Chapter 43
Except for Kim Woong and Baby, who were sprawled out in the cave, Yerin and I left the cave with bamboo spears in hand.
We were only going to check the traps, so we didn't need three people.
Of course, not even a lizard.
There was still some time left before sunset.
We quickly headed toward the water source where we had set the traps.
Yerin asked with eyes full of anticipation.
"Rils, do you think we caught anything in the trap? I hope we did."
"Hmm... I'm not sure."
It was my first time setting traps, and besides, the world doesn't exactly bend to your will.
When we arrived at the spot where we had set the traps.
Screeech!!!
A small cry rang out nearby.
A tiny rabbit was caught in the trap.
Judging by its small size, it was probably just a baby.
Compared to the rabbit we saw last time, it was tiny.
"It's too small. It looks like a baby."
"Yeah..."
Still, if we butchered it, we'd get at least a little meat. Maybe it was because I'd dreamed about my childhood today of all days? I felt uneasy.
Eat it or not?
After agonizing over it for a long while, I untied the knot binding the baby rabbit and set it down on the ground. Then it bolted into the bushes.
Seeing that, Yerin said in surprise,
"I thought Rils would just say to eat it. What's gotten into you?"
"It's so small there wouldn't even be much meat."
After resetting the trap, we headed for the water source.
Since we'd come this far, we figured we might as well drink some water.
Since we'd had a hearty breakfast, maybe we could just get by with some roasted yams for dinner?
"Huh?"
A fat adult rabbit welcomed us.
It was drinking the water trickling between the rocks.
It noticed us and kept glancing over at us now and then, wary of our presence.
It seemed that once the rain stopped, the animals had started moving again.
Carefully,
I leveled my spear at it and slowly approached, keeping my footsteps as quiet as possible.
One step.
Another step.
The moment it entered the attack range, close enough that my spear seemed like it would reach.
The rabbit's ears twitched.
Tap-tap!
"Ah!"
As if it had been waiting for this, it turned and began to flee.
Its rear end, like a puff of white fur, bounced up and down.
Then it stopped at a safe distance and stared at us blankly.
For some reason,
-Catch me if you can.
It felt like it was taunting us.
What an obnoxious rabbit. It's really getting on my nerves.
I immediately looked at Yerin and signaled with my eyes.
Let's show that arrogant rabbit the bitter side of life.
Yerin wordlessly nodded and circled wide around the area to cut off one of the rabbit's escape routes.
"Sorry, cute little rabbit. Unfortunately, you can't go this way."
As Yerin and I, spears in hand, slowly closed in while eliminating its routes one by one,
The startled rabbit immediately changed direction.
Straight in the direction we wanted.
Toward the path where the trap was set.
"Now's our chance."
"Yeah!"
We raised our spears and pressed it harder.
Tap-tap!
The panicked rabbit ran wildly and charged toward the traps we had set.
The first trap.
It narrowly slipped past the snare.
Damn. So close.
But there was still a chance.
Because there was a second trap too.
But the rabbit even hopped over the second snare and dodged it lightly.
Seeing the rabbit's nimble movements, Yerin said with a dumbfounded expression,
"Why is it so smart when it's just a rabbit?!"
The rabbit ran off, ghosting around only the snares as if it somehow knew where they were.
And then.
The third and final trap.
The trap I had once worked myself to the bone testing by putting my own foot in it.
It was our last remaining hope.
Tap-tap!
The rabbit tore across the dirt path in a frenzy. It was so fast the distance between us kept growing.
Please, just get caught.
Please.
I know it's all about luck, but three failures is a bit much, isn't it?
And I'd even done a good deed for once today.
The gap between us and the rabbit started to widen noticeably, and its sprint became almost leisurely.
Thinking we couldn't chase it anymore, the rabbit stole a glance back and flashed a victorious smile.
'T-that arrogant little brat!'
Even animals must let their guard down when they relax.
The rabbit's front paw brushed against the last remaining snare.
Click.
