The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 197

"Nonsense?" 

Lee Sayoung blinked his violet eyes a few times before responding indifferently.

"I merely presented a rational opinion... It was you who ignored it."

"Rational? It sounded like a loser's excuse."

"Ah, overconfidence. But just one misstep, and you'd be a loser too... overflowing with confidence, aren't we?"

"Hmm, it's amusing how you’re thinking about running away before you’ve even tried..."

Sayoung casually covered his mouth with his hand, but the corner of his lips lifted slightly, revealing a smirk underneath.

“Oh dear, how strong must your inferiority complex be?”

Though his face remained expressionless, a small crack appeared in the neutral façade. Sharp words, like daggers, flew back and forth without pause. The similarity in their voices made it feel like one person was continuing the conversation. Why did Uijae feel like his mental strength was being drained? He rubbed his forehead, retracing his steps to figure out where it all went wrong.

"Listen to you, wagging your tongue..."

"Who are you to talk about running your mouth?"

Both Sayoungs let out simultaneous, mirthless chuckles, staring each other down. Uijae could almost see sparks flying between their gazes. Veins bulged in their hands, and the tension in the air thickened as they gripped their weapons tighter, fingers flexing over the hilt of the Basilisk’s Fang.

Crap. Uijae quickly waved his hand to snap their attention back to him.

"Hey, hey! I told you not to fight with each other."

“...”

“Don’t even look at each other, don’t talk to each other. Just focus on me, alright? Pretend the other person doesn’t exist.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Uijae regretted them. Both sets of violet eyes followed his every move, their gazes heavy with unsettling intensity. Was he imagining the possessiveness in those looks?

‘It feels like I’m stuck between predators…’

This is nuts! Uijae let out a deep sigh and slowly continued speaking.

“So, you rejected him?”

Sayoung answered briefly.

“The conversation wasn’t worth having.”

“...”

“I don't need to listen to a loser's excuses. The world hasn’t ended yet, and we still have a chance.”

It was a fair point. There was still a possibility they could prevent the apocalypse. Uijae nodded slightly, but then the other Sayoung cut in.

“It’s the arrogance of someone who’s never faced the end.”

*Crack!* Something shattered. The debris Sayoung had been sitting on melted into a charred black mess. With a cherubic smile, Sayoung casually brushed off the white dust clinging to his hands.

“Sorry, I keep hearing some nonsense... about the apocalypse. Like a frightened dog barking over and over.”

“...”

“Enough!”

Uijae quickly realized that this tension and discomfort wouldn’t disappear until they resolved the issue. It was best to get it over with quickly. He raised his voice slightly to push the conversation forward.

"Alright, let’s assume that first discussion fell apart. What about when you met with him after that?”

“Oh, by then…”

Sayoung's violet eyes narrowed as he gave a slow, amused smile.

“I was in a... pretty bad place. I’d been listening to his nonsense for a whole week.”

He tapped his temple lightly with his fingers.

“I thought I was going to lose my mind…”

Uijae, the reason behind all this, shifted his gaze awkwardly. Sayoung sighed heavily, rubbing his cheek with his palm.

“And then you told me we should sleep together, of all things... when I was already losing it. So—”

“Hey!”

Uijae quickly clamped a hand over Sayoung’s mouth, but immediately removed it after sensing something off. Sayoung’s tongue flicked out, almost as if disappointed that he couldn’t say more, before retreating back behind his lips.

“What? I’m just telling the truth.”

Watching from the side, the other Sayoung tilted his head slightly, his violet eyes blinking in feigned curiosity.

“I think I’m starting to hear nonsense myself. Would you mind telling that dog to bark quickly?”

With an exasperated sigh, Sayoung twisted his lips and opened his mouth—

“Woof.”

He barked. Sayoung grinned brightly at Uijae’s stunned face.

“There, happy? Now, let me continue.”

Uijae internally screamed. What do you mean, ‘happy’? Managing one Sayoung was hard enough, but having two of them felt like handling five times the trouble. On top of that, their constant back-and-forth was wearing him out. Oblivious to his frustration, Sayoung leisurely carried on.

