The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 187

The tone of his words seemed off, didn’t it? Uijae stepped back and responded awkwardly.

“Leaving the house? You’re speaking strangely, aren’t you? It was your house to begin with. It was weird that I was staying there.”

“Why… ha.”

Sayoung crossed his arms and tilted his head. He sighed loudly, clearly for Uijae to hear. The tapping of his fingers on his arm betrayed his growing impatience.

“For the past three months, where did you sleep? Not on the ground, right…?”

“What?”

“You lived in my house for three months. Doesn’t that mean we were living together?”

“No, I had no choice but to stay there temporarily. It was like... a caregiving arrangement.”

“Hmm… is that so?”

Sayoung’s violet eyes gleamed brightly. His presence felt unsettling. His eyes, which had always seemed a bit off, were now completely wild. He had only been apart from Uijae for a week, but he now carried the air of a starved beast, sharp and intense. It was enough to make Uijae shiver.

Uijae blinked.

‘This is strange...’

This man had waited for someone dead to return for eight long years. Could it be that his patience had finally run out?

‘No...’

That didn’t sound like the Lee Sayoung he knew. He was confident in one thing: Sayoung was someone who would always wait for Uijae. Meaning, something was wrong with Sayoung right now.

‘Is it another influence from that other Sayoung?’

A memory flashed of the time when Sayoung had lost control and shed tears of frustration. Could he have lost control of his body again? But his mind still seemed to be the Sayoung Uijae knew. As Uijae was trying to piece it all together, Sayoung blinked and spoke in a cold tone.

“What, do I have to collapse again for you to come back?”

“What the hell? Hey!”

Uijae couldn’t help but yell. Then he quickly turned around. At this distance, Director Ham Seokjeong in his office could probably overhear everything. Sayoung surely knew that too. Uijae glanced back at Sayoung, who was still staring intently at him, showing no concern for the director’s office.

Sayoung responded curtly.

“Hey? It’s Lee Sayoung, not ‘hey.’”

“That’s not the point right now... ha.”

Uijae ran his hand through his hair in frustration, then grabbed Sayoung’s arm and lowered his voice to a whisper.

“Just try saying that kind of nonsense again.”

“And if I do?”

“I’ll make sure you can’t ever say it again.”

“How?”

“By physically shutting your mouth, if I have to. Hey, I mean… Lee Sayoung. Come with me.”

As Uijae tugged on Sayoung’s arm, the large man allowed himself to be pulled along. The wildness in his eyes and the dangerous energy had slightly subsided. Sayoung asked calmly.

“Where are we going?”

“If we talk here, Director Ham will hear everything. Let’s go somewhere else to finish this conversation.”

There was a sudden tension in the arm Uijae was holding. Sayoung stopped walking, planting himself like a stone statue. His violet eyes glared at Uijae, filled with reproach.

“Is the director really that important right now?”

“It’s important to me, so let’s go, please!”

“More important than me?”

Uijae started to reply but then stopped himself. Of course, the director was important, but… he couldn’t deny the growing feelings he had toward Sayoung. Still, he wasn’t ready to admit that out loud. Instead, he responded gruffly.

“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? You didn’t used to be like this.”

“Don’t change the subject. Is the director more important than me?”

‘This is driving me crazy.’

The more Sayoung pressed him, the more Uijae wanted to knock him out just to stop him from talking. But at the same time, there was something oddly... endearing about the way Sayoung stood there stubbornly.

Wait... endearing?

Uijae widened his eyes and stared at Sayoung from head to toe. The gas mask, the black coat, the crossed arms—it was all so intimidating. Yet somehow, Uijae found it... cute? Even with the gas mask on?

‘What the hell is wrong with me?’

Uijae was horrified. Not only did his heart race whenever he saw Sayoung, but now even that ominous gas mask seemed adorable. This was serious. This was beyond serious.

‘I’m so screwed.’

While Uijae was internally panicking, wiping his face as if to clear his head, Sayoung frowned, still waiting for an answer.

“Aren’t you going to answer?”

“Give me a second. I need to think.”

“What is there to think about? Is this really something you need to ponder?”

“Just wait, okay?”

At this point, Sayoung’s whining was almost... cute. Uijae patted his arm lightly, trying to think. Sayoung’s behavior was similar to Haeun’s when she would throw a tantrum because things weren’t going her way. Maybe this was Sayoung’s way of expressing the anxiety of losing control...

Wait, losing control?

If Sayoung was losing control, that meant another part of him was influencing his behavior. This other part of Sayoung was starting to surface, mingling with his usual self.

‘Sleep with me.’

‘Choke me a little harder. This feels nice...’

Didn’t that mean he didn’t have to sleep next to that perverted Sayoung? If there was another Sayoung inside, maybe...

