Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: Bountiful Catch
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“Wow~.”
Oh Jun-hee peered into the sack and let out an exclamation.
“There’s so much! With this, we could fill up just on clams and crabs!”
“Yeah.”
I nodded too. Canned clams we’d diligently gathered and the crabs Andric had hunted were piled high inside.
‘The crabs have some nice meat on them. These look pretty tasty.’
The plump, well-fed crabs made my mouth water. Crabs are tricky to eat since you have to pick the meat out, and if there’s not enough, you just end up with a lot of hassle and not much to show for it.
One slip-up and you’re exhausted for nothing, but every crab in here had thick claws and sturdy bellies—they’d taste great no matter how you cooked them.
“Let’s hurry back! We’ve gotta show off~!”
Oh Jun-hee bounced around excitedly. She’d started out holding back to keep up her actress image, but she was getting more comfortable by the minute.
Andric and I followed behind her toward the base camp where the rest of the group was.
As we walked in silence, I couldn’t help thinking the camera directors filming us from the side were wasting their effort.
Feeling the pressure to say something, I spoke up first.
“You’ve been working hard. Thanks to you, dinner’s gonna be hearty tonight.”
I was just trying to create a friendly vibe. Andric glanced at me, then nodded.
Say something to keep the conversation going, please. I swallowed that thought and tried again.
“On the way back, I saw some mangrove forests. Tomorrow, we could catch mangrove crabs there and steam them.”
Palau’s crab steam is famous. Talking food lit a spark in Andric’s eyes. He was easy to read. Might as well discuss tonight’s dinner while we were at it. With just the two of us as chefs, it was obvious who’d be on cooking duty.
“For tonight, how about grilling them straight over the fire? We’ve got clams too. Clams and crabs on the grill would be perfect.”
“Sounds good. As long as they’re cooked right.”
“Exactly. The tricky part with outdoor BBQs is controlling the fire. How about smoking them instead? Everyone had roasted taro earlier. They might not mind waiting a bit.”
“Smoking takes too long. Sun’s setting soon, so better finish before it’s dark. Let’s do BBQ.”
Fair point. Of course, with filming underway, the lighting crew would be there, so it wouldn’t actually get pitch black. ‘But bugs swarm the lights. I just want to wrap up filming and crash.’ After the long flight with my injury, nonstop moving had worn me down. In that case, BBQ over smoking made sense.
“BBQ it is, then.”
I nodded in agreement, and Andric continued.
“The key to BBQ is fire control. Fat keeps dripping, so the flames flare up, burning the outside black while the inside stays raw.”
Everyone’s had that experience. The outside looks perfectly golden, but when you cut it open, it’s basically raw and back on the grill it goes. With a gas burner, you can adjust the heat, but over charcoal outdoors? Beginners burn it to a crisp. I’d had an idea brewing for a while. I looked at Andric and spoke slowly.
“What if we do this? If you can’t control the fire... adjust the grill instead.”
“!”
Andric’s face said he’d never considered it. I’d mentioned it to Moon Yoo-han before. Too bad we never had a chance for large-scale outdoor BBQs, so it stayed just an idea.
“Make it like a pulley system—pull the rope to raise it, let go to lower it. Lift when the flames are too high, drop when they weaken... Easy control, right?”
It was simple to build. Even doable in the jungle. Andric seemed to visualize the pulley grill, looking intrigued.
“Cool idea. Let’s try it with the meat. Clams and crabs can go on a grate.”
“We’ll need that chicken hunt to pay off.”
No need for long explanations—we were on the same page. As we brainstormed, Kim Hyong-man’s makeshift camp came into view.
“Over here, here~!”
Oh Jun-hee waved and ran ahead.
“Look at this! We brought back a ton~!”
The land team, probably resting after the chicken drive, shuffled over. Do Kyung’s eyes went wide first.
“Whoa! This many crabs and clams?!”
“Check it out. How much is even... Gasp!”
Han Dong-woo inhaled sharply in surprise. Finally, Kim Hyong-man peeked in and grinned, satisfied.
“How’d the chicken hunt go?”
I asked while drying my wet pant legs by the fire. The land team exchanged glances.
“...Well.”
