Lucky Day: Lobsters and Breaking Spirits
Today was a lucky day. Not only had my high school nemeses washed ashore, but a spiny lobster had gotten caught in the fish trap I'd set up. And not just one—two fat, meaty ones at that.
"Ugh... gross..."
I silently stared at Lee Seo-hee, who was gingerly pinching the cleaned lobster tail with her fingertips, muttering in disgust.
"W-what...?"
"......"
I didn't let on how much I enjoyed the fact that I could use her plot to sell out Baek Jin-ah as leverage, turning her into my slave like this.
"Listen up. Drop it and you know what happens, right?"
"Y-yeah, I know..."
Reluctantly readjusting her grip on the lobster's body, Lee Seo-hee muttered to herself like she was venting her rage.
"Seo-hee. Want me to take one?"
"...No thanks. He told me to carry it, that asshole."
I didn't care if she openly vented her complaints about me. If she pulled something later when I gave her an order, I could always throw it back in her face.
By the time we reached the cave, the sky was turning a dusky orange, darkness creeping in. I had some firewood stacked outside the cave entrance already, but roasting these lobsters would require a bit more.
"Hey. Give me the lobsters. Go fetch some firewood."
Before Lee Seo-hee could raise her voice about why she had to go right after arriving, I shot her a glare and wandered off toward the nearby area, dragging Baek Jin-ah along.
"You go alone. Tall bitch, help me out."
"T-two people would be faster, though."
"Shut up and listen. Don't piss me off."
Caught between us, Baek Jin-ah looked bewildered for a moment, then carefully stepped toward me, holding the stick in her hand. Meanwhile, Lee Seo-hee, picking up firewood by herself, shook her dyed blonde hair dramatically, clearly anxious that I might spill how she'd tried to sell out her friend.
Psychological torture—this is pretty fun.
The thrill of paying back the exact tactics Lee Seo-hee had used on me in high school, treating me like a pawn, coursed through my body like electricity.
"W-what should I do...?"
"See that firewood over there? Stack it nicely."
"Nicely how...? Oh, got it. I'll stack it...!"
Just my silent, piercing gaze was enough to make Baek Jin-ah move briskly; she hurried to pile up the wood. Sure, athletes like her were quick on their feet, but I kicked over the stack she'd carefully built.
"Again."
"Okay. Like this...?"
"I said again."
"......"
Baek Jin-ah's eyes shook in confusion. Back when I was her shuttle, she'd send me running to the canteen for a cream bun, then change it to chocolate, then red bean—over and over. Not content with break times, she'd rip pages from my notebook during class to send notes, making me fake a bathroom excuse to the teacher and sprint off. Even if I bought everything, she'd suddenly say she didn't want it anymore and force me to eat all ten buns in ten minutes as starvation torture. No drink in sight, countdown ticking—I'd wolfed them down and puked in the classroom. Those shitty memories flooded back vividly.
"Why do you keep doing this?"
Frustrated by the pointless wood-stacking, Baek Jin-ah's eyes sharpened as she protested.
"'Cause it's fun."
"Even if it's fun for you, this is too much..."
"Shut up and stack."
She could only bow her head and quietly restack the scattered wood, one piece at a time.
"Hey. I got the firewood."
While I kept kicking over Baek Jin-ah's stacks, I was a bit surprised to see Lee Seo-hee return hugging an armful of... well, twigs more than logs.
Even holding her beach betrayal over her head, I'd expected her to half-ass it given her personality—but she'd actually done a decent job.
"Size doesn't mean shit if you can't work. Yellow-head. Good job."
Praising Lee Seo-hee unexpectedly for doing well made Baek Jin-ah's arms tremble as she stacked.
This is working.
It was just a toss to drive a wedge between them, but Baek Jin-ah's immediate reaction was a bonus.
"Hey, string bean. What can you do better than her?"
"...I picked up trash hard at the beach."
Her voice dripped with injustice. But I just snorted.
"Picking up trash is the problem."
"...Then make Seo-hee stack the wood. What's your grudge against me?"
Realizing her efforts to impress me were pointless compared to Lee Seo-hee, Baek Jin-ah finally vented.
"Yellow-head. Stack some wood instead of the string bean."
"Just make Baek-chin do it..."
I ignored Baek Jin-ah's grumbling and ordered Lee Seo-hee, who predictably complained too.
"Don't wanna starve? Do it."
"Baek-chin, move. I'll do it."
"...I'll do it."
"You won't starve if you don't eat, and it's not like you'll take responsibility. Move already."
Stung by Lee Seo-hee's sharp retort, Baek Jin-ah shot up and awkwardly squatted against the cave's outer wall.
"That crazy bitch is doing it again."
