It’s now the third day since people were locked up. By now, their water must be running out. Enduring a day without water in such a sweltering place was like hell itself.
Woonghee collected cleanly washed tuna cans, corn cans, and instant rice bowls and filled them with cool stream water. Then he knocked—tap tap—on the closed bungalow doors one by one.
“Here.”
The door cracked open slightly. Woonghee quietly held out the water he’d brought through the gap. Then the other person, though flustered, quickly snatched the bowl and gulped it down greedily. He was already repeating the same process for the fourth time.
And now the last door.
It was Director Hwang. Woonghee knocked on the door with his clenched fist. Unlike before, he rolled his eyes to check the surroundings to see if anyone was watching. Soon, with a creaking—kigik—spine-chilling sound, the wooden door opened. Between the opened crack, an eyeball popped out. Bright red, like a monster’s eyes.
A demonic hand stretched out from inside. The blackened hand tried to snatch the water bowl nestled in his arms. Woonghee quickly pulled his body back.
“Water…!”
The cracked voice craved water. Exactly like a ghost whose life had been consumed by thirst.
“Where’s the tube?”
Woonghee muttered, holding his breath as much as possible. But as soon as he brought up the tube, the door closed again with a creaking sound. Startled, Woonghee quickly wedged his arm in between. Thud! The door closed, pressing down on his arm.
“Ngh…!”
His arm hurt as if it were burning. Woonghee ground his molars. This crazy bastard. Did he really go senile or why is he suddenly acting like this!
“Why are you doing this!”
Woonghee hopped on his front feet. He pressed against the wall with the soles of his feet for support, trying to lessen the pain even a little. He tried to pull his body back, but it was useless.
“Ugh… This isn’t the time for this. There’s one more person to take on board. I can’t tell you who yet, but….”
“Am I an idiot?”
Before Woonghee could finish his words, Director Hwang, who had cut in, growled lowly.
“Without even knowing who it is?”
“…What did you say?”
Thump—his heart dropped. Don’t tell me he already knows about Tula’s existence? How did he catch on? Did he follow me? He shouldn’t have been able to sneak out of this bungalow door, right? Questions kept leading to more questions.
“Who, who is it?”
“Do I look like a retard to you? It’s Managing Director Gi!”
What the hell kind of nonsense was he spouting? Director Hwang blurted out absurd talk and then screamed—aak—in a shrill voice. His appearance of huffing at his own words was pathetic. To think he had been tense about such a person.
“What if you secretly run off with that bastard?”
“…What?”
At the same time, the door opened slightly again. Woonghee hastily pulled out his arm. He rubbed the reddened skin frantically with his opposite palm. His skin stung.
Then Director Hwang stretched out his arm and tried to search Woonghee’s chest. Woonghee swiftly pulled his body away.
“So hand over that IV first! Where is it, you son of a bitch!”
That meant he’d hidden the lifeboat somewhere only he knew. No wonder. No matter how much he searched, the tube wasn’t there. Then he absolutely couldn’t back down here.
Woonghee quickly pressed his eyes into the door crack. Though it was too faint to be certain, he could see something orange that stood out. He’d wondered where it had gone, but Director Hwang had hidden it in his own bungalow.
Actually, Woonghee had also had an unsettling thought. He had hidden the IV in another place to avoid Director Hwang. That must have given wings to Director Hwang’s baseless speculation.
“Really, please just stop talking such bullshit…!”
Woonghee squeezed out every ounce of strength to grip the door with both hands. He planted both feet in the sandy beach and forcefully threw open the door. Trembling—even though his stamina must have greatly diminished from not eating properly, he could feel the tenacious strength somehow enduring. The quiet struggle continued.
“Ngh…!”
But it was too much to throw open this door in this state. Woonghee’s ankle was injured, and his opponent was an Alpha. He would definitely be the first to tire out.
“No. I can’t give it.”
He had to use his head, his head. Wasn’t their innate strength completely different?
Woonghee, who had been firmly tensing his entire body, suddenly relaxed his strength completely and pulled back. As the opposing force disappeared, Director Hwang’s body staggered.
Now…! Woonghee pushed the door open with all his might. Kwung—a heavy sound struck the wind. Unable to overcome the pushing force, Woonghee’s body bounced into the bungalow. Woonghee rolled once, performing a landing technique like a flying squirrel.
