The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Behind his usual gentle smile, there was an odd hint of awkwardness. He covered his mouth with his fist, coughed, and slowly nodded.
"Yes, I saw it."

"So? You know both of them, don’t you?"
"Haha, it’s not really something I can comment on."
Gyu-Gyu bit down on his straw with a wide grin.

"Really? Is there something going on between them? All the Hunters in the world are dying to know."
Jung Bin kept his smile without answering. After eyeing him for a while, Gyu-Gyu shrugged, seemingly bored. He then flung his empty take-out cup behind him with a quick flick.
"So boring."

*Clang—*
A fine crack formed in the air, splitting open to reveal a desolate wasteland covered in white ash. A bright light burst from within, and then everything disintegrated into ash. Gyu-Gyu balanced himself on one leg as he rose from a pile of corpses.
"Oops."

Jung Bin looked around as the rift disappeared. The mountains of monsters around them began to turn to ash, slowly dissipating one by one. The last monster that Gyu-Gyu had been standing on also crumbled into nothingness. He lightly jumped down to the ground, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned his head.
"Maybe I should stop by the fish market... it’s been a while."
Normally, after completing a task, Gyu-Gyu would leave the country without delay. Yet, for some reason, he had lingered in Korea for a while now. The task of tracking J had ended the moment he appeared, and yet... something had clearly changed in him since the Day of Change. That day, when he had pierced through a giant whale in one strike...

Jung Bin, watching Gyu-Gyu's busy movements, finally spoke.
"How have you been?"
"A sudden inquiry about my well-being? I’m just living, you know, surviving."

"I heard you’ve been attending church services every Sunday..."
"Eugh. Where did you hear that?"
"Your photo is prominently displayed on the homepage of your father's church."

Gyu-Gyu—real name Ban Gyumin, son of a pastor, Hunter alias Gyu-Gyu. His photo, plastered on the church’s website, was quite well-known. Jung Bin had to stifle a laugh when he first saw the report from his team. Amidst a group of similarly dressed people, there was Gyu-Gyu, towering over everyone with his awkward smile and a big thumbs-up, even dressed in a choir robe.
"Ugh, I told them not to upload that picture."
Gyu-Gyu scratched his cheek, looking uncharacteristically embarrassed. Jung Bin’s voice was gentle as he added,
"You’re quite the filial son."

"Ugh. If you’ve got something to say, spit it out. I’ve got other places to be."
"Very well. Do you intend to attend the upcoming summit?"
"Wow... is that what you came all this way to ask?"

Gyu-Gyu pretended to retch, sticking his tongue out in mock disgust. He scratched his unruly hair, grumbling as he did.
"Why would I bother going to that? It’s nothing but a hassle. The director is just going to lecture me non-stop."
"But this time the agenda is quite important. Surely you’ve noticed the recent... unsettling atmosphere?"

"......"
Gyu-Gyu just stared at Jung Bin, his smile unwavering. It was clear he was waiting for Jung Bin to show his cards. Jung Bin fiddled with the earpiece in his ear before speaking again.
"Trust in Hunters is diminishing more and more with each passing day. This summit is being held to address that very issue."

"What, are they all going to get together and brainstorm ways to win people over? Hmm..."
After crossing his arms and appearing to ponder for a moment, Gyu-Gyu grinned brightly.
"I'm not going!"

"Are you sure you won’t regret that decision?"
"Yep! I’d rather jump into Lake Baikal than attend that summit."
"That’s unfortunate."

Jung Bin let out an exaggerated sigh, making sure Gyu-Gyu heard it. He then deliberately turned with loud footsteps, muttering loudly enough for Gyu-Gyu to catch.
"They say J is attending the summit in person this time..."
"......"

"I can’t force you to go, of course. Well then, I’ll be off. I need to go pick up Hong Yeseong as well."
He had only taken two steps when—*whoosh!* A slender vine shot out from behind, wrapping around Jung Bin’s wrist. Jung Bin calmly began peeling off the vine, strand by strand, with his other hand.
"Not heading to Lake Baikal anymore?"

"Well, it’s not like I *have* to go there."
The vine playfully brushed against his wrist before a single white flower bloomed at the end. Jung Bin turned to look back. Gyu-Gyu was half-turned, pretending to be focused on his phone, but the vine extended from beneath his feet. Gyu-Gyu looked up and grinned mischievously.
"Just give me the schedule, and I’ll think about it."

