The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 284

"Die in front of me."

The voice was so low it was chilling. Uijae’s eyes widened. It was a language he understood, but he couldn’t immediately process the words. Sa-young intertwined his fingers with Uijae’s.

"I’ll watch over you until the moment you stop breathing."

"…"

"Don’t even think about dying alone."

It was a soft threat. Uijae opened his mouth to speak but could only manage to silently form words. Finally, he let out the one question filling his mind.

"Why?"

"Why?"

A scoffing laugh followed.

"Because I don’t want to be a clueless idiot who doesn’t even know why you died."

"…"

"And…"

The rounded tip of Sa-young’s finger lightly scratched Uijae’s palm. A rustling sound followed, then a hollow clatter as Sa-young’s helmet hit the floor. The sweet scent between them grew stronger.

Soft hair brushed against Uijae’s temple and ear. A cold, smooth cheek rested against the mask covering his own, accompanied by a hesitant, whispered confession.

"It’s lonely being alone."

Uijae couldn’t respond. A wave of loneliness, fear of death, and the hidden solitude in Sa-young’s voice crashed over him like a tidal wave. Instead of answering, he raised a hand to pull the other lonely person into an embrace. Sa-young curled up and clung to him.

It felt strange. Despite the solid, broad back in his arms, it was as if he were holding…

"…"

A child. It reminded him of a boy who once clung to him as if Uijae were his entire world. Ignoring the ache in his chest, Uijae closed his eyes. The suffocating fear of death seemed to ease, if only slightly.

At that moment,
a bright white window appeared in the darkness.

[Warning! Synchronization rate is dropping.]
[Recalculating synchronization rate...]

What?

Uijae’s eyes snapped open. His synchronization rate had dropped—putting him one step further from the risk of dying together with his counterpart. Of course, nothing visible had changed. He prodded the back of Sa-young, who was still pressed against him.

"Hey, Lee Sa-young."

"…What now?"

Sa-young’s annoyed voice responded, but he made no move to detach himself. Judging by the tension in his limbs, he had no intention of letting go. With Sa-young hanging onto him like a koala, Uijae started to think.

‘What caused the synchronization rate to drop?’

Was it because of Sa-young? Because of the memories he had stirred up? The memories of leaving Sa-young behind likely didn’t exist for this world’s "J." Uijae’s mind started racing, clarity returning as the Poker Face trait’s influence waned. He flexed his fingers.

‘I need to lower the synchronization rate even more.’

In this state, where despair and fear dictated his every move, he wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything. Holding the clinging Sa-young, Uijae began to shuffle forward. Sa-young grumbled irritably as he reluctantly moved along.

"Can’t you just stay still? What are you up to now?"

"I’ve got an idea. Sa-young, talk to me about anything."

"Anything? Like what?"

"Anything at all. Doesn’t matter."

"Do I look like a talking vending machine to you…"

Sa-young grumbled as he rested his chin on Uijae’s shoulder and asked, "Fine, then. What will you do when this is all over?"

"When what’s over?"

"When the apocalypse ends."

Uijae had been the one to ask for random conversation, but this was…

"Isn’t that a little far off?"

"You came all this way to fix it, didn’t you? You should think about the future. What will you do?"

His persistence made it clear he wasn’t going to drop the topic. Uijae was forced to think about the question. The future. He silently mouthed the word. It felt unfamiliar. What would he be doing after the apocalypse was over? He’d never allowed himself to imagine it.

No, he had imagined it once, back when he was with a boy—Lee Sa-young as a child. At the time, he had envisioned curing Sa-young, becoming family, and living together. But after the Western Rift, Uijae couldn’t allow himself such fantasies anymore. Losing his only family, his aunt, and his comrades had made simply living feel like an indulgence.

After much deliberation, Uijae couldn’t come up with an answer. Every time he tried, thoughts of his looming death and shadowy fears filled his mind.

In the end, he shook his head.

"…I don’t know."

"…"

"I’ve never thought about it."

"Nothing comes to mind?"

"No."

"…Yeah, I figured."

Sa-young sighed near his ear. Was that sarcasm? Just as Uijae was about to retort, Sa-young whispered something into his ear.

"Then I’ll decide for you."

As the breath tickled his ear, Uijae flinched, and Sa-young began laying out his grand plan.

"First, you’ll buy out Grandmother’s hangover soup shop."

"What?"

"And reopen it under your name. Uijae Hangover Soup or something."

"Wow…"

Uijae muttered sincerely, having missed his chance to object.