A small sound rang out, and the trigger was pulled.
The bent branch snapped upward in an instant, and the recoil tightened the snare around the rabbit, constricting its plump body.
Screeech!!!
The rabbit's scream echoed through the jungle as it dangled in the air and thrashed about.
"Rils. We actually got it!! Awesome!!"
Yerin, who had been following behind me, cheered.
Squeak, squeak.
No matter how much it struggled, the snare only tightened more and more around the rabbit's body. It didn't seem to have any intention of letting go.
I quickly ran over and grabbed the rabbit by the scruff.
Oh.
It's really plump.
The weight in my hand was solid, like it had really put on flesh.
Maybe because this island had so few predators, it looked like a fat rabbit that didn't get enough exercise.
Yerin came up beside me and looked down at the rabbit bound in the trap.
"Rils, though... I feel kind of sorry for it. It's cute."
"We're the ones who should feel sorry for ourselves if we skip dinner."
"...Is that so?"
"Yep."
The rabbit flapped its front paws as if begging to be saved.
Like a fly rubbing its hands together.
"Hold still."
I lightly pressed a finger into the writhing rabbit's belly.
Squish.
I could feel the softness of its chubby belly.
"Wow."
"...Why?"
"Looks like it lived here eating all kinds of tasty things. Like you, Yerin, after giving up on dieting."
"Rils, do you know you're really obnoxious when you talk?"
I ignored Yerin's light complaint and removed the trap from the rabbit's body while still holding it by the scruff.
"Looks like we'll have dinner after all."
Good deeds really do bring good fortune.
@
"Hey."
I said, looking down at the rabbit at my feet.
"Don't look at me like that. It's making me soft."
Rabbits are also popular as pets.
People often seek them out because of how cute they look.
I had once seen a pet rabbit at a shop when I went to pick up Baby.
With bamboo cord tied around its feet, the little thing stared at me with red eyes.
Maybe it had realized its predicament.
It looked both wronged and like it was begging to be saved.
Yerin, too, glanced at me and muttered beside me, stealing glances at my expression.
"...It's cute."
What's more, this one was a fat rabbit.
Animals are usually even cuter when they're fat.
Fat cats are, and fat dogs too.
Seeing it like that made my heart soften a little.
But I quickly changed my mind again.
"People are really strange, aren't they?"
"...Huh?"
"We eat pigs, cows, and chickens without a second thought."
I gently lifted the rabbit's perked-up ears.
"When an animal looks this cute, we think it's pitiful. But they're all living things."
"Well. That's true."
Yerin couldn't really refute what I said.
It was a funny contradiction. The weight of all life is equal, yet something gets special treatment just because it looks cute.
I hear cat moms have been especially intense lately.
It's not like this will create rabbit moms after it airs, right?
I said, looking down at the rabbit trembling in fear.
"At this rate, I might get attached to it."
"Are you going to let it go?"
"No. I wasn't planning to save it anyway. It keeps looking at me with those pitiful eyes."
"Rils, do you know how scary you sound right now? It doesn't fit your cute face at all."
Dragging things out wouldn't change anything anyway.
And I didn't want to taunt the rabbit and make it experience fear just for the sake of it.
I judged it would be better for it to be sent off quickly and comfortably.
May you live happily in heaven?
I picked up the rabbit and pulled it into my arms.
It twitched its ears as if it still didn't understand what was happening.
"Sorry."
With that, I used both hands to firmly pin its body in place.
Crack.
With the sound of something breaking, it stopped moving.
Yerin, watching the scene, frowned.
Was she feeling guilty about taking the life she'd caught herself?
Normally she'd be saying it was gross, or that we should let it go. But unexpectedly, she was quiet.
I placed the dead rabbit on a suitably sized rock and immediately began to butcher it.
First, I had to drain the blood from its body. That way the meat wouldn't taste gamey and would taste better.
Blood contains iron, protein, and all kinds of bodily fluids, so if you leave it at room temperature it spoils quickly. The gamey smell is a bonus.
