The Black Hole
The black hole—and then my memories cut out for a moment. ... Huh? What the heck. Am I closing my eyes right now? Why's it so dark? I was clearly just putting a piece of jowl in my mouth... and then... lost in thought, when suddenly a mysterious light illuminated everything in front of me. The light was so blinding that I slowly opened my squinted eyes. And unbelievably, right in front of me was a massive golden pig statue. I looked up at the golden pig statue's face... and there was Im Nana, perched on its shoulder, passionately smooshing kisses all over the pig statue's cheek.
...?
"N-Nana! What are you doing?! Get down from there right now!"
But she didn't even pretend to hear me, just kept devouring the golden pig statue's face with wild enthusiasm. Damn it! If anyone else sees her like this, Nana's reputation will be...! G-Gotta stop her quick...!
The moment I reached out to pull Im Nana back, the light faded to black again.
......
... H-Huuuuh!
I shook my head and barely clung to consciousness, finally escaping that ridiculous hallucination. Back in reality, I turned to Im Nana standing beside me—still with her eyes closed, lost in ecstasy. And Mokpo Grandpa, watching her with a pleased smile. Arrrgh... Did I seriously just pull off an Im Nana-style reaction? Do I have mukbang YouTuber talent too?!
"Whaddya think? Pretty darn amazin', right? This pig jowl's always been outta this world!"
"Y-Yeah, it's insanely good... I thought it'd be chewy like pork belly, but it's tender and springy like beef tenderloin, with such a lively texture..."
"Huuuuh...!"
I heard a sharp gasp—looks like Im Nana had snapped out of it too.
"... Huh? Areum-ah. Wasn't there a golden pig statue right in front of us just now?"
"P-Pfft..."
"N-No, don't laugh! It was real, I swear! The golden pig jowl looked so plump and delicious, I even tasted it...?"
No, shit. So that was you? Even so, climbing up on its shoulder and going at it like that? No way. And it wasn't just tasting—you were straight-up making out with it...?
"Euhahaha! The kid knows her meat! Never heard anyone describe my cuts like that before!"
Seeing how delighted Grandpa was, I guess I'm not the only one who finds Im Nana-style reactions hilarious. If viewers saw that, she could start a mukbang channel and hit a million subs easy. A YouTuber who gets sucked into the universe inside delicious food every time...
As I reached for the last piece, Im Nana eyed me wistfully. Huh? Grandpa definitely gave us two pieces each. Why's she staring at my meat instead of what's left on her plate? I glanced at her dish—somehow empty already. Did she eat it all at once, or...? Not even a trace of grease. Did she lick it clean?
"Heh heh, now let's eat like proper folk~ Bring those plates over?"
"Yes!"
Im Nana hopped up energetically, grabbing a few plates and heading to Grandpa. He sliced up prime cuts—pork belly, neck, ribs—and piled them on. She stacked them neatly on the table like a server. Hmm... Helping out is great, but maybe wipe that drool shining on your lips? It's about to drip...
Then Grandpa turned to me.
"Kiddo, no YouTube stream this time?"
"Ah, just recording this one. Didn't do a live at the campsite, just some footage."
"I see? Them viewers are such good, fun folks—too bad."
... Our eyes met in the air for a split second—me and Im Nana. Grandpa, if you like the streams that much, just say so. Once our silent exchange ended, Im Nana approached him again.
"Grandpa! Should we go live then? Got the gear ready!"
"Sounds good. Viewers would love it, and I wanna brag about this food. What do you think, Grandpa?"
"We can decide on the spot like that?"
"Of course! It's my channel. Oh, should we do it on your channel this time, Nana?"
"No way! It's camping-related—gotta be on Areum's!"
"Alright then, thanks. Let's set it up."
Decision made, Im Nana dashed to the parked car, grabbing the streaming camera and tablet.
"Then this ol' man's gotta plate it up pretty to make 'em jealous~"
"Perfect. Make 'em hungry at first sight."
"You got it~ That's my specialty~"
He started rearranging the meat on the plates. Hmm. What is this? Why does it look so delicious? It's not fancy hotel plating... but those zigzag, rustic stacks looked tastier than anything I'd ever seen. Guess after decades of meat mastery, you learn exactly how to make it look irresistible?
"Stream setup's done! Starting now?"
"Yup~ All set here too~"
Im Nana fiddled with the camera, then scurried back to her seat. Yeah, impromptu live—probably not a huge crowd. I texted President Kim Manho just in case... but viewers were piling in fast. No worries.
