Inside the fire-lit cave, Tang Yumo, looking slightly more haggard, sat opposite two sisters by the flickering fire.
She looked at them.
The elder sister, Lee So-yeon, had skyrocketed to fame five or six years ago with a K-pop dance hit. Even Tang Yumo, busy preparing for exams then, had seen her solo dance video. Devoid of the typical girl group affectations, she used catchy melodies and a queen-like MV style to perfectly hit the "female awakening" trend, leaving a deep impression.
Strangely, in her second year of fame, Lee So-yeon quietly announced her retirement at her peak, moving behind the scenes. This sparked massive global speculation—from company oppression to being kept by a chaebol heir or Illuminati member. The rumors trended for days, rivaling later controversies like Lisa at Crazy Horse.
Then a "reliable" source revealed through a famous Korean entertainment news outlet that Lee So-yeon's parents were shareholders of her agency. The next day, she appeared at a press conference with the CEO, announcing her new identity as the agency's vice president.
"Top idol retiring at peak is actually a hidden chaebol heiress"—this drama ignited social media again, boosting the agency's fame by two tiers. A highly successful marketing strategy.
And all orchestrating by the then twenty-three-year-old Lee So-yeon.
Five years later, on the anniversary of her sister's retirement, her twenty-year-old sister Lee Na-eun debuted with a catchy song and top-tier production, sweeping charts. Her playful, cute pink-haired image contrasted with her sister's cool persona. Though not as explosive as So-yeon, the idol sisters naturally drew attention.
Until now.
Though Tang Yumo couldn't see the outside world, she was certain the sisters' disappearance—or presumed death—would dominate trending lists for a long time.
But those scrolling and speculating wouldn't know their idols weren't dead from an accident, but were struggling desperately on a desolate island with a group of helpless women.
Staring at the fire, Lee So-yeon tucked her black hair behind her ear and spoke softly in English.
"Wendy is gone. Just now."
"...Is that so."
Tang Yumo paused, then nodded, helplessness and sorrow appearing on her face.
Wendy, a British woman of African descent in her mid-twenties, was a model. Cheerful, hardworking, and optimistic, she had taken good care of Tang Yumo recently.
Days ago, perhaps due to hunger or her casual nature, she ate too many raw conchs while gathering seafood, causing acute diarrhea that quickly developed into acute gastroenteritis. A box of antibiotics in the civilized world, but fatal here with zero medical care and scarce food/water.
With luck and nutrition, she might have recovered. But as the main food gatherer, her bed rest depleted the settlement's meager reserves. Her condition worsened to vomiting blood.
No miracle happened.
Tang Yumo wasn't experiencing this for the first time recently.
Having once given up on life and now witnessing companions die, unshakable beliefs in her heart quietly shifted.
"You can feel it too. It's getting harder. At this rate... it will be our turn eventually."
Lee So-yeon finally looked up, her gaze trembling as she met Tang Yumo's eyes.
"What you said before... about survivors on the other side. Can you tell me more?"
"Unnie!!"
As Tang Yumo expected, Lee Na-eun stood up instantly, looking at her sister in disbelief.
"You're not really thinking of asking men for help here, are you? How can you be so stupid?!"
"Enough! Na-eun!"
Lee So-yeon, temper flaring after losing a key companion, just wanted to prevent more pain. She understood her sister's concerns, but... survival was the priority.
"Shibal..."
Lee Na-eun clenched her small fists, shoulders trembling. Knowing her sister wouldn't change her mind, she turned and stomped out of the cave toward the settlement.
"Sorry, I won't be part of this. If Unnie wants to lead everyone into a fire pit, go ahead!"
Tang Yumo watched Na-eun's figure disappear into the night, a recurring thought surfacing.
She looked just like her past self.
Except Na-eun was more radical and brave, genuinely trying to survive without men and leading her companions with all her might.
Na-eun was the one who saved Tang Yumo from drowning, giving her a second chance on this side of the island.