But at that moment, the stench of rotting food and feces rushed into his nose. Of course, he couldn’t throw out the bones of animals hunted during this time, and even defecation had to be taken care of here.
“Urk…!”
While Woonghee hesitated at the terrible stench, Director Hwang urgently pulled the tube into his arms.
“You son of a bitch, did you think I’d let it get taken from me now?”
He even spread himself out spread-eagle on top of it. Though it was absurd that he’d be this petty, he took that opportunity to check the condition of the lifeboat. The hole must have been quite patched up, as it was firmly supporting Director Hwang’s body, which seemed to approach 100 kilos.
“You’re trying to embezzle it, right?”
“Fuck…”
What kind of nonsense was that? He’d been saying the same thing since earlier, and they couldn’t communicate at all. Woonghee kept logically explaining that he had no intention of betraying them, that the person he wanted to leave with wasn’t Managing Director Gi, but he didn’t even pretend to listen.
“Ah, fuck me… What the hell are you even saying right now….”
He felt suffocated enough to want to punch his head. He tried to somehow suppress his rising anger, but seeing Director Hwang’s appearance, gripped by delusion, he couldn’t calm down.
“That bastard stabbed and killed the Captain!”
Wrong. That was Tula. In frustration, he struck his chest repeatedly with his fist.
“Seeing you getting along well with that murderer, you’re not normal either, you bastard.”
Normal? Was maintaining sanity on this island even possible in the first place?
“So you won’t give it? You son of a bitch, if you don’t hand it over….”
Fucking hell, I’ll have no choice but to take it with all my might.
Woonghee’s jaw, about to continue speaking like that, suddenly stiffened coldly. Whip—both their heads turned toward the door simultaneously.
Crunch—they heard the sound of trampling on the sandy beach. The two fell silent simultaneously as if they’d planned it. They rolled their eyes around, reading the situation. Who is it? Isn’t he the only one who can move around freely right now?
Tap tap. Someone knocked on the door.
“Come out. Managing Director Gi-nim is looking for you.”
Managing Director Gi. At that title, his heart didn’t just drop but seemed about to leap out of his body. Fortunately, it wasn’t Managing Director Gi himself, but ultimately it was his summons. It was a sudden call. But there could be no refusal. He must already know to some degree what he had done. Though he didn’t know how much he knew.
“If you don’t come out, I’m coming in.”
It felt as if the door would break any moment and Managing Director Gi’s subordinate would barge in. If it was that man’s subordinate, they would definitely grab the nape of the neck and drag him out if the other party didn’t listen. Then the boat in front of his eyes would be discovered.
After a brief hesitation, he declared a truce. He deliberately sent Director Hwang to the sandy beach first. Woonghee went around in a circle and walked out from a different direction. The others must absolutely never know about this damn connection.
“……”
Except for the two, the others had already gathered. Those sitting around a large bonfire were drooling with faces dripping with grime.
A strange silence flowed. Though everyone outwardly exuded a docile and gentle atmosphere, their eyes all harbored greed. It was probably because of the feast Managing Director Gi had prepared. Various fruits and large chunks of meat were laid out.
“Everyone has really worked so hard all this time.”
As he hesitated and looked for an empty seat, Managing Director Gi grabbed Woonghee’s wrist and pulled him over. Woonghee slowly moved his steps with both eyes fixed on his back.
Did he really listen to what I said and release the people?
“My heart also ached terribly. I myself couldn’t judge well whether it was right to continue carrying out this punishment.”
“……”
“Our Woonghee-ssi spoke up.”
He pressed Woonghee’s shoulder down onto the most honored seat.
“Eat your fill and rest a bit.”
As soon as the words ended, everyone greedily grabbed food and started shoving it into their mouths like crazy. In just a few days, humans lost their reason and moved like puppets at Managing Director Gi’s single finger.
Woonghee also mixed in among them and ate haphazardly. Then he secretly put a few chunks into his pocket, when suddenly his eyes met with Managing Director Gi on his left.
“Woonghee-ssi will get fat on the neck.”
He smiled. As always.
“I wonder if a necklace would suit you better.”
He pulled him close and kissed his forehead. At the endlessly affectionate action, right next to them, drip drip—chunks of meat fell. The culprit was Assistant Director hyung. Hyung tensed up greatly as if he’d seen something terrible and gulped down the meat he’d been chewing.
