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38. Another Survivor
“It doesn’t look swollen. In fact, President Do’s face looks much better now, even younger.”
Hearing the word 'younger' startled Se-ah. She was about to whisper something about Junhyuk when he suddenly pulled her close and whispered in her ear.
“Don’t tell them I’ve lost my memory.”
“Why not?”
“Being addressed as ‘President’ implies that our relationship is professional. If they find out I’ve lost my memory, they might try to take advantage of it.”
“Boss Nam doesn’t seem like that kind of person, but… well, I guess I can understand your concern.”
Thinking about it, Se-ah nodded in agreement. She didn’t know much about Junhyuk’s exact business relationship with Boss Nam, only that they were working together on a cruise venture.
For Se-ah, accompanying them to Mindanao was her priority, so she didn’t delve into other details. While Boss Nam, with whom she had worked for three years, was important, she didn’t want Junhyuk to suffer any losses. Se-ah decided to stay silent.
She trusted Junhyuk to handle the rest.
“You two seem to be getting along quite well. What are you whispering about? Can’t I hear too?”
Boss Nam sneaked his head between them, trying to eavesdrop.
His half-closed eyes scanned their faces, giving off a vibe of suspicion, as though something was going on between them.
“Well, of course, we’ve gotten closer. How could we not in a place like this? If we didn’t, how would we survive? Isn’t that right, Junhyuk?”
Se-ah leaned toward Junhyuk as she spoke, and he nodded in agreement.
“Well, I guess you’re right.”
Grrrr.
Just as Boss Nam nodded, a loud sound came from his stomach.
“The emergency energy bars on the boat are almost gone, so I only ate one. That’s why my stomach is making such a racket.”
Feeling pity for the embarrassed Boss Nam, who was rubbing his rumbling belly, Se-ah pulled out some dried meat from her clothing and offered it to him.
“Here, have some.”
“What is this?”
Boss Nam’s eyes widened in surprise.
“It’s grilled and dried wild boar meat.”
“You caught something like this?”
“Mr. Junhyuk did.”
“I always knew President Do was extraordinary, but it seems there’s nothing he can’t do.”
Chewing the dried meat, Boss Nam looked at Junhyuk with admiration in his eyes.
“So, you’ve been surviving solely on energy bars until now?”
“Pretty much. Since neither of us could swim in the sea, catching fish was out of the question. And we didn’t dare venture into the forest, thinking there might be something dangerous. We mostly ate energy bars or picked up fallen coconuts.”
Once again, Se-ah felt grateful to Junhyuk. If she had been with someone else, she would have lived the same way as Boss Nam.
“What about water?”
“There were purifying tablets in the survival kit, so we neutralized seawater with those or collected rainwater when it was available. But even that ran out eventually. When we saw the smoke, we felt saved and followed it.”
“Did it take you a day to get here?”
“I didn’t realize it while moving, but the beach’s uneven terrain made it a long walk. It was fortunate I didn’t bring Ms. Min along. I would’ve been stuck listening to her nagging the whole way.”
Junhyuk, who had been silently listening, joined the conversation.
“So, there weren’t any signs of people over there either?”
“No. Not in the forest, nor on the opposite side of this place. That area is just rocky cliffs.”
“I see. It seems the only way over those mountains is through the forest.”
Junhyuk tilted his head slightly toward the steep mountain range.
“That’s probably true. But is there any real need to go to the other side? If we hold out a little longer, someone will come to rescue us, right? Even if our boat capsized here, the other one the captain was on hasn’t been seen. If they escaped, they must have sent for help.”
“That’s possible, but it’s not a bad idea to explore the island just in case they can’t come. Something feels off about this place.”
Junhyuk’s voice trailed off at the end, making it hard to catch his last words, but he seemed bothered by something.
“Still, it’s a relief to have found both you and Ms. Se-ah. I never thought I’d get to eat such delicious meat here either.”
Boss Nam, expressing his admiration repeatedly, quickly finished the meat. When Se-ah showed him some corn and suggested grilling it together, his eyes sparkled with gratitude.