Though equally naive, Na-eun was purer than the old Tang Yumo.
But Tang Yumo knew everyone on the island had to be responsible for their decisions.
"Sorry. You know my sister's personality. She had a bad relationship with our dad and is prejudiced against men."
Lee So-yeon apologized helplessly.
"It's okay. I understand her... my thoughts were similar back then."
Tang Yumo looked back at the fire, deliberately buried memories surfacing.
"What do you want to know?"
Lee So-yeon's gaze turned serious. After a silence, she asked in detail.
Numbers, personalities, lifestyle, food and water reserves, terrain...
Tang Yumo nodded, patiently recounting everything she knew. This time, she didn't add subjective judgments about Chuck's behavior or psychology, just stating facts.
She had explained this on her first day, but back then, life was passable and no one had died, so they resisted the idea of a strong male.
Now, Lee So-yeon listened with unprecedented focus.
Hearing "no shortage of food and ample water," she clapped her hands.
"That's what I needed to hear. Are you sure? Supplies are abundant?"
"Mmh, I'm sure."
Tang Yumo, startled by her sudden excitement, nodded patiently.
"Then... if we add everyone from our side?"
Tang Yumo hesitated, then nodded.
"Should be enough."
"Should be..."
The answer didn't satisfy Lee So-yeon.
Growing up privileged in Korea, stepping on commoners to rise, she knew a place's wealth didn't guarantee a good life for its inhabitants.
"That man, Chuck, right? So Tang, what kind of person... do you think he is?"
Lee So-yeon asked the decisive question.
Tang Yumo didn't answer immediately.
Past scenes flashed. Combining past feelings with present scrutiny, a new image of that man formed in her mind.
Bystanders see clearer. Humans are contradictory; misunderstandings happen in the moment, but retrospect reveals truths ignored before.
The other side was resource-rich but dangerous—bears, pythons, wolves. Medical and housing conditions were harsh.
Yet Chuck, alone, built a stone house on that slope and gathered the stranded women...
Her first sight was Chuck having wild sex by the sea. The shock made her label him a lustful demon.
But now she realized: more than lustful, he single-handedly provided a safe, comfortable life for so many women—something she and the Lee sisters dreamed of but couldn't achieve. Rather than a demon, he was simply...
"Strong."
Tang Yumo looked up at the stunned Lee So-yeon, summarizing in one word.
Lee So-yeon frowned, wanting to ask more, but stopped, understanding the depth of that word.
"Strong," not "evil" or "violent," implied power without necessary malice.
Man, woman, food, sex. Combining Tang Yumo's description with Chuck's actions—a strong man gathering women—his character outline formed in Lee So-yeon's mind.
A difficult choice emerged.
Despite being a top idol and privileged, neither sister had been intimate with a strange man.
Na-eun's resistance stemmed from her father. So-yeon, though less extreme, had witnessed more of their father's dark side, sharing the distaste for men.
And they didn't like women either.
This secret, unknown even to their parents and company, was their pact.
We need no one else, just each other.
But now... was she breaking that pact?
Lee So-yeon was silent for a long time before asking the final, crucial question.
"Tang, do you remember how you came... from the other side to here?"
...
Meanwhile.
"3, 2, 1, music!"
Before dark, the women lit the fireplace and served food and drinks.
At 6 PM, Julia clapped, and Momo pressed play on her phone.
"Cheers!—"
Glass cups filled with fruit wine clinked under jazz music and warm firelight. Party started.
Not a formal dinner, but a party. They sat on a large carpet of blankets, food aside, phones, bottles, and game props in the center.
Sipping the sweet, low-alcohol mulberry wine, even first-timer Momo felt fine, marveling at the taste.
Seeing their happy faces, Chuck prepared to liven the atmosphere. But the golden figure beside him stood up abruptly, shouting excitedly.
"Come on, let's start! King's Game!!"