Back Crack and Tent Lessons
Crack. Gulp. As the sun dipped lazily toward the west, painting the sky in soft orange hues, the car finally rumbled onto the dirt path. The navigation chimed with its gentle voice: arrived at your destination.
The moment I stepped out and opened the door, a rush of crisp, fresh air hit me. Snnniff— haaah. Yeah, there's nothing quite like that post-arrival feeling.
"Whoa..."
Im Nana, climbing out beside me, spread her arms wide and spun in a quick circle, letting out a soft gasp of delight.
"This place is amazing! The grass smells so fresh!"
"Right? That's why it's worth the drive up to Gangwon-do, even if it's a bit far."
She looked kinda cute doing that. But no matter how I squinted, she didn't seem a day over high school age. Her face was so youthful. Well, whatever—seeing her that excited lifted my spirits too.
"Alright, shall we start by setting up the camera?"
"Yeah!"
While watching her fiddle with the camera, I checked the gear loaded in the car. My stuff had crammed the trunk full, shoving Nana's camping gear into the back seat. The thought of unloading it all already had my imaginary muscle fatigue kicking in.
"I'm no camping YouTube veteran, but I've watched plenty. Since it's all new gear, maybe lay it out on the ground and do a quick intro to each piece?"
"Oh, yeah! Beauty videos always start with product intros too."
Nodding at my suggestion, she headed to the car and started hoisting the bags out with ease. Good thing she's got more muscle than me. Wait, if she didn't, she'd basically be human jelly, right?
"Areum, should I just spread it all out on the ground like this?"
While I was lost in thought, she'd already unpacked more than half and lined it up neatly. Whoops... I should help. I grabbed a box from the trunk, but Nana rushed over to stop me.
"Areum, just stay put! I saw in your video last time—you couldn't even lift a box. Don't strain yourself!"
Thud. A rock dropped into my chest. Humiliation surged right after. Me? ME?! You think I can't lift a single box?!
Stung by her concern, I grabbed the biggest load from the trunk. And that's when it happened—a weird, unnatural crack.
"...!"
"Huh? Areum? What was that sound?"
Gah...!Fuck... My, my back...!
Frozen in place with the box hoisted up, I couldn't move as Nana approached, alerted by the noise.
"What's wrong? Too heavy? Want me to help?"
"..."
She kept talking, but the pain was like severed nerves—I couldn't make a sound.
"Areum? Seriously, what's up? Are you hurt?"
Her worried face hovered close as she lightly touched my arm. The instant her hand made contact, a heavy wave of agony rippled through my lower back.
Urk... If I, if I move now... I'm screwed.
A few seconds later, the pain eased just enough for me to squeeze out words.
"M-my... back..."
"Your back?!"
Her face went pale as realization hit.
"Oh no! What do we do? You okay? Do we need a hospital?!"
"N-no... Just... tweaked it a bit. If I... stay still a moment..."
Cold sweat poured down my face as I forced the words out. Nana paced anxiously around me.
"Okay, set that down first! I'll help!"
"No way!!! If I drop it now... my back'll snap...!"
Talk about a rock and a hard place. Dropping it would send shockwaves of pain from the rebound—and probably smash my foot too. But holding it forever? My back wasn't locked in place; the strength was already fading.
In the end, Nana circled around and took the other side, supporting it with me.
"Okay, one, two, three!"
With her count, I let go all at once. We finally lowered the box to the ground.
"Areum! You really okay?"
"Haha... Yeah, really..."
I tried curving my lips into a smile, but sweat was raining down my forehead. We're doomed. Camping hadn't even started, and I'd wrecked the most crucial part—my back.
Nana's face crumpled into a teary mess at the sight.
"What do we do... This is my fault, right? I said something dumb..."
"No. I just... got cocky."
Agh... What now? No way I could pitch a tent like this. The sun was sinking fast—if we didn't hurry, we'd be stranded in the mountains.
One option left. I looked down at Nana, who was crouched beside me, sighing too.
"Nana."
"Yeah?"
"We've got only one choice now."
"What?"
"You'll have to pitch the tents yourself. Work hard, okay?"
"M-me? Mine's one thing, but Areum, your tent looks super complicated..."
"It's fine. I'll guide you. One-pole tents look tricky but are way simpler. Think of it like... remote control."
"It's really easy, right?"
"Totally. Plus, it'll make great footage. Ka- perfect."
"Areum. You're really hurt, right? You're not messing with me???"
Her face was all teary again. Yeah, even a total newbie could do it with my instructions. We had to get shelter up tonight. Sleeping in the car? No thanks.
