Chapter 99
Even if We Take a Short Break (3)
“……?”
At the sudden attempt to take a photo, everyone lifted their heads with puzzled expressions.
Even so, without avoiding the camera, they huddled together and struck poses. As expected of active idols.
“It came out cute. I’ll send it to you later.”
“Oh, can you show me too?”
Why not? I readily turned the screen around and showed them.
Well. It was naturally different from a carefully staged and directed photo, but it captured the lively feeling of them having fun and waiting for mealtime, so it was a cute picture.
“Wow, you’re good at taking photos.”
I had no choice but to be good. Honestly, I’m not confident about selfies, but there wasn’t just one or two people around me who would nag if I couldn’t take a decent photo.
It was a photography skill forcibly honed through the nagging and scolding of those around me.
“Then I think this part’s cooked now, so go ahead and eat first.”
My stomach was empty too, but compared to those three, I had been moving around less, so it wasn’t at the point where my stomach was sticking to my back.
“Ah, then… thank you for the meal!”
“Thank you!”
“Ah, it looks delicious.”
The moment I placed the meat onto the plate set aside next to us, they picked it up without a second of hesitation. Their bodies might have grown, but it showed they were still kids.
Still, usually you’re supposed to at least once urge the person who cooked to eat first if you want to be liked wherever you go.
I was just thinking I’d have to tell at least Lee Jiwoo about that later when—
“Um….”
Lee Jiwoo made a wrap with hands he had wiped clean once with a disinfecting tissue and held it out toward me.
“Please eat while you cook!”
Oh. No need to teach him separately after all.
I willingly took off the glove from the hand holding the tongs, accepted the wrap, and put it into my mouth in one bite.
“It’s good. Thank you.”
I couldn’t even taste the meat because of how much chili and garlic he had put in—it was so spicy—but the thoughtfulness was admirable.
“Uh, then me too!”
The other two, who had been watching, seemed to realize something and suddenly rushed over to hold out wraps to me as well.
“I’m especially good at making wraps. It’ll be really delicious. Try it.”
“Mine too.”
What was this? I couldn’t shake the impression that they were teasing me somehow, but refusing would have been strange, so I obediently accepted and ate the wraps one by one.
‘So it wasn’t an exaggeration that they’re good at making them.’
The one Shin Min-gyu made tasted like the ingredients you’d normally expect, while the one Sung Heechan made definitely had a savory kick.
“What did you put in this? Why is it tastier? It doesn’t seem that different.”
The ingredients couldn’t be that different. Curious, I asked, and Sung Heechan slyly held out something from the corner of the table.
“I bought it separately when we were grocery shopping earlier. Since no one else eats it and only I do, I felt bad using the shared budget.”
What Sung Heechan had bought was seasoning.
Ah, no wonder. The saltiness did taste a bit different from regular salt.
Watching him confidently hold it out and laugh foolishly in delight made me smile genuinely as well.
It was such a trivial thing, yet he was so proud and happy about it. It was hard to believe he was an idol currently enjoying peak popularity, with how natural and guileless he was.
“Let’s just eat it together. Tell me how much it cost. I’ll include it when we settle the expenses later.”
Of course, I had no intention of actually taking money from them. It wasn’t like we were on some extravagant trip.
Moreover, the campsite was almost dirt cheap since peak season had passed. If any money had gone out, it would have been for fuel, toll fees, and the meat.
Even that was incomparably less than the cost of a single company dinner at a restaurant. To the point that I could consider this my personal vacation expense.
“No, it’s okay. It’ll be left over anyway, and I’ll take it home.”
There was no need, but if that’s what he wanted.
Instead of arguing, I placed another chunk of meat on the grill.
Sizzle, sizzle—the sound of meat cooking over charcoal rang out, mingling with the sound of water.
‘It’s peaceful.’
All the problems in the city felt like matters of another world; everything around us was quiet.
Except for the occasional cry of what might have been a crow, it was quiet enough to feel almost desolate.
‘Well, quiet is better than noisy.’
That thought changed exactly two hours later.
“Wow, it got dark so quickly.”
There was no manager stationed at the campsite. After the final inspection at 8 o’clock, the small convenience store closed, and the manager also went home nearby.
There was a sign saying to contact them in case of emergency, but either way, the fact that we were the only ones in this wide campsite remained unchanged.
“Nothing will happen, right? It’s not even that far from Seoul….”
After finishing all the meat, they seemed to finally feel a bit scared by the fact that there was no light except for a few street lamps installed around the campsite.
“Yeah, well… I heard wild animals sometimes come down, but at most, it’s probably just water deer.”
When I calmly relayed what was written in the guide we’d received upon entering earlier, the three of them let out short exclamations at the same time.
“If the darkness bothers you, should we light a fire?”
There was still charcoal left, so it wouldn’t be grand, but we could at least enjoy staring at the flames.
When Shin Min-gyu nodded like a child, I dragged over the grill we hadn’t cleaned up yet, removed the grate, and lit the fire again.
As night fell, the temperature dropped, making it perfect to gather close to the fire.
