Chapter 173: Surviving on a Deserted Island (3)

“Are we supposed to build a house with this?”

Han Gabin looked blankly down at the starter pack handed to him.

Plastic sheets, ropes, and wood provided for support.

They said it might snow tonight—can we survive with just this?

The combination naturally drew a sigh.

I quickly spread out the plastic, sturdy enough to be used in a greenhouse, and lightly laid it over the wooden frame.

It looked like it might hold if we did it right.

I spun the rope around to get an estimate; the supports were sturdier than expected, so I could see how it might work.

Better to act first than to stand around thinking.

“Shall we give it a try?”

Han Gabin nodded and picked up the wood.

“Seohan, have you made something like this before?”

“No. It’s my first time.”

I’d never made one before.

But aside from cooking, I wasn’t completely hopeless with my hands.

Besides, I’d watched season 1 of Surviving on a Deserted Island thoroughly, so I had a sense of what to do.

I sorted out the wood to be used as supports and fixed them to the ground at even intervals.

“Should we weigh it down with rocks?”

We outlined the shape with the rope.

If they hadn’t given us enough rope, this would’ve been tough, but since we had a bit extra, we wrapped it as tightly as possible.

Because on a cold winter day like this, if the wind seeped in, it’d be game over.

Kang Minseop, who had been watching the construction site(?) from afar, approached with wide eyes.

“Oh, wow. You guys are doing great~.”

He probably thought the two newcomers would be struggling and floundering, but he seemed surprised by how much we’d accomplished.

“We’re giving it our all. Ugh!”

In the meantime, Han Gabin tiptoed to drape the plastic over the supports.

Behind Kang Minseop, Yoo Chaekyung, Lee Beomjin, and even the Youngest Writer had gathered as spectators one by one.

“Oh, what’s this?”

“It looks awesome!”

The camera director dropped by, saying he’d shoot some slow cuts to give it a model house vibe.

It was about five hours later, around sunset, when the makeshift plastic house was finally complete.

As I turned and stretched my back, my joints cried out in protest.

“Uuugh…”

“It’s done.”

We weren’t even close friends, but it felt like some weird sense of camaraderie had started to form.

Han Gabin let out a wail and slumped to the ground.

“Haah…”

Our eyes met at the same time.

“Let’s rest a bit.”

The moment I turned off silent mode, my phone buzzed loudly with vibrations.

The culprit was the Stardust members’ group chat.

They always talked a lot, but being apart for several days—outside of vacation—was a first, so today’s chat was especially full.

I scrolled quickly to find where they mentioned me.

[Cha Seongbin: Do Seohan~]

[Cha Seongbin: Are you filming, Do Seohan?]

[Kang Siwoo: He’s probably busy lolol]

[Jin Sehyun: Seo Haim asked you to bring back some specialty products from the island when you return]

[Seo Ian: …There are specialties on a deserted island?]

[Seo Haim: Oh!!!]

[Seo Haim: Do Seohan read it ><]

So she checked right away.

I chuckled and sent a reply.

└Just taking a short break now

Vrrr—

The messages piled up quickly as soon as I replied.

[Ha Junseo: How’s it there? Do they give you coffee?]

[Kang Siwoo: But did you build a house? If you sleep in the cold, your face will go numb….]

[Seo Ian: Must be hungry ㅠㅠ (crying emoji)]

[Jin Sehyun: (Photo of Seojji relaxing at home) He’s resting instead of you lolol]

[Cha Seongbin: Look at Seojji lying on the bed all smug]

They sure had a lot of questions.

I replied one by one to the flood of inquiries.

└It’s cold and I’m hungry here, and they don’t give us coffee either

Not that I would’ve drunk it anyway.

└And the house is…

Click—

Pleased, I took a picture of the house I’d built.

It was a bit crude in appearance, but a warm plastic house that didn’t compromise on functionality.

Look at that—it’s pretty great.

I was sure the older members would be deeply moved.

But then…

[Jin Sehyun: lolololololololol]

[Seo Haim: (Crying chick emoji while laughing)]

[Cha Seongbin: Hey… hang in there lol]

[Jin Sehyun: lololololol it looks like a freezer? lolol]

[Kang Siwoo: …What happened?]

They must’ve felt pity rather than admiration.

It really did look like a collapsing plastic shack from the outside.

Since Kang Siwoo was wondering what had led to this, I gave him the explanation.

└We lost all the games

└You get a tent if you win, but that ship has sailed

“That ‘90s song was too much…”

I muttered to myself as I checked the replies from the members.

It was probably dinnertime now, so they were comfortably seated in a warm place, replying quickly.

I warmed my cold hands and slowly scrolled down.

[What’s for dinner? Are you catching fish?!!!]

[Fish? Do you actually catch those yourself??]

[Can someone who was shocked by a whipped cream cake even handle fish~]

[Do Seohan, can you clean fish?]

Cleaning fish, huh.

They really worried about every little thing.

I replied quickly.

Honestly, they seemed to think I was a kid.

└I’m good at that stuff lolol

└Fish don’t scare me one bit

Hmm.

I’ll stop here and get ready to make a fire.

Just as I shoved my phone into my pocket and stood up—

“…?”

A shadow loomed over my head.

It didn’t quite resemble a person—its presence was a bit more… distinctive.

“Whoa, you scared me!”

