A Sweet and Jealous Visit
“Well, as you can see, the living room is a mess. There's really nowhere to sit.”
“Oh, no, it's fine! I'm totally okay with the floor.”
“Ahaha... the floor is a bit much. Oh! Do you want to check out my streaming setup?”
“Whoa... is it really okay for me to look?”
“Of course. Take a look around while you wait. Coffee... ah! Iced Americano?”
“Anything is fine!”
“Okay. One Iced Americano, coming right up.”
Whew... What do I do?
I must be losing my mind!
I mean...
Am I really at Saebyeok's house right now?
“Hee-hee-hoo! Hee-hee-hoo!”
Wait, didn't I learn this breathing technique in school...? Isn't this Lamaze breathing for labor?
Well, whatever. At least it's calming me down.
“So this is it...”
A ton of instruments hung on the wall. That one was a guitar... and was this a bass?
There was a drum kit too. Huh? But it looked really cute.
She knew he was a musician, but there were just so many!
“...Why is he streaming?”
“What was that?”
“Ah! Welcome back.”
“This is my house, you know... Here's your coffee.”
Coffee made by Saebyeok... Oh my gosh!
“So, what do you think of the room?”
“...It's cool. There are so many instruments... and...”
“You don't really know what's what, do you?”
“Hehehe...”
She felt embarrassed. To think she didn't even know what her boyfriend used! She needed to study up.
“You're much more of an expert at streaming than I am, aren't you, Manager?”
“Well... all I've really done is watch diligently.”
“Have you ever thought about streaming yourself, Seola?”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yeah. I think you'd be pretty competitive. Maybe an art stream?”
“No way! How could someone like me—gasp!”
“...Are you doing that on purpose?”
“N-no, I'm not. Please believe me!”
“I'll let it slide just this once.”
He had said the last time was the final warning!
Sigh... What if he thinks I'm some kind of sex-crazed woman?
It was so hot.
“Ah, now that I think about it, it gets really hot in this soundproof booth. Let me turn on the AC.”
“...Thank you.”
“It's nothing. You don't have to thank me for every little thing.”
He was so quick-witted.
Sweet, attentive... the man of her dreams was right in front of her.
Wasn't this the kind of fantasy that only existed in novels?
But he was her boyfriend!
She didn't know what to say!
“You still have a lot of questions, right?”
“Yes...”
“What should I tell you first?”
“Um... first, your age?”
“How old do I look?”
“It's hard... You definitely look like a boy, but the way you talk makes you seem like an older brother?”
“So you're saying I'm like an old soul.”
“Ah! No, that's not it!”
“Ahaha... I'm twenty-one in Korean age.”
“Eh...? I'm the older one?”
“Yes, I'm younger.”
“Saebyeok-nim is younger than me... Wow.”
“Still calling me 'Saebyeok-nim' even after hearing my age? You can speak casually to me.”
“No! Saebyeok-nim is Saebyeok-nim!”
“We're dating now, and we've progressed past just 'Saebyeok-nim' and 'Manager,' right?”
“R-right?”
“'Saebyeok-nim' feels too distant. I don't want to keep calling you 'Seola-ssi' either.”
“Then what should we...”
“I think I told you earlier. Babe.”
“Kyaaaah!”
“Wait, is it really something to freak out over like that?”
“It's just too embarrassing... Hehe.”
“Then choose. Speak casually, or call me babe.”
His hazel eyes sparkled.
She had heard that manly men existed, and it seemed Saebyeok was one of them.
As the woman, she was supposed to be the one leading, but she had been swept along like this from the start.
I have to be brave!
“Saebyeok... give me some time on that nickname.”
“Okay. Then it's my turn. Should I speak casually? Or should I call you Noona?”
“Whatever you want, Saebyeok...”
“Really whatever I want?”
“Yeah... I like whatever you choose.”
“I'll speak casually in private. In front of others, I'll call you Noona. Until you call me babe, I'll just call you by your name, Seola.”
“Nooo... you said you'd give me some time on the nickname.”
“Ahahahat! Alright, alright.”
He was playing with her heart, lifting her up and letting her down.
She couldn't keep her head straight!
“What else are you curious about? Earlier, we mostly talked about you.”
“Since when did you start doing music?”
“Hmm, since I was too young to remember? I went to school in England, then came to Korea and majored in composition. As you can tell from my age, I didn't go to college.”
“Yeah... honestly, with your skills, school wouldn't even matter. You would've succeeded no matter what you did.”
“Really? I heard Korea values academic background a lot, so that's quite progressive of you.”
“At least I don't. And I don't think others would either. It's not just because you're my boy... boyfriend, but I seriously don't understand why you aren't a celebrity.”
“Streamers and BJ's are pretty amazing these days too. There's even a class of semi-celebrities. Besides, Harang, whom I collaborated with, is a Juilliard graduate and highly talented.”
“*Grind...* H-Harang might be amazing, but she's nothing compared to you!”
“...Okay. Relax. Stop the jealousy!”
“Ah... sorry.”
“No, it's fine. I wasn't being mindful. Bringing up another woman on our first day was crossing the line.”
“...Are you always this sweet?”
“Me?”
“Yeah. The viewers—I mean, the Dalnimdan—really love how sweet you are.”
“Right, you even run my fan cafe, don't you?”
“Ehehe... I'm a bit greedy, aren't I?”
