Chapter 10
Yerin found herself growing more and more curious about Rils as a person.
For one thing, there was definitely something different about him.
He kept a pet lizard almost as big as he was.
He walked into a dense jungle like it was nothing.
And then he suddenly dropped the fact that his parents had passed away.
When Yerin first met Rils, she thought he was just a cocky little brat.
He kept tossing out curt words like it was annoying to have her tag along, and he acted on impulse whenever he felt like it.
And even though he was just a small-time streamer, he never seemed to care what anyone thought.
But.
The Rils she had seen while going around the island with him today was.
......competent.
And very, very much so.
Honestly, he felt far more dependable than most grown men she'd met up to now.
'What is with him...?'
Without realizing it, Yerin blankly stared at Rils's small back.
They say women are biologically drawn to strong males.
She used to scoff whenever she heard stuff like that.
"Strong men" in modern society? Please. Handsome men were the best.
But now she thought she might understand it a little.
When she was next to this kid, she had this strange certainty that at least she wouldn't starve to death on a deserted island.
She'd been planning to stick with him for a bit, then split off once they ran into other people.
But now she'd changed her mind a little.
'...I'd better keep sticking with him.'
While Yerin was thinking that, Rils crouched beneath the base of a huge vine-wrapped tree with sparkling eyes and started digging into the ground like a mole.
Rils's trademark impulsiveness had started again.
Yerin asked in surprise.
"Wh-what are you doing now?!"
Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.
There was no explanation.
He just kept diligently digging with his little hands.
Yerin felt awkward just standing there by herself.
She looked down at her fingertips.
The fresh nail art she'd gotten before coming to the island glittered.
"...Ha."
Yerin once again decided that she hated deserted islands.
'Next time, I'm never signing up for content like this again. Seriously.'
After grumbling for a while, Yerin eventually plopped down beside Rils. Then, with a reluctant look, she started digging through the dirt with him.
"So why are we digging this up?"
"I think it's a tropical tuber called a yam."
"Yam?"
"It's kind of like a potato. The kind we call ma in Korea."
Rils pointed to the vine wrapped around the tree.
"They often hide under vines like this."
"Oh."
Yerin blinked as if fascinated. Then she suddenly grew curious.
"...Hey, you."
"Yes."
"What exactly are you, anyway?"
"Someone who watches a lot of documentaries."
Yerin was so dumbfounded by his answer that she almost laughed.
'No way. Are all documentary buffs like this?'
No matter how much she thought about it, that couldn't be right.
Even if you liked documentaries, a normal person would just think, 'That was interesting,' and move on.
Who goes and remembers every survival technique and what every plant looks like?
Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.
Even while she was thinking that, Rils kept digging out dirt as if none of it mattered.
His small hands became caked with soil. Before long, Rils's eyes sparkled like a child who had found a toy.
"Found it!"
Rils grabbed deep into the dirt with both hands and strained with his whole body.
"Nnngh...!"
Crack.
With the sound of something snapping, a brown tuber as thick as a man's forearm came out of the ground in one piece.
The recoil sent Rils bouncing backward, and he plopped onto the dirt on his butt.
Thump.
"Ow."
Even so, Rils looked delighted.
He lifted the yam high with mud-caked hands and broke into a wide grin.
"Looks like we won't go hungry tonight."
"...."
Yerin stared blankly at him.
What was this?
Why did he seem so dependable?
Just a little while ago, he had only seemed like a weird kid.
Now he looked like a veteran squirrel gathering acorns in the mountains. He looked so happy holding that yam that he even seemed kind of cute.
Rils paid no attention and brushed the dirt off the yam's surface.
"It's way bigger than I expected."
"That is edible, right?"
"Probably?"
"There you go again with 'probably.'"
With a satisfied look, Rils dusted off his butt, sprang to his feet, and hugged the yam tightly to his chest.
Like someone who had just found treasure.
@
[Baby Rils built a shelter lol]
Author: (213.44)
(pic of a shabby shelter woven from twigs and leaves)
Looks pretty okay, actually
Though it kinda looks like it'd blow away if the wind picks up
ㄴlmaoooo
ㄴLooks janky as hell holy shit
ㄴLike a baby bird's nest
ㄴStill, that's pretty good for the first day
ㄴRils is so capable
ㄴRaising a lizard already wasn't normal, but turns out he was built for deserted-island life
ㄴYerin's just standing there going wow lol
ㄴRils is basically feeding the whole party by himself
ㄴHow is the party one girl streamer and one lizard
[Protect Rils]
(194.222)
He grew up so well even without parents ㅠㅠ
The way he says it so matter-of-factly just makes it sadder
Ah man, I'm cracking open a bottle of soju
ㄴHonestly he's freaking amazing. I'm not gonna bash Rils anymore
ㄴYou asshole, so you were bashing him before?
ㄴI didn't know ㅠ
ㄴFrom now on, any attack on Rils will be considered an attack on me
ㄴFirst time in my life I've ever rooted for a small-time streamer;;
ㄴfr
[Live: the forum fave secured food]
Author: Rils Fan Club
(pic of Rils covered in dirt, holding up a yam with a huge smile)
He looks insanely happy lol
Upvote if this makes you wanna squish those cheeks
ㄴsquish squish
ㄴI'm in the hag squad, but I get why people simp for Rils... should I switch sides too
ㄴHe looks happier than when he got ten million won
ㄴUpvote lol
ㄴHe's happier about a potato than money
ㄴIt's not a potato, it's a yam, dumbass
ㄴWhatever, it's a root vegetable
ㄴWhere the hell did a kid like this come from
ㄴWhy is it so cute when he digs with those tiny hands
ㄴI thought it was just a concept, but turns out he's really just weird
ㄴBut he's competent
[Rils, please use the API]
Author: Nongnongnongnongnong
Why can't you use it even when people give you money
Please stop making yourself suffer
ㄴMaybe he doesn't know what the API is?
