Chapter 4
[A complete psycho showed up in Mister Rich's content.gif]
Posted by: (133.24)
(A gif of that baby-faced girl deadpan-shoving a 1-meter lizard at the camera)
While everyone else is bringing knives, firesteels, and water filters, this chick's the only one bringing a lizard lmao
ㄴWhat is she even doing?
ㄴShe seems genuinely insane, so now I'm excited
ㄴThat lizard is fucking huge lol
ㄴWait, I missed the live. Why is she holding a lizard?
ㄴIt's her pet
ㄴWhy bring that? Emergency rations?
ㄴApparently it's for emotional support?
ㄴAh lol okay, I'll give her that
ㄴHow is a lizard's name Baby
[What's the deal with Reels?]
Posted by: (211.03)
Mister Rich just revealed the contestants' applications,
and for her reason for wanting to join the content,
she wrote, 'Because it looked fun.'
That was literally all six characters lol
ㄴIsn't it just a persona?
ㄴWhat kind of psycho keeps a 1-meter lizard and does a fake persona?
ㄴTrue, but why is her face so damn cute?
ㄴNong...
ㄴI heard she's a total nobody, so why is she such a hot topic?
ㄴShe's got good character appeal
ㄴNo, seriously, why is she bringing a lizard?
[I watched Reels's VODs]
Posted by: (175.61)
She doesn't talk at all and only plays survival games
but instead of progressing the story, she just builds houses like crazy
She spent 14 hours doing nothing but building a house;;
ㄴIsn't something wrong with her mentally?
ㄴWho cares lol as long as she's entertaining
ㄴI'm actually worried. Can she handle a deserted island?
ㄴSimp bastard lol if it gets hard, she'll obviously quit halfway
ㄴBut her face is cute tho
ㄴnongnongnongnongnong
ㄴIf she streams with the lizard, she could blow up
"Why is the reaction so good?"
I stared blankly down at my smartphone screen.
Views.
Comment count.
Community posts.
Every last one of them was exploding to a bizarre degree.
The problem was that the thing they were all busy chewing over and tearing apart was mostly me.
"...?"
Honestly, I didn't really get it.
"Is it really that big a deal?"
Weren't there actually a lot of people who kept lizards?
A savannah monitor was a pretty well-known species in reptile circles.
And kind of cute, too.
Though okay, it was a little big.
I glanced at Baby, sprawled on the bed.
He lay there limply, flicking his tongue.
"...He's cute."
Baby just blinked without much of a reaction.
Then.
Ding.
My phone chimed with a notification.
【1,000 subscribers reached!】
"...Huh?"
I blinked.
I looked at the screen again.
"...What?"
I only had 24 as of yesterday.
Blankly, I mashed the refresh button over and over.
1,023.
1,241.
1,414.
It kept going up.
"Is this the Mister Rich effect?"
One video goes up and the subscriber count explodes.
And that was
with basically no real videos on the channel.
"...No, but why are they subscribing?"
I seriously couldn't understand it.
My YouTube channel was basically a ghost account.
A profile picture overgrown with jungle.
Channel name: Reels.
And a few full no-mic survival-game VODs I'd uploaded as test streams. That was it.
Yet the subscriber count kept climbing.
1,864.
2,133.
2,450.
"...Huh. That's weird."
I just stared blankly at the numbers.
Then Baby slowly crawled up onto my thigh.
Maybe because he'd gotten bigger, he felt pretty heavy now.
Out of habit, I scratched his back.
"Baby."
Flick.
"Apparently we're famous now."
Of course, Baby didn't seem interested at all.
He only flicked his tongue, then flopped down on the blanket.
"I'm jealous. You look like you don't have a single worry in the world."
I snorted softly, set my phone down, and slowly got up.
"I should start getting ready."
Starting tomorrow, we'd be staying together.
The plan was for the contestants to live together for about a day before departure and go through safety training.
Honestly, it was a little annoying.
But safety was important.
Even before starting a construction gig, safety training was mandatory.
