The Outing Part 2
It's Saturday morning.
I was hurrying around the house like crazy.
That was because today we were all going on a family outing together.
So I had been preparing since early in the morning.
Dad was getting the tents ready for the camping trip, and Mom had already packed the bento boxes we'd eat there.
Of course, more than half of it was stuff bought from the convenience store, but I didn't really mind anymore.
After all, it was an outing where the whole family got to play together.
"Hey, honey. Do we really need such a big tent? Can't we just buy an air mattress from a store and call it a day?"
"But why… it’s practical!"
"…What’s practical about it? It’s so bulky!"
"Come on! It’s an 8-person tent! It pops up with just two touches! You just hit it twice and it’s done!"
"Aigoo… that bright light…"
"Son! Son is on my side!"
"Hmm… yeah. Bigger is better."
"That’s right! My son really is!"
"…You two are exactly the same. Then you should keep an eye on each other."
"Sure thing."
Just like that, we wrapped up all our outing preparations in a chaotic rush.
I guess you’d think our destination was a camping site, but it wasn’t a camping site at all.
Our real destination was a park just forty minutes away by car.
There were tons of open grassy areas in the park, and the management would close off certain sections for a set period of time.
So we were heading there, hoping to be in the right spot when they opened the fields.
I had wanted to go there for a while, but Dad’s company schedule had always gotten in the way.
But this time everything lined up perfectly, and we got to go on a family outing.
Clunk… clunk…
Of course, looking at all the stuff crammed into the third-row seat and the huge coolers full of snacks right next to me, it felt a little excessive… but what’s good is good, right? No worries.
So I turned my gaze out the window and just stared at the scenery passing by.
Nothing to worry about.
I had double-checked everything before we left.
Did I forget anything? Nothing missing.
Just like that.
But somewhere deep in my chest, a strange unease kept nagging at me.
"Um… Mom."
"Hm? What is it, son?"
"Did we forget anything? Right?"
"Nope. We double-checked with Siwoo and you before leaving."
"Yeah… it’s just… I’ve been feeling a little off lately, so I asked."
"Mmm?"
I figured it was just the anxious feeling making me restless, but then I realized it wasn’t exactly fear.
So what was this uncomfortable sensation, then?
I wished I knew what was causing it, but unfortunately, I had no idea.
With that heavy-hearted feeling, I stared out the window, and then it hit me.
'What is Sia doing right now?'
Since her dad had come back, I figured her family was probably off somewhere on a trip.
So maybe the last day of kindergarten hadn’t felt that sad for her after all?
Just like how I loved spending time with my family, Sia would probably enjoy hers too.
Maybe that was it.
I closed my eyes while staring out the window.
Letting the swaying of the car rock me to sleep.
******
While we were still packing at my house, Sia’s family was getting ready for their own outing.
"Sia, are you all packed?"
"Yeah, I’m done."
"Honey, should we bring the camping gear?"
"Aigoo, we only need to take the air mattress we bought last time."
"Really? Yeah… no need for a tent then."
"Yeah… Sia, sunscreen?"
"I packed it."
"I’m all ready too, so shall we go?"
"Sure. I already loaded the car, so we can just head out."
"Okay. I’ll carry the bags, so help me with Sia."
"No… I’ll do it…"
"You’ve done all the other stuff, so this is my turn…"
"Fine, just take it."
"…Here…"
"It’s surprisingly heavy… Were you planning on carrying this?"
"Hehe."
"You were thinking about it, huh? Let’s go, Sia."
"Yes."
Her face when we left the house looked incredibly happy.
There was the joy of going on an outing with family, of course.
"I’ll be there soon."
But there was another reason mixed in.
******
Our family arrived at the park entrance.
Soon, cars started appearing along the entrance road.
It was still early for a weekend, but there were already a lot of vehicles, and everyone had clearly come out for an outing just like us.
"Wow… there are tons of cars."
"Yeah… good thing we got here early."
"We should park and secure a spot fast."
"Want to go first?"
"No way. We’re going together."
