The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 202

For whatever reason, there had to be some purpose behind this secret visit. Whether it was truly a secret or not, Gaeul couldn’t be sure. She clenched her jaw and nodded.

“I’ll tell my teacher that I’ll be out next period. It’s just break time right now, so…”

“Are you sure that’s okay?”

“If I use the Bureau as an excuse, it’ll be fine. Just wait a little.”

Uijae’s eyes, hidden in the shadow of his cap, smiled warmly. With a slight nod, he raised his voice and asked, “Should I pack it in a carrier for you? It might be hard to carry so many cups.”

“Yes!”

Her friends shouted enthusiastically from behind the fence. Uijae expertly pulled out a paper carrier like the ones used in cafes, quickly assembled it, and packed the tteokbokki cups along with wooden skewers. Gaeul took the cup and bowed her head in thanks. Dayeon, gripping the fence, called out.

“Oppa, how long are you staying?”

“Huh? Me?”

*Oppa?* Does she even know who he is? Gaeul was mortified by her friend’s casual use of the term, but Uijae, surprised, pointed to himself. Dayeon nodded eagerly. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and replied.

“I’m leaving soon.”

“No! You should keep selling! I’ll spread the word like crazy. I have lots of friends.”

“No need to spread it more. Plenty of people have already been here.”

“Can we come back during lunch?”

“You should eat the school lunch at lunchtime.”

“The tteokbokki looks way better than the school lunch.”

“Your nutritionist works hard to prepare your meals. Don’t skip it for tteokbokki.”

Uijae waved them off, clearly encouraging them to leave. Gaeul nodded, then passed the carrier over the fence before hopping back over herself.

The break was almost over. Gaeul hurried her friends back to class. As she turned to glance one last time, she saw Uijae getting out of the truck to pack up.

Ultimately, they had to eat the tteokbokki while running up the stairs two at a time, but the taste…

“Wow, isn’t this crazy? It’s so good.”

“…”

“Ugh, I should have asked for ten dollars’ worth. I’m going to regret this.”

“I should’ve just skipped lunch for this.”

“Do you think there’ll still be some left at lunch? Please, I hope so.”

Why was it so good?

Was J really just a superhuman who excelled at everything? Gaeul chewed the tteokbokki thoughtfully. It was, without a doubt, the best she had ever tasted.

---

Gaeul crouched low, scanning the area. Fortunately, it seemed she was the only student skipping class to sneak out. With one swift movement, she hopped over the fence. The truck was closed, but the mouth-watering scent of tteokbokki still lingered in the air, making it difficult to resist.

After taking a deep breath, Gaeul knocked on the passenger-side door. A black cap peeked out from the window. Uijae lowered his mask to his chin and mouthed the words, "Get in."

Gaeul opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat. Uijae glanced at her.

“What did you tell them?”

“I said I had an urgent call from the Bureau, but it’s confidential, so I couldn’t explain. They excused me for the rest of the day.”

“…Can you really do that? Isn’t attendance important? You’re a senior.”

Gaeul shook her head resolutely.

“But if J came all the way here, it must be something important.”

“…”

Uijae tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, his tone turning serious.

“If you miss out on your dream university because of attendance…”

“…”

“I’ll ask Lee Sayoung to scout you.”

“Oh, no, please! That’s okay.”

Gaeul hastily shook her head. Just the thought of Sayoung’s icy tone and piercing violet eyes sent shivers down her spine. She’d rather join the Bureau than deal with that. Hugging her bag tightly, she stole a glance at Uijae. He looked exhausted up close, dark circles clearly visible under his eyes.

Unable to bear the awkwardness, Gaeul blurted out, “Um, the tteokbokki…”

“Yes?”

“It was really delicious. My friends all loved it.”

“Oh, really?”

A smile appeared on Uijae’s tired face as he chuckled softly.

“Looks like I succeeded. That was my first time making it.”

“They said they’d rather eat that than the school lunch.”

“They shouldn’t. They need to eat real meals.”

“That’s just how good it was.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Maybe I’ll open a restaurant when I quit being a hunter.”

Uijae joked as he buckled his seatbelt. The way he started the car looked strangely familiar. Now that she thought about it, J’s existence was supposed to be secret. Did he even have a driver’s license? Would he have gotten it under his real name? Gaeul, who had also fastened her seatbelt, asked.

“When did you get your license?”

