It was a scene so horrific that it was hard to express in words.
The rule was that the first person to reach 20 points wins. The current score was 16 to 0.
While the winning side only needed to score 4 more points, the losing side had to score 20, making the gap absolutely ridiculous.
An overwhelmingly one-sided game tends to make people root for the losing team. It was the same now.
“Ugh…!”
Geumtaeyang slid across the sandy court, blonde hair soaked with sweat trailing behind him. But the ball barely slipped past his fingers.
Thud—
It fell onto the sand just out of reach of his outstretched hand, almost mocking him.
“…Kayak scores.”
Taesung, the referee and Geumtaeyang’s friend, silently flipped the score board without saying a word. The atmosphere itself was like that of a condemned prisoner’s execution—quiet and somber.
The Kayak team, celebrating their consecutive victories, remained calm, sipping on their drinks as they continued to score points.
“Maybe we should’ve bet on 10 points?”
“It does seem a bit pathetic, doesn’t it?”
“Feels like it’s dragging on for no reason.”
While they exchanged such conversations.
[Why does Geumtaeyang look so pitiful…?]
[Is it because the one-sided game is long that it feels like he’s being tormented?]
[Kayak is so ruthless… They could at least let him score 1 point.]
[Nah, they’re going to ruthlessly stomp him down.]
[Seeing Geumtaeyang getting schooled for daring to flirt with the women of the Legendary Taker is hilarious, upvote! Haha.]
[Geumtaeyang looks like he’s about to die from exhaustion, so why isn’t Kayak even sweating or gasping for breath?]
[Aah… That’s because Geumtaeyang is weak.]
[I feel like Geumtaeyang could take on 300 reps but still lose. Haha!]
[Is the 3000 reps theory about Kayak real? Whoa!]
[Seriously, how can they be so athletic with that much weight?]
[It’s like they have super stamina, athleticism, and strength, all of them way above normal! Haha.]
[Geumtaeyang must have thought he’d win, right?]
[But wow, it’s really overwhelming.]
[The world is vast, newbie.]
[At this rate, even a pro beach volleyball player would lose, right?]
[Shouldn’t Kayak have gone to the Taereung Athlete’s Village instead of broadcasting?]
[It’s ridiculous that the ball sticks to the sand, and that it doesn’t burst is just ludicrous.]
[Perfect control over strength too….]
In conclusion, I won the bet.
I suppose it was inevitable. The results came out just as predicted, so I wasn’t particularly elated or cheering.
I didn’t yell.
[Still, it’s a perfect game, 20 to 0]
[Ah, haha, for Kayak, that’s a given]
[A lion gives its all when catching a rabbit, but it doesn’t boast after the catch]
[So how are criminals punished?]
[Let’s add one more game of beach volleyball…]
Since I won the bet, I now hold the right to a wish. I pondered for a moment where to use that wish.
Should I punish the women who came to the beach for flirting with my party by making them give me their numbers, or should I make them pay for our accommodations? After a brief moment of thought,
It seemed a bit much to execute both plans, so I dropped the idea. The first option might seem fun, but it would be a nuisance for the women getting their numbers asked, and the second option, no matter how wrong they were, would clearly be financial extortion. It wasn’t much different from what street thugs do.
In the end, I had no choice but to resort to a more moderate method, even if it seemed less entertaining.
“Hey, hey, isn’t the meat all gone?”
“Yes…!”
[Geumtaeyang, why aren’t you moving quickly? Haha]
[A meat-grilling slave! This is so cruel]
[I thought getting numbers from five women at the beach would be fun, but crap]
[If you make her do that, there’ll be controversy over Kayak, so no]
[This isn’t bad either, yeah]
[I’ve worked at a meat restaurant, and I know that’s really tough too]
[Serve Kayak, who eats like an elephant, so she won’t run out of meat…!]
What was born out of this was the meat-grilling slave. Well, to be accurate, it was meal service.
Originally, Taker was supposed to grill the meat while the rest of us—Riri, Nicang, and I—tackled the smaller chores, but now Geumtaeyang and their friends were doing all the work instead. Thanks to that, our party could dine like medieval nobles.
That being said, I was the only one truly bossing around Geumtaeyang’s group.
The rest of the party, including Taker, just gobbled up the meat without giving them any odd jobs at all.
“It’s kind of comfortable, but I feel bad… and it’s a weird feeling.”
“Kayak is completely enjoying it, though!”
“That lot is enjoying the right of the victor.”
It was literally true. Whenever I felt something was uncomfortable or needed, I immediately started voicing my demands.
“Water.”
“Yes, four!”
“No, cola.”
“Here’s your cola…!”
