Chapter 9 : Second Vlog (3)

“Really? Well, the sunlight was really strong.”

“…Yeah. It was.”

I don’t know why.

Why my face feels so hot.

Is it really just because of the weather?

I try to fan my flushed cheeks with my hand, pretending like nothing’s wrong.

Thump thump.

My heart is beating a bit fast—just slightly—but it feels… nice.

Ever since we started filming, things like this have been happening more often.

Even though what he does isn’t all that different from usual…

Like picking off a petal stuck to me, or wiping something from my lips.

Those were things Taeo did for me even before we started filming.

I’ve always been a bit clumsy, after all.

It used to feel like a parent taking care of a scatterbrained child—that’s what our relationship felt like.

But now that the cameras are rolling… or maybe because we’re acting like a couple?

I find myself getting unnecessarily nervous about how close we are, and the skinship.

“You sure you’re okay? Don’t tell me you’re getting heatstroke or something.”

“Huh? No, nothing like that.”

“You just looked kinda dazed. I was worried.”

What the heck?

Yoon Taeo.

Why is he being so sweet?

Somehow, I suddenly feel too shy to look him in the eyes, so I glance down instead.

I don’t understand myself—why am I acting like a girl in love?

…Wait. Are you seriously getting butterflies from Yoon Taeo right now?

Just because he leaned in and picked off a flower petal?

No way.

There’s no way that’s happening—not between me and Yoon Taeo.

I mean, he’s not a bad guy, but still… getting flustered over him?

I’d sooner fall for the neighborhood dog back home.

Maybe I’m just too immersed in this couple role.

Even when I play games or watch movies or dramas, I always get way too emotionally invested in the characters.

That’s the problem—I empathize too easily with their feelings.

I start crying in zero to one seconds during sad scenes. Taeo used to find that weird and kind of amusing.

…Yeah.

This has to be one of those times too.

Ignoring the way my emotions are stirring, I gently push his shoulder to put some distance between us.

As his face pulls away, the heat in mine starts to cool down a little.

I look around, hoping to cool off even more.

Something cold… where’s something cold? Oh, there!

“Since we’re at a festival, let’s have a drink. Some makgeolli.”

“Makgeolli?”

“They’re selling it over there. Cherry blossom makgeolli. Aren’t you curious what it tastes like?”

If I drink a cold glass of makgeolli, I’ll definitely feel better.

Yeah. That has to be it.

***

“Do you think cherry blossom makgeolli actually tastes like cherry blossoms?”

Chaeryeong’s innocent question makes me let out a small laugh.

It’s kind of childlike, the way she takes everything so literally.

“What even is cherry blossom flavor? Do cherry blossoms even have a taste?”

We look at the bottle of cherry blossom makgeolli we bought from one of the festival booths.

It has a faint pink shimmer.

Blended with the milky color inside the glass bottle, it actually looks really pretty.

“Hmm… Should I try one?”

“Try what? The cherry blossom?”

“Yeah! Aren’t you curious? What cherry blossoms taste like?”

“Why would you be curious about that…?”

This kind of behavior makes zero sense by normal standards.

But since it’s Chaeryeong, I decide to just let it go.

She doesn’t just talk—she actually plucks a few petals from a cherry blossom tree within reach.

I want to preserve this absurd moment, so I quickly focus the camera on her.

“Alright, starting now, this is a cherry blossom petal mukbang. Watch closely—waaang!”

She really puts a few petals in her mouth.

Then she chews for a moment… and her eyes go all drowsy.

…Doesn’t look like it tastes very good.

“Is it tasty?”

“Ugh… how do I describe this? Oh! Paper soap. It tastes like paper soap.”

“So, not tasty.”

“But the scent’s nice? It’s like having a mouth full of floral aroma.”

“Yeah, because you literally put a flower in your mouth…”

Everyone, please don’t try this at home.

I look into the camera and warn the viewers, just in case someone tries to copy Chaeryeong’s antics.

Seeing me do that, she laughs and asks,

“Wanna kiss?”

“What?”

Her sudden question nearly breaks my character.

Even though I know we’re acting like a couple, sometimes things like this make my brain snap back to reality.

But I glance at the camera in my hand and try to stay focused.

“If we kiss now, I’ll give you an extra dose of cherry blossom fragrance~!”

“No thanks. I’ll pass.”

“Aww, come on. It’s romantic! ‘The taste of my first kiss was cherry blossom.’ Sounds like it’s straight out of a romance novel.”

“I don’t think any romance novel has a line like that.”

I shoot back, dumbfounded, and she grins, swaying side to side.

