The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 204

The Awakener Management Bureau was especially busy, with preparations for the upcoming general assembly. Yet in the middle of all the chaos, one person seemed to part the crowd with her mere presence.

*Tap, tap, tap...* The sound of a cane echoed as footsteps strode down the hallway. It was Ham Seokjeong and Jung Bin. People hurriedly bowed as they passed, but Ham Seokjeong barely acknowledged them, nodding quickly as she walked with a swift, almost hurried pace. If you didn't look closely, you wouldn’t notice her slight limp. As they entered a quieter corridor, she spoke to Jung Bin, who was following just a step behind her.

“How are the preparations for the assembly?”

“They’re in the final stages. Most have confirmed their attendance, and J said he’d come as well. Hong Yeseong expressed interest in attending, so we’ll be picking him up shortly.”

“Hmph. He’d want to get out of the mountains. After all, he’s the one who asked to be locked up.”

“People tend to crave freedom after a while, Director.”

“And anything else of note?”

“We received a message from the Wave Guild.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a report from Honeybee. Apparently… she’s destroyed all the research labs. And Lee Sayoung warns that tracking any further evidence will now be even more difficult.”

Jung Bin handed her a file. Ham Seokjeong frowned slightly as she accepted it and quickly flipped through the pages.

“Honeybee, huh? Were there any hunters from the HB Guild among the mutants?”

“None were reported. The Wave Guild hasn’t provided any specific reasons, either. But...”

“…Now that you mention it.”

“Yes.”

Ham Seokjeong stopped walking.

“Matteo hasn’t been in contact lately, has he?”

“…”

“He used to regularly check in every week.”

“…”

“Some days, he’d come back looking a little worse for wear.”

Ham Seokjeong smiled slightly, her lips curving upwards.

“How long do we keep pretending we don’t know?”

“I was going to inform you soon. But…”

Jung Bin bit back his next words.

Ham Seokjeong had maintained her position as the Director due to her abilities and calm demeanor. But ever since J’s public appearance after the Day of Change, she had seemed more anxious than usual. She reacted more sensitively to anything related to J and the West Sea Rift, and there were moments when she would stare blankly into space or struggle to control her emotions. It was noticeable even to someone as busy as Jung Bin.

However, ever since the day J visited her, she had seemingly returned to her old self. Or perhaps she had grown more detached.

Jung Bin bowed his head.

“I apologize. I was trying to be considerate of your feelings, but that delayed my report.”

“Next time, report immediately. Even if I’m not fully myself, I’m still capable of listening.”

“…Yes, understood.”

“Now, tell me what happened.”

“Yes. Matteo has become addicted to drugs. His body hasn’t mutated, but he’s lost his sense of reason. I used my ability to isolate him in the Seowon Guild’s underground facility.”

“How is he now?”

“The situation remains the same. Nam Woojin is attempting to detoxify him, but all he can do is maintain the status quo. Honeybee has been searching through the research labs for more information.”

“When did the addiction start?”

“Honeybee suspects Song Joheon. She believes that Matteo’s condition began deteriorating after collaborating with the Samra Guild. But without solid evidence, it’s just suspicion.”

“Song Joheon…”

Ham Seokjeong ran her fingers along the handle of her cane. Jung Bin patiently waited for her next words. She lowered her gaze and murmured.

“He doesn’t seem like the type.”

Trust in Song Joheon, perhaps? After all, the two had worked together since the establishment of the Awakener Management Bureau. There were likely aspects to him that Jung Bin wasn’t privy to. He remained silent, rolling his eyes thoughtfully. But her next words surprised him.

“He’s not the kind of person with the guts to pull something like that.”

Jung Bin quickly masked the brief smile that crept onto his face. Ham Seokjeong, still deep in thought, tapped the cane handle with her fingers.

“Song Joheon is ambitious, but he lacks the initiative. He’s the type who prioritizes self-preservation. Someone like him wouldn’t risk poisoning someone ranked third. There’s more to this…”

“…”

“There’s no way he’s acting alone. Someone else is pulling the strings.”

“…Could it be Prometheus?”

“…It would be convenient if it were.”

Ham Seokjeong let out a cold laugh.

“It’d be easier to tie up all the troublesome players and deal with them at once.”

As she handed the file back to Jung Bin, they began walking again. Suddenly, a phone vibrated. Ham Seokjeong took it out of her pocket and checked the screen, a puzzled expression crossing her face.

