The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 290

"Are you crying?"

"……."

Instead of answering, Sa-young jerked his hand away. The abrupt motion sent Uijae's hand flying into the air, leaving a stinging pain. "Ouch…" he muttered softly. The sound of heavy breathing stopped. Rubbing his throbbing hand, Uijae called out.

"Lee Sa-young."

"…Just stay seated."

"Stop ordering me around and answer my question."

"Oh, sure. Stay standing then… if you don’t mind not being able to walk."

His voice was rough, like an animal growling. Uijae’s body tensed instinctively, but he clenched his teeth. If he backed down now, nothing would change. Uijae defiantly stepped toward the table. But—

What he stepped on wasn’t the floor. It was something firm, large, and slightly angled…

"…A foot?"

It must’ve been Sa-young’s. But before he could think further, his body tipped forward. Luckily, two strong hands caught him by the shoulders before he fell flat on his face. The growling voice scolded him.

"I told you to stay seated."

"Explain yourself. What’s going on with you?"

"If I told you the floor’s littered with glass shards, would you sit down?"

Fair enough. Uijae nodded, and a sigh came from above him. The hands that had been holding him let go. Now’s the time. Uijae rapped on the table.

"Come here."

No response. Not a sound or movement. Only the endless sound of running water filled the air. Uijae called again.

"Come here. I can’t tell where you are."

Lee Sa-young was a lot of work. With a sigh, Uijae spread his arms wide.

How long did he wait? Long enough for his arms to start aching. Just as he thought he couldn’t hold them up any longer, something big hesitated, then collapsed into his embrace. Yet it wasn’t like before—Sa-young didn’t fully lean his weight on him this time, likely to avoid hurting or knocking him over.

Skin brushed against skin, and cold breaths grazed his neck. A shiver ran down Uijae’s spine. An indescribable fear clawed at him, crushing him from all sides. The oppressive weight of the moment was suffocating, as if Sa-young might sink his teeth into his neck at any second. Uijae’s heart pounded wildly. As he lowered his head—

A chilling voice whispered in his ear.

"Take a deep breath."

"……."

"Exhale… That’s it…."

Sa-young’s fingers pressed lightly against Uijae’s back, following the rise and fall of his chest. The sensation sent waves of terror through him. It felt like those fingers could easily pierce through his skin, his body… and it wouldn’t take much effort.

Still, Uijae didn’t push him away. Instead, his trembling hand clutched at Sa-young’s coat. He endured the urge to gag, held steady. If there was one thing Uijae was good at, it was enduring. The voice murmured again.

"What made you call me over? Trust? And this is how you act?"

"…Don’t talk."

"Why? Are you scared?"

Uijae focused on steadying his breathing. Sa-young’s fingers brushed over his shoulder blades, tracing the line of his spine. Each touch made Uijae’s body stiffen. The sound of running water had faded into the background, leaving only—

"……."

—the unmistakable sound of someone stifling their sobs. It was faint, but Uijae could hear it clearly. Slowly, he released his grip on the coat and reached out toward where Sa-young’s face might be. His fingers brushed soft hair, then moved further. Something wet and warm smeared onto his fingertips, tickling them. Damp eyelashes.

"……."

Without a word, Uijae rubbed at the tears, wiping them away. The moisture burned faintly against his skin. Was even his crying poisonous? A ridiculous thought crossed Uijae’s mind, but he kept wiping at the tears. They didn’t stop. Uijae muttered softly.

"Are you…."

"……."

"…Crying again because of… someone else? Not by your own will?"

If not for some external force, he couldn’t imagine Sa-young crying like this. Sa-young didn’t answer. Instead, he leaned his cheek against Uijae’s hand, rubbing against it. Uijae’s palm grew wet quickly. With both hands, he cupped Sa-young’s face and gently pulled him closer. Their foreheads touched with a soft thud. His heart raced—not out of excitement, but fear.

Forcing his voice to work, Uijae murmured.

"…Don’t cry."

"……."

"I can’t hold you like before."

Sa-young said nothing, only continued to nuzzle against Uijae’s hands. It made Uijae feel even more helpless, more afraid. The alternating waves of pity and fear toward this strange, unknowable presence battered him relentlessly. His hands, soaked with tears, burned painfully. Damn it. Was this guy’s very existence poisonous? It felt like the worst-case scenario.

Then, in a chilling voice, Sa-young muttered.

"…That’s why you died, isn’t it?"

"What?"

"Before you could transform into some strange monster, you planned to die, didn’t you?"

Probably. Uijae gave a small nod. A large hand gently ruffled his hair.

