You Caught It Good
You got caught good. I soothed Im Nana, who was under a ridiculous misunderstanding, and leaned back on the sofa. The sofa was incredibly comfortable, but my mental fatigue wouldn't budge. Next to me, Im Nana was chattering away with her usual bright smile, as if nothing had happened.
"Next week, right? I'm so excited!"
"Yeah, when we get there, I'll introduce you to Alexander III and Maximus too."
"Yay! I love dogs so much!"
She was clearly thrilled, peppering me with questions nonstop. Hmm, she's been buried in work since last week, so I get why she wants to play. She's always been full of energy—sitting around just working wouldn't suit her at all. Proof of that was her burnout. Grandpa Kim Manho had said he'd adjust her workload after that, but the backlog must've been unavoidable.
I wanted to fulfill that excitement. Since we're going anyway, I felt like giving her a proper healing trip. I tried planning with Im Nana, but with my exhausted body, my thoughts kept drifting, and my eyes started to droop.
"Oh, sorry! Areum, you look tired. You've been dealing with stuff since morning."
"Dealing with? ...Well, it wasn't a bad experience. Embarrassing, though."
"Hehe, you looked great! Wanna nap in the guest room?"
"Nah, I should head home. Gotta plan and think about what we need."
Honestly, crashing here for a nap sounded tempting, but... I'd never slept over at someone else's place. I got up to prepare to leave.
"Alright, I'm off."
"Okay, get home safe! Text me once the schedule's set."
"Sure, see you later."
Im Nana walked me to the elevator, waving goodbye. I waved back and headed to the parking lot. The cold garage air hit my skin, finally chasing away some drowsiness.
"Ugh... why am I so wiped out?"
It'd been days since camping, but I still felt sluggish, and my sleep was restless. Was my body just weak? I really needed to start exercising, but as they say, starting is half the battle—getting to the gym was a chore. With the cold, I barely went out except for camping, and trekking to the gym took serious resolve.
Back home, I cranked up the electric blanket and dove under the covers. Aaah... warm up, please. Winter was whatever, but I couldn't live without an electric blanket.
But seriously, how should I schedule this? Seoul to Mokpo was over four hours nonstop. Round trip meant nearly a full day on the road...
Hmm... but just going down and coming back without camping feels like a waste. Filming a YouTube video with Grandpa sitting around like last time would be rude. But skipping it after going so far? Nah. If we camped too...
I pondered until my eyes drifted shut. Guess I was more tired than I thought. I fought the pull of gravity on my eyelids, but it was futile. Mmm... just a quick nap...
"Woof woof-!"
Huh? What was that?
"Woof woof-! Wang-!"
The familiar bark jolted my eyes open. There was Maximus, using my chest as a pillow.
"Gasp. M-Maximus? How'd you get here..."
"Wang-!"
I sat up, and he went wild licking my face. The ticklish sensation wasn't bad.
"Pfft—stop! That tickles!"
Slurp slurp. He ignored me, licking even more enthusiastically. My face was too tickly. First, I had to peel him off...
"Gaaasp."
Ah, what... it was a dream. Of course—Maximus at Grandpa's suddenly in my room? Weird. But the tickly feeling lingered. Was this a lucid dream?
The itch didn't fade, so I touched my face—hair everywhere. ...How much did I roll around? Some was even choking me. A bit more, and I'd have suffocated in my sleep?
"Ugh... haa. Might as well get up. More sleep, and I won't at night."
I brewed a cup of instant coffee and sat at the computer.
What to do... time's too tight. Staying at Grandpa's was set—what next? Make it another 2 nights 3 days? Would that work with Nana's schedule...
I stared blankly at the screen. The more I think, the messier it gets.
Yeah, only one way. No loss if it flops. I pulled out my smartphone, searched contacts for , and called Kim Manho.
A few rings, then his usual polite voice.
"Yes, Areum-ssi. What can I do for you?"
"Ah, President. Sorry if you're busy. Can you talk?"
"Of course. Park PD just headed to the editing room."
Hmm... I got word my video wrapped yesterday... it went up this morning? W-Wait, Park PD edits Im Nana too?!
"...President. Quick question—unrelated to why I called, but..."
"Ask away anytime."
"Does Park PD edit Nana's YouTube too?"
"Haha, yes. She's amazing, right? Truth is, she's our only editor at the MCN. We're hiring, but no applicants. She handles it all brilliantly, though."
"...I see. She works so hard."
"It's work she loves."
"......"
I bought the "she loves it" line at first... but now? After seeing her state? No way she loves it. She can't exactly whine "it's hard, I hate it" to the boss.
"Hahaha. Oh, right—is this about Nana's schedule for next week she mentioned?"
What? That smooth pivot...
"...Ah, yes. Mokpo's the spot, but 1 night 2 days feels tight..."
"Hmm, what duration are you thinking?"
"Not a cross-country trek... one more day? 2 nights 3 days. Film some YouTube too."
His question confirmed it—Nana's schedule was the issue? Too long would be tough?
"That's totally doable. I cleared her schedule through year-end, actually."
"...Pardon?"
"Her burnout... we didn't know. Not bragging, but..."
"I've not known her long, but yeah—she's the type not to show pain."
"We encourage whining at the slightest ache... Anyway, for full recovery, we decided on a break."
"Oh... perfect. So I can keep camping with her awhile?"
"We'd love that. Even on break, steady media exposure helps comeback."
"Got it. Maybe once a month together. And non-camping collabs too."
"Haha, thank you. So 2 nights 3 days, Mokpo."
"I'll confirm camping details later."
Call ended, silence returned. Man, the company's too good? Creator perks, aftercare, editing... Editing... edit... ugh, stop. Not my lane. Faster editing's good anyway.
Biggest hurdle gone—Nana's schedule cleared. Just +1 night doubled options. Day 1: Mokpo, introduce to Grandpa... overnight. Day 2: nearby camp, overnight. Pickup Maximus before leaving. Nice? Meat day 1, seafood day 2—balanced. Im Nana's first seaside camp? Beach vibes. Romantic. Night waves, morning gulls as alarm. Minus winter's brutal cold, highly recommend.
"Southwest coast rarely dips below freezing... should be fine?"
Plan set, mind clearer. Body still heavy, though. Napped and still beat... Early bed tonight.
Even washing felt exhausting, but skincare routine—no skipping. Dragged to sink for thorough cleanse and basics.
"Whew, took longer than usual."
Body sluggish—hands slow during wash. Bedtime.
I crashed hours early.
Next morning.
Ugh... what time is it? I tapped my phone. 6 AM. Winter dawn still dim. Too early. Not on purpose...
"H-Head hurts so bad..."
Forehead scorching. Throat scratchy, body weak. Recent slump was cold precursor? Aw... disaster.
Bzzz. Bzzz.
Phone vibrated. Ugh... who at dawn... Crawled to check.
"...You caught it good."