Travel is fun. However, traveling unprepared can lead to anxiety and unexpected difficulties. You wouldn’t want to even imagine the case when you’re driving on the highway at dawn and your car runs out of oil and stops.
It is the day I meet my brothers in my hometown of Seonsan (先山). He started a tree species improvement project in Seonsan three years ago and planted 1,300 cypress trees. As time goes by, the supporting poles fall down in the wind and need to be rebuilt. He left Yangpyeong at 5:30 to work with his younger brothers for the holiday.
Because the younger brothers live in Daegu, it is difficult to find time to meet unless it is a holiday or a ritual. Even though he’s going to work, the thought of meeting the brothers makes his heart flutter, and his feet on the accelerator gain strength. When I was growing up, I vaguely remember the times when my brothers and sisters cried and comforted me and when the whole family slept face to face with a large blanket in the bedroom.
I will try to comfort the younger siblings I meet for the first time after the 49th birthday of my mother, and try to be more tolerant as the eldest brother in the family so that they can live amicably. We had to run in a hurry to arrive by the appointed time, 8 o’clock.
The previous afternoon, the car oil gauge was near the red line, so I was hesitant about whether to refuel, but I decided to put the gas in the service station because the gas station seemed to be cheaper. It’s 5:30 a.m., so most of the gas stations aren’t open yet, but one gas station is on. I passed by while thinking. After getting on the Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway through Namyangpyeong IC and running for a while, a warning sound to replenish oil sounds. The Seo Yeoju rest area was running out of time, so I ran without paying any attention.
It’s not even 6 o’clock yet, so the rest area is quiet. I went to the gas station and the road was blocked and the lights were off. There is no response even when the horn is sounded. It’s a relatively small rest area, and it seems it’s not open yet because it’s too early. It doesn’t make sense that the gas station at the highway rest area, where vehicles pass 24 hours a day, is not open. perplexed
I had no choice but to drive the car again. On the way, I searched for a gas station and found the nearest rest stop in Chungju, 41 kilometers away. The oil scale is down to the red column, but it seems too far away. Even if you go down the national road from the intermediate IC to the gas station, you cannot guarantee that the door is open.
I’ve heard that even if the oil warning light comes on, you can drive about 30 km. I am worried, but there is no other way. ‘What should I do if the oil runs out and the car stops?’, ‘Should I contact the insurance company for help?’. When I do that, I have a complicated mind and all sorts of ominous thoughts come to mind with the thought that the appointment time, 8 o’clock, will pass. I have to travel with excitement and joy, but driving anxiously and impatiently only makes my heart impatient. The regret of ‘I’ll put oil before getting on the highway’ is very regretful. It is very irrational and difficult to understand if you look at the price per liter when you usually drink coffee anywhere without paying attention to the price and when you put oil in your car.
The oil scale is gradually going down, but I’m nervous because there’s still a long way to go to the rest area. While figuring out how to minimize fuel consumption, he entered the second lane and drove at a constant speed of less than 100 km, while on a downhill road, he tried to run with the gear in neutral and the momentum. The distance that used to be 40 km is shortened to 30, 20, and 10 km, and as the oil level gradually falls to the bottom, the nervousness increases in inverse proportion. While driving with full of anxiety, I finally arrived at a rest stop. I don’t know how lucky I am.
Once at the gas station, it was filled with oil. The car’s oil tank is 60 liters, but it contains 60.733 liters. The oil has completely run out as it has been filled with more than the tank capacity. As soon as the oil is added, a sigh of relief ‘whoo~yu’ bursts by itself. Still, the car that did not stop in the middle, endured hunger and came to the service area, is infinitely proud. A special and grateful heart comes naturally to the horse, who had only ridden it indifferently without taking proper care of it.
I went to a rest stop, had a quick breakfast with udon noodles, bought a cup of coffee, and then started driving again with a relaxed mind. Now, outside the car window, you can see the beautiful scenery of the mountains and streams dyed green, and you can also hear the sweet music from the CD. The trip should feel like this, but today I almost suffered a great disappointment due to insufficient preparation. In the future, I will have to pay more attention to what I do, such as thinking ahead and checking it.
As the saying goes, “everything is in good health,” it would have been a peaceful and enjoyable trip if we had prepared in advance and dealt with it. Now, this mindset is deeply engraved in my heart, but sooner or later, I may be able to go back to the past, asking, ‘When did that happen?’ It was an opportunity for me to remind myself that even if I can’t always do that, I need to take time and prepare thoroughly.
ⓒCho Namdae Writer ndcho55@naver.com
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