“Ah, that’s the surprising part. They manage to keep things civil, probably because Hunter Jung Bin and Director Ham are there keeping everyone in line. It actually runs pretty smoothly.”

*Then why did the Artisan Exhibition turn into chaos even with Jung Bin present?* The bitter memory of being caught in that whirlwind of chaos bubbled up inside him. Sa-young, who had been quietly listening, crossed his legs.

“I’ll attend the next general assembly myself. I’m curious to see the atmosphere.”

“Oh, really? I’ll let them know. But before that…”

Baewonwoo’s face darkened, and he crumpled the newspaper in his hand. Uijae’s face also twisted into a grimace, though it was hidden behind his mask. Baewonwoo hesitated before speaking.

“We need to deal with this issue first.”

“Well, then, let’s deal with it.”

Sa-young’s slipper-clad foot wiggled slightly.

“If someone managed to take a photo without even J noticing, it could only be one person—the ‘Mackerel.’”

“What kind of ability does he have?”

“Oh, you’ll know when you meet him. It’s pretty amusing…”

Sa-young’s lips curved into a smirk. Uijae thought back to all the Hunters he had encountered—from his early days as a Hunter to his time running the hangover soup restaurant. One thing was clear: most Hunters were not in their right minds. And Sa-young was no exception. Uijae asked with mock seriousness,

“Is he crazy?”

“Not exactly crazy… more like funny. This is a sort of protest. He’s doing this to get my attention.”

Sa-young neatly folded the newspaper.

“After all, I disappeared for three months without a word. I imagine he wanted to see what I’d do.”

“So, are you going to meet him yourself? Should I get the car ready?”

“Yep. And J is coming with me.”

“Me?”

Uijae looked up. Sa-young, still leaning casually on the couch, smiled brightly.

“Don’t you want to see the face of the guy who published this article?”

“……”

“I bet the J I know would.”

*Damn it.*

Uijae was beginning to understand why Minggijeok had pounded the steering wheel in frustration earlier. It must’ve felt like Sa-young could read him like a book. Oddly, though, Uijae didn’t feel angry. In fact…

*…Does this feel good?*

The sudden realization made Uijae stare blankly at the ceiling. Did he feel good? Why? Ever since Sa-young woke up, there had been times when Uijae’s head couldn’t keep up with his emotions. Strangely.

Amid his daze, a voice filled with laughter cut through.

“Right? Also, prepare a suit and a gas mask for me.”

---

Maybe it was because it was a weekday afternoon, but the fish market was relatively quiet. The smell of fish and the sea managed to sneak past the filter of the gas mask, tickling Uijae’s nose. Unfortunately, his keen senses also picked up the stares of the people around him. Where were they staring? At him.

The sound of his breathing hissed through the gas mask, rough and labored.

*‘No wonder they’re staring…’*

Standing in the middle of the fish market in a full suit and gas mask, of course, Uijae was going to attract attention. He gritted his teeth, the ID badge around his neck gleaming as it caught the light.

Earlier, while Uijae had been zoned out, Sa-young had handed him a suit, a black wig, and a gas mask that Minggijeok had brought upstairs. Then, Sa-young had shoved him into the bathroom to change. The combination of items felt ominous. How could anyone not be reminded of the nightmare of the Artisan Exhibition with an outfit like this? Uijae had yelled through the closed bathroom door.

*“What the hell is this?!”*

*“You can’t wear the J mask for this, can you?”*

*“Where are we going?”*

*“Ever heard of Noryangjin Fish Market?”*

*Damn it.* From the moment Uijae heard the Hunter name “Mackerel,” he knew something was off. As he reluctantly changed into the suit, he listened to Sa-young explain. Mackerel had set up shop at the fish market some time ago as an information broker, and apparently, he provided quality intel. He’d even been helpful with the drug investigations…

*“Since he’s dragging me into this

, it means he wants you to come too.”*

*“Is he twisting things like a pretzel or something? Why can’t he just say that outright?”*

A chuckle had followed. Uijae, his face twisted into a scowl, had stared at himself in the mirror as he pulled on the wig. The faded hair had turned black, and his wrinkled face had disappeared behind the gas mask. Looking at himself in the mirror, Uijae made up his mind.

He was going to make sashimi out of Mackerel.

---

Of course, it seemed like it would take a while for that wish to come true. The initial wariness from the fish market vendors toward his odd appearance faded quickly, replaced by their friendly persistence. A few of them cautiously approached the gas-masked Uijae and whispered.

“You’re a Hunter, right? What are you here to buy?”

“……”

“We’ve got fresh halibut today, really big ones.”

“The abalone’s cheap right now, and the roe’s nice and plump.”

“You like squid?”

“……”

None of their words registered in Uijae’s ears. He was too consumed by his sense of betrayal. Sa-young, who had acted as though he’d stay close, had suddenly checked his messages upon arrival, then leaned in and whispered into Uijae’s ear,

*“Wait here.”*

And then vanished. Just like that, leaving behind nothing but a single order! What was he, a dog being told to stay put? Couldn’t he at least offer some explanation?

*“Is ‘wait here’ all you’re going to say?”*

Uijae’s rebellious instinct, especially where Sa-young was concerned, was stirring. He was seriously tempted to just walk off.

At that moment, someone pierced through the crowd and Uijae’s personal space, coming up right in front of him. Uijae’s eyes widened. It was a middle-aged woman in a bright blue plastic apron. She looked him up and down before laughing heartily.

“So, I was wondering which newbie was standing around like a statue—turns out you’re from the Wave Guild! First time here?”

“Huh? The Wave Guild?”

“You can tell from the gas mask, can’t you? No one else comes around here dressed like this except for people from the Wave Guild.”

“I figured as much. But, hey, there are a lot of weirdos around these days.”

“Man, I thought I’d finally get a sale. Guess I’ll have to send you over to Miss Misook instead.”

The other vendors clicked their tongues as they scattered away like sand. Soon, the murmuring quieted, leaving only Uijae and the middle-aged woman. She clapped her gloved hands together.

“Well, come on, let’s go.”

“W-wait, where are we going?”

“Where else?”

The woman grinned widely.

“You’re here to meet Mackerel, aren’t you?”

“……”

Now that he looked closely, she had a dark blue in-ear communicator nestled between the curls of her permed hair. She winked at him.

“I’m the Wave Guild’s designated guide, so follow me. If you stay here too long, the small fries will start swarming, and it’ll get annoying.”