The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 289

Cha Uijae opened his eyes. Something damp and heavy was draped over his aching face. It felt like a wet towel. This had happened not too long ago, hadn’t it? Uijae blinked several times under the towel. His entire body felt like it had been beaten, but that wasn’t the main concern.

"…Where am I?"

He was sure he had collapsed in the library, yet here he was, lying on what seemed to be a bed. Uijae fiddled with the soft, heavy blanket as he drifted into thought. This didn’t seem like the infirmary of the Seowon Guild. There was no smell of disinfectant or gusts of wind seeping through hastily repaired wall cracks. Even the blanket was softer and strangely familiar.

Uijae removed the damp towel. He blinked again. Darkness. The only thing visible was a glaring red countdown: 25 hours, drastically reduced.

"Did I lose nearly a whole day…?"

There was no time to waste. As he started to sit up, a chilling voice cut through the air.

"…You’re awake, huh?"

Uijae flinched and hunched his shoulders. A low sigh followed, carrying clear irritation. Instinctively, he held his breath and tried to gauge the mood. His brain lagged a beat behind.

"…Lee Sa-young?"

Footsteps echoed. The sound was deliberate, loud enough to announce each step. They stopped near the bed. The chilling voice spoke again.

"Does your hand hurt?"

"…My hand?"

Uijae tried moving his fingers. Something was tightly wrapped around them. The low voice muttered:

"I applied some medicine and just wrapped it up. The broken nails can’t be healed with a potion."

"Ah."

Only then did he notice the dull, throbbing pain in his fingertips, overshadowed earlier by the intense ache in the rest of his body. Uijae traced his fingers lightly and responded.

"…I can bear it."

"If it gets unbearable, let me know. There are painkillers."

"Okay."

Clearing his throat, Uijae forced a hoarse voice to come out.

"Where… am I?"

"Home."

"Home?"

"The house we lived in. In this world."

Was it the place from that lunatic Lee Sa-young’s memories? Uijae tilted his head in confusion. He couldn’t see anything, so he had no way to confirm.

"Are you hungry?"

"Not really…"

"Eat anyway. You need to take your medicine."

Something cold was thrust toward him. Reflexively, he leaned back, but the object remained stubbornly in place. Uijae cautiously reached out to feel it. It was a gloved hand. The owner of the hand whispered:

"Grab on and stand up."

"No, I don’t need help. I can walk on my own."

"Really? Planning to wander around and bump into things without knowing the layout?"

The chilling voice mocked him. Fine, so his blindness had been noticed. Of course, it was obvious. Uijae quickly started thinking. What about his mutation? Had that been noticed too? Before he could continue the thought, the ominous voice urged him.

"Even if you’re scared, hold on."

Every word of that voice sent a shiver up his spine. Swallowing hard, Uijae finally gripped the hand and carefully stood up. The cold floor made his toes curl as Sa-young lightly tugged him forward, signaling him to follow. Uijae stumbled after, his thoughts racing.

"I feel like I’m being led to my doom…"

Was it the blindness or the sensation of the glove? The hand holding his felt almost inhuman, like some kind of monster was guiding him.

Now, he understood why civilians and lower-ranked Hunters avoided Lee Sa-young. Poison aside, his very existence was unsettling. Just standing near him was enough to crush and suffocate people.

Uijae was instinctively afraid. Of the figure in front of him. He struggled to suppress the trembling in his body, though he knew it was futile.

The pounding of his heart, his shallow breaths, his searching eyes, the frequent swallowing, the cold sweat, the shaking hands and limbs. Sa-young would notice it all. And yet, he said nothing.

That silence made Uijae even more terrified.

But he had to endure. Uijae reminded himself over and over. Sa-young wasn’t scary. Sa-young was… Uijae steadied his voice, trying to sound casual.

"What about the job? The one Jeong Bin called for?"

"Ah… That’s what you’re curious about in this situation?"

Sa-young sneered.

"I told him we couldn’t go. Obviously."

"…Is that okay?"

"Where would we go? Someone collapses the moment I look away, and you think I’m leaving them?"

