The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

A scream echoed in the distance. After the scream faded, a faint whistle could be heard. Scream, whistle, scream, whistle, "help me," whistle. The whistling sound grew closer. The man glanced nervously at the door while frantically tearing up the papers scattered on his desk.
But there were too many documents for one person to destroy. Damn it! He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

At that moment—
Knock, knock, knock.
There was a polite knock at the door. It had finally come. The man swallowed hard and clutched the button in his pocket.

"...Who is it?"
"Me? Just a guest~," answered a cheerful, low voice. It was a voice the man had never heard before in this place. Pressing himself against the wall, he positioned his finger over the button. Then, a higher-pitched voice interrupted.
"What's the point of talking? Just open it."

"They could be insane, or it could be a monster. You have to check if they're thinking straight."
"Hah…."
"Well, since it seems we can communicate…."

Gritting his teeth, the man pressed the button.
Beep—
Screech!

As soon as the button was pressed, the door slammed open, and something flew through the air. The man's eyes widened in shock. As the tension in his body suddenly released, he felt something warm trickling down the side of his head. He reached up to his ear—no, to the spot where his ear had been. Agonizing pain shot through him.
"Ah, ah, ah…."
The man collapsed, curling up on the floor, howling like a wounded animal.

Two figures stood at the doorway. A man in a white long coat, standing at an angle with his hands in his pockets, and a woman in a black leather jacket, her face obscured by a cap and mask. The woman pulled her mask down to her chin, revealing a twisted smirk. She spoke in a sharp, biting voice.
"Can you clean up more neatly? What if blood splashes on the documents?"
"You're always nagging…."

"If you're hired, you should listen to your employer."
"Sorry~? I only listen to employers who respect my freedom."
"You know how much you were paid. How about earning that money?"
"Oh, right. Hmm, I guess I could…."

The man who had thrown the object raised both hands in surrender.
"Oops! I meant to throw it as a warning, but I guess I hit him~"
"Hah… what if he dies from excessive blood loss?"

"Cutting off one ear won’t kill him~ I've tried it all before. Anyway…."
Between the man's cries, there was the grinding sound of something groaning. The man in the white coat jerked his chin toward a corner of the room.
"Need help with that?"

"No thanks. Just spray some potion on him."
"You’re so generous."
In a flash, the woman in black disappeared from view. There was a bright flash of light, followed by the sharp splatter of blood across the white walls. Meanwhile, the man in the long coat staggered over as if he were drunk.

He yanked the bloody hatchet from the wall and crouched in front of the trembling researcher. Blood dripped from the axe.
With a pop, he opened a potion bottle and grabbed the researcher by the hair.
"Take your hand away~"

"Ugh…."
"If I were you, I’d listen before you lose more than your ear."
The researcher’s blood-soaked hand dropped hurriedly. The man poured the entire bottle of potion over the researcher’s severed ear. The bleeding stopped quickly, and the creature's cries faded.

Moments later, the woman emerged from the shadows, her appearance unchanged except for a single drop of blood on her cheek. She flicked her rapier to shake off the blood and asked in a clenched voice,

"How many people have you kidnapped to perform these experiments?"
"……."

"Look here~"
A hand suddenly appeared in the researcher’s vision, snapping its fingers in front of him. He looked up at the man in terror. The man pulled back his hood, revealing his disheveled pale-blue hair, which glowed under the lights. The researcher’s eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wh-why are you here…?"

The man’s gray eyes curved like a crescent moon as he propped his chin on his hand. It was none other than Gyu-Gyu, grinning wickedly.
"Well, I’m here for the money~? I’ll do anything for a price, you know."
His bloodstained boots stepped closer as the woman pressed the handle of her rapier against the researcher’s back.

"You’ve got time to talk?"
"Okay, okay, I get it~"
Gyu-Gyu grabbed the researcher’s face with one hand, lifting his brow toward the woman.

"So, what are we supposed to find out?"
The woman yanked off her cap, and her black hair spilled down like a waterfall, streaked with golden strands. Her bright brown eyes gleamed sharply. It was Honeybee.
"Find out everything you can about the drug they’ve been giving to Mattaeus."

She paused for a moment and then shook her head.
"Actually, it doesn’t even have to be about the drug. Get every piece of information out of him."
"That’s pretty broad~"

"Based on what we’ve seen inside, these guys are the ones creating the mutants. I want every last detail."
"Well, that sounds kind of fun."
"Spare…."

Crack. Blood vessels popped as Gyu-Gyu’s hand tightened around the researcher’s face. The man let out a pathetic cry, muffled by Gyu-Gyu’s grip. Gyu-Gyu’s gray eyes gleamed as his lips curled upward.
"Please don’t cry. And don’t spit on me either… I’ve got a bit of a cleanliness issue~"
“Mmph, mmph!”

"Keep screaming, and I won’t be able to stop my strength, okay?"
"……."
"Good, that’s a good boy."

