After Story 268

After Story 268

“Did you get the burner?”

“I got that first. It’s underneath the canteen,” Daemyung said as he closed the trunk.

Maru nodded and got in the car.

“What’s my boss doing?” Daemyung asked as he sat in the passenger seat.

“Preparing for her fan signing.”

“Didn’t you say she held one last time?”

“That was for a different company.”

“A famous person sure is different alright. Don’t you have any of that?”

“I don’t. That’s why I can go camping with you like this.”

Maru started the car and drove off. He put on some familiar pop music and drove onto the highway.

“How long does it take to get to Yeosu?”

“I think we should be there before lunch.”

“I guess we should be able to have food with the sea breeze, huh?”

Daemyung reached his hand toward the back seat. He rummaged through the bags before taking out some dried squid.

“When did you get that?” Maru asked.

“Squid, popped rice, and boiled eggs. I have every snack for the highway, so just tell me what you need.”

Daemyung pulled out a squid leg and stuffed it in Maru’s mouth.

“What have you been doing these days? You should have some time left over since you’re done with the script, right?” Maru asked as he chewed on the squid.

“Have you heard about burnout syndrome? I’m suffering from that right now. When I was working on the script, I thought I would go back to polishing my own work once I was done with it, but now that I’m actually done, I lost all motivation. I feel like I’m mentally exhausted.”

“It’s not surprising. You were focusing on that script for months.”

Daemyung leaned his chair backward and spoke,

“That’s why I was really glad when you invited me camping. What I need right now is some time to eat, drink, and poop without thinking about anything like a total idiot.”

“That’s why you’re planning to sleep?”

“Wake me up in 2 hours, I’ll change with you. I didn’t have a good sleep last night, so I’m dizzy right now.”

“Why? Were you working on something?”

“No, I just couldn’t sleep like a kid on the night before a picnic. This is the first time I’m going somewhere since I was in high school.”

“The one-day trip to Busan with the others was the last one?”

Daemyung closed his eyes and nodded.noVE/Lb.In

“Yeah, that was the last one. I started working right after I graduated and then went to the military, and ever since I got discharged, I was in the shipyard. I was under the mindset that resting was not good and that I should earn a lot while I was still young. Then I had a breather thanks to Haneul. But now that I had some rest, it feels like all the accumulated fatigue is assaulting me at once.”

“You worked hard, working and acting like a good son.”

“Like hell I’m a good son. I only gave her money and never even got to act like a good son.”

I’m gonna sleep – Daemyung said as he put his eye shades on.

“That’s some good preparation.”

“It’s one of the necessities when you live with others.”

“Alright. Get some sleep. I’ll wake you up later.”

“Wake me up in two hours. I’d love to talk to you, but I’m too sleepy right now. Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry about that. Get some sleep.”

Daemyung dozed off and soon he started snoring. Maru lowered the volume of the music and focused on driving.

After a few hours of humming along to some songs, he arrived at the camping site near Cheongang Mountain in Yeosu.

“Mr. Park Daemyung. Wakey-wakey,” he said as he tapped on Daemyung.

Daemyung groaned and flipped around a few times before taking his eyeshades off.

“What, where are we? A highway fuel stop?”

“We’re way past the highway. We’re in Yeosu now.”

“We’re in Yeosu?”

“You didn’t even wake up once, huh? It looks like you were really tired.”

Daemyung yawned and undid his seatbelt.

“You should’ve woken me up. I told you I’d drive.”

“I’d rather drive myself than have someone half-asleep take the wheel.”

He got out of the car and stepped foot onto the gravel. As this was a camping site that wasn’t well-known, there weren’t that many cars. They picked up their luggage and went to the camping site management office next to the parking lot. There, they bought some firewood and then started roaming around for a suitable place to camp.

“I think it smells a little like the sea.”

“The sea’s right nearby, so.”

“But hey, we got a burner, so why do we need firewood?”

