Chapter 60

“Mom, mom!”

“Hello, ma’am~”

Today, after kindergarten ended, Yoo-in-a came to our house. Ha-yeon gave Yoo-in-a a look. It seemed like the two of them were plotting something. Though their teamwork was a bit clumsy, as kids often are, it was still adorable. I smiled and asked, “Do you have something to say?”

I started to nudge them to speak, as it seemed like they wanted to say something but were having trouble getting it out. When I made it easier for them to speak, Yoo-in-a finally opened her tiny mouth.

“Ha-yeon and I want to go camping with you, ma’am…”

“Camping?”

Ah, camping… Indeed, autumn is the season for camping. The temperature is just right for an outing. Camping in summer is too hot and humid, and in winter, it’s too cold. So, spring or autumn is the best time. And now, in autumn, the weather is perfect for camping.

“Yeah…”

At Yoo-in-a’s words, Ha-yeon’s eyes sparkled as she chimed in, “I want to go camping with mom too…!”

Seeing Ha-yeon say that, it seemed like she really wanted to go camping. I didn’t expect Yoo-in-a to say that too… It’s a good thing that Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a are getting along. Ha-yeon seemed to have trouble making friends, so having even one close friend was very important. Once you make one friend, making more isn’t so hard.

Friends introduce friends, and before you know it, your circle grows. That’s how you expand your network.

“Really? Then we should go camping with Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a!”

“Really…?”

I nodded and said, “Yes. But not right away, probably next week. I need to tell the café boss that I’ll be taking a day off during the week.”

Going to a campsite on the weekend would be tough. This time of year, it’s probably fully booked. Camping is a great activity to do with kids, but there’s a lot to prepare. Tents, sleeping bags, cooking tools—it would take a lot of effort to buy or prepare all that equipment.

So, I decided to go glamping instead. Everything is already set up, and it’s safe and convenient, making it perfect for young kids.

We didn’t have any camping gear at home to begin with. We weren’t prepared for camping at all. Plus, buying all the camping equipment from scratch felt like a waste of money.

It was much better to go to a glamping site and rent everything there.

When I explained my plan to go glamping, Yoo-in-a’s eyes sparkled as she asked, “Does glamping have tents and can we make a fire?”

“Of course, there are tents, and we can have a barbecue too.”

We could enjoy ourselves in the pre-set tents. The glamping site had everything we needed for camping. All we had to do was book the right glamping site. Even if it wasn’t on the weekend, booking on a weekday wouldn’t be a problem. And Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a could easily skip kindergarten for a day.

Kindergarten wasn’t the kind of place where missing a day of class was a big deal. In fact, the teacher might even be happy about it. Back in my elementary school days, skipping class for overseas trips or camping was unthinkable, but nowadays, it seems common. Some kids even look at those who get perfect attendance awards with strange eyes, thinking they come from families who can’t afford to travel.

“Wow!”

Ha-yeon excitedly added, “Then let’s grill barbecue and shrimp! Can Yoo-in-a and I do it?”

I laughed and replied, “You’ll have to do that with me. Hot things are dangerous.”

Handling dangerous fire was something I, as an adult, had to do. Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a were still young kids. There was a risk of getting burned if they tried to grill meat or handle fire. These tasks were meant for adults.

“Okay!”

The two kids nodded excitedly in agreement.

—

The day of the camping trip arrived. It was hectic from the morning. We could have left in the afternoon and taken our time preparing, but Ha-yeon couldn’t wait. She was bouncing on the bed, saying, “Mom, mom! Wake up! We have to go camping today!”

“Ha… Ha-yeon, it’s 7 AM… The glamping site opens at 3 PM, so we have to wait a bit.”

At my words, Ha-yeon looked disappointed. I hugged her, and she squealed, snuggling into my arms.

“Let’s sleep a bit more with mom, okay?”

At my gentle voice, Ha-yeon shyly nodded. I smelled her scent and drifted back to sleep. I was tired from buying food for the glamping trip yesterday. We bought meat and various snacks at the supermarket. The glamping site provided all the other camping gear, so all we had to prepare were disposable plates and other simple items.

And we had already bought enough of those yesterday, so there was nothing to worry about. We just had to wait for time to pass.

I closed my eyes, and it felt like only a moment had passed before my phone alarm went off. It was time to prepare for the glamping trip. I realized Ha-yeon was no longer in my arms. She was always healthy and didn’t sleep much. She was always awake before me.

When I went to the living room, Ha-yeon was watching TV. I said, “Ha-yeon, let’s get ready to go!”

“Okay!”

Ha-yeon turned off the TV and started getting dressed. It seemed like she had already washed up before I could help her. As I washed up and got dressed, the doorbell rang. Yoo-in-a had arrived. She was carrying a thick bag. I had prepared everything else, but clothes were up to her. So, Yoo-in-a must have packed her own clothes for the trip. I waved and greeted her.

“Yoo-in-a, you’re here?”

“Yes, ma’am…!”

Yoo-in-a spoke in a quiet voice. She seemed calm and quiet, but Ha-yeon often said that was just her hidden side. I decided to accept whatever side of her she showed. Anyway, Yoo-in-a was ready, so it was time to move the luggage. There wasn’t much.

Since we were only staying for one night, we didn’t need to pack like we were moving. We just needed to prepare the meat and side dishes. If we had to bring camping gear and tents, it would have been a lot more, but thankfully, the glamping site provided all that.

Vroom~

A car sound came from outside, and a message popped up.

[Sister, I’m here]

“Ah, the boss must have arrived!”

I told the kids. We couldn’t carry all this luggage on public transport. So, I had asked the boss for a favor. Could we use his car? The boss readily agreed.

He wasn’t staying with us for the whole trip, just helping with the departure and return. He would drop us off at the glamping site and then go back home. Luckily, the glamping site wasn’t too far away, so it was doable.

It was about a 30-minute drive. If it had been farther, this camping trip might not have happened. I didn’t have a driver’s license or a car. Of course, I could rent a car, but I didn’t have a license. The last resort would have been to ask Yoo-in-a’s father, but he had his own things to do, so it would have been awkward.

But now, there was no need to worry about that. I said to Yoo-in-a and Ha-yeon, “Kids, let’s move the luggage!”

There wasn’t much luggage. It would only take two trips to load everything into the trunk. People going on overseas trips pack everything into one suitcase, so for a one-night trip like ours, we didn’t need much. After loading the luggage, we got into the car. The boss was sitting confidently in the driver’s seat. Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a sat in the back. It was a great start to the trip.

“Let’s go!”

The boss spoke, and the car smoothly started driving down the road.