Chapter 50
[Ah, fuck lol, our guy is freaking hilarious]
Author: (131.44)
(A meme of Rils stealing turban shells from HaeruTV)
So fucking annoying lol.
ㄴNo, seriously, even just as a picture it's infuriating lol
ㄴBurp^^ Thanks
ㄴStole it and immediately shoved it into his hoodie pocket lol
ㄴThe looks on those old guys' faces are hilarious
ㄴExactly, why were they taunting someone who was minding his own business?
ㄴWhat did he do?
ㄴHe ignored the torch our guy worked so hard to make lol
ㄴLmao, that definitely rubbed Rils the wrong way
ㄴDiscoverer: HaeruTV
ㄴCollector: Rils
ㄴRils < That's just pure evil, I'm telling you
ㄴTheir talent for getting under people's skin is overwhelming;;
[But isn't that rude behavior?]
Author: GirlCamLover
Honestly, it makes me frown
He's stealing someone else's stuff
Do the people who like this not have any real-life experience?
ㄴThis idiot is back again
ㄴWhat do you know about sea foraging?
ㄴYou can't deny the message, so you're only attacking the messenger, you Nongnong bastards
ㄴThe first one to pick it up gets it
ㄴBut did he really have to do it like that? The area’s huge
ㄴIt was rude, yeahㅇㅇ
ㄴBut HaeruTV started the taunting first, though?
ㄴㄹㅇㅋㅋ So are we just supposed to take it?
ㄴThat's not farming, that's robbery;;
ㄴ'Robbery' my ass. Want me to slap you?
[I'm a middle-aged man who does sea foraging as a hobby]
Author: Ye-eun's Dad
(A pic from a popular sea-foraging spot I visited last year)
It's packed with people, right?
Famous spots are all like that
The first one to pick it up gets it
Those HaeruTV guys know exactly how it works, they're just being petty and telling Rils to pick somewhere else
ㄴAnyone who sea-forages as a hobby knows that
ㄴIf you pick it too late, someone else takes it
ㄴThe old-hag brigade loses again lol
ㄴThose HaeruTV fuckers have probably dealt with that a lot when actually sea-foraging, so why are they suddenly playing the victim?
ㄴIt's not exactly playing the victim
ㄴIt's just that our guy is ridiculously good at being annoying lol
ㄴFacts lol
ㄴHonestly, I'd be pissed too lol
ㄴBut Rils didn't do anything wrong
ㄴHaeruTV had the flashlight, but Rils took the turban shells
ㄴHaeruTV’s blood pressure is skyrocketing lol
@
‘Hmm. This should be a pretty decent haul.’
I tapped the hoodie pocket with my hand.
Clatter.
The turban shells and clams inside knocked against each other, making a pleasant sound.
I glanced back, and the two men were still watching me warily.
They were even shielding their flashlight beams with their bodies while sea-foraging.
They must have really hated me.
Well. Whatever.
I’d already collected enough to eat.
I set off to rejoin Yerin and Kim Woong.
But then.
I heard splashing footsteps behind me.
When I turned around, the two men were already right behind me.
And they were whispering to each other in low voices.
“That kid called Rils, right?”
“Yeah.”
“He's pretty skilled, isn't he?”
“Yeah.”
“Is he a HaeruTV subscriber?”
“Maybe.”
What even is HaeruTV?
I’ve never heard of it in my life.
‘Why are streamers so full of themselves?’
While I was thinking that, they suddenly quickened their pace.
They overtook me and
started walking right across my path.
“Oh!”
“Hyung! Here!”
“Found it!”
Maybe they were determined to beat me no matter what.
They started combing the ground in front of me, and every time they found something, they turned around with a grin.
…Seriously.
Why were they acting so childish?
I shook my head at the sight of them.
Let’s just ignore them.
I’d already achieved my goal anyway.
All that was left was to meet back up with Yerin and Kim Woong.
Finding them wasn’t hard.
There were two torches flickering in the dark night sea.
I slowly walked toward the torches.
The HaeruTV guys didn't seem tired at all and immediately followed after me.
And as I drew closer to the light from the torches, a familiar voice reached me.
“Benefactor! It's a total jackpot over there!”
Kim Woong’s voice was noticeably higher-pitched.
He looked so excited that he must have found something.
What on earth did he find to get like that?
@
Low tide.
In simple terms, it’s when the sea water recedes.
Because of the moon’s gravity and the Earth's rotation, seawater comes in and goes out several times a day.
So places normally submerged under the sea appear when low tide comes.
That was exactly why sea foraging was possible.
The seafloor is rougher than you'd think. So even when the water recedes, not all of it disappears at once.
Water remains in the lower spots.
In documentaries, those places were called tide pools.
And.
Pools like that are also sea foragers' favorite spots.
The reason is simple.
Because creatures that fail to escape when the water recedes often get trapped in the pools.
For sea foragers, it's basically a treasure trove full of gold and silver.
What Kim Woong had found was exactly that tide pool. He pointed to it.
