Starry Night

four

"Oh, check out this one. It will look great on you," Seolhyun says in a loud voice as she pulls a Barbie-pink backpack off a hook. We've been inside this specialty outdoor gear store for all of ten minutes, and she's already filled up a cart with enough hiking gear to outfits. The store's owner is probably counting up the total in his head and putting a down payment on a new house. Seolhyun's mom gave her a credit card and told her to go wild.

Must be nice.

"Omo. Look at the price tag. It's too expensive," I tell her. It's one of those structured backpacks that covers your entire back from head to butt and holds whatever it is that backpackers needs when they're hiking - sleeping bags and tent poles, things like that.

"My mom said we could buy anything, as long as it's in the store," Seolhyun argues, giving me a mischievous look as she swings a ponytail over one shoulder. "She will regret that. besides, my dad just made a shitload of money on the stock market. Why do you think my parents suddenly decided to fly to Las Vegas? They can afford a couple of backpacks."

"There's four already in the cart already," I point out.

Four backpacks. Three tents. Hiking sticks. Sleeping bags. Head lamps. And a set of enamel cookware, because it was "cute."

"We'll be needing it," she says casually.

"I thought this was glamping," I argue. "Your mom told my mom that the tents are already set up and that all the meals were provided."

Seolhyun pushes the chopping cart into an outdoor clothing area. "Yeah, I stayed there last year for my 17th birthday. The compound has really nice yurts."

"Yogurts?"

"Yurt," she enuniates, pretending to snap at my nose with her teeth. "They're giant round tents. You could host a huge party inside one. Anyway, the tents we're buying today are for the back-country trip we're taking."

I don't like the sound of that. "No one mentioned this."

"It's just walking, Suzy. Anyone can do it."

I laugh. "Says the athlete who gets up every morning at the butt cracks of dawn to exercise."

A tortured look clouds her eyes. Is she thinking about her Olympic failure? I think of what Eomma said about Seolhyun struggling, and I immediately regret teasing her.

"I suppose you're right," I say quickly. "It's just walking."

Seolhyun looks down at my skirt and surveys my bare legs. "Hiking will do you good."

I'm not sure what she meant by this, but I choose to ignore it, and instead route the conversation in a different direction. "You're planning on pitching tents in the wilderness? Like, with wild animals and stuff?"

Seolhyun smacks her gum and wheels up to a display of hiking boots. On the nearby wall is a giant poster of pretty models dressed in flannel, smiling with perfect teeth as they brave the wilds of their photoshoot, pretending to roughing it. "There are a zillion campgrounds in Queen's Forest. I'm sure we'll be sleeping in one of them," she assures me. "At least, I think so. I don't know. All I've been told is that the place we're going is a couple hours' walk from the main campground. Your average Daegu wannabee hikers don't know about it. We're talking totally off trail, baby."

Off-trails sounds awful. Unlike Seolhyun, I don't have boundless natural energy and calves of steel. I need to be where there's caffeine in walking distance, not fighting off bears and mosquitoes. I make a face at Seolhyun.

"We can be as loud as we want and no ranger will be there to shush us," Seolhyun says. "The people who run the glamping compound are nice, but they know my parents. We can't really let loose around them, you know? I don't need them giving my mom a report card on our activites."