“…….”
“…….”
As soon as the fire was set, silence fell. With nothing particular to say, I sat quietly in front of the flames warming my hands, and the others moved closer too.
“…….”
“…….”
After silence lingered again, the first to speak was Lee Jiwoo.
“I-It’s warm and nice…!”
At the same time, from far away, a hoo, hoo sound rang out—an owl, or perhaps a mountain bird.
“Oh….”
Because it was so quiet and dark and we were the only ones there, the sound felt slightly eerie rather than atmospheric.
“This is the perfect time for scary stories.”
The moment Sung Heechan said that absentmindedly, Shin Min-gyu screamed.
“No, I hate it, I really hate it, I freaking hate it, I hate it so much, please!”
He shuddered with his whole body, which was honestly a bit funny, but I didn’t feel like provoking him further.
“Okay then, you must all be tired, so let’s wash up and get ready to sleep.”
Didn’t they say the hot water in the showers only runs until 11? There was still plenty of time, but since it was a small facility that only two people could use at once, there was no harm in hurrying.
‘We’re not even that close, and I don’t feel like showering together.’
Even if we were close, it would be the same.
Someone might call me overly sensitive, but I didn’t want to show my bare skin to others if I could help it.
By the time we were all clean and fluffy and divided into our respective tents, it was incomparably earlier than my usual bedtime.
‘Will I even fall asleep? It’s too early….’
Even if I don’t, I should at least try closing my eyes. I entered the tent with Lee Jiwoo and slipped into my sleeping bag.
Since we were in the mountains and right next to the water, it was quite chilly.
‘I turned the fire off properly…. It’ll warm up inside the sleeping bag as I sleep.’
As I closed my eyes thinking that, a small voice came from beside me.
“Um, Director….”
“Yes.”
Since I wasn’t sleepy anyway, I answered to hear what he had to say, and Lee Jiwoo expressed his thanks again.
“…You must be busy, but thank you so much for making time like this.”
I was busy, it was true, but if I thought of it as taking a brief breather, it wasn’t bad.
“It’s okay. We’re going straight back tomorrow anyway, and it wasn’t bad for me to rest after a long time.”
Though I was tired, honestly, it wasn’t unpleasant to see kids young enough to be my nephews or sons following along like kindergarteners, saying yes, yes.
“It was fun, too.”
Of course, it was far from my usual style of rest.
Usually I watch a movie I like at home or sleep all day. To others, it might have looked quite boring.
But sometimes this isn’t bad either. Playing somewhere without loudly rolling cameras, without staff or PDs to be mindful of.
In an era where celebrities earn money while traveling and having fun, it might sound like a ridiculous complaint. But right now, I was the one standing behind the camera assisting, not the one being filmed, so it was only natural.
“So don’t worry about it and go to sleep.”
It would be a hundred times more of a loss if Lee Jiwoo’s face darkened from unnecessary worries.
“…Yes!”
However, as if he still had something left to say, after a moment he rustled again and spoke.
“Um, but….”
“Yes?”
“I had so much fun too. I’ve been jealous for a long time. Other friends would always brag about going on trips with their families every vacation, but I couldn’t….”
That must have been true. He had lived a childhood different from other kids.
Most of his vacations would have been used for filming, and even during the school term he would have frequently used field trip allowances.
Did he even finish high school? He probably quit school after graduating middle school because he couldn’t juggle it with debut.
He probably couldn’t even dream of things like school trips. For Lee Jiwoo, small trips like this must have been something from another world. Something he could act out in movies or dramas but never experience in reality.
“I think I’ll remember this until I die.”
Something this small?
Lee Jiwoo himself was grinning, but I couldn’t laugh.
It would have been one thing if he had at least made a fortune in exchange for sacrificing his childhood. But all the income he earned as a child actor had gone into his parents’ pockets, and not much remained for Lee Jiwoo.
If he had at least had assets left like Park Sehyun or Yoonseo, it wouldn’t feel so unfair.
If he hadn’t returned to the entertainment industry, he would have been holed up in a room with no dreams, no experiences, nothing learned. It was pitiful.
I forced myself to ignore the bitterness and said,
“In the future, there’ll be much better things than this. Just this much?”
I let out a small laugh as I pointed it out, and Lee Jiwoo protested.
“It’s my first time! So in my life, up until now, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime major event.”
It suddenly felt real that Lee Jiwoo was still as young as a hatchling.
He’d probably forget this ever happened in just three years.
My shoulders almost shook at his solemn resolve, but I barely held it in.
“Alright. Hurry up and sleep. You must be tired.”
If we were going to play around all vacation, I’d need my stamina.
After making sure Lee Jiwoo fell asleep first, I relaxed my whole body and listened to the sounds around us.
The sound of leaves brushing in the wind, the sound of the stream flowing, the sound of a car passing in the distance… Listening to the faint noises like white noise, time passed in an instant.
In that moment when I wasn’t asleep but not fully awake either—
“Kyaaaaaaah! Aah! Aaaah!”
In the deathly quiet, a sudden sharp scream rang out.
