We Survived, Right?
Whoosh───
The first thing I felt was the sound of waves.
Then, sand in my mouth.
"Ptooey! Cough! Cough!"
Whoa, I thought I was dead.
But I survived, right?
"Are you awake?"
When I opened my eyes, I saw Assistant Manager Kang Seoyun.
Both the assistant manager and I made it?
"Where are we?"
"It looks like we drifted to a nearby deserted island."
"…An island?"
Looking around, it really was an island.
An endless ocean, a sandy beach stretching out of sight…
Inland, a dense jungle came into view.
"The plane crashed, didn't it?"
How did we survive?
"It did crash…"
Yet both the assistant manager and I looked completely fine?
"Woojin, I'm glad you're safe. Assistant Manager Kang was worried you wouldn't wake up."
Manager Han Jia was nearby as well.
"She was worried about me?"
"Well, you're her subordinate."
Scanning the area, there were quite a few other survivors besides us.
Roughly thirty people?
"Are all these people castaways too?"
"Yes. They're all passengers from Sehan Airlines flight SH712 that we were on. Including you, Woojin, there are thirty-three of us in total."
"A lot of people survived."
"And it's such a relief that none of us are seriously injured~."
The manager laughed softly in her usual unhurried tone.
"If rescue is delayed, it'll cause major disruptions to company work, Manager."
"Even so… there's nothing we can do except wait for the rescue team."
"No GPS signal either?"
Manager Han Jia nodded.
"…No. No internet either."
Quite a few people on the beach were holding up their phones, waiting for a signal.
But it seemed no one had managed to contact the rescue team directly.
"Let's make a rescue signal together."
Unable to just sit and wait, Seoyun spoke firmly.
"Shall we? Since Woojin is awake now… we can trust him with the heavy lifting, right~?"
Huh? Me?
This didn't seem related to company work at all…
"Woojin, what are you doing? Get moving."
"Understood."
It was a little absurd watching the women treat me like a servant so naturally, but I decided to go along with it.
After all, it was something we absolutely had to do to survive…
We gathered supplies scattered near the wreckage.
There were quite a few intact items—passengers' bags and checked luggage whose owners we didn't know.
"We should use black clothes."
Following Seoyun's suggestion, we used black clothing and bags to form a large rescue signal on the shore.
S O S
It took about an hour.
"Whew, now we just wait for rescue."
Standing on the most visible part of the beach, we left the SOS and waited for the rescue team.
We'd done everything we could for now.
"The expo schedule… the buyer meetings too…. Haah……"
Seoyun kept muttering toward the ground while squatting, clearly bothered by the unfinished work.
As the person in charge, it made sense she'd be anxious.
Meanwhile, I felt oddly light, thinking I didn't have to deal with some cosmetics expo.
Unlike the assistant manager, I had zero passion for the company.
Even if the schedule was completely ruined, I had nothing to lose.
I had no lingering attachment to my current life, you could say.
That didn't mean I was ready to die anytime, but when the plane fuselage tilted, I'd thought I was dead.
Yet here I was, alive?
It felt like I'd been gifted a second life.
If I said that out loud now, the assistant manager would probably slap me…
Anyway, I'd already decided this was essentially my last job as a contract worker, and I never dreamed of becoming a full-time employee.
If someone asked what else I wanted to do, I had no answer.
I took off my coat, set it aside, and leisurely enjoyed the island weather.
'Hm?'
Just then, something shimmered before my eyes.
Letters……?
Actually, I wasn't even sure if they were letters.
The rhythm of the waves, the flow of the wind, the way sunlight shattered across the sand.
Parts of nature suddenly seemed to form meaningful patterns.
It made no sense, yet strangely, I felt like I understood their meaning.
The air on this island… was moving as if it were alive.
"Assistant Manager, do you see that?"
"What? See what?"
The assistant manager hadn't noticed?
"Did the rescue team arrive?!"
"No…"
"Is this really the time for jokes?"
She couldn't see it? Only I could read it?
If I had to put the meaning I understood into Korean… it would be 'change,' maybe.
A little later.
