I met a sucker!
I met a sucker!
As the night deepened, the air in the forest grew cold rapidly.
Hoo hoo. Whoever made this, they did a really good job.
The temporary shelter I was lying in had a huge rock blocking the wind from behind to some extent, and the leaf roof was also blocking the cold air decently.
It was performing its role as a shelter perfectly.
Except for one problem.
"Ugh..."
It was Yerin, shivering next to me.
Her profession was streamer. Among them, a female cam streamer. What do you think her usual life was like?
Wearing clothes with luxury brand logos, lazing around in a comfortable home, sleeping on a soft bed.
And that kind of person is now sleeping on leaves in the middle of a damp jungle.
For me, since I've watched a lot of documentaries, this kind of situation feels quite familiar, so I can manage.
From Yerin's perspective, it must be nothing short of hell.
Plus, even the bugs she hates are coming out from between the leaves.
But surprisingly, she's holding up well.
Even though she whines, she doesn't hold back her body.
Whatever I tell her to do, she does it right away.
She dug dirt, carried branches, and dug up yams together.
So I decided to give her one praise sticker for being impressive.
As if it wasn't the time for such jokes, Yerin kept groaning and tossing and turning.
"Ugh..."
At first, I thought it was just because the environment was uncomfortable.
But no matter how I look at it, her current state... seems like early symptoms of hypothermia.
Once body temperature starts dropping, breathing becomes rough, and if it gets severe, you lose consciousness and collapse.
I think I need to take extreme measures.
Looking at Yerin, who was trembling slightly, I said.
"Yerin-nim."
"Uung..."
Her voice was almost half-unconscious.
She can't even open her eyes properly; her condition is serious.
I hesitated for a moment, then opened both arms toward Yerin.
"If you're cold, hug me."
"...Huh?"
Yerin blinked slowly.
Feeling a bit embarrassed for no reason, I looked away and muttered.
"To maintain body temperature, there's no choice. This is the only way."
After staring at me blankly for a moment, Yerin immediately slid into my arms.
No, it might be more accurate to say that I, having become smaller, was buried in Yerin's embrace.
Thump.
"...!"
She hugged me too naturally.
I feel like a teddy bear.
Clutching my hoodie tightly, Yerin mumbled.
"You're warm..."
"That's a relief."
"Reels."
"Yes."
"You're a good kid..."
Her voice was full of drowsiness. Today must have been really hard for a female streamer.
Feeling a tickle in my chest from our touching body heat, I closed my eyes tightly.
Sshh sshh sshh.
Even Baby wriggled in between.
Slurp.
"...Baby, I guess you were cold too."
Inside the narrow shelter.
One lizard.
One female streamer.
And me.
The three of us stuck close together as the first night on the deserted island came to an end.
@
The Streamer Gallery was still bustling even though the night was deep.
The reason was simple.
One regular user had seriously caused a stir last time.
[I bet 50 Hambugi that Reels will get eliminated on the first day]
Author: YeocamLover
That post was already pinned as a trending post.
Upvotes: 1,320.
The regulars in the gallery quietly started picking up stones.
[YeocamLover you bastard, aren't you giving out Hambugi?]
Author: (124.55)
You said if Reels survives the first day, you'd treat us to burgers, right?
A man's word should be his bond.
ㄴ lolololololol
ㄴ Can't run away
ㄴ Pinned
ㄴ Reels is alive and well, you know?
ㄴ She even found water and food
ㄴ And built a shelter lol
ㄴ Survival skills GOAT
ㄴ YeocamLover preparing to run
ㄴ Hambugi seizure underway
ㄴ I knew she was special when she was touching poop
ㄴ That just seemed like a crazy bitch
ㄴ Crazy bitch indeed
ㄴ But she's capable
ㄴ Nongnongnongnongnong
[Current Status of YeocamLover]
Author: (211.90)
Ignoring all comment notifications and going silent lol
That's pathetic, you son of a bitch
ㄴ Did that bastard really run away?
ㄴ A man going back on his word... he should have his dick cut off lol
ㄴ Typical Nogwaedan level lol
ㄴ He was mocking Reels, serves him right
ㄴ Actually, isn't he the one who watches her broadcast the most while acting like that?
