The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

There are days in life when you wake up in the morning and feel like crap from the moment you open your eyes. Today was one of those days for Ui-jae.

We all have days like that, when we wake up and think, ‘I shouldn’t be so lucky…’ You wake up to the sound of sparrows and the warmth of the sunshine. The kind of day where you roll out of bed as soon as you wake up, crying at the front door because you bought new shoes and forgot to tie your laces, even though you’re already running late. The day you fall backwards and break your nose.

Cha Ui-jae hadn’t felt such an ominous premonition in a long time. He pulled out his phone and called his AI assistant.

“Nexby, search for today’s horoscope.”

-Search for today’s horoscope.

His AI assistant began to recite Cha Ui-jae’s horoscope in a flat voice.

-Even a falling leaf can injure you, so you need to be careful and cautious in everything you do. There are dangers around every corner that threaten you. Don’t take anything for granted, and check carefully.

“Is this a horoscope or a murder warning…?”

Contrary to Ui-jae’s desire to lighten the mood, Nexby continued to deliver a chilling horoscope.

-You’d better be careful and keep a low profile today, there’s a chance of a sweet encounter in the afternoon, so why don’t you go out for a while?

It’s a long story, but to sum it up in one line: ‘Your horoscope is rubbish today.’

On days when my S-rank intuition and fortune-telling were spot-on, I usually got away with it. This is going to be a wild day. I’ll have to be careful…. Ui-jae stood up, stretched, and made a mental note to himself.

But there was something Ui-jae had overlooked… No matter how careful and prepared you are, fate will always find you.

Like the disastrous arrival of Lee Sa-young at the shop today!

“Hello, hyung.”

The low, relaxed voice was familiar. Maybe it was because the first meeting with him had been so intense.

Ui-jae stiffened, holding the teapot. He didn’t want to believe his ears, but there was no way his S-rank hearing could have failed to discern the man. Besides, the physical sight matched the image in his head perfectly.

A gas masked figure, a head taller than the others, stood stiffly with his hands shoved in his pockets, looking this way.

“I received hyung’s letter.”

“…….”

“Yeah…. You’re wearing a different apron today.”

“…….”

“It looks good on you.”

The eyes that met through the lenses of the gas mask were as excited as a cat with a toy in front of it.

It wasn’t just Ui-jae that was shocked by Sa-young’s arrival. The moment the man in the gas mask opened the door and walked in. As if the entire store had been cursed with a slowdown, everyone’s heads slowly turned towards the door.

And then, as if someone had pressed the pause button, everyone’s faces went cold. The hunters were known for their assertiveness, but for this moment, they were silent.

‘Why did you come out…?’

Then someone spoke up like a sigh.

“Shit….”

‘Why did you come to a shabby place all of a sudden?’

‘Is he the type to who eat outside? Doesn’t he never eat outside? Isn’t he the one who doesn’t show up in crowded places in the first place?’

‘Yes, he does eat out sometimes, but why is he here!’

‘Is your life a little boring? Why did you come to such a shabby store? There are many other expensive and good restaurants?’

If an electronic thermometer could measure the temperature of the hunters’ burning eyes, it would have been well over 100 degrees. If you held a pot of water up in the air, it would have boiled over and melted the pot.

And in the centre of it all stood Cha Ui-jae, who was more horrified than anyone else, but managing to keep a straight face.

[Trait Pokerface (B) is active]

Luckily, he had a trait to help him manage his facial expressions. He was never more grateful for this than today. Leaving the facial expression management to the trait, he quickly scanned his surroundings to find the source of the problem. And just in time, a figure caught his eye….

“T, the table over there… Shall we go sit down? Haha.”

It was Bae Won-woo who came into the store when the haejang-guk was almost done. He looked around with a face that had done something irreversible like a man who spilled malatang on a white carpet. As soon as Bae Won-woo appeared, the hunters’ stinging eyes went straight to him.

For the hunters, it was as if a poisonous meteorite had fallen into the restaurant where they were having a good meal!

He walked straight to the centre of the Haejang-guk, ignoring the hunters glaring at him and Bae Won-woo’s bitter face. There was a hunter in the middle of the restaurant who had just finished eating three bowls of haejang-guk and was getting up from his seat, and when he backed away with a yelp, Lee Sa-young sat down as if it was his reserved seat.

Ui-jae, who was furrowing his brow at the appearance of a maniac who deserved to be kicked out with a ladle, said.

“Sir, I haven’t cleared the table yet, so if you want to sit somewhere else, you can….”

“No.”

Lee Sa-young replied nonchalantly, crossing his long legs and clasping his hands in his lap.

“Please take your time, I like this seat, I can see the TV.”

“Oh, yeah….”

I don’t want you watching that little brown tube TV.

’The customer is king,’ he reminded himself, and calmed himself. If there was a scuffle, it wouldn’t be surprising if the whole street was blown up, let alone the shop saved.

Showing displeasure here would be digging your own grave and opening the coffin. Moreover, a part-time worker at Haejang-guk house, who knows Lee Sa-young, is suspicious from the start!

Cha Ui-jae had no choice but to clear the table where Lee Sa-young was sitting, and took out a ballpoint pen and a bill from his apron pocket. Lee Sa-young, who was staring at him, asked innocently.

“Do you have a menu here?”

Bae Won-woo looked at him in frustration. I told you before you came in, you bastard. There’s only one dish, haejang-guk….

Ui-jae replied briefly.

“Haejang-guk.”