“I don’t have one.”

“What?”

He answered with such confidence that Gaeul was dumbfounded. How could he admit to driving without a license so casually? Was this even okay? Should she call Jungbin and report this? Not that it mattered—whether an accident happened or not, neither J nor Yoon Gaeul would be hurt. She pressed herself closer to the door out of reflex.

“Th-then how did you drive here?”

“The goldfish drove for me.”

Was he joking? He looked serious. As Uijae gripped the steering wheel, five small red goldfish suddenly popped out from the center of the wheel. They dispersed throughout the car, and a moment later, the vehicle started moving on its own. Gaeul’s jaw dropped.

“H-how is that even possible?”

“I’m not really sure either… The mackerel lent me this truck. I think he’s up to something.”

“Wow…”

Self-driving goldfish.

Gaeul swallowed down a laugh. Outside the window, the familiar scenery of the school disappeared behind them. Only after they had completely left the school behind did Gaeul speak again.

“What you asked about… I don’t think I can talk to the other me anymore. It feels like we’ve completely merged. Since that day, I haven’t been able to communicate with her.”

“I see.”

“But I can tell you what I’ve seen. I don’t know everything, but… about the clock…”

Gaeul closed her eyes and focused. Ever since merging with her other self, fragments of memories that weren’t her own would occasionally surface.

Like drawing a mind map, she let her thoughts extend outward. The clock, the destroyed world, the end, J, Lee Sayoung…

Suddenly, a light switched on in her mind. Gaeul opened her eyes. Her hands were glowing in vibrant colors. She quickly grabbed Uijae’s arm. He looked at her, puzzled, but then closed his eyes as if understanding. Gaeul did the same, and their consciousnesses began to dive deep into a shared vision.

---

“You want to meet Lee Sayoung?”

A muffled voice, as though waterlogged, echoed through a white void. After the rustling sound of papers, a sharp voice snapped back.

“Why would you bother looking for a guy who won’t even leave his house? As far as I’m concerned, that bastard is as good as dead.”

“Honeybee.”

“What? Am I wrong?”

“Calm down…”

“Tell me I’m wrong, Baewonwoo!”

“Let’s go outside and talk about this.”

A sturdy shadow dragged the sharp voice away. As soon as Gaeul blinked, the white void shifted into a dimly lit room, surrounded by books on all sides. A flickering candle cast shadows, one of which stretched long and twisted.

“…”

“Well… Honeybee’s words were harsh, but true.”

A raspy voice came from the figure who closed a book with a sharp snap. His long white hair was tangled into a mess. Uijae looked up, his eyes widening.

It was Nam Woojin. But it wasn’t the Nam Woojin he knew. He looked emaciated, practically a living mummy. Nam Woojin blinked his eyes, the only part of him that still glowed with white fire, the only sign of life. His raspy voice continued.

“When I make plans, I don’t include that guy. He’s no longer an asset.”

“…”

“If J were here, maybe things would be different. But…”

His skeletal fingers pressed against his temple. He coughed weakly, white liquid spilling from his mouth, tinged with the smell of blood. Despite being white, it was unmistakably blood. He struggled to finish his sentence.

“…we don’t have J anymore.”

“Are you alright?”

Next to Uijae, Gaeul—now appearing slightly older, as she did in the vision she had seen—asked with concern. Nam Woojin wiped his mouth and replied.

“As alright as I can be. I’m dying a little more each day.”

He leaned back in his chair.

“You don’t need to worry. I’ll hold on as long as I can.”

“…”

“If I die, this place will collapse too… I need to hold out, even though some parts are already falling apart.”

Uijae glanced around. The room full of books appeared to be in the Seowon Guild, but why

 had the master of this place become so weakened? And then, Uijae realized.

There was no way someone could heal others without a cost.

Nam Woojin’s healing ability must be one that eats away at his own life force.

Because that’s how the system works.

Gaeul bit her lip so hard it bled. After a moment of hesitation, clenching her fists, she spoke.

“What if…”

“…”

“What if, just maybe…”

“…”

“We’ve already experienced the end, and right before the world was destroyed, we turned back time to this moment… What would you think?”

Nam Woojin, eyes still closed, murmured.

“If that’s true…”

“…”

“Then we’ve already failed.”

A heavy silence followed. Gaeul spoke with renewed determination.

“But what if… What if we could turn back time one more time?”