Chapter 2 : Do you want to try running a YouTube channel with me? (2)

“You want to start a YouTube channel with me?”

I reflexively asked back at the sudden suggestion.

Chaeryeong’s random talk wasn’t anything new, but this time it felt a bit different.

She had always dreamed of being a YouTuber, but until now, she had never actually said she was going to start one or asked me to do it with her.

She always said she’d start once she learned more and improved her skills at school.

…So what got into her now?

[Yeah, yeah! I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner! I’ll explain face to face. Come over to my place. Hurry!]

“Right now?”

[You said you don’t have any lectures today, right? You were just going to hit the PC café with Yoon Kanghoo anyway, weren’t you?]

“That’s true, but…”

I looked at the buff, nerdy guy sitting across from me with a grumpy face.

We had planned to hit the PC café after our lectures and grind some ranked LoL matches.

Chaeryeong’s 100% P (perceiving) personality always dragged me into spontaneous stuff like this.

Still, he just gave me relationship advice earlier—it feels a little wrong to ditch him now…

Even if the advice wasn’t exactly helpful.

[If you feel bad, just tell Yoon Kanghoo I’ll buy him three campus meals as compensation.]

“Three?”

[That’s nothing. Easy peasy. Hmph.]

“Alright, I’ll try to bargain with that. Hang up for now.”

[Okay~! You better come quick before I forget everything!]

“Yeah, yeah. Do a bit of brainstorming so you don’t forget.”

I threw that out and hung up.

Yoon Kanghoo asked as soon as I set down my phone.

“Yoo Chaeryeong?”

“Yeah.”

“What did she say?”

“I dunno, she says she came up with a brilliant idea. Wants me to come over.”

“What about our ranked matches? Weren’t you gonna carry me?”

“Plans changed. Sorry. But Yoo Chaeryeong says she’ll treat you to three meals at the cafeteria to make up for it. That’s fair, right?”

“Three free meals? Wait. The most expensive bulgogi rice bowl is 9,500 won, so…”

He muttered to himself, doing the math in his head and practically drooling.

Probably thinking about a mobile game.

From what I know, Kanghoo is a top-ranked player in one of those famous anime-style mobile games in Korea.

“Alright, I’m off then. I’ll send you money for a drink or something, okay?”

“Hey, wait! You’re just leaving like that?”

“You’d ditch me too if your girlfriend called, right? Sorry!”

Of course, I’m not even her boyfriend—just a guy with a crush on a female friend.

Still, isn’t it natural to choose your crush over your buddy?

***

[Let’s just meet at the café near your place instead of your house.]

[Aww~ I’m too lazy to go out. Just come to my place, please?]

Tried to lure the beast out of her den, but failed.

I sighed as I read her text and stepped out of the elevator.

A high-end officetel with surprisingly good security for a college town.

Rent alone runs 600,000 to 700,000 won a month, and it has nearly 500 units.

It’s been about a month since Chaeryeong started living on her own.

I’ve been coming here so often that I’ve gotten used to it.

We’re different—she’s from a well-off family, while I’m struggling to get by on a 300,000 won monthly budget, juggling part-time jobs.

She’s what you’d call a gold spoon.

Her dad runs a major entertainment business in Seoul, and her mom’s a pharmacist.

“They could totally live somewhere fancier than this.”

I’ve met her parents a few times.

Given their income level, this place isn’t even that upscale.

But they’re very practical about money.

Even though they’re well-off, they live modestly.

Same goes for their daughter.

They probably wouldn’t have spent this much if she weren’t living alone.

After all, safety is a big concern for a young woman living by herself.

That’s the only reason they rented this expensive place.

As proof, Chaeryeong pays for her own living expenses, allowance, and phone bills with part-time work.

Though I suspect she still gets some allowance from her parents.

[I’m here. Open the door.]

Unit 1204.

I text her from outside her door, and I hear her rushing toward the entrance.

