The Method of Manufacturing Black History
“Areum.”
“Yeah?”
“Wanna do a live stream?”
Im Nana said it with eyes full of mischief.
Hmph, like I can't handle that?
“Sure...! Live... stream...!”
The moment permission slipped from my lips, Im Nana's face lit up like the sun.
“For real? No take-backs!”
“Of course...! If we're doing it, we're doing it! A real man...!”
“Pfft, yeah, yeah. Areum's a real trooper. Let's do the stream on your channel!”
Her giggling right in front of me was annoying, but I couldn't exactly call her out on it.
She snatched my smartphone, fixed it to the tripod, glanced back, and fiddled with the camera.
“So, what should we title the stream...?”
“Just call it a camping stream, right?”
“That'd be boring!!! Ah, got it.”
What was she typing? S...urprise... live... Han Areum... Hmm, can't see the rest well.
“Okay, Areum! Ready? We're going live?”
“Yeah... right... now...”
Im Nana's little crush was packed into that one tiny heart symbol.
The second the stream went live, even in the dead of night, viewers who got the alert flooded in, and the chat started scrolling like crazy.
Whoa, the chat's flying by. What are they saying... Ugh... The words on the screen were dancing in front of my eyes. The harder I tried to focus, the blurrier they got.
“Areum, snap out of it. Say hi at least.”
She laughed, patted my back lightly, then turned to the camera and started chatting with the viewers.
“Okay, okay, calm down~ Hi everyone~! It's Nana! We're camping in Gangwon-do right now!”
“Don't worry! I'm taking good care of her.”
Im Nana's confident voice somehow felt reassuring.
Ugh... but it's getting kinda cold...
As the night deepened, a chill crept in from my back, away from the warmth of the bonfire by the grill. Instinctively, I scanned for a warmer spot.
My eyes landed on the seat next to Im Nana. The perfect place to soak up the fire's heat.
Shuffle. Shuffle.
“Yeah~ It was totally exhausting, right?”
“Huh? Something next to me...?”
Ah, so warm... So warm I wanna lie down. Mmm...
With the heat right in front of me, my body, stiff since the stream started, melted away.
Ah, shouldn't lean on her but...
Thud.
“Nana... you're so warm...”
“Ah, Areum?! We're live right now...!”
“Ah, no! What's with the donation?! Areum? Snap out of it...”
“Sigh, okay, how about we spill some tea for today then?”
“Gooood...!”
Ah, hiss... My tongue keeps slurring. But chiming in seemed to hype her up.
“Ah, that? Hehe! It just happened!”
“Riiiight! It just happened like that!”
“Jeez. Just accept that it happened.”
“Mmm! Just accept it happened.”
The chat filled with question marks, 'frustrating,' 'gonna lose it fr.' But Im Nana just teased the viewers with a playful grin.
“Okay, okay. Fine, one real story then. What happened at the ranch today when we went sightseeing...”
“Mmm... yeah. Date this afternoon...”
Right then, the screen started glitching with stair-stepping artifacts. The shaky mountain internet finally gave out.
“Huh? What's this? Can you all hear me okay?”
The chat overflowed with viewers' agony over missing the crucial words.
With the constant buffering, we apologized to the viewers and ended the stream.
“Sorry everyone! Signal's too bad in the mountains. That's it for today... Signing off! See you next time!”
Hitting the end button, the lively buzz died down a bit, and Im Nana's face showed a hint of regret.
Crackle, crackle. The bonfire's pops stood out louder now.
...Too bad. It felt so good just moments ago.
“Such a shame, right? Viewers were loving it.”
“No choice... Can't keep going with crap signal...”
“Yeah? But Areum, you can't hold your liquor, huh? You were hammered.”
“N-no! Hiss. Ha... Can't deny it. But I'm sobering up now.”
“Really? Quick to get drunk, quick to sober up?”
I didn't know. As a guy, I could down 2-3 bottles of soju easy, but this body? I'd only tried one bottle before. Like how my stomach shrank and I eat less, my tolerance changed too.
“Guess that's my constitution. But yeah, sobering up now, all good.”
“Oh? So you remember everything you said earlier?”
“Huh?”
I racked my brain. What did I say? Definitely... 'Nana... your eyes are so pretty... sparkling... like stars...'
'Nana... you're so warm...'
Throb. Ack! Shit.
What the hell memories are these? Stuff that never shoulda happened flashed through my head.
“Ahaha, you remember, huh? Big tough Han Areum?”
“N-no! That was the booze...!”
“Puhahahahaha!”
Im Nana's laughter went on forever.
Gonna lose it, fr. Even drunk, how could I say that crap? No booze till I figure out my limits.
Im Nana got up, still chuckling mischievously. My face burned; I hung my head.
Wish I couldn't remember.
“Ahem... Sh-should we pack up? Gotta head out early tomorrow for the rest of sightseeing; better prep now.”
“Yeah? Where to tomorrow?”
“I planned the whole 'date' course, don't worry. Pyeongchang, so ski jump tower, then Gangneung next door for seafood. All set.”
“R-right... D-date, yeah? Got it.”
“C'mon, let's pack quick.”
She went quiet suddenly, but we each handled our tasks, and packing went faster than expected. The clinking sounds faded as we finished.
I stretched my weary back from the day's chaos and looked up at the night sky.
“Nngh! Haa... Good thing the weather's clear. Stars everywhere.”
“Stars?”
Im Nana finally looked up, first time since night fell.
Unlike Seoul's hazy sky, countless stars blanketed the heavens like they might pour down.
“Whoa... so many stars. Thought you needed movies or abroad for this...”
“Surprisingly, step out of the city in Korea, and you get skies like this.”
She stared, awestruck. Yeah, first camping with Dad, I gawked at stars too.
“Okay, time to head in. Stay out and you'll catch a cold. Temp's dropping.”
“Yeah... it is chilly.”
“Pop like ten hot packs before bed. Or your mouth'll freeze shut.”
“Pfft, got it. Don't worry, you crash too, Areum. Today was a blast thanks to you.”
“Heh, same. Night.”
“Night, Areum.”
She waved small, slipped into her tent. Saw her little hand zip it shut, then I went to mine.
Popped hot packs in my sleeping bag, lay down, but sleep wouldn't come. Those memories, turning into embarrassing highlights, kept replaying.
Was fun... First time traveling with someone besides family, maybe...
Rest stop snacks, petting sheep at the ranch, pitching tents together(?), tasty meat and booze.
...Booze...?
Ugh, shit...!
Black history...!
Bad memories flooded back; I buried my face in the sleeping bag, writhing in silent screams.
Finally exhausted myself to sleep.
Agh... why's it so cold?
Shivering chill and pounding headache woke me. Last night's hangover lingered.
Hot packs still warm, but mountain cold hit harder than expected.
Oof, head... Need fresh dawn air to relax. Sober up with crisp morning.
Zipped open the tent.
And the bizarre sight before me.
“What the fuck?”
The world was pure white. Calf-deep snow piles everywhere. Tent, chairs, gear outside, even my car—half-buried.
Shocked, I grabbed my phone. Weak signal, but emergency alerts popped up.
Slow-loading internet news headline caught my eye.
...What? Fuuuuck.
Weather assholes... Said clear skies all week...
No wonder it was so damn cold...
Spotty signal. Management office an hour's walk down the mountain. Isolated campsite.
Blood drained from my face. Staring at the surreal white hell, I muttered.
“...We're fucked.”