"That’s awful."

"You’re calling your own name awful? Fine, how about J Hangover Soup?"

"No. Sounds like it’d attract weirdos."

"Then I’ll lend you my name. Sa-young Hangover Soup."

"That sounds like it would have zero customers."

"Baewon-woo would come."

"True."

"And with the money from the shop, you’ll send Ha-eun to college and buy a house."

"…"

"I like houses with big living rooms."

Listening to the future Sa-young described, Uijae hesitantly asked, "Why are your preferences in this?"

"Because we’ll be living together, obviously. Or did you plan on living apart?"

"…"

Something soft bumped against Uijae’s shoulder. Sa-young must have rested his head there. Without thinking, Uijae reached out and ran his fingers through Sa-young’s hair. The fine, soft strands tangled between his fingers.

Buying a hangover soup shop, serving regulars, watching Ha-eun grow up, and living in the same house as Sa-young. The future Sa-young painted was vivid and easy to imagine. So much so that Uijae wondered why he hadn’t thought of it before.

[Warning! Synchronization rate is dropping.]
[Warning! Synchronization rate is dropping.]
[Warning! Synchronization rate is dropping.]

"…"

"What’s wrong?"

"Nothing."

Uijae rested his chin on Sa-young’s shoulder.

"Keep talking."

"What’s gotten into you?"

A laugh colored Sa-young’s words. Uijae chose to run. To escape the fear of death, the relentlessly ticking red numbers, he ran to the future Sa-young was painting.

It didn’t feel so bad.

***

The sound of three sets of footsteps echoed through the wide corridor. Each swing of the lantern in their hands cast massive, flickering shadows on the brick walls. Before long, the three shadows came to a halt.

"…"

Jeong Bin raised the lantern he was holding. At the far end of the dark and narrow underground passage, a stark white light illuminated the scene. The red bricks were bathed in white, and the concrete floor was covered in a thick layer of white ash. Erosion. Beside him, Minggijeok adjusted his sunglasses.

"It’s spread even further since we last reported to the team leader."

This was the underground dungeon at Jongno 3-ga. After J and Lee Sa-young entered and communication was lost, the Wave Guild had been monitoring the dungeon’s condition regularly. Just a few hours earlier, Minggijeok had noticed white ash and vines spilling out of the portal. He immediately contacted Jeong Bin.

"…"

A low growl echoed through the corridor. Jeong Bin turned toward the source of the sound. Inside a control station now buried under ash and vines, there was a faint rustling. He gestured for the others not to approach and cautiously stepped closer.

In that instant—

Bang!

A beast’s paw, covered in white fur, smashed against the window. Crack, crack. Thick glass began to splinter and groan before shattering with a sharp crash.

Simultaneously, a hand shot out over Jeong Bin’s shoulder, gripping the massive paw firmly. A sly, mocking voice followed.

"Wow, you’ve got guts. Not even thinking of dodging? That’s bold for someone who freezes up in front of monsters."

Jeong Bin glanced sideways. Kyugyu, also known as Ban Kyumin, grinned at him with an amused expression. Dusting off the glass shards that had landed on his jacket, Jeong Bin replied with a calm smile.

"Haha, anyone overhearing you might think I’m some incompetent civil servant who can’t handle a single monster."

"Oh, you’re not?"

"I assure you, I can manage just fine, even if I get hit. Though I’d prefer not to. Now then…"

Jeong Bin bent under the arm holding the monster and smoothly slipped away. From the inner pocket of his suit, he pulled out a small notebook and a fountain pen.

"Since you’ve got it restrained, why don’t you keep holding it for a moment? I have something to check."

"Eh?"

"Minggijeok, did you bring the camera?"

"Yes. Should I take some pictures?"

"Please do."

Click, click. The camera’s flash lit up the scene. Jeong Bin carefully examined the monster’s form. Its body was entirely covered in white fur, and its silhouette was more humanoid than animal-like. Most likely, it belonged to the Yeti category. Judging by the torn clothing and shattered phone nearby…

"Looks like an unlucky human mutated before they could escape~."

"…"

Then, something bright blue stood out amidst the fur. Jeong Bin plucked away the shards of glass still clinging to the frame of the control station window. He reached toward the Yeti’s neck, pushing aside the thick fur. A lanyard with a government ID card, suspended on a blue cord, emerged. Though it was partially obscured by white blotches, five letters were still clearly legible.

[Rift Management Agency]

"…"

At that moment—

Shhh…

The white vines spreading over the red brick walls began to creep toward them.