Chapter 89: Befitting Reward

As they entered the camp, YuWon handed the carcasses to the soldiers and showed Hojin inside. But a moment later, Gina came rushing towards him. She stopped, looked at Hojin, and crossed her arms, clearly angry.

YuWon wondered why she was behaving like that, but Gina didn't make him wait for long.

"Husband..." she smiled forcefully. "Did you leave to find another sister for me?"

"Another girl? What are you talking about?" YuWon blinked, confused by the sudden accusation.

However, his words infuriated Gina even more than she pointed at Hojin.

"Just because I agreed to share you with Lysandra, it doesn't mean you can just go around collecting girls like some hobby!"

"Gina, you've got it all wrong. Hojin's not a—"

YuWon paused and looked at Hojin. The store was dark, so he didn't get a good look, but now he realized Hojin had some feminine features. The boy's blonde hair, freckled cheeks, and slight, skinny frame made him appear more like a girl than a guy.

"Um..." Hojin's cheeks flushed, and he meekly pointed towards Gina.

YuWon cleared his throat and turned to Gina, "Hojin's a guy. Not a girl."

Gina blinked before narrowing her eyes to look at him more closely. "Oh... Your scent was... off."

"Well, I see how you could have been confused."

YuWon shook his head and turned to Hojin, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Sorry about that, Hojin. Don't take her words to heart. It was a misunderstanding."

"It's okay..." Hojin looked down, blushing slightly as he nodded. "It's not the first time someone mistook me for a girl."

"I'm sorry..." Gina looked at Hojin before mumbling an apology. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."

"It's fine..."

"Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone else."

YuWon heard her but didn't have any reaction. Those who didn't make it weren't strong enough to survive. That was all. Besides, he wanted to sort the weeds out.

That was the primary reason he sent everyone on hunts. YuWon wanted to know who was strong enough to stay on the base without being a burden to the rest. His plan was a success, so why would he feel sad about it?

YuWon's demeanor surprised no one. Well, Hojin was, but he said nothing. Suddenly, YuWon brought the iron pot out and handed it to Yeji.

"Here, use this to cook the rotten meat."

"What will you do with that?" she asked, wondering what was going on inside her brother's head.

"It's not an ordinary pot," YuWon replied. "The meat won't taste good, but this pot will make it edible. Serve that to the people who returned with nothing. The other meat would go to those who brought something back."

"So... we're rewarding failure with awful food and success with good food?"

"Not necessarily," YuWon smirked. "Failure would be to not step out at all. Those people won't get anything."

Yeji understood what YuWon wanted and nodded. For those who did nothing, not receiving anything would be punishment. While those who couldn't contribute would get foul-tasting food.

It would make them do better next time. Some people would resent them, but they were powerless to do anything. YuWon was turning into a necessary evil for people to grow.

That's what the devoted sister thought about her brother. In reality, YuWon was doing this to build an army and teach them they would get rewards as long as they kept following his orders.

Yuna looked at YuWon and smirked. She knew exactly what was going on inside his head. But there was one thing she wanted to know.

"And what will you do if someone objects?"

"If anyone has a problem with it, round them up. I'll have a 'chat' with them." YuWon shrugged without a hint of hesitance.

"Will do," Yuna smiled.

"While you're at it, show Hojin around. He'll be staying with us for a while."

Yuna raised an eyebrow. On the one hand, he was sending people away to hunt or die. But then he was bringing someone who looked so weak into the base?

She gave Hojin a long, piercing look. But she trusted YuWon. He wouldn't recklessly bring someone useless with him. Hojin must have something special about him, and she wanted to know what.

"Alright," Yuna finally said with a small smile. "Come on, I'll show you around."