The Hunter's Gonna Lay Low-Chapter 129

At 2 p.m., a polished shoe stepped onto the ground without stirring a single speck of dust. A wide, gaping space in the middle of the long stone wall bore a signboard that read: *Bogukmun*.

Once a common route for hikers ascending Bukhansan Mountain, Bogukmun had been closed off to the public ever since Hong Yeseong took residence in the Artisan Village. Using restoration work as an excuse, he had blocked off access to the surrounding area. Jung Bin retrieved a yellow talisman from the inside pocket of his suit and confidently stepped into the wide-open space beneath the stone wall.

Soon, the scenery completely changed. Past several layers of golden ropes, there was a neatly trimmed lawn, a giant kiln off to one side, and a thatched cottage in the distance. This was the secluded area where Hong Yeseong had been exiled, deep within Bukhansan.

Jung Bin ducked under the golden ropes and entered the space. Birds chirped melodiously in the clear air.

“Hong Yeseong. Are you here?”

"...Ugh?"

A brown lump that had been sprawled out on the wooden floor like a slime slowly lifted its head. Despite not having been in exile for long, Hong Yeseong already looked like a mess. Wearing a green tracksuit, he rolled over and blinked at Jung Bin. His dull eyes sparkled briefly.

“Is my exile over already?!”

“No.”

Jung Bin curtly replied, clasping his hands behind his back.

“I came to ask you some questions. Do you have time for a quick conversation?”

“Eh... I'm busy.”

Hong Yeseong groaned and sluggishly shifted his position. Jung Bin raised an eyebrow.

“Were you not just lying there like a slime a moment ago?”

“That was part of my deep contemplation, government official.”

“This is...”

Jung Bin sighed loudly for emphasis, then pulled out a warm box of chicken from his inventory and held it halfway out.

“If you’re that busy, I guess I’ll have to give this chicken to the Awakener Management Bureau team instead. What a shame.”

“...”

“I suppose I could share it with—”

“No!”

Hong Yeseong sprang to his feet, hastily slipping on his slippers and rushing across the yard. He crouched down conspiratorially and whispered urgently.

“Hurry, hide it before the chickens see!”

“So... your urgent matters have been resolved?”

“Yes, yes, now hurry!”

Pushing Jung Bin toward the thatched house, Hong Yeseong quickly ushered him inside, shutting the door with a loud slam. He pressed his ear against the door, listening for any signs of movement outside, before letting out a sigh of relief.

“Phew, that was close.”

“Then, let me ask you a few things.”

“Where’s the chicken?”

“I’ll give it to you after you answer.”

“Tch.”

Hong Yeseong clicked his tongue in disappointment, but Jung Bin ignored him. Instead, he pulled out the necklace he had brought and held it up.

“This necklace... It looks like something you made. Is that correct?”

"...Hmm? What's this?”

Hong Yeseong squinted, staring at the necklace. His brow furrowed as if he couldn’t recall it. Jung Bin pointed to the initials engraved on the pendant.

“HYS. You engraved this, didn’t you?”

"...Ah! Oh, right! I did make that."

Nodding vigorously, Hong Yeseong scratched his chin, as if trying to jog his memory.

“That student wearing those pajama-like pants picked up some kind of fragment from a golem. A fragment, fragment... what was it again? Anyway, she kept fidgeting with it, so before you guys took her to the Seowon Guild, I made it into a necklace for her.”

His face gleamed with pride, as if he were expecting praise. But the flood of information in that single sentence made Jung Bin close his eyes briefly to process it all.

“A fragment... You mean, a fragment of the world?”

“Yep! That’s right. It looked like this... Although, it seems to have changed a bit since then.”

Hong Yeseong pointed to the white piece of stone on the necklace. At first glance, it appeared to be an ordinary stone, but now it was clear this was more than just a simple decoration. Could it be that the fragment of the world didn’t only appear in Yun Gaeul’s dreams? Jung Bin stared at the necklace, a growing sense of urgency settling in. This situation was far more complicated than he had thought.

“By any chance, did J mention anything to you about the rifts or the reconfigured dungeons? If you can contact him, that would be ideal, but I doubt that’s possible...”

“Of course, I can contact him!”

“Excuse me?”

“I said, I can get in touch with J!”

Jung Bin blinked in disbelief. The answer had been so confident, so matter-of-fact. What on earth had happened that he wasn’t aware of? He stared at Hong Yeseong, mouth slightly agape. Hong Yeseong, grinning suspiciously, wiggled his eyebrows.

“You want to know how? I bet you do!”

Actually, he didn’t. He couldn’t care less about the nature of their friendship.

“...”

Though, in reality, he was very curious. Just how did J end up being connected not only to Lee Sayoung but also to Hong Yeseong? Why? Where had they met? Why, of all people, did J form ties with these two notoriously difficult Ranker Hunters? Jung Bin was genuinely concerned about his former colleague J’s choice of associates.

But asking would only inflate Hong Yeseong’s ego, so Jung Bin held his tongue with great restraint. Sensing that his attempts to provoke interest had failed, Hong Yeseong drooped like a disappointed puppy.

“Fine, you’re not curious? Really?”

“...Just contact him, please.”

“Tch.”

Pouting like a duck, Hong Yeseong opened the door a crack and called out into the yard.

“Cluck! Cluck! Come here!”

Perched on a roost, a large white chicken raised its head. Its round, shiny body gleamed in the sunlight. Cupping his hands around his mouth, Hong Yeseong shouted:

“Go to J! Once you reach him, activate your communicator!”

“Cluck...”

“I know it’s hard. I get it. It’s a tough climb up here. But please, just do it this once, okay?”

“Cluck.”

