Chapter: 76
Rubbing sticks to start a fire is a skill level that’s nothing short of a wild cryptid hunt.
It’s not just about brute force; it requires some serious technique.
Of course, Joo Seoyeon was aware of this.
But she had just applied a tad too much enthusiasm.
“……”
Seoyeon tossed aside the splintered stick in her hand.
The cameraman watched in bewilderment.
I mean,
‘Does a stick really shatter like that?’
Was it a dried stick?
Or maybe it was just a bit too much pressure—like gaming with a controller and accidentally treating it like a stress ball.
Seoyeon cringed at her misstep.
But she was only slightly taken aback then.
This time, it was different.
“Gently…”
She focused intently as she rolled the stick in her hands.
Five minutes passed.
Then ten.
‘Am I watching a still frame here?’
The cameraman pondered suddenly.
How can a person maintain the same posture for ten minutes?
With the constant rubbing, her palms must be screaming for mercy.
‘Is she not sweating? Not a drop in sight.’
At least her stamina wasn’t average; that much was clear.
“See? I told you it wouldn’t work, right?”
Park Jung-woo had returned with sticks of suitable girth.
Clad in a simple white T-shirt, his exceptional looks radiated ‘top star’ vibes.
‘Sure, the aesthetics are on point.’
The cameraman captured Seoyeon and Jung-woo in a perfect frame.
The two actors, who had stirred up quite the buzz as Princess Yeonhwa and Yoon Seo-il, stood out together.
Even PD Shin had emphasized their chemistry.
“Almost there!”
“Look here.”
Jung-woo set down the sticks he gathered for their shelter.
‘…Why is there sawdust all over the place?’
Was she attempting to shave wood rather than start a fire?
It was a peculiar sight to behold.
“I…”
He was going to say, “Let me give it a try,” but paused when Seoyeon locked eyes with him, narrowing her gaze.
Was she going to snatch his chance?
“Don’t just rub it like that, hone it into that groove.”
“Huh?”
Her dubious look was met with a swift, “Give me that stick. Ugh, seriously, I’m not doing this!”
Jung-woo took the stick from Seoyeon and examined the tip.
Smooth as a baby’s bottom—was it crafted by a grinder or something?
“Not this one; try this one instead. Keep the pressure steady.”
“…Understood.”
Jung-woo handed her one of his thinner sticks, pointed at one end.
Seoyeon placed it in the groove she had made in the log.
‘Sure, even then, it’s not going to catch fire easily.’
What Seoyeon likely had in mind was the fire flow technique.
Generally, pushing wood like that would start a fire. Jung-woo noted that the protagonist in Cast Away tried this method, though it wasn’t about turning it in circles; it was more about shaving it.
‘But her posture is spot on.’
Jung-woo watched Seoyeon, her black hair cascading over her shoulders as she focused on the task—a delightful yet comical painting in motion.
“Got it!”
‘Huh?’
At that very moment, admiration slipped from Seoyeon’s lips.
‘Already?’
Smoke began to swirl from the sticks.
No way! Just from a bit of instruction, and she was getting results?
Jung-woo gaped at the crackling, smoking wood.
“Impressive, right?”
Seoyeon replied proudly, a twinkle in her eye.
Still, it was true that Jung-woo had provided a little assistance.
“You’ve been reading the Survival series, haven’t you?”
“?”
Jung-woo had no clue what that series was, but nodded nonetheless.
Seoyeon took a moment to admire the budding ember and finally understood,
‘So the groove method is key.’
Now that she was in the know, all was well.
As she thought, Bang Ha-yoon, one of the regulars from Survival Without People, piped up in astonishment.
“Wow, did you actually start a fire?”
She had just come back from fetching sticks for the shelter, much like Jung-woo.
‘Is she really just a pretty face?’
Considering her look and build, Seoyeon didn’t seem like the type for manual labor.
So, she could see why Ha-yoon thought she’d need everyone’s help, but honestly, starting a fire that quickly?
‘Well, I heard she plays a convenience store part-timer in The Chaser; I get why they’re pushing her now.’
Honestly, Ha-yoon found Seoyeon’s sudden appearance puzzling; she thought,
‘A convenience store employee? Why the hype?’
Yet witnessed her commitment made it easier to accept.
‘If she keeps this up…’
Just then, Jeong Dae-hyun, the exploration team leader, strolled back with the rest of his crew.
*
Setting up the shelter was a breeze.
After all, Jeong Dae-hyun wasn’t new to Survival Without People.
Now building a hut was second nature.
“First, we found a saw, a knife, and finally, salt.”
You could say they were nothing special, but they were essential survival items.
Since they had uncovered three saws, they could quickly put together a shelter.
“Ah, brings back memories of camping in the military.”
As they finished building the hut, Park Hee-jun, who played Seo Gwang-il in The Chaser, said that nostalgically.
“Hee-jun, you served in special forces, right?”
That remark kicked off a well-rehearsed dialogue.
It was likely something that featured in the loosely scripted segments.
Generally, they operated organically, but must-have parts were scripted.
For example, promoting The Chaser or introducing Hee-jun and Seoyeon.
“Our Park hasn’t enlisted yet, has he?”
At that moment, PD Shin turned to Jung-woo, who was nurturing the flames.
