Stone Octopus Sashimi
“Uracha...!” My hands were losing their strength. Right in front of me loomed a massive stone octopus, and my palms were thickly coated in white flour.
The key to prepping octopus is completely removing the debris stuck between the suckers and that sticky slime. The method is simple: sprinkle on flour and coarse salt, then scrub it like you're doing laundry. The problem? This thing was huge.
'Fuck, I'm dying...' My forearms felt like they were about to burst. My stamina was already crap, and wrestling this behemoth had every muscle in my body screaming.
It took forever just to gut it. Flipping the head to extract the ink sac and innards—that slimy texture was nightmare fuel. But I couldn't let it show. The camera was rolling.
Watching the whole thing, Ha Bong-seok PD let out an impressed whistle. “Whoa... Areum, I've seen people prep octopus on variety shows a few times, but you're on another level. Like a pro!”
“Really? Glad to hear it.” I flashed a relaxed smile. Inside, I was bawling.
'When the hell is this gonna end...'
Scrub, rinse, scrub again. Repeat until no more foam. After an eternity of battling, the octopus surface finally got that satisfying squeak. Rinsed in clean water, it gleamed with a glossy sheen.
But... the feel under my fingertips was off. 'It's tough.' So huge that the meat might turn chewy. Boiling it as-is would make it rubbery for sure. I needed to pound it to break down the muscle fibers and tenderize it.
I scanned around. Anything handy? Spotting a thick wooden log nearby. And standing next to it—a sturdy-built guy. O Seokgyun.
“Oppa.”
“Yeah? All clean?” O Seokgyun asked with an innocent grin.
I said with a straight face, “Hit it for me.”
“...?” His expression went blank. He looked like he doubted his own ears.
“...What?”
“Hit it. Hard.”
In an instant, O Seokgyun's face drained of color. He backpedaled, waving his hands frantically. “Ah, Areum! I'm seriously fine! Hitting me? That's ridiculous...!”
“Huh?”
“That was just an accident earlier, I swear! I'm not the type to hold grudges! You don't need to hit me for payback!”
He was genuinely freaking out. Guess the elephant-trunk high-five slap to his cheek had left a trauma. He thought I was offering to let him hit me out of guilt, to call it even.
The staff started murmuring. “Whoa... Areum's got guts.” “She wants payback equal to what she got?”
No, that's not it at all. Baffled, I pointed at the octopus. “...? No... I meant hit the octopus...”
“...Ah?”
O Seokgyun's jaw dropped. Silence hung in the air. Then, an explosion of laughter.
“Puhahaha!” The staff doubled over, clutching their stomachs. O Seokgyun's face turned beet red.
“You weren't seriously gonna have me hit you, right?”
“N-No! Absolutely not!”
“Whoa... Never pegged you for that, Seokgyun...” The staff piled on, and O Seokgyun clutched his head.
“I'm gonna lose it, seriously!”
Watching his tough-guy face fluster like that cracked me up. The intimidating vibe from our first meeting was gone; now he was just a big, innocent teddy bear.
The mood lightened right up. “Haha, kidding. The octopus is so big, it'll be tough if we just boil it. Mind pounding it for about five minutes with that log? Focus on the legs.”
“Phew... You scared me. Got it, just tenderize, right?” O Seokgyun sighed in relief and grabbed the log. He rolled up his sleeves and squared up to the octopus.
“Leave it to me. I'll make it melt in your mouth.”
Thwack! Thwack! Dull thuds echoed out. But... the scene was kinda weird. Buzzcut head. Black clothes. Stone-faced giant swinging a club.
'...Feels familiar.' Like a noir flick in a warehouse... Nah, stop. His image had just shifted to cuddly bear—no need for dark fantasies.
I shook my head to clear the thought. While spectating the octopus massage(?), Ha Bong-seok PD approached from afar, hauling something huge. Shiny stainless steel. A massive cauldron.
'...Here we go again.' I went on guard. This guy never shows up empty-handed. Probably another insane mission.
“Here, big pot.” He held it out.
I didn't take it right away—just stared him down. “...What's the mission this time?”
“Mission? Nah. Figured the copol was too small for this monster.”
“Huh?”
Unexpected. This guy being nice? Handing over gear, no strings?
At my suspicious glare, Ha Bong-seok PD pouted. “Don't look at me like that—it hurts my feelings! Am I always the bad guy?”
