The Hunter's Gonna Lay Low-Chapter 234

"Revenge is best when you know exactly why you're doing it, isn't it?"

Sayeong's tone was as casual as if he were discussing the weather, as though it meant nothing to him. But a small question began to form in Uijae's mind. Was he serious? Uijae carefully studied Sayeong's face. There was no trace of a smile in his narrow eyes. And yet...

"I only have bad feelings left. I don’t even remember what happened."

To have no memory but still hold onto the remnants of those feelings meant that the pain and emotions were deeply ingrained in his body. The suffering and the rage were still there.

‘There's no way he's okay.’

When you don’t remember something from your past, it often leaves a scar, a burden you can’t release. It's an unresolved weight you carry through life, no matter how much time passes. Uijae knew this better than anyone—he had told himself over and over that he was fine, but deep down, he wasn't.

Thud. His chest felt heavy, as if weighed down by a great burden. He knew they needed to talk. Uijae reached out and grabbed Sayeong by the arm.

"You..."

But before Uijae could finish, Sayeong had already taken out his phone, ignoring Uijae’s gaze, and was now looking at Ivan, who was nervously biting his nails. Sayeong smiled brightly at him.

"I guess it's fine if I make the call, right? Since J's phone is acting up."

"...."

"I’ll take that as a yes."

With his blackened fingers, Sayeong pressed the call button.

---

**A little earlier, at the Awakened Bureau.**

"Yes, yes... understood. I will make sure to submit additional reports on that. Yes."

Click. A firm hand placed the receiver down. Ham Seokjeong frowned slightly and pressed her hand to her temple. A hunter nearby, who had been taking calls as well, put a hand over the receiver and spoke to her with concern.

"Director, maybe you should take a short break...?"

"...."

Ham Seokjeong nodded slowly and used her cane to stand up. Her knee throbbed more than usual today. She left the monitoring room, carefully avoiding the bustling corridors filled with people running around. She headed for her office, which was tucked away in a quieter part of the building. Leaning her head against the cool concrete wall, she let out a short sigh.

The frequency of unidentified monster appearances had decreased, and things had calmed down somewhat, thanks to cooperation with the private guilds. But immediately after that, an endless stream of phone calls had started pouring in. Most of them were from higher-ups. She had expected it, and she handled it with ease—except for one person.

A voice, slick with arrogance, echoed in her mind.

"Let’s avoid using the word ‘apocalypse’ in the reports. Just say it’s another gate overload, like the one at the West Sea Rift. That should do, right?"

Nonsense.

"Director Ham, Director Ham," the voice tutted, as if scolding her.

"It accelerates the more people know about it, doesn’t it? That whole apocalypse thing? It’s better to control the flow of information. You’ve got enough on your plate already, Director. Let us handle the media. Everyone should stick to what they do best, right? I’m offering to help here."

Bullshit.

"Spreading unnecessary panic will only make things worse. You need to learn when to cover things up."

"What do you plan to say in the announcement?"

"Ha, why even ask? We’ll just say there was a gate overload but it’s been taken care of, and of course, J came to the rescue again! Nothing to worry about. I mean, who else has a name as powerful as his?"

"..."

Ah.

These foolish, clueless people.

Ham Seokjeong clenched her fist, her fingernails digging into the wall. She tried to calm her breathing, but her irritation refused to subside. Listening to those who had never set foot in the field or experienced what an Awakened person goes through, as they spoke as if they understood, made her blood boil.

What do they know? People who can't even lift a finger in a crisis are running their mouths! And J? Do they think he’s some sort of magic key? Her eyes widened with rage, and her internal thoughts grew increasingly aggressive.

‘I should take this opportunity to clean house...’

"Director?"

"...."

Ham Seokjeong slowly turned her head. Standing a few steps away was Jeongbin, looking slightly awkward. He was only three steps away. Ham Seokjeong closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting go of the wall. Broken pieces of concrete fell to the floor. Jeongbin handed her a handkerchief, which she accepted with a nod. After wiping her hands, she elegantly brushed her hair back and asked,

"When did you get here?"

