The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 244

"Why are you doing this?"

Mackerel mumbled even with his mouth covered. Uijae raised his index finger to his lips, signaling for silence. The closer they got to their destination underground, the louder the noises became. How could he not hear that? Uijae quietly asked.

“Can’t you hear it?”

“…Huh?”

“Listen closely. Don’t you hear it?”

Mackerel lowered his eyes and tilted his head as if listening carefully. Soon, his face stiffened. He frowned slightly as he looked at Uijae.

“This sound…”

“……”

Ding. The elevator stopped. The doors opened slowly. The first thing they saw was Bae Won-woo standing stiffly with a shield in hand. He must’ve heard the elevator. The fact that he was here, armed, meant…

‘Lee Sa-young must be here too.’

Mackerel waved his hand like he was greeting Bae Won-woo. The stern expression filled with hostility turned to surprise and then shock. Bae Won-woo pointed a trembling finger at Uijae.

“...J?”

“…Hello.”

“How the heck did you—wait, you didn’t break in or anything, did you?”

“Oh, come on! What do you take us for? We entered peacefully! Even saved a life on the way.”

“Mackerel, why are you even here? Aren’t you busy?”

“I go wherever my clients need me to~ Eh-choo!”

While Mackerel quickly distracted Bae Won-woo, Uijae slipped past him. Turning the corner, he saw a space formed by tall, white walls. Uijae stopped in front of a firmly closed wall—or rather, a door. The ominous sound was coming from inside.

Thud, thud, thud…

Is there a specific way to open this? Should he break through? Just as his hand touched the cold door, Bae Won-woo ran over with Mackerel hanging off his waist and yelled.

“Hey, don’t open that! It’ll be a disaster!”

Uijae cast a cold glance at Mackerel, who was now lying on the floor, clinging to Bae Won-woo like a can. Mackerel rolled his eyes.

“Sorry, this was the best I could do.”

Uijae hadn’t expected much anyway. He knocked on the door with his fist.

“What’s in there?”

“...It’s just not something I can explain to you, even as J…”

“What do you think will be faster: you telling me, or me breaking this door down?”

“Just tell him.”

A light voice interrupted. It was only then that Uijae noticed his presence. Hong Yeseong had been there all along, almost devoid of any presence. Or rather, it wasn’t even a faint trace. It was so subtle that it barely felt like part of this world. A sharp, spinning sound could be heard. Though his eyes were covered by a towel, it was clear his *Emotion Sensing* was at work.

“If he hears it, he’ll understand. Well, maybe not, but at least he’ll hear.”

“That’s not the kind of thing you should summarize like that…”

“Lee Sa-young is inside, isn’t she?”

“……”

Bae Won-woo avoided his gaze. His silence was an answer. Gritting his teeth, Uijae could hear the brutal sound of flesh being torn and bones being pierced. Bam! He struck the door, denting it. The door was sturdier than expected.

“What’s going on inside?”

“There’s nothing we can do. You have to calm down…”

“Nothing we can do? Why the hell not?”

When Uijae shouted, a calm voice followed.

“Because there isn’t.”

“……”

“No matter how strong you are, you can’t handle this. Only Lee Sa-young can.”

“What is it? Stop being vague and tell me clearly.”

“She’s fusing with the essence of the Warden of a destroyed world. That means she’s taking on the Warden’s powers and responsibilities.”

A strong smell of blood emanated from Hong Yeseong, who was hunched in his chair. The collar and chest of his green tracksuit were soaked in dark red blood, and the pile of bloodied towels at his feet painted a gruesome picture. Yet, his voice remained steady.

“It’s just a small application of her powers. Imagine locking the door in front of a killer who’s about to break in with a knife. This buys us time.”

“Do you really think that makes sense? Stop this right now.”

Hong Yeseong’s lips curled into a smooth smile.

“If we stop now, the apocalypse will hit us without any time to prepare. Are you okay with that?”

“……”

“Look, we’ve already bought over a week of time without even working 24 hours a day. And yet, we haven’t had a proper conversation with those crazies.”

Right, it had been too quiet lately. Even though people had been keeping their mouths shut, it was hard not to think about the apocalypse in a world filled with doomsday fanatics. Since that day, Uijae had been plagued by the fear that the world could end at any moment. Knowing that thinking about the apocalypse accelerated it didn’t stop the thoughts. It was likely the same for most people.