Lee Beomjin was waving a fish he’d caught with his bare hands from the ocean.

“Whoa… wh-whoa. You startled me…”

“You’re that scared of a fish?”

“Y-yeah, apparently.”

Lee Beomjin smiled contentedly and added,

“I caught this near that cliff over there.”

Where’d he even catch something that big…

No wonder he was a key figure in season 1.

Lee Beomjin generously handed over the precious fish he’d caught to the starving guests.

“It’s a sea bream. It’s edible.”

“Th-thank you.”

Swish—

After handing it over, he casually returned to his own shelter, like a true man of nature.

I wanted to applaud his impressive fishing skills, but—

“Ugh!”

The sea bream flailed in my hand, and I didn’t have time to react.

I quickly threw the fish into the container next to me.

Han Gabin, who had stumbled over, looked down at the flopping fish with wide eyes.

“A fish…? Is it for eating?”

“They said it’s sea bream.”

“Ooh, sounds delicious.”

“Hyung. You can clean this, right?”

When I gave him a meaningful look, Han Gabin glanced at the camera and quietly stepped closer.

“Ahem.”

The camera was off since they were changing tapes.

I wondered what he was hesitating to say so long for,

Then Han Gabin leaned in and whispered in my ear.

“Stuff like this is supposed to be done by the juniors.”

Selective old-fashioned seniority—unbelievable.

.

.

.

.

The cast team wasn’t actually cold-hearted people, they just happened to be too good at the “Guess the Song” game.

Lee Beomjin clicked his tongue, saying that no matter how much we rubbed sticks together in that awkward position, we wouldn’t get even a spark.

In the end, we successfully lit a campfire using a lighter borrowed from the cast team—though not without paying a certain price for it.

This wasn’t so bad.

Maybe it was because it was the first day, but it felt more like a resort than a brutal survival show.

Smoky fumes gently rose from the campfire.

I shoved new twigs onto the almost burnt-up logs that had turned to ash.

While Han Gabin went to gather more wood, I stayed to tend the fire and keep it going.

It was quite a late night—late enough for stars to twinkle above.

Yoo Chaekyung walked over from the cast team’s shelter.

She held a surprise gift in both hands.

“Seohan, would you like some potatoes?”

“Gasp, potatoes!”

At those words, I sprang to my feet.

Never thought I’d be so happy to see root vegetables.

We’d eaten decently for dinner, but it was just the right time to crave some sweet roasted potatoes.

Yoo Chaekyung beamed and placed the potatoes in my hand.

“I figured you must be hungry, so I brought you something.”

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy them.”

“Uh, where’s Gabin?”

“He went to get firewood earlier, but he hasn’t come back yet.”

It felt like quite a while had passed.

Where could he have gone?

“I’ll go look for him.”

“Okay, then see you tomorrow~.”

It was a safely scouted deserted island, so I doubted anything serious happened while he was sober….

But he might’ve gotten lost, so I figured I should check.

After thanking Yoo Chaekyung, I set out to look for Han Gabin.

“Where did he go….”

I figured he wouldn’t have gone deep into the forest this late at night, so I circled around the side—and I was right.

I found Han Gabin not far away.

“Hmm?”

I thought he went to get firewood.

But instead, I saw Han Gabin pacing anxiously in a blind spot with no cameras.

He seemed to be on a call with someone.

“Ah, hyung. I’m really sorry to ask you this….”

Since it was just the open beach with nothing to block the wind, his voice carried clearly.

It was a troubled face I’d never seen before.

Frowning, Han Gabin cautiously opened his mouth.

“Could you maybe lend me some money?”

My footsteps halted.

“Uh…mm.”

I blinked and swallowed hard.

I didn’t really want to know the details of someone else’s financial problems, but since he was doing this not far from the filming area, it must’ve been urgent.

However—

The amount was bigger than I expected.

“Could you possibly help me out with… ten million won?”

Even at twenty-four, he should know that ten million won isn’t just a cute puppy’s name.

“I know it’s a lot. I’m sorry, it’s just really urgent….”

Even the person on the other end seemed taken aback by the unexpected amount.

I wouldn’t lend it either if someone suddenly dropped a number like ten million won.

“…….”

Maybe the loan didn’t go through, because Han Gabin’s face looked even darker than before.

“Yes…. Got it. I’m sorry, hyung….”

At his level of experience, he should’ve received his earnings by now.

I didn’t know how much BK’s payments usually were, but it seemed unlikely that he’d be completely broke.

Considering they were under a major label, I didn’t think the agency would mess around with settlement payments.

Still, where did all that money go?

He didn’t seem like it, but maybe he secretly had expensive tastes.

Even in my past life of just 26 years, I knew this much—

You should always avoid people who ask to borrow money or want you to co-sign for them.

I was trying to quietly slip away when,

Han Gabin’s gaze landed on me.

Our eyes met.

“Ah.”

“…Did you hear?”

Han Gabin asked, looking embarrassed.

Now this was an awkward situation.

I scratched my head and answered honestly.

It wasn’t intentional.

“Yes, though I didn’t mean to.”

“…….”

“I got you potatoes. I was looking for you to give them to you.”

Han Gabin blankly looked down at the two potatoes in my hand.

Maybe he believed I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, because his previously cold gaze softened slightly.

He hesitated for a moment, then slightly parted his lips.

“Let’s go and talk.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep