Wild Camping is Mostly Illegal
Wild camping is mostly illegal. [‘Camping is Unwavering’ channel subscribers have surpassed 100,000! Apply for the Silver Button!]
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“.....”
Eh... 100k? Am I seeing this wrong?
I rubbed my eyes a few times, but the number didn't change. It had definitely been at 90k just this morning. Is it really okay for me to be this successful? What do I do now? Does clicking this apply for the Silver Button?
I was glued to the monitor, staring at that bizarre subscriber count, when—
Vrrr— vrrr—
My smartphone started vibrating on the desk. The caller ID showed Im Nana.
I cleared my throat for a second and hit accept.
“Hello?”
“Areum! 100k! Did you see?! Congrats so much! It's huge!”
The second I picked up, cheers exploded from the other end.
“Ah, yeah... I'm kinda dazed.”
“We gotta throw a party or something, right?!”
“A party? No need... Let's just grab something tasty later.”
“Yeah! At this rate, 500k and 1 million will come super fast!”
“1 million... I still can't wrap my head around it. Feels too far off...”
“Too far? With this momentum, a year should do it easy!”
A year. Come to think of it, Nana hit 1.5 million in under a year, right? But I'm not at her level...
“Nah, no way in a year. Content like this always hits a plateau eventually.”
“Still! 100k in a month? And views keep climbing steady!”
“Well... it's all thanks to you, Nana. I'd still be scraping by at the bottom without you.”
“What're you talking about? You were already surging before our collab vid! Don't be too humble!”
Huh? Is that how it is? Still, it's a fact I owe her big time. Some of her 1.5 million subs must've crossed over to mine.
“Anyway, thanks. For the congrats.”
“Sure thing! You gotta guest on my channel later too, okay?”
“Haha, got it.”
We chatted a bit more before hanging up. As always, she's just too nice... How many people treat someone they've only hung out with for two weeks this well?
Right after the call ended, a message pinged from Kim Manho.
He's plenty humble too... Hitting 100k on day one of the contract must have the MCN buzzing. I owe Kim Manho and Park PD a ton as well.
I sent a polite reply and set the phone down. Thinking about it, it's been less than a month since my body changed. This is really just the start. Gotta work harder from here.
So, first things first—let's plot the route to the South Sea.
I opened a map to a fresh page. Hm... The expressway's too boring. Maybe hug the West Sea coast, hop on a national road, cross over, then hit the South Coast Expressway? With two nights, I've got time to spare.
Head out in the morning, lunch around Gunsan, exit to national roads...
Wait, shit—that's 10 hours of driving??
RVs can't push past 100km/h, so yeah, it could legit take 10 hours...
“Argh... Chasing romance and my body's gonna give out before the car does.”
No helping it. Ditch the romance, take the expressway straight down. As a guy, I might've powered through, but now? No way. Even the Gangneung trip with Nana left me wiped from driving alone... and that's how I tweaked my back.
One slip-up means it could flare anytime. Gotta baby it or I'll turn into full human jelly.
“Lunch in Daejeon it is, then.”
Short break there, arrive South Sea by 3pm latest—time for market shopping and some buffer. Weekend travel means 5-6 hours driving. Whew, looks rough on paper. But once I'm rolling, time flies, right?
Day 1 on the coastal road...
“Huh? Coastal road? Wild camping?”
A chill ran down my spine. S-something felt off... I hammered the keyboard faster than ever.
RV... car camping... Top result: an internet news hit.
Ah... back in my day... it was fine back then! Sure, 10 years ago, but... damn, time marches on cruelly...
What now? Just hit a campground? Ugh, then what's the point of the RV?
“Argh, this is maddening... Didn't expect crackdowns like this...”
I'd stuck to sites the last few years, so I must've seen it but brushed it off as no big deal.
Hate to ditch the RV now, but two nights at a site sucks too... At least one wild night, please.
Wracked my brain, searched everywhere—no dice.
Ah... if only private land with permission... Wait, private land... private land?
Got a hunch. But... calling for this feels off...
Haven't reached out in ages, and not since the change. Even thinking about it...
“Plus, hitting them up outta nowhere for this seems so mercenary...”
Sigh... but might as well check in. Been too long.
What scares me most is if they pick up. What if they don't remember me? Or our memories are gone? That's why I haven't dared contact anyone.
Okay, do it. Had to try eventually.
Trembling fingers swiped down the contacts. There it was.
Mokpo Grandpa
...Number's the same, and I saved it as ‘Grandpa,’ so worst case probably not...
Hit call. Ringing tone kicked in.
Sip— haaah.
Deep breath. Anyone watching might think I'm overreacting just calling Grandpa, but... can't help shaking.
After a few rings, it connected.
“Well now, who’s this? If it ain’t our lil granddaughter!”
“...Grandpa?”
“Yup yup~ Been too long, granddaughter mine~”
Gr-granddaughter...? Kinda uneasy...
“Grandpa, can you hear me out even if it sounds weird?”
“Eh? What’s up, dearie~?”
“W-well... Remember when I was little, choking on sweet potato at your place?”
“Heh heh, when ya went huntin’ for water, chugged my sorghum wine instead, and spun like a top?”
Ah... relief. Memories intact. Thank god.
“That what ya wondered ‘bout? Told ya plenty times~ And that sorghum bottle to yer daddy’s noggin...”
“Aaah! St-stop! I-I remember! Dad glaring like the world ended after the head bonk!”
Kraaaah! Grandpa! I didn't wanna relive this black history! Just confirming!
“Euhuhuhu! Thinkin’ on it makes my belly laugh even in sleep!”
“...I'm so mortified I wanna run away with my belly button.”
“That why ya called?”
“N-no, not that... I'm RV-tripping soon.”
“Oho~ Sang like a bird with yer pa as a kid, and now ya finally got one?”
“Didn't buy it... Work gig let me borrow one.”
“Good on ya! Have fun now~”
“Thing is, overnighting outside sites with an RV is mostly illegal now...”
“Eh? Laws change that quick? World spins too fast to keep up~”
“So, uh, didn't you mention land down South Sea way?”
“Yup. Wanna carve ya off a piece?”
“Wh-what?!”
“Euhuhuhuhu!”
Jeez... hard to tell joke from truth. Got pranked since I was a kid. My reactions probably egged him on...
“Not that—whereabouts? If it's not just fields or paddies, I'd love to park the RV and camp.”
“That so? Geoje-do, Geoje Island.”
“G-Geoje-do...”
“Bit far? But fields right by the shore, ocean view—prime campin’ spot~”
“Why buy there living in Mokpo?”
“That spot? Meant to build a lil house to visit with yer granny, but she went first, so it's sittin’~”
Hmm... yeah, Grandma passed early...
Wait, abandoned over 10 years?
“Some group maintains the view, fixed it up nice—ready to use.”
...Did he read my mind?
We caught up a bit. Even over the phone, he chatted warmly, like I was right there.
Mm... maybe visit after Geoje?
“Grandpa, mind if I swing by on the way back from Geoje?”
“Course ya can~ Past the weekend, right? I'll be waitin’~”
“Yeah, take care. I'll bring something tasty.”
“Sounds good~ See ya then~”
Click.
Call ended. I sat there, stunned. Jeez, that was easy. Why'd I put off something so simple? He's family—one of the last two left.
Grandpa... looks the part but loves Western food, right? Steak? Lamb chops? He'll devour anything, but I wanna treat him right.
This trip just gained another thrill... excitement bubbling up.