Base Renovation (1)

I wanted nothing more than to pin my mother down right there and then. But that would stall the story completely. I had to finish what I’d started first.

“Ahem. So, where do you think we should put the kitchen?”

After barely regaining my composure, I sat down with my mother to discuss how we should renovate the base. The base menu on my phone let us view the cave as a 2D blueprint. We huddled together in front of the screen, heads almost touching, and slowly worked out the layout.

“Hmm~ Since the entrance is over here, maybe the bathroom should go on this side and the kitchen over there?”

Toilet closer to the entrance, kitchen farther in.

“Oh, and I think we should separate the toilet and shower areas.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. Back home we had two bathrooms so it wasn’t a problem, but now there’s only one. We have to share with Seunghee too.”

She had a point. If we crammed the shower and toilet into the same space, one person couldn’t use the bathroom while someone else was washing. I could just go outside and do my business anywhere, but the women obviously couldn’t. Might as well separate them from the start.

“The kitchen can be small, but we absolutely need ventilation…”

That was true too. If we sealed this narrow cave all the way to the entrance without proper airflow, we’d be in serious trouble.

“The ventilation system can be bought with coins too.”

“But it’s expensive, right? And if we want a proper sink, we’ll need water supply and drainage systems as well…”

Just building one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kitchen was going to eat up coins in more places than I could count—water supply, drainage, gas, electricity, ventilation, the works. I’d naively thought we could just grab some dishes and cooking tools and call it a day. My thinking had been way too shallow.

“We bought a burner yesterday, so we probably don’t need to install gas right away.”

“But we’ll still need a rice cooker, won’t we? We only have one burner.”

“True. Electricity is a must. Can we just drink the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tap water?”

“Even if we put off getting an oven for later, we should at least get a microwave.”

“We’ll need a dining table too. We can’t eat on the floor.”

We kept consulting each other, deciding on every single item one by one.

“…Mom.”

“Hm?”

“Doing this… doesn’t it feel exactly like we’re setting up our first home as newlyweds?”

I threw the comment out casually to test her reaction.

“You little rascal. There’s nothing you won’t say to your own mother.”

But she simply took it as a joke. Damn. Guess it’s still too early. To her, I was still far more “son” than “man.” Still, it was way too soon to give up. Our deserted-island life together had only just begun.

“Then I’ll go with this layout.”

“Okay.”

First, I figured I should get rid of all the cheap temporary fixtures we’d thrown in. The base menu let us demolish previously installed facilities and recover half the original purchase price. This system really was exactly like a game.

I decided to start by tearing down the makeshift shower stall we’d set up earlier.

I tapped Yes.

“Kyaaak!”

The moment the shower stall was sold, it vanished, leaving only a completely drenched Seunghee standing there. Suddenly kicked out into the open, she looked around in utter confusion. Of course, she was stark naked.

“Ah. Right, Seunghee was inside. Sorry. I completely forgot.”

“Seriously! Did you do that on purpose?!”

Well, who told her to take such a long shower? Seunghee stomped her feet in frustration, still completely bare.

“Aaaah! My eyes sting! Hurry up and bring the shower back! I still have to rinse the shampoo out!”

“Changjae. Fix it quickly.”

“Yes, Mom.”

Unable to withstand Seunghee’s frantic demands, I flattened the ground and immediately installed a proper shower room.

I went with the deluxe version right away. The price was a hefty 300 coins, plumbing included. Basic shower supplies came free. After selecting the location and pressing Yes, a proper-looking shower room appeared where the makeshift stall had been. Since I kept the default size, there was no extra charge.

“Whoa~.”

Seunghee dashed inside the new shower room immediately.

“It’s a real showerhead!”

Her impressed voice echoed from inside. The old makeshift stall had been nothing but a flimsy tarp on the outside and a toy-like showerhead with pathetic water pressure. No wonder she was amazed after using that junk.

After making a fuss, Seunghee poked just her head out the door.

“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”

She even bowed politely. Mom smiled warmly as she watched.

I selected Yes.

…Yes.

Why couldn’t it just handle everything at once during demolition?! For something so high-tech, the system was annoyingly inflexible.

After emptying the toilet’s contents, I finally finished demolishing it. Goodbye forever, you horrible traditional toilet. Even with a lid, it still stank. At least we could replace it before things got too bad. That was something to be grateful for.

I flattened the ground beside the shower room and installed the flush toilet. No way could I afford the 1,000-coin state-of-the-art model. I was honestly a little scared of whatever that thing even was.