ㄴHow would he not when Yerin's right there
ㄴThen why isn't he using it?
ㄴNo clue
ㄴMaybe he's a small-time streamer so he thinks it'd be a waste
ㄴOnce this content ends and he goes live again, the donations are gonna explode anyway, so he should just use it
ㄴEven just buying a firesteel would drop the difficulty a ton
ㄴHe was swearing his head off at the price though lol
ㄴHe's out here doing solo UFC survival because he doesn't wanna spend the money
ㄴCan I donate to Rils right now?
ㄴNah, he'd probably just go dig up more root vegetables
ㄴlmaooooooo
@
I looked over the yam after brushing off the dirt.
'They said roasting it tastes best....'
Yams are basically starchy root vegetables.
Once cooked over a fire, they're much easier to eat and digest.
The problem was.
There was no fire.
At some point, the sky had grown fairly dark.
Inside the jungle, it was even worse.
Because of the dense shadows cast by the tightly packed trees, it felt almost like night already.
I looked at the dry branches scattered all around.
In theory, it was entirely possible to make fire with my bare hands.
You could strike stones to throw sparks, or use a bow-drill method to make an ember.
But I didn't have the energy for that right now.
I'd spent the whole day walking through the jungle in search of water.
I sweated like crazy in the process, and I'd practically been pushed to the edge of dehydration.
If I started rubbing wood for hours in this state trying to make a fire by hand, I might not be able to move tomorrow.
Still, there was hope yet.
"Yerin."
"What?"
"What did you bring as your personal item?"
Most participants had probably brought some kind of survival essential.
A knife.
A firesteel.
Fishing line.
A water filter.
Judging by the way she'd just drunk water earlier, it wasn't a water filter at least.
Maybe she had at least one of the other three.
Yerin broke into a sly grin as if she'd been waiting for him to ask.
"Heh-heh."
Then she rummaged through the inner pocket of her outerwear and pulled something out.
"Ta-da!"
Shine.
A luxury brand logo gleamed with grand flair.
It was a high-end waterproof makeup pouch.
"...."
With a proud look on her face, Yerin started explaining the cosmetics inside the pouch.
"This thing was super expensive, okay? It doesn't come off in water, and it doesn't come off with sweat either. I even packed sunscreen too, but they said sunscreen doesn't count as makeup, so I couldn't bring it. Total waste."
"...."
"Makeup really matters when you're streaming. Especially for girl streamers."
Ah.
I really should ditch her.
I genuinely thought that as I looked at Yerin in disbelief. Yerin immediately flared up.
"W-what?! Why are you looking at me like that!"
"It's nothing."
"You brought a lizard too!"
"...."
I couldn't argue with that.
Because it was true.
Baby, perched on my shoulder, flicked out its tongue.
For some reason, it felt like it was mocking me.
—My owner is an idiot.
In the end, I sighed and looked down at the yam.
"...Let's just eat a little of it raw."
"If we eat it, we won't die, right?"
"It should be fine."
"What's with that totally untrustworthy answer?"
I roughly peeled the yam with my fingernails and took a bite.
Crunch.
"Mm."
Honestly, it didn't taste good.
It was really dry. It even tasted a little like dirt.
It felt like chewing raw sweet potato with the sweetness taken out.
Still, the more I chewed, the heavier that feeling of fullness became.
"At least it'll fill us up."
Meanwhile, the moment Yerin copied me and chewed on the yam, her face crumpled.
"Blech."
"Why?"
"It tastes awful!"
Yerin worked the yam around in her mouth with a face like she was about to cry.
"This seriously just tastes like chewing on dirt...."
"That's what it's like when you eat it raw."
I calmly took another bite.
Crunch.
It was dry, but not so bad that it was inedible.
@
The last of the light disappeared completely, and deep darkness swallowed the forest.
Chirrrrrr.
The cries of nameless insects rang out from all directions.
I lay curled up inside the temporary shelter I'd made beside a rock.
It was narrower than I'd expected.
The ground was hard too.
And the smell of leaves was strong.
In my arms, Baby slowly swished its tail.
Flick.
Unable to sleep, Yerin shifted around before speaking.
"You awake?"
"No."
"There's something I'm curious about. Can I ask?"
"Sure."
"What are you going to spend the donation money you got on?"
"...."
Hmm.
I had never really thought about it.
It still didn't feel real that I'd received ten million won from a stranger.
I stared blankly at the leafy ceiling and murmured.
"I probably won't spend it."
"What?! ...Ah, I guess that makes sense."
She sounded genuinely shocked at first, but her voice quickly settled down.
She must've interpreted it in her own way.
Small-time streamers are broke.
So I couldn't bear to spend the money.
That was probably exactly what she thought.
"Well, it is partly because it feels wasteful. But more than that."
"More than that?"
"It feels too much like a cheat code."
"A cheat code?"
"If I use the API, things get way too easy."
Water.
Fire.
Survival tools.
Even food.
If you have money, a drone brings you everything.
If I start using that, what would be the point of me going through all this trouble to survive out here?
"I'm going to try to last the two weeks without using the API as much as possible. My goal is not to use it at all."
"...."
The inside of the shelter fell quiet for a moment.
A little later, Yerin let out a laugh like she couldn't believe it.
"You really are a weird kid, aren't you?"