Chapter 4
A day had passed since I uploaded the video.
The first video had 82 views.
The increase in the view count was meager, but it wasn’t a bad start.
Even better, a comment had appeared within a day.
[Travel-obsessed man JK: Oh! Did you manually make the camping box? It has a great vibe. Keep it up.]
A proud smile spread across my face.
They’d hit right on the point that I’d hoped would catch the viewers’ attention when I posted the video.
I added a heart to his comment.
“Maybe I should go to Boryeong now?”
I wanted to see the ocean today.
Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province.
It was about 120km from my uncle’s house in Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province.
This time, I’d drive the truck myself, rather than using my pocket space.
Considering the 3-4 hours round-trip drive, I asked my uncle to inspect the truck.
He happily agreed, as long as he could use my computer during that time.
Was it a kind of trade-off?
“The inspection’s done.”
Initially, when he handed it over to me, he had replaced all consumables with new ones, so the inspection finished in less than an hour.
I wondered if there was even a need for an inspection, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. It’s comforting to have it thoroughly checked by a mechanic who drove it for 10 years.
“Thank you, uncle.”
“Do you even need to check it? Can’t you just put it in your pocket space and take it out at the destination? It’s still effort to drive, you should use your power.”
Sure, it would be more comfortable that way.
Long-distance driving can be exhausting.
Arriving in Boryeong by express bus, then driving the truck would be less physically demanding.
“But all that’s part of the journey. I want to feel the wind while driving.”
I wanted to experience the unique pleasure of a solo road trip.
Uncle patted my shoulder, seeming to understand.
“Is that so? So, where in Boryeong are you headed? Daecheon Beach?”
Daecheon Beach is famous in Boryeong.
I shook my head.
“I’m aiming for somewhere less crowded.”
“How many nights?”
“Just one night.”
“Hmm, why not go for a long 3-4 day trip?”
“That’s too long. Are you hoping for me to be out of the house?”
He probably wanted the computer.
“No way.”
Seeming slightly taken aback, uncle quickly retreated to his room, wishing me a safe trip.
Binging dramas on a weekend morning.
That wasn’t the reason I bought the computer.
Still, it was nice that my always-sleeping uncle found a hobby.
I walked into the pocket space.
“Meow!”
Milk greeted me as if she had been waiting.
She’d gained quite a bit of weight since I brought her into the pocket space. Maybe because I fed her well.
But why do you always hang out in the tree instead of the house?
Perhaps the tree is that appealing.
I checked the camping box in the truck one last time.
The battery was fully charged, the waste was discharged, and the freshwater tank was filled.
The batteries for the camera and drone were ample, and the food was prepared.
Was Milk the only one left?
“Milk, I’m going camping. Do you want to stay here?”
Without hesitation, Milk jumped into my arms, hugging me tightly.
That was her signal that she wanted to come along.
I stroked Milk and got in the truck.
“Okay. Let’s go together.”
* * *
Even while driving, I took in the surrounding scenery.
I also made sure the camera set inside the vehicle was running correctly.
The video I was planning to upload would start from the departure scene.
It wasn’t another dimension, just Boryeong, so there was no need to hide it.
After passing through the city and tunnel, gazing at rice paddies and lakes, I soon arrived in Boryeong.
I parked the truck in front of a beach, a bit away from the main seaside area, and stepped out of the driver’s seat.
“Meow.”
First, I looked after Milk who was likely hungry after the nearly 2-hour drive.
I soaked her dry food in warm milk, and she ate it eagerly.
“Alright, now it’s my turn to prepare.”
I removed the camera I had set up inside the vehicle and set it up outside using a tripod.
The sky was clear without a single cloud, perfect weather to fly a drone.
“Are you alone, young man?”
A gentleman, who looked to be in his 70s, approached me while I was busy preparing.
I momentarily paused my work.
