Park Outing (2)
I stared at Aram in disbelief. "What? Six hundred thousand subscribers?"
"Yes! Six hundred thousand!"
Aram pulled out her phone and brought up the NewTube screen. H-Tteongi channel… 600,000 subscribers.
"Aram! This calls for a reward! I'll buy you anything you want!"
"Chicken! Chicken!"
"Today's lunch is officially chicken o'clock! Call the RamThunder Chicken place right now!"
"Leave it to me!"
High on excitement, I shoved my stomach right up to the camera.
"Go ahead kids~ look all you want and jerk it."
"Nice, sixty thousand won! Time for the Tteongi Beam, full power!"
I raised both arms above my head and formed a giant heart.
"With deep gratitude for all your support~ Spats Tteongi Beam!"
"What's money compared to heart? It's the thought that counts. Thank you so much."
Donations kept exploding nonstop after that.
"Six hundred thousand subscribers… Tteongi, you're seriously amazing."
"Right? Even I didn't grow this fast in such a short time…"
"No way~ I'm still nowhere near catching up to you, Queen."
Six hundred thousand subscribers. Not long ago, talking about a million felt like chasing clouds. Now… it actually feels possible.
We rode in the Queen's car and arrived at a chicken-and-beer place near the park. Thank goodness they were open on a weekday afternoon.
"Welcome~"
"Hello. Boss, we're the only ones filming today — is that okay?"
"Oh, you're NewTubers! What's your channel name?"
"U-um… it's not exactly a normal channel…"
I stammered.
"It's H-Tteongi! As of today we've surpassed 600,000 subscribers. Ahem!"
Aram proudly put her hands on her hips and announced it for me.
"I'll have to look it up later~ Since there aren't any other customers right now, feel free to film. Your table is over here…"
I adjusted the selfie stick and fixed it on the table. The Queen sat right beside me, with Aram and Ga-eun across from us.
"Queen~"
"Yes?"
I linked arms with her and acted all cute.
"We hit 600k, so I can drink, right? We gotta do chicken and beer on a day like this!"
"Tteongi's aegyo is insane!"
"How adorable~"
"I'm a female pig! Buhiheek! Buhiheek~"
"I should have a beer too after so long. It's a special day."
"Huh…? Then what about driving?"
"The butler said he'd come pick us up."
"Nice! Let's all drink together."
Aram shot her hand into the air. "I want beer too!"
"What about you, Ga-eun?"
"I'll drink too. I decided to take a break from the gym today."
"Then it's a party~"
I immediately called the owner over.
"For starters, one seasoned chicken, one fried chicken, one soy sauce chicken, and four 500cc beers please."
"Coming right up!"
The owner walked away with a happy spring in his step.
"Tteongi, aren't you overdoing it?"
"The donations just exploded~ Technically the viewers are the ones buying all this."
"True… Everyone, thanks for the meal~"
"We gotta see Ga-eun's reaction~"
"Hmm… okay. Everyone, enjoy the chicken. I'll make sure Tteongi works out twice as hard later."
"Aaaagh! Worst reaction ever!"
"Me too! I want to do a reaction too!"
"Judging by that ponytail, it's the RamThunder Beam."
"Watch carefully… the ultimate technique I learned from Tteongi-nim…"
Aram brought her hands together in a heart shape and trembled as she spoke.
"Th-thank you for the chicken… R-RamThunder Beam…"
She must have still been really embarrassed, because the second she finished she immediately let her hair down and went back to normal Aram.
"Still a long way to go…"
"No way~ That was super cute."
A little while later the chicken arrived. It was fresh out of the fryer, steaming hot and smelling absolutely delicious.
"And here are your 500cc beers."
"Thank you!"
I immediately lifted the beer high.
"We should do a toast, right?"
"Sure~ Tteongi, give us a toast."
"I knew you'd ask, so I prepared one in advance."
I looked at the phone that was still streaming.
"Tteongbung-is, raise your glasses."
"When I raise this glass, the whole world lies beneath my feet!"
"Kyaa~ Tteongi-nim is so cool!"
"Haha! Tteongi's toasts are actually pretty good?"
"With all my Tteongbung-is, the Queen, Aram, and Ga-eun right here beside me, a million subscribers doesn't scare me one bit…"
Clink. The four beer glasses met with a crisp sound.
