Bring It On! - Chapter 2

Chapter 2. 

“You know it too, don’t you? If we just keep waiting to be rescued like this, we’ll either die from disease, starvation, or shrivel up from dehydration. The only thing left for us is death!”

Kim Jaecheol burst out, face flushed red as if he’d forgotten how to breathe. Judging by the look on the three of them, it wasn’t hard to guess what they were planning. The wrecked yacht had only three life vests and one three-person lifeboat. And now the same three guys who never managed to bring back any decent food were all neatly suited up in life vests. 

The sight of it alone was enough to cure the low blood pressure that tormented me every morning.

“So you’re just gonna ditch me and Suho and run off?”

“We’re not running away, it’s not like that…!”

“Then what is it? Think about all the crap you three pulled ever since we got stranded. Suho and I were out there stealing quail eggs from birds’ nests just to boil and survive, and what were you guys doing? Hiding chocolate bars and eating four of them among the three of you. Four!”

“I told you! That was a necessary decision to increase the overall chances of survival. We’re stronger and more skilled than you and Suho, so it makes more sense for us to—”

“Cut the crap! Fine, let’s say the chocolate bars were for survival. Then why the hell did you steal my cup noodles?!”

As I raised my arm with a rock like I was about to throw it, Kim Jaecheol let out a shriek and covered his head. On his forehead was a still-swollen bump, growing like a unicorn’s horn. I had smacked him with a wooden stick when I couldn’t hold back my rage after he stole my precious instant noodles.

“Come on now. Let’s not do this. There’s nothing good that comes from fighting among ourselves,” said Jaden, who had been watching from a distance but now hurried over to intervene. 

Among the rough, loudmouthed sailors, Jaden was the only one with a soft-spoken voice and baby-smooth skin. I used to be a little interested in him once. I don’t even believe in religion, but I’d taken his invitation to join him at Sunday service as a kind of date and ended up singing hymns at a Korean church I’d never been to before. It was only once, but still.

Now, standing in front of me, Jaden was nothing more than a flower-headed idiot with no sense of reality.

“Don’t butt in!”

“Take a deep breath. With me now. Inhale on one, exhale on two…”

“Fffwwwh! Huff! Huff! That good enough for you?!”

I blew sharply on purpose, squeezing my belly to send out exaggerated gusts of breath. Along with a spray of morning breath, spit that flew all over Jaden’s face. A twitch formed between his brows.

“Haa… Miss Woori…”

“Don’t pretend to be calm and rational. You always act so high and mighty, but I’ve never liked the way you look at people. Like we’re wild animals or something. And while we’re at it, stop pretending to be some devout saint. Isn’t yours more of a fashion religion? Every time there’s work to do, you’re suddenly praying and backing out. I’ve seen you using your Bible as a pillow when you sleep!”

“I mean, Miss, I know you’re angry, but don’t you think that’s going too far?”

Hwang Seonwoong, oblivious as always, chimed in.

“And you, what kind of chef can’t even gut a fish? Since when were you vegan, just cracking open coconuts all day? Are you kidding me? How are all of you physically fine but completely useless?!”

“What… what did you just call us?”

Kim Jaecheol glared at me, his thick eyelids tensing. But I wasn’t the kind of person to back down just because of a stare.

“Yeah, you idiots!” 

I shot back without hesitation.

That was enough for him to lunge at me. Jaden grabbed him to hold him back while Hwang Seonwoong tried to restrain me. The four of us tangled together, yelling and flailing for a brief moment. 

But it didn’t last long. The harsh sun beat down on our heads, and after days without proper food, we didn’t have the energy to keep it up.

Kim Jaecheol collapsed into the sand with a thud. I bent forward, hands on my hips, my head hanging. The sun’s heat was even more overwhelming than the rage that had just surged through me.

“Haa…”

A tangled breath escaped from my throat. Kree-kree. Some unknown bird cried as it flew freely over the blue sea, and the waves lapped at my feet with a soft crash.

The sky was wide open, as if even Mongolians would weep at its vastness, and it was utterly, overwhelmingly hopeless.

The truth was, I knew Kim Jaecheol wasn’t entirely wrong. Even though we’d written a giant “SOS” in the sand, not a single helicopter had flown by. We’d even gone so far as to follow Jaden in a near-mad attempt at prayer, begging to be rescued from this godforsaken place.

The longer we stayed stranded on this deserted island with no trace of civilization, the more our bodies and minds were falling apart.