“Cooking meat on a pan will take ages. Also, we’re outside. We should grill the meat directly on the fire. Daemyung. This place looks good.”

Maru cleared out some rocks with his feet and put up a tent.

“This is the first time I’m putting up a tent since I was in the military,” Daemyung said as he connected some poles.

“But hey, grilling meat in this weather is going to be hard.”

“That’s what’s fun about camping. It’s inconvenient and uncomfortable.”

“If I knew that things were going to be like this, I should’ve said that we should just go to a hotel when you asked me out to go camping.”

“A ho-cation[1] is different from camping.”

“Hocation? What’s that?”

Maru just glossed it over by saying that it was a term that was going to be used in the future before putting some dirt in a plastic container. He poured the dirt on top of the tent peg and flattened it before piling up some flat rocks.

“If we light up the firewood and place a grill on it, we’ll have a barbecue spot to spend the next two days at.”

“That’s crude. Are you sure it’s not going to get flipped over while cooking?”

“That’s why we have to be careful if we don’t want to eat meat covered in dirt.”

After fiddling around, it was already almost five in the evening. The sun was still above them. As they had only eaten instant noodles for lunch, they started getting hungry.

“The summer sun sure is freakishly long,” Daemyung said as he looked at the sky, “Lighting a fire will make it even worse.”

“You have to fight heat with heat. Daemyung, bring me the firestarter.”

Maru piled up the firewood like he was stacking up matches before putting the firestarter in the middle. It seemed to be a good one as it didn’t take long until the fire started. Smoke rose from the dried firewood for a long while before it turned into a fire.

“You gotta eat well even if you die. That way your body will look better than ones that starved.”

Daemyung put the meat they brought on top of the grill. The meat started sizzling with an appetizing sound.

Maru took out some beer and soju from the chiller box.

“It’s warm for some reason.”

Even the chiller box couldn’t win against the summer heat. He tossed a lukewarm can of beer over to Daemyung. Daemyung chuckled powerlessly as soon as he received the can before drinking the beer.

“Was beer always like this?”

“How is it?”

“I don’t know how I should describe it. It turns out I’ve been drinking beer for the chill, not the barley in it.”

Daemyung giggled and finished the rest of the beer.

“But it’s not half-bad.”

“That’s the fun of lukewarm beer. It’s a little better if you mix some soju in it.”

“Let’s drink later. I need to eat something. If I drink in this heat with an empty stomach, I’ll probably collapse.”

Maru put some vegetables, ssam-jang, and the rice he cooked on a canteen on top of the foldable table.

“The rice turned out really good.”

“How many years of experience do you think I have with cooking rice in a pot?”

While he scooped out the rice and plated the meat he sliced up, the sun started setting. He could see other people gathered around their own fires in front of tents installed throughout the site intermittently, seemingly preparing their own dinner.

“It’s hot even with the sun gone.”

“It’s the time when the heat from the ground comes up. If you lie down inside the tent right now, it’ll feel really warm.”

“That sounds terrible.”

They had a dinner table with some lukewarm beer. Daemyung wolfed away the meat at a frightening speed. Maru also busily moved his chopsticks.

“I thought I wouldn’t have any appetite in this weather, but I can’t stop once I started.”

“There’s a lot of meat, so eat to your heart’s content.”

He handed over some packs of meat. They had pork now, so it was time for beef.

“Look at the price tag on this thing. I got to eat such good meat like this thanks to having a good friend, huh? But hey, isn’t this expensive? I think it’s ten times as expensive as the pork we just ate.”

“I want to feed you something more expensive, but there wasn’t anything else.”

“That was the most touching line I’ve heard all this year. I should use it as a line somewhere. What’s unfortunate is that it’s a man who said that to me. If a girl my type said that to me, I would’ve proposed on the spot.”

“Use that line when you date someone. Tell her you prepared it for her.”

Daemyung spoke as he made some ssam.

“That is if I date someone.”

“Do you feel like dating now that you have some leeway?”

“I’ve always wanted to date someone. But I’m not in the right environment, so I have no choice but to delay it.”

