Dad, I Finally Realize
"Dad, I finally get it now."
I'd even finished typing in the title: [SUB] No Camper Without a Story. (with Nana Channel). Now... just one last thing remained.
...Let's go.
I swallowed hard, squeezed my eyes shut, and clicked the mouse.
Click.
> [Uploading video...]
A message popped up in the center of the screen—[Uploading video...]—along with a spinning loading icon. Those few seconds of waiting felt like hours.
Finally, a new message appeared.
Done. The dice were rolled.
Yeah, I'll check the results tomorrow morning. Dad always said real men don't get all worked up over stuff like this.
"Alright, times like this call for getting moving!"
I jumped up from my chair and dove into the cleaning I'd been putting off for weeks.
Thirty minutes later, the room sparkled, but my mind was still stuck on that one word: views.
This won't do. Okay... exercise it is!
I dropped to the living room floor and started push-ups.
"Hah... n-no, hah, one..."
...I couldn't even do a single one. Exercise abandoned.
"Guess I'll shower..."
After a refreshing shower, I flopped into bed feeling clean and clear-headed.
Ah, damn... I can't take it. How many views by now? Any comments? What if it's all hate comments and the channel's already toast?
I couldn't resist. With trembling hands, I logged back into YouTube Studio.
Meanwhile, over at a certain site's Camping Gallery.
It started as a spot for chatting about a Japanese camping anime. But as time passed and only the hardcore vets stuck around, it evolved into a holy ground for gearheads debating equipment and survival skills.
There, one post shattered the peaceful dawn.
Preview's got some killer vibes? Main vid should be worth watching lol
Underneath, the gallery users piled on with their usual lukewarm takes.
A few minutes later, the same IP user dropped a new post, title screaming hype.
(Link to Han Areum's video)
Holy shit. Amid all those gross exposure-one-trick thot camping girl YouTubers, a real one's appeared to shake things up.
The first reactions came from the usual lurkers.
At first, reactions mixed suspicion and mockery. But the moment the first brave soul clicked the link out of curiosity, the vibe shifted hard.
[Comments: 5]
... [Comments: 27]
... [Comments: 89]
One comment spawned ten, ten spawned a hundred. The post hit featured status in a flash, and soon the entire board flooded with the same topic.
The gallery, usually sparse with posts at dawn, buzzed to life.
While that site burned hot, I stared at the numbers on YouTube Studio, doubting my eyes.
...Insane.
With shaky hands, I clicked into the comments.
Wow... when's the last time I heard words like this? I couldn't stop the goofy grin leaking out as I scrolled on.
Every flick of the wheel brought fresh praise. Was this the big-corp coattail effect?
Then, amid the flood, a familiar term caught my eye.
CamGal? CamDad? What the... no way, right?
I bolted straight to the Camping Gallery I'd checked now and then for tips.
And there, I witnessed a whole different breed of madness.
The board was plastered with analysis posts and hype about my video.
Amid the chaos, I clicked the one with the most recs.
Shelter: Nimoo Hexa Family << Pricey but pros know it's top-tier
Inner: Snowpeak Living << Tried it, crazy cozy
Brazier: Snowpeak LL << Had fire blanket doubts but saw the stand, checks out? Pricey too
Grill: Snowpeak Pro << Small but perfect for solo girl
Hand Axe: Nomad Sky
That's what she showed anyway. GalLord's a Snowpeak stan lol or maybe PPL
Copol, lamp etc. Daiso stuff.
Wait, how'd they ID the axe? Even the handle's wrapped in insulating tape!
The next post I clicked crushed me into despair.
That casual way she fusses, dumb jokes, "dump everything in the food." Exactly like the ajusshi who looked after me on my first camp...
Even the boozy family talk turning sentimental...
CamDad...
Fuuuuck....
I clutched my head at the monitor.
Just as certainty hit that my cute healing camping girl YouTuber path had veered off-course,
My smartphone blared on the desk.
"Hello?"
"Areum unni! You see it? The video reactions?!"
Her voice exploded through the receiver, bursting with uncontainable excitement.
"Ah, yeah... just checked."
"It's a huge hit! Section chief and CEO are going nuts! Said you gave us a solid, serious image!"
Her joyful voice rang out, but I couldn't muster shared glee honestly.
After rambling excitedly for a bit, Nana burst out laughing.
"Oh right! Unni, you egosearch yet? You got this super cool nickname!"
"...What nickname."
A chill of dread crawled up my spine.
"CamDad! Camping's father!"
"Everyone sees you like camping world's godfather! Means you're super pro and reliable, right? Wow, so cool... Huh? Wait, doesn't that make you the mom then?"
...Ah.
This girl had no clue what the nickname really meant.
Her innocent laughter drilled into my ears alongside "CamDad," and my soul quietly slipped away.
As I reeled from the shock, Nana continued like she'd just remembered.
"Oh right! Section chief said he has a favor to ask you..."
"...A favor?"
I barely recalled my fleeing soul to respond.
"Yeah! If possible, could you do a live stream?"
"Ah... live..."
"We know you have strong camping principles, but showing real-time chat with viewers would be great, he said."
Live stream? Chat would be even wilder than comments. Could I even speak properly in that chaos? What if I slipped up and tanked this good image?
Sensing my hesitation, Nana spoke gently.
"Ah, if it's too much, no pressure! Chief was just suggesting. Views are still climbing without it!"
"...No, it's fine. I'll think about it."
"Okay! Good night, unni!"
Call ended, I crashed back onto the bed.
My head buzzed louder than before.
...Okay, let's sort this out.
First, the CamDad nickname.
...Fuuuck.
The prick who coined it isn't an anti, is he? Sigh, can't fix that right now.
Next up...
"Hmm... live stream, huh..."