“Benefactor. There's some kind of pool over there, and I think it's a jackpot.”
“Really?”
“I haven't had a proper look yet, though.”
Kim Woong lowered his voice for no real reason.
“I was waiting quietly so I could tell you first.”
“Oh. Good job.”
A torch flickered closer in the distance. Yerin had a few turban shells in her hands and looked thrilled.
Then, the moment she heard about the pool from us.
“Wait.”
“…?”
“Then shouldn't we hurry up and loot it?”
“Yerin.”
“Huh?”
“Calm down. The creatures in the pool can't escape anyway.”
I slowly raised my torch.
“Let's go check it out together first.”
“Okay.”
“Yup, benefactor!”
The moment we were about to head toward the pool.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
I heard water splashing all around.
Two familiar male figures were moving so fast they were practically running.
They were sprinting toward the direction Kim Woong had pointed, like sharks scenting blood.
“Hyung! That's definitely a jackpot!”
“Let's get there first and show that obnoxious kid what’s what.”
They ran, kicking up spray everywhere, looking utterly desperate.
I stared blankly at the sight.
‘Man, I really must have gotten under their skin.’
Seeing them, Yerin shouted urgently.
“Rils, shouldn't we hurry too?! They're going to take everything from us!”
At Yerin's words, I shook my head.
“If you run in the dark, you'll get hurt.”
Then Yerin said, sounding incredulous.
“Rils, isn't it a bit much for you to say that? You're always doing weird stuff.”
“…….”
@
Park Jun-ho and Kang Tae-sik knew exactly what that pool was.
Their main content was sea foraging, after all.
A tide pool.
For sea foragers, it was basically a bonus stage.
If they were lucky, it wouldn't just be turban shells or clams.
They could find fish trapped in the water with nowhere to go, or octopuses. If they were lucky, even valuable abalone.
That was because creatures that failed to escape at low tide often remained trapped in the pool.
Splash! Splash!
The two of them ran toward the pool, splashing water everywhere.
Kang Tae-sik said, panting.
“Hyung.”
“What.”
“But is this okay? They found it.”
“What? So what? That kid taunted us first, didn't he?”
“That… yeah. I was wrong. Sea foraging is first come, first served anyway.”
Kang Tae-sik's face turned grave, and Park Jun-ho's mouth curled into a smirk.
His characteristic sharp eyes grew even fiercer.
At last, the time had come to get revenge on that annoying kid.
The sea was on their side, after all.
“Pwahaha. Nice. Let's really show what we've got!”
Park Jun-ho gripped the flashlight tightly.
“This time, we're taking it all.”
“Okay.”
“Let's take everything in the pool and leave nothing behind.”
The two of them were already imagining a bountiful haul in their heads.
That arrogant kid would arrive late, see the empty pool, and make a crestfallen face.
“Heh.”
A sneer spread across Park Jun-ho's lips.
Before long, the pool they were aiming for came into view.
“Oh.”
It was bigger than they expected.
The bottom was sunken, so the water looked to be well over 50 cm deep.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah.”
“This is seriously a jackpot.”
Kang Tae-sik's eyes widened as he shone his flashlight into the pool.
The moment Park Jun-ho heard that, he immediately rolled up the cuffs of his pants.
He was getting ready to step into the water.
Each time the strong beam swept across the bottom of the pool, creatures hidden in the dark revealed themselves.
Several fish as thick as forearms were swimming in the pool, and turban shells were stuck to the rocks nearby.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah.”
“This is a total jackpot.”
“Nice.”
Park Jun-ho grinned.
Then Kang Tae-sik shouted even more excitedly.
“Hyung! Look over there!”
“Where?”
“There’s abalone under that rock too!”
Kang Tae-sik shone his flashlight toward the rock.
A palm-sized abalone was clinging tightly to a rock submerged in water.
“Wow.”
Park Jun-ho's eyes widened.
It was wild-caught abalone.
And at that size, you could name your price.
Normally, he would have shouted that it was a windfall.
“We’ve got to take this.”
Splash.
He immediately stepped into the pool. Then he bent toward the rock where the abalone was attached.
“That kid really did us a favor. We'll feast on this.”
The moment Park Jun-ho reached toward the abalone.
Stab!
A sharp pain shot through his finger.
“Fuck!!! What the hell?!”
Park Jun-ho screamed and fell backward with a thud.
“Hyung! What’s wrong?”
Kang Tae-sik shouted in alarm.
Park Jun-ho threw himself out of the pool, practically crawling.
The pain that started at his fingertips spread through his whole body in an instant.
No. 'Pain' wasn't enough to describe it.
It felt like a red-hot iron skewer had been thrust into his finger.
“Aaaagh!!!”
Park Jun-ho rolled on the ground.
It was pain he had never felt even once in his life.
“Fuuuuuck!!! Save me!!!”
“Hyung! What's wrong!”
“Call the emergency team!!! You idiot!!!”
“Uh… okay.”
“Kyaaaaaagh!!!”
A man's desperate scream echoed across the night sea.