Luckily, they found a cave. A place about one pyeong in size. It was dark and gloomy but looked quite cozy. It seemed like it would block out rain, sunlight, and beasts.
“Ugh… Cold.”
He tossed the sports bag into the corner with a thud. Drip drip, sticky moisture flowed. He didn’t lose that bag. His luck was incredibly good.
“No, that’s not right.”
Is it right to say he was lucky in this situation? Absurdly, a hollow laugh burst out. Shaking his head side to side, he opened the zipper.
A raincoat, matches, toothbrush supplies….
Quite useful things came out. Was it because he lived without having anything? Woonghee had a hoarding obsession. Unable to throw away anything, like a snail he carried everything on his back, stuffing everything into his bag. Even this kind of shabbiness has its helpful moments.
“First, fire, I need to start a fire.”
Whatever else, the most important thing for survival was fire.
‘The most necessary thing for survival is fire, you absolutely must start a fire.’
Just as the YouTuber said, he needs to maintain body temperature, drive away bugs, and heat up food to eat.
He quickly moved his body. He gathered up a bunch of dry branches. He stacked them well on one side and gently scraped a match.
“Ah….”
How long did he struggle like that? A small spark barely rose. Hurriedly placing it on the firewood, he lay flat on the ground with his stomach pressed down.
“It worked…!”
Hoo, hooo, he blew his breath into it. The fire that was barely the size of a pinky fingernail slowly increased in volume and lengthened. Woonghee’s eyes sparkled. Hooo, as he blew harder.
“Ah, it stings.”
Ash flew into his eyes. Sting sting, his eyeballs stung. Woonghee rubbed his eyes roughly with his fists.
Right, for a first time, this was pretty good. Now that he started a fire, it was time to hunt.
Fish, let’s catch fish. He took out the pink raincoat from his bag. Buttoning it up one by one. This thing, it’s quite something. It’s pretty warm and it’s even waterproof?
“Good.”
The salmon-colored raincoat wrapped snugly around Woonghee’s skin that was like pure white glass beads.
Snap snap, he rolled up his pant legs. His ankles were revealed in red. The protruding part looked like a shiny, well-polished apple. As he carefully pushed his foot into the swaying seawater.
“Ugh, it’s cold….”
It was completely ice-cold. In the waves rippling in emerald color. His toes, reddish like lightly cooked sausages, shyly revealed themselves.
Why are these damn fish so quick? They kept slipping through his hands. Flutter, trembling its body, it brushed Woonghee’s palm with its soft tail.
‘I caught it…!’
Then, the moment he thought he really caught it this time.
Bang!
A loud roar burst out. The vicinity shook. For a moment, thinking it was an earthquake, Woonghee also flinched his shoulders, and the fish fluttered its body and quickly ran away.
…Ah shit, they’re really no help at all. Woonghee scrunched up his eyebrows.
“Ah shit, what now….”
Woonghee’s large eyes fixed on the far side. A place where bright red fire surged massively. Around it, listless slugs were clumped together.
The people were in a completely knocked-out state.
After filling their stomachs with food scraped and gathered up, it seemed like sleep was pouring over them now. They were gathered around the fire wrapped up in blankets like that.
However.
Thud, thoom! Only Managing Director Gi was cutting down trees with thick trunks. In his hand was a fairly good quality axe. Maybe he got it from the cruise. Anyway, he’s a man with disgustingly good luck. Doesn’t it seem like the Creator only favors that side?
The fire undulating its disgusting tongue like a rattlesnake made his outline stand out. Each time he swung down the axe once, the muscle masses extending from his arms to his back formed a chorus together then twisted bizarrely.
Soon the tree trunk snapped and went down with a thud. The gangster quickly gathered it and stacked it on one side.
It didn’t even seem like a few hours had passed, but it was already piled up as high as a mountain hut. It was truly an incredible speed.
They said the KJ that man belonged to started from a construction company in the first place. Then they dug up some land in the Middle East, and what, jewels came pouring out in strings….
He’d seen it on YouTube Shorts and swallowed bitter water while envying them, saying those with money do even more. As he was lost in such thoughts in a daze. Tap, something brushed against Woonghee’s skin.
‘…It tickles.’
Looking down, a fish was tapping, burying its head against his ankle. Woonghee quickly snatched it up. Splash! Water droplets flew in all directions.
“I caught it…!”
