Chapter 11

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: penny

Chapter: 11

Chapter Title: Cooking

-----------------------------------------------------------------

+

+

The remaining amount was 270ml.

The problem was how to get it.

"Fuck. Now they're even ordering grilled clams. Cough, cough."

The male flight attendant muttered curses under his breath.

We were each digging into the sand, lighting fires, piling rocks on top, and grilling clams one by one.

A savory aroma mingled with the acrid smoke, tickling our noses, but all that hard work's reward went straight to the students.

Woo-hoo!

And the kids were joyfully running around playing.

Colorful lights streamed from various smartphones, and club music blasted from somewhere.

The kids danced and partied through the night.

Meanwhile, the teachers, flight attendants, and I were busy grilling clams for them.

"Fucking bastards. Am I your errand boy? Am I your mom or what?"

The male flight attendant grumbled nonstop, spewing curses in obvious rage.

I could understand his feelings, but I worried if we should just let it slide.

And sure enough, trouble erupted.

"Hm? What did you just say, old man?"

He got caught by a passing girl.

"Guys! This old man's over here cursing us out, calling us mom or whatever!"

"No, I absolutely didn't say that..."

He was instantly dragged off by the boys and turned into a punching bag.

Thud. Thud-thud.

"Guh. W-wait, kids. My bad. Forgive me now, please..."

"Didn't I say I'd let it end after one punch to my face? Come on, hit me."

Kim Taehun spread his arms wide and stuck out his head, daring them.

But there was no way they'd land it.

Even a child knew what would happen right after.

Thud-thud-thud.

"Guh."

In the end, he got beaten black and blue before collapsing unconscious on the ground.

He was still breathing, so he wasn't dead.

"Drink up, drink!"

The kids kept making a racket for a good while longer before finally trickling off to sleep one by one.

Only then could we fill our starving bellies with the clams.

Of course, the leftovers amounted to just five clams per person.

"Good work, everyone."

"You all did great."

Kim Yeonju and I offered our greetings, but no one responded.

I wasn't sure if they were just exhausted or if things had soured between our groups.

Truth be told, I didn't care about their circumstances anyway.

My sole concern was water.

I racked my brain for ways to get the remaining water, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but no good alternatives came to mind.

Sneaking some was the only option.

I'd planned to do it while they ate, but we were too busy grilling clams for a chance.

'For now, all I can do is hope the kids pass out from the booze.'

I lay on the beach pretending to sleep, watching the kids' area.

But a few night owls without a wink kept the chatter going.

I took a nap and aimed for the night watch shift, but the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠food was covered in plastic, and rustling it might make noise, so I couldn't touch it.

Above all, it was too dark to even confirm if the kids were really asleep. Too risky to gamble.

'Guess I have to give up for today.'

I trudged along the beach when I spotted an empty plastic bottle rolling on the ground.

A sudden idea flashed through my mind.

I picked it up and shook it.

A faint but definite sloshing of liquid.

'This is it.'

There was a tiny bit of water inside the empty plastic bottle.

If I gathered enough of these, I might fill the shortfall.

I immediately started picking up every plastic bottle I could find.

Normally, they wouldn't be scattered like this. Kim Jaejun had ordered them collected after drinking.

But the kids, caught up in their drunken party chaos, had tossed the empties everywhere.

I collected the droplets from each bottle, bit by bit.

One drop at a time, the water began to pool.

And finally, the notification appeared before my eyes.

I immediately checked the next quest. A blue screen flickered in the darkness.

'First clams, then drinking water, now clam soup. Were the first two quests prep work for this third one?'

Pretty thoughtful and systematic.

Not just dumping quests to complete blindly, but linking them step by step.

Now I had a sense of what the main quests were about.

This was like a genuine survival guide manual for a deserted island.

It taught which creatures were edible and how to prepare them.

'But this quest's difficulty is no joke. Completion grade, huh.'

That meant if I didn't hit E grade or higher, I'd have to gather ingredients all over again.

For someone with no water to spare like me, it was terrifying.

There was no guarantee of another booze party like last night, and another day had passed, making water even scarcer.

'Hmm. What to do.'

Thud-thud-thud.

Just then, Kang Hye-rin, who had been running ahead, stopped. Early morning as usual, I'd been dragged along and made to run.

"Where's the wooden stick?"

