HVG Ch 1

Episode 1

— “Haewon, we’re the only family left. We need to rely on each other.”

That one sentence had dictated his life for years. Whenever his brother smiled, revealing his neat, white teeth, Haewon wanted to meet his expectations. He wanted to respond to the hopes reflected in those eyes that looked at him with anticipation. Whenever his brother comforted him with affection, as if taking the place of their parents, Haewon told himself that was enough.

Because his brother needed him.

Because even if they were only half-brothers, they still shared blood.

But now…

“Haewon, look at me! Snap out of it and look at Hyung!”

The person who had always been his pillar of strength—

“You just have to hold them off until Hyung gets out. You’ve done well so far, Haewon. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing, okay? We both have to survive. That’s the only way we both make it out alive.”

His brother shook him, urging him to move. Flames raged all around them, and the powerless screamed as they ran frantically, searching for refuge. The fortress, which had only recently found stability after much struggle, was crumbling in an instant.

Monsters had stormed in, invading the fortress within seconds.

“Snap out of it, Seo Haewon! Listen to me carefully! Right now… you just need to hold them back while I escape. And if it comes down to it, run away on your own. Get out and go to the place where we first settled. I’ll meet you there, understand?!”

“…Then what about those people…?”

“Haewon, look at Hyung. Can’t you see the situation? We can’t save everyone. We have to focus on saving who we can first! How much longer are you going to keep worrying about other people? Haewon, Seo Haewon—if you die, it’s all over.”

Amidst the flames, his brother shouted desperately. The same man who had always shown boundless compassion for others. The same man who had once raised his hand, volunteering to take on the role of leader.

And yet now, he was turning his back on the very people he had promised to protect. He was even willing to abandon Haewon.

So this was who he really was.

So… he was this selfish and irresponsible all along.

Haewon had known. He had just ignored it. He had turned a blind eye, suppressing the truth deep within himself.

He knew. He had always known.

“…You’re going to go alone, Hyung?”

“Seo Haewon, Haewon, if we hold them off just this once, we can start over somewhere else. You know why Hyung did everything up until now. Hyung wants to save people too, but look at the situation! If we stay here, we’ll both die. Understand? So just hold them back… Stand your ground and keep those monsters at bay.”

“While Hyung escapes?”

His brother anxiously scanned their surroundings, licking his dry lips. Amidst the screams, Haewon’s name rang out repeatedly. Everyone was calling for him.

They were all hoping Haewon would do something.

They were screaming for him to end this nightmare.

“…What should I do, Hyung?”

Haewon stepped back, shaking his head. His brother’s figure was reflected in his blurred vision. The eyes looking at him were fierce, soaked in betrayal.

People clung desperately to the hem of Haewon’s pants.

“Please, save us! Haewon, please!”

“You have to stop them!”

“Seo Haewon, what are you doing?! The monsters are getting in! Go out there and fight!”

There’s a saying: If you don’t know who the fool is in a given situation, then it’s probably you.

Seo Haewon understood that now.

Everything he had done—every sacrifice—had been nothing more than a meaningless attempt to console himself.

And for this person… he had done all of that.

“I don’t want to.”

Seo Haewon was not a strong person.

He was softhearted, easily swayed by sympathy.

Especially when it came to people who claimed to care for him.

But now, all those things had become thorns, stabbing deep into his flesh.

“I said, I don’t want to.”

Hyung, you’ve always been like this.

You used me as a shield.

And when things didn’t go your way, you pushed me into the fire.

And yet you always smiled—so gentle, so affectionate.

So loving.

This relationship had been broken from the start. Then wasn’t it only right to end it? It may be late, but even now, shouldn’t he cast aside the foolish hands that had been blinding him?

“Don’t rely on me… If you want to survive, Hyung, then run away on your own. With that oh-so-great ability of yours, all by yourself.”

Not once had he ever been able to do what he wanted. He had always been swayed by his brother’s words, trapped in the hands of those who used him.

— “What do you even know? Just stand guard.”

— “Seo Haewon, your job is to do the grunt work. Why are you pretending to know things?”

— “Seo Haewon, acting all high and mighty. Just because his combat skills are a little better, he struts around like he owns the place. And yet, every damn month, he collapses from exhaustion.”

— “Hey, did Seo Haewon go out to scavenge for food—oh, he’s still here? What the hell…? What’s up with him today? Is he sick?”

— “No idea. He’s been groaning since yesterday. Ah… But he said he’d still bring food back?”