"Then what about your hair color?"

"…Huh?"

"Why does it keep turning white?"

"……."

"Even if you dye it black, it doesn’t take long before it reverts to its original color, does it?"

The hands cupping Sa-young’s cheeks were still damp. Tears continued to flow, but his voice remained chillingly cold and detached.

"What if the mutation has been progressing this entire time, without you realizing it?"

"……."

"And even if we escape this cursed place, what if the mutation doesn’t stop?"

Terrifying.
Not the mutation.

The being holding him.

"In that case, will you choose to die again?"

Uijae tried to answer but could only shake his head weakly. His voice failed him. Sa-young’s piercing gaze felt like needles stabbing into him. The hand that had been playing with his hair paused.

"…Is it hard to breathe?"

Yeah, I feel like I might throw up. Uijae couldn’t even form the words, only nodded sluggishly. Cold leather gloves pressed against his cheeks. Uijae blinked rapidly, his vision still useless. He couldn’t predict what this maniac might do next. Then, the fingers brushing his cheeks slipped between his lips.

"What—"

"You need to breathe through your mouth."

Oh, come on. Thick fingers roamed wildly inside his mouth. Is this guy insane? Uijae coughed and gagged, grabbing at the invading wrist. Sa-young whispered.

"Don’t bite. You’ll lose a tooth."

"You lunatic!"

But the fingers didn’t stop. They explored every corner of Uijae’s mouth, pressing down on his tongue one last time before retreating. Gasping for breath, Uijae shoved Sa-young away. Fortunately, he didn’t resist and stumbled back. Uijae harshly wiped his saliva-soaked lips with the back of his hand.

"What the hell are you—"

"Your mouth is clean," Sa-young interrupted coldly.

"What?"

"I was checking to see if there were any signs of mutation."

"……."

"I’d like to check your whole body, while we’re at it."

"Hey, wait a minute."

"Oh, right… Why don’t you take off your clothes?"

"Stop right there!"

That sharp gaze swept over him again. Uijae instinctively leaned back, gripping the edge of his chair for support. He cleared his throat and asked.

"And if you confirm something… what then?"

"What else?"

Sa-young replied nonchalantly.

"I’ll memorize everything. That way, I can check later to see if the same areas are affected or if new marks appear."

This guy is insane.

Uijae barely held back a string of curses. He didn’t need to see Sa-young’s eyes to know they must be wide and unhinged by now. Uijae tightened his grip on the chair. His hand throbbed with pain.

Would throwing the chair stop him, even for a moment?

…No chance.

The chair would probably shatter, leaving him with even less room to move. And in this condition, dodging any debris would be impossible.

There’s no way I could escape.

A civilian trying to flee from an S-rank? Laughable. But letting Sa-young go further down this path of madness… who knew what might happen to him?

Sa-young’s flat voice called out.

"Come here. Hyung."

To hell with it! Desperate, Uijae gripped the chair, ready to throw it, when—

Bzzzzzt.

The vibration of a phone interrupted them. Uijae froze, eyes widening as he searched for the source of the sound. It seemed to be coming from the room where he had been lying earlier. He turned toward Sa-young’s direction and asked.

"Whose phone is that?"

"I don’t know."

"Shouldn’t you check?"

"Ha… Why would I?"

"It could be Honeybee. She might’ve found something."

"……."

"Honeybee is one of our teammates. She might have critical information."

"…Tsk."

Sa-young clicked his tongue loudly, muttering as he moved away.

"Don’t even think about going anywhere."

"I won’t."

"And don’t move a muscle."

"Got it."

"Good. I’d hate for this to end in more bloodshed."

Whoosh. The breeze of Sa-young passing by brushed against Uijae. Only after Sa-young’s presence had completely receded did Uijae feel like he could finally breathe. Clutching the chair, he sank to the floor. Sweat poured off him as if he’d been caught in a downpour. Even the nausea that had been churning in his stomach started to settle.

When am I going to recover?

In this state, could he even face monsters? Uijae clenched and unclenched his trembling hands. Just then, footsteps approached from behind.

"Hyung."

"Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not collapsed, just sitting down because I’m tired."

"That’s not it."

Something was thrust toward him. Uijae reached out and felt for it. A phone. Sa-young’s voice carried a note of annoyance.

"It’s from Yoon Gaeul."

"Yoon Gaeul? Why is she calling?"

Taking the phone, Uijae brought it to his ear. Before he could even say hello, Gaeul’s voice erupted like a scream.

"?J? Is that you, J?"

Sa-young added flatly.

"To be precise, it’s the Yoon Gaeul from our world."