The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 199

A phrase from Prometheus’ website flashed through his mind: "We must stop the end with human power." It talked about gathering strength to prevent the end. A cold shiver ran down the back of his neck. If what Lee Sayoung said was true, wasn’t that itself a sign of the end approaching?

“So… you don’t even know when it will happen?”

“No. No one does. But…”

Sayoung’s violet eyes stared into the dark void.

“Our worlds are gradually merging… so it’ll come faster than it did for me.”

“……”

“As a world that should’ve been erased continues to merge, your world will increasingly resemble the destroyed one. As that happens, more people will start recalling past memories. Fear, once imprinted on the soul, works that way.”

And as fear spreads, the end comes closer. Uijae swallowed hard, his throat feeling tight, making it uncomfortable to swallow. Sayoung tapped his temple with his dark fingers.

“It’s best to be prepared. Though even preparation might be difficult…”

It was a dilemma. To stop the end, they needed to unite their strength. But the more they did that, the faster the end would approach. Uijae let out a sigh. It was overwhelming. No easy answers presented themselves, but even so, he had to do something. He had already sworn—he had promised to see it through.

Looking down at the Sayoung resting in his arms, Lee Sayoung tilted his head slightly.

“Right. Once we get out of here… how about going to see Yun Gaeul?”

The unexpected name made Uijae widen his eyes.

“Gaeul? The student?”

“Oh, is she still a student in this world?”

Lee Sayoung hummed thoughtfully, murmuring under his breath.

“She’s one of the few who survived until the end alongside me. Most died, but… she survived against all odds. I suppose that’s praiseworthy. Surviving is a talent in itself.”

His assessment was harsh. Sayoung pointed somewhere with his black fingers. Uijae lowered his gaze to where he was pointing. A watch on his wrist. The second hand of the old, battered watch was ticking steadily, as if announcing the time left.

“It was Yun Gaeul who told me about the clock.”

“What?”

“One day she came to me and said it—there’s a possibility the clock could turn back time. Didn’t you have something like that among your belongings?”

“……”

Behind his glasses, Uijae recalled the gleam of golden eyes. Could Gaeul have detected the traces of the first world, even in the destroyed one? Had she read memories of the end while living in a peaceful world?

Sayoung stood at an angle.

“Having survived until the end… she probably carries a deep fear engraved in her soul. Try talking to her. She seemed to like you quite a bit.”

“……”

“Well, it seems I’ve said all I needed to say.”

With a wave of his hand, the black barrier around them lifted. The white ruins surrounded them.

The ruined world. Uijae looked at Sayoung with a complicated gaze. Sayoung met his eyes without avoiding them. His dry lips moved.

“I still believe the same. That you won’t be able to stop the end.”

“……”

“That fact will never change. I’ve seen the end, and you’ve already died once. You can’t convince me otherwise.”

Uijae knew this too. The Sayoung in front of him was the only survivor of the end. Even if he tried to convince him that the end could be stopped, it wouldn’t reach him. In Sayoung’s world, Uijae had already died, and the world had been destroyed. Sayoung, who had lost everything to the end, was merely drifting.

“Still…”

Sayoung’s violet gaze lowered. His eyes, robbed of their original color, were filled with the reflection of Uijae. The version of Uijae that had not betrayed him, that had proven his trust.

“‘I’ trusted you…”

“……”

“And now I’ve confirmed that what I did wasn’t meaningless.”

A white wind blew. Sayoung’s figure gradually faded into the distance. Soon, the wind grew strong enough to make it difficult to stand. Uijae tightened his grip on the other Sayoung and shouted into the wind.

“Hey, Lee Sayoung! Hold on! Hey!”

“……”

The wind seemed to ease for a moment. Not missing the chance, Uijae shouted again.

“Did we meet at the West Sea Rift?”

“……”

The black that surrounded him, blocking his vision like blood, echoed with someone’s voice in the stillness. Uijae raised his voice.

“Was it you back then? Just answer me before you go! Hey!”

There was no response. The wind howled louder. Uijae took a step forward but stopped when the Sayoung in his arms stirred. His vision wavered, making him feel dizzy. Damn it. Uijae tightly closed his eyes.

…When he opened them again.

The room he found himself in was far more desolate than the one from the dream. Looks like I’ve returned. Uijae sighed in relief but froze.

