The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 214

Sayoung blinked through his blurry vision, wiggling his fingers. Yesterday, he had been scolded for getting out of bed. They had told him that the mysterious tubes connected to his body were keeping him alive and that he must not remove them. The people in white clothes grumbled as they strapped him down with those lines.

Was it true?

He blinked again, his eyes unfocused. They had covered his eyes with a thin cloth, saying that his eyes shouldn't be stimulated. It didn’t matter much to him—he couldn’t see anything either way.

"......"

The world without J was dull, and time moved at an excruciatingly slow pace. He spent most of his days lying in bed. The days when even breathing was a struggle were long gone, and now, he could walk a little if he wanted. But the people around him seemed to think it was safest to stay put.

At least they put him to sleep regularly. They must have been injecting something through the tubes—perhaps a sedative. It was a small mercy, as it allowed him to pass the time.

It was boring, but bearable. He had something to wait for—J had promised to return. J had always come and gone sporadically, so Sayoung could understand if he was late. His body could not move much, so his thoughts drifted in many directions, but most of them revolved around J.

On good days, J would slightly lift his mask and let Sayoung touch his face. J’s face was soft—much softer than the stiff bed sheets and rough bandages that covered him. Sometimes, Sayoung would get greedy and try to reach deeper into the mask, brushing his fingers against the lashes near J’s hidden eyes. He liked the way J’s cheek would tremble slightly, as if he were smiling. J would always gently reprimand him, saying, “You can’t see my eyes,” with that soothing voice. It didn’t matter anyway—Sayoung couldn’t see.

Sometimes J would stroke his hair, showing no hesitation in touching his scarred, mangled skin. He even wrapped Sayoung’s arms in fresh bandages himself. Wasn’t it disgusting? J must have a strong stomach…

J’s hands always smelled like soap. Sometimes they were still slightly damp when he visited. Wasn’t J a hunter, someone who killed monsters? Sayoung was always curious about why J smelled so good. He figured J must wash thoroughly before coming to see him.

The last time J had hugged him, there had been a faint but bitter smell. Did he smoke? The more he thought about J, the more questions piled up. There were so many things he wanted to ask. Sayoung would practice speaking under the blankets, but most of his attempts came out as hoarse, breathless sounds.

“What’s your name? Where do you live? How old are you? What do you like? What do you hate? What kind of work do you do? Do you smoke? Do you wash your hands before coming here?”

“When will you come again?”

The questions stacked up, unanswered. And then, one day, the people who had been visiting him every day started coming less frequently. He wasn’t sure when it started, as he had no way to track time. The only people who came regularly were the ones who gave him IV drips twice a day, replacing his meals with nutrition fluids. The number of tubes attached to him also decreased, and there were more and more days when no one noticed if Sayoung got up and walked around the hospital room.

When the IV bag was nearly empty, Sayoung would pull out the tube himself, wiping away the blood with a bandage. He stood on his bony legs, feeling slightly dizzy but able to bear it. He rubbed his foot against the cold floor just because he could. That was when he heard faint voices from outside. Cautiously, he moved closer to the door, pressing his ear against it.

“…The supply isn’t coming in. No matter how hard we try…”

“The detoxification process is almost finished anyway. The needles aren’t even dissolving anymore…”

They were talking about him, no doubt. Sayoung listened carefully.

“We were only able to proceed with all this because J was supporting us. He funded everything—the money, the materials.”

“……”

“But J isn’t around anymore… The funding has completely stopped. And we still have so many patients. There’s no more time or money to spend on this boy, doctor.”

“You can’t just give up on him. He’s recovering smoothly. We just need to wait until J returns…”

“Haven’t you heard the rumors?”

The already quiet voice dropped even lower. Sayoung pressed himself harder against the door.

“They say that as soon as J and the hunters entered the Rift, the entrance disappeared. Not closed—vanished.”

“……”

“I have friends in the Bureau, doctor. They’re already preparing…”

“But this boy… he’s healing well. I can’t just give up on him. I’ll use my own money if I have to…”

“Your own money has limits. Do you know how expensive the medicine made from monster by-products is?”

“Then how about this?”

Another voice, bright and cheerful, interrupted. It was a voice Sayoung recognized—someone who had often come into the room to hook up his IVs, always humming strange little tunes as she worked.