---
Cha Uijae blinked through his blurry vision.
Faint figures hurried past him. Once again, he was standing in the hallways of the former Awakeners Management Bureau. He stood in front of a door, his hand reaching for the doorknob. Uijae raised his head and read the nameplate beside the door.

The Director’s Office. Ham Seokjeong’s room.
‘Is this a memory of meeting Ham Seokjeong?’
What kind of information could he gather from their conversation? Hopefully, something that would lead to clues about the apocalypse. His hand hesitated just before grabbing the doorknob. Uijae stepped back.

Next to the director’s office was a black door.
‘Was this door here before?’
This door hadn’t existed in Cha Uijae’s memories. Its sudden appearance was strange and unsettling. There was no nameplate on this new door. Ominous, dark energy leaked from the cracks, a strangely familiar sensation.

‘What is this?’
Someone whispered. "Open the door." Uijae, as if entranced, reached out and grasped the cold doorknob. The chill sent shivers down his spine. Slowly, he turned the knob. *Creak*, the door opened more easily than expected. Uijae peeked inside. It was pitch black.
‘This is strange.’

He had read through "Cha Uijae’s" memories multiple times, but this was the first time something like this had happened. What had changed between then and now?
‘Lee Sayoung woke up...’
Boom. The space shook. A powerful force pushed him through the doorway. Instinctively, he tried to resist, but the force was too strong. He was helplessly shoved into the pitch-black darkness.

*Bang!* The door slammed shut behind him. Uijae stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the void.
‘What the hell? Did I just get pushed that easily?’
When he clenched and opened his fist, he noticed something was off.

‘...Wait a minute?’
The strength he had always relied on was gone. Was this how weak he had been before his awakening? He felt a wave of panic. It was like he had turned into an ant. Uijae stared blankly into the darkness.
Cha Uijae’s voice whispered. "It’s because this isn’t mine."

‘What kind of nonsense is that...’
Suddenly.
In the midst of the nothingness, a voice echoed.

"...You... turned back time?"
The voice was deep and growling, more like an animal than a human. *Creak, creak*, the sound of footsteps on floorboards. *Rattle*, a drawer opened. An old clock floated into the air.
"Then I can turn it back, too..."

---
When he opened his eyes again, Cha Uijae was met by the dark void and a strange gaze.
Before he could make sense of where he was, he quickly jumped up, feeling his face. No mask.

What’s going on? Where am I? The strange gaze continued to track his every move, making no effort to hide its presence. Just as Uijae was about to throw a punch at the unknown entity, a familiar voice spoke.
"There’s no need to be so startled."
It was Lee Sayoung’s voice. *Click*, a button was pressed, and a soft, reddish light filled the room. Squinting, Uijae looked around and realized he was in Lee Sayoung’s room, a place he had been in and out of for months.

In the chair where Uijae usually sat, Sayoung was now lounging with his legs crossed. Feeling Uijae’s gaze, Sayoung uncrossed his arms.
"Looks like I woke you up..."
"......"

"Did you have a good dream?"
"...You."
Uijae stared at Sayoung intently. The shadows across his face flickered, his eyes blinking like mirrors, reflecting everything. Uijae clenched his fists.

"You’re not him."
"Yep. That’s right."
Sayoung agreed easily.

"It’s been two days since you woke up."
"What?"
Two days? That was hard to believe. Uijae wanted to check the time, but there was nothing in the room that could tell him. He had cleared everything out himself. No phone either.

Right, the clock. He raised his wrist, but it was empty.
"Looking for this?"
"......"

Somehow, the clock was now in Lee Sayoung’s hand. His pale fingers toyed with the old timepiece.
"It’s pretty
 old..."

"......"
"Still working, though."
Truth or lie? Uijae stared hard at Sayoung, trying to read something from his face. But Sayoung’s expression revealed nothing, and that was what unnerved Uijae the most. The Lee Sayoung he knew always wore his emotions on his sleeve.

After watching him quietly for a moment, Sayoung tapped his temple with a finger.
"Seemed like you were having a pretty interesting dream."
"......"

"How was it?"
At the end of that long dream, tangled in emptiness, there had been a faint voice. That voice had belonged to Sayoung. He smiled, but it wasn’t a smile of mockery or joy—just a mechanical, emotionless one.