“I’ll bring a chicken from home and treat it as a wholesale price.”
“From home?”
“Because we raise them in the yard.”
“Ah. You’re raising them as pets.”
“Nah. As for human consumption.”
“……”
“I raised them since they were chicks and when they bear eggs I raised those too.”
“But it must have been hard to raise the chickens so we can’t just eat them.”
“It’s ok, we have 7 chickens at home. First is Boiled Egg. Second is Sunny Side Up.”
“No way, those are their names?”
“Correct. The third one is called Mother Hen. Because she raises the chicks. Or I should call her the Protagonist since she’s also one that bears new arrivals. From the forth one upward are classified as food. Soup, Fried, and Sauce. The seventh one is the youngest, Half Sauce Half Fried. The naming process is altered by family branches, but the full name doesn’t get pass on from generation to generation.” (that is, 2nd gen — ‘half fried’, 3rd gen — ‘fourth fried,’ never just fried.)
“……”
Do not expect warmth from Lee Hyun. Even chickens he raised are just food!
Port of Incheon waterfront terminal.
Students were chatting away about the upcoming ‘pleasant’ MT.
“Uwhew, it’s finally today.”
“I only wish today had not come.”
“How much are we’re gunna suffer.”
The sophomores and the more seniority students were already in haggard appearances.
The generations who had already done an MT weren’t at all relief.
They weren’t so confident about the special concept of the MT trip.
“But it’s the coast this time around. It’s on a small and pretty island too, so it’s better off.”
“Come to think of it, the last time it was hard because we had to climb a lot of mountains. This time, that’s not going to happen.”
“Oh btw, what kind of food did your group prepared?”
“Instant ramen. We also have around 1 kilo of pork to eat.”
“Sounds a lot like us.”
“With a budget this low, I bet all the other groups are like this also.”
The new students were carefully taking to the seniors in order to enjoy their time.
The purpose of the MT trip was to build up motivation and it was an opportunity to make a good relationship with the seniors!
Lee Hyun and his group members also huddled up.
“What the hell is that?”
His group members had no intention to show the materials and tools Lee Hyun had prepared.
Contained in the black vinyl bags consisted of unknown things!
It didn’t feel like the normal tools such as tent, oven, or cookware.
There was even one with holes perforated into it, while the sounds of struggled flapping and knocking came from within.
Kkokkodek! (cockadoo)
“Shup it!”
After Lee Hyun’s piercing shout, the sound from out of nowhere stopped.
“……”
“No way…”
To the group member’s surprise, the cold eyes of Lee Hyun let off slightly.
“There’s less taste from frozen meat.”
Lee Hyun did not bring an ice box.
It was heavy and expensive to use only just once so he didn’t see the point.
Instead, the frozen pork was thrown into a Styrofoam box.
He then threw in a few extra ice bags, and completely sealed it with wrapping tapes.
With that, it should be able to retain that degree for about 23 days.
However, there was no point to do it to the chicken.
Between raw and frozen meat, there was a subtle difference in taste.
Because of that, the selling prices were different.
So, Lee Hyun chose to bring the youngest Half Sauce Half Fried raw rather than having him frozen.
If you are not Lee Hyun then don’t even think about it!
After a bit more time had passed, it was the right time to get on the ferry.
“Well then, let’s get on the boat. We’re departing.”
With the professors leading, the students followed and boarded the ship.
The students had no intention to watch the sea from the deck.
The waves calmly rolled and the seagulls lazily glided above.
For the students who are first timer on a boat, this was a very strange experience for them.
“The boat’s rocking.”
“This is a volleyball.”
Conversations broke out with the boys trying to cozy up with the girl they like as they straddled next to the girls.
A moment in time to enjoy the peaceful happiness.
Also, at Lee Hyun’s side was Seoyoon.
Ever since Incheon, she stayed at Lee Hyun’s side.
He was her only trusted friend, so she did not want to leave his side.
‘You’re planning to preoccupy me up till Incheon as well.”
While Lee Hyun was trembling in fear, he did not want to miss the opportunity of seeing Seoyoon’s face so close to him.
‘Ima watch you in detail to make the best sculpture.’
Standing next to her, at this distance, he was close enough that it was possible for him to see any facial fuzz.
In the wind, her ebony hair dispersed gently as it passed.
In Baran village, and in the north, every time there was a need, he would sculpt Seoyoon from what he felt.
He wanted to express bits and bits more of her beauty when creating sculptures.
In this moment, he wanted to imprint a picture permanently onto something instead of his mind.
For Lee Hyun, this was the first time he ever felt that.
‘Need to have a picture, there’s no point in having it in my memory and can’t recall it when I need to…’
He felt as if the whole ocean was drowning in her ambiance.
Seoyoon’s beauty was to that extent.
Additionally, the corners or her lip slightly elevated!
If he didn’t see it that close then he would have never saw the change in expression.
‘That’s nice to have.’
Lee Hyun had observed Seoyoon’s expression very closely, but he did not know what she was feeling.
Seoyoon was happy, though she did not show a wider smile.
With the boat having been at sea for a long time, she was getting comfier with time.
The professors came out onto the deck and took off their coats.
They appeared to be Marine uniforms!
“This is the perfect time to tell you about this MT trip.”
The remark was made by Professor Ju Jonghun.
The students gathered together on the deck and wait for him to talk in silence.
“As you may have known, the original location of this MT was at Seung Bong Do. It is an extremely beautiful island. But it became clear that for this trip, for the purpose of having a wildlife experience, it was not fitting; so we cancelled. It’ll be better for you to visit Seung Bong Do at a later date.”
Ju Jonghun said this while expanding his smile.
“It’d be good to know in advance that it isn’t Seung Bong Do.”
“Then, where are we going for this MT, professor?”
Asked the senior students, be Ju Jonghun did not leak anything.
“You’ll find that out eventually. In the mean tine, you don’t need to worry too much about it. It’s Sil…nah, though this island makes sense for this trip. It’s truly the wilderness and has the spirit of selflessness; it’s the best location to take advantage of the opportunity to nurture the blazing hot camaraderie!”
Due to the professor’s remark, the students were buzzing busily making guesses.
“Hmm where at. Certainly make sense if it’s one of the islands in the Yellow Sea.”
“Nope, not there.”
There are numerous of beautiful islands belonging Republic of Korea in the Yellow Sea.
The fishermen would board their ship and go fishing, while the rest of their families are to remain working on the fields in wait.
The students were still pondering about the island and had no intention of letting up guessing its name.
But many of the senior students had already given into the immense sense of disappointment and began gazing toward the abandoned Incheon ports.