Chapter 4 – The Change They Needed
That morning, the Andora village hall was filled with the scent of dust and unease. Empty buckets piled up in corners, and the faint coughs of children echoed now and then. The villagers sat in a circle, their eyes weary but hopeful.
Wonho stood at the back, head bowed as usual. Before him hung an old map of Andora—a rough painting on faded animal hide.
Belinda pointed to one river line on the map. "This… used to be the main flow from the Elmyra Mountains. But two years ago, it just stopped."
Wonho stared at the line for a long moment, his eyes sharp despite his stiff posture. His hand clenched tightly at the edge of his shirt.
Hyunwoo, standing beside him, whispered, "You see something, don't you? Come on, Wonho. They need you."
Wonho exhaled. "A river doesn't just stop... not without a reason."
Silence fell.
"Water from the mountains doesn't vanish without intervention. Something… must've diverted it."
Whispers spread among the villagers. Wonho stepped forward—slowly, but steadily.
"I want to trace the old river path. If something's blocking it—I'll find it."
The next day, Wonho left with Taeyang and two young men from the village. They followed the dried-up riverbed: cracked stones, withered roots, parched earth. Mountain winds swept through the ruins of an old structure.
"This used to be a rain ritual site," one of the villagers said. "Now… just a nest of snakes and bad memories."
Wonho kept that information deep in his mind.
After several days, they stumbled upon something unusual: a large metal pipe, neatly buried underground, heading east. Wonho knelt down, touched it, then tapped gently. A metallic echo spread.
"This tech… isn't from the village. It's way too advanced."
Taeyang traced the pipe's direction with his eyes. Not far off, they saw a strong artificial river flow—diverted away from Andora.
"Thalveran," Taeyang muttered, seething.
Wonho clenched his fists. "They've… monopolized the mountain's water."
That night, Wonho sat alone at the inn. In front of him lay a rough sketch on worn deer hide: a drawing of a waterwheel, dirt channels, a simple filtration tool. But his hands kept trembling.
Hyunwoo came in, carrying hot tea. "You've worked hard. But don't burn yourself out."
"I'm not like you guys…" Wonho murmured. "I can't fight. Can't lead… I can only think."
Hyunwoo smiled. "But when we're angry, you're the one who stays clear-headed. That's worth more than a thousand fists."
Wonho looked back down at his sketch. Slowly, his eyes began to light up.
"If they can steal water with tech… then I'll steal it back with my brain."
The following days were full of toil. Using what little they had—old wood, cart wheels, scrap metal—Wonho began building a simple waterwheel to draw from a small spring beneath the ruins of an ancient dam they'd discovered. The place, once feared as the "Dragon's Ground," had become a new hope.
Wonho also constructed a makeshift water pressure detector from bamboo, sand, and dry leaves. When the tool showed vibrations, they started digging.
And finally—water.
Drop by drop, then a small trickle.
"It's not a river," Wonho said with a faint smile, "but it's enough to bring Andora back to life."
The villagers cheered with joy. Children danced around the flowing stream. Belinda couldn't hold back her tears.
When Wonho returned to the village, everyone was waiting at the gates. Cheers erupted. He froze. For the first time in his life… he felt seen.
"I don't need to be a hero," Wonho thought. "Just someone who's useful."
That evening, as water began flowing into Andora through the humble waterwheel he had built, the entire village changed. Children ran around soaked in laughter, and joy echoed between the bamboo houses and the no-longer-dusty ground.
But before they could fully relax, Taeyang already had a new idea.
"What if we set up irrigation for the fields too?" he asked, pointing west of the village. "If we direct the flow to the crops, we could double the harvest."
Wonho nodded slowly, though he didn't speak yet.
Hyunwoo joined in. "You're right. But here's something more. The mountain base is sloped, right? What if we try terracing?"
Taeyang's eyes lit up as he thought it over. "Holy crap, that's brilliant! More land, no landslides!"
Wonho opened his notebook and started sketching terraced fields while listening. "I can help design the water system… but we'll need a lot of manpower."
"The villagers will help," Taeyang said firmly. "They've seen what you can do."
Meanwhile, the men talked farming, and Yerin sat with Belinda and some of the village women near the communal house's firepit. Several were mending patchwork clothes that looked decades old.
"Our clothing stock is limited," Belinda said softly. "Fabric from the city is expensive, and we don't have any looms."
Yerin studied the scene carefully. "But you've got skilled hands. What if we start a small project?"
Belinda turned to her, curious.
"I've learned some basics of medical stitching and crafts," Yerin continued. "If we gather materials—leather, fibers, even scraps—we could set up a barter system. Fabric in exchange for food, or labor."
One woman's eyes sparkled. "We could even make kids' clothes, winter jackets… maybe sell them outside one day."
Yerin smiled. "That's what I was thinking."
Belinda nodded. "I'll gather the women who know how to sew. This could be the start of something good."
That night, after a long discussion, Hyunwoo stood alone on a small hill, watching the village come back to life. Lantern light glowed from every house, laughter faint in the distance.
Wonho approached from behind. "You're not sleeping?"
Hyunwoo shook his head. "Just… thinking."
"What about this time?" Wonho asked.
Hyunwoo turned, smiling faintly. "Not a problem. A plan. We might end up staying here longer than I thought."
Wonho said nothing, but he sensed it—something Hyunwoo was hiding. Something big.
And he knew—it wasn't just about water or fields.