For any animal, removing the blood is essential.
Next, skin it.
Rabbits are surprisingly easy to skin. If you make a small cut near the ankle and pull, the hide slides right off like taking off a dress.
The hide might be useful later, so I set it aside.
Last was.
The part I found most disgusting every time I butchered something: removing the organs.
As I carefully split the rabbit's belly with the machete, Yerin, watching beside me, said,
"Ugh. It looks gross every time I see it."
By the time I finished, the rabbit had become a neat lump of meat.
But the lump was small.
Maybe Yerin was thinking the same thing, because she looked at it and asked me in puzzlement,
"It looked super fat, but once you butcher it, there's not much meat?"
"It's because of all that fluffy fur."
"I see. Too bad."
"......?"
Guilt, my ass.
She'd just been quiet because she wanted the meat.
@
[Main Star < Secretly Soft-hearted]
Author : (172.22)
(A meme of Rils letting the baby rabbit go)
I thought the main star would twist its neck right away
ㄴWhat does this punk think the main star is, though? I thought they'd kill it for sure too
ㄴHahahahahahaha
ㄴThe main star is a girl too, you bastards
ㄴDidn't expect them to let it go
ㄴWell, even fishermen release small fish, right?
ㄴCome back later when you grow up, holding hands with your mom~
ㄴWow, this bastard would make even Satan cry
[Main Star successfully caught an adult rabbit]
Author : RilsLover
The trap was an OP item, for real
That rabbit kept dodging like a ghost and still got caught lol
ㄴFood secured, jackpot
ㄴThe result of the test lol
ㄴThe trap had been tested on the creator himself, so the trust level was high
ㄴBut seriously, it was insanely fast
ㄴLook at Rils and Yerin sweating buckets lol
ㄴHahahahahahaha
ㄴThat rabbit's kind of pitiful too, meeting Rils of all people lol
ㄴThe island's grim reaper, for real
ㄴBut are rabbits usually that fat?
ㄴProbably because there are so few predators on the island, it doesn't get much exercise
ㄴMaybe because it doesn't have to run away much?
[But how do you butcher a rabbit?]
Author : YeocamFan
That sounds insanely cruel
You're stabbing a knife into something that cute?
You're not a psychopath or anything, right?ㅇㅇ
ㄴWhat does survival have to do with that?
ㄴEven the chicken you call 'the holy chicken' would faint if you saw the butchering process
ㄴI once watched them kill a chicken at my regular baeksuk place and was shocked
ㄴThey twist its neck to kill it, then pluck the feathers by hand
ㄴExactly lol
ㄴYou're numb because you only ever see meat at the supermarket
ㄴIf it's the main star, they'd butcher it without batting an eye
ㄴStarting this morning, Rils's party menu is wild as hell
ㄴAfter crayfish, now rabbit meat ㄷㄷ
[I'm scared of you, Main Star]
Author : NongNongNongNongNong
(A meme of Rils twisting the rabbit's neck)
Twisting its neck right after saying 'Sorry.' ㄷㄷ
The genre suddenly changed from survival to thriller
I almost pissed myself watching it
ㄴHahahahahahaha
ㄴDamn, a customer came in so I couldn't watch—weren't they just touching the rabbit's ears until a second ago? When did they kill it?
ㄴJust now
ㄴGave it a final goodbye and then snapped its neck
ㄴIn survival, emotions are a luxury
ㄴFor real lol
ㄴNo, but that is right—it was meat they obtained somehow
ㄴBetter than dragging it out and torturing it with false hope
ㄴTrue
ㄴIt's right to send it off quickly, yeah
ㄴYerin's expression was hilarious; she was freaking out next to her.
ㄴThe main star is basically the textbook definition of a badass woman
ㄴProtein intake comes before cuteness
ㄴThat rabbit had it too easy on an island with so few predators, didn't it? Take your medicine
ㄴRils has restored the food chain
ㄴRIP rabbit-kun
ㄴYour sacrifice was not in vain