“Pardon?”
“When are you going? Oh, it’s not anytime soon, is it?”
“O-oh, I’m going, I’m going. Of course, I have to. But what’s with the sudden prodding…?”
Military service was a rather sensitive topic in entertainment.
With PD Shin’s playful taunt, Jung-woo sighed.
“My dad said if I didn’t serve, I wasn’t a real man.”
“……”
Seoyeon flinched at his words, as if hit by an arrow.
“…You’re not going; that’s a given.”
“Of course. That’s only logical.”
Seoyeon replied, carving sticks with a knife she had picked up.
‘Never went in the last life.’
In that life, she had been ruled out due to sickness.
Coincidentally, someone with a similar illness had been drafted and an incident had taken place.
‘What do you mean not a man?’
Seoyeon shot a glare at Jung-woo.
Even if she was female now, she felt like she had been slapped in the face by her former self.
To this, Jung-woo could only be baffled.
What was with the death stare?
“…What are you making?”
“Ah, this?”
Seoyeon demonstrated the sharpened stick.
“It’s a spear.”
“……”
Wait, why a spear?
Jung-woo had been thinking this since Seoyeon suggested fire. How much did she expect from Survival Without People?
“Hunting. We will have to hunt, right? But there’s a method to it.”
Now that they had built a hut and started a fire, it was time to gather food.
Right now, while they had stamina, was the right moment to do so.
“First, the survival team, please gather some fruits. You see over there? That’s a coconut tree.”
Jeong Dae-hyun pointed up at a tree full of yellow fruits.
“Those are incredibly useful; we should harvest some.”
Jeong Dae-hyun proposed, eyeing the survival team seriously.
Honestly, it felt odd to leave the hunting to the others.
Hunting was one thing, getting there was a massive trek.
Especially with someone like Seoyeon around?
“……”
Certainly, Seoyeon understood Jeong Dae-hyun’s thoughts to some degree.
But charging in haphazardly wasn’t the best idea.
This was a variety show, and just based on looks, she could seem like a naïve child making a ruckus.
“Let’s go together since the survival team has nothing much to do anyway.”
Jung-woo read the expression on Seoyeon’s face and added.
“Pardon?”
“Gathering coconuts can be pretty dangerous; it’s better to go together than going solo to hunt.”
In truth, harvesting coconuts carried considerable risk.
For one, a coconut weighs over 1.5 kg.
Considering a palm tree rises to six meters, that’s like dropping a 1.5kg rock from six meters.
“Hmmm, fair point.”
While Ha-yoon was strong enough to handle things, Jeong Dae-hyun took Jung-woo’s words differently.
‘Is he trying to boost her screen time?’
With the nature of variety shows, naturally, the exploration team would receive more spotlight than the survival team.
‘Yet…’
Navigating through the tropical rainforest was tougher than it seemed.
The odds of catching an unflattering moment were much higher.
Especially if Seoyeon, still a high school student, ended up in trouble.
“Then if we’re picking coconuts, we’ll need a long pole.”
At this, Seoyeon raised her wooden spear.
“…That’s too short to reach.”
Generally, when harvesting coconuts, you’d need a long-reaching pole to carefully slice the fruit down.
Ha-yoon excelled at this, which was why she was in the survival team.
“Even with height, even throwing it wouldn’t yield power.”
That was indisputable.
After observing Ha-yoon’s demonstration, Seoyeon understood further.
‘So that’s how you detach the fruits bundled together.’
Watching the others diligently collecting coconuts, Seoyeon turned her gaze away from them.
An empty tree stood alone.
Naturally, Jung-woo noticed Seoyeon’s unusual demeanor.
“What on earth are you planning this time?”
The cameraman followed suit, having learned from Seoyeon’s earlier peculiar attempts at starting a fire.
“If I hit that stone just right, wouldn’t it all drop down at once?”
“Seriously?”
Let’s be realistic here.
If it were possible, everyone else would have already been doing the same.
“Throwing stones will just bounce off because the fruits are surrounded. You have no clue how tough coconuts are…”
Crack!!!
Down came the fruit bundle with a thud.
Jung-woo glanced back at where Seoyeon had thrown the stone and then back up at the palm tree.
“……”
Approaching where the coconuts had landed, he discovered the split coconut shells.
‘What just happened?’
He rubbed his eyes.
Did she just throw a stone and puncture a coconut?
And did it sever the connection?
“Wow, did you just shake the fruits loose with that stone throw?”
Jeong Dae-hyun strolled over, amazed.
Well, that was a pretty standard response.
“Ah, yeah. Something like that.”
Jung-woo replied, looking over at Seoyeon.
Seoyeon shrugged, as if to say, “Did you see that?”
“Wow, unexpectedly impressive.”
“Right? This should definitely get us more down more quickly.”
“Actually, let’s not do that again.”
“Why not?”
Flabbergasted by Seoyeon’s confused expression, Jung-woo pointed at the coconut.
“Half of it’s smashed to bits!”
“True, that’s fair.”
Seoyeon conceded, realizing it was time to leave the coconut harvesting to the experts.
“Here.”
Seoyeon handed over a smashed coconut, pointing at Jung-woo.
He accepted it without hesitation as he obliged her.
“?”
He finally noticed the gaping hole in the coconut.
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