The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 178

*Thump.*

‘Huh?’

*Thump, thump, thump,* his heartbeat suddenly grew louder. Strangely so. Nothing had changed, yet.

Uijae rubbed his chest. Meanwhile, Sayoung had already stepped ahead. His lazy voice mixed with the sweet scent lingering in the air. In the bright hallway, only his black silhouette stood out.

“I originally wanted to include the director’s interview, but he kept refusing….”

“……”

“Even Jung Bin turned it down, probably on the director’s orders. So, I gave him a little trouble.”

“……”

“Oh, but Song Joheon was easy. Probably for image management or something. He accepted right away.”

There was an oddly cheerful tone in every word he spoke. The pale skin occasionally visible between his black hair, the bruised neck with the marks of hands, the coat swaying with his movements, the sharp nose and lips glimpsed when he slightly turned his head, and the violet eyes that captured everything about him. The emotions in those eyes….

“…Hyung?”

“……”

“What’s wrong?”

Cha Uijae took a fresh look at Sayoung. Had his shoulders always been this broad? Was he always this tall? Even though Uijae himself wasn’t short, Sayoung’s head stood at least half a head taller. When Uijae stopped walking, Sayoung turned back to face him.

Amusingly, there was no trace of the young boy whose life Uijae had once saved. Instead, standing before him was a fully grown adult. Uijae suddenly asked,

“Why did you make it?”

“What? Oh, the documentary?”

“Yeah.”

Sayoung blinked as if Uijae had said something strange. His response came so naturally, like it was the most obvious thing.

“I told you. Because those idiots kept forgetting about you.”

“Dead people are meant to be forgotten. That’s how time works….”

“Who’s dead? What are you even saying all of a sudden?”

“Well, people thought I was dead. They even put up a memorial stone.”

“Are you hungry and talking nonsense?”

Sayoung retorted sharply, unfolding his arms and pointing his finger at Uijae’s face. Beyond his hand, those vivid violet eyes stared straight into Uijae’s soul.

“You were the one who grabbed my hand first, Cha Uijae.”

Uijae remembered the face he encountered in the ruins. A face clinging to a fragile breath, with a heart that seemed as though it might stop at any moment. The faint rise and fall of a chest, lips moving silently, a desperate cry for help.

‘Please save me.’

Cha Uijae had reached out his hand, and,

‘It’s okay.’

He had grasped a hand that was melted and shriveled by poison, without any hesitation.

Uijae blinked. The shriveled hand was gone, replaced by a large, strong hand, pointed directly at him. Sayoung spoke, his words biting.

“You promised me.”

“……”

“You said you’d come back.”

“……”

“I kept my promise.”

Uijae’s lips parted slightly. It felt like such a selfish request back then. Uijae hadn’t been sure he’d make it back alive. He had been pushed toward the edge of a cliff and simply reached for the only hand he could grasp, like a drowning man clutching at anything within reach.

But at that time, that boy—

Lee Sayoung—

had never let go of his hand. Not for eight years, not even now.

His throat tightened, and no words came out. What was the basis for such unwavering faith? Where did this boundless belief come from? Sayoung let out a sigh, lowering the hand that had been pointing at Uijae’s face. He fiddled with his dark hair with his black fingers.

“Are you satisfied now?”

“……”

“If you understand, follow me. I need to get some food into you, it seems….”

Sayoung clicked his tongue and turned around, but Uijae didn’t move. No, he couldn’t move.

“……”

It felt like the ground beneath him was melting away. His fingertips and toes tingled. His heart was racing faster, to the point where he was gasping for breath. His mind felt foggy.

Uijae swallowed with difficulty. Even the simplest actions, like breathing, blinking, and swallowing, became conscious efforts. All of his senses were overwhelmingly focused on one thing: Lee Sayoung.

Sayoung’s every movement, as he turned back toward Uijae, felt like it was happening in slow motion.

His eyes blinked, and with each blink, his long eyelashes fluttered. His thick lips parted slightly. His chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. His eyebrows furrowed just a little, and his forehead wrinkled slightly. His head tilted slightly to the right, and his hair swayed gently. That sweet scent wafted again. The black fingers brushing his cheek trembled ever so slightly.

Uijae raised his hands to cover his mask. Blocking his vision didn’t stop the overwhelming scents or sounds.

“Hyung?”

Sayoung’s confused voice called out to him. Uijae’s trembling fingers traced the surface of his mask. Damn it.

‘What’s happening to me?’

Uijae exhaled a shaky breath. He felt like he was suffocating, even though he wasn’t underwater.

If he continued to face Lee Sayoung like this, he knew he’d collapse soon. His instincts screamed that he needed to get away. Without even realizing it, he took a step back, quickly scanning his surroundings. Next to the elevator they had exited, there was an emergency exit door. The green emergency sign flickered above it.

