Chapter 11
* * *
The escape plan seemed to be going smoothly.
At times like this, watching Assistant Manager Kang's drive in action was almost scary.
"We'll wrap the seat belts and luggage straps around the logs twice like this, cross them between the logs, and then tighten the buckles. Everyone got that?"
While I shaped the logs with Wind Cutter, Seoyoon had drawn the raft's outline in the sand and was gathering everyone to explain the plan.
"Put the thick ones in the middle and the lighter ones on the sides. Don't drag them—roll them over instead."
That was the same intensely focused Kang Seoyoon I always saw at the company.
I could never live like that….
"Mr. Woojin?"
Gah. I made eye contact with Kang Seoyoon.
"Just hang in there a little longer. You can rest once you've finished shaving off these branches."
She was even keeping track of how this side's work was going.
If I slacked off, she'd catch me for sure.
We were on a deserted island, but it felt enough like office life to make me remember the company I'd forgotten.
Once the first stage of work was done, the raft was starting to look like a raft.
"We'll stop here and take a break."
The older ladies from the work crew, Claire and Vito, had come to help. In return, I gave them drinking water.
"As expected, the water our cutie gives us tastes the best~."
"And it doesn't upset my stomach. Nice."
"Thanks for helping, you two."
Claire, the blonde big sis, came straight over to me without hesitation.
"You're so cute~♡ Do you know how cute you are?"
Vito pulled something out of her clothes. It was a small piece of meat, already prepared.
"Have this for dinner."
"Oh, that's raw meat. Where did you get it?"
"Traps, hunting, and so on."
It seemed the two of them were finding food in the southern forest in a different way from our group.
Impressive.
Even if it was a small animal, hunting a beast must've been extremely difficult.
"I'll enjoy this, big sis."
In return, I made them more fresh water.
A fair exchange of water for meat.
Looks like we'd have a hearty dinner tonight, too.
"Water's more precious to us. Thanks, Chinese man."
What? Chinese?
The hand I'd been using to give her water paused.
"Vito! He's Korean~! Right? Probably North Korea?"
…Damn, so close!
"South Korea."
"Ah! Sorry."
She'd gotten the coordinates a little wrong, but at least she'd gotten Korea right.
"That's right. South Korea. All the handsome guys are in South Korea~! I hear it's a paradise for good-looking men."
Claire giggled as she said that.
A paradise for handsome men…… Did she learn about Korea from OTT?
"I don't know. You act too girly. You should be a little more confident."
Vito was utterly merciless toward shy Asian men.
"Let's call it modesty, if you don't mind."
"But it's cute~! I welcome younger guys like you with open arms♡"
"I'd welcome an older sister like you, too, Claire."
"Come here!"
She immediately spread her arms wide and opened them to me.
That was a gesture inviting me to hug her!?
A friendly embrace!
I immediately hugged Claire tight.
I felt Claire's full breasts against my body. It was like my brain had burst into flames.
I was so fucking happy!!
As expected, she wasn't wearing a bra either.
"Mmm~~♡ Little bro, when you hug me this tight like we're lovers, it gives me funny feelings."
"Ah, sorry."
I'd enjoyed Claire's body a little too much.
"Call us if you need help with anything else! We'll work in exchange for water."
"Sure."
The sexy work crew big sisters left just like that.
Some people were happy to lend us a hand, but not everyone was on board with the escape plan.
"Hello. You're Kim Woojin, right?"
"Yes."
"I'm Seonari, a flight attendant with Sehan Air."
Huh, I think I'd seen her face on the plane.
Even after we'd washed ashore, I'd often seen her talking with Manager Han and Assistant Manager Kang.
"What can I do for you?"
"I heard you were building a raft and heading out."
"Yes."
"Isn't it too dangerous?"
"It is."
It was dangerous.
Who didn't know that?
Even Assistant Manager Kang, the one who'd come up with the plan, must know.
She just wanted to go home so badly that she was choosing not to see the risks.
"I talked it over with the others, and Ms. Kang seems set on it……"
At this point, not even God or Buddha could stop Kang Seoyoon.
Was that why she'd come to talk to me?
"What do you think, Ms. Seonari?"
Seonari watched my expression and cautiously began to speak.
"I'm not against scouting around the island… but I think it's far too dangerous to head out into open water where we can't see the island anymore."
"You mean we can't get that far on a raft?"
"Yes!! Exactly…"
If I told her we'd manage the propulsion with magic, she'd probably think I was ridiculous, right?
The flight attendant had probably come because she thought I was someone she could reason with, but there wasn't much I could tell her without bringing up magic.
"────If it gets dangerous, we'll turn back."
"Are you really sure you'll be all right?"
The kind flight attendant seemed terribly worried about us.
