Chapter 17
Since Yerin said she'd rather die than eat larvae, we dug up another yam nearby.
A leader's supposed to take care of the lacking members too, after all.
I washed the yam and slowly roasted it over the charcoal, and as the skin blackened and the inside cooked through, a sweet smell rose up.
When I took a bite of the steaming yam,
"...Oh."
It was definitely way better than eating it raw. Once the inside cooked, the sweetness came out much more strongly.
Kind of like a discount roasted sweet potato? About that level.
Yerin must've liked it too, because she held the yam in both hands and kept nibbling away.
"This is good...."
"The larvae were good too."
"I'm going to erase that from my memory."
When we first ended up stranded on this deserted island, I honestly felt lost.
Was it really okay for us to be living this well already?
Most of the urgent survival problems had already been taken care of.
Secured a water source.
Secured shelter.
Secured fire.
Even secured food.
Our lives had stabilized incredibly fast.
Of course, there were so many variables that the real challenge was what came next.
Still, maybe it was okay to rest a little today.
With a satisfied look, I flopped down onto the palm leaves spread over the ground.
They weren't soft, but they were a lot better than the bare floor.
"Haa...."
My body felt pleasantly worn out.
I'd been moving nonstop for two days in this tiny little body.
I'd toddled all over the deserted island, so I'd burned through a ridiculous amount of stamina.
This body is seriously inconvenient.
My stride is basically Welsh corgi-level, and I'm ridiculously weak too.
Anyway, rest is part of survival too.
Moving your body burns energy, after all.
I heard movement beside me. Yerin crept over, lay down next to me, and naturally snuggled right up against me.
"...Why are you sticking to me?"
"Because it's warm here."
I let her hug me because I was worried she'd get hypothermia, and now I'm being treated like a comfort plush.
A little later,
Krrr....
I heard a tiny snore.
When I turned toward the sound, Baby was asleep on her back with her tail hanging limp.
'Guess Baby was tired too.'
Inside the cave, only the quiet sound of firewood burning echoed.
Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.
It's warm.
I'm full, and it feels like my body might just melt.
I slowly closed my eyes.
And just like that,
the second night on the deserted island quietly deepened, a little earlier than usual.
@
While Rils and Yerin were fast asleep in the cave,
Kim Woong was having a hell of a time.
"...Ha."
His damp shirt clung to his back.
His whole body was drenched in sweat, and his legs felt heavy as stone.
They'd been wandering through the forest for hours, yet there was still no sign of water.
The jungle was much wider than he'd expected, and everywhere looked the same.
Even worse than that,
were the women's whining voices from behind him.
"Oppa, do you even know where you're going? It feels like we've just been wandering in circles for hours."
Then another woman grumbled while rubbing her legs.
"My legs seriously hurt like crazy. Can't we just buy water and go back to the beach?"
Kim Woong let out a silent breath.
Hold it in. Hold it in. Hold it in.
He kept engraving the word patience into his mind.
He'd met the two of them through fitness streaming in the first place.
He'd invited them onto his channel as guests a few times,
and that connection was how they'd ended up applying for this deserted-island project together.
But.
Actually living with them, their personalities were a total pain in the ass.
All the carrying and heavy work fell to Kim Woong.
The women did nothing but complain.
At first, he'd still been okay with it.
He'd always thought it was only right for the man to do more of the heavy lifting.
That's what he'd been taught since childhood.
The boys carry the heavy bags, and if a girl cries, it's the boy who gets scolded.
But he was starting to hit his limit.
Maybe it was the sweltering heat, maybe the humid air, but his irritation was through the roof.
In the end, Kim Woong said in an annoyed voice,
"No, it's not like everyone's donations blow up the way yours do."
The two women looked at him at the same time.
Kim Woong kept talking, breathing hard.
"Male streamers especially. Our donations don't pop off that easily."
One of the women shot back with a baffled look.