ㄴ True, that bastard always curses Reels but only watches the Reels Party screen
ㄴ At this point, he's a sasaeng fan
ㄴ He's been Reel-pilled lol
And at that moment.
The problematic regular user, YeocamLover.
Was glaring at the Reels broadcast screen with clenched teeth.
"...Fuck."
At first, he just wanted to gaslight some easy Hakko and cause a stir.
But.
He never expected her to last this long.
It's not just about lasting.
On the first day alone, she found water, built a shelter, secured food.
And even assessed risk factors.
Her body is small, but her actions rival those of a survival expert.
YeocamLover stared blankly at Reels on the screen.
A face covered in dirt.
A little girl sleeping hugging a lizard.
"...What the hell is that little girl."
Could it be that.
She actually knows Grylls hyung-nim or something?
Even absurd thoughts came to mind.
YeocamLover opened his own gallery log.
20,000 posts.
30,000 comments.
Total: 50,000.
An account he had lovingly nurtured while living in the Streamer Gallery for years.
Honestly.
It's too precious to just run away without giving out 50 Hambugi.
Moreover, knowing the gallery guys' personalities, they'd milk it for months until he actually paid up.
'Ah, fuck...'
YeocamLover pressed the payment window with trembling hands.
Feeling like tears of blood were flowing.
A little later.
A new post went up on the gallery.
[I'm giving out 50 Hambugi]
Author: YeocamLover
(Hambugi coupon 50 verification image)
Happy now, you sons of bitches?
Fuck, I'll have to eat ramen from today on
ㄴ Wow, he actually paid up
ㄴ lololololololol
ㄴ Upvoted
ㄴ What a man
ㄴ Thank you Reels-nim Thank you Reels-nim Thank you Reels-nim Thank you Reels-nim
ㄴ YeocamLover is surprisingly cool lol
ㄴ Thanks for the Hambugi
ㄴ He actually paid up
ㄴ If he ran, he'd be ridiculed for a whole year
ㄴ I'll enjoy the free Hambugi, thanks Reels!
ㄴ Omnyomnyomnyomnyomnyomnyom
ㄴ YeocamLover is now a Reels fan, right?
ㄴ (YeocamLover) : Shut up you Nongnongdan bastards;; That'll never happen
Thanks to the free Hambugi distribution, Reels' popularity in the Streamer Gallery rose even further.
@
Slurp.
A wet sensation made my eyes snap open.
"...Ugh."
In front of me were familiar yellow eyes.
Baby was on my stomach, flicking its tongue.
Morning sunlight was seeping thinly into the shelter through the gaps in the leaves.
"Ooshya!"
I stretched and got up.
My body was stiff.
Sleeping on the hard ground made my back hurt. On the other side, Yerin was still groggily hugging leaves instead of a blanket.
"...Ughh."
"Wake up. It's morning."
"...Just 5 more minutes."
I chuckled and crawled out of the shelter.
"Oh! The air feels great!"
The morning air was surprisingly fresh.
It smelled of dew and earth that had settled overnight.
First, I need to wake up a bit.
I walked over to the puddle in the rock crevice, scooped out the debris floating on top, and splashed water on my face.
Splash.
"Kuh!"
The water is freezing cold.
My hazy mind snapped awake.
At this rate, even a hibernating bear would wake up immediately.
Yerin, who came out later, squatted beside me with a sleepy face. She dipped just her fingertips into the puddle.
"Water... it's too cold."
"Wash up."
"What if I get a heart attack from washing with cold water?"
"You smell."
"...?!"
Yerin looked shocked, sniffed her own arm, and frantically started splashing water on herself.
Splash!
"Kyaa! This is seriously too cold!"
Did she sleep well last night? She's noisy from the morning.
I roughly shook off the water from my face and said.
"Today, I'm going to look for a good spot for a base."
"Yeah."
"We also need to make a fire. It gets colder at night than I thought."
"Does that mean we finally get to eat warm food?"
"Probably."
"'Probably' again..."
We chewed on the leftover yam from yesterday and moved further into the jungle.
And after walking for a while.
Swish.
The view in front opened up.
"...Oh."
Dense green pillars rose high into the sky.
A bamboo forest.