"I just arrived. Lord Hong Yesung found the meeting room too boring and kept complaining, so I brought him to the office. On the way here, I noticed the monster situation seems to have stabilized somewhat..."

"Yes. For some reason, the number of monsters suddenly dropped drastically. We’re now just cleaning up. You arrived at a good time."

"If it’s alright with you, I can take over from here."

Given the dust and dirt on his normally pristine black suit, it was clear the journey hadn’t been easy, especially with that troublesome nobleman in tow. Ham Seokjeong patted Jeongbin’s shoulder.

"I’m fine. But could you take over the command for now? I need to have some... discussions with our superiors."

"Of course."

Even thinking about it again made her sick. She couldn’t let them get away with this. This apocalypse was far from over, and they needed to be dealt with before they caused more problems.

"Then—"

At that moment, her phone rang. Probably another call from one of the higher-ups. Annoyed, Ham Seokjeong answered the phone without even checking the caller ID.

"Yes, this is Director Ham of the Awakened Bureau."

―Why so formal all of a sudden?

Ham Seokjeong’s eyes narrowed. That lazy tone, that cheeky voice. It was undoubtedly Lee Sayeong.

"You seem even more insolent since you woke up. What do you want?"

―Ah... nothing much.

In the background, she could hear faint voices. Soon after, a distorted voice came closer to the phone.

―Director, it’s J. I’m at the Prometheus base right now.

"...What? Wait, what did you just say?"

Ham Seokjeong quickly readjusted her grip on the phone. The Prometheus base? They had been searching for it for so long, without success. Hearing bits of the conversation, Jeongbin’s face showed signs of shock. The distorted voice continued.

―A man named Ivan here suggested that since both of us want to stop the apocalypse, Prometheus and the Awakened Bureau should collaborate. He asked me to pass the message to you.

"..."

―Uh, I’m just relaying the message. You can reject it if you want.

The sound of fingers cracking [N O V E L I G H T] came through the line, a clear signal that J was ready to destroy the base if needed. Ham Seokjeong’s mind raced.

Now that the apocalypse was becoming a reality, the Bureau had to prioritize dealing with it. The goal was to save as many people as possible.

That meant, unfortunately, there was no time or resources left to address individual Awakened ones disappearing.

The faces of guild leaders from the recent meeting flashed through her mind. The faces of the missing hunters, too, from the reports she had read. How many of them were still alive? Perhaps none.

The primary duty of the Awakened was to protect civilians. But who protects the Awakened? When one went missing, most people assumed they died in some dungeon or other. If they were kidnapped or enslaved somewhere, it was seen as their own fault for being weak. They were even mocked for it. Those in guilds at least had people searching for them...

Perhaps it would be better to cooperate with Prometheus and find out the whereabouts of the captured hunters. Ham Seokjeong lifted her gaze to Jeongbin, who was watching her anxiously.

"J."

―Yes, Director?

"If I agree to cooperate, would you be disappointed?"

Jeongbin’s expression darkened. Ham Seokjeong closed her eyes.

"Would you lose faith in me?"

―No.

"..."

―I trust you, Director.

Ham Seokjeong let out a short sigh.

"Whether we cooperate or not, we need to meet with them. They seem willing to negotiate, so let’s arrange a meeting as soon as possible."

―Understood.

The call ended abruptly. Ham Seokjeong handed her phone to Jeongbin.

"Track the origin of that call."

"Yes."

Jeongbin answered briefly but didn’t move. A shadow of concern lingered on his usually calm face. He fidgeted with the phone before cautiously asking,

"...Director, will you really cooperate with them?"

"I don’t know yet. We’ll see when we meet."

"The guild leaders from earlier will strongly oppose this."

"That’s unavoidable... It’s something I’ll have to bear."

Ham Seokjeong glanced at the wall she had damaged. She murmured quietly,

"To save more lives... we may have to make a deal with the enemy."