By the time the sun began to set, the rescue team everyone had been hoping for still hadn't come.
"Woojin, Assistant Manager Kang. I brought some food and water. Here."
The manager handed us rations and water she'd received from the shared supplies.
One 500mL bottle of water and a few in-flight crackers each.
The portions were shockingly meager.
"……Is this all?"
Seoyun asked in surprise. The manager nodded with a troubled expression.
"We're short on both water and food. Let's share them sparingly."
Was it because there were too many survivors compared to the supplies?
If we couldn't find water starting tomorrow, we'd be in trouble…
"And…"
The manager continued with a dark look, not stopping there.
The assistant manager's face had already turned grim, as if she'd guessed what came next.
"It looks like we'll have to spend the night here. I borrowed some blankets and cloth, so shall we try setting up a screen?"
"……Yes. Understood. Kim Woojin, see if you can find poles of suitable length. I'll gather firewood."
"Understood."
I helped build the temporary shelter.
It wasn't exactly ideal for one man and two women, but compared to the other survivor groups, ours was relatively well-made.
This crude shelter that couldn't even block the sea breeze was where we'd be sleeping tonight.
'This is rough.'
Even when I'd slept in the mountains during military training, this level of makeshift bedding made it painfully clear how far our living standards had fallen.
The two women stared blankly for a moment, as if they couldn't believe the reality they were in.
Back home, warm meals, soft beds, and in the manager's case, a young child and husband would have been waiting.
Now, in a single morning, it had come to this.
"…At least it's not cold."
With the two of them speechless, that was all I could mutter.
The island's climate was probably somewhere between subtropical and tropical.
If the temperature swings had been as severe as in Korea, we would've had to worry about freezing to death at night.
But the warm weather kept us sweating, draining the moisture from our bodies.
If the rescue team didn't come tomorrow, things might really get dangerous.
"…The rescue team will definitely come tomorrow! Let's hang in there a little longer~!"
Manager Han Jia forced a smile as she spoke, trying her best to sound cheerful.
Day two of drifting.
Morning and afternoon alike, the horizon remained eerily calm.
"……"
Seoyun licked the mouth of the empty water bottle, then turned it upside down and shook out the last drop onto her tongue.
Still looking unsatisfied, she hung her head with a haggard expression.
Manager Han Jia had unbuttoned her shirt down to the second button, and whether or not her cleavage showed, she sat leaning back, making exhausted sounds.
From yesterday through today, including the sweat lost while sleeping, 500mL of water was far too little to quench our thirst.
My own bottle now only had about two mouthfuls left, sloshing inside.
At that moment, both the manager and the assistant manager glanced at my bottle.
"Woojin~~. Got any water left?"
"Huh?"
I pretended not to hear.
"Can I have just a little?"
Not a chance.
I had no intention of giving up my precious water, even if it was the manager asking.
"This is mine."
"Ehh."
"……"
Acting cute didn't suit her age.
The assistant manager, watching us, simply stared at my bottle and swallowed dryly.
"Woojin, I'm sorry."
"What?"
"It's because I asked you to come along. You just got dragged into this……"
"It's not your fault, Manager."
Seoyun spoke to the downcast Jia.
"Woojin is a company employee too, so he has to participate in work. This situation is just an accident. No one's to blame."
Yeah, she was right.
I didn't blame anyone here.
But what if the rescue team never came?
That thought was slowly creeping into my mind.
On a whim, I looked around to see what the others were doing…
……and met eyes with a blonde, busty gyaru playing on the shore.
What the—? A mirage?
"Yahoo! Found some survivors!"
Her voice was far too bright for the situation.
Long wavy hair. Skin so pale it sparkled in the sunlight…
And a flashy bikini completely out of place here.
She alternated peace signs with both hands.
"What did she just say?"
"You need a translator for 'yahoo' too?"
"……"
The blonde gyaru came skipping across the sand.
Even the way she walked made her look like a tourist on vacation, not a castaway.
"Korean? Whoa, international exchange! I'm Ruka, from Japan. Anyway, is everyone okay? You look okay? We're pretty lucky, huh?"
