episode_0005

I seriously pondered whether self-sufficiency in food was possible.

I’m not some deep-sea creature whining about it.

Wow, there it is, a can of preserved bread! You can’t survive on canned food alone, can you?

For the sake of mental health, it’s necessary to occasionally eat fresh food.

“If humans decrease, naturally other animals and plants will increase.”

Fresh ingredients are obviously necessary for fresh food.

Naturally, I began to consider real-time gathering.

Farming takes a long time and is risky if discovered, so I rejected that idea.

Hunting doesn’t seem easy either.

As a result, I came to the conclusion that doing something like fishing, where you can just sit still, is the best option.

It’s not because I want to be a recluse in my room, avoiding work.

So, before the apocalypse arrives, I decided to learn how to fish.

I was surprised by the expensive price of fishing rods, or spent a few days learning how to make one by watching survival YouTube videos on deserted islands.

I started practicing fishing in a place a little away from my hideout.

But this thing called fishing… It’s not as easy as I thought.

I regretted coming every day and just wasting my time.

One day, an elderly man who was also fishing approached me and struck up a conversation.

“Oh, a young person who comes here every day. Seems like you really enjoy it?”

Looking back now, he might have found it strange that I, a young person, was just fishing without doing any work.

The kind smile of the grandfather left a strong impression as he brought up various topics.

Where do I live, what do I do, is fishing a hobby, and so on.

I don’t generally like people.

But he wasn’t some clueless old man who had done nothing with his life, probably having experienced three times more than me.

The conversation continued with the grandfather asking questions and me answering.

Gradually, I started to enjoy this encounter with the grandfather.

Fishing has a mysterious aspect to it, so while we were talking, time seemed to fly by quickly.

At some point, we naturally sat side by side, holding our fishing rods.

“If I remember correctly, I caught a lunker while fishing before! The moment I held it in my hands, it felt different, solid. Later, when I saw what my son had caught, it was 55 centimeters long and weighed around 5 kilograms.”

From my investigation, I learned that bass over 50 centimeters are classified as lunkers. As an amateur, I don’t know how impressive the weight is…

Considering my grandfather’s age, it must be quite an achievement. As usual, I responded appropriately to his bragging.

“Oh, I see. Is it here?”

“No, somewhere else.”

“Why did you come here with such a great catch?”

“Oh… I can’t remember where I caught it.”

“…”

“Hahaha! You should get old too! I couldn’t even remember yesterday’s date and got scolded by my son.”

“Oh, I see.”

“This person doesn’t believe me! I even made spicy soup with it for my son and daughter-in-law!”

Whether it was bragging or not, it was true that my grandfather was quite knowledgeable about fishing. From his form to his attitude towards fishing, he was different.

“The most important thing in fishing is your mindset. The angler’s spirit. When you look at these fish, you can tell they were enticed by human greed. So, you always have to stay calm to catch them.”

“Oh, so the mindset is more important than the fishing rod and bait.”

“What nonsense. Expensive equipment is obviously the best. So, lend me some of yours.”

“No, Grandpa…”

Fishing was still just a hobby for my grandfather. But it was clear that he had more experience and knowledge than me, who had just started. I diligently learned various things from my grandfather, like the flow of water, how to properly attach bait, how to maintain the fishing rod, and how to clean the fish. After spending a few days with empty hands, thanks to my grandfather’s teachings, I became a decent angler. If I had learned on my own, it would have taken much longer, I’m sure. They say even stealing one bite of food makes you a student. With this level, I could probably call myself a disciple.

“Well, there’s nothing more to teach. You can retire now.”

“Huh? But I want to continue.”