Then the door bursts open, and Chaeryeong appears.

“You’re here? Yoon Taeo~! You finally came!”

Seeing Chaeryeong bouncing around like an excited puppy makes me smile without realizing.

Because she’s so cute.

Wearing pajamas with her long black hair flowing down to her waist.

Her warm brown eyes hold a gentle kindness.

Even without makeup—since she’s at home—there’s not a single flaw in her beauty.

There’s a reason people call her a goddess.

“Just woke up?”

“Mm… maybe about an hour ago? I was lying down watching YouTube. Then suddenly I got a brilliant idea!”

“You didn’t even put on makeup? Did you at least wash up?”

“I’m a morning shower person, remember? Of course I washed. But I did put on some lip tint. Let’s call it a gesture of respect—for you?”

She smiles, tapping her lips lightly.

The soft pink shade she likes matches the spring season and gives her a fresh look.

I follow her into the house through the front door.

“Wow. Thank you so much for showing your respect. In your pajamas.”

“Better than being completely naked, right?”

“You’re insane, seriously.”

“Didn’t you say you only wear boxers at home in the summer?”

“Forget it. I’m not having this conversation. Not with you.”

That’s what it’s like having a long-time female friend.

Some people fantasize about childhood friends, but…

Maybe I’m the weird one for liking someone like her.

Despite being completely exposed to each other—no illusions, no secrets—I still feel drawn to her.

When I follow her into the living room, I spot her underwear tossed on the couch.

Startled, I quickly avert my gaze.

“Ugh. At least put your underwear away! Why do I have to see it in broad daylight?”

“Ahaha. My bad. Mistake. I took it off before showering and forgot. So~rry?”

Then she casually picks it up and tosses it into the laundry basket near the bathroom.

Goal!

She’s all happy like she just made a 3-pointer, and I’m left speechless.

“Don’t you feel embarrassed showing your underwear to a guy?”

“Why should I? It’s us. We’ve seen everything there is to see, haven’t we?”

What’s the big deal now?

Saying that, she nonchalantly leads me to her room.

It’s frustrating how little she sees me as a man.

Even entering her place makes my heart race, and I go out of my way just to meet her outside.

…Will she ever know how I feel?

A sigh escapes me.

“Or… maybe you’re having some naughty thoughts after seeing my underwear?”

“Would I?”

“Right? Then it’s all good. Heehee.”

Actually, I do.

But there’s no way I can say that out loud.

She’s in such a good mood—I don’t want to ruin it.

“Here, have a seat.”

“What’s got you so cheerful today? Are you like this every day?”

“I got happy because you came over. Why should I be upset? Want me to cry? I’m good at fake crying.”

“No thanks. So anyway, what’s this big YouTube idea?”

And just like that, she throws out cryptic lines.

Completely unaware of how much they make the heart of a guy with a crush flutter.

I decide to hear her out and listen to her idea.

“Oh, right! Look! Look at this, Taeo!”

She wiggles over to me on the bed and holds up her phone.

I quietly watch the video she plays.

[So here we are, in Suncheon. At Suncheon Station. So why are we here? Why, you ask?]

A pretty woman appears, chatting with the guy holding the camera.

They go out to eat, enjoy sightseeing—typical vlog content.

It was the classic example of a couple vlog.

When it ends, Chaeryeong turns to me and asks:

“What did you think? Fun? Fun, right?”

If I say it’s not, she might kill me. Hmm.

“Yeah, sure. Not bad. Their conversation was entertaining. But what about it?”

“Couple vlog.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s a couple vlog. But why are you showing it to me?”

“Why do you think? Ugh, your deduction skills are so poor. You’d make a terrible detective, Yoon Taeo.”

I have no intention of being a detective, thank you very much.

Chaeryeong waves her fingers and points at the video, then at herself.

I just stare at her blankly, not quite following.

“I want to film one. You and me. Okay?”

You and me?