I don't speak Japanese!
Why was she talking so much?
Manager Han Jia, who had been listening beside me, answered gently.
"Hello. Are you injured?"
"Hm? Nope, nope! My throat's so dry I feel like I'm dying, though? But Ruka's basically an energetic type!"
"She's Ruka from Japan."
"She looks healthy. We're the ones who feel like we're dying."
"Hmm, maybe because she's a gyaru? Japanese gyaru culture is fascinating~."
Ruka smiled brightly, showing off her bikini.
"Do you have water?"
This time, Assistant Manager Kang asked in clear, deliberate Japanese.
"Water? Huh? Why? There's tons of water, though?"
"Where?!"
The assistant manager stood up so fast I thought she'd spotted the rescue team.
"She says there's plenty of water."
Ruka nodded proudly, hands on her hips.
Then she pointed at the sea.
"Look! All of that over there is water! Drink as much as you want! Like an all-you-can-drink bar? Unlimited drinks or something?"
Silence.
Only the sound of waves.
Whoosh───
Even without a translator, I understood what she'd said.
"Assistant Manager."
"…No. Kim Woojin. Don't ask. My head hurts."
"Did she just say we should drink seawater?"
"……Haah."
The assistant manager clutched her forehead and continued in Japanese.
"You can't drink seawater. Too much salt. It'll only dehydrate you more."
"Eh, seriously!?"
Ruka looked genuinely shocked.
Had she finally realized the truth of this world, this airheaded gyaru?
"But the sea is water, right?"
"It's saltwater."
"Then what if we boil it? Wouldn't heating it up work somehow?"
……
I didn't understand the words, but the light in Assistant Manager Kang's eyes as she explained had died.
She'd probably never met someone like this in her life…
Actually, neither had I.
A busty gyaru brightly smiling and airhead-flirting like this.
Her radiant smile and proportionally sky-high airheadedness were Assistant Manager Kang Seoyun's hard counter.
When the three Koreans made exasperated faces, Ruka just flashed another peace sign instead of shrinking back.
"Well, anyway, we're alive, right? It'll work out somehow! Ruka may not look it, but my luck is the strongest!"
"…Yes. Good luck with that."
Seoyun cut the conversation short in Korean, and the blonde gyaru, unfazed, ran back to the shore to play again.
……
That blonde gyaru… her figure was insane…
The kind of body you just want to grab and squeeze…
Whoa…
"……Whew, wandering around alone dressed like that seems dangerous, doesn't it?"
"So the alluring Japanese woman in a bikini is catching your attention, Kim Woojin?"
Whoops.
I'd spoken too casually, forgetting this wasn't the office.
I was asking to get chewed out.
"Assistant Manager Kang~ Woojin's a guy too~."
"The two of you match so well~~ being so relaxed when we don't even know when the rescue team will come."
"My head isn't that full of flowers."
"I wish it were. After all, you're the only man here, so as long as you behave, it'll be fine."
……Huh?
What did she just say? I'm the only man?
"What? I'm the only man?"
"What, you didn't know?"
Looking around again after hearing that, every survivor on the island except me was a young woman.
I hesitated a little on whether to include the married Manager Han Jia in the 'young woman' category……
Out of thirty-three people, thirty-two were young women and I was the only man?
Too coincidental.
It was like the deserted island harem setup I'd seen somewhere before.
"Ha, you like it? Lots of women."
"I'd be willing to meet one prettier and nicer than the assistant manager."
"What…!!"
Seoyun's face turned red at my counterattack.
What.
Did she think I'd just take her nagging because this wasn't the office?
I'd thrown away the usual hierarchy and fired back cleanly.
"Y-you!"
Her mouth opening and closing in surprise was cute.
"Since this isn't the office, I'll say what I want too."
"Ahaha! Assistant Manager Kang~ It's because you keep teasing him~"
"T-teasing……!"
The manager burst out laughing beside us.
"Scolding a subordinate whose eyes went wide at the sight of a bikini. We came here for work.
This may not be the office, but it's still an extension of work. I'm your superior, and you are……"
Whoa. Was she a machine gun?