Hurriedly, he lifted up the hem of his raincoat. Quickly hugging the fish to his chest, he returned to the cave in an awkward crouch. Drip, drip. Seawater pooled under Woonghee’s feet.
He scraped off the fish’s scales roughly with a sharp branch. Stabbing a knife deep into its belly, he pulled out the intestines in one go.
“Hoo, hoo….”
Being careful not to make the fire too strong, he slowly grilled the fish evenly. As it started to cook golden brown, a savory smell spread to the tip of his nose. It looked quite plausible.
Is this enough?
He took out the meat emitting white smoke and carefully bit into it with his mouth. Hoo, haa. Hot breath burst in his mouth. How long has it been since he grilled fish like this? Because of the excuse that oil splattered everywhere and he didn’t have time to deal with fish flesh, he was busy filling up on just ramen or cup rice every day.
‘I wonder if Lee Woongju is eating….’
The money he saved after coming back from the military was all piled up intact in the bank account. It was money to use for Woongju’s college tuition. Even if a knife came to his throat, he absolutely couldn’t touch it.
‘O-oppa….’
There was a time when Woongju was caught working part-time at a convenience store in secret. With her hair tied carelessly with a cheap yellow rubber band, crouched in a corner eating triangle kimbap that had been disposed of as waste, she was discovered by him.
Likewise, by him who went to buy two tuna triangle kimbap and one Zero Coke.
‘What are you doing here…?’
In a bizarre appearance wearing red gym pants under her school uniform skirt, wasn’t she memorizing an English vocabulary book?
‘O-oppa, it’s not like that….’
Grains of rice were stuck on the lips that babbled like that.
‘Go home right now.’
Woonghee chased Woongju out of the convenience store right then. And he guarded the counter in place of his younger sister.
‘No, oppa! I’m just going to work part-time and get a student loan, okay? Who doesn’t have a loan these days, they say it’s all a badge of honor!’
Woongju was someone who competed for 1st or 2nd place in the entire school. The homeroom teacher called her and said she had enough ability to go to a gifted school, but Woongju was being stubborn saying she’d go to a vocational school.
The kid who, since childhood, constantly said her dream was to be a researcher, that she’d definitely cure oppa’s Omega disease.
The reason for suddenly changing her career path was obvious. Money, because of that fucking demon-like money.
‘So please just get that pheromone injection, oppa!’
‘Hey, the eldest son has his pride.’
Woonghee stood on his pride saying he’d somehow do at least that much. He saved money by cutting food expenses and squeezing out transportation costs.
‘Oppa, are you seriously kidding me? Living eating only scraps of triangle kimbap every day….’
Looking at Woongju crying buckets of tears, Woonghee said harshly. Don’t work part-time, and study during that time. That’s how to help.
He should’ve taken Lee Woongju who was eating triangle kimbap back then to a delicious mackerel set meal restaurant.
“Fucking hell….”
Woonghee stared blankly at the fire. The really bastardly thing about poverty is this. It stares at you 24 hours and then suddenly pops out and slaps your cheek.
The place where scales were piled up. As moonlight gathered there, it sparkled prettily. Night began to fall on the island like that.
Looking at the fading sky, something welled up with a hook from his throat.
How much longer do I have to stay…. Woonghee fell into thought while curled up.
He bit his nails in anxiety. Sweet stray thoughts stuck stickily to his brain. Tangled, and tangled again.
“Ah, this won’t do, let’s do something.”
Woonghee bolted upright. Isn’t there something to divert his attention with? Like a puppy that needs to poop, he wiggled his bottom.
“Ah, right, that thing from earlier….”
He recalled the axe he saw earlier. The one held in Managing Director Gi’s hand. It would be nice if he had something like that too.
Ah, right. There’s the wrecked cruise, isn’t there?
He immediately ran out to the sandy beach. Luckily, he picked up a piece of iron. He rolled it up tightly with cloth.
He rubbed it roughly against a rock. Looking at it from different angles, peering at it, fiddling with it for several minutes. To fit in his grip, it seems like it needs to be a bit smaller….
He was so absorbed that sweat trickled down his spine. Once he concentrates, Woonghee, who wouldn’t notice even if someone stabbed his side with a knife, was completely immersed in his own world.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
At that moment, a sharp voice coming from across tore through the air. Flinch, Woonghee trembled. He whipped his head to the side.
Fuck, what the hell is it this time….