Se-ah waited for Boss Nam to finish his meal before carefully asking a question she had been holding back.
“So… what happened to Mr. Jo Jisang?”
Boss Nam hesitated for a moment before responding.
“Well… when the typhoon pushed the boat close to the island, he fell into the water just before we reached it. I tried to grab him, but the current carried him away in an instant. I’m sure he’s alive somewhere… Just like you and President Do survived, we have to believe he did too.”
Even though he wasn’t the most tactful person, Se-ah couldn’t help but feel worried about him.
He must not be dead. He had been wearing a life vest. She could only hope he had landed somewhere on the island like she and Junhyuk.
Junhyuk, who had been quietly watching her with sunken eyes, lowered his head and asked in a low voice, just loud enough for her to hear.
“Who is Jo Jisang? Is he someone close to you? Why are you so worried?”
His twisted expression clearly showed his displeasure.
“He’s not close to me; he’s your friend.”
“My friend?”
“Yes.”
Seeing that he had no recollection, she added more explanation.
“He’s the friend who traveled with you to the Philippines.”
“Why are you asking about my friend?”
Even at the mention of the word 'friend,' his expression remained sullen as he questioned her.
“Well, we were part of the same group.”
“That’s all?”
“Of course. Out of everyone on the boat, Mr. Jo Jisang is the only one missing, so I was just asking about him. I barely spoke a few words to him.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Finally satisfied, Junhyuk returned to the wooden shelter.
As Junhyuk prepared dinner, Boss Nam wandered around the house like a prospective buyer, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“So, did President Do build this house too?”
“He even put the roof together in no time.”
“He truly is amazing.”
“Isn’t he?”
Though the house lacked bedding and furniture, it was luxurious by deserted island standards for two people to live in. Seeing Se-ah’s proud expression, Boss Nam hummed thoughtfully.
“But… it might be cramped for four people.”
“Four?”
At Se-ah’s puzzled reaction, Boss Nam casually added,
“If Ms. Min comes here too, there will be four of us. Living together might get crowded. Still, it’s better than being without a roof over our heads.”
“And who said we’re living here together?”
Junhyuk, who had been tending the fire, was suddenly leaning against the doorway, glaring at Boss Nam.
“Well, then where should we stay?”
“Where have you been staying until now?”
“There’s a cave… we’ve been staying there…”
“Then you can continue staying there. I can share food, but I’m not giving away this house.”
Junhyuk’s tone was firm, drawing a clear line.
“So, you’re saying we should keep walking back and forth every time?”
Boss Nam protested in shock.
“Or you could build a house here. I can provide the materials.”
Junhyuk made it clear that his help would extend no further.
Though he wasn’t naturally warm and accommodating, Se-ah had almost forgotten this side of him due to his recent behavior.
“So, you’re saying you’ll only take care of Ms. Se-ah? Coco is my employee, you know?”
“Ms. Se-ah is also close to me. Whether I take care of her or not is no one else’s concern.”
“Well…”
Both men turned to Se-ah, who was caught in the middle.
“Coco, say something!”
“I have no intention of letting anyone but Ms. Se-ah stay in the house I built.”
Se-ah sighed, feeling a headache coming on.
To Junhyuk, Boss Nam was just another stranger, so his refusal to share the house made perfect sense. However, asking Boss Nam to travel such a long distance daily was also unreasonable.
After thinking carefully, Se-ah came up with a compromise.
“We can help build a new house. And while we’re exploring the island, Boss Nam can stay here and keep an eye out for passing boats or planes. That way, he’ll be helpful too, don’t you think?”
“Well… I’m good at that sort of thing,”
Boss Nam quickly agreed, sensing an opportunity.
“With more people, we could even take turns keeping watch.”
“…That’s not wrong.”
Seeing Se-ah’s hopeful eyes, Junhyuk reluctantly nodded with a sullen expression.
Exploring the island was essential, but missing a rescue opportunity would be disastrous. Even Junhyuk understood the advantage of having one more person on the lookout, though he wasn’t thrilled about it.
To him, the new dynamic felt like an intrusion on the life he and Se-ah had established.
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