“And that's why you want to edit my YouTube videos too?”
“Yeah... is it not allowed?”
He stopped talking for a moment and stared intently at her.
His eyes sparkled again.
When you look at me like that, I feel like I can't hide anything from you...
Could you please look only at me for as long as possible?
I know. You shine so brightly, how could any woman not love you?
Even if I want to keep you all to myself, the world won't leave you alone.
So please... just go a little slower...
“I understand why you're doing this. But still, no.”
“...”
Saebyeok stood up and walked over to her.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
If I keep crying, I'll look so pathetic...
Ah... don't stare at me like that.
I'll try my best to hold it in.
I'll try not to feel hurt...
“Seola... no matter what you do, I'll always be on your side. Do you know why I'm saying no to this?”
“...I don't know.”
Her recent resolution crumbled, and she whined without realizing it.
I can do a good job.
I even got accepted into Disney.
Why won't you let me...
His hand reached out and caressed her face.
“Are you sleeping properly? Eating your meals on time? I'm just worried about you.”
“I'll sleep well and eat well!”
“I'm going to check.”
“Yes. I can do it so you won't have to worry!”
“Come here.”
“...Okay.”
He smelled so good.
She was supposed to be the one embracing him, but his chest was so broad that she could only let herself be held.
I love you, Saebyeok...
Whew... Her darkness runs deeper than I thought.
It seemed the incident with her friend had left a deep trauma.
She was terrified of getting hurt again, unable to let go of even the smallest things.
I stroked her hair as I pondered.
As someone who had visited a psychiatrist for a while in my past life, I knew that medical professionals definitely helped.
Should I suggest therapy?
Humans knew surprisingly little about themselves.
It had made me realize things about myself that I thought were perfectly fine.
Everyone had some fear of human relationships, big or small, and given my profession in my past life, I couldn't always afford to be positive and trusting.
It was a cutthroat business world where even suspicion was a necessity.
That was only natural. And I knew all too well that it could lead to psychological disorders.
Did I only know it in theory? I had seen countless people rely on drugs or make extreme choices.
Believing that I, at least, would be different had served as my defense mechanism. But after living as Saebyeok, I finally admitted it.
That I was just an ordinary human being who was terrified of getting hurt.
The psychiatrist had told me.
To meet people, to love.
They said humans were social animals who could never live alone.
The first person I opened my heart to in this world was showing symptoms similar to mine.
For now, let's just watch over her.
You might fall in love in three seconds, but you can't understand everything in that time.
All I could do was offer my sincere feelings with steadfast devotion.
And the thing I was best at was, after all, music.
“Should I sing you a song?”
“Huh...?”
“You took my first song, after all.”
“Hehehe... I did.”
“You said you always wanted to be the first. Take my first live performance too. Oh, wait!”
“I'd love that! Huh?”
“Um... anyway, listen to me without misunderstanding, okay?”
“What is it?”
The sudden shift in her tone made me feel a chill.
Hmm. We can't have Mr. Hyde popping out.
Come to think of it, I had ended up performing live in Hongdae.
And playing live instruments.
Since plenty of people must have filmed it, it was probably spreading everywhere by now.
It was a relief I remembered now.
I had to make my confession before this little jealous monster went on a rampage.
“I went out earlier today.”
“Yeah, and?”
“Well, I went to Hongdae. You see those guitars over there? I needed some effects pedals for them, so I had no choice...”
“Keep it brief.”
“*Cough.* I ended up helping a girl who was busking. And... I performed live.”
“...Why?”
“Ahaha... I guess I got swept up in the mood?”
“Did you go out dressed like you are now?”
“No, just a white T-shirt, jeans, and a cap!”
“Still, you're so handsome that everyone must have stared.”
“Nah... that place is a hipster haven, so no one even looked at me. Everyone seemed too busy living their own lives.”
“So, did you get filmed?”
“Yeah... the audience probably filmed it.”
She slowly slipped out of my embrace, walked over to the computer, and turned it on.
When did she even get over there?
“Seola...?”
“Where in Hongdae?”
“I think it was Sangsang Madang...”
“Why is this booting so slowly!”
“I-it's a top-of-the-line, high-end PC, though...”
As soon as the screen turned on after booting, she opened a web browser at the speed of light and went to YouTube.
Her experience as a manager wasn't just for show. She was incredibly fast.
Her scrolling speed was on another level. Can she even read all that?
“Seola? It only happened this afternoon, is there already something... Oh...”
The video quality was incredibly good.
The angle was well-shot too. Everyone was practically a professional these days...
Seola, staring silently at the screen, was terrifying.
It was actually a pretty good song.
The audience's reaction was too good for her to watch it so expressionlessly...
I should turn up the AC.
“...At least you ran away at the end.”
“R-right! She was just a stranger working really hard. I just sang one song and that was it!”
“You're too sweet, babe. Just going up to any random girl and helping her!”
Oh... that shout.
Does she... have a talent for rock music?
“Do you see her face? She's completely spaced out! Well, I get it since she heard you sing right in front of her, but still!”
Seola...
Please, just pick one.
I'd rather you just swear at me...
But she calls me "babe" when she's angry?
“Hmph! And what is up with her hair color? Why is she singing so close to you, babe?”
“Th-that's because there was only one microphone...”
“What else did you do!”
“...An impromptu performