HVG Ch 13

Episode 13

“Hyungwoo, what percentage is your point share in the linked pool? Ah… if it’s uncomfortable to say, you don’t have to answer.”

“It’s not a big deal. I think it’s around 40 percent. Still, as long as I help with food procurement and work during the Waves, they don’t really interfere with anything else. Honestly, though, I wish the other hyungs pitched in too… But I guess that’s just because we have different roles. Ugh, everyone ends up losing muscle like this.”

He didn’t contribute as much as Haewon, but he still provided a considerable share to the guild. If Haewon remembered correctly, Eom Hyungwoo’s ability was a defense type. His golem is a defense type, too.

He wasn’t part of the combat unit, so he wasn’t directly deployed during Waves. However, since he was in charge of guarding the fortress gate, he encountered more monsters than others, which gave him more opportunities to earn points.

“You’re really positive, Hyungwoo.”

“And you’re really kind, Hyung.”

Smiling sheepishly in contrast to his large frame, he scratched the rough hair at the back of his head. A small golem popped up beside him and jabbed at his leg with quick taps. Eom Hyungwoo playfully tapped back at the golem with his finger.

“Hyung, should I share my chicken breast with you?”

“Huh? Uh… Sure, just a little?”

“Hyung, you’re too skinny, you need to eat more. Especially since you work so much. On days like this, you should eat up and sleep well, so you don’t get worn out. That way, you’ll be able to take care of the other stuff more easily, too.”

Eom Hyungwoo never once complained, no matter what he was asked to do. People constantly tried to dump work on him, seeing how easygoing he was. Lately, he seemed to have gotten better at dodging it with some tact, but the sheer amount of work he was assigned hadn’t really changed.

Haewon scratched his forehead with his thumb and let out a short sigh.

“Hyungwoo, should I talk to my brother about it? I mean, we can’t really help it during the Waves, but at least for food procurement, maybe we can rotate shifts. That way, you’d at least get to rest once every two weeks or so.”

Chewing on his chicken breast, Eom Hyungwoo suddenly choked and coughed in surprise. After thumping his chest and barely catching his breath, he looked up, blinking, and asked cautiously, “Hyung… are you, like, a pushover?”

“I am not.”

“Then why are you volunteering for extra suffering? If you do that, you’ll just have to cover twice the workload. Ah, and the food will probably run out before that happens anyway! Come on, Hyung. Don’t do that. If I slack off while you’re working, that makes me the worst person alive. You’re smaller than me, got no muscles, and older too. How could I let that happen?”

“…You just killed me three times in one sentence.”

“Eheh, don’t ever do that. Ever! You’re way too nice, Hyung. Too nice for your own good. While we’re at it, want some more chicken breast?”

“You just don’t want to eat it, do you?”

“What are you talking about? This is food as precious as my blood!”

Even though this was Haewon’s first proper conversation with Eom Hyungwoo, it didn’t feel awkward; it was more like they were longtime senior and junior. Eom Hyungwoo grumbled but cheerfully shared his chicken breast, and only after the plate was empty did he get up to prepare for departure.

“Anyway. Got it, Hyung? Next time the newbies try to protest, you and I are shutting that down together, okay? I may look like a bear, but when it comes to keeping the peace, that is me, Eom Hyungwoo. We can’t let the guild fall apart after all the effort it took to get in, right? Eheh, absolutely not.” 

“…You brought the sandwich for this exact reason, didn’t you?”

“I was worried you’d end up protesting with them… Ahahaha! If that happened, the guild really would be done for…. But looking at you, Hyung, it seems like you won’t be able to do much for the next few days anyway. You coming down with something?”

He tilted his head as he asked, and Haewon reflexively rubbed his cheek.

Uh, is it red…?

He was feeling under the weather, but hadn’t thought it was obvious. Quietly closing his mouth, he glanced at Eom Hyungwoo, who was now staring at him. Then, all of a sudden, Eom Hyungwoo started frantically digging through his coat pocket. What came out was a pack of cold medicine, already opened. 

“I felt a bit chilly the other day, too, so I kept this just in case. Make sure you take it before you sleep, okay? I’ve never really worried about anyone like this before, but seriously, Hyung, you look like you’d snap in half with a light push. Once you’re better, let’s hit the big 3-lift together, starting with 100 kilos.”

Eom Hyungwoo flashed a wide smile, showing his neat teeth as he handed over the medicine. He rubbed his coarse hair, only to have Chorang wrinkle his nose in warning. “Whoa, whoa,” he said, holding up his hands and backing out of the room. And yet, before the door closed, he shouted out loud, “Dream of me tonight!”

Thud. The door shut, and Seo Haewon and Chorang looked at each other at the same time. A faint, awkward sound escaped them as they got to their feet.

“Well… Should we go back to sleep for now, Chorang-ah?”

“Yes.”

Haewon was feeling a bit better, and Chorang had eaten, so he walked him to the bed, lay him down, and then lay on his side beside him. He mulled over Eom Hyungwoo’s words a few more times.

He considered telling his brother about it just once. Maybe suggest rotating the food procurement team. But in the end, he dropped the idea. Just like Hyungwoo had said, if they changed the rotation, it might only increase Haewon’s workload instead.

My own plate is already overflowing. How can I look after anyone else…

He pressed the back of his hand against his flushed cheek a few times before drifting off. When he woke again, nothing had changed—the world was still cloaked in bleak darkness.