"Yeah."
So our family parked the car and carried all the stuff we’d brought into the park.
Every single one of us had our arms full.
Dad had the tent and a folding chair.
Mom had all the food and drinks.
I had the tools for the picnic—well, more like bug spray, a portable fan, and a drone, basically fun gadgets.
Once we all entered the park loaded down like that, there were way more people than the cars in the parking lot.
"Hmm… some people are already setting up tents."
"Yeah…"
"Look, we got here in time."
"Yeah yeah, good job, you."
"Ouch! Why are you hitting me!"
"Let’s go fast!"
"Yeah yeah, let’s go together, son!"
I ran off at full speed, desperate not to lose my good spot.
I looked around and spotted an open field near the convenience store.
It looked perfect, so I rushed over and claimed it.
Just as I did, Dad showed up.
"Oh! My son is amazing! Snatching such a spot!"
"Hehe! What do you think?"
"Awesome! Then let’s set up the tent right away."
Dad set the other stuff down and pulled out the tent bag.
He took the tent out, set it on the ground, and after inspecting the area for the best way to stake it, he finally decided.
Thunk!
He gave it one touch to unfold.
Tap tap tap tap…
Then he pulled the ropes and the massive tent shot up.
Whoa!
"Wow, amazing!"
"How is it, son? Not bad?"
"Yeah! Awesome!"
The tent was huge.
There was still room for Dad to stand inside.
I jumped inside and the ceiling was still out of reach.
At that moment, Mom arrived.
"Wow… it really is big."
"Right? We got the 8-person one right, huh?"
"Yeah yeah, it’s definitely good."
"Come on, let’s unpack."
Our family started unpacking right away.
In front of the tent, Dad set up the camping chair.
All the gear went inside the tent.
But…
"Hmm…"
"What is it, son?"
"It’s just… the floor feels exactly like the ground outside."
There was a floor, made of thick fabric, but no cushioning at all, so lying on it felt like the uneven dirt.
"Oh, that’ll be fixed soon, right?"
"What do you mean…?"
"That… ah… here she comes."
"Hm…?"
When Dad said she was coming, I peeked out from inside the tent and looked where he was pointing.
There were three people walking toward us.
And one of them was the person I knew best.
Sia.
Just Sia.
"Eh? Eh?"
I was so stunned I couldn’t speak, but Dad just smiled and said to me.
"I asked Sia if she wanted to come on the outing, and she said she wanted to go too."
"Eh…"
Even after hearing the explanation, I was still blank.
But from far away, Sia spotted us and started running.
"Siwoo! Sia is running over! I need to greet her!"
"Ah… y-yes."
I jumped up from my spot and went to meet her.
"Si…"
I wanted to put my shoes on, but my feet wouldn’t cooperate, so in my panic I just walked out wearing socks.
It was gross on the dirt, but right now it felt way less important.
Whoa whoa whoa!
"Siwoo!!"
"Don’t run! You’ll fall!"
Seeing Sia sprinting like that worried me a lot.
Why was she rushing so much? She looked unsteady.
And just as I thought she’d trip, Sia’s body wobbled for a second.
I quickly lunged forward.
Boom!
I caught her before she hit the ground.
"U… that was dangerous…"
"Ehehe…"
Sia just smiled happily in my arms.
Like she knew I’d catch her.
I didn’t understand why she was trusting me like that.
But because of that weird tingling feeling, I set her down carefully and asked how she got there.
"I came because I wanted to go on the outing with you."
"……"
I had nothing to say.
It wasn’t like I was happy or sad.
Just that the thing that had been bothering me since morning had vanished the moment I saw her.
"Um… that was a problem?"
Sia looked a little nervous when I didn’t answer.
To comfort her, I said as brightly as I could.
"No, not at all. I’m actually really happy."
All of that was true.
The moment I saw Sia, I was genuinely happy.
At the same time, I could feel what had happened this morning.
I couldn’t explain it with words, but the one clear thing was…
I think I had been thinking about Sia the whole time without even realizing it.