Can't Resist a Struggling Newbie
Camping vets like me just can't stand watching newbies struggle. The rain was coming down harder by the second.
Hold up. Helping is fine, but what do I even say? I ran a quick mental simulation.
[Ugh, that's not how you set up a tent.]
[What did you say!?]
...Fail. That'd just make me sound like a nagging old-timer. Okay, different approach?
[Um... Would it be okay if I helped you out?]
[Oh, no... I'm fine...]
No... That'd come off as some sweet middle-aged uncle. ...Wait.
I'm not an uncle anymore?
Hmm... Screw it! Whatever. Just charge in.
I approached the woman standing there, utterly drenched and dazed. Without a word, I handed over my umbrella and the raincoat I'd brought.
She looked stunned, staring up at me. A random beauty popping out of nowhere with rain gear? Yeah, she was clearly flustered.
Ignoring her for now, I scanned the mess of her tent setup.
Hmm, simpler than I thought.
Once I'd checked the structure, I slipped on the raincoat and started fixing the tent in the downpour. Creeeak—creeeak. I untangled the poles, slotted them back into place, and just like that, the frame stood solid.
"Th-thank you..." A choked voice came from behind me.
"...You'll catch a cold standing there like that. I got the tent up, but everything's soaked—you can't go inside."
"Oh... right..."
She looked like a rain-drenched puppy, all slumped over. I couldn't just walk away.
Sigh...
"Grab some spare clothes for now and follow me. My tent's across that bridge."
"O-okay...! Th-thank you...!"
She scurried back to her car, grabbed her bag, and hurried after me.
"Change inside. It's a family tent, so plenty of room. Once you're done, head to my car—I'll have the heater on. Warm up a bit."
She bobbed her head frantically and darted into the tent.
Sigh, this nosy side of me... I gotta fix it someday.
I grabbed the chamomile tea I'd brewed in the copot and headed to my car. Soon enough, the woman—now in dry clothes—approached the vehicle tent.
"Come on in. Just leave your shoes outside. The tarp's waterproof—they won't get wet."
"Ah, got it!"
I handed her a cup of warm chamomile tea as she climbed in awkwardly. She savored the steam rising from the cup for a moment, then took a big sip. Slurp. Her frozen body finally thawed; the tension in her shoulders melted away.
"Haa... Feels like I'm alive again..."
Her teary face brightened in seconds, and I couldn't help but chuckle.
...Kinda awkward, though. What do I say?
She clutched the cup with both hands, staring blankly at the rain outside. The silence dragged on, making my mouth itch to speak.
I broke it first. "First time camping?"
"Y-yeah..."
"Hmm... Fine in good weather, but that gear won't cut it in the rain."
"R-really?"
"No tarp... And the tent's zipper starts at the bottom—fully openable. Rain's gonna pour right in."
"Oh... I didn't think of that..."
"By the way, you were filming something earlier. Uploading somewhere?"
"Yeah! I run a YouTube channel called Nana Channel!"
Im Nana pulled out her smartphone and showed me. I took it, checked the screen, and froze.
"...One point five million?"
"Hehe... It blew up early on from Instagram."
Was I seeing things? I leaned in close, blinked a few times, checked again. No doubt. 1.5 million. Shiny. Shiny.
Suddenly, the woman in front of me looked like a savior—a goddess.
Did I stare too hard? She shrank back a little and spoke cautiously. "Wh-why are you looking at me like that?"
"Oh. Ahem... Nothing. Just... you have a ton of subscribers."
"Yeah... But more isn't always better..."
"...?"
"See, when I started YouTube, I loved makeup—copying celeb looks or sharing styles I thought were cute. It was so fun..."
"Was?"
"But the channel grew, I got a team... Now I can't do what I want. Gotta pay salaries, so it's all about what makes money. Burnout hit hard."
"Ah... So camping for some healing?"
"Yeah. But instead of healing, it just drained me."
Hmm... Opportunity? I pondered.
A big-time YouTuber right here. Tries camping. Epic fail on the healing front.
"So, quitting camping now?"
"Probably. Didn't know it'd be this tough. Saw a YouTube video and jumped in..."
"YouTube? Beginner guides are pretty detailed these days."
"This one."
She tapped her phone, pulling up a channel. The thumbnail was familiar.