“You idiot, the cola is lukewarm!”
“Hiiik…!”
[This is it! This is it!]
[Kayak can control people well, too]
[Isn’t this going to cause controversy?]
[Honestly, it should be treated this way, right? It’s a wish right after all]
[Be thankful I’m letting you off the hook for this, haha]
“Good thing you know how to watch me, haha!”
“Water.”
“Asked for water, then switched to cola, what a total nuisance!”
“Lukewarm cola is crossing the line, haha!”
“If it’s lukewarm, shouldn’t it come with ice? It’s like the basic rule of being a shuttle.”
“Seriously, haha, I could do better than this!”
“I also want to be bossed around by Kayak…”
The viewers seemed to enjoy watching me boss around Geumtaeyang and the crew. I occasionally pushed them harder on purpose while keeping an eye on their reactions.
Since they’d somewhat exposed their faces on my broadcast, I couldn’t just be half-hearted and risk viewers getting confused or annoyed.
By taking the lead and driving them hard, I created a pitiful image, going through my own cleansing process. Plus, I didn’t have to exhaust myself preparing dinner. This was just as much about my comfort as it was about them working hard.
*
After about an hour of labor, it finally came to an end. I hadn’t set a specific time limit, but I’d given them a signal that it was okay to stop in the middle. If I pushed too hard, it might backfire on me.
“You were quite hungry, huh?”
“Geumtaeyang, next time you should gauge the situation before going all out.”
“I used to have that kind of enthusiasm when I was younger.”
“Good job, yeah.”
“At this point, I think I’ve paid my dues.”
“I want to eat meat with Kayak too.”
Now, Geumtaeyang and the others were cleaning up leftover meat after we finished eating. It was stuff brought by the Taker, and surprisingly, there was plenty. I’d eaten my fill, so there was enough left to give to them.
“So, do you come here every year?”
“Yes, we do, sister.”
“We come here once every summer.”
Before I knew it, they had started calling me ‘sister.’ It turned out that some of them were just turning twenty or twenty-one.
They were clearly much younger than I originally was, and they’re even younger than me, Mun Ah. None of the members had even been to the military yet.
“Sister, haha, sounds like you’re calling a gang boss!”
“If you can play beach volleyball well, you could be my sister, yeah.”
“Haha, even if you’re younger, if you can nail the ball into the sand, you can still be my sister.”
“Wow, these guys are really just youngsters…”
“Go to the military already.”
“Why do kids look so much younger nowadays?”
“Maybe it’s just good growth.”
“Kayak looks older than his age, though.”
“If you come here every year, you must know the area well?”
“Yes, sister.”
“Don’t be too stiff about the ‘sister’ thing.”
I approached Geumtaeyang, who was nervously chewing on meat with a tense expression. Earlier he’d been bold and chatty, but now he seemed slightly intimidated.
Somehow, it felt like I was a bit scared.
“Can you recommend any places nearby? I’m okay with driving a little further.”
“Hmm, around here…”
At my words, Geumtaeyang and friends paused their meat-eating to start a serious discussion.
“How about that place? Not great. That one’s only liked by the boys. The girl ratio is too high.”
The conversation continued to bounce around.
Finally, it seemed the discussion was over, and Geumtaeyang stepped up to speak on behalf of everyone.
“This isn’t a super famous place…”
“Oooh, even better! If you think about it, you guys are practically locals. The true local spots known only to locals are the best.”
“Well, it’s a cave, though.”
However, the place Geumtaeyang described was quite different from what I had in mind.
It seemed to be less of a tourist attraction and more like a spot for unique experiences.
“In that cave, you can see strange phenomena.”
“For example?”
“Like seeing the future, or meeting another ‘me’ living a different life, or having an ancestor show up and call out lottery numbers…”
“Oooh…”
It was a peculiar and distinctive place that could be summarized as a spiritual hotspot.
“But sometimes you won’t see anything at all, and if you’re unlucky, you might see a ghost. Still, the cave has this grandeur to it, so you could just go and take pictures at the entrance without going inside…”
“Not too far, then.”
The place Geumtaeyang recommended was just a 15-minute walk from the beach, leading to a small cave that wasn’t on the map. Truly a hidden gem known only to locals.
“Well then, take care, Miss!”
“Thanks for the food!”
“Sure thing.”
Geumtaeyang and friends politely said their goodbyes and left.
Taker, Riri, and Nicang had stepped out in the middle to go to the restroom or back to the inn.
Which means, it was just me who heard the story about the cave.
A mysterious cave where you could see the past, future, or other possibilities.
“Hmmm…”
I want to visit, but I wonder if my party will go with me?
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