Chapter 71
by GideonWatching the logs burn and pierce the darkness brought a sense of peace. So this is why people love camping, she thought, finally understanding the appeal.
“Corn and chestnuts would be great to roast, too,” she remarked casually.
Yundo reacted with immediate enthusiasm. “Really? Should we roast some of those, then?”
“We only have sweet potatoes,” she countered. “Let’s bring corn and chestnuts next time.”
“They’ll have them at the camp store. Maybe not chestnuts, but definitely corn.”
Yundo looked ready to go to the ends of the earth if it meant Hyewan could eat one more bite of something she craved.
She stopped him. “I didn’t say I wanted them. I just said they’d be good. We have plenty of sweet potatoes, so you don’t need to buy corn.”
“If we have leftovers, we can just take them home. If you’re going to eat, you should eat what you’re actually in the mood for.”
After checking the camp’s operating hours on his phone, Yundo stood up.
“The shop is open. I’ll go grab it.”
“You’re leaving me here alone?”
The vast campsite was empty, save for them and another car camper parked far away. The distance was so great that it felt as if they were the only ones in the deep, nighttime forest.
“It’s a long walk. What if your legs hurt when we get back?”
“What if someone kidnaps me?”
Worry after worry. Hyewan decided to play the damsel in distress, acting uncharacteristically fragile to put Yundo’s mind at ease.
“…I can’t have that. Let’s go together. I’ll carry you back.”
Hyewan took his outstretched hand and stood up. The sound of pebbles kicking under her toes was cheerful.
To reach the convenience store, they had to pass the car that shared this vast campsite with them. As they walked past, Hyewan absentmindedly turned her head back to look at the vehicle.
“That car… it looks really familiar. What do you think, Cha Yundo?”
At her words, Yundo’s brow furrowed deeply as he stared at the car.
“I was thinking the exact same thing.”
It was the very car he had gifted Bora.
“Did Bora come to see the stars? The Bora I know has zero interest in astronomy.”
Besides, Bora was all about luxury hotel stays. The idea of spending money and suffering through a trip was simply not in her vocabulary.
Just then, Hyewan spotted a familiar figure and yanked Yundo back.
“Hide!”
“Hyewan, my heart can’t take this!” Yundo exclaimed, nearly losing his balance.
“Shh!”
Yundo’s mouth was clamped shut as his eyes met Dong-yeong’s, who was still holding the pot.
I told you to be quiet!
Finding it impossible to pretend they hadn’t seen each other, Hyewan released Yundo and offered an awkward greeting.
“Hello, Manager.”
Dong-yeong’s gaze wandered, unsure where to land.
“Ah, well… Yes, hello.”
“Babe, who’s this?”
Bora, who had been skipping along like a cheerful manga heroine, came to a dead stop.
“Ko Hyewan? Why are you here?”
“I think I should be the one asking you that,” Bora retorted. “I told you I was going camping with Yundo to look at the stars.”
“You didn’t say here.”
Bora stomped her feet. “Ugh, seriously! There are so many campsites in Korea. How did we end up at the same one?”
Hyewan stared, dumbfounded. “Is this an affair? What do you mean ‘end up’?”
“It’s embarrassing! I bragged so much about how I’d never meet you again, and now I’m here, sounding like a fool. Thank God it’s dark, or my face would be bright red.” Bora glanced around. “There are only two groups at this campsite tonight, and it’s just you and me. This is unbelievable.”
Regardless, Hyewan, feeling utterly content, asked playfully, “Did you set this up?”
“Quiet! You’re echoing!”
“You said it yourself—it’s just us here. Why does it matter if it echoes?”
“Lee Dong-yeong can hear you!”
“Is this a state secret? Just tell me, who made the first move?”
“We both did. Satisfied?”
“That’s my friend. Our Bora is the best.”
“Right? What’s there to be embarrassed about between us? Like you said, it’s not an affair. It’s just two healthy, single adults traveling together.”
“Exactly!”
“The stars are beautiful.”
“They are.”
Hyewan and Bora exchanged a knowing smile.
A few steps away, Yundo grabbed Dong-yeong.
“You sly bastard.”
“What? What’s your problem? I’m not the only one. All men are sly.”
“You threw a massive tantrum when I told you to get back together, but you were meeting her secretly behind my back?”
“Who’s meeting in secret?” Dong-yeong snapped back.
“It’s not like Bora and I are anyone’s property.”