Lee Seo-hee muttered about Baek Jin-ah's antics in disgust while puzzling over how to stack the wood—but at least her hands were moving. Anyway, knocking over her stack too would waste time, so I helped occasionally and lit the fire.
The savory aroma of the lobsters roasting over the crackling flames wafted out.
"Whoa... that smells fucking amazing..."
Lee Seo-hee, dragging the sulking Baek Jin-ah to watch the lobsters in the bonfire, wiped her drool and whined that she wished she could take a photo.
Once they were done, I split the two lobsters in half and transferred them to coconut shell plates to cool.
"...Looks delicious."
Even Baek Jin-ah, hugging her knees, seemed to cheer up at the glossy roasted lobsters, swallowing hard and smacking her lips.
Peeling back the shell of the cooled lobster revealed plump, golden flesh. Forgetting the heat, I dug in—the chewy texture and rich umami exploded in my mouth. Pure bliss.
"Um, we wanna eat too."
As I savored it, Baek Jin-ah couldn't hold back her hunger and spoke up meekly first.
"Why?"
"...I'm hungry."
"Why should I feed the bitch who couldn't find useful tools, can't stack wood, and sulked against the cave wall jerking off her clit after I said a word?"
Her face flushed at the fact barrage, and she groveled that she'd work hard starting tomorrow—but Lee Seo-hee just held her coconut bowl half, waiting her turn indifferently.
"And you? What's your excuse?"
"Don't I deserve some? Unlike Baek-chin, I actually helped."
Yeah, this was why Lee Seo-hee was useful. As long as she survived, she didn't give a shit about her friends. I dumped a whole untouched lobster into her bowl, and she even flashed a bright smile, asking if she could really have it.
"But share with your string bean friend and it's confiscated."
Hearing that, Lee Seo-hee instinctively hugged her bowl close, glaring at Baek Jin-ah with guarded eyes.
"Hey, Lee Seo-hee. What’s with the look? No way, right?"
Baek Jin-ah reacted with disbelief at her friend's behavior and approached cautiously, but Lee Seo-hee bolted up, plopped right next to me, and devoured the lobster greedily.
Too stunned to speak, Baek Jin-ah's face turned red before she let out a deep sigh.
"Fine. You're always like that. Got drunk, drove, and ended up here... fuck..."
"...Says the musclehead who only trained."
Lee Seo-hee paused mid-bite as Baek Jin-ah dredged up how they'd ended up here. Then, as if struck by a good idea, she snorted, picked up a juicy chunk, dropped it in the dirt, and dangled the filthy meat at Baek Jin-ah, taunting her to eat it if she wanted.
****
Deep into the night. Lying on the cold cave floor, hugging herself against the chill and hunger, Baek Jin-ah couldn't sleep a wink.
Wash up and eat... no. People can survive a week on water alone... rescue will come by then...
Closing her eyes brought back the lobster's aroma and chewy flesh. Lee Seo-hee sitting by Lee Seong-un to snatch it away, wolfing it down, then taunting her with the dirtied chunk. Baek Jin-ah wanted to pounce on the stuffed, sleeping Lee Seo-hee and rain down punches—but with her arms bound, it stayed a fantasy.
Mom, Dad, even Mang-i... I miss them...
Facing this unexpected disaster after just one day, images of her parents at home and her pet dog flickered in her mind. She regretted ignoring her parents' advice to focus on training instead of this trip with Lee Seo-hee.
As tears welled in her eyes and sorrow overtook her—
...Gotta pee.
The sudden primal urge hit. Snapping out of her emotions, Baek Jin-ah frantically crossed her thighs and squeezed.
She'd chugged water since she couldn't eat the lobster, bloating her belly—but Lee Seong-un's "kindness" had turned into a curse. Unable to hold it anymore with her arms tied behind her, she staggered toward the cave entrance. But the beasts, insects, rustling bushes, and howling wind outside froze her in terror.
Just piss here, a pathetic thought crossed her mind—when
Baek-chin, looks like a lake formed in the cave~?
Lee Seo-hee's mocking voice echoed in her head like a hallucination. If caught, she'd be teased forever—and that humiliation was worse than death. Plus, with Lee Seo-hee's arms also bound, she'd pretend to sleep even if asked. So Baek Jin-ah turned, thighs clenched, and shuffled slowly toward Lee Seong-un sleeping on the old mattress.
"Um, h-hey... I... gotta... p-pee... h-hey..."
Her desperate, pathetic plea reached him; Lee Seong-un's upper body rose halfway from his comfortable sleep.
"...Why the fuck are you waking a sleeping man?"
His low, gravelly voice from half-sleep sounded even more intimidating than usual. But Baek Jin-ah had no room for fear. At her limit, sweat pouring, she twisted her thighs desperately and finally begged, crushing her shame.
"B-bath... r-room... p-please take me to the... b-bathroom..."