Whenever the wind blew, the long bamboos bumped into each other, making a rustling sound.
Sunlight broke through the leaves and fell down.
Yerin looked around in admiration.
"Wow... it's like a movie scene."
I looked at the bamboos with sparkling eyes.
Bamboo is a good material.
You can eat bamboo shoots, and the inside of bamboo contains water, so you can also hydrate.
Above all, bamboo is incredibly versatile.
Making water bottles or bowls.
Sharpening the ends to make spears.
Using them as frames to build a decent shelter.
"With this, we could really get comfortable."
I picked up a nearby stone and struck a bamboo.
Thwack!
It's hard and doesn't budge.
I struck it again with force.
Thwack! Thwack!
Only a few scratches appeared on the bamboo's surface, and a little water that the bamboo had stored seeped out through the scratches.
"...Tsk."
I just scraped my palm. It stings.
This bamboo guy.
It's quite tough, isn't it?
Yerin let out a small laugh beside me.
"Even so, breaking bamboo with a stone is impossible."
"Shut up."
I blew on my palm and muttered.
"I think we need a knife."
I was looking around for any fallen bamboo when I heard human voices nearby.
"Oh? There are people over there!"
Three people emerged from beyond the bushes.
One man and two women.
The man had a familiar face.
The big, bear-like man who gave me candy at Mystery Rich's office.
But.
Something's weird.
The man had both hands full of luggage.
In one hand, a large knife that looked like a machete.
In the other, several items purchased with API.
Meanwhile, the two women behind him were empty-handed.
Moreover.
"Oppa, water."
"Yeah, here."
"Carry this too. It's heavy, you know."
"Yeah."
He's a total sucker.
Is that what people call a 'sweet guy'? Something like that?
Anyway, he looked absolutely stupid.
The bear-like man's eyes went wide as soon as he saw me.
"Oh? The lizard kid?"
"...It's Reels."
He waved his hand with a happy face. Yerin had already naturally approached the women and started chatting.
"Hello~"
"Oh my. You're Yerin-nim, right?"
"Wow, you're really pretty in person. How do you do your makeup?"
"Aish, you're flattering me too much. Makeup is done with cosmetics, of course."
Girl talk began immediately.
"Ah, seriously, aren't there too many bugs here?"
"Right. I thought I was going to die sleeping yesterday."
"I feel like just giving up."
"I know! This really isn't something a person should do."
I stood at a distance and watched the scene.
I hate noise.
Should I just drop Yerin off with this group and run?
While I was having that thought, the bear-like man cautiously approached me.
"What are you doing?"
"Morning walk."
At my half-hearted answer, the man looked awkward, glanced at the bamboos around, and lowered his voice.
"Have you seen any water around here by any chance?"
"...."
I glanced over at Yerin. Then very subtly shook my head.
A signal to absolutely not tell.
Seeing that, Yerin blinked, then smiled as if nothing happened and continued talking.
"Ah, really, it was so cold at night, I'm telling you~"
She's quick on the uptake.
Of course, sharing the location of the water source with them wouldn't hurt, but I can't give away information I struggled so hard to get yesterday for free.
I'm not that nice of a person anyway.
Everyone here is a competitor.
I picked up Baby, who was eating bugs, and said to the bear-like man.
"I haven't seen any. Well then, I'll be going."
Yerin, with her sharp ears, immediately scurried over to me.
Seeing that, the bear-like man said with a disappointed face.
"How about we stick together? It'll be easier to survive if we team up."
I looked at them for a moment.
The women in the man's group obviously had reluctant expressions. They were looking at Baby, who was chewing bugs deliciously in my arms, with disgust.
"Oppa, isn't that a bit much? You should ask our opinion too."
Two women.
One sucker.
And a machete.
Honestly, the machete looks useful, but the cons seem bigger than the pros.
The big man might be useful as a porter or a meat shield, but those two freeloading women are the problem.
An incompetent ally is more dangerous than a capable enemy.
I shook my head and said.
"It's fine. I prefer going alone."
The bear-like man scratched his head awkwardly.
"Ah. Well, can't be helped then."
I turned around.
Behind me, Yerin was scrambling to follow me.
"Hey, go with me! Don't abandon me...!"
I was trying to ditch her, but I got caught.