HVG Ch 9

Episode 9

‘I need to earn points, so I don’t have time to deal with you.’ That’s what he’d meant, though he said it in a roundabout way. Beom Ryeohan stood for a moment with his arms crossed, lost in thought, then slowly turned his body.

For a brief moment, a strange glint flickered in his cold eyes.

“So, you’re saying you’ll talk once there’s no one left to fight.”

“…What?”

“Wait a bit. I’ll go kill the bastards and be back.”

Beom Ryeohan raised his sword. Most Awakeners chose to become swordsmen for their first class, and he had likely done the same. Black energy began to swirl around the white blade. His gaze slid to the side, and then he turned his body.

“I’ll be right back, so think about it. If you run away… Well, you know what happens, right?”

“W-What? Huh?!”

“Oh, and if you need points, just let me know.”

“Sunbae, wait! I can just—”

“I’ll transfer as many points as you’re losing out on.”

Thud, thud, thud, thud—

Beom Ryeohan rushed toward the swarm of monsters shaking the ground. Dark silhouettes writhed through the fog, surrounding them from all sides. Haewon tried to charge forward as well, but a hand reached out from behind, grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him back a few steps.

“Uh… Geumtteok, have you… been well? Ah, this is still so awkward even after seeing you a few times.”

The person who had pulled Haewon back by the shoulder was Jo Seolhyeok. Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, scratching his chin, and glancing aimlessly at the sky, he finally spoke with a conflicted expression.

“Ah, suddenly trying to be formal won’t work. Just call me Hyung or something, we’ll be seeing each other often from now on. Ah, but that’s not important. You need to join our guild.”

“Excuse me, Sunbae-nim? I’m already in a guild. Have you both lost your minds?”

“This punk, calling a perfectly sane person crazy… Sigh. I know, I know. But our guild leader wants me to recruit you.”

“…Who?”

Though he’d never seen him in person, the official word was that the leader of Black Child Guild was a man in his forties. People often gossiped that Beom Ryeohan was actually the guild leader, but in truth, even the deputy guild leader was not him—it was Jo Seolhyeok.

When Haewon looked at him with clear reluctance, Jo Seolhyeok jerked his chin toward Beom Ryeohan and muttered irritably.

“You see that crazy bastard over there? He needs a leash to keep him in check. A week ago, that lunatic suddenly woke up in the middle of the night and the first thing out of his mouth was your name. Like he had some divine revelation or something. And ever since that day, he’s been all over you. Doesn’t it make perfect sense now?”

“Sunbae’s been all over me from the start. Not just a few days ago.”

“Yeah, I know. He’s always been like that. But what can we do? He made a deal with the guild leader. If we bring you in, he promised to behave.”

Haewon, dumbfounded, looked up at the sky in frustration. So, they were trying to recruit him just because that guy supposedly woke up saying his name—and now everyone around him was going along with it?

Even though Haewon had never joined in when people on Seonak Island called the Black Child Guild a bunch of mad dogs, now he couldn’t deny it anymore.

“What kind of insane—”

“What the hell did you just say, punk?”

BOOM!

Just then, an explosion erupted behind them. The shockwave made Haewon stagger, and the sound of steady footsteps approached from behind. Beom Ryeohan, dragging his sword behind him before giving it a sharp flick, asked flatly, “Have you decided?”

The way he asked so brazenly left Haewon utterly speechless. When he looked at him in disbelief, Beom Ryeohan turned back around and sent a slash of sword energy flying behind him.

Every time he had a spare moment between gleefully swinging his sword, he would rush back to Seon Haewon and ask the same question again.

“Why haven’t you decided yet? Did I not give you enough time? Take your time, then.”

“Wait, Sunbae….”

Before Haewon could even reply, Beom Ryeohan had already turned away again. At some point, Jo Seolhyeok had crouched down on the ground, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper and scribbling something onto it. Haewon decided this was going nowhere and briskly walked off. Then, he charged up his mana and began hunting monsters.

“Hey, hey. Geumtteok, read this.”

“Ah, let go. I’m busy. Talk to me later. At least after this wave ends. Maybe tomorrow. No, the day after!”

“Come on, you can earn points later. Just read this first.”

Jo Seolhyeok, who had been following him, suddenly shoved the hastily scribbled paper in front of him. After blowing a monster’s head off with a charged blast of mana, Haewon rolled his eyes and glanced at the paper.

「 Starting today, Seo Haewon is leaving the ‘Red Cloud’ Guild and joining the ‘Black Child’ Guild. Upon joining: instant reward of 20,000 points! (*¯︶¯*)

No chores, get your own food (Beom Ryeohan will handle it for the first week), no interference, private rooms, no point tributes. Earn your own, spend your own! Sounds amazing, right? 」

Wow. Should I just blow their damn heads off?

20,000 points doesn’t even make sense, and now they’re messing with me? Black Child’s guild points were infamously in the negatives. Where would they even get 20,000 points from? How?!