He poured some soju for Daemyung who smiled awkwardly.

“Did you tell your mother that you’re writing?”

“I told her ever since I started commuting to the office that Haneul prepared for me.”

“What did she say?”

“My mom always encourages me in whatever I do, and she always says sorry. My mom is sorry about everything in this world for me.”

“How’s her health?”

“When I ask, she always says she’s okay. When the shipyard team disbanded and I came back to the house, I told her that we should get her checked up. When I did, she caused a fuss saying that medical expenses are expensive. The hardest thing in this world is to use money on mom.”

“How are her knees?”

“She became a lot better ever since she stopped working. But who knows? Maybe she’s acting like she’s okay in front of me.”

Daemyung held out his paper cup. The soju Maru just poured for him couldn’t be seen.

“Don’t drink too fast. If you get drunk and pass out, I won’t be able to handle it.”

“I guess I’m pretty heavy.”

Daemyung drank some water before continuing,

“When I worked on the script for the film this time, I had a lot of fun. Maybe that’s what it means to have fun even if it’s hard. Of course, towards the end, I was gnashing my teeth. But ever since I got acknowledged by you and Haneul after I finished it, and got praised by director Na, I couldn’t feel happier.”

“The script is just that well-written. The emotions that Haneul wants are in there. I was impressed when I read it as well.”

“But you know, after I finished the script, I felt dejected again. Haneul told me I could keep using the office, but even if I write something there, it doesn’t mean I’ll earn money immediately. I can’t ask Haneul for more money so shamelessly when I’m done writing the script.”

The smiling Daemyung started sighing. He seemed to be drunk because of the heat and the alcohol.

“I got a call a few days ago. It was the team leader from the shipyard, and he told me he opened up an office in Seoul and wanted me to come. He said I should work for a while and that he’ll put me in a managerial position once I’m old enough.”

“So you’re going there?”

“I haven’t replied to him yet. But I was tempted the moment I heard that. Writing is an insecure future, but that line of work will earn me money immediately.”

Maru drank some as he listened to Daemyung’s words. Then he spoke,

“You should write. I’ll help you out with it.”

“I don’t have the face to keep receiving help from you.”

“I wouldn’t say this to just anyone. I would’ve told them to think about the reality and then make their judgment. But for you, I want to look out for you. So don’t give up on writing.”

“If I end up becoming a NEET that can’t do anything, I might end up continually leeching off you.”

“You can do that. I am capable enough to feed one friend. Or, I’ll just set you up with a shop later.”

“I’ll get confused if you joke with a serious expression like that.”

“You’ll see if I’m joking or not. But you probably won’t need my help. You are someone who’ll do well.”

“I am?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not so sure though.”

“If you aren’t, then try believing in this friend of yours for once. I’ll make sure that you won’t lose anything from it.”

Daemyung grinned and spoke,

“Don’t you regret this later. You’re gonna have a hard time if you want to feed a NEET friend who can’t do anything in his forties.”

“I don’t think society will let you be a NEET until you’re forty, you know? So don’t worry and keep writing.”

“Hey, Han Maru. How are you going to survive in this society when you’re too kind for your own good? You should be a little more cold-hearted. I think scammers will drool over you.”

“I’m not that kind-hearted though.”

“Like hell you aren’t.”

Daemyung smiled before leaning back and lying down.

“Thanks. I didn’t know that having someone trust me would give me so much strength. Words are a curious thing.”

“If you wanna lie down, then go inside the tent. Don’t lay down on top of the dirt.”

“Hey, isn’t this what camping is about? You lie down and look at the stars. Look at that. There’s a bright star over there.”

“That’s a satellite.”

“You’re so unromantic.”

Maru smiled and took his phone out. He took a selfie with Daemyung in the background.

Two men, tanned by the fire from the bonfire, were on the screen.

“Looking good.”

“Two total beggars, alright.”

Daemyung laughed out loud.

[1] Hotel+vacation