25. Catching a Big Fish
In movies or variety shows set on deserted islands, exploring the island is always a must. However, on the second day on this rather vast island, Junhyuk and her were still living within just a few hundred meters of their starting point.
Since it was the rainy season, water scarcity wasn’t an immediate concern, but they couldn’t rely on rainwater indefinitely. Plants usually grow where there is water, and luckily, the forest inland was lush like a jungle.
Se-ah pondered whether there might be a stream deeper in the forest and asked Junhyuk when they should explore the island.
Wiping his sweat with a towel washed clean at the beach, Junhyuk looked at the distant sky and shook his head.
“Let’s build the house sturdier first. It’s not too late to look around afterward. Since it hasn’t been long since we got stranded, venturing too far from the beach isn’t a wise choice.”
“Oh… People might come to find us.”
“Exactly. For now, we should stay close to the beach and wait for rescue. We won’t starve right away, after all.”
As he said, the beach was strewn with coconuts, and there were plenty of fish. Though they hadn’t caught any because they moved too quickly, there seemed to be quite a few crabs hiding in the sand.
Indeed, if it had been urgent, he would’ve suggested exploring already.
Wise as always.
Nodding her head, Se-ah decided to look around for more useful items among the things washed up on the beach while Junhyuk worked on the house.
“Don’t go too far; it’s dangerous.”
If she ventured even slightly farther away, he would stop hammering and call her back.
Se-ah had no intention of going far, so even without being tied to anything, she naturally kept a consistent distance from him.
With the tall Junhyuk standing firm like a lighthouse on the shore, there was no risk of getting lost, but being cautious wouldn’t hurt.
‘There’s a lot of new stuff.’
Perhaps blown in by the wind last night, there were quite a few things that hadn’t been there the day before.
Se-ah let out a cheer as she spotted an unopened set of toiletries containing a toothbrush for two.
There was no longer a need to gargle with saltwater or scrub teeth with palm leaves. Junhyuk had been using charcoal from the fire as a substitute for toothpaste, but to Se-ah, the black powder looked like poison, and she didn’t even attempt to try it.
Of course, maybe because they hadn’t eaten anything pungent, their breath didn’t seem bad, but that might have just been her own perception. She had been cautious whenever speaking, and thankfully, it hadn’t been an issue.
In the past, when participating in some kind of research or survey about what to bring to a deserted island, she had easily chosen medicine, fire-making tools, and a multipurpose knife. Now, toothpaste and a toothbrush had become her top priority.
Se-ah immediately grabbed her water bottle, went to a corner, and brushed her teeth with newfound vigor.
“Whew!”
It was a refreshing feeling, even better than overcoming chronic constipation.
As she hummed a tune and wandered around gathering items, Junhyuk’s lips unconsciously curved into a pleasant smile as he watched her.
Before long, Se-ah’s arms were full of items. There was a dented stainless steel plate, a broken fishing rod, a deflated life vest, and a torn net. Most of the items seemed damaged either by waves or already broken aboard a ship, but they still appeared quite useful.
The stainless steel plate, in particular, was perfect to use as a makeshift pot.
As Se-ah walked while scanning the ground for more discoveries, she noticed something glinting on a dark surface.
“What’s this?”
Tilting her head in curiosity, she tried to pull out the half-buried item from the sand. But as the wind cleared the sand, revealing a gun, she screamed loudly.
Her feet instinctively stepped back.
Debating whether to retrieve it or not, she decided to call Junhyuk, figuring he would know how to handle it and to prevent any potential accidents.
“Jun… Junhyuk!”
At her call, Junhyuk immediately stopped what he was doing and sprinted over. He moved so quickly that Se-ah briefly wondered if he had teleported.
“What’s wrong?”
“There… there’s a gun over there.”
Seeing the spot Se-ah pointed to, Junhyuk bent down without hesitation and picked up the gun. Inspecting it from various angles, he carried it to where they had collected water and cleaned off the salt and sand with clear water.
“Judging by the lack of rust, it seems it drifted in recently.”
With a pointed metal tool, he skillfully disassembled the gun and laid out its components in a sunny spot, muttering to himself.
“You know how to handle guns?”