Solo Camping
Spicy Fish Stew from Stream-Caught Fish...
...Huh? My movements froze, and hers shifted noticeably. She glanced at the woman in the video, then my face, back to the phone, then my face again.
"C-camping... H-Hangeol...?"
I nodded awkwardly.
"H-how...?"
"Didn't expect it to be my video. Plenty of other beginner ones out there."
"F-fan! Seeing you camp so freely made me wanna try it right away!"
"Haha... Thanks. First time meeting a viewer of my channel. I'm Han Areum."
"Im Nana!"
Im Nana stuck out her hand. A handshake? Like shaking hands with a celeb. I hesitated, then took it. Softer and slimmer than expected. Timing on letting go was tricky—I shook it in the air a couple times before releasing.
"Really quitting camping?"
"Uh, y-yeah..."
"Hmm. Mind if I help a bit?"
"For real?!"
Her loud outburst startled me more.
Better reaction than expected?
"Let's rediscover the fun of camping first."
It was already evening. I went back to my tent, grabbed the portable BBQ grill, and assembled it smoothly. Loaded it with fire starters and shell charcoal, lit it with the torch.
"This is shell charcoal. Torch alone won't light it well—add starters and keep the flame steady."
I torched it until going, then closed the lid to trap the heat.
"Lots of smoke is a downside... and upside. Great for smoking."
Im Nana nodded blankly, clearly lost. She looked just like a liberal arts kid facing tough math formulas in school—I burst out laughing.
"While it heats, time to prep this."
I pulled two massive rainbow trout from the cooler.
"Whoa... Huge fish!"
"Rainbow trout. Winter fish usually, but farmed ones are perfect by late fall."
I laid out aluminum foil, placed the trout on top, sprinkled coarse salt, lemon, and herbs, then wrapped them up. In a small pot, I dumped water, miso, tofu, zucchini, and thin-sliced pork.
"Uh... Don't you add the pork after the miso stew boils?"
"Ahaha! That's for home cooking."
"Huh?"
"Just try it when it's done. Camping food? Throw it all in and boil once—that's the best."
As I prepped, the shell charcoal inside glowed white. Crackle-crackle. I placed the foil-wrapped trout on the edge for indirect heat and the pot right over the flames since it needed to boil.
Perfect positioning.
"Used extra charcoal, so about 30 minutes. Oh, pull the miso stew after 10."
"Whoa... Simpler than I thought?"
"No need to stress outdoor cooking. Lots is easier than it looks."
"Ah... Looked so hard, I just brought cup ramen..."
"Try what I prepped today."
"Thanks!"
While the fish cooked, I grabbed the guitar from the car to ease the awkwardness.
"Whoa! Guitar...!"
"Gonna film a video—cool if you appear?"
"Totally fine!"
"Ahem. Been a while, might suck."
Im Nana nodded eagerly, even scooting her chair closer without thinking. That expectant vibe ramped up the pressure.
I took a breath. The campground was eerily quiet now that the rain had eased.
Twang. A clear note rang out into the night air. Fingers wove the familiar melody from memory. As the intro faded, I closed my eyes and sang.
Guitar and voice blended, drifting through the night. Im Nana stared, mesmerized, barely breathing.
The highlight passed; the final note faded into eternity. Before I could look up, applause exploded.
Her face flushed, she clapped wildly like her palms didn't hurt.
"That was so cool...!"
Her genuine awe made my chest tingle. I'd always played alone, but an audience made it feel new.
"C-can I film too?"
"Sure."
She got permission, grabbed an umbrella, and trotted to her car.
Solo camping only so far... Group stuff's fun too.
"Time to pull the miso—nah, add water and move to the side."
She returned; I sang her request—a famous artist's song. Time flew. I opened the grill lid: herbal aroma and hearty miso scent filled the air.
"Looks ready."
I unwrapped one trout, stripped the bones barehanded in seconds, and set the flaky flesh in foil before her. Did mine and sat.
"Dig in?"
I tossed a work glove and spoon her way. "Gear up."
"Huh? I have chopsticks..."
I grabbed her hand without a word. Her shoulder twitched at the touch. Ignoring it, I slipped the glove on her frozen hand.
"Nana. This? Gotta eat it by hand for the full flavor."