The woman who had barged into the conversation spoke again.

“I’ve been transferred to a different team, you see. I was going to tell you later. Anyway, the place I’m going has plenty of money. I think they could take care of him.”

“What? But Gayeong…”

“I know! But keeping him here isn’t going to solve anything, is it? I’ve grown attached to him too. I want to see him recover and walk again.”

“……”

“……”

“Isn’t that what we all want?”

Silence followed. The cheerful voice continued.

“I’ll talk to the director. Don’t worry. The place I’m going has far more capable people than me. I’ll keep you updated on his condition.”

“…Are you sure about this?”

“Of course. Don’t worry.”

“Shouldn’t we at least tell him? He seemed quite attached to J…”

“I’ll take care of that too.”

The voices faded. That strange woman was going to come in. Sayoung staggered back to the bed and lay down, pulling the thin blanket over himself. The door opened, and the sound of footsteps—*click, click*—approached the bed before stopping right next to it. A cheerful voice spoke.

“Hello, you’re awake, aren’t you?”

“……”

“I think you heard everything we were talking about outside. How do you feel?”

“……”

“You should probably start wearing slippers. Your feet are a little dirty.”

*Cluck.* Sayoung hid his feet under the sheet. Gayeong, chuckling softly, bent down.

“You want to see J, don’t you?”

“……”

“Well, the thing is… J can’t come back.”

“……”

I know that already. Sayoung clutched the blanket tightly. J, who used to visit at least once a week, hadn’t come in a long time. But Sayoung still waited because J had promised.

“If you come with me, you might be able to see him.”

Lies.

“Not only that, but you might even be able to rescue J yourself.”

……

The grip on the blanket loosened slightly. Gayeong whispered softly.

“How about it? Will you come with me?”

“……”

“Hmm~ You can’t talk, so I can’t hear your answer. I wonder what J did to you…? If you want to go, how about nodding?”

Black hair spread across the pillow as Sayoung’s head moved slightly. Gayeong smiled.

“Good. Then you’ll have to listen to me carefully, okay?”

Her cold hand traced the deformed, scarred side of his face. It smelled of chemicals. It felt unpleasant, but he endured it. If it meant he could wait for J. If it meant he could see J again.

If he could rescue J himself.

A small desire bloomed within him. Gayeong was not someone who missed an opportunity. Sayoung pulled off the cloth covering his eyes. In his hazy vision, he saw her red lips curve into a smile, as if amused.

“Good boy.”

---

“Doesn’t it look familiar?”

“……”

Gayeong patted the head of the creature she had introduced as her “friend.” She grimaced slightly before shaking off the black liquid that had smeared her gloves. It was important not to show emotion. You mustn’t show emotion…

“What is that thing?” Uijae growled, his voice strained. Gayeong beamed at him.

“What do you think it is? Doesn’t it look a little familiar?”

The skin beneath the black cloak was twisted and warped, just like the skin beneath a boy’s bandages. And the black liquid dripping from its body was melting the asphalt beneath it. It was likely poison. Uijae remained silent. Perhaps he didn’t want to admit it.

"......"

“This little guy’s really well-behaved. Follows orders and fights well too~”

“Is it part of the Samra Guild?”

“Oh, Samra Guild?”

Gayeong raised her ID badge and looked at it, then shrugged.

“The guild leader appreciated my abilities.”

“Does Song Joheon know about this?”

“Hmm, let’s see.”

Gayeong pretended to think, gazing up at the sky before smiling brightly.

“He probably doesn’t. I doubt it.”

“……”

“To be honest, I didn’t expect the apocalypse to come so suddenly either~ We were caught a bit off guard.”

“You did all this without knowing?”

“The original

 plan was to take advantage of the hunters being away… to make some improvements to society.”

Screams echoed from all directions. Uijae’s hand twitched. He knew he had to deal with her quickly and go save others. But his feet wouldn’t move. His eyes kept drifting back to the massive figure crouching in front of her. Uijae bit his lip.

“You caused all of this for a reason like that? Don’t you see how many people are dying right now?”

“And what are we supposed to do? Sit and wait for those high-and-mighty hunters to come save us? To just sit back and endure this endless fear?”

Gayeong’s eyes gleamed dangerously.