“Phew.”

I blew out a breath, pushing the hair from my eyes.

After tightening the buckle on his life vest, Kim Jaecheol stood up. He gave me a sidelong glance and cleared his throat. Great, he’s about to say some more nonsense.

“Miss, why don’t you come with us on the boat?”

“What did you just say?”

When I shot him a fierce glare, Jaden quickly stepped in front of me. He took off his own life vest and held it out to me. I didn’t take it. I just stared at him in silence.

Backstabbers. A bitter laugh slipped out of my mouth.

Even if we managed to cram four people into a three-person lifeboat and somehow make it across the sea, there was no way we could take Suho too.

Whether it was from days of rain or the extreme conditions, Suho had developed a fever and could barely sit upright.

And yet these three jerks were now trying to convince me to abandon him and escape with the adults. I should’ve known the moment they cried like babies and secretly ate our precious food rations. But now they were showing just how deep their cowardice ran.

As my mocking smile vanished and my expression turned hard again, Jaden flinched. He hesitated, then began putting his life vest back on.

I raised my head sharply and stared straight up at him.

“W-what’s wrong?”

I reached out my arm toward him, and startled, Jaden flinched again. I held back the urge to slap him and instead snatched his glasses.

“Ah, I can’t see anything without those…”

I ignored his pitiful protest and shoved the glasses into my pocket. Then I looked each of them in the eye, one by one. As if engraving their faces into memory, never to forget even in death.

“I’ll let you go. But don’t just mindlessly row like fools. Keep checking the compass as you go. And if you meet anyone, don’t waste time resting. Send a rescue team right away. Got it?”

“Of course! That was the plan all along.”

Kim Jaecheol nodded quickly, again and again. Maybe he was afraid I’d change my mind. He hurriedly gathered his bag and strode past me. As he did, I yanked a bundle of instant coffee out of his back pocket.

“Ah, that’s—!”

“Planning to enjoy tea time in the middle of the ocean? Save your prayers for a safe trip. I’ll be taking this too.”

Kim Jaecheol opened his mouth to protest, but Jaden shook his head, stopping him. He just wanted to leave this place no matter what.

Without a shred of hesitation, the three cowards climbed into the boat. But instead of leaving right away, they turned to look back at me.

I guess it’s hard to just leave like that. We had fought a lot, sure, but we’d also worked together, shared hardship after being stranded here. It would’ve been stranger if they didn’t feel a little something.

If they apologized, I might’ve even forgiven them—

“…Miss, can you give the boat a push?”

Of course. Bastards.

I cursed them inwardly as I gave the boat a strong shove into the sea. Kim Jaecheol and Hwang Seonwoong started rowing furiously, while Jaden waved a hand at me.

“We’ll come back for you! Stay safe until then!!!”

That’s not even the right direction, you idiot.

Maybe because he didn’t have his glasses, Jaden was waving excitedly at a lightning-struck tree, thinking it was me.

Frowning under the blazing sun, I watched the boat fade into the distance before turning around.

I needed to prepare water before Suho woke up.

***

20XX.07.29. Day 39 of Being Stranded

The yacht, battered by a brutal storm, had been torn apart and overturned.

With the wreckage embedded upside-down on the beach, flipping it back was nearly impossible. Suho’s older brother and the yacht’s driver, Lee Haeseong, had died.

He had been so happy, saying this would be their last transport job before heading back to Korea with his little brother. That smiling face often resurfaced in my mind.

Suho, only nine years old, still couldn’t read and had never attended kindergarten or school for more than two months at a time. He had said that once they got to Korea, he’d go to school and get a brand-new backpack. But that wish had been swept away with the storm.

Day 39. No rescue yet.

We couldn’t just sit and wait. In the meantime, I did everything I could to survive on this island.

I used the emergency axe and hammer from the yacht to chop down trees. I couldn’t even cut down a single tree on the first day, but I got better. Now I could chop down about one tree an hour, breaks included.

By the time I was done cutting one into pieces, the whole day would be gone. I built a makeshift shelter to block the heat during the day and the cold at night, but we needed something more secure and durable.

“Ugh!”

While dragging a chopped log, I slipped on something and fell flat. I landed hard on my tailbone and smacked my back against the log.

Wincing in pain that tingled through my whole body, I picked up whatever had slipped under my shoe.

It was a used bundle of condoms tangled in seaweed.