Chapter 11
Chapter 11
The Mysterious Deserted Island Raises Questions
Winston quietly continued carving the branch and gave a short answer.
"Chopsticks."
I blinked in surprise.
The last thing I expected was a Westerner making chopsticks on a deserted island.
"Oh? You use chopsticks often? You seem pretty comfortable with them."
Without looking up, Winston smoothly finished shaping the ends of the sticks.
"I like Japanese sushi. So I learned how to use them. The more familiar you are with your tools, the better your chances of survival."
"Well, looks like Japan is helping us out here. Thanks to sushi, we're eating with chopsticks on a deserted island."
Chuckling, I nudged a large piece of Styrofoam across the ground with my foot and slid it toward him.
"Exactly. Might as well be comfortable while using our tools. Sit on this and finish up."
Winston sat down on the Styrofoam.
Then he handed me a neatly carved pair of wooden chopsticks.
"Let's eat. You've waited long enough."
I pretended to think about what to try first.
"Obviously, you start with the best thing."
Without hesitation, I picked up half of the giant abalone from the pot.
Steam rose from the glossy meat.
It looked perfectly cooked.
I took a huge bite.
There was none of the toughness I'd expected.
The first chew was pleasantly firm.
The more I chewed, the softer it became, releasing rich juices.
It had been boiled in nothing but water.
No seasoning.
No spices.
Yet the natural saltiness of the sea and the abalone's deep umami flavor combined into something surprisingly rich.
I slurped some of the hot broth and let out an impressed sigh.
"Wow... this is insane. How does it taste this good without any seasoning?"
Winston also took a large bite of abalone and chewed slowly before nodding in satisfaction.
"The abalone is huge, so the texture is excellent. Truly fresh ingredients don't need complicated seasoning. Nature provides the best seasoning of all."
We completely forgot about conversation and focused on eating.
The abalone disappeared in no time.
Our next target was the bag full of shore crabs I'd caught earlier.
"I wonder what these taste like."
I bit straight through one of the thin-shelled crabs.
The meat burst apart inside.
After simmering in the broth, the crab meat had become tender and sweet.
It was completely different from the abalone.
"How long has it been since I had a proper meal? I feel alive again."
As the warmth of the abalone soup spread through my body, the tension slowly drained away.
A pleasant drowsiness followed.
I stared at the campfire for a while before glancing up at the sky.
"It's probably around four in the afternoon, right? How do you tell time on a deserted island, Winston? By the angle of the sun or something?"
Winston stretched out his hand and measured the distance between the sun and the horizon with his fingers.
"Something like that. The easiest method is the finger method. Extend your arm and stack your fingers between the sun and the horizon. Each finger is roughly fifteen minutes. Four fingers equals about an hour. A full hand is around an hour and a half before sunset. Judging by the sun's position, I'd say it's between four and four-thirty."
"That's incredible. You could survive without a watch."
I nodded before casually asking another question.
"So where were you headed when you got caught up in all this? Were you traveling through nearby shipping routes?"
Winston stared into the flames for a moment before answering quietly.
"I was heading toward an island near Indonesia. Another challenge. Then a storm hit out of nowhere. When I woke up, I was on this beach."
After answering, he looked directly at me.
"What about you? Were you abandoned while traveling somewhere?"
I scratched my head and laughed.
"Honestly... I'm not sure. I was probably still in Korea. The thing is, when I woke up, I was trapped inside a steel drum."
"...A steel drum?"
His eyes visibly widened.
I found his reaction amusing and continued calmly.
"Yeah. Pretty common in my line of work. It's a classic way to deal with traitors and people who know too much. Thankfully, they hadn't filled it with cement yet."
Winston stared at me in complete silence.
I shrugged.
"Anyway, I was being transported by boat. Then a huge wave hit. The boat rocked violently, and somehow I managed to cut through the ropes binding me. Another wave crashed over everything, and after that... blackout. The next thing I knew, I was here."
For a long moment, Winston said nothing.
He looked at me.
Then at the campfire.
Then back at me.
"...You've lived a much harsher life than I expected, Cheon."
I poked at a burning log and finally voiced the question that had been bothering me.
"I figured out a long time ago that we're not in Korea. But then how far did I drift? If this place is somewhere between Korea and Indonesia, shouldn't it be around the Philippines? Does that even make sense?"
Winston stared at me.
"No. It's impossible. Theoretically, you should've died from exhaustion or hypothermia long before crossing that distance. Surviving a drift like that isn't survival. It's a miracle."
"Exactly. That's what I'm saying. So where are we? The palm trees make it obvious we're somewhere tropical, but... are we really in the Philippines?"
Silence settled over the camp.
Only the sound of the waves filled the air.
Then Winston picked up one of the abalone shells glistening in the firelight.
"Cheon, sometimes the ocean laughs at rational calculations."
He casually set the shell back down.
"What's more important than coordinates on a map is the fact that you're breathing right here, right now. The sea chose not to kill you. It brought you here instead. Maybe that means God still has unfinished homework for you. Whether that's salvation or an even greater trial remains to be seen."
For a survival expert, that was surprisingly philosophical.
And somehow, it sounded logical.
Before being sealed inside that drum, I'd prayed to God.
After everything that had happened since then, Winston's words felt strangely convincing.
Once dinner was finished, Winston stood and dragged several dry logs closer to the campfire.
"Cheon, it's time to start preparing for nightfall. Nights on a deserted island are completely different from days."
He glanced toward the sky.
"In civilization, night is simply darkness. Here, it means complete darkness. The moment the light disappears, ninety percent of the information your eyes provide becomes useless. Your hearing and sense of smell become much sharper. Even a tiny rustling sound can make your heart race. And temperature control goes without saying. Remember this: when the fire dies, death isn't far behind."
Listening to his warning, I slowly nodded.
City nights were never truly dark.
There were streetlights.
Neon signs.
Headlights in the distance.
Some trace of civilization always remained.
But not here.
Once the sun disappeared below the horizon, the world would become exactly as Winston described.
Darkness.
As though someone had poured black ink across the island.
You wouldn't even be able to see a meter ahead.
You could stretch out your hand and still have no idea where your fingers were.
True darkness.
The kind that existed only where there was no light at all.
Maybe the closest comparison was the countryside back in Korea.
At least there, some dog would be barking in the distance.
Here, if the campfire went out, the moon would be our only source of light.
We finished renovating the shelter by laying the Styrofoam pieces tightly across the floor.
It was surprisingly comfortable.
Even Winston seemed satisfied as he repeatedly pressed down on the makeshift flooring.
The orange glow of sunset stretched across the beach.
The sun hadn't fully set yet.
I spoke up.
"Hey, Winston. There's still some daylight left. If it rains, couldn't we collect rainwater and use it for drinking? The bottled water won't last forever."
Winston stopped adjusting one of the shelter's support beams and turned toward me.
His expression wasn't casual.
He looked genuinely impressed.
"As a matter of fact, I was just about to start that project."
He pointed toward the snack wrappers and the pot he'd found earlier.
"Cheon, I think you have more survival talent than you realize. Most beginners only think about food and fire. They don't even consider sustainable water sources until they're desperately thirsty the next day. But you've already started thinking about rainwater collection."
A grin spread across his face.
As though he were pleased with a student.
Then he crossed two branches into a Y-shape and began setting them into the ground.