I picked up the black backpack lying in one corner of the room.
Then I started packing.
"Hmm..."
I couldn't bring anything onto the deserted island anyway.
My personal item had already been decided: Baby.
So I only needed the bare minimum.
One pair of panties.
One spare T-shirt.
One pair of socks.
And then.
The sturdy safety boots I'd ordered in advance with rush delivery.
Size 210.
My feet had gotten so small that finding safety boots had been a struggle.
I tapped the jet-black safety boots with my hand.
They had just the right mix of firmness and give to protect my feet.
Whether it was a jungle or a deserted island, once your feet got hurt, you were done for.
"Good."
My preparations were complete.
@
The place we'd be staying was way nicer than I'd expected.
Mister Rich had so much money that he sent a private car to each contestant's home.
Thanks to that, I could bring Baby without worrying about people staring.
A luxury resort overlooking the ocean.
A huge swimming pool and palm trees set up here and there.
And even expensive-looking filming cameras.
"Oh..."
I looked around excitedly. It was my first time ever visiting a fancy resort like this.
How much would a place like this cost per night?
Over 300,000 won, probably?
"Baby, look at this! That's a real palm tree. It even has coconuts on it. They're super tiny, though. Awesome!"
I was looking around and talking to Baby when I felt eyes on me from somewhere.
One by one, the contestants were sneaking glances my way.
More specifically, at Baby in my arms.
"...Is that the lizard?"
"Whoa, it's bigger than I thought. Gross."
"She really brought that thing?"
I could hear the whispering.
This was so unfair.
Baby was calm and cute.
For no reason, I patted his head.
My little guy was sweet. He didn't bite.
At that moment, Baby flicked his tongue.
"Eek!"
One female streamer passing nearby jumped in shock.
"...."
Baby blinked like he'd been wronged.
—I didn't even do anything. What the hell?
That's what he seemed to be saying.
To comfort him, I stroked his head.
Through the crowd of streamers, a familiar hulking frame came into view.
He was so huge he stood out by himself like a mountain ridge.
The bear-like man who'd given me the cola candy.
He strode over to me, glanced at Baby, and asked,
"...Does it bite?"
"...?"
"The lizard."
"Ah."
I nodded.
"Baby's gentle."
"...I see."
But even while saying that, he was subtly keeping his distance.
No way. Was someone that huge scared of Baby?
Tsk, tsk.
"Alright, alright! Everyone gather up!"
A familiar voice came from the speakers set up around the resort. It was Mister Rich.
"We'll be starting safety training shortly. If you're late, you might get disqualified before we even set sail~"
The tone was playful.
But maybe because of that last part, the contestants all flinched.
"What? People can get eliminated too?"
"No way."
"If it's him, I feel like it could be real..."
Whispers spread through the crowd.
One by one, the contestants headed into the hall.
Time for safety training.
I took an empty seat with Baby in my arms.
A little later.
A big PowerPoint slide popped up on the screen.
【Precautions for Survival on a Deserted Island】
The noisy mood turned a little more serious.
A safety officer stepped forward and began explaining.
"First and foremost is dehydration. The environment on a deserted island is far more dangerous than you might think. You could fail to maintain your body temperature, or drink unpurified water and come down with food poisoning..."
Venomous insects.
Wound infections.
Accidents caused by currents, and various other safety hazards.
The contestants who'd been laughing a moment ago all stiffened up.
A few of the female streamers were already so scared that a whole little 'what are we gonna do?' orchestra broke out among them.
"You may request rescue at any time during filming, but before that, you need to be more than careful on your own."
I nodded quietly.
He was right.
Wound infections, especially, were genuinely dangerous.
Jungle environments were humid, so bacteria multiplied fast.
But as a survival junkie, this was all stuff I already knew.
I propped my chin on my hand and fought off the drowsiness creeping over me.
"Mm."
"I'm boooored."
I already knew all this stuff.
"Next, we'll be administering vaccinations."
"Huh?"
My drowsy body twitched at the word vaccination.
