HVG Ch 4

Episode 4

Twice a week, relief supplies were placed at the Tree of Good and Evil, and people waged war to obtain food and necessities. In the beginning, things had been somewhat humane, but as time passed and the environment grew harsher, even that began to deteriorate.

It was because the amount of supplies was limited. When people first arrived at the Tree of Good and Evil, there were fifty thousand of them, yet the food provided twice a week was only enough for thirty thousand.

As a result, lower-ranked Awakened, who lacked power, were weeded out and pushed aside in the battle for food. Guilds with large numbers of Awakened had a better chance of securing supplies, and thus, countless guilds occupied half-destroyed fortresses across Seonak Island.

Fortunately, the Red Cloud Guild, where Haewon belonged, was one of the better-off guilds in this environment.

“This should be enough… I wonder if Hyung will like it.”

Hoisting the heavy bag onto his shoulder, Haewon trudged across the desolate wasteland. Without realizing it, he lifted his head—then shook it. Of course, this was the obvious thing to do. Why was he hoping for praise?

Haewon had an older brother, four years his senior, who had also been brought here by the system’s cruel whim and became an Awakened.

His brother—no, Seo Kangyeol—was Haewon’s only family, though they were half-brothers. Haewon was born from an affair, an illegitimate child. From birth, he had never known what it was like to have a father, nor had he ever wished for one.

He couldn’t remember it well, but… he was probably around six when his mother had taken him to that grand house.

— “Haewon, go in first. You see that shop over there, right? Mom will buy something real quick and come inside. Don’t forget to greet the lady of the house when you go in. You can do that, right?”

Back then, Haewon had asked why she wasn’t coming in with him, but she had simply told him she needed to stop by a convenience store to buy a gift and had pushed him toward the house.

That was the last time he ever saw her. It had been a farewell, one that, from Haewon’s perspective, was nothing less than abandonment.

— “Why isn’t Mom coming…?”

Six years old was a very young age. Haewon couldn’t understand why he had to be in this grand, imposing house, why his father—whom he hadn’t even known existed—had two wives, or why, despite his and his mother’s poverty, his father lived in such luxury.

— “So, you’re Haewon?”

The first person to speak to Haewon, who had been sitting alone on the sofa, trembling as he waited for his mother, was his older brother, Seo Kangyeol.

He smiled and offered him a piece of candy, cautiously approaching until their eyes met.

 At that moment, it had felt like a lifeline.

— “How old are you?”

— “S… Six years old.”

— “Wow… I’m ten. You’re really small. If you want to catch up to me, you’ll have to eat a lot and grow tall.”

— “O… Okay.”

Back then, that was how it had been. In Haewon’s eyes, Seo Kangyeol, who was four years older, had seemed big and reliable. He had spoken kindly, smiled as he offered candy, and acknowledged him as his little brother without hesitation.

Perhaps because of that, as the years passed, Kangyeol had become someone Haewon depended on like a pillar of strength.

— “What? Your brother is Seo Kangyeol? Hey, do you have any test answers from him?”

— “Kangyeol hyung was looking for you.”

— “Hey, are you Seo Kangyeol’s little brother? He told me to give you this. I passed it along, okay?”

— “Hey, Seo Kangyeol said to wait here until he’s done.”

At their escalator-style school, where elementary, middle, and high school were connected, Seo Kangyeol was a well-known figure. Because of him, Haewon was also relatively famous.

People often remarked on the deep bond between the brothers and Haewon never denied it. His brother was a model student who always looked after him with great care.

He wanted Haewon to always stay within his sight, controlling him, and subtly making him dependent.

And so, Haewon always leaned on his brother as he grew up, as if they had no one else.  

“Hyung… He said he had a headache. I wonder if he’s feeling better now.”

Still, because the lady of the house had been a dignified woman, Haewon had grown up without any lack of comfort. His new family had come into his life when he was just six years old, and both his parents had loved him generously.

But in the summer of his twentieth year, the plane carrying them went missing, leaving only Seo Kangyeol and Seo Haewon behind in this world.

Perhaps it was from that moment on. The moment when Seo Kangyeol took full control over their sibling relationship. His need for control only intensified.

Haewon had believed it was because Kangyeol was shaken after losing something precious. When their peaceful life crumbled, his brother had become someone almost frightening.

Kangyeol pushed himself relentlessly, yet he hated letting others see his struggles. He wanted to be flawless.

Maybe because of that, he had an inherent need to be needed. And in contrast, Haewon had spent his youth searching for something he could trust and rely on. Their needs had aligned perfectly.

So at some point, Haewon had come to believe, without even realizing it, that he needed to stay by his brother’s side.

“Hey, Seo Haewon! Seo Haewon’s back!”

“What the hell? Why are you so late today?”

“You didn’t mess up getting supplies, did you?”

The moment Haewon arrived at the worn-down fortress, voices rang out from atop the walls, shouting down at him. Soon, the heavy gates creaked open, and people began to spill out, peering curiously. But rather than focusing on Haewon, their attention was entirely on the food and supplies he had brought.

“I’m back.”

The moment he set the bag down, hands immediately reached out, snatching the heavy pack and hauling it inside.