“Now, what’s gotten this troublemaker to call first?”

“Who is it?”

“Who else would call like this?”

She held up the phone to show Jung Bin the screen. He chuckled awkwardly when he saw the name.

[Troublemaker #1]

Ham Seokjeong answered the call, not bothering with a greeting, and instead made a joke.

“The sun’s going to rise in the west tomorrow, huh? I can’t believe you called me first.”

A low voice responded without preamble. There was a hint of irritation in it.

—Where’s J?

“J…”

Ham Seokjeong glanced at Jung Bin and mouthed a question. *Did J say he was coming?* Jung Bin carefully studied her lips before shaking his head. She stared at the ground, then grinned.

“Ah, J. Right. Why?”

—He said he was coming to see you.

Jung Bin, who had been quietly listening, widened his eyes. There had been no sign of J today. Nothing serious must have happened to him, but it was clear he’d made up an excuse to take off somewhere.

Jung Bin shivered involuntarily. *That guy’s got some serious guts.* J had lied to both the Director and Lee Sayoung at the same time—what kind of fallout was he expecting if he got caught?

Ham Seokjeong’s lips curved upward.

“My question is, why are you calling me instead of J?”

—Ha… Because he’s not answering, obviously. That’s why I called you.

“I should tell J not to take your calls anymore. It’s nice hearing from you.”

—Shut up.

Lee Sayoung growled into the phone. Ham Seokjeong, undeterred, continued teasing him.

“Don’t be so suspicious. You need to learn to relax.”

—…

“Don’t worry, I’ll send him back to you soon enough. We’ve got a lot to catch up on.”

*Click.*

The line went dead without a goodbye. Ham Seokjeong chuckled at her phone.

“I should thank J. Now it’s finally fun to mess with Sayoung. He used to be as unresponsive as a wooden stick.”

“Haha…”

Jung Bin laughed awkwardly. When they’d first managed to help Lee Sayoung control his abilities and brought him into the Bureau, he was cold and withdrawn. He never responded to anyone, not even when they spoke to him. Even when Jung Bin or Bae Wonwoo approached him, they’d be lucky to get a word or two out of him. That attitude extended to Ham Seokjeong as well. He’d only acknowledge people by tilting his head, leaving Jung Bin and Bae Wonwoo to flail in confusion.

Whether it was caution, social ineptitude, or just sheer arrogance, no one could tell.

“Well, I suppose we should keep it a secret that J never showed up. I’ll leave the cover story to you.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Ham Seokjeong resumed walking, and Jung Bin matched his pace to hers as they continued down the hallway.

“We’ll keep the secret so he’ll come to see me again.”

---

Meanwhile, back in the truck, Uijae and Gaeul still hadn’t recovered from what they had witnessed. Gaeul was leaning her head against the window, rubbing it absently, while Uijae was gripping the steering wheel, looking completely out of it. Neither the driver nor the passenger was fully in control of themselves, yet the truck continued driving smoothly thanks to the goldfish that swam in the air, swishing its bright red tail.

Uijae watched the fish blankly before a thought popped into his head.

*Wait a minute.*

He had only meant to ask about the clock, its source, and how Gaeul knew about it. But instead, he’d received an ominous message from Nam Woojin. Should he go visit Nam Woojin now? But would Nam Woojin know anything more, given that he doesn’t seem to have Gaeul’s powers? Uijae’s mind was foggy. Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, and his eyes went wide.

“…”

Twelve missed calls.

Every single one was from—

[Sayoung]

“Holy—what the hell?!”

Uijae shuddered as goosebumps ran up his arms. How could Lee Sayoung have called twelve times in just twenty minutes? That’s all the time he had spent diving into Gaeul’s memories, but still… twelve calls!

Suddenly, Uijae felt another wave of panic. *Wait, did Sayoung try calling the Director too? What if she told him, ‘J? He didn’t come here.’* Though the Director probably wouldn’t

 do that… right? Uijae’s thoughts were racing when another phone rang. This time, it was the phone that Minggijeok had provided him.

[The Director has covered for you. I hope whatever situation you’re in resolves smoothly.]

It was a text from Jung Bin.

Uijae slumped over, resting his forehead on the steering wheel.

“…”

Then a thought crossed his mind.

*Well, now that I’ve got some time, maybe I should head to the Seowon Guild.*