The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Lee Sayoung kept the phone pressed to his ear, staring intently at Uijae. Then, as if making a point, he hung up and slightly lifted his head. The moment Uijae heard the beep, he jumped up in alarm and stumbled back. The railing hit his waist.
*Should I just jump?* He glanced down. From this height, the fall wouldn’t be too bad. But almost instantly, Sayoung responded.

"Where are you looking? Eyes on me."
"......"
"Look at me."

Smart guy. Uijae clung to the railing. If push came to shove, he might actually jump. Sayoung’s lips curled into a smile, though his eyes remained void of amusement.
"Oh... Are you really going to jump?"
"......"

"Should I jump with you then? This time, instead of running down the stairs, how about we race down the main road side by side? That’d make an even better story, don’t you think?"
*Who do you think made me do this in the first place? You don’t even know how I feel.* Uijae felt a surge of anger and was about to retort with something reckless, like *Fine, let’s die together then,* when a voice cut in from behind Sayoung.
"Guild Leader, do you even know what it means to act pitiful? You’re supposed to be acting pitiful, not picking a fight."

Peeking out from behind Sayoung’s black coat was the red hair of Kang Jisoo, whom Uijae had briefly seen in the lobby earlier. Standing nearby, scratching his head with an annoyed expression, was Baewonwoo, who Uijae also noticed now.
Sayoung shrugged.
"Oh... I’ve never really had to act pitiful before. Guess I don’t know how. My bad?"

Instead of replying, Uijae turned his head slightly away from Sayoung, enough so that only the black coat remained in his field of vision. He could hear Sayoung’s faint chuckle. What Uijae saw next was Minggijeok, who was crawling toward the door on all fours.
"......"
"......"

Noticing Uijae’s gaze, Minggijeok paused and gave a solemn nod.
"It seems this is a matter that must be resolved between the customer and the Guild Leader."
Then, he resumed crawling. *Resolved? How can anything be resolved when I’m out of my mind?* But before Uijae could say anything, Minggijeok reached the door.

He grabbed the handle and, after collecting the unconscious Romantic Opener, said cheerfully:
"Good luck!"  
"I hope you have a productive conversation."
And with that, he shut the door.
*BANG!*

The sound of the door closing felt like the drop of a guillotine. A moment later, the door vanished into dust, leaving only the two of them alone on the rooftop. Uijae deliberately turned his head away. The white ash continued to fall softly like snow.
A short breath escaped. Sayoung ran a hand through his curly hair, which softly fluttered as it fell back into place.
It was then that Uijae noticed the square shopping bag in Sayoung’s left hand, emblazoned with the logo of a traditional restaurant. Seeing it made something stir uneasily inside him. A low voice broke the silence.

"Do you hate seeing me?"
No.
"Why did you run away?"

......
"Did I do something wrong?"
It was the same question as before, but the tone and mood were different. Oddly enough, Uijae found himself almost preferring this accusatory tone. It suited Sayoung, this confident, almost arrogant demeanor. Slowly, Uijae turned his head and opened his mouth slightly.

Sayoung’s expression as he stood before him…
"If I did something wrong, you should’ve told me what it was. You’ve never had any trouble speaking your mind before, so what’s with the sudden silence?"
It was an expression Uijae had never seen before.

"Answer me, Cha Uijae."
His delicate features slowly contorted. The violet in his eyes burned intensely, but the corners of his eyes were reddening, as if he ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ were about to cry.
Uijae’s mind went blank. His grip on the railing tightened, the metal groaning under the pressure. Sayoung spoke again, carefully enunciating each word.

"I can’t know everything. If you don’t tell me, I won’t know..."
"......"
"Guessing only gets me so far. How long am I supposed to wait?"

It felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. Uijae’s mind, which had been blank, started to fill with thoughts, and soon, they tangled and cluttered together in a mess. What should he say?
*Thank you for waiting for me?*
That feels too cliché. And is that really the right thing to say to someone who looks like they’re about to cry? Maybe I should start with an apology? But I’ve already said sorry. Is it okay to apologize again?

Whenever Uijae stood in front of Sayoung, his thoughts seemed to multiply. But he was always someone whose actions preceded his words. He reached out and grabbed Sayoung’s arm. He hadn’t noticed until now how solid Sayoung’s arm felt through the leather.
Speaking from the heart wasn’t something Uijae was used to. He’d never been the type to lay everything bare, and at some point, it had become even harder. His words didn’t seem necessary anymore. Since the moment each of his words had started to carry more weight than they should, his actions had taken precedence. Actions could save more people, after all...
"It’s not your fault, it’s just that I..."