The chicken hopped down from its perch, waddling sadly toward the gate. Could this really work? Jung Bin skeptically watched the chicken’s retreating form. Just then, Hong Yeseong clapped his hands, as if he had just remembered something important.

“Oh, right! I made some sikhye. Want to try some?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be working? And this really isn’t the time for—”

“Come on, just try it.”

In no time, Hong Yeseong rushed back from the kitchen, holding a transparent plastic bottle filled with sikhye. He poured a generous amount into a paper cup and handed it to Jung Bin. Reluctantly, Jung Bin accepted the cup and took a sip. His eyes widened.

It was delicious.

“Good, right? I knew it! Maybe I should sell sikhye once I retire.”

Jung Bin remained silent, sipping his drink.

‘Please don’t waste your skills on this...’

---

At 3 p.m., Uijae was sweeping the floor of the restaurant as usual. After he had gathered the dust, he straightened up and let out a deep sigh.

Earlier that morning, after Gaeul’s fragment disappeared, Uijae had woken up in his small room. The voice, filled with tears, seemed like nothing but a dream. He had stared at the dark ceiling, blinking slowly, unsure if what he had experienced was real or not. Then, when he went to move, he felt something in his hand.

It was the white fragment stained with black ink, proof that it hadn’t been just a dream.

“...”

He didn’t know the exact details, but he knew one thing: he wanted to save Yun Gaeul. He understood too well what it felt like to be alone in a place where no one could reach you. But even though Gaeul had gone to a destroyed world, Uijae wasn’t sure what to do with the fragment she had left behind. No matter how much energy he infused into it, the shard only flickered sporadically.

At that moment, something knocked at the door.

Uijae swung the door open, but there was no one there. Then, looking down, he saw a familiar round white figure staring up at him. Uijae smiled warmly.

“Cluck!”

But instead of the usual cooing, a robotic voice emerged from the bird’s beak.

―Target confirmed. Preparing to establish a connection with Master via the communicator. Stand by.

Uijae blinked in surprise, quickly picking up the bird and shutting the door. Instinctively, he pulled his mask from his inventory and put it on. A few moments later, an all-too-familiar voice came from the bird’s beak.

―...Can you hear me? This is Jung Bin, from the Awakener Management Bureau.

‘Shit.’

Taking a deep breath, Uijae replied in his distorted voice.

“What’s this about?”

―Ah, J. Thank goodness.

Jung Bin’s voice carried a hint of relief.

―I wanted to ask you something. You mentioned that you were responsible for the reconfiguration of the dungeon, correct?

“Yeah, it’s just a theory,

though.”

―Then, do you happen to know anything about the fragment that Gaeul found in the dungeon?

“What?”

Uijae’s eyes widened as Jung Bin’s urgent voice continued.

―Gaeul collapsed. According to Nam Woojin, it seems like her soul was pulled into another world.

As he listened, Uijae took out the shard from his apron pocket, the one Gaeul had left behind in the dream. After Jung Bin finished explaining, Uijae calmly replied.

“I know.”

―What...?

“And I think I know how to bring her back now.”

Uijae stared at the shard as it gleamed faintly in his hand.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility for bringing her back.”

―Wait, J! What do you mean by that?

Ignoring Jung Bin’s frantic calls, Uijae placed the bird back outside. Its beak still echoed with Jung Bin’s shouts. After flipping the "closed" sign on the door and locking it securely, he turned off all the lights in the restaurant.

Honestly, he had been going in circles, avoiding the most straightforward solution.

‘She could die at any moment.’

There was no time to waste. Taking a deep breath, Uijae held the small shard between his thumb and forefinger.

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Then, with a firm squeeze, he crushed the shard. A brilliant light burst forth from his hand.

---

Cha Uijae opened his eyes.

It looked like the hallway of an ordinary home, strangely familiar. A framed photograph of a bright blue ocean hung on the wall.

Warm sunlight streamed through a large window in the living room, softly fluttering the white curtains. He felt an inexplicable sense of safety. All his tension melted away. Uijae took a step forward.

The wooden floor, warm from the sunlight, felt comforting beneath his bare feet. Without thinking, he wiggled his toes as he walked. The sound of movement grew louder as he approached the kitchen.

There, standing at the stove, was a tall young man with his back to him. The rich scent of eggs cooking, the faint heat from a toaster... The figure seemed familiar. Without turning around, the young man spoke.

“Late again, huh, hyung?”

His voice was light, filled with warmth. And oddly familiar. The voice, the curly black hair that covered the back of his neck, his broad shoulders—everything seemed familiar. Wearing a thin white t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the young man moved with ease, his wingspan highlighting his tall frame. There wasn’t a single scar on his skilled hands as they moved about. His shoulder blades stood out under his shirt, with a light blue checkered apron tied in a familiar knot at his waist. Something tightened in Uijae’s chest. Words spilled from his mouth before he could stop them.

“I’ve been up. Just didn’t feel like getting out of bed.”

“You always use that excuse.”

“I’m taking a rare day off. Can’t a guy sleep in?”

The words flowed automatically, as if from a well-worn script. And yet, Uijae didn’t find anything strange about it. He simply let himself sink into the familiar, comforting warmth of this home.

Uijae leaned over, resting his chin on the young man’s broad shoulder. The faint scent of fabric softener filled his nose.

“What are you making? Rolled omelets?”

“Yep.”

“Rolled omelets with toast? Shouldn’t you be making fried eggs instead?”

“For someone who can’t cook, you sure have a lot to say.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Uijae glanced up at the young man’s face. Full lips, slightly curled as if in a perpetual smile, and those familiar long lashes. Dark eyes under the lashes flicked toward Uijae, narrowing playfully.

“Hyung.”

His voice was gentle.

Uijae’s mouth responded on its own.

“Yeah, Sayoung.”