Camping Prep, Two Days to Go
I headed over to Harang's place. I'd been there so often it already felt like my second home. Sure enough, she was waiting for me in her usual laid-back home attire, just like she always wore around the house now.
I stepped inside as naturally as ever, washed my hands in the bathroom, grabbed a cola from the fridge, and made my way to the table in front of the bed. She'd clearly been researching camping spots before I arrived—the laptop was already open there.
"How's it going? Find anything good?"
"Just scoping out locations."
"What about gear?"
"Pretty much got it all. We just need to pack food."
I'd figured Harang might be a bit clumsy at this since Yeoreum unnie always took charge on our outings, but surprisingly, she'd prepared everything meticulously without a single gap. It made me feel like I was just along for the ride, but she was so enthusiastic I couldn't bring myself to complain.
I plopped down on the floor and hugged her from behind, wrapping my arms around her in a back hug as we peered at the laptop screen together. Her small hand busily clicked the mouse, scrolling through campsites all over the country.
I never realized there were this many places to camp in Korea.
"Sigh... haa..."
Amazed by the sheer number, I buried my nose in her thick, lush hair and inhaled deeply. The shampoo scent was incredible. Probably because it was her wearing it.
"Anything catch your eye?"
"Not yet. Peak season means way too many people everywhere."
"Yeah, that's a buzzkill. Hard to find quiet spots with few people this time of year, huh."
While her hands worked, mine kneaded her waist and legs. They were right there—I couldn't not touch. I was tempted to grope her chest too, but nah, I'd hold back on that.
"Peak season, yeah. If it were winter, we'd have tons of options like that."
"Winter? You can camp in winter? Isn't it freezing?"
"No crowds, no bugs—it's great. Pack heating gear, and the cold's no big deal."
"No bugs? Sold!"
I hated bugs, so that sealed it for me. The cold? Cuddling up to Harang in our sleeping bags would handle that just fine.
Harang seemed to prefer winter camping too, so I made a mental note to go sometime. Parting her hair, I planted a kiss on the nape of her neck.
Smack.
She hesitated a bit before speaking up.
"Then... wanna go camping in winter too?"
"Harang."
"Yeah?"
Smack... smack...
I gave her a few more kisses on the neck before answering.
"Anything you wanna do, just say the word. I wanna do everything you want, together."
"......"
"And if I think of something I wanna do with you, I'll tell you right away. Got it?"
"Yeah..."
"Winter camping sounds fun. Kinda romantic, even."
"Yeah."
With that, she spun around to face me, draped her arms around my neck, and pressed her lips to mine.
Mm...
Her tongue—now so familiar—slipped into my mouth, mingling our saliva. I let her lead the kiss while my hands roamed for some skinship.
Pat, pat.
I gave her ass a light smack over her somewhat thick training shorts. Come to think of it, she never wore dolphin pants or anything like that. Yeoreum unnie did all the time.
"Pha..."
After our long, breathless kiss, she pulled away, gasping. We'd tangled our tongues so fiercely a thin string of saliva stretched between our lips. It was insanely hot.
The strand snapped and clung to my chin, but her red lips followed right after.
Smack... lick.
She kissed me like she was wiping it clean, her tongue sweeping the spot. The rough texture gliding under my lip sent shivers racing through me.
Our makeout session paused for a breather.
"Harang."
"...Haa... yeah...?"
"You don't have any dolphin pants, do you?"
"Nope."
"Too bad. They'd look great on you."
"Yeah?"
"Totally. I saw unnie's—they're super thin. Feels like it'd be nice to touch."
"I'll buy some."
She agreed instantly because I wanted them—God, she was adorable. I didn't think of myself as patriarchal or anything, but her sweet compliance made my chest tingle.
"...Gyeol."
"What's up?"
I gazed at her with a warm smile. She glanced down briefly before continuing.
"If my pants are too thick... you can take them off and touch."
"......"
Whoa, hold up. I laughed it off casually, dodging her subtle tease. Another temptation survived.
She pouted a little at my reaction—par for the course these days. A quick kiss would fix it, no biggie.
Besides, we'd decide later during camping how far skinship went. Like Seobin said, this stuff was important for couples, so we needed to talk it out properly. We could settle it now, sure... but I was a hopeless romantic. I wanted it to happen in a nice, atmospheric spot.
Anyway, we got back to our original position and resumed site hunting.
"This one's the best so far."
"Yeah. Facilities are meh, but recent reviews say it's not too crowded."
Our top priority: a quiet spot for just us. We hunted low-traffic sites, but those always had reasons for being empty. We decided to sacrifice some convenience—long as it wasn't totally unusable, one night would be fine.
Rub, rub.
"Forgot something? As long as we have the tent, sleeping bags, and food, we're good, right?"
"Yeah. We can drive right up, so worst case, crash in the car."
"Nice."
Rub, rub.
"Whatcha gonna cook?"
"Simple stuff for the campfire grill, and..."
"Sausages or whatever?"
"Ramen."
"...Ramen?"
"Yeah. Been craving it for camping."
"Ramen over pasta... yeah, that'd hit."
Rub, rub.
"Washing up... no choice there. Sink and brushing in the bathroom, I guess."
"Got shower wipes."
"What's that?"
"For quick wipe-downs."
"Oh... like these? Cool."
Rub, rub.
With the site locked in, we chatted details while she kept nuzzling her head against my chin and neck like a cat. I indulged her, my excitement for camping building. I'd never been big on it before, but her interest was enough to hook me. Lounging like this in a fresh spot sounded fun, plus we'd have that important talk.
"......"
For now, though... playtime with this adorable grown-up kitty staring up at me.
After nailing down the schedule and site with Harang, studying went out the window. We'd hung out alone plenty since dating, but a proper 'trip' for just us felt different. Thrilled, I'd sneak peeks at camping info on my own when alone—what fun stuff to do there?
Turns out, you had to bring the fun. No facilities nearby, walks only lasted an hour or two—pack games or whatever for the rest. I figured whatever was there would do, or we'd just chat (time flies with her anyway). Phone for boredom backup.
Harang handled most prep, so I had little to do—but I happily dug around a bit more.
"Kang Gyeol."
"Yes ma'am. I'll keep my promise."
"I trust you."
"Roger."
I nodded along to her killer-intent reminders, over and over till departure.
She was way more pumped than me—camping was her dream hobby since a memorable childhood trip. Days flew by like that.
I'd visit Harang whenever free, hang with Seobin sometimes, shop or eat out with Yeoreum unnie occasionally. Might've been the most relaxed summer break before CSAT—pure rest.
Next semester, Harang would help with studies too, so I'd ramp up efforts big time. Made this break even sweeter.
Especially our solo camping trip, with summer break winding down. The one that might change our relationship forever.