From then on, I also developed an interest in fishing. They used to say that it’s more dangerous to learn late. Before I knew it, I was completely engrossed in fishing itself, the leisurely healing time, and conversations with my grandfather. “Fishing like this reminds me of the old days.” “The old days? Did you catch that big fish?” “No, we used to go fishing together, just like this, my friend and I.” Hearing my grandfather refer to me as his friend, I nodded slightly, touched. “He was very handsome and had a great personality, just like you.” When I gave my grandfather a suspicious look, he avoided my gaze with his characteristic chuckle. “But you’re better than that guy. He used to vent his anger in strange places.” “Oh, venting his anger?” “There was a time when I made a fishing appointment with him, but he didn’t show up, boasting all the while. When I asked why, he said he had a fight with his wife. His face was all swollen.” My grandfather laughed heartily as if recalling old memories. “Even though he went fishing, he couldn’t calm down for a long time. But back then, development wasn’t as advanced as it is now. Didn’t a fox appear in front of us?” At that point, I sent him a warm gaze. In fact, this grandfather of mine liked to show off quite a bit. Sometimes he couldn’t remember what he had said or his words didn’t match. I suspected it was also part of his unique way of showing off. “This bad friend got angry and threw stones at a foolish fox to chase it away. So I warned the fox that if it did that, it would be retaliated against later. But guess what? That friend’s lunchbox was completely empty, not a single grain of rice left!” “Oh, so the fox took revenge by stealing his lunchbox?” “Probably. Foxes are mysterious creatures, you know. But you still have to eat lunch. So I decided to share some of my food. Not a lot, about half.” “That’s generous of you.” “Hahaha! Anyway, I opened the lunchbox. Well, as expected… the fox isn’t usually wicked. Even my lunchbox was almost half empty.” Oh, this is quite an interesting story, isn’t it? “Smart, aren’t they? So what happened in the end?”

“What happened? As evening came, I got hungry and went to my wife to beg for food.”

“Wife? Not a fox?”

I blinked for a moment.

Then I realized the truth and burst into laughter.

“Ahahaha!”

“Puhahahaha!”

Even Grandfather laughed at this.

Our fishing trips were always so enjoyable.

****

How much time had passed like that?

Now I had become skilled enough to fish alone.

But at some point, Grandfather stopped coming to the fishing spot.

It was a place where there weren’t many people to begin with.

I sat alone in the spot where we used to drink side by side, absentmindedly setting up my fishing rod.

“….”

Did I also grow quite fond of Grandfather?

The solitary time felt lonely, and above all, I started worrying about him.

As the country grew chaotic with impending doom.

I decided to go look for Grandfather after much contemplation.

Just as Grandfather had his fishing techniques, I pride myself on being familiar with finding people.

The place I went to find him was a shabby apartment.

According to the information, Grandfather lived here with his son’s family.

But they had moved out now.

To be sure, I asked the neighbors about Grandfather.

The content I heard from a gossip-loving lady was quite shocking.

“That old man has dementia, you know.”

“What?”

It was a surprising story for me.

Grandfather had dementia?

His skillful fishing that he showed me was far from dementia.

However, Grandfather always had something awkward and strange about him when it came to topics other than fishing.

Anyway, what mattered most between us was never about fishing gear.

I realized this belatedly.

“So, did he leave for treatment because of dementia?”

“That too… but the baby in that house died. After that, the old man and the baby’s mother went to a mental hospital due to the shock.”

By this point, my lips were drying up as if withering away.

Grandfather never once boasted about his ordinary grandson to me.

Why did he act that way, even engaging in trivial chitchat?

“But there was something strange about the baby’s corpse. It looked like it had been boiled in hot water…”

I returned from the apartment where Grandfather had lived turned hideout.

I could have looked into it further, but I didn’t feel like doing so. Instead, just in case, I searched for a word on the internet.

[The average weight of a baby at 1-3 months is 4.5-6.4kg for boys and 4.2-5.8kg for girls. The height of boys ranges from 54.7cm to 61.4cm, while girls range from 53.7cm to 59.8cm.]

-By the way, when I was fishing before, I caught something big. It felt heavy in my hands. Later, when I saw what my son gave me, it was 55cm long and weighed 5kg.

[But there was something strange about the baby’s body. It looked as if it had been boiled in hot water…]

-Gosh, can’t trust this person! I even made spicy soup with that for my son and daughter-in-law!

Thud!

“Phew…”

At this point, I completely gave up on finding out about my grandfather.

More precisely, I couldn’t muster the courage to confirm his condition.

“It’s okay. We still don’t have any definite information.”

Perhaps that old lady heard false rumors.

There might be a separate happy truth.

Maybe I won the lottery and left behind my fishing buddies to go buy that fancy fishing rod I envied.

With that self-deception, I carefully stored the fishing rod I bought as a gift in the warehouse.

“….”

Until I could confirm it with my own eyes, nothing was certain.

Before knowing the truth, everything seemed like the fox’s revenge.