I've always hated shots.
A sharp needle stabbing into your flesh.
How could that not be scary?
"I don't wanna get a shot..."
I muttered under my breath and carefully averted my gaze.
Meanwhile, the contestants started lining up one by one in front of the medical staff in white coats and masks.
Syringes.
Alcohol swabs.
Gleaming needles.
"Ugh."
My arm felt tingly for no reason.
As inconspicuously as possible, I looked around.
And naturally.
Very naturally.
I slipped to the very back of the longest line.
"...."
Good.
This way, I'd get mine last.
The point was to put it off for as long as possible.
You needed time to brace yourself before a shot.
I glanced down at Baby in my arms.
"Baby."
Flick.
"I don't wanna get a shot, but I can't run away, right?"
Baby only slowly stuck out his tongue.
—Pathetic.
That's what it felt like he was saying.
I flicked the insolent Baby on the head.
One of the female streamers standing in front of me glanced back and snickered.
She was a brave woman.
Considering she didn't even flinch at the sight of Baby.
Everyone else ran away screaming whenever I came near holding him.
"Did you stand here on purpose?"
"...No."
"Then why did you get in the longest line?"
"...."
Her brutally accurate callout left me with nothing to say, so I just petted Baby instead.
"Are you scared of shots, by any chance?"
"I'm not scared. Probably."
"Then why are your hands shaking?"
My hand was trembling while it clutched Baby's tail.
"...."
I felt betrayed.
I hadn't even told them to, so why were they shaking on their own?
The female streamer in front of me smiled when she saw me.
Once I saw her up close, I got the vibe immediately.
Clothes plastered with luxury brand logos.
Heavy makeup.
Her eyelashes were absurdly long, too.
Even her perfume was overpowering.
A beauty YouTuber? Or maybe a camgirl streamer?
That was exactly the kind of vibe she gave off.
The woman looked down at me like she found me amusing.
"Still, you're cute."
"...What's cute?"
"If you're scared of shots, how are you planning to go to a deserted island?"
"...I can go to a deserted island just fine."
"Aww, I think it'll be rough."
The woman giggled and continued,
"Just looking at you, you seem like the type who'd scream if a bug showed up."
This was so unfair.
I wasn't afraid of bugs.
If anything, I liked them.
There was no way I'd hate free side dishes that could cut down Baby's food costs.
I stuck my lips out for no reason.
"I won't cry."
"Really?"
"Yep."
"But right now you look like you're about to burst into tears."
"...."
No. That was because of the shot.
I caught sight of the medical staff swapping out a syringe.
The needle at the tip glinted.
"...Ugh."
My body twitched before I knew it.
Seeing that, the female streamer finally burst out laughing.
"Ah, you're seriously adorable."
The woman couldn't stop laughing, her shoulders shaking.
"If things get hard on the deserted island, tell unnie."
"...."
"You can just call me Yerin unnie, you know."
I only pouted for no reason.
"...I don't think that'll happen, Yerin-nim."
"Sure, sure~"
Yerin smiled leisurely and stepped forward. Then, without hesitation, she rolled up her sleeve.
Jab.
The needle went into her arm.
The woman named Yerin didn't even blink.
What?
Didn't it hurt?
She even stood up like it was nothing and shot me a smug little grin.
"Hah."
My pride was wounded.
Badly.
I glanced down at Baby.
"I can do it too."
Flick.
Baby didn't seem interested at all.
That annoyed me.
Easy for him to say when he wasn't the one getting a shot.
"Next."
"...!"
It was my turn.
I walked forward, tense all over.
I sat down in the chair.
I could see the syringe.
The needle looked huge.
"...Ugh."
Instinctively, I squeezed my eyes shut before the needle touched my arm.
Jab.
"Ow, that stings."
At the sound that slipped out of me, a few nearby contestants' shoulders shook.
"...Pfft."
"How cute."
I could hear people around me trying not to laugh.
This was so unfair.
It really did sting.
Doctor.
Wasn't the stuff in my shot extra painful or something?