“Bidet and sink should be enough for options, right?”

“Oh, and a cleaning faucet too.”

“Got it.”

The bidet option cost 100 coins, the sink another 100, and the faucet 50. It was quite a lot of coins, but I considered it a necessary expense. Hygiene was important. And the bidet? A little luxury. Right now, someone else on this island was probably suffering because of bathroom issues—maybe stuck with a stinking traditional toilet or forced to go in the open. But we had a flush toilet and a bidet. Wasn’t this the true gift of civilization?

The moment I finished installing the toilet through the phone interface, Mom quickly dashed toward the newly created bathroom.

“Mom’s going to use the bathroom real quick!”

She left those words behind and disappeared inside.

…Had she been holding it in the whole time? If she’d just told me, I would’ve built the toilet first. Knowing her personality, using that disgusting traditional toilet for serious business must have been unbearable. Hmm… I should probably pretend I didn’t notice.

While Mom was in the bathroom, I continued renovating the base. First came flattening the cave floor. I decided to level the area where the kitchen would go, plus enough space for our minimum daily activities inside the cave. The total cost for flattening came to 275 coins. The area was roughly the size of a small studio apartment. Wall flattening wasn’t urgent, so I’d put that off for now.

Next was the electrical system. Just connecting electricity throughout the base cost a whopping 500 coins. Five hundred coins… that was expensive. I hoped there wouldn’t be an electricity bill on top of that. Adding one outlet cost 30 coins, and a set of lights and switches was 50 coins.

For Mom and Seunghee, who were still relying on a single flashlight, I first installed lights in the shower room and bathroom.

“Ah. Light.”

When I flipped the bathroom light switch, Mom’s voice came from inside.

“Mom, did the light turn on?”

“Ah, yes. It did. It came on nicely.”

“Can I come in for a second to check?”

“N-no! You can’t come in! Absolutely not!”

“Okay.”

Guess not. I gave up and flipped the switch for the shower room instead. Without asking Seunghee, I opened the shower door.

“Is the light working properly?”

“Huh? Kyaaak!”

Seunghee had just finished showering and was drying herself with a towel. She jumped in surprise when I entered and quickly covered herself.

“W-what are you doing?! Get out right now!”

I’d thought she was past feeling embarrassed, but apparently not. I smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Her slender body trembled.

“Why? We agreed to do it after you washed, didn’t we?”

“H-here?”

Seunghee looked around the narrow shower stall in a panic. I chuckled.

“Just kidding. I came to check if the light was working properly.”

“Eh.”

“You look even prettier in bright light.”

“Eh…”

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gave the frozen Seunghee a light kiss on the lips, then stepped out of the shower room. The way she stayed bright red and completely stiff until I left was adorable.

Alright. Time to build the kitchen.

The sink Mom and I had discussed, shelves for preparing food, a dining table and chairs. Just those items would make it look like a proper kitchen.

“Hmm. Rice…”

If Mom started cooking after finishing her business, it would take quite a while. Plus there’d be cleanup afterward… I didn’t have the patience to wait that long. So I decided to make ramen instead. Mom might scold me, but oh well.

Ramen was 2 coins per pack, or 10 coins for five packs. I bought a pot, put water on the burner, and prepared bowls and spoons for each of us. I didn’t forget the kimchi we’d eaten yesterday either.

Still, food really was expensive. Other things could be used repeatedly after one purchase, but even the cheapest food item—ramen—was this pricey. Just surviving day to day was going to be tight.

“Wow! It smells delicious!”

“Changjae, did you make ramen?”

“Yes.”

Just as the ramen was almost done, Mom and Seunghee finished their tasks and came over, drawn by the smell.

“We really have a kitchen now.”

“Whoa. It’s so strange.”

They looked around the suddenly-appeared kitchen with wonder.

“Mom was going to cook for you after so long. You should’ve waited a little.”

As expected, Mom gave me a light scolding.

“Sorry. I couldn’t wait any longer.”

“Wooow~! Ramen~ Ramen~ Ramen-ramen~♪”

“Were you that hungry?”

“Yes. Really hungry.”

“Then I guess it can’t be helped.”

Mom sighed as if she had no choice.

“If you’re hungry then~ it can’t be helped then~♪”

And Seunghee was happily singing some mysterious original ramen song. I served the two of them ramen I’d cooked using skills I’d honed in the military. Somehow, despite our situation, the dinner table was strangely warm and harmonious.

And Mom… the truth is, what I’ve been starving for isn’t appetite. It’s lust.