The old wooden fishing boat was falling apart, and both men on board knew it. Min-ho and his lifelong friend, Jun, were trapped in a thick, blinding sea fog that completely swallowed the water around them. To make matters worse, a brutal, month-long dry spell had left the two friends entirely broke and desperate.
Suddenly, a sharp pop echoed from the dashboard, followed by the terrifying smell of burning plastic. Wisps of gray smoke curled out of the radio box. “Oh no!” yelled Jun, frantically throwing a heavy cloth over the sparks. “The salt spray got into the main battery wires. The radio is completely melted. It’s dead, Min-ho.” Min-ho slammed his fist against the wooden wheel. Without a radio, they were completely cut off from the world—unable to hear weather updates or safety alerts.
Jun looked out into the foggy void, his face pale. “We are driving blind in the gray. The radio is gone, and we can’t see five feet in front of us. We need to turn this boat around and head back to land before we get into real trouble.”