With a wide smile, Gyu-Gyu relaxed his grip slightly and turned to Honeybee.
"But you know my ability, right?"
"I know."

"And you’re aware there’s no guarantee I’ll find what you want, right?"
"I know that too. Do it."
Honeybee perched on the edge of the desk and picked up one of the torn documents. As she pieced it together, she let out a dry laugh and glared coldly down at the researcher.

"If you can’t get it out of him, there are plenty more we can ask."
"Scary~"
Gyu-Gyu’s grinning face moved closer to the tear-filled eyes of the researcher.

"Well, I guess I’ll give it a try."
"……."
"I’m starting to get curious too…."

Gyu-Gyu pulled something out of his pocket—a ten-sided die. He placed it on his thumbnail and flicked it into the air like a coin. The die spun in the air as Gyu-Gyu clasped his hands together, closing his eyes.
"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…."
He prayed at breakneck speed.

"...For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever."
As the die spun slower and slower, Gyu-Gyu whispered, "Amen."
The die finally dropped to the floor and rolled, coming to a stop against the researcher’s leg.

6.
Gyu-Gyu sighed, scratching his messy hair. As his hand lowered, his nails grew long and sharp, resembling those of a beast.
"I even went to church this month. Some luck I have."

"What did you roll?" Honeybee asked.
"Yeah~... what should I do?"
"What else can you do?"

Honeybee crossed her legs.
"Do what you’re best at. That’s what I paid you # Nоvеlight # for, right?"
"Ah, right…."

With a rough grip, Gyu-Gyu clamped his hand over the researcher’s mouth and lifted him off the floor. The researcher dangled in the air, his head hanging as sharp fangs glistened from Gyu-Gyu’s sneer. His gray eyes narrowed wickedly. Crack, the researcher’s pinky snapped. The scream was muffled by Gyu-Gyu’s hand.
"If you don’t want to feel more pain, you’d better start talking. I’ll go finger by finger…."
 

1st place and 2nd place’s secret relationship.
The scandal between the top two Hunters, which had shaken the entire country, subsided faster than expected. It was thanks to the intervention of the information broker known as *Godeungeo* (Mackerel).
Godeungeo had scattered all sorts of rumors, diluting the truth with falsehoods. Since it was Godeungeo who had sown the seeds, it was also Godeungeo’s responsibility to clean up the mess. Godeungeo would often preach about the freedom of the press, but in the face of J’s menacing threats, Godeungeo proved quite spineless.

“When did freedom of the press start covering fabrications, huh?”
“It’s not fabrication, boss! This is fact! How do you explain the handprints on the Guild Master’s neck?”
"What do you think? They got there because of this!" 

"Ahhh! Ugh!"
The stories about Lee Sayoung having handprints on his neck, or how the two seemed unusually close, or how they were acting suspiciously intimate—these tales spread through the Hunter net, anonymous forums, and word of mouth, becoming urban legends.
Despite the scandal surrounding 1st and 2nd place cooling down, a sense of unease lingered. The Awakener Management Bureau was grappling with the growing number of missing low-level Hunters. Despite issuing multiple warnings advising Hunters not to travel alone and working with guilds to improve safety measures, the disappearances continued to rise.

The very Awakeners who had once been symbols of safety and success were now slowly becoming a new threat—potential time bombs that could mutate at any moment. Of course, for now, it was only a conspiracy theory, but…
"There’s only so much we can do to silence the witnesses."
"……."

Jung Bin tapped his pen on the table and let out a short sigh. More and more people were beginning to recognize that the mutated creatures were once Hunters. His brown eyes were filled with concern.
"This is getting complicated…."
"Ah, that’s right!"

Someone suddenly raised their hand, their face lighting up with excitement.
"I just met J! What if we asked him for help?"
"J?"

"Yes, he came by the Awakener Management Bureau just a short while ago."
"Well, in that case…."
"No."

A firm voice cut off the conversation. For once, Jung Bin’s usual smile was gone. His team members exchanged glances, sensing the change in his mood. The smile returned just as quickly, but he intertwined his fingers and spoke with finality.
"J is busy with other matters."
---

Steam rose from the white coffee cup. Ham Seokjeong, the bureau director, enjoyed brewing coffee himself in the office. When Uijae used to visit with his aunt, he would always be given a cup, though he never drank it. Still, it had felt comforting at the time.
His aunt would scold Seokjeong for offering coffee to a child, while Seokjeong would joke that Uijae was old enough for it.
Those visits were a thing of the past now.

Instead of taking the seat of honor, Uijae sat across from Ham Seokjeong, quietly observing him. The once-black hair now had streaks of white, and his face bore the marks of time and scars.
Strangely, it was during moments like these that Uijae truly felt the passage of time. Since Cha Uijae hadn’t aged in eight years, it was only by looking at others that he noticed time’s effect—whether it was Jung Bin, Ham Seokjeong, Song Joheon, or even Lee Sayoung.
Clink. Ham Seokjeong set his cup down. A faint smile crossed his sharp eyes.

"It’s been a while."