Thud—!

Up ahead, Beom Ryeohan, who had just been wrestling a monster barehanded after ditching his sword, knocked it down and started walking over, brushing the dust off his crumpled clothes. Haewon instinctively took a step back. With those sharp, unrelenting eyes, he looked like he was ready to kill someone.  

“There you go squirming around again. So? What’s your answer?”

When Haewon remained silent and looked down, a sigh mixed with laughter came from above.

“How long should Hyung wait for you? Should I go do another round while you think?”

“…Can’t I take a little more time to consider? You said you’d give me three chances. I think I’ve still got one left….”

“You’re just wasting time, aren’t you?”

When Haewon raised his gaze again, Beom Ryeohan was smiling. It was a lopsided smirk, almost arrogant. But it was rare to see him smile so much that dimples formed on his cheeks.

Could the whole “recruitment” thing be an excuse, and he’s really here to get in the way?

A reasonable suspicion crossed Haewon’s mind. He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

But why would Sunbae do that?

It’s not like he—ah. No, he had.

From the moment he suddenly ran away two years ago, he’d definitely rubbed him the wrong way.

Haewon rubbed his face and let out a long sigh from deep in his gut. Nearby, Kim Il-hong was shouting “Hyung!” as he filmed Beom Ryeohan with his camera. Behind him, Jo Seolhyeok had taken the paper back and was scratching his head as he revised a sentence on the paper.

Right in front of him, Beom Ryeohan’s guildmates were slicing through monsters like maniacs, twirling their swords in what looked more like a dance. A man and a woman, twins, infamous for being just as crazy as Beom Ryeohan. Gye Eunong and Gye Eunsul.

“…Okay. I got it.”

“You’re joining?”

“No! Why do you keep assuming that? It’s not even a delusion at this point. Sunbae, if your delusions get any worse, you need medical help.”

“Why is it that our hubae says the craziest things like it’s nothing?”

“……”

Haewon glanced up at Beom Ryeohan, who stood crookedly, looking down at him. He swallowed dryly. The old instinct of military discipline kicked in and his hands started to move behind his back on their own.

Let’s not act out, brain.

“…I was just saying it out of concern.”

At that tiny excuse, Beom Ryeohan’s gaze softened just a little. Then, he reached out and lightly pinched Haewon’s cheek again.

“Alright. Like you said, I promised three chances. Think carefully before you answer next time.”

“What happens if I say no?”

“What do you think? I’ll sling you over my shoulder and drag you off.”

“……”

That sure sounded like he didn’t have a choice. Haewon honestly felt like crying. Couldn’t he at least smack his back once? It might make him feel a little better.

The hand that had pinched his cheek now gently brushed across his skin. An unfamiliar sensation followed. It made his stomach turn a little, maybe because it was an emotion he’d long buried.

A question, buried somewhere in the back of his mind, began to crawl out. Haewon had no idea why Beom Ryeohan kept trying to recruit him into the guild. They weren’t close enough for something like this, so he couldn’t even define what their relationship was.

“But, Sunbae… There’s something I want to ask.”

“What?”

There was a gap of two whole years between them. What Haewon really wanted to know was—did that not bother him at all?

“We’re… not really close like that, are we?”

“Really? Then what kind of relationship do we have?” 

Exactly. What kind of relationship did they have? People who lost touch two years ago? Someone he’d walked away from without looking back?   

Beom Ryeohan smiled casually and swung his sword to the side. A wave of black sword energy split a monster clean in two, cutting through its torso before exploding far in the distance. 

His profile, backlit by the rising flames, looked strangely faded. His lips, burning like fire, parted slowly.

“Seo Haewon. Do I make you uncomfortable?”

“Well… I wouldn’t say comfortable.”

“Then just stay uncomfortable. I heard that kind of feeling’s better than being too comfortable.” 

What even was that? Haewon almost shot back but clamped his mouth shut mid-sentence. Then a familiar thought crept in—Is that why Beom Ryeohan never contacted me all this time?

—”Haewon-ah, just for a moment… Can we talk?”

The breath that had lingered white in the cold night air still felt vivid in his memory. From the moment Beom Ryeohan said those words two years ago, they had drifted apart. Haewon had fled the scene without even answering, and only later returned to the park where they had been.

All that remained on the bench they had shared was an empty paper cup.

Since then, there’d been no contact from Beom Ryeohan.

“Sunbae, you never tried to contact me all this time.”

“And you did?”

“Well, I mean… what was I supposed to do in that situation? I knew I’d get chewed out.”

“Same here.”

“…What?”

Haewon looked up at him in surprise. Beom Ryeohan’s dark eyes blinked slowly, his expression unreadable yet serious.  

“Then what about now? Why are you… hovering around me?”

“Weird. What is it with you today?”

Beom Ryeohan muttered with a crooked smile. Haewon felt a wave of frustration rise inside him but kept his mouth shut. There was no point in lashing out. He’d get nothing out of it, and saying anything would just be a waste of breath. 