Through the crowd, a tall man stepped forward. The man with a gentle expression was Haewon’s blood relative—Seo Kangyeol. Unlike the others, he walked straight to Haewon and gave him a firm pat on the shoulder.

“Good work, Haewon. I knew you’d come back safely.”

“Ah, yeah. Well… I always do. What about you, Hyung? Is your headache better? I brought some medicine.”

“I rested for a bit, so I’m fine now. Sorry I couldn’t go with you, Haewon. I know we planned to go together this time.”

“No, it’s fine. I ran into some trouble along the way, so it was probably better that you didn’t come.”

“Did you? Well… Anyway, I’m just glad you made it back safely. Go get some rest, little brother.”

At the mention of “trouble,” Kangyeol tilted his head slightly, as if curious.

But instead of asking outright, he simply patted Haewon’s shoulder a few more times.

Looks like I get to rest today.

With a slight nod, Haewon discreetly tucked away a different set of medicine from the one he had given his brother. Then, slipping between the guild members unloading food from the bag, he snatched up a chocolate bar.

But before he could pull away, a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“Why are you taking that without asking?”

Haewon’s gaze shifted to the side. A man with sharp, piercing eyes glared at him. It was Woo Jinhwan, Kangyeol’s right-hand man and assistant. He was the only one in the guild who kept detailed inventory records, meticulously logging every incoming supply.

“Uh… I brought this for Chorangi.”

“Then say something first. Can’t you see we’re sorting the inventory? Just because you got food, you think you can act all high and mighty? You do realize we distribute everything equally, right? Otherwise, why bother with inventory checks? Why even stockpile—”

Before he could finish speaking, a loud thud echoed from the fortress gates.

Startled, everyone turned toward the sound.

A massive figure had just set down an equally massive bag. Behind him, a floating wooden golem hovered ominously. Beside him stood a woman carrying a backpack nearly as big as her own body.

They were one of the few supply teams in the guild.

“We’re back. But… I’m sorry. A fight broke out at the Tree of Good and Evil, and this was all we could manage to bring.”

With a small grunt, the petite woman set her bag down. One of the guild members checked inside before dragging it to the center. Meanwhile, the massive bag dropped by the bear-like man was so heavy that it took two people to lift and move it.

But even they weren’t spared from criticism.

“Hey, Eom Hyungwoo. Why does it look like you brought back even less than last time? Didn’t I tell you to pack the bags to the brim? And you, Lee Hwayeon, what the hell did you bring? It’s nothing but candy and snacks.”

Eom Hyungwoo casually dusted off his clothes before winking playfully. With his massive trapezius muscles and powerful build, his arms and thighs looked like they could burst from sheer muscle. Seeing such a burly man wink created an odd sense of contrast.

Behind him, the floating golem dissolved into dust with a single tap of his fist.

“Come on, I rushed back to prevent muscle loss. You get it, right?”

“What the f*ck did you just say, you bastard? ‘Get it’? What kind of bullshit are you spewing now?”

“Oh, come on, Hyungs. If you get too worked up, your deep-core muscles will weaken. How about next time, we all go together and prevent some muscle loss?”

The other guild members barely concealed their irritation at Eom Hyungwoo’s words.

The Red Cloud guild might have been leading at the moment, but that was purely a numbers game. They had lucked out in recruiting a few exceptionally strong combat and defense-type Awakened, which made maintaining the guild easier.

In other words, aside from those few, the rest of the guild members were so incompetent they were practically useless.

Instead of pulling their weight, they dumped all the labor onto the skilled combat types, something that had become common practice on Seonak Island.

Even within the guild, there were plenty of tasks to handle, even if they weren’t directly dangerous, like Woo Jinhwan, who managed the inventory, or the cooks, or the new recruits responsible for cleaning and maintaining weapons.

Woo Jinhwan, who had been glaring at Eom Hyungwoo, muttered curses under his breath, seething with frustration.

“These idiots barely bring back any food, yet they expect us to ration two meals a day? And then they have the nerve to steal supplies without saying a word? F*ck this, I’m done with this bullshit.”

“Jinhwan.”

Just as Haewon was about to speak, Seo Kangyeol, who had been standing behind him, cut in.

Kangyeol’s usual smooth smile remained intact as he met Jinhwan’s narrowed gaze.

“Jinhwan-ah, this much is fine, isn’t it? Our Haewon went through a lot to get this, so let’s not be too harsh. It’s just a chocolate bar. No need to make such a fuss. What if our Haewon gets upset, hmm?”

“Tch. The hell? You’re really making me look like the as*hole here. Fine, take it. Like I care about a damn chocolate bar. But next time, at least ask before you take something. Food supplies are already running low. You know how bad it looks to the others? I’m saying this for your own good so you don’t get cursed at.”

“…Are you describing yourself?”

“What?”

“I thought you were talking about yourself just now.”

“You little shit.”

Haewon glanced briefly at his brother, then pocketed the chocolate bar and stood up.

There were lingering stares on him, but he, as always, ignored them.

Brushing the dirt off his clothes, he headed up to the third floor of the fortress where the living quarters were.