“What about water and food?”
“I’ve prepared enough for 30 days.”
“Any more than that would be impossible, right?”
“Yes. I’d love to load more, but if we do, we might get stranded on the first day of the voyage. This time, the boat might even sink.”
When Seojin made a joke, Miller responded just as lightly.
“A plane crash and a shipwreck? Then we’d definitely be on TV a few times.”
“To be honest, just with our current situation, we’re already guaranteed a spot. ‘Two men who survived on a deserted island. How did they manage to stay alive!?’ Even that kind of special would run at least 10 episodes.”
“We’d make a lot of money, too.”
“Of course. If we negotiate the appearance fee well, we could even buy a house.”
“I’ll use this opportunity to buy a new car.”
“That sounds nice. But what about a house?”
“I already have two. One in LA. One in New York.”
“...”
Seojin paused for a moment after hearing Miller’s response. Then he let out a deliberate groan.
“Wow... So you’ve really tasted the sweetness of capitalism, huh? Wow... I didn’t realize before.”
“You’re interpreting what I said like that?”
“A bourgeois of modern society. A famous composer who knows nothing of the suffering of the common people!”
“For the record, I’m not that famous. I don’t even have any big hit songs. I’m just getting by after composing for a long time.”
“But you said you have two houses?”
“One on the East Coast, one on the West Coast. It makes working easier that way.”
“Yeah~ Yeah~ Someone like me is still living in a *jeonse* (a long-term lease), so owning a house has been my biggest concern.”
“What’s *jeonse*?”
“It’s something like that~. Anyway, while some people already own two houses and are thinking about upgrading their car, I feel the gap. The dream of owning my own house... it still feels so far away for me.”
Seojin’s tone was full of mischief.
Miller, who noticed this, wasn’t going to let it slide either.
“Hey, for the record, you’re still a minor, right? Why are you talking about houses already? If you keep thinking about money at your age, you’ll lose all your hair before you know it.”
“No way. And why can’t I talk about houses at my age? What else am I going to do when I start making money with my music?”
“...Alright. Let’s hear it, then.”
“Isn’t it obvious? Buy a house, buy a car, get a cute wife like a rabbit, and have a daughter who’s sly like a fox.”
“You got the order wrong. It’s a sly wife like a fox and a cute daughter like a rabbit.”
“I said it that way on purpose. On purpose. For the record, I think I’d prefer a wife like a rabbit. A fox-like daughter sounds cute, too.”
“...”
Miller felt a sense of pity as he remembered Seojin from three years ago, when he was still a pure and innocent kid.
How did that guy grow up to be like this?
It was clear who Seojin might’ve been influenced by, especially since he grew up on a tiny island with a population of two, so Miller didn’t have much to say.
In truth, there was a specific reason why Miller and Seojin were carrying on with such pointless chatter.
Today, the day before their departure, they were trying to relieve some of the tension.
This voyage wasn’t going to be smooth sailing.
They had desperately prepared for it while on the deserted island.
But in reality, they didn’t have much to begin with.
There wasn’t even a common map or compass.
Moreover, they didn’t even know exactly where they were.
All they knew was that they had crashed while on a flight from South Korea to Singapore, but beyond that, there was no other information available to them.
They were in a situation where they had to head out to sea with only a 0.1% chance of survival.
This journey was one where they could very well die.
Perhaps that’s why they were trying to lighten the mood with such a casual conversation.
As they continued to share stories, Miller and Seojin found themselves endlessly discussing various topics.
Stories born from the long time they’d spent on the uninhabited island.
Stories about music.
And even stories about their own lives.
All these stories were becoming perfect talking points for their journey tomorrow.
Seojin, after talking with Miller, was the first to turn in for the night. He wanted to conserve his energy since they had to start moving early the next day.
On the other hand, Miller couldn’t fall asleep at all.
Since the day he first experienced a lucid dream, he hadn’t had a peaceful night’s sleep.
Miller had all sorts of dreams. Sometimes, it even felt like the boundary between dreams and reality was collapsing. His sense of reality was fading.
That’s why he was afraid of sleeping, afraid of dreaming.
As time passed on the deserted island, Miller increasingly felt that something was off.
Everything here fit together too perfectly.
Miller and Seojin surviving the crash.
How they managed to find water and food without much difficulty.