Uijae couldn’t argue. The gloved fingers brushed against his palm.

"I told Honeybee to go instead."

"…Did she?"

"When I said you’d collapsed, she grumbled but went anyway."

Well, that was just like her. Thinking of Honeybee responding with a sharp retort before stepping up responsibly eased his fear a little. The figure leading him stopped abruptly. A bitter smell wafted through the air. It was the stench of death. A cold sensation crept up the back of his neck.

"Sit here."

The sound of a chair being pulled out echoed. A hand guided him. Uijae fumbled his way onto the chair. The hand’s owner stood behind him, gripping the backrest with both hands.

"……."

Cha Uijae swallowed hard. He could feel it—the piercing gaze that swept over his entire body. It felt like sharp needles digging into every inch of him, exposing even his deepest layers. The sensation left him feeling completely laid bare. His palms, slick with sweat, rubbed against his pants in a futile attempt to dry them.

Scrrrrk.

The presence behind him pushed the chair back into place and retreated. Uijae took the moment to quietly catch his breath, suppressing any sound as much as possible. He knew it was Lee Sa-young taking care of him. But perhaps because of his blindness, or maybe because he was now a civilian, it felt like…

...a monster was with him.

Clack. The sound of a bowl being set down reached his ears. A warm aroma, mingling with the faint steam of something savory, wafted over.

"…Is it porridge?"

Something cold and slender brushed against the tips of Uijae’s fingers. A spoon. Sa-young must have pushed it toward him. Uijae grabbed the spoon in silence.

He wasn’t hungry—not at all. The overwhelming presence in front of him drowned out everything else. Since the moment he woke up, survival instincts had taken precedence over any physical needs. How could he possibly feel hunger in a situation like this?

Yet, Uijae moved his hand. One hand held the bowl, while the other shakily scooped up some of its contents with the spoon. He forced it into his mouth. He couldn’t taste anything, only the scalding heat against his tongue. He barely managed to swallow the mouthful of porridge.

"……."

Fiddling with the bowl, Uijae mumbled quietly, "Did you buy this?"

"I wanted to. If there were still porridge shops around."

"…So you made it yourself?"

"I asked someone else. If I made it…."

Sa-young trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished. Uijae already knew what he meant and didn’t press him to continue. Instead, he took another large spoonful and shoved it into his mouth.

How long had he been eating? The spoon finally scraped the bottom of the bowl. Uijae set the spoon down with a faint clink. The forced meal left him feeling far from satisfied, but he forced a semblance of a smile onto his face.

"Thanks for the meal."

"……."

There was no response. The oppressive atmosphere lingered unchanged. After a pause, hands took the bowl and spoon away, and something was placed near him—a cup. Uijae fumbled for it, taking a sip. Cool water. He let out a small sigh and leaned back against the chair. It felt like walking a tightrope.

Shhhhhhhh.

The sound of running water filled the air. Uijae coughed softly, covering his mouth. Cough, cough.

Then—

Crash! The sharp sound of breaking dishes rang out.

Startled, Uijae instinctively tried to rise from his seat, but a large hand gripped his shoulder and pressed him down.

"Ah…!"

"Don’t get up."

"Hey, wait, that hurts…."

"Your hand."

"What are you talking about? Suddenly!"

"Your hand—give it to me!"

Sa-young’s raised voice cut through the tension. The large hand seized the hand Uijae had used to cover his mouth. And in that moment, Uijae understood.

He knows.

Lee Sa-young knew. He knew that Cha Uijae was mutating. A chill crept through his body, freezing him in place.

The hand that had been gripping his shoulder withdrew. Panicking, Uijae scrambled to grab it.

"Hey, wait a second!"

"Let go."

"That was just a cough. I just choked a little, it’s not…."

"I said let go."

The sharp voice carried an edge of breathlessness.

Shhhhhhhh. Amid the sound of rushing water, Uijae caught it—the subtle change in Sa-young’s breathing. It was faint, but because Uijae was hyper-focused on his survival, he noticed it.

Carefully, Uijae opened his mouth.

"Are you…."

"……."

"…crying?"