“Anyway, I wasn’t in my right mind… and I ended up coming here unprepared. Sure, I had control at first, but this place...”

He gestured with his chin toward the other Sayoung.

“He was the one holding the reins. Before I could refuse, the contract was already sealed.”

The other Sayoung allowed a faint semblance of a smile to cross his otherwise expressionless face.

“You could say I seized the opportunity... didn’t let it slip.”

Before Sayoung could lose his temper again, Uijae hurriedly asked:

“What was the contract?”

“That bastard would meet you alone and convince you... Although, I didn’t expect it to take this form.”

“This form?”

“You... stabbing yourself.”

Ah.

Sayoung trailed off, clearly not wanting to say more. He turned his head away, his violet eyes darkening with shadows, visible through his messy hair.

Uijae steadied his unsettled emotions. Understanding someone’s decision didn’t mean it wouldn’t leave scars. There were times when the heart refused to accept what the mind could grasp. Regret lingered like an afterimage.

‘I should’ve done it where he couldn’t see.’

It was the kind of regret that would have made Sayoung furious if he’d known.

Since Sayoung had stopped talking, the other Sayoung spoke up instead.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect you to make that choice either. Truly.”

“...”

“I never intended for you to come this far.”

“...”

“You could say it’s because you know my weaknesses... or maybe it’s just because you’re J.”

The other Sayoung’s hand, now pitch black up to the wrist, rested on the shattered debris. In that moment, an overwhelming pressure filled the air. It was unlike anything Uijae had faced before. Instinctively, he knew.

‘This isn’t human...’

But it wasn’t a monster either. The entity in front of him wore the shell of a human, yet it felt more like a ghost tangled in obsession and regret. Still, it was someone he could reason with. Uijae had seen it—those fleeting moments of humanity in the violet eyes when they’d made that pact.

“...”

He turned his head. Sayoung was still looking away, his pale cheek streaked with the remnants of blood. Uijae remembered the final face he’d seen through the haze of blood and blurred vision. A hollow expression. The look of someone who had lost everything.

Or maybe, in that moment, he really *had* lost everything. Cha Uijae was...

“...”

Cha Uijae had been Sayoung’s first success. Three worlds, two apocalypses, and that fact hadn’t changed. His success sat before him, and Cha Uijae had a duty to carry that burden.

What was there to say? Uijae tried to find the right words, but distilling everything he felt into a coherent sentence would take far too long. Thinking deeply had never been his style anyway. He was always the type to act first.

With that thought, Uijae threw open his arms and, bending forward—

“Huh?”

He pulled both Sayoungs into a tight embrace. Thud, their shoulders collided as the two large figures froze in his grip. The coldness of their bodies gradually warmed under Uijae’s touch, filling the air with a faintly sweet scent.

A moment later, Sayoung was the first to react, pulling back his head in irritation.

“Wait... what are you doing?”

“Apologizing.”

Sayoung’s eyes widened in surprise.

“...What?”

“I’m sorry. I must’ve scared both of you earlier.”

The bodies in his arms stiffened. There was a soft sigh, though Uijae couldn’t tell who it came from. He continued resolutely.

“I know it feels weird for me to say this now, but... I just wanted to say it anyway.”

“...”

Someone rested their head carefully on Uijae’s shoulder. A pair of arms tentatively wrapped around his waist. Uijae bore the weight of the two men leaning into him without complaint. He swallowed the rest of the words he’d intended to say.

‘If something like this happens again...’

Cha Uijae would do it all over again. Without hesitation, he’d stab himself if it meant saving others. A hero didn’t have the luxury of even a moment’s doubt.

But.

Cha Uijae had learned the value of the warmth pressing against him now. Next time, before plunging a blade into his chest, that brief hesitation would be there.

And...

‘Do what you want. You hesitated, didn’t you?’

He was confident Lee Sayoung wouldn’t let that hesitation slip away.