“…Hng.”

Uijae took a sharp breath, then—

*Thud, thud, thud!*

He sprinted for the emergency exit. Sayoung, dumbfounded for a moment, clenched his teeth and ran his fingers through his hair.

“What the hell… What are you doing?!”

Uijae bolted down the long staircase. Behind him, he heard the rapid footsteps of someone chasing after him. The sound of Sayoung’s black coat flapping echoed behind him, and soon Sayoung shouted,

“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Have you gone crazy?!”

If I stay here, I’ll really go crazy!

Uijae gritted his teeth and began leaping down several steps at a time. His legs easily absorbed the impact, but Sayoung wasn’t far behind either. Damn it. Uijae thought he heard a string of curses, and then Sayoung’s footsteps followed in rapid succession as he also started taking multiple steps at once. Finally, Uijae shouted,

“…Stop following me!”

“Tell me why you’re doing this! Have you seriously lost your mind? Or do you suddenly feel guilty?”

“It’s not that! Stop following me!”

“How am I supposed to know if you don’t explain?!”

“You don’t tell me anything either!”

“And now you’re complaining about that? What the hell is happening right now?”

Sayoung’s frustration boiled over.

“If you have something to say, at least do it in a private place! Does it make sense to be yelling while running down a staircase?!”

He wasn’t wrong. Uijae was about to retort, but when he looked down, he froze. The emergency exit door had opened, and someone was standing there, wide-eyed and staring at them.

Judging by the outfit and name tag, it was a member of the Wave Guild. Crap. I didn’t think about this. With all the shouting, of course people would come out to see what’s going on!

Gritting his teeth, Uijae quickened his pace. Behind him, Sayoung let out an annoyed sigh. The energy radiating from him was growing more menacing.

“Aren’t you going to stop? How far are you planning to run?”

To hell and back!

“Just stop! So we can actually talk, damn it!”

But Uijae, stubborn as ever, refused to stop. The further down they went, the more people started emerging from the doors. More and more members of the guild were coming out to see what was going on.

They stared at Uijae, masked as J, with astonished gasps, and when they saw the menacing presence of Lee Sayoung chasing after him, they screamed.

Fifth floor, fourth floor, third floor—they were getting closer to the lobby. Uijae quickly recalled the layout of the Wave Guild from his previous visit. If he went through the main entrance, too many eyes would be on him, so he needed to hide somewhere, escape through the back, or break a window and jump out. Perfect. The plan was flawless.

Second floor.

First floor.

*Skreee—* His boots skidded across the smooth floor. Uijae grabbed the handle of the emergency exit door. *Click.* The handle jiggled, but the door was locked.

He glanced up. Sayoung’s hair was disheveled, but other than that, he didn’t seem tired at all. In fact, it was the coldest expression Uijae had ever seen on him. His heart was pounding like crazy. Was it from running down so many flights of stairs, or was it because of Sayoung? He couldn’t tell anymore.

Uijae gripped the door handle tightly. Without hesitation, he kicked the door.

*Bang—!!*

Bright light flooded in. Uijae quickly surveyed the scene. The spacious lobby of the Wave Guild was open, and thanks to the glass walls, the outside world was fully visible.

Beyond the main entrance, crowds of people were gathered. To one side of the

 lobby was a small café, where several Hunters from the Wave Guild sat. Among them, Uijae spotted a familiar face. Baewonwoo. He might’ve even made eye contact with him. Baewonwoo stared, wide-eyed, and spat out his coffee in shock.

Behind Uijae, the ominous presence grew stronger. If he got caught, he was done for. Uijae bolted out into the lobby. Sayoung, hot on his heels, yelled,

“Wait, hyung…!”

In that brief moment, Sayoung glanced around and swallowed the word “hyung.” Instead, he called out a name he hadn’t spoken in a long time.

“J!”

J glanced back, but only for a moment before running again as if his life depended on it. Sayoung surveyed the scene and let out a bitter laugh.

“Oh…. This is just ridiculous.”

“Ooooh….”

Baewonwoo let out a dazed sound. He had already run out of coffee to spit.

Just then, from the shadows beside Sayoung, a black head poked out. It was Minggijeok, wearing sunglasses. He clambered out, placing a paper bag on the ground. The logo of a local Korean restaurant was printed on it. Minggijeok blinked, confused, as he looked around.

“Huh?”

“……”

“Guild Leader? What are you doing in the lobby? Weren’t you in your office?”

“…Right now.”

“Excuse me?”

Sayoung pointed at Uijae, who was now just a speck in the distance.

“Chase him down. Now.”