381

Chapter 381

I don't usually enjoy gambling that much.

I'm the type of person who doesn't take risks unless there's solid evidence, and since gambling always involves risk, I'm the type that avoids it at the very least.

This time, I felt strangely irritated by the fish.

"What's going to happen to Karis if the last trap fails?"

The production team sometimes said something in passing to slightly stimulate my competitive spirit.

"Hyung-nim, this time, I'll definitely do it."

Since it was the first time in a while that I could spend time alone with Owen, I also felt that I had to show off my skills worthy of the title of Crown Prince in front of my younger brother.

And above all, I decided that it was necessary to create a good story myself, if only for the success of the program.

How thrilling it would be if the fishing that was a fail on the first day was dramatically successful on the last day.

After setting up the fish trap and returning to base camp, we tried making the mackerel stew that we had learned from our mothers along with sweet potato pancakes with the last remaining mackerel.

It wasn't as difficult as I thought since all I had to do was know the recipe.

Thanks to the seasoning sauce our mothers gave us, we didn't have to worry about the liver, which was the most worrying part.

"Now all we have to do is simmer it like this."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Owen, who had written down the entire recipe for mackerel stew on his phone, wiped the sweat from his forehead as he closed the lid of the pot.

While waiting for the mackerel stew to be ready, we sat on the floor for a while to rest.

"Hyung-nim. Wouldn't it be better to take out the fish trap now? There might be something in it."

Owen's mind seemed to be completely focused on the fish trap.

I knew that he was a very competitive and passionate person, but he was still too hasty.

I shook my head and stopped Owen.

"It's only been a few hours since the trap was lowered into the sea. According to the captain, we have to wait at least 12 hours to get meaningful results, so we can wait leisurely."

"It's too hard to wait.........."

"I understand how you feel. But what if you touch the trap in the middle and the fish don't come in?"

"Okay."

"Hmm, hmm.  We can just eat dinner, take a rest, and prepare for the day of the final battle tomorrow."

"We really need to be fully prepared."

Owen and I always talked like this in , so it didn't feel awkward at all.

However, the production staff who heard our conversations that sometimes became extremely serious would blink repeatedly and make an expression like they were wondering what the hell we were talking about.

Well, to an ordinary person, it might be very strange to use such profound words as a final battle or full preparation to catch a few common fish.

But it was different for us.

A proud and self-respecting royal family must always live with this kind of mindset.

Owen's mind was full of thoughts about catching fish, and even while eating, his gaze kept turning toward the shore.

I also had a calm expression on the outside, but inside, I was crazy wondering if the trap would really work, and if it did, what kind of fish would be caught.

A trump card that I, who usually doesn't take on dangerous adventures, tried after a long time.

I believe in my luck.

If one day is bad, the next day will definitely be good.

"Good night, hyung-nim."

"Sleep well, Owen. Let's sleep well today. Tomorrow will probably be a very tough day."

"Go to bed early and wake up early."

That's how we quickly drifted off to dreamland, and as if it was planned, we opened our eyes at the same time at 6 in the morning.

Usually, when you wake up, you blink your eyes and look around in a half-asleep state.

Owen, who had been thinking about fish for so long, muttered as soon as he woke up.

"Traps.......... Let's go collect the traps.........."

I couldn't help but say that he had a really great obsession.

We washed up briefly and walked straight to the rocky shore with our hats pulled down.

There were quite a few people who had been preparing for fishing since early in the morning.

When Owen and I bowed our heads and greeted each other, many of them waved happily.

I had a good feeling that I was getting a lot of energy from the fishermen.

We finally arrived at the place where the traps we had cast out yesterday afternoon were.

I put on the gloves I had brought from base camp and stared at the rippling sea.

"Let's try it out."

The trap went down so deep that pulling the line was no easy task.

The tension of the water was so strong that it was really hard to pull the trap up.

"Ugh!"

"Hyung-nim, are you okay? I'll help you-."

"No. It's okay! You just stay there and watch!"

Owen said he would help, of course, but I flatly refused.

I didn't want to make my brother work from the morning.

Since I was the only one who did the trap, I was solely responsible for it.

I had to take full responsibility for pulling it up, and for the results inside the trap.

I exerted so much force that the tendons in my arms were visible, that the trap, which seemed like it would never come up, slowly began to reveal itself.

Owen, who was watching the situation from the front of the rock, shouted at me to cheer up a little, saying that the trap was almost out.

"We're almost there, Hyung-nim! I can see a shadow! It looks like there's something inside!"

"Are you sure? Is there something inside?"

"Yes!"

When I heard that, I gritted my teeth and raised my strength even higher.

The news that there was something caught in the trap gave me new strength.

After all that hard work, the trap that was finally lifted to the ground was......….

"There's it. Owen! There's definitely something inside!"

"I told you, Hyung-nim!"

When I saw the creatures fluttering inside the trap, I let out an unusually loud cheer.