I was impressed watching her talk without pausing for breath.
"Isn't work suspended? We can't exactly prepare for the expo here, can we?"
"……Urgh…! How bold. As if you wanted this to happen?"
The rebellion of a useless newbie who'd only been a tool for heavy lifting.
Seoyun, so used to the old chain of command, probably couldn't accept it.
Her reaction was pretty satisfying.
"If planes crashed just because I wanted them to, I'd have won the lottery more than ten times by now."
"You don't back down even once. So this is your real personality, Kim Woojin!?"
Hahaha.
She was flustered. Definitely flustered.
She shot back as if to say 'get back in line according to rank!', but I had no reason to shrink away.
"If that's the assistant manager's real personality too, it'll be hard for her to get married."
"……Kuh, kngh. Mind your own business!"
That was a weird sound.
Seoyun's lips moved as she searched for a comeback, her face bright red, when the manager stepped in.
"Alright, that's enough~ We can't fight. Especially in a situation like this."
Manager, nice timing.
Man, how long had it been since I got a hit in on the assistant manager?
After landing several solid body blows, I felt refreshed.
"Talking nonsense made me thirstier. What now?"
"The manager's holding it in too. Try building some patience."
"Fine. So that's how it's going to be? Keep it up. When we get back, I'll work you so hard you'll finally pull your own weight."
Unfortunately, there would be no full-time conversion for contract worker Kim Woojin.
If I went back to convenience store part-time work or unemployment, I probably wouldn't get to banter with a pretty superior like this again.
"I'll go ask the flight attendants if there's any water left."
The manager stood up.
"I'll go too, Manager."
"No, Assistant Manager Kang, rest here."
Was there any water left?
Yesterday the shore had been a mountain of supplies, but today the beach was littered with gutted bags like dead fish.
The first round of scavenging was over, and all that remained were scraps not even worth taking.
The assistant manager didn't look like she expected much either.
As I lifted the bottle to drink the last of my water, the assistant manager's eyes followed it.
"……"
"……"
Damn it. Fine. Two mouthfuls wouldn't do much for my thirst anyway.
"Here."
"I won't refuse. Kim Woojin!"
The assistant manager snatched the bottle and gulped it down.
……She sure could drink.
"Haa~~~. Thank you~."
It was the first time I'd heard 'thank you' from the assistant manager during my time at the company.
"What wind blew you this way?"
"I performed a good deed that might be my last in life."
"Do you have to say something so ominous right now?"
"Don't cry later. It'll make me regret giving you that water."
"Heh, ha! Unbelievable," she laughed dryly and said,
"Still, talking like this, I think I understand what kind of person you are. At the company you always kept your mouth shut."
"What kind of person am I?"
"……"
Seoyun didn't answer right away. But then…
"I don't know. Still, it feels a bit more like talking to an actual person now, so it's not bad."
"Is that so?"
"By the way, why can't the rescue team find us? The island is fairly large… and our signal disappeared nearby."
"I don't know."
No way to know.
Even in our country there were thousands of islands, big and small.
How many of them had no name?
Slosh.
'Huh?'
What? Hadn't the assistant manager finished the water?
The returned bottle still had a little water left.
Also, the word 'water' shimmered before my eyes. It seemed only I could see it.
What the hell was this?
With the sensation of touching the letters with my finger, I grabbed the bottle.
Then……
Glug glug glug glug.
Water began welling up inside the bottle like a spring.
"O-oh."
"W-what! What did you do?"
The assistant manager's eyes widened.
This was literally a miracle!
What was really going on?
"How is water coming out?"
"It just worked when I tried."
Water gushed out from the mouth of the bottle in a torrent!
Without even checking if it was safe to drink, Seoyun clamped her mouth over the opening and sucked.
"Hup. Gulp, gulp…. Slurp! Gulp!"
Seoyun drank the water noisily until her throat bobbed, then let out a satisfied breath with a dazed, dopamine-overloaded look in her eyes.
"How does the water taste?"
"Ah…. It's the best……"
……I grabbed the bottle again.
Water gushed out once more.
Just like magic.