1
# Chapter 1
The fierce wind relentlessly battered the window of the container.
Im Seok-ho raised his voice as he pointed at the ocean current data displayed on the monitor.
"The wave height has exceeded 2.5 meters. The current is also much faster than usual. Launching the underwater drone in
these conditions would be an act of suicide."
The site manager irritably threw his safety helmet onto the desk.
"Then what the hell are we supposed to do? We have to submit the first survey results by tomorrow!"
"According to the weather forecast, the wind will die down by early tomorrow morning. It won't be too late if we go in
then."
"Assistant Manager Im. Do you want to go to the client and explain why the schedule has been delayed? Are you going to
pay the penalty yourself?"
"We aren't sending people into the water. But isn't it better than losing the equipment and delaying things even
further?"
"Ah, fuck. Seriously."
The site manager roughly ran his hands through his hair.
"Forget it. You're out. Assistant Manager Kim! Set up the equipment and launch it immediately."
Another employee standing behind him cautiously stepped forward.
"Uh, Manager. I think it might be a little dangerous right now, just as Assistant Manager Im said."
"Have you two lost your fucking minds together? When I tell you to do something, just do it! Why do you have so much to
say? Im Seok-ho, you're banned from the site starting today. Pack your things and report to headquarters."
Seok-ho silently stared at the monitor.
The current warning indicator, glowing red, was clearly visible.
If they went ahead under these conditions, there was a hundred percent chance of an accident.
However, the manager's bloodshot eyes showed that he had no intention of compromising.
Seok-ho let out a long sigh and rose from his seat.
"Understood."
Just three hours after Seok-ho left the site, the expensive underwater surveying equipment that had been deployed
recklessly crashed into a reef and shattered into pieces.
But the blame landed somewhere entirely unexpected.
The company shifted all responsibility onto Seok-ho, claiming that he had neglected site management and refused to
follow instructions.
At the human resources department's meeting room at headquarters, a single white envelope sat alone on the table.
"Thank you for all your hard work, Assistant Manager Im."
The head of human resources flipped through the documents without making eye contact.
"So this is scapegoating in the end?"
At Seok-ho's calm question, the department head's hands momentarily stopped.
"Why are you putting it that way? You know the company is going through difficult times. You're not the only one on this
restructuring list."
"The equipment damage happened because of the site manager's orders."
"That was a decision made after taking the overall site conditions into account. And you, haven't you delayed schedules
more than once or twice before, using safety concerns as an excuse?"
Seok-ho no longer felt there was any point in responding.
He had never once used safety as an excuse.
It was genuine experience he had accumulated over more than ten years, wearing a diving suit and navigating the cold
depths of the sea.
The ocean was a place where one wrong wave or a single misjudged current could kill someone or send expensive equipment
to the bottom.
"We've made sure your severance pay and consolation money are fair. We'll also process things so you can receive
unemployment benefits. Let's just consider this a case of making the best of a bad situation."
Seok-ho signed the resignation letter lying on the desk.
After setting down his pen, he picked up the envelope and stood without hesitation.
"Thank you for everything."
As Seok-ho opened the door and walked out, he heard the department head give a light, awkward cough behind him.
A shabby studio apartment on the outskirts of Seoul.
Seok-ho leaned against the windowsill and looked down at the street.
The hurried footsteps of people heading home continued below.
"Ten years, huh."
Ten years spent at a marine surveying company.
He had handled everything without complaint, from dangerous underwater surveys that others avoided to ship structure
inspections and salvage support operations.
And the result was a dismissal notice disguised as corporate restructuring.
His smartphone vibrated briefly. It was a former colleague who had worked with him at the site.
[Seok-ho, did you really quit? I know that crazy manager dumped all the blame on you.]
[I'm looking into other places. Don't worry about it.]
[Haa, I'm thinking about leaving this industry too. The company has really gone downhill lately. Anyway, let's have a
drink sometime. My treat.]
[Sure. Let's meet soon.]
Seok-ho sent his reply and turned off the screen.
He had considered finding a job at another company, but the industry was small.
Once someone fell out of favor, the stigma tended to follow them around.
Feeling suffocated, Seok-ho put on his jacket and stepped outside.
He took the subway and got off without any particular destination in mind. Eventually, he found himself at a beach in
Incheon.
The salty scent of the sea brushed against the tip of his nose.
As he listened to the crashing waves, he felt his tangled thoughts gradually settle.
Sitting on the breakwater, Seok-ho pulled his smartphone out of his pocket.
He absentmindedly browsed job listings before suddenly opening a court auction app.