Uijae swallowed. His throat felt tight, like even swallowing was a struggle. He stammered as he continued.
"It’s just that you..."
Thud, thud, thud, his heart was racing, as it always did when Sayoung was near. A large hand gently covered his. The warmth it provided was comforting. Uijae clutched Sayoung’s coat, crumpling it in his grasp.

"You waited for me..."
That was too much...
He swallowed hard.

What does someone lost need most? What does someone who can’t even trust themselves need? From the moment Uijae had entered the West Sea Rift, he had become like a kite with a broken string, a ship adrift on an endless sea.
He had wandered for so, so long.
"......"

Until, for reasons unknown, he was suddenly thrust out of the West Sea Rift. He had drifted for what felt like an eternity. Uijae blinked, pausing to catch his breath, as fragments of memories flashed before him.
A sharp sword had pierced through his skull, brutally crushing his airway. Uijae gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands, bent over, panting heavily. Huff, huff, huff...
Eventually, his rapid breathing calmed.

Even though he had killed the last monster, the rift’s door hadn’t opened.
Instead,
Silence fell.

There was no sound of wind, no rustling of leaves, not even the familiar chirping of insects. This world was eerily silent. Thud, thud, thud, the sound of his heartbeat echoed loudly in his ears, the only noise in this world. It was absurd how the sound of his own heartbeat was making him anxious.
Uijae looked up at the sky. The same white ash continued to fall from the blank, white sky. Even after killing the last remaining monster, nothing had changed. No—one thing had.
He was completely, utterly alone.

His dry lips parted.
*Why...*
He blinked slowly, struggling.

*Why isn’t it opening?*
Uijae released the sword hilt, his hands ghostly white from gripping it so hard. Slowly, color began to return to them—a sign that he was still alive. He glanced around.
Everything was white and red.

Everything was still.
Everything was dead.

And in that moment, when he realized that, the feeling that overwhelmed him was...
*I want to go back.*
Cold sweat dripped down his face. He felt like he was going to throw up. Uijae raised his head. The ghostly white sky was blindingly bright. He squinted, barely able to endure it. Soon, a tear traced a line down his dry cheek.

*I want to live...*
It was a devastating loneliness.
---

A dull ache jolted him back to the present. Uijae snapped out of his daze, realizing that black fingers were tracing a line down the back of his hand, leaving thin red marks. Uijae looked up. Sayoung was watching him, his face still contorted as if he might cry at any moment.
Their eyes met. His heart, which had been pounding anxiously, seemed to settle for a moment before beating even faster.
The reason Uijae had been able to find his way when he’d been dropped into an unfamiliar place, the reason he hadn’t lost his way like a kite without a string, was because...

The hand covering his gently rubbed his fingers, almost urging him on. There had been days when even this small warmth had been something he longed for.
Because after the rift, my entire life has revolved around you. And that made me...
"Happy."

"......"
"So, don’t cry..."
As he let out those heavy words, Uijae felt a weight lift off his chest. He exhaled softly and rested his forehead against Sayoung’s shoulder.

With a soft thud, the shopping bag fell to the ground.
As if waiting for the cue,
 a large hand cradled the back of his neck, fingers rubbing his nape in a soothing gesture. Another hand slipped around his waist, holding him close. Uijae’s shoulders trembled involuntarily. He inhaled sharply. Goosebumps prickled his skin as a sudden heat rushed to his head. Ah, wait.

*This isn’t right.*
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Was it the heat? His mind felt jumbled, making it hard to think clearly. His instincts screamed to be closer, while his rational mind pushed back. His hand twitched. His whole body was hot. Then, something wet touched the rim of his ear.
"I suppose I could use some more advice..."

A sharp pain pricked his ear.
"H-hey, what are you doing?!"
Uijae tried to shrink back, but the hand gripping his neck held him in place, making it impossible to move. It felt like he was trapped in a fiery prison called Lee Sayoung. A low chuckle reached his ears, followed by the feeling of a tongue licking his ear. Uijae barely held back a cry.

"How was it?"
"W-what was?"
"My acting."

"What?"
Uijae’s eyes widened as he jerked back. Pulling away was easier than he expected, and only then did he see Sayoung’s face clearly. The sorrowful, teary expression was completely gone, replaced by a wicked smile. His eyes, which had been rimmed with red, were perfectly fine.
Sayoung stuck out his black tongue.

"Got you."
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
Uijae gritted his teeth and pushed Sayoung’s body away.

"Get off!"
"Why are you so mad, hyung?"
The arms that had momentarily loosened their grip wrapped around his waist again. Sayoung’s firm thigh slipped between his legs, lifting Uijae’s body slightly. Sayoung brought his lips to the chin of Uijae’s mask.

"Especially after such a passionate confession."
 
 

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TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!