Se-ah watched in amazement as he carefully examined the bullets removed from the magazine. While the Philippines allows legal gun ownership with permits, even those with permits didn’t seem as adept at assembling and disassembling firearms as Junhyuk appeared to be.
“Of course.”
Junhyuk answered casually, as if wondering why she even asked.
Did they teach such things in the military? Se-ah was about to ask but caught herself. Talking about the military or soccer wasn’t something one did carelessly, especially when stranded on a deserted island with only one person to talk to.
Avoiding one potential landmine of a topic, she quickly shifted the conversation.
“Is it safe?”
“Since it’s been wet before, there might be unseen corrosion, and the gunpowder inside the bullets might not ignite if it’s been exposed to water. Just don’t fire it. If you mishandle it, the gun could explode.”
Hearing the word 'explode,' Se-ah’s eyes widened instinctively.
“Then wouldn’t it be better to get rid of it?”
Se-ah stared warily at the gun as if it had been dropped to disrupt the peace of their village.
“Still, it’s better than having nothing. If dangerous people show up, just holding a gun would likely deter them from acting recklessly.”
“Wow… Do Junhyuk, I respect you!”
Se-ah gave him a big thumbs-up. The phrase 'one person capable of taking on a hundred' wasn’t just a dictionary definition; she was witnessing it in real life. It was clear that Junhyuk alone was worth far more than a thousand people like her.
If someone like Junhyuk were stationed on every deserted island, they might not even be called deserted islands anymore. In Se-ah’s mind, Junhyuk was slowly becoming idolized. At this rate, she thought she might even become a devout follower if he started his own religion.
Seeing the exaggerated sparkle in her eyes, Junhyuk let out a soft laugh and returned to hammering.
“Anyway, it needs to dry completely. Don’t touch it until it’s thoroughly dried.”
“Yes, sir!”
Responding enthusiastically, Se-ah gathered the items she had collected—though they might be more accurately called trash—and brought them near the wooden house Junhyuk had built. She trusted Junhyuk to make the final decision on whether they were useful.
After several trips back and forth, it seemed the new roof was finally complete. With a grunt, Junhyuk hoisted it up in one go onto the wooden house.
The new roof looked significantly sturdier compared to the previous one. Watching Se-ah tiptoe and tap the roof as if inspecting a newly built house, Junhyuk mentioned that he planned to reinforce the walls as well.
After all, who knew? They might have to live there for a very long time.
Se-ah glanced between the distant sea, empty even of fishing boats, and their wooden house, wearing a bittersweet smile.
“They’ll come to rescue us. Even though the Philippines has countless islands, most of them are within communication range. If they track the GPS on the boat, they’ll find us nearby. Don’t worry too much.”
Junhyuk appeared beside her, offering comforting words. Coming from him, it felt like a certainty, easing her mind.
“Really?”
“Yes. Even if they don’t, we’ll definitely get off this island. Trust me.”
Yes, I trust you. I absolutely do.
Se-ah nodded repeatedly, like a toy cat placed on a sushi restaurant counter.
After reinforcing the house, Junhyuk immediately grabbed a harpoon and went to the sea to catch fish. He must have thought that the three fish drying earlier weren’t enough.
Se-ah eagerly followed him, clutching the fishing rod she had picked up.
Her father’s hobby had been fishing, so she often accompanied him as a child. Of course, she should’ve been catching more 'management philosophy' rather than fish, but nostalgia filled her thoughts.
With memories flooding back, she confidently swung the rod with a fake shiny lure dangling at the end.
“Come on, big fish!”
Perhaps her prayers had worked?
Soon, something huge got caught on her line. The fishing line stretched tight under the weight of the catch.
It seemed like this fish might be much larger than anything Junhyuk had caught so far, and Se-ah beamed with delight.
Excitedly reeling in her catch, feeling like she was finally contributing, Se-ah gasped in shock as Junhyuk emerged from the water with a puzzled expression.
“What… is this?”
Junhyuk turned around, revealing his back to Se-ah, where the hook from her fishing rod was caught in the center of his shirt. Since his shirt was white, it wasn’t noticeable until he got close.
Looking at Junhyuk, who had literally been 'caught' on her line, Se-ah thought to herself:
Well, it is a big catch, after all.
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