“That’s exactly why I’m asking why you kept it a secret, you sly bastard.”
“I kept it a secret precisely because I knew you’d react like this! You have zero tact, Sunbae. You should have just pretended you didn’t see us!”
“Look at this little shit. I was being dragged along by Hyewan. And you’re the one who came out before we could even pretend not to notice you.”
The two men watched Hyewan and Bora, who looked like they could chat all night.
“Dong-yeong, you’re thinking what I’m thinking, right?”
“Of course I am.”
Double dates were for Seoul. They hadn’t come all this way on a camping trip just to have it turn into a social mixer.
“Hyewan, the snack bar’s closing. Let’s hurry up and buy something. I’m starving.”
As Yundo grabbed Hyewan’s hand, Bora took the other.
“What do you need?”
The two men looked troubled.
“We were on our way to buy corn,” Yundo explained.
“We have some…” Bora started.
Dong-yeong quickly cut in. “Bora, we’re short on corn too. You know how much I love it.”
“If we eat it together…”
Before Bora could finish, Yundo urged Hyewan to leave. “Hyewan, let’s go. Don’t get in the way.”
Dong-yeong seized the moment, bowing deeply. “I’ll greet you properly in Seoul, sister-in-law.”
Only then did Hyewan realize what was happening and stand up.
“Bora, I need to go to the convenience store to buy a few more things.”
“What are you getting? We can just share whatever you buy while we hang out.”
Bora was the only one who didn’t get the hint. It wasn’t like all people who’d never dated were this way, but Bora’s lack of situational awareness was a classic sign of a first-timer.
“I’m leaving now.”
“Then come back here after you’re done at the store.”
Hyewan declined as politely as she could.
“Um, Bora. We’re going to go eat in the car first.”
They’d already eaten, but that didn’t actually matter.
“Okay, go ahead and eat. I’ll wait for you.”
Bora, can’t you feel Cha Yundo and Lee Dong-yeong glaring at you? Please, don’t wait.
Hyewan quickly grabbed Yundo’s arm.
“Let’s go.”
“Have fun, you two.”
Yundo said his goodbyes to Bora before shooting Dong-yeong a meaningful look. Good luck, buddy.
Fortunately, Dong-yeong had apparently done a good job of convincing Bora not to come. Yundo was genuinely relieved. By midnight, the sky had turned completely black.
Yundo draped a thick jacket over Hyewan’s shoulders and handed her a pair of binoculars.
“You can see them better with these.”
“Really?”
When she looked through the binoculars, the sky was a sea of stars. Countless stars shone brilliantly, as if sugar had been sprinkled across the heavens.
“Can you see them well?”
“Yes, I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s so beautiful.”
You’re the most beautiful thing in my eyes. When you smile, all my worries vanish.
“Yundo, you should look too.”
“I only need to look at you.”
“…So cheesy.”
She didn’t mind his direct, unabashed affection.
Time passed by in its usual, unremarkable way.
Hyewan visited Bora at school to cheer her on while she studied for the bar exam.
“Hey, I’m starving,” Bora said as soon as she saw Hyewan, immediately dragging her toward the convenience store in front of the campus.
“Don’t just eat like this. Let’s go get a real meal. I’ll buy you something good.”
“I’m too drained for that. Let’s eat this first to get enough energy to go eat something good.”
It was true—constant mental exertion always left her feeling weak and empty inside.
“Alright, let’s do that.”
Hyewan picked out a cup noodle, while Bora grabbed two cans of beer and some dried squid.
“I thought you were hungry? And it’s not even dark yet—you’re drinking beer?”
“I meant I was thirsty for a drink,” Bora replied.
Hyewan peeled back the lid of the cup noodle and filled it with hot water as she asked.
“What’s on your mind?”
“My friend, life is just one long series of worries. In that spirit, I’m gonna grab a cup of noodles too.”
Bora changed her mind and bought another cup. The two of them sat down at an outdoor wooden table.
Hyewan ate her steaming cup of noodles.
“Ramen is always better when you eat it outside.”
“Your appetite seems to have improved since the old days. Why are you still so skinny?”
“I know, right? It’s stressing me out. Yundo-ssi offered to make me some herbal medicine to boost my appetite, but I had to fight him off.”
“Why refuse? You should’ve just taken it.”
“It’s too bitter. I could never stand herbal medicine, even when I was a kid.”
Bora stared at her, dumbfounded.
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