This?

“What are you talking about?”

“Okay, hear me out first. Why did I come up with this idea? It all started this morning when I woke up.”

“…”

“Like any modern person, I reached for my phone like a zombie and watched one of those couple vlogs I always watch.”

“Okay.”

I listen, trying to figure out what she’s getting at.

“I’ve been watching so many of those lately, I really wanted to try it myself. But I don’t have a boyfriend, right?”

“True.”

“So I thought of you. I wondered who I could do this with, and your name popped into my head.”

“I see.”

“Yeah! Think about it—back in high school, people always said we looked like a couple, said we were a match made in heaven, said we looked good together.”

“Yeah. We weren’t even dating, but we heard that way too much.”

“When are you two going to start dating?”

Or, “Wait, you’re not actually dating?”

Our classmates used to say that a lot.

Maybe we do look good together visually.

She’s pretty, and I—though I hate to say it myself—am considered fairly good-looking.

The world loves pretty couples.

That’s what dramas and movies are about.

“Why do you think romance movies and dramas are dying these days? I think people are tired of scripted stuff.”

“Wow, spoken like a true media studies major.”

“Just like how reality shows are the trend now, people want more authenticity. That’s the trend of our time!”

Chaeryeong’s eyes sparkle like she just discovered something revolutionary.

I nod along and listen to her.

“So?”

“In that sense, couple vlogs are the epitome of modern romance content. They’re trendy and hip!”

I get what she means.

It fits the current preference for natural, unscripted content.

Dating shows are mostly observational these days too.

When I nod slightly, Chaeryeong looks a bit disappointed.

“Ugh… your reaction is so bland. Don’t you get how brilliant this idea is?”

“I get it, I get it. Wow, it’s revolutionary. Make vlogs great again!”

“So I thought, why not debut my long-postponed YouTube channel with this?”

Excited, she finally reveals what’s really been on her mind.

“I haven’t started YouTube until now because I didn’t know what to do, you know?”

“Yeah.”

“I can’t do content that needs expertise, and I don’t have the skills for beauty YouTube. But vlogging is easy—just go on dates and have fun. Plus, you know how to edit!”

“Oh, so I’m editing now too?”

When was that decided?

She nods cheerfully.

Makes me want to flick her forehead.

Still, a few questions linger in my mind.

Suppressing my irritation, I ask her first:

“Okay, I get what you’re saying. But will this even work?”

“It will. Absolutely. These days, people are more interested in regular people’s love lives than celebrities’.”

“True. Looking at recent trends…”

“I hate to say it, but we’re pretty good-looking, right? If two college students with near-celebrity looks start a vlog? It’s a guaranteed hit!”

“You think so?”

“I know so! People feel closer to attractive normal folks than to unreachable celebrities!”

She says it so confidently, it’s hard to shoot her down.

And she’s not entirely wrong.

Chaeryeong’s got a sharp eye when it comes to romance trends.

“But do we have to be a couple? Can’t you just film it alone? You’re pretty enough.”

“Ugh~ That’s just not it… It’s kinda scary, and I want someone to rely on… and without romance or story, it’s boring…”

As a true extrovert, she really wants to do this together.

She sneaks glances at me, saying she needs support.

It stirs a little protective instinct in me.

But there’s one major issue I’ve been ignoring.

If this doesn’t get resolved, none of her plans matter.

So I bring it up:

“More importantly, we’re not a couple. How can we shoot a couple vlog?”

“Oh, that?”

Like she knew I’d ask, Chaeryeong grins and answers:

“Simple—we pretend to be dating! How’s that? Genius, right? How does my brain come up with these things?”

She pats her own head, clearly proud.

Her energy is so overwhelming I can’t keep up, and I shake my head.

That’s the big idea?

“…Thanks for the pitch. So can I go home now?”

“Aaah~! Don’t go! Yoon Taeo~! Just a little longer! Listen to me a bit more!”