"Alright then... Let's start Practical Camping Lessons, Lesson 1?"
I flashed my kindest smile at her. ...Not sure how she'd take it.
"First, Nana, pull out your new tent. Time's not super tight, so let's film it like a proper tutorial."
"Got it!"
Maybe it was my wink and grin, but her face lit up like the tears never happened.
While she unpacked her tent, I scooted over on my butt to reset the camera. By then, she was dragging hers out, grunting, and arranging it neatly. Time to lecture.
"We can subtitle the gear intros later. Before pitching, step one: pick your site."
"Site?"
"Yeah. Modern sites have decks—wooden platforms. You secure the tent there."
"Oh, I've seen those! But this is just bare ground?"
"Exactly. Decked sites? No choice needed. But rugged mountain spots like this? Gotta choose wisely."
"Ah! Flat and level, right?"
Nice question.
"Spot on. Also check soil moisture, nearby trees—but flat first."
"Trees? Why trees?"
"Lots of reasons, but this season? Rain's common. Trees block some, and crucially, wind. Less flapping at night."
Nana nodded eagerly, like a star pupil. She even whipped out her phone notes: "Wind... trees... direction..." Scribble scribble.
Hmm, rewarding to teach.
Theory done, practice time. Normally I'd demo, but back pain meant detailed guidance only.
"Okay, your turn now."
"Yeah! I'll do my best!"
Her sunny reply cracked me up involuntarily.
"Ahaha— urk!"
Laughter shot electricity through my back.
"Areum! Don't overdo it!"
"Ugh... F-fine. First, unroll the tent skin and grab the longest pegs from the bag."
"Pfft, got it! These?"
"Now pin the corners tight to the skin and hammer 'em in."
"Nngh...!"
"Good! You're doing great!"
Her form was sloppy—first-timer vibes—but she swung that mallet with real force. Thud-thud! After a few tries, the long peg sank deep.
"Phew! Like this?"
She beamed proudly. ...Yeah, but you need seven more. Three big, four small. Her joy made me sigh inwardly.
Finally, all pegs in, tent up—she was drenched in sweat.
"Huff, huff... Pitching's... way harder than I thought...?"
"Nah, just the first time. Gets easier."
"Phewww! But it feels so rewarding now."
"Good job. Footage looks solid. One more to go."
"...Huh?"
"One more."
"...?"
"That was your tent. What about me?"
"...Can't we just share?"
"Hahaha. Yours is one-person—barely fits a bag. Come on, power through! Mine only needs four pegs—easier!"
"...Waaah!! Areum, you're faking it, aren't you?!"
"Ahaha—lol."
After twists and turns, tents were up before sunset. Site setup done. Chilly air, but seeing sweat-soaked, panting Nana stirred some guilt.
"I'm switching tents... Getting one of those one-touch pop-ups next time."
"Pfft. Fair, but doesn't all this effort make it more satisfying?"
"...Yeah. Feels like we're really camping now."
"Today's slowness? Just inexperience. Soon it'll be 30 minutes, snap!"
"Areum...? Were you always this annoying?"
"Ahaha! Dinner's on me as payback. Back's feeling better too."
Her pout softened as something clicked. She jumped up.
"Right! Dinner! Areum, spill the menu already? Pleeease?"
"Hmm, yeah. One sec."
I stood—trunk corner, cooling box. Pulled out the vacuum-sealed beast. Thud. Massive heft. Worth the splurge—grilled here? Slurp... Drooling already.
"This. Sous-vide done at home."
I cradled the enormous T-bone.
"Gasp...!"
"Whaddya think? Grilled perfection, right? Light the fire first? Like our first meet—dump binchotan, spread on the side."
No verbal reply—just her head nodding furiously. Faster than anything yet, she ripped open the binchotan bag and poured it into the grill.
"Okay, lighter fluid and..."
Torch lit, her eyes stayed glued to the T-bone. ...That gaze is scary. Veins popping a bit. Gotta grill it perfect.
Soon, coals turned white. Slashed the vacuum pack. Riiip. Straight into the flames. Sizzle—. The world's happiest sound.
Seasoned pre-pack, so just flip occasionally, lid down, wait patiently.
"Ah, Areum... When can we eat?"
"Hmm... Sous-vide pre-cooked it halfway—15 minutes?"
"Huff... Fifteen minutes..."
"Good things come to those who wait. Oh, got whiskey—cocktail?"
"Uh, yeah..."
This girl? Totally zoned on meat—missed the whiskey bit. Then—gulp from her side.
Hmm... I get it. How do you resist this?
Gulp.
...?
Gulp.
......
Gulp.
Coming awfully often.