“Is that all you have?”

“Yes. Only haejang-guk.”

“Hey man, I told you they only sell one kind of soup here.”

The lesser Bae Won-woo interjected as if to stop him, but Sa-young looked around the shop and continued.

“Is one haejang-guk enough for you?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, you also sell gonggeotbap and soju, but that’s not a meal.”

“If you’re going to complain about side dishes, please leave.”

“Oh, ahaha, we’ll just have two bowls of haejang-guk, please.”

Bae Won-woo intervened, his voice a little louder than before. Ui-jae took a deep breath and swiped a 2 across the bill. He stared at Bae Won-woo wordlessly for three seconds.

Bae Won-woo. A regular customer with a sign in the shop. He stamped in almost every day for lunch and dinner, and was one of the regulars who emptied at least three pots every time he came in. He didn’t want to blame anyone for the gas mask and the unwelcome reunion, but for a moment he wanted to point the arrow at him.

Feeling Ui-jae’s icy gaze, Bae Won-woo quickly averted his eyes and fixed his gaze on the table. He gulped down the cold water needlessly.

‘…Think of me as a regular.’

Ui-jae headed for the kitchen, wishing he could punch the watering can. He knew it wouldn’t make a difference, but he couldn’t help but feel a surge of irritation in the face of the large bomb that had suddenly exploded.

‘Phew, the water already spilled.’

After escaping from the rift and falling into the future eight years later, he’s developed a knack for resignation. Glaring at Bae Won-woo won’t make Lee Sa-young disappear, and he’s still a paying customer whether he likes it or not. Ui-jae calmed down with that thought.

Okay, that’s it. After finishing the mind control, Ui-jae put the two bowls on the stove. He hoped that the bastard would behave himself, at least for the short time he was boiling the haejang-guk.

After a while, it was a deserted haejang-guk house that greeted the good part-timer Cha Ui-jae.

To be exact, the tables around Lee Sa-young were empty in a circle. On the table where the customer left, there was a crumpled bill, and some people were pacing around in front of the checkout counter to see if they were just waiting forUi-jae to pay.

In the midst of all this chaos, only Lee Sa-young sat in silence.

‘Shit, what kind of typhoon eye are you?’

Panicked, Ui-jae looked out the door with his bowl of haejang-guk. In the distance, he could see the backs of the customers, who had just been inhaling haejang-guk, scurrying away.

“Hey!”

“It was delicious-!!!”

Ui-jae, who had set the haejang-guk down on a tray, ran after them, but the hunters replied in a loud voice, and they disappeared. It was so fast, it was like running away from a monster in a dungeon.

Staring at the empty alleyway in disbelief, he looked away. In front of the shop door, hunters stood like barnacles against the wall, waiting for an opening.

Inside the shop. He pointed to an empty seat.

“It’s empty, come in. We’ll sort you out in a minute.”

But one by one, they flailed their hands in the air.

”It’s okay, I’m not really hungry.”

Rumble.

I don’t think your stomach thinks so. But queue number one was determined. He clenched his fists and cried out desperately.

“I can wait a little longer!”

Sure you can…. As Ui-jae looked at queue number two, a hunter, who was standing second, angrily pulled out his mobile phone and held it to his ear. After a moment’s hesitation, he spoke in a squeaky voice as if reading from a Korean language book.

“Oh, right! Team leader, that was up to today! Look at my mind, I forgot! Yes, I’ll be there soon!”

He even had the nerve to finish with a rap, having spoken in staccato earlier.

The second hunter made a gesture to block the speaker and whispered to Ui-jae.

”Oh no, I’m in the queue! I’m afraid I’ll have to run your errand first and then eat… I’ve been a bit rushed lately. I’m fine, please let everyone else in first.”

However, the screen of the mobile phone, which had been switched on again due to the activation of the proximity sensor, did not have the phone number entered, but the wallpaper was still visible. If you’re going to play a trick, at least try to dial the number…. Ui-jae looked at the waiting number with cold eyes.

The hunter who was standing third, was expressionless, so he seemed to be quite calm in this situation. Then I can take this customer. As Ui-jae stared at him with that thought, the hunter opened his mouth.

“If that bastard goes, can you call me? I’ll give you my number, 010…”

Cancelled. Not calm at all.

As the unprecedented denial of admission unfolded, the suspicion that had been brewing in his mind turned to certainty. Surely that bastard had somehow managed to track him down with the ladle and apron he’d seen that night. After failing to refill a customer’s order for the first time since he started working at Haejang-guk, Ui-jae went back into the shop, grabbed the boiling pot, and headed for Lee Sa-young’s table.

Can I call 112 for business interruption, but what if it’s a hunter who’s causing the ruckus? Can I call the Awakening Management Bureau and they’ll catch him?

“Sir.”

Ui0jae slammed a steaming pot of haejang-guk down on the table.

“Here are the two bowls of haejang-guk you ordered.”

And even after serving, he stood still and did not move. No matter how conceptual you are, you won’t eat with a gas mask on. It was when Ui-jae was staring at Lee Sa-young with a suspicious face, asking to see the shameless stranger.

A black-gloved hand went to his face, and he slowly removed his gas mask and set it down on the table. His violet eyes shone sharply from beneath his slightly disheveled bangs. He’d been watching him the whole time, too, and their gazes immediately locked.

“You’re going to get my face cut off.”

Somehow, he couldn’t take his eyes off him. Just like the night he first met him in the alley.