Like a lightbulb going off, the answer clicked in Uijae’s mind. He grinned broadly, impressed with his own realization.

If you keep your wits about you, even in the tiger’s den, you’ll survive, they say. This was his chance. He wasn’t about to sleep next to that twisted Sayoung. He’d much rather endure his heart racing, the cold sweat, and the fluttering anxiety from lying next to this version of Sayoung. Enduring things was what Uijae excelled at, after all.

Sorry, Sayoung, but I have to act while you’re not in control of yourself—and before the other Sayoung takes over.

Without hesitation, Uijae grabbed Sayoung’s shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

Sayoung shot him a suspicious look.

“Where all of a sudden?”

“My house. Do you have a Hong Yeseong scroll?”

“My house? Your house? ...Suddenly?”

“Do you have one or not? If you do, get one out.”

Uijae abruptly reached into Sayoung’s coat pocket, rummaging around. He found only a phone. Sayoung grabbed Uijae’s wrist and snapped at him irritably.

“What the hell are you doing? Trying to change the subject again...”

But Uijae cut him off before he could finish.

“I’m not changing the subject. I’m going to show you my house. Aren’t you curious?”

“...”

The strength in Sayoung’s grip loosened. Yes, curiosity. He had to be curious. Uijae was curious too. Seizing the opportunity, Uijae pressed on.

“There are things I need to bring back. Clothes I wore when I visited your hospital room, for example.”

“...”

Sayoung let out a small sigh. Compared to the murderous intent he had shown earlier, this sigh was much softer. Uijae delivered the final push.

“If we go now, you’ll be the first visitor in eight years. What do you think?”

Sayoung’s hand dropped from Uijae’s wrist. Without a word, he pulled out a scroll from his inventory and handed it over. Uijae grabbed Sayoung’s arm with one hand, holding the scroll in the other, and then bit down on the scroll.

‘Home.’

And he tore it.

---

The soft scent of fabric softener tickled Uijae’s nose. He opened his eyes slightly. They were standing in the entryway of his house. They had been teleported directly there.

Uijae stared at the sliding door between the entryway and the living room. Hanging in the corner of the door was a wooden pollock charm, a gift from his aunt. She had said it was to ward off bad luck.

‘Did it work?’

Through the glass of the sliding door, the hallway and living room looked exactly as they had in his memory. It was almost as if he had traveled back in time. As if all the events of the past had been a nightmare, and he was finally home.

“...”

But with Sayoung by his side, it was clear this wasn’t the past.

Sayoung, like a well-behaved guest, waited patiently for Uijae to make the first move. When Uijae took off his shoes, Sayoung, who had been standing beside him, followed suit.

Uijae carefully opened the sliding door. It slid open more smoothly than he had expected. There wasn’t a speck of dust on the hardwood floor connecting the living room to the entryway. He tiptoed inside, trying to keep his footsteps silent. The sound of Sayoung’s footsteps followed closely behind.

“...”

Everything was exactly the same.

The ivory leather sofa his aunt had chosen, the white curtains, the wooden table, the vase with flowers his aunt had given him, the TV covered in dust from disuse...

No, there was one thing that was different. Uijae picked up the round stone that had been placed in the center of the coffee table. Its smooth surface shimmered with a

 blue light. From a step behind him, Sayoung spoke.

“It’s a preservation stone.”

“...”

“It’s something people use to keep food or valuable items fresh in dungeons. To think it’s being used in a house...”

“I didn’t put it there.”

“...”

“Director Ham must’ve left it.”

Uijae swallowed hard. What had she been thinking, leaving a preservation stone in this empty house? Not just in his house, but also in his aunt’s house? He couldn’t even begin to imagine. A pang of emotion hit him. He instinctively grabbed Sayoung’s arm.

“Come here.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll show you my room.”

“...”

For a moment, it seemed like Sayoung tensed up. Uijae opened the door to his room, which had remained shut. Inside, there was nothing but a bed and a wardrobe. Even the neatly folded gray blanket on the bed was just as he remembered it. It didn’t feel like eight years had passed. It felt as if he had only been gone for a short trip.

Uijae glanced up at Sayoung, who was standing next to him. Oddly enough, he was glad that Sayoung was here. It helped him realize that eight years had indeed passed.

Sayoung, who had been silently observing the bare room, turned to face Uijae. His violet eyes gleamed with curiosity. There was a strange tension in the air. Uijae took a deep breath. He couldn’t forget his purpose. He was here to test something. He needed to act before Sayoung snapped back to his senses.

In a gentle voice, Uijae called to him.

“Sayoung.”

“Yes, hyung?”

Slowly, Uijae removed the watch from his wrist. Sayoung’s violet eyes followed the movement, watching closely as if to devour every detail. Uijae took a small breath and then spoke decisively.

“Let’s sleep.”

Sayoung’s eyes widened in shock.