His opinions were ignored more often than not. No one ever truly listened to him. More and more, he found himself dragging his exhausted body out to scavenge, just so he could put food on the table for the guild members.

That was a mistake. He should have spoken up. He should have taken the lead.

Of all people, Seo Haewon understood this desolate land best—this scorched, dying world consumed by flames.

“…I can’t do it. I’m not going with you, Hyung.”

Where would I even go? This place—right here—this is the world I have to change.

***

In the winter of his seventeenth year, Haewon stood at the bathroom sink, a toothbrush in his mouth, when he witnessed something strange.

A translucent blue window covered the reflection of his face in the mirror, filled with glowing white symbols.

Ding—

<You are the Initiator responsible for the epic tale of “The Strongest Villain in the World”!

You, who lived as a villain, must now repent as you face the life of “Seo Haewon”, who will become a villain. (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) >

What the hell is this…?!

Startled, Haewon flinched and took a step back. But the window followed him, maintaining a fixed distance in his view.

He rubbed his eyes and ran a hand over the mirror, but the screen had no physical form. No matter what he did, the blue panel refused to disappear from his sight.

You are the most heinous villain in this world. But villains are no longer needed! ╰(´︶`)╯

◈ Your first mission to shed your villainy and repent!

Tap the book icon below to read the contents of “The Strongest Villain in the World”!

This is the memoir left behind by “Seo Haewon,” who has lived as a villain.

This must not be seen by any other being. Once read, it will self-destruct!

Reward: You might… find some money on the street?

Failure penalty: Multiple bone fractures

Time remaining: 24:00

At first, he couldn’t understand it. He even wondered if he had lost his mind and tried to ignore it.

He had no information, and when he asked others if they could see it, they just gave him wary looks, as if he had some kind of problem. That terrified him.

So, even as unease gnawed at him, he pretended not to see it and busied himself with other things.

Then, exactly twenty-four hours later—

While getting up in the middle of the night for a glass of water, Haewon tripped, fell flat on his face, and fractured his arm.

After that, it was his fingers. Then his ankle. And finally, his collarbone.

Only then did he have no choice but to accept it.

…So I really have to read this?

At the bottom of the system window, in the corner, there was a small book-shaped icon. The moment Haewon laid eyes on it, paragraphs of text unraveled before him, cascading down the screen. The densely packed words swam before his eyes, making his vision blur.

Still gripping his fractured limbs, Haewon slowly read through the text, not even knowing what it was. And the moment he reached the last line, the screen shattered into static and disappeared.

At the time, Haewon had been immature. Accepting this bizarre situation and the sudden, inexplicable message had been overwhelming.

The contents of the text were largely incomprehensible. And yet, for some reason, he remembered every word perfectly, as if they had been engraved in his mind.

What am I supposed to make of this… that I’m going to become a villain?

It had chronicled the entire life of a single person—his crimes, his sins, and the disasters that would unfold because of them. That predetermined character was “Seo Haewon.” And apparently, that was him.

What the hell was “The Strongest Villain in the World” supposed to be?

Did I get possessed by someone? No, wait… did I get pulled into a novel? Or… is this a regression?

But if that were the case, wouldn’t he know?

No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn’t come to a clear definition of this so-called “system.”

Was it regression? Possession? A dream?

That night, Haewon lay in bed, lightly slapping his cheeks.

But nothing changed. The “system” continued to preach repentance, repeating over and over that his “future” self would become a heinous villain.

The entity had called “The Strongest Villain in the World” a “memoir.”

So, it wasn’t a novel.

But how much of that could he even believe?

Seven years from now… the world will fall into chaos.

The text also claimed that in seven years, the world would undergo a massive upheaval, plunging into an era of turmoil.

It was so absurd that he spent the entire night tossing and turning, unable to sleep. And then, when morning finally came, Haewon stepped outside in an attempt to clear his head—

Only to stumble upon a 50,000-won bill lying on the street.

He had desperately hoped that all of this was just a dream.

<A villain in need of repentance! You have taken your first step toward redemption today. How admirable! (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)>

A system window, glowing bright blue, appeared before his eyes.

This… this was the one thing he simply couldn’t—

No matter how he tried to rationalize it as some kind of supernatural phenomenon, there was no explanation for what he was seeing. Haewon could do nothing but stare at it blankly for an entire day.

And exactly seven years later, the world truly fell into chaos.

Just as the system had predicted.