“Oops...” Too obvious. I averted my eyes, embarrassed.
He set the pot down. “You've worked hard today; least I can do is a pot. And...”
And? Knew there was more.
He sidled up and whispered, “...Areum-ah. I love sashimi. How could I not snag a bite?”
“......”
There it was. All for the octopus. I shot him a pitiful look, and he rushed on. “Ch-Chili paste! Vinegar soy too! When else you gonna taste giant stone octopus sashimi like this?!”
His eyes were desperate. Like Maximus begging for treats. Hmm. Sesame oil and chojang. Honestly, octopus sashimi without 'em is like steamed buns without red bean paste. Salt alone felt lacking.
Plus... no way the two of us finish this beast. I planned to share a leg or two with the staff anyway. Him offering the deal first? Jackpot.
I pretended to mull it over, then nodded. “Deal.”
“Sweet! Knew you had a big heart, Areum!”
Deal sealed. Meanwhile, O Seokgyun finished the beatdown and was filling the pot with water. Nice. A-rank camping noob with killer execution—does everything spot-on.
Set the pot on the fire grate. Logs blazed, heating the water. Bubble bubble. It started boiling.
Time to drop the octopus. I gripped the head. Heavy.
“Here we go.”
Sizzle—! Legs touched boiling water, white steam billowed. Don't plunge it all at once—that's amateur hour. Dip the tips, lift out. The limp ends curled up tight.
“Whoa...” O Seokgyun watched, fascinated.
Dip again, pull out—mid-legs curled. Once more. Third dip, whole legs coiled into perfect curves. Like a giant flower bud.
“Wow...” Gasps from the staff.
That's the trick to boiling octopus. Plop it in raw, legs tangle ugly and tough to slice. Shape 'em like this for looks and taste.
Submerged the shaped octopus fully. Bubble bubble. It danced red in the boil.
Lifted to check doneness. “Done already?” O Seokgyun licked his chops.
“Nah, not yet. I heard you pull it out two or three times during boiling.”
Exposes to air for extra chew? Some half-remembered tip. Don't know why, but pros say do it—no fails.
Lowered headfirst slowly again. Legs tightened firmer, springier each time.
When ready, fished it out. Steaming red octopus. Color was art.
Into ice water. Hiss. Heat shocked out, meat contracted. Keeps it bouncy, no mush when slicing.
Post-chill shower, plopped on the board. Thud. Weight dimpled it.
Highlight time. Sharp knife out. Upright slice on a leg. Springy yield.
Snick. Thunk. Leg detached clean. White, moist cross-section.
Snick. Thunk. Snick. Thunk. Crisp repeats with each cut. Area hushed. Just knife and crackling fire.
Glanced up—dozen folks holding breath, eyes on my blade. Lenses locked on the board. Tense yet hilarious.
'What, it's just slicing—why so serious?'
But the focus? Pumped me up.
Bite-sized now. Angled blade on a leg. Scrape. Scrape. Scrape. Steady rhythm. Perfect thin-thick slices. Wavy patterns stacked neat.
Hmm, might as well plate pretty. Fan on the dish, flower-bud tip (slashed) in center. Octopus blossom bloomed. Better than expected.
“Done.”
Admiring murmurs. “Whoa... pure art.”
O Seokgyun gawked. “Where'd you learn this? Cooking school?”
“Camping gets boring. Pick up books or YouTube tips now and then.” Shrugged.
Ha Bong-seok PD grabbed the pot, stunned. “Seriously... You could do a cooking show. Pro-level skills.”
Heh, that's the jam. Deep-dive one thing, you absorb all related trivia. Survival hacks from camp feasts, shining now.
True to word, he brought chojang and sesame-salt. Sauces in bowls. Red chojang, nutty sesame vibes. Perfect spread.
“Shall we?” O Seokgyun chopsticked first. White slice, deep chojang dip. Straight to mouth. Crunch crunch. Eyes popped.
“...!” Self-explanatory bliss.
I nabbed a piece, light sesame dip. Chewed. Chewy. Not tough. O Seokgyun's pounding worked—satisfying bite, then silky glide. Sweet umami bloomed. Nutty oil, salty kick...
“Kya...” Involuntary sigh.
This taste. Hard-earned, extra sweet.
Staff devoured shares, thumbs up nonstop. Cool sea breeze. Warm fire. Tasty food. Fun folks.
This is camping. Pure romance.