He woke and slept three more times like that, drifting endlessly along the borderline of dreams and reality like someone trapped in an infinite night. Finally, when he opened his eyes for the last time, the room had paled with the faint light of dawn, and the morning he’d hoped wouldn’t come had arrived.

That must be why he didn’t notice the “System” notification sounding in the middle of the night.

Ding—

Late that night, a sharp chime pierced the air just as Haewon had finally fallen asleep, but though it reached his ears clearly, he merely frowned and turned over before slipping back into slumber. In the dim room, the blue system window hovered silently for a long time, glowing with stark white letters.

* * *

“Haewon-ah, are you upset with Hyung about something?”

“No.”

“Haha, judging by your face, I’d say you’re definitely a little upset with your hyung. Hmm, what could it be…? I don’t think I ever scolded you for not earning enough points.”

“……”

Haewon stood in front of his older brother, Seo Kangyeol, wearing a mask and a cap pulled low over his face. He had taken a couple of pills and gone out to get breakfast, only to be stopped and dragged up to the second floor of the fortress by someone.

Seo Kangyeol sat in a carpeted room, sipping coffee from a plush chair. Haewon stood across from him, letting the aroma of the drink moisten his dry lips. It was a calculated move. If he sat down, the conversation would only drag on longer.

“Are you still having a tough time? It was panic disorder, right? Our Haewon.”

“……”

“So that’s what it was. You did seem a bit sluggish today compared to usual… Hyung should’ve noticed. That must’ve made you feel worse, huh?”

Haewon lowered his gaze to avoid looking at Seo Kangyeol’s gentle smile. He was always like this. He never lost his temper. On the contrary, he was always soft-spoken, and yet every word he uttered felt like a thorn caught in the throat.

Haewon was one of the recognized combat members of the Red Cloud Guild; he was always at the front, clearing out monsters with ease. But he was still human, and like anyone else, he had his weaknesses.

To Haewon, that weakness was “anxiety.” And there was no way his own family, Seo Kangyeol, didn’t know that.

He had started taking tranquilizers when he was twenty. He probably first went to the hospital at nineteen. The truth was, Haewon had never wanted anyone but his parents to know that he had gone to a hospital for depression or other mental health issues. What good would it do for anyone else to know?

But the school had called home about a counseling matter, and at the time, Haewon had left school early due to a panic attack brought on by distrust toward the “System.”

Unfortunately, Seo Kangyeol had been home that day and answered the phone. That was how, against all intentions, Haewon’s condition was revealed to his brother. It seemed Kangyeol had a hard time accepting the fact that his younger brother had been to a psychiatrist.

The way he had looked at Haewon at first was the look someone gives when they are faced with something they cannot understand—a look of disgust.

Since that day, Kangyeol’s affection had perhaps cooled just a little. What he had wanted, most likely, was a perfect younger brother who could support him. While he now seemed more accepting, his expression always changed whenever Haewon’s condition disrupted their work, even slightly.

“You’re having a rough time?”

“…I just thought I’d rest until tomorrow.”

“Ah… Mm, of course you should rest. You definitely should. It’s not like you’re the only combat member in the guild, so if you want to take a break, then take one. I haven’t experienced it myself, so I wouldn’t know firsthand, but you said it’s really tough, right?”

Seo Kangyeol had never witnessed one of Haewon’s panic attacks, but given how widespread public knowledge was about the condition, he likely had an idea of what the symptoms entailed. Still, none of the guild members knew that Haewon had panic disorder. It was a secret only he and his brother shared.

“You have been overworking yourself lately, Haewon.”

“I’ll make sure today’s food supplies are gathered properly. You don’t need to worry. I’ll take care of it.”

“Haewon, you’re on guard duty from the afternoon until midnight today, right?”

“I can handle that too—”

“No, I can’t just sit back while my little brother’s sick. You go get the food today, and I’ll stand guard in your place.”

Haewon’s eyes widened for a moment before he blinked in surprise. What was this…? Seo Kangyeol had changed since coming to Seonak Island. He no longer tried to draw closer or offer help like he had in the past. Instead, his sense of control had only grown stronger.

It was the same even now. Since arriving on Seonak Island, Seo Kangyeol had never once offered to do something in Haewon’s place. Caught off guard, Haewon was at a temporary loss for words. Still, while the gesture felt somewhat begrudging, he nodded, deciding to take it for what it was.

“That’d be a huge help, Hyung.”

“What are you talking about? You’ve done so much already, Haewon.”

With a gentle smile, Seo Kangyeol finally motioned with his eyes toward the door.

“You came down to eat, didn’t you? You’re going to be late. Go grab some food and get ready to head out. Just get through today, Haewon, and I’ll take you off work for the next two days. Get plenty of rest.”

“Oh, uh, if you say so… Okay.”

Even as he stepped outside, Haewon tilted his head in confusion. If his brother was really taking over the guard duty, then after gathering supplies at the Tree of Good and Evil, Haewon wouldn’t have anything else to do.

That meant he was free from all duties for the next two days.

The problem was—

<New Nest-Finding Project for You, Poor Thing, Always Being Battered from All Sides! (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)>  

–“I” have judged this place to be a nest where evil festers. Isn’t it time to say goodbye?

–For the sake of your mental well-being, leave the ‘Red Cloud’ Guild and find yourself a new nest!

Reward: 10,000 points

Failure penalty: ???

Time remaining: 18:21:35 (Duration may vary depending on your mental state.)

“……”

The real issue was figuring out how to deal with this insane “System” mission that had popped up in the middle of the night.