No, to be more precise, she looked at us like people who were heading off to die.
"If it works, we can call a rescue team, and even if it doesn't… isn't it none of your business?"
"How could it be none of my business? It was my job to ensure the passengers' safety…"
…That's a remarkable sense of professional responsibility.
I didn't have that.
I was impressed by Seonari from the bottom of my heart.
"I couldn't prevent something like this from happening, but…"
"It was a crash. What could you have done? It wasn't your fault, Ms. Seonari."
"…Thank you for saying that."
I hadn't seen anyone here blaming the flight attendants.
But she was probably blaming herself more than anyone else.
"Mr. Kim Woojin, could you talk some sense into your colleague?"
"Me?"
"Going out to sea on a raft is just too dangerous."
"I'm not sure she'll listen if I try to stop her…"
Assistant Manager Kang genuinely believed there was a chance we could pull it off.
She wasn't completely wrong, either.
Though that was based on the assumption that I, a wizard, would help.
"The Assistant Manager I know will see something through no matter what once she's decided to do it."
"I see…"
At times like this, I tend to keep things as simple as possible.
It'll work out somehow.
If it really seems impossible, I can always refuse to do it.
For now, I should trust Seoyoon's plan and help her.
"We'll find a way to bring the rescue team here. We might even get a phone signal once we're out at sea, right?"
"But…"
"Thank you for worrying about us. But this is something we've decided to do, so whatever happens, it won't be your responsibility, Ms. Seonari."
"……"
Seonari fell silent for a moment, then handed me something flat that looked like a mirror.
"What's this?"
"Use it as a reflector. Rafts are harder to see on the water than you might think. This should help."
"Thank you."
So a raft was hard to see on the water? I had no idea.
I'd learned one more useful survival tip.
Maybe this mirror would help the rescue team spot us.
The flight attendant, Seonari, gave me a polite bow and stepped away.
A little while later……
This time, someone else came to find me.
“So you're Kim Woojin?”
(You're Kim Woojin?)
A real Chinese person had appeared.
An elegant-looking madam came over and spoke to me.
At a glance, she didn't seem to be here to trade labor for water.
“I heard you're going to take that raft out.”
(I heard you're going to take that raft out.)
"Yes. What about it?"
"Take me with you."
(Take me with you.)
Huh?
This time, someone had appeared asking me to take them along.
Why should I take this madam with me?
She hadn't even asked politely.
Wine-red bobbed hair and golden-brown eyes……
They were distinctive features I'd seen somewhere before.
'Where have I seen her?'
Had I ever seen someone like her in Korea?
If I had, I would've remembered her for sure…
I searched my memory, then suddenly recalled a photo posted in the company group chat.
"Ms. Lin Wei?"
She's a big name in our industry, isn't she?
I'd heard Manager Han Jia would be flying business class with Ms. Lin Wei!
In other words, she was a VIP who'd been on the same flight as us.
That didn't mean she was some Chinese tycoon or billionaire, though.
If our company could land a contract with someone like that, there'd be no way we were a small business.
Even so, it was clear that this madam belonged to a social class that had nothing to do with an ordinary person like me.
"We're not building a cruise ship, so it's hard to take someone who wasn't part of the plan."
"I'm not asking you."
Did this woman still think she was a VIP here?
"Madam, this is a problem."
Lin Wei suddenly took off the gold bracelet on her wrist.
"This is an advance payment."
An advance payment?
I accepted the gold bracelet the madam held out to me before I could stop myself.
"As long as I make it back alive, I'll give you a million dollars.
(If I make it back alive, I'll give you
a million dollars
.)"
A million dollars!
She sure was generous.
Well, how desperate must a rich madam be to escape?
She'd built up wealth and prestige out there, only to have it all hard-reset in an instant……
"If you don't think that's enough, we can discuss it further."
Lin Wei kept talking, as if she were bargaining.
"Money, a job, a visa, connections."
(Money, a job, a visa, connections.)
None of that really meant much to me.
"I can give you anything you want."
(I can give you anything you want.)
I held the gold bracelet out to its owner again.
"Thank you for the offer, but I'll have to decline."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not someone who can guarantee your rescue."
"All you have to do is take me out on the raft. We're going to look for a rescue team, aren't we?"
"That's not it, Madam… We're just trying something that might have a slightly better chance of working."
"……"
The madam crossed her arms and sighed.
"I thought you were someone I could reason with. You're an idiot."
You're not taking it?
She dropped the 'advance payment' she'd offered me right in front of my eyes.
Thud.
Like she was throwing away a worthless piece of garbage.
"??"
The expressionless madam's eyes twitched ever so slightly, as if she'd been surprised by a lower-class person's unexpected behavior.
"Honestly, what good is this stuff here?"
"…You."