...Now she's straight-up calling it a stick.

I went to the bushes, fetched the hidden ones, and returned.

And the ritual that had gone on for three years repeated today.

Thud. Thud. Thud-thud-thud.

"Your side's wide open! Legs too!"

"Ngh."

"Can't even beat one girl and you're flailing around! Then stay down!"

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!

As I collapsed, a barrage of verbal abuse and stick beatings assaulted my whole body.

I curled up taking it, then went limp, limbs splayed, body trembling.

All while thinking.

'Clam soup, huh. Maybe ask Noona Yeonju for help.'

By now, I could multitask through the pain like a pro. My acting was top-tier.

'Nah. Yeonju Noona's kind, but you can't trust people. She might betray me. Better do it alone. First cooking quest probably isn't too hard.'

Ughhh...

A groan escaped my lips, and with no more resistance, the stick halted abruptly.

"Whew. Another refreshing start to the day. Feels like all the hangover from last night just evaporated."

She tossed the stick down in front of me and left me there, heading off alone.

Once she was completely out of sight, I sat up like nothing happened.

"She must've been a bit drunk. Her control was off today—strong and weak hits mixed in. Nearly blew my act at the end."

Now, just taking the beatings let me gauge Kang Hye-rin's physical condition.

Of course, the beater herself had no clue.

'Not that it matters.'

I headed to the bushes, stashed the stick, and picked up a pot instead.

Waves washed in and out through the wreckage of the plane, piling debris on the shore—including this pot.

'No one's paying attention now, but give it a bit more time, and they'll collect and control all that stuff.'

So I needed to scout and claim essentials early.

I glanced down at the items hidden in the bushes.

Matches, shirt, work gloves.

Including the pot, that made four items I'd gathered so far.

Overhearing the kids, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠there was a seawater purifier on the plane too, but I hadn't found it yet.

'The stuff you really need is the hardest to spot, even with eyes wide open.'

I moved to a suitable spot and set up.

The bushes nicely screened the beach clearing—no easy discovery even if kids wandered this way.

Once settled, I dug into the sand, set stones, and prepped to light a fire.

'Honestly, yesterday surprised me. Didn't know Yoon Jihoo could do that stuff.'

When I tried lighting a fire blindly yesterday, he stopped me and taught outdoor fire-making.

Digging pits, oxygen holes, smokeless methods, etc.

Of course, he just stood there barking orders while the teacher, flight attendants, and I did the work.

The mood got pretty tense since no one else could manage it.

-Old fogeys who can't follow simple instructions. Ugh. Fucking idiots. Calling themselves adults. Just mimic half of what that kid does, you morons.

In the end, I had to make everyone's fires too.

But the repeated practice back then was paying off now.

I lit the fire smoothly without a hitch.

'They say hardship is something you seek out, and it's true.'

Fire lit, I grabbed the pot.

It held ten clams along with seawater.

I'd caught and purged them at dawn, pretending to head out for business.

I dumped the seawater, set the pot on the fire, and poured in my hard-earned water.

'Please succeed on the first try. Please.'

I had no idea if clam soup was made this way.

I'd asked Yeonju Noona, but way more ingredients were missing than expected.

'But on this island, no way to get sake or chilies or whatever.'

So I had to trust the system's judgment on the quest.

Water and clams—these two should form clam soup and hit E grade no problem.

'Please. Please.'

I stared desperately into the pot.

The water boiled.

Bubbles rose, and soon the clams began opening.

'Succeed.'

Bubbling furiously, foam spilling over the pot.

Steam billowing wildly into the sky.

And,

The notification popped up!

"Whoa!"

I excitedly raised both arms.

Just as expected—stick to the system's steps, and clearing was a breeze.

Even if difficulty ramps up later, early quests like these wouldn't be tough.

Early ones were basically tutorials. Systems give them out easy.

'Great. Next quest then...'

I gleefully opened the status window and tapped the quest tab.

But at that moment, an unexpected voice came from the side.

"Hm."

I turned to see a model-slim arm, contrasted by thick thighs.

Above them, ash-gray bobbed lightly in the breeze.

Her cute, big eyes brimmed with curiosity.

"Park Jimin...?"

She held her sandals in both hands, feet caked in sand, peering down at me with keen interest.

Her gaze slid past me to the pot, matches, and empty water bottles.