Occasionally browsing real estate and ship auction listings was one of his small hobbies.
I wonder if there's anything worth looking at.
He scrolled through countless listings for apartments, commercial properties, and land.
Then his finger stopped.
A single photograph on the screen caught his attention.
[Haewoldo Island in Namhae County, Jeonnam Province, Entire Island]
[Minimum Bid: 260 Million Won]
"The whole island is up for auction."
Auctions for uninhabited islands weren't particularly rare.
However, most of them were priced at several billion won, or they were isolated parcels of land that couldn't be
developed at all.
But an entire island for just 260 million won?
Curious, Seok-ho opened the property's detailed information.
The auction history was remarkable. The property had failed to attract a bidder five times, causing its price to plummet
to the bottom.
Looking at the attached photographs of the site, he could understand why.
The pier, which served as the docking facility, had partially collapsed, while the old warehouse and buildings in the
middle of the island were practically ruins.
On top of that, there was no electricity or water infrastructure. It was a completely remote location, isolated even by
the standards of remote areas.
"No wonder nobody wants to buy it."
Just as he was about to close the window, a satellite map caught Seok-ho's eye.
He zoomed in using two fingers.
The color of the sea surrounding Haewoldo. The curves and contours of the coastline encircling the island.
The professional habit he had developed from analyzing underwater terrain for ten years kicked in.
The currents around here are no joke.
The island's location was peculiar.
Strong currents flowing in from the open sea appeared to bend once as they passed near Haewoldo.
When he pulled up the depth data, he found that the seabed around the island dropped sharply, forming underwater
cliff-like terrain.
A place like this would be a top-tier fishing ground.
Seok-ho became absorbed in his analysis, rotating the satellite map this way and that.
A small bay had formed on the southern side of the island, offering protection from the wind.
If the pier were properly repaired, it appeared suitable for docking small boats.
Near the summit of the island stood a small lighthouse painted white. Of course, it was an abandoned lighthouse that had
long since ceased operating.
"260 million won."
Seok-ho opened his banking app and checked his balance.
Adding his severance pay to the savings he had accumulated little by little over the years, he had roughly 350 million
won.
It was barely enough to secure a rental home in Seoul, but it was enough to purchase that uninhabited island in its
entirety.
Should I set up a fishing pension and live quietly out there?
The thought had come to him half-jokingly, but a strange excitement began to stir somewhere deep in his chest.
The constant pressure of work. Absurd orders and being blamed for other people's decisions.
After becoming thoroughly exhausted by human relationships, the deserted island felt like a massive refuge all on its
own.
Seok-ho stroked his chin and stared intently at the screen.
"Electricity can be handled with solar panels and a small generator. As for water, I could probably manage somehow by
installing a desalination system."
He was already calculating the estimated costs of renovating the island in his head.
He had never imagined that the skills he had acquired over years of working with boats, equipment, and underwater
construction would prove useful in a situation like this.
However, he couldn't simply risk his entire fortune based on satellite photographs and documents alone.
"I need to go there and see it with my own eyes."
Seok-ho brushed off his pants and stood up.
Once he had decided on a direction, his steps felt noticeably lighter.
The next morning.
Seok-ho was stuffing his belongings into a large backpack.
A tent, sleeping bag, waterproof lantern, and emergency rations.
Once he reached the island, he planned to camp for several days while carefully examining the surrounding waters and
terrain.
After closing the backpack's zipper, he stood in front of the mirror.
He casually touched his overgrown beard and let out a small chuckle.
"I really look like an unemployed guy now."
As he stepped out of his front door, the cold air struck his face.
He was on his way to the terminal to catch a bus heading toward the southern coast.
His smartphone began buzzing. The name displayed on the screen belonged to an employee of a partner company he had known
from his previous job.
Seok-ho hesitated briefly about answering, then pressed the decline button.
There was no reason to make an awkward request or listen to one now.
After boarding the express bus, Seok-ho sat by the window and put on his earphones.
The bus departed, and the forest of buildings in Seoul gradually began receding behind him.
Seok-ho took out his tablet and brought up a nautical chart of Haewoldo along with weather service data.
"The tidal range is pretty significant, and there are reefs scattered all around the area."
He intended to find out for himself why the local fishermen avoided Haewoldo, and what secrets might be hidden within
the long-abandoned lighthouse and the gaps in the auction documents.
As the bus traveled south, Seok-ho marked potential docking locations and withdrawal criteria one by one on the nautical
chart.
This wasn't some vague escape plan. It was his first field investigation, one in which he was putting most of his money
on the line.