Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Our Fishing Begins
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Our fishing adventure had begun.
The current time was 3 p.m.
I'd asked Painter Oh if people usually fished around this time, and he said that normally, they didn't start then.
Certain fish had their peak biting times, usually twice a day.
Once when the morning sun rose, and once after sunset, when night fell.
That's how they timed their fishing trips.
'Hmm, but he did say fish would be around.'
I'd worried that maybe we wouldn't catch anything, but Painter Oh assured me there was no need to fret.
Popular fish drew crowds at those times, but the fish themselves were easy to catch.
Swish.
'Looks like he was right.'
I'd cast my line and leaned back a bit to peer into the water.
It wasn't crystal clear, but I could vaguely make out the bottom.
And there, I spotted young fry swimming playfully.
'Maybe there are more fish than I thought.'
Whoosh! Splash!
Just then, a sharp whoosh cut through the air, and something flew across my peripheral vision.
The culprit? None other than Painter Oh.
With all his experience, even casting the rod was on another level compared to us.
We were fumbling just to toss it a few feet in front of us, but he flung it incredibly far with a single swing.
Whoosh! Splash!
But another rod traced a similar arc through the air right alongside his.
That one belonged to Director Go.
"Wow! Director Go, you're amazing!"
I totally agreed with Daeun's exclamation.
It wasn't just flattery because it was the director. She was genuinely cool.
Her forward gaze, the hand wielding the rod, even her poised stance.
What was the word for it? Ah, there was one that fit perfectly.
The very word we always used to describe her usual demeanor.
'Haha, even fishing exudes such elegance.'
The innate grace in her every action shone through even now.
It almost made me think fishing was supposed to be this stylish sport.
And I wasn't the only one with those thoughts.
Daeun, Jungeun, Elina-ssi—they were all staring at her in awe.
Even Painter Oh, her rival, was sneaking tense glances her way, his expression a bit serious.
The atmosphere buzzed with tension—or maybe not quite.
'Whew, the pressure's no joke.'
It was just fishing, but I felt like we were in some international tournament.
Of course, the ultimate goal was the biggest catch, but I wasn't getting greedy.
My tension stemmed from the fear of not catching even one—what if?
And the biggest chunk of that worry? Daeun.
'I hope she doesn't get disappointed.'
After all her talk about wanting to catch a shark, failing to snag even a small fish might crush her.
Not everything goes as planned, and expectations often breed bigger letdowns.
That was my one real concern.
Right then, my fears started coming true, one by one.
"Whoa! It's here! It's coming!"
Among the rods dangling toward the sea, the first to get a bite was Jungeun's.
"Urk!"
It felt like something massive was on, as he yanked and tugged every which way before finally hauling it out.
And what emerged was...
'An eel?'
It was unmistakably small at a glance.
Even giving it the biggest benefit of the doubt, it was smaller than my palm.
Director Go and Painter Oh's stiffened faces relaxed a touch.
They must've figured it wasn't a big one.
But then another exclamation rang out, and their expressions hardened again.
"Ack! Did I really catch it? My hands are shaking! Is this real?"
This time, it was Elina-ssi.
She was over the moon just from the bite, grinning nonstop as she reeled in.
And the fish that came up on her line...
"Whoa! It's huge!"
"Man, that's massive!"
Jungeun's reaction was bigger, but his catch wasn't even comparable.
At least double.
'No, that's gotta be three times bigger.'
Even lowballing it, it had to be over 30 cm.
With Elina-ssi's great catch, Director Go's face tightened, but Painter Oh looked downright ashen.
'At least those two have something.'
Elina and Jungeun had their fish.
Now left were me and Daeun, plus the two who'd invited us to fish together.
Staring at Daeun's rod ahead of me, I prayed silently.
I didn't care if I caught nothing, but please let Daeun get at least one.
Right as I prayed...
Twitch!
"Huh?"
The bobber on Daeun's line peeked above the water and moved.
'Got one!'
Daeun shouted at the bobber's jiggle.
"Daddy!"
"Daddy's coming!"
I dropped my rod and rushed to her.
"Ah! So close!"
"Ah! Daeunnie almost had it!"
Daeun and I stomped in frustration.
I'd never imagined it'd slip the hook right there.
"We almost had it for real."
The hefty tug in my hands had felt like a big one.