"Maybe you're the idiot."
"……Do you know who I am? Don't do something you'll regret."
Yes, yes.
If there was a set price for secretly getting rid of someone who annoyed you, the madam could certainly afford to pay it.
But……
Wasn't she picking the wrong place and the wrong person to threaten?
"I might've considered it if you'd at least shown me those amazing tits."
"!"
The madam's expressionless face turned red with humiliation.
"Kim Woojin. I've memorized your face and name. Your company's contract is void, too."
Contract canceled, huhhh~?
It's been a week since I got stranded tomorrow, you old hag!
Have you lost your mind?! Huh?!
I wasn't the type to mock people, but she was so ridiculous I couldn't help snorting.
"Do whatever you want. If that's all, I'm leaving."
I'd said it on impulse, but now I wondered if I'd done something stupid.
Am I going to be fucked when I get back?
"Mr. Woojin, are you all right?"
Manager Han Jia came over with a worried look.
"Manager…"
"What did Ms. Lin Wei say?"
"She wants to go out with us on the raft. She said she'd give me a million dollars."
"A million dollars! Wow. That's incredible."
"I turned her down, though."
I wasn't sure a verbal promise like that meant much anyway.
If she'd had a suitcase full of cash right in front of me, well, I might've licked the madam's shoes…
"She's the VIP madam who flew with you, right, Manager?"
"Yes, that's right. The million dollars was probably just a bluff. Ms. Lin Wei isn't worth that much."
"I see."
"I heard her net worth, including real estate, is around thirty billion won, and her liquid assets are in the hundreds of millions. She has about six cars, too……"
"Should I go back and apologize right now?"
She was a ridiculously rich older woman after all.
If I had that much money, I wouldn't need another wish.
"Hehe. She's a prickly madam who's hard to please~. I've been quietly steering clear of her, too."
"I can see that."
I glanced over. Lin Wei was still standing there with her arms crossed, glaring resentfully at Manager Han and me as we whispered together.
"By the way, isn't she married?"
"Huh? No, I think Ms. Lin Wei is single."
No wonder.
With a personality like that, she couldn't get married despite having a face like that and those massive milk tanks.
"It's okay! You can be as forceful as you want. If anything happens, I'll handle it when we get back."
Manager Han was so reassuring at times like this.
That had been a pretty nerve-racking conversation for an ordinary contract worker like me.
Telling a haughty madam to show me her tits—how could I get away with that outside?
While all this was happening, the raft was coming along smoothly, and by evening it was nearly complete.
"How are you feeling?"
Kang Seoyoon came over and asked.
"Well, I'm doing all right."
"Thanks to you shaping the logs so well, all we have to do is fasten them together. It made the work much easier. We're planning to launch it tomorrow."
"Have you decided who's going on the raft?"
"Of course. Me and you, Mr. Woojin."
So she'd already decided.
"Earlier, some rich madam came over and───."
"Ms. Lin Wei, right? Well, she's not a VIP here, so just ignore her if she starts throwing her weight around."
Even Seoyoon, who cared about business, firmly cut her off, saying this wasn't the time for entertaining clients.
"She's not even a real tycoon, so why grovel to her in a situation like this?"
"That's true."
I took out the mirror the flight attendant had given me.
"What's that?"
"The flight attendant gave it to me. I think we can use it to send a distress signal."
"Good. That should help."
"Also, Ms. Seonari wanted to talk us out of taking the raft."
"That's understandable from her point of view. She doesn't know we have magic."
That was true.
With the power of wind, it wouldn't be difficult to steer and move the raft.
It would basically be like a motorboat that was a little less stable.
"You think there's a chance, too, right? That's why you're helping me."
"That's true."
"I was able to go ahead because I trusted that."
Assistant Manager Kang trusted me? In what way?
Lately, I'd been hearing the word 'trust' a lot. I wondered what about me had inspired it.
"Because if you thought it was impossible, you would've never held back and stood up to me, your superior."
……Oh. She trusted that I'd tell her to fuck off if I thought it was bullshit?
"Well, right. The days when I was afraid of you are over, Assistant Manager."
"Pfft."
I guess I'd implicitly agreed with her, too.
That we could somehow make it work with magic.
But I still wasn't sure whether we'd be able to reach a rescue team once we got out into open water.
"There's no completely safe way. We might not get another chance to try this."
"Yes."
Assistant Manager Kang spoke with firm resolve.
"Let's do it, Mr. Woojin. Trust me and come with me."
"All right."
Seoyoon crushed even my smallest hesitation.
───Yeah. There are things you won't know unless you try.
Tomorrow, we're leaving the island.
Understood.
Seoyoon crushed even my slightest hesitation.
───Yeah, there are things you won't know unless you try.
Tomorrow, we're leaving the island.