Surviving the incident with the guitar case.
And finally, they built the boat.
None of it was easy, but in the end, they accomplished everything.
They were rewarded for the effort they put in.
In a way, it could be seen as the natural outcome.
But...
‘Could something like that actually happen in reality?’
He wasn’t sure.
Just because one put in effort didn’t guarantee results. One only needed to look at Miller’s life to understand that easily.
He felt like they’d only know for sure once they escaped this deserted island.
It was as if Miller’s instincts were telling him that this was the way to go.
‘Tomorrow… Yeah. I guess we’ll know tomorrow.’
The day before setting sail.
Miller only fell asleep after briefly glancing at the hand mirror beside him.
Unlike Seo-jin, who had grown considerably over the past three years,
He once again confirmed that he himself hadn’t aged at all during that time.
* * *
Early morning.
At high tide on the deserted island.
“One, two!”
With the signal, the two of them began pushing the boat with all their might.
The logs laid beneath the boat scraped against its bottom, creating a screeching noise. The wooden boat moved steadily toward the sea. The two of them splashed through the water, not stopping for a moment.
Not long after, the island’s silence was broken.
The boat gently floated up into the water.
At that moment, a cheer broke out. It had been two years since they started building the boat. Naturally, they were overwhelmed with emotion, which, in a way, was only expected.
The two kept moving busily.
They had already packed their belongings and loaded the oars and sail onto the boat.
The oars, made from chopping down a large tree, were fairly decent. However, the sail wasn’t much to speak of. It was a crude creation, made by weaving together dried palm leaves in layers. Still, it was better than nothing.
The last item loaded onto the boat was a black acoustic guitar case. Miller, who was receiving the items onboard, extended his hand to Seojin.
“Good thing we at least have this, right?”
Seojin, grabbing Miller’s hand tightly, replied, “Exactly. If we didn’t even have this, we might’ve died of boredom.”
Miller leaned back with all his strength and pulled Seojin aboard. Timing his jump with a couple of bounces, Seojin lightly leaped onto the boat.
The inside of the boat was extremely cramped. Piles of coconuts, dried fish, fishing rods, and two people—it seemed like there wasn’t any room left to step.
Still, it was a sturdy boat built with long voyages in mind. It wouldn’t sink easily.
Miller and Seojin began rowing slowly. Once they were far enough from the island, they planned to raise the sail based on the wind’s direction.
The uninhabited island behind them was gradually shrinking in the distance, not quickly, but steadily.
Mark Miller took in the view of the island several times, just as he did with Seojin’s face.
Already, he felt as though they were going to get lost. He had no clue where to go.
“Hey! Now!”
At that moment, Seojin urgently signaled to raise the sail, as if the wind had shifted.
Miller stared blankly at Seojin, who was getting things done without needing his instructions.
“Uncle!”
“Oh, right.”
Miller hurriedly raised the sail with Seojin. The sail, tightened in an instant by the blowing wind.
The boat swiftly moved forward, passing through the strange section of the current where Miller had retrieved the guitar case.
Towards that vast, open sea.
* * *
Just as night falls on a deserted island, night also descended upon the sea.
In the darkness, where it seemed nothing could be seen, a small wooden boat floated aimlessly.
The gentle waves rocked the boat as if cradling it, making it dance.
The boat drifted somewhere, not knowing where it was headed.
It seemed to be circling the same place aimlessly, then followed the wind and drifted once again.
Even in this lost place, countless stars lit up the sky.
Looking up at the night sky, stars twinkled above, and below them, the vast sea mirrored those same stars.
A quiet place where no sound could be heard.
And yet, there was something that sparkled.
How many people in the world have seen such a serene sea?
‘Well.’
He and Uncle Miller. At least two people, he supposed.
He reached out toward the stars that seemed close enough to touch.
And instinctively, he moved his fingers.
With the movement of his fingers, a beautiful melody brushed past his eyes.
It almost felt like he could actually hear that sound.
Even though it had been so long since he last played the piano.
This sound lingered clearly in his ears.
He wanted to play the piano. He wanted to create music.
He wanted to use what he learned from that quirky old man somewhere else, not here.
He tried conducting towards the stars.
Hoping the melody in his head would reach them.
For those who find sleep unbearable,
He hoped it would become another lullaby.
He prayed for the night to pass.