Maybe as big as Elina-ssi's—even that possibility made the regret hit harder.
But the silver lining? Daeun wasn't too bummed.
"Daeunnie wants to try again! Daddy, bait it!"
She thrust the hook at me for more bait.
"Yeah, got it."
I took a lugworm from Painter Oh's supply and hooked it while thinking.
'Probably 'cause the rod's so short.'
Experience is key, I replayed the moment in my head.
The bobber had sunk fast—I'd struck at the right time.
I was sure the hook had set in its mouth, but the pull...
Way too quick.
'Next time, wait longer for a solid hook.'
Strike only after it swallows deep—that's how to set it perfectly without losing it.
"Done yet?"
"Yeah, almost."
Daeun was rushing me, antsy from the near-miss.
I hurried the bait on and helped her cast again.
Plop.
The short rod couldn't go far.
Just a few feet out, right in front.
'But there are big ones around, at least.'
That bite proved fish were there.
Now, no mistakes—just reel it in right.
"Daddy go."
"Yeah."
"Daeunnie's fishing now. So Daddy fish too."
She wanted focus time—no distractions?
I turned to head back to my spot.
But since I was here, I wanted a quick chat with her first.
I'd been meaning to ask something anyway.
"Ah, why? Can't Daddy stay a bit?"
Swish.
She glanced at me and said,
"Daeunnie's fishing."
Wow, that stung. Just a quick talk.
She was little now, but when she grew up, lines like that might really hurt.
Still, I pressed on.
"Daeun, how's fishing? Fun?"
Eyes glued to the bobber, she replied,
"Yeah, super fun. Really."
"Really? Then wanna fish again next time we get the chance?"
"Yeah, Daeunnie likes fishing. Wanna do it again."
A bit half-hearted.
Even with my persistent questions, her answers were perfunctory.
But I just found her adorable.
'Man, just like Hyorin.'
It reminded me of Hyorin completely.
She'd half-answer too when deep in her own thing.
Finding echoes of Hyorin in unexpected places.
"Yeah, let's come again next chance."
My face was all smiles.
Then, a confident voice boomed from afar.
"Hup!"
The spirited shout carried Painter Oh's determination.
His taut line told the whole story.
"It's on! Coming in!"
He yanked the rod hard.
Whoosh—!
A real man with years of fishing—his strength was no joke.
The fish was nearly ashore in seconds!
Taang—!
Right beside him, Director Go's rod bent too.
Like they knew it was a showdown, they eyed each other warily, battling to land their catches.
Painter Oh's fish hit the shore first.
Director Go's followed, and without a word, they rushed to the measuring board.
"34.5!"
Painter Oh's was 34.5 cm.
A full cm bigger than Elina-ssi's.
Gulp.
Director Go, tense, placed hers on the board.
Moments later, she thrust her hand up high.
The usually stoic director let out a cheer.
"34.5!"
"What? How big?"
"34.5..."
She realized belatedly it matched Painter Oh's exactly.
What divine prank was this?
Two different fish, different growth rates—same size.
Coincidence?
Jungeun piped up in shock.
"So it's a tie between you two."
That sparked fire—Painter Oh shook his head.
"No. No ties. If not size, it's who catches more. And if no more bites, we go by weight."
"Don't worry, I won't let it come to that."
"Hmph, that's what I was about to say."
Weight too? Wow.
Painter Oh, determined for a bigger one, dropped his catch in the bucket.
Splash.
Director Go did the same, hurrying back to cast.
Their simultaneous catches restarted the fishing frenzy. Meanwhile, I returned to my spot and grabbed my abandoned rod.
That's when it happened.
"Daddy!"
Daeun's sudden cry snapped my gaze over—her bobber was gone.
"H-Help!"
Probably sunk below the surface.
Maybe the one we'd lost before—I rushed to her.
"Daeun, we tried once! We got this! Slow and steady—no rushing."
"When to pull?"
"When it fully swallows your bait!"
Sploosh!
The bobber shot skyward from underwater.
That instant, I yelled,
"Pull!"
Fling! Thunk!
A solid hook-up vibrated through the rod. The heavy pull surged through my hands.
Splash!
The fish on Daeun's tiny rod revealed itself. Painter Oh, watching, shouted at the sight.
"R-Rockfish!"
The priciest fish around, a massive one...
"Ca-Caught it!"
It leaped into the world off Daeun's line.