As she sways, a certain part of her sways along with her.

Since she took off her cardigan, it’s even more noticeable.

I glance away, pretending not to notice.

“Boo. You’re no fun… Anyway, since I’ve tried eating cherry blossoms, I’ll review whether the cherry blossom makgeolli actually tastes like them.”

“At this rate, shouldn’t we just become mukbang YouTubers? Seriously.”

Eating actual cherry blossoms just to check if the makgeolli tastes like cherry blossoms…

What kind of crazy build-up is that?

There can’t be many YouTubers like this in the world.

We probably would’ve been good at reviewing new products or something.

We head back to the table we reserved earlier, ready to drink the makgeolli.

“Should we open it now?”

“Wait, wait! You have to shake it once before opening.”

“Ah, right. Yes, ma’am.”

They say there’s sediment that settles at the bottom.

I think my father used to shake the makgeolli bottle before opening the lid.

As I stood there, Chaeryeong excitedly started shaking the makgeolli bottle.

“…Don’t you think you can stop shaking it now?”

“It’s fine! It’s fine!”

“No, I think it’s already shaken enough from when we were walking here.”

“Ahh, just wait a little. Now, it’s done.”

She shook the makgeolli bottle like a bartender shaking a cocktail and then set it down on the table.

Maybe she has her own standard, or maybe she just enjoys shaking it.

I’m not sure.

But she looked pleased with herself.

I had a feeling it was about to explode…

As I nervously looked at the makgeolli, Chaeryeong opened the lid without hesitation.

Psssshh… ssshhhh.

“Ahhh!!”

The makgeolli began to erupt like a soda with Mentos inside.

Chaeryeong screamed and tried to move away, but she was already drenched in makgeolli.

I just sighed at the sight.

“I knew it. I had a feeling that would happen when she was shaking it like a bartender earlier.”

“Huuu… I’m all wet… My hair is soaked… My makeup is smudged… Ugh.”

Upset, she quickly tried to wipe it off with the wet wipes and tissues she had.

She hurriedly wiped her face and hair.

Cleaning up after a mess was always my job.

There’s always someone causing the trouble, and someone else cleaning it up – that’s just how things work.

I stood up and moved to the seat next to her.

“Wipe your face and hair. I’ll clean up your clothes.”

“…Thanks.”

It wasn’t the first time, so I wasn’t really annoyed.

It was just another incident that had happened.

I carefully wiped the makgeolli off her white T-shirt and arms.

“At least it didn’t splatter on your skirt. That’s a relief.”

The makgeolli only splashed on her upper body, so that was the only bit I was thankful for.

My hand moved along her wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

Naturally, my gaze moved toward her chest area.

“…”

Without realizing it, my breath caught in my throat when I looked at her chest.

Soaked in makgeolli, the black bra beneath her white T-shirt subtly showed through.

If only she hadn’t taken off her cardigan earlier…

The bold color and curves caused me to stop for a moment.

She seemed to notice and whispered to me, confused.

“What’s wrong? Your hand stopped.”

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing. My arm just got tired.”

I pretended nothing was wrong and continued wiping her shoulder area.

I couldn’t exactly wipe that area anyway.

I was about to stop at her shoulder and throw my coat over her, when suddenly…

“AAAAHH!”

A loud scream came from behind us.

It was a man’s yell.

I wasn’t sure if he was excited or if something had happened.

Both of us jumped in surprise, our bodies instinctively flinching.

“…W-What was that?”

Startled, she instinctively pulled her shoulder back.

I blinked in surprise and, without thinking, tightened my grip on her.

Before I knew it, my hand had slid down from her shoulder and accidentally landed on her chest.

When I realized what had happened, my hand was already on top of her black bra.

“…Hyaa?”

At the same time, a cute sound escaped from Chaeryeong’s mouth.

It was a sound caused by the wet tissue and my hand accidentally coming into contact with her important area.

“…U-Um.”

Her gaze immediately lowered, and she looked at her chest before our eyes met.

Three seconds passed, and both of our faces turned bright red at the same time.

I quickly snapped out of it and hurriedly removed my hand from her chest.

“…Were you trying to wipe there too?”

“No! No!! It was a mistake! I got startled by the scream… I’m sorry.”

She looked embarrassed and asked me, and I didn’t know what to say, so I just lowered my head and apologized repeatedly.

“If it’s like that, it’s fine… It could happen… I was just startled too…”

Both of us kept our heads lowered, unable to look at each other’s faces.

I couldn’t help but say something to ease the situation.

“…We should probably edit this part out, right?”

“…Yeah.”