"Drinks are on me today!"
"Yeah, I'm buying for Tteongi!"
I gulped the beer down in big swallows.
"Kya~"
"Hehe, Tteongi-nim, you have beer foam on your face."
Aram pointed at the foam that looked like a mustache on my upper lip.
"Grrrarara."
"I'll wipe it for you."
"Thank you, Queen."
The Queen tore off some tissue and gently wiped around my mouth. Meanwhile Aram brought over pickled radish, seasoning sauce, and everything else.
"..."
We each grabbed a drumstick and started eating. A walk by the lake, then chicken and beer… this is sex.
"Mmm~ Nothing beats eating."
"Still, isn't exercising better than chicken? It's more refreshing…"
"Are you seriously comparing exercise to chicken right in front of the chicken?"
I glanced at the chat.
"Kids, give Ga-eun a good scolding for me."
"You fucking bastards… I'm zipping up."
"By the way, what should we do to celebrate hitting 600k?"
"Hmm…"
I looked at the Queen.
"What did you do for yours, Queen?"
"I remember giving away new clothes and new cosmetics back then."
Very Queen-like event.
"I know exactly what you'd use them for, so I don't want to give them."
I took two big bites of chicken leg while thinking.
"How about a 'back to basics' content?"
"Back to basics content?"
Aram mumbled while chewing on pickled radish.
"Yeah, April's coming up soon. April means spring, and when you think of spring what comes to mind?"
"A Tteongi-nim as pretty as cherry blossoms!"
"Krruu~"
"When you think of spring you think of spring fatigue. So we're doing a lying-down stream."
"Krr… you're a content monster."
"Right?"
"I have something that comes to mind when I think of April and spring too."
"What is it?"
Something feels ominous. What is Ga-eun trying to say with that look?
"Hiking, of course."
"H-hiking?"
"Hiking? You mean actually sweating our asses off climbing a mountain?"
"Yeah, sounds good, right?"
"No."
"It sounds good. Ga-eun sunbae."
I'm screwed. Looking at the Queen's expression, it seems like this is non-negotiable.
"W-what about Aram? Editing after hiking would be exhausting…"
"Hiking sounds so romantic!"
"Where?!"
I gave up thinking and just accepted my fate.
"Fine, whatever! Let's go hiking for the 600k celebration!"
"Kyaa~ Tteongi-nim you're so cool!"
"We'll take the beginner course so it won't be too hard."
"Yeah. I'll adjust everything to your pace."
"I don't know, I don't know! I don't care about any of that, let's just drink until we die today!!"
"You keep underestimating me… I'll show you my real drinking capacity for the first time in a while."
A little while later…
"I finished the 500cc."
Ever since becoming a woman, even 500cc of beer feels like a lot. I'm not exactly drunk, but my head feels like it's spinning.
"Uhehe~ Queen, I did good, right?"
"…Why does Tteongi like alcohol so much when she gets drunk this fast?"
"I-I'm not drunk. My head's just a little dizzy, desu."
"That's what being drunk means."
Meanwhile the Queen stroked my head and said,
"Feeling dizzy? Lean on my shoulder."
"Thank youuu… *hic*"
I leaned my head on the Queen's shoulder.
"I kinda knew this would happen…"
"Drunk Tteongi-nim is pure gold!"
"Ehehe Aram~ I'm not actually drunk, I'm just pretending."
"Shall we head out soon? I'll take care of Tteongi-nim."
"Ughh…"
Maybe I overdid it on the bike earlier? My legs felt like jelly and it was hard to stand.
"Tteongi-nim, this won't do. Get on my back."
"Tteongya-ho~"
"I'll end the stream here."
"Tteong-bye~"
And so I was carried on the Queen's back and closed my eyes.
When I opened my eyes again, we were in the garden in front of the mansion. The Queen was still carrying me.
"Q-Queen…?"
"You're awake? How's your head?"
"A little dizzy still…"
My head throbbed so I frowned.
"B-but the alcohol's worn off. Guess beer wears off fast. I didn't do anything embarrassing, right?"
"You did."
"Aaaagh! What did I do?"
"You were so lovable you made me fall for you all over again."
"Ahaha…"
Embarrassed, I buried my face in the Queen's back.
"I can make that kind of mistake as many times as you want… I love you, Queen…"
"I love you too."