Owen, who was also excited, spread his arms and ran to me, giving me a hug of joy and emotion.

The gamble was a success.

I could have easily lost everything cruelly, but luck did not abandon me.

First, we escaped from the rocks to get the things inside the trap.

When I lifted the trap onto the solid harbor floor, two red fish with huge eyes, a few conches, and a very thin crab fell out.

It was a great success.

"I never imagined we would catch this many!"

Owen said happily, while at the same time holding the fish down with both hands to keep them from escaping.

I was out of breath from lifting the trap, but the smile never left my lips.

"Shall I try it?"

"I'll try to lift one."

"They're quite strong, so you have to be careful catching them, Hyung-nim."

We each picked up a fish and showed it off to the camera.

"What kind of fish is this?"

"It's a rockfish. It lives in the deep sea and is famous for its delicious taste."

"Hyung-nim, did you hear? It's really delicious!"

The PD licked his lips as he told us the name of the fish.

We had failed to catch fish one after another, so we probably would never have imagined that we would have such great success with the trap.

I enjoyed the joy of victory even more as I thought about that.

Just then, the captain of the mackerel farm, who had just finished fishing, came to where we were.

"We succeeded thanks to your advice, captain. Thank you so much!"

When I nodded my head and expressed my gratitude with my whole body, the captain acted coquettish and said that my fishing was just good.

Then he explained what the other creatures caught with the rockfish were.

"This is a horned conch. It's amazing when eaten raw, and it's also good when boiled. And this is a red crab. It's really delicious when boiled in soup."

"Red crab... I'll memorize it."

"Tsk, if you caught rockfish, it would be perfect to make spicy stew with them."

The captain, who even recommended what kind of menu to make, laughed heartily when Owen said he was going to try fishing later.

"Do you have any tips?"

"Fishing and traps are all a matter of luck. If you want to go to the sea, you'll catch it, and if you don't want to, you'll lose.  But today, I saw that both of you are in good shape, so be careful not to break the line."

The captain himself said that the two of us were in good spirits, so I felt even more confident.

Owen must have been the same, as he quickly held up a bucket filled with the catch from the trap and spoke to me in a strong tone.

"Hyung-nim, let's go back and have a hearty breakfast before heading out again. I'll go relieve my fishing fatigue."

The breakfast menu was steamed conch and rice.

I could immediately see why the conch, with its impressive crunchy texture, was a dish praised by so many people.

Owen said that he was amazed at himself while dipping the conch in soy sauce and eating it.

"I didn't really like seafood, but strangely, all the seafood I eat in Yokjido tastes good."

"I never knew you'd eat conch in soy sauce in your life."

"Hahaha, I didn't know either, Hyung-nim."

After recovering our energy like that, we headed back to the beach in the afternoon.

Owen, who couldn't even catch a lugworm on his own on the first day, showed extraordinary determination and put in the bait.

"I think I can catch it now, Hyung-nim."

"You've come a long way."

I said to the Dragon King who was watching from somewhere while I was throwing the fishing rod into the sea with Owen.

If you've made me suffer like this, please give me a present for the perfect ending.

Fishing is all about waiting.

We both felt this deeply on the first day, but today was really different.

So even though there was no bite for 20 or 30 minutes, we both just quietly stared at the fishing rod.

Right then.

"Here it is!"

Owen's fishing rod suddenly got sucked down.

Owen, who had a gut feeling that this was definitely a fish, immediately started to cast.

I looked at the tautly bending fishing rod and had a gut feeling that this was it.

'Since we've come this far, I hope we catch some kind of fish other than mackerel or rockfish!'

It was really exciting.

It was like a child thinking about what kind of gift awaited me on Christmas Day.

Owen carefully reeled in the taut fishing line so that it wouldn't burst.

After struggling with the fishing rod for about 10 minutes, we finally pulled the unidentified fish out of the water.

The staff who were filming us were more surprised than Owen and I by the appearance of its smooth body line and zebra-like visual.

"Stone bream! Stone bream!"

"Huh? Stone bream?"

"Hey, grab that quickly so it doesn't fall!"

I immediately grabbed the fishing line and used all my strength to safely lower the struggling stone bream to the ground.

Owen wondered why the crew was so excited, not knowing that the fish he had caught was precious.

"Why is everyone like that?"

"I know that too, Owen. This fish is said to be very delicious and hard to catch."

"Really?  But I won't believe anything other than what the captain says."

"Have you lost trust in the production team already?"

"Yes."

So Owen's expression brightened only after he went back to the captain and received final confirmation.

"We did it, Hyung-nim! I told you, today is different!"

"It's a wonderful day!"

The Yokjido prepared an amazing last gift for us.

On the way back to base camp with a sense of satisfaction, Owen looked out at the distant sea with slightly superior eyes and muttered very quietly to himself.

"...It would have been better if Ray had been here too."

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