The first thing he felt was a large body tightly pressed against his. Uijae tried to push himself up from the bed, but the body wrapped around his waist and legs like a snake made it impossible. He could easily break free if he used his strength, but…

Damn, he’s really holding on tight. Uijae twisted slightly to look at the person clinging to him. Sayoung was fast asleep, his mouth slightly open, breathing softly.

“……”

When he looks like this, he’s so pretty. Unable to suppress his irritation, Uijae pinched Sayoung’s cheek. Sayoung’s delicate face scrunched up slightly. With a groan, his thin eyelids fluttered, revealing those striking violet eyes underneath.

“……”

“Are you awake?”

His eyes blinked slowly in response. Yeah, I’m definitely back. The momentary relief was short-lived as the arms around his waist tightened, pulling him closer. Uijae’s eyes widened. Being this close, face-to-face, made him feel more and more embarrassed.

“…You should get up, right? I have a lot to tell you…”

A light kiss landed on his chin. Uijae’s eyes widened even further. Not again! But the kisses didn’t stop, trailing from his chin to his cheeks and across his nose. Uijae reached out, trying to push him away.

“Now’s not the time for this—”

“Not the time? What are you talking about…”

A low, husky voice mumbled. Sayoung’s violet eyes glinted fiercely. Then his lips pressed against Uijae’s, invading with a black tongue, as if consuming him. The slick sound of their tongues mingling echoed in his ears, almost melting his resolve.

Oh, for god’s sake!

Uijae pushed hard against Sayoung’s forehead, shoving him away. Sayoung shot him an annoyed glare, not even trying to hide his displeasure. Uijae shot up from the bed, snapping back.

“Hey, what are you doing right after waking up?!”

“A kiss.”

“I know, but why are you doing that?!”

Sayoung’s eyes flashed. He looked like he was pleased with himself. Grinding his teeth, he growled.

“I’ve held back for so long… because of some lunatic…”

That lunatic must be the other Sayoung. Uijae subtly shifted his hips back, preparing to escape the bed. But Sayoung was an S-rank hunter. He narrowed his eyes.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“…To get some water.”

“……”

“I-I’m thirsty.”

The excuse seemed to work. Sayoung sighed, getting out of bed sluggishly. He grabbed the doorknob and warned him.

“Don’t even think about going anywhere. Stay here.”

Sayoung’s face looked much more relaxed than before, as if he had finally found some compromise with his other self. After he left, Uijae sighed in relief and began to tidy up the bed. Then, a thought crossed his mind.

‘Now that I think about it…’

For someone so brash, Sayoung had a surprisingly wide circle of connections. Even though the Wave Guild was a small, elite group, it wielded considerable influence. Only the best of the best were gathered there.

Baewonwoo treated Sayoung like a little brother, Kang Jisoo joked with him, and he was on good terms with Honeybee. He also seemed much closer to Jung Bin compared to his counterpart from the second world, though he’d never admit it.

‘According to the director, it was Jung Bin and Baewonwoo who looked after him after his awakening, right?’

And that wasn’t all. He had close interactions with Hong Yeseong, had met Nam Woojin several times, and worked well with Minggijeok. As for Romantic Opener… well, that was less clear.

In any case, Sayoung from this world was completely different from the one in the second world, who had no social skills whatsoever. That Sayoung had only ever looked at Uijae.

Where’s the difference? As Uijae thought about it more deeply, something clicked. There was one big difference.

Could it be…

‘Is it because I’m not around… that he developed social skills?’

It made a weird amount of sense.

No, this has to be the answer. Should I feel happy about this or not? Sayoung’s existence changed so drastically just because of Uijae’s presence or absence. The thought left him feeling unsettled. Uijae buried his face in his hands. He stayed like that for a long time, even when he heard

 the door open.

A voice full of bewilderment asked nearby.

“What are you doing? Do you have a headache?”

“…No.”

“Then?”

“…Just thinking about how tough raising kids is.”

“Ha.”

Sayoung snorted.

“Finally, you’re starting to understand how I feel.”

Cold fingertips touched the back of Uijae’s hand. Slowly spreading his fingers, Uijae peeked through. Sayoung was standing there, offering him a 500ml bottle of water.

With a soft smile.

“I found this in the fridge. Not sure if it’s still good… thanks to the preservation stone, it shouldn’t have spoiled.”

“……”

“If it smells off, just throw it out. I’ll go buy a new one.”

His heart gave a strange flutter. Uijae took the bottle. The cool surface of the water bottle felt cold in his hands. Seeing Sayoung’s smiling reflection in the clear water, Uijae closed his eyes.