"That's your problem. Ask your viewers, then."
The other woman immediately chimed in too.
"Yeah. Are you getting mad at us right now?"
The muscles in Kim Woong's jaw twitched.
'...Fuck.'
His temper really started to flare.
But in the end, he ground his teeth and turned his head away.
"...Never mind."
Picking a fight would only make things more exhausting.
Kim Woong let out a deep sigh.
"Let's head back to the beach for now."
Today was a bust.
If they kept walking around, they'd only waste more energy.
The two women nodded quickly, like they'd been waiting for him to say that.
"You should've said that earlier."
"I'm seriously exhausted."
Kim Woong silently took the lead.
Behind him, the complaining started up again.
Kim Woong's patience wore away even more.
@
[Isn't the forum fave insanely cute when she sleeps?]
Author: RilsLover
She's so cuuute all tucked in asleep
I wanna grab those chubby cheeks and go angnyangnyang
ㄴThat's illegal, you asshole
ㄴThe forum fave's 20, so it's fine
ㄴLegal loli;;
ㄴBut seriously, her face is tiny as hell
ㄴHer sleeping while hugging Baby is killing me
ㄴShe goes full Lu Bu in the daytime, then sleeps like a baby at night
ㄴThat gap moe is insane
ㄴBut do lizards snore too?
ㄴㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Baby's adorable
[But if the forum fave gets even more donations, will she use the API?]
Author: (211.45)
She says she won't use the API because it feels like a cheat code
Isn't she just like that because she doesn't want to spend the ten million won?
If another thirty million or so piles up, maybe she'll use it then, I guess
ㄴWho knows
ㄴSmall-streamer trait: big donations scare them
ㄴBut with Rils's personality, I don't think she'll use it
ㄴShe makes her own fire and finds her own water, so why would she
ㄴNo but she could at least buy a lighter or a knife
ㄴEven just a machete would skyrocket her quality of life
ㄴ(Nongnongnongnongnong): Please just use it
ㄴㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴNongnong donated and is now watching a larvae mukbang
ㄴRils kind of feels like a veteran gamer choosing hard mode on purpose
ㄴRils: I'm going to avoid using the API as much as possible for the two weeks
ㄴRils is cool as hell, seriouslyㅋㅋ
ㄴWhat if donations hit 100 million won?
ㄴIf she still doesn't use it then, I'll admit it
ㄴBut somehow I'm scared she really won't
[You idiotsㅋㅋ she'll obviously use it]
Author: GirlCamLover
Seriously, who actually enjoys suffering?
She's just doing pointless shit because she wants attention and clout
Once she's milked all the content out of this, she'll buy a knife and a firesteel right away
ㄴThat hag-squad fixed-name asshole keeps picking on baby Rils
ㄴThat's not exactly wrongㅋㅋ who wants to suffer on purpose?
ㄴIsn't all of that just for stream content anyway?
ㄴYou think a small streamer is calculating all that one by one?
ㄴNo but looking at Rils's personality, she really might not use it
ㄴIf enough donations pile up, she might
ㄴHumans can't stand comfort deprivation. If you're standing, you wanna sit, and if you're sitting, you wanna lie downㅋㅋ
ㄴEspecially in that kind of environment, not using it would be stupid fr
ㄴ(Nongnongnongnongnong): Wanna bet?
ㄴ(GirlCamLover): Yeah, let's do it, you lolicon bastard
ㄴ(Nongnongnongnongnong): Bet 100 burgers?
ㄴ(GirlCamLover): Deal. Loser buys and hands them out
ㄴ(Nongnongnongnongnong): For how long?
ㄴ(GirlCamLover): Obviously until the content ends
ㄴThis motherfucker's got no shame
ㄴThen you're basically saying she shouldn't use it at all
ㄴThat hag-squad bastard really is disgusting
ㄴ(Nongnongnongnongnong): Sure, I'm in
ㄴ(GirlCamLover): Deal
@
[BabyJjangker donated 1,000,000 won to Rils.]