And yet, it hadn’t come.

“……”

Because someone had been holding it back alone.

Hong Yeseong pressed the towel harder against his eyes and muttered.

“If you understand, leave this to me and go deal with something else. Like Prometheus. Yeah, that’d be good. I’d love to see those bastards eradicated. Bringing the apocalypse… they deserve to die. The fewer variables, the better…”

The tone of his voice hinted at the consciousness of someone else. Uijae took a long stride toward him and stood before him. ‘Hong Yeseong’ sighed deeply, showing only the top of his brown head.

“I knew it. Look, friend…”

“……”

“I told you, this is your last chance.”

“……”

“You think I enjoy this? When I intervene like this, I have to bear that much more responsibility. But now, thanks to some weirdos, we’re on the brink of the apocalypse. If it comes now, we’ll all die before we can do anything. Do you want to waste your last chance?”

“So you’re saying we should sacrifice Lee Sa-young to buy time until we find a solution?”

“What’s wrong with that? You did the same.”

“……”

“Why is it okay for you but not for Lee Sa-young?”

“That’s…”

Strangely, the words wouldn’t come out. It felt like something was lodged in his throat.

He could think of more than ten reasons why Lee Sa-young shouldn’t go through with this. The problem was, they were all personal reasons. Because she’s already been through enough. Because she doesn’t deserve to suffer like this. Because she’s too young to go through something so terrible. Because I don’t want her to suffer. It should only be me who has to endure this. But none of those reasons seemed significant when weighed against the fate of the world.

It was time to place Lee Sa-young on the scale with the world.

‘Hong Yeseong’ shook his head.

“Geez… No matter how many worlds you go through, that self-sacrificing attitude never changes. You failed twice because you tried to do everything alone, and now you want to do it again?”

“……”

Uijae didn’t answer. Instead, he slammed his fist into the door. The dent deepened. ‘Hong Yeseong’ dropped the blood-soaked towel. His *Emotion Sensing* spun as he stared at Uijae. A streak of blood ran down his cheek, leaving a red trail.

“Friend. You haven’t convinced me of anything. Do you still plan to barge in?”

“……”

Lee Sa-young, who had been left alone in a dying world. Lee Sa-young, who had been locked in a small room, all alone. Uijae had been a small part of her life. Yet, despite everything, he had chased after her alone. So what could he give her in return? Was defeating the apocalypse and giving her a peaceful world the answer? No.

What she really wanted was…

“...Did Lee Sa-young choose this?”

“Yes. She volunteered for it.”

“...I…”

“……”

“I just…”

Thud. His punch hit the door again, but with less force this time. Uijae leaned his forehead against the door and closed his eyes.

“…I’ll just stay by her side.”

“……”

“That’s all right, isn’t it?”

At that moment, the heavy door began to move. Slowly, it opened, as if granting him permission.

“……”

The room beyond was pitch dark. The heavy thud of something slamming down echoed. Without hesitation, Uijae stepped into the darkness. His shoes splashed into something wet. The sweet, metallic scent of blood filled the air.

Thud… The door closed behind him. Complete darkness enveloped him. Uijae walked slowly. Thud. The floor reverberated. Thud, scratch… the sound of something scraping against the ground. Finally, he stopped. Something shifted in the darkness. At the same time, the sound of heavy iron pillars rubbing against each other filled the air. Chains rattled. In the darkness, violet eyes gleamed.

“…You’re here?”

A hoarse voice murmured. Uijae sat down beside the shifting figure. His sleeve was quickly soaked with something wet. The figure mumbled.

“…I must look terrible.”

“It’s fine. I can’t see.”

“…Why did you come?”

Uijae fumbled through the wet ground, searching

 for a hand to hold. The hand he found flinched like a sensitive plant. Uijae deliberately tightened his grip.

“It’s nothing much.”

“……”

“I just…”

“……”

“I feel like I’ve never been there for you when you needed me the most.”

A low chuckle echoed. Clink, the chains scraped against the floor as the figure moved closer. Finally, a wet head rested on his shoulder. Without hesitation, Uijae wrapped his arm around it, embracing the struggling body entirely.