“We dug traps, Do Kyung stood by. The chief and I herded the chickens toward them, but...”
Sounded tough just from the story. Even rounding up sheep is no joke, and chickens are way nimbler.
“I had no idea chickens could fly that high! We blocked every side with fences, but they just flapped right over.”
“Didn’t catch even one?!”
“No, hear me out! We struggled so hard, real hardship...!”
Flap flap!
“We got two, that’s what I’m saying!”
“Wooow~!”
Han Dong-woo proudly lifted two flapping chickens from the net. Impressive. They were still thrashing wildly, talons out.
“Man, we’re feasting. This’ll last through tomorrow’s lunch.”
“It’s practically gourmet at this point.”
Everyone smiled contentedly, swallowing hard. Catching their subtle glances at me and Andric, I chuckled and grabbed the cleaver.
“I’ll prep the chickens first. Main dish tonight: whole roasted chicken.”
The group erupted the second I finished.
“Whoooaa!”
“Whole roasted chicken! Whole roasted chicken!”
“Ugh, after roots, finally some real grease for the gut.”
Guess the taro roast hit them hard.
“You’ll help, right?”
I nudged Andric’s side with my elbow. He silently grabbed the net with the chickens and my cleaver.
“I’ll prep them. You build that moving grill we talked about.”
“Huh? No, with just two, we can each do one.”
Plucking feathers is no small task—doing both alone? As I blinked in confusion, Andric trudged off by himself.
“...What.”
Fine by me, since my injured arm’s out. Guy’s bursting with energy. I shrugged and focused on my task. Right, Moon Yoo-han said do it like this... connect here and here, make this the pulley? Oh. Busy hands soon recreated the motion just like I’d imagined.
“Do Kyung, you’re one lucky guy.”
“You think so?”
Do Kyung grinned at Han Dong-woo’s words. His tousled hair and glossy skin made him dazzle anyway.
“Living in this jungle, the big three are food, clothes, shelter, right? Clothes? We brought ‘em. Food? Two chefs. Shelter? Chief whipped up a whole house. Where else you got it this comfy? Man.”
“Yeah, true.”
Do Kyung nodded.
His older groupmate who’d been on the show before had scared him silly, so he’d arrived tense.
What was it again?
- Don’t even ask. It’s brutal. Can’t even wash properly. Sleep’s uncomfortable. Bugs avoid the lights. Grasshoppers chirp right up close... I barely slept, paranoid about bugs in my sleeping bag. Food’s scarce despite the grind, so you diet without trying. No need for weight management.
‘...Or so he said.’
But it wasn’t so bad in reality. Guess hyung exaggerated to mess with me.
Bugs were plentiful, sure.
‘But that guy mixed in some dry grass or whatever for smoke, so they’ve backed off...’
Eyes stung a bit, but better than swarms.
Do Kyung’s gaze drifted to Song Woo-yeon, diligently grilling crabs on the grate.
He’d seen him on a survival show once or twice. Nothing special then.
But...
‘He said we’re the same age, right? Why’s he so jungle-savvy? Like he grew up here.’
Spotting taro—or whatever—just from the leaves. Wielding a knife as big as his forearm like an extra limb.
No complaints, steadily prepping dinner—felt way more mature than me.
‘Makes sense. Runs a company at our age, right? Tons of franchise brands, they said.’
People our age can be worlds apart. Kinda fascinating.
Just then, Andric returned from prepping the chicken meat.
“Oh, BBQ time. Let’s go!”
“Huh?”
“Gotta line up front for an extra bite! So many mouths, just two chickens.”
Urged by Han Dong-woo, Do Kyung jumped up and took a spot by the fire. People gathered one by one.
Andric laid the prepped chicken on the grill, and
Sizzle~
A mouthwatering sound rang out. The rich aroma of roast chicken filled the air in seconds.
‘Smells amazing.’
Wasn’t even hungry ‘til now. But with chicken right there, my stomach growled.
‘...Huh. That’s a weird-looking grill.’
Up close, it wasn’t ordinary—some kind of contraption. No idea what.
Tilting his head as he waited, that’s when
Drip.
Fat from the chicken dropped into the campfire.
Whoosh!
“?!”
The flames shot up instantly.