The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

"...I don't quite remember what happened next.

I regained consciousness only after black chains had tightly bound me. Uijae blinked his eyes as he knelt on the hot ground. It was so hot and dry that it was hard to breathe—eyes, nose, mouth, throat. He looked around. A circle of bright red flames surrounded him.

'It's so hot...'

Sweat dripped down his jaw. Ash and sparks flew around. Tick, tick, scarlet sparks landed right in front of his knees and fizzled out. Uijae lifted his head. Beyond the shimmering haze, three people were standing. It was Honeybee, Matthew, and Jeong Bin. The sharp tip of a rapier was pointed precisely at Uijae. Their conversation was a faint murmur.

"...It's okay, he's tied up properly..."

"If he acts up again..."

"As long as he's chained, he can't."

Jeong Bin approached. Part of the circle of fire surrounding them died down. Uncharacteristically, he was covered in wounds, his hair unkempt, and even his right cheek was swollen red. Jeong Bin knelt on one knee and met Uijae's gaze.

"Mr. J, do you recognize who I am?"

Uijae slowly nodded his head. Even nodding was difficult. Jeong Bin took a handkerchief from inside his suit jacket and wiped the sweat from Uijae's nape.

"Now that you're conscious, I'll explain. This is the underground dungeon at Jongno 3-ga, and you, Mr. J, started a riot right after you escaped from the dungeon. Honeybee tried to stop you, but it was too much for her alone, so Matthew and I were contacted, and we subdued you."

"...A riot?"

"Yes, a riot."

Honeybee burst in angrily.