[KimchiStewMaster donated 300,000 won to Rils.]
[RilsBabySoCute donated 500,000 won to Rils.]
[NotAPrimitiveMan donated 100,000 won to Rils.]
...From somewhere in the distance, I faintly heard something like a mechanical sound.
Beep.
"...Mmm."
I rubbed my eyes and sat up.
My shoulders were a little sore from tending the fire so hard yesterday. Still, maybe because I'd slept well, it wasn't bad enough that I couldn't move.
The inside of the cave was still dim.
The embers in the fire pit were almost out too.
'Ugh... what time is it.'
It's hard to tell the exact time out in nature.
No watch, no smartphone.
You just wake up, move when the sun comes up, and sleep when it goes down.
Maybe Stone Age humans lived more or less like this too.
I stared blankly toward the cave entrance.
Outside, everything was faintly bluish.
It wasn't fully bright yet, but it had that distinct predawn color that says the sun's about to rise.
The damp air clung to my skin.
I could hear the cries of birds I didn't recognize too.
Beep.
Another small mechanical sound came from near the cave entrance.
[~~~ has donated ~~~ to Rils.]
"...?"
Still half-asleep, I blinked a few times. Then I tossed more firewood into the hearth and slowly stepped outside the cave.
Outside, a drone was circling around and around, frantically spitting out mechanical alerts.
[NongnongSquadLeader donated 300,000 won to Rils.]
[LolisAreBest donated 100,000 won to Rils.]
"...What."
At the nonstop little beeps, Yerin rubbed her eyes and got up too.
Her hair was completely tangled, and one cheek even had a leaf print stamped on it.
The glamorous girl-streamer look she usually had on camera was nowhere to be found. She looked like a total wreck.
Yerin stumbled outside the cave.
"What's that sound...?"
And the moment she spotted the drones circling in the air,
the sleep vanished from her face.
"Huh?"
Beep!
[RilsLover donated 50,000 won to Rils.]
Beep!
[NongnongIsTheBest donated 100,000 won to Rils.]
Beep-beep!
[RilsFan donated 30,000 won to Rils.]
"...?"
What's with them.
Did something glitch?
I stared blankly at the drones.
Donation alerts were pouring in at nearly bombardment level.
Is this some new way to bully a small streamer?
So I can't even sleep?
Uh... but who bullies someone by giving them money.
Did I mess something up or something?
Why are people donating to a small streamer like me... and they've been doing it since before too.
Meanwhile, Yerin, listening to the voices coming from the drones, looked completely dazed.
"Rils."
"Yes."
"Do you realize your donations are exploding like crazy right now?"
"Could it be broken?"
"I don't think it's broken, judging by the different nicknames. And look-there are a ton of people sending donations in 100,000-won chunks too?!"
"...."
Honestly, it didn't feel real.
It just,
felt like a game had bugged out and numbers were popping up everywhere.
I still couldn't quite believe the ten million won donation either.
Then the drone made its mechanical noise again.
[Nongnongnongnongnong donated 500,000 won to Rils.]
Yerin's mouth fell open beside me.
"...Wow, no way."
Then she immediately grabbed me by the shoulder.
"This is no time for this. Rils, react already! Do something for the viewers who are donating to you!"
React?
I don't know how to do that....
What if I try and it goes horribly wrong?
"Do I... really have to?"
"......"
Yerin's expression filled with shock.
Like she was looking at some bizarre life-form that defied all common sense.
After staring at me for a moment, she smacked a hand to her forehead.
"Ha. What am I supposed to do with you, seriously."
Then she shook her head back and forth.
"Nope. I'm going to properly teach you what a streamer is, Rils! This is the kind of thing you couldn't learn even if you paid for it."
"...."
On the deserted island, an unexpected crash course for a small streamer began.