“Hovering, huh? Fine, let’s go with that. But why are you asking?”

“…Well, I’d like to know the reason so I can… handle it properly.”

“Handle it, my ass.” A low grumble of cursing escaped him.

Even if it was to himself, Haewon wondered if cursing was really necessary.

Haewon straightened up with a bit more tension in his posture. Maybe Beom Ryeohan noticed because his face twisted slightly, and he let out a sigh. 

“Hyung received a revelation. It said I had to bring you in. So what am I supposed to do?”

“…You actually expect me to believe that?”

Haewon looked up at him incredulously, and Beom Ryeohan gave a crooked grin in return. Through strands of his hair, those intense eyes peered down at him.

“Even to you, it sounds like complete bullshit, doesn’t it? Same for me.” 

Whether Beom Ryeohan had really received some kind of revelation or not didn’t matter. It wasn’t something Haewon needed to worry about.

Seo Haewon couldn’t even manage to keep himself together. He was struggling every day just to survive. He had to keep his brother’s guild afloat, look after Chorangi, and constantly train himself to avoid breaking down.

Ever since he started taking tranquilizers, the “system’s” missions had become noticeably easier. He simply didn’t have the strength to handle anything more.

“What was this ‘revelation’ supposed to be? That you should recruit me into Black Child?” 

“Yeah, that’s right.” 

“Ha… Yeah, well. Good luck with that.”

He had plenty more to say but didn’t bother. The answer was already clear, so why waste the words? Nodding vaguely, Haewon was struck by a sudden sense of déjà vu. He’d forgotten, but his senior had always been like this. 

He would say things that made no sense and behave in ways that were hard to explain by any rational standard. Rather than trying to understand him, it had always been easier to just accept him as he was—a man whose next move could never be predicted.

If there was one moment that stood out the most—   

—”If you’re thinking of taking a liberal arts course, whatever you do, don’t take Contemporary Popular Arts. Those idiots just sleep through it, then ghosts on the team project. It’s hell. Ugh… No, forget it. Come with me. We’re going somewhere.”

—”What? Where are we going, all of a sudden?” 

—”I heard there’s a new café near the intersection. I’m dying. Let’s go get some ice water or something.”

Before he could stop him, Haewon’s arm was grabbed, and he was dragged off to a café just a few blocks away. As soon as they sat down inside the white-painted shop, Beom Ryeohan dropped his textbook and immediately started gulping down cold water.

Then, without a word, he walked off to the counter. When he came back, his tray was so full of snacks it left Haewon speechless.

—”Sunbae, you don’t even like sweets.” 

—”Felt like trying something since we’re already here… What the hell, why is everything so sweet? You eat it.”

—”Really? Well, if you insist, I won’t say no.”

—”Don’t grin like that. You look like a damn panting dog.”

—”Ah, seriously.”

He’d basically handed over the dessert without fuss, and now he was complaining. But the moment Haewon stabbed his fork into the cake and felt its soft, fluffy texture, happiness bloomed instantly.

—”Why do you even like lumps of sugar like this?”

—”Then why do you like alcohol, Sunbae?”

—”……” 

—”See? You’re saying something pointless.” 

—”Shit. Hyung’s quitting drinking starting today.”

—”Oh, sure… Good luck with that.” 

Haewon raised both fists and gave a cheer-like pump downward. “Fighting.” Then he buried his face back into his plate and started devouring the cake.

—“You act up the moment you get a chance.”

Despite the complaint, when he saw his junior clumsily spilling crumbs everywhere, he immediately got up to fetch napkins.

As Beom Ryeohan stood up, Haewon watched his back before looking down, rubbing his earlobe absentmindedly. 

The truth was, that day had been hardest for him. He’d been overwhelmed for no reason, jostled by the crowd, and ended up crying without even knowing why.

And every time that happened, Beom Ryeohan somehow noticed. It was like he had a sixth sense and always found a way to cheer him up. Some days, they would go somewhere quiet. Other days, they would walk aimlessly until they reached a playground and swung on the swings. 

When they passed through rough neighborhoods known for troublemakers, he never brushed off Haewon’s hand clinging to his sleeve and always made sure to walk him home.  

He’d been like that, time and again. That’s why, at one point, Haewon had thought maybe they were sworn brothers. Maybe more than that. Maybe they really were family.

Beom Ryeohan had taken better care of him than even his own younger brother, Kim Il-hong. At some point, Haewon started to take it for granted and felt proud of it.

But two years ago, on that day, their relationship had ended. 

There was one thing Haewon really wanted to ask him. 

‘Why did you take a leave of absence back then?’ 

Haewon stared silently at Beom Ryeohan. And when he turned back to start cutting down monsters again, Haewon slowly began to put distance between them. Drifting farther away—

Just like old times.

Just like strangers.

As if they’d narrowly pass by each other once again.