"Viewers are coming in, so let's start~ Hello everyone~! Not Nana Channel... it's guest Im Nana from the 'Camping is Always the Same' channel~!"
"Girlfriend? Hehe... Ah...! Forgot to adjust the camera framing!"
... Are you really a pro YouTuber with over a year under your belt? Girlfriend? Show us both, not just you. Watching her tap away at the tablet to reset...
She's got that ditzy charm, as always.
"There, everyone good now?"
Confirming the feed was good, Im Nana set the tablet stand on the table, positioning it for a clear shot of Grandpa. She'd even bumped up the font size—big chat text scrolling fast. Yeah, for Grandpa's eyes. She's so thoughtful...
"Ah, Grandpa! Viewers remember you!"
"They do? Heh heh, what're they thinkin' 'bout an ol' coot like me..."
"Pfft. Your words and face say the opposite!"
I haven't seen Grandpa this happy in ages. Sure, he lights up when I visit... but that's reunion joy. This is different.
Hmm, chat's reacting—so the camera wasn't catching the machine beside the table. I stood, angled it slightly. Back at my seat, the explosion hit.
"Ahaha, impressive, right? Grandpa prepped it."
"Tried a bit—super tasty!"
Chat went wilder than at first sight. "Want some," "Jealous," "Hungry"—all flooding in. Heh, makes you wanna brag more, right?
"This BBQ? Grandpa slow-roasted it over 12 hours low and slow. Smoky aroma, grease drained out, but so chewy and... uh..."
I launched into my Grandpa's BBQ TED Talk. Gotta brag right to make 'em envious! (Okay, mostly wanna boast about Grandpa!)
"Ah, Areum...! S-Stop! That's five minutes already!"
"Oops. A-Ahem. Anyway, looks delicious, right? Grandpa's amazing, yeah?"
"Puhahaha, got it."
"Yup, yup~ Now let's eat. It's gettin' cold."
Oh no, can't let the meat cool. Glanced sideways—Im Nana had been listening to my speech with viewers, not eating, now prepping for battle.
"Alright, whole hog BBQ mukbang starts now."
Started with pork belly, can't skip that for pig. Picked up a thick slice, fed it to Grandpa first. He took it right off my chopsticks, thumbs-up. Chat lit up: "Wholesome," "Good daughter."
Im Nana finally grabbed her chopsticks after seeing him eat. She's got great manners.
"Mmm~ Delicious! 'Cause my grandkid fed it? Tastes even better~"
"R-Really? Hehe..."
"Ah! Areum's face is super red!"
"A-Ahem...! Nana, you eat too!"
"Yup! Grandpa, thanks for the food!"
"Yup, yup~ Eat up, lots~"
Im Nana transferred a few belly slices and dove in. Whoa, is she even chewing? One piece gone every five seconds.
Guess I'll dig in too.
Grabbed a piece—whoosh into my mouth. Kya~ This is it! That smoky flavor you can't get from pan-frying or boiling. And this pig? Rotisseried low and slow for 12 hours—evenly perfect. Has to taste amazing. The smoke burst in my mouth, but despite being belly, it was light and nutty, not greasy—coating everything.
Woof! Woof!
Deep in bliss, a booming bark from the yard corner. Yeah, after 12+ hours of that aroma torture... poor guy.
"Heavens, yer owner's finally eatin', and he can't hold it."
"Haha, Alexander III must've suffered just smelling it."
"Yup. That pup's held out admirably!"
Grandpa chuckled, tossing a meaty rib rack to Alexander III. Ooh, jackpot? Nah, torture pay-off.
"Grandpa! More slices please!"
"Eh? Nana, plenty here..."
... Where'd the meat on her plate go? Grandpa sliced at least three servings. I'd only had one... even with Alex's rib...
She soloed two portions that fast? Sigh...
"... Eat slower. That's how you eat more."
"I can eat fast and a lot!"
"......"
"Euhahaha! True that~ Gotta eat heaps! Came all the way from Seoul, and even Alex ain't full yet~ More slicin'!"
Grandpa roared with laughter at grease-shiny-lipped Im Nana, slicing more.
"Holler if ya need more, I'll slice~ Here!"
"Woof!"
That dog's living large today. But no one notices Im Nana inhaling food? Chat...
... Viewers turning into dogs somehow. Hmm, did I misread? Weird chat there... Nah, must've miscounted. No way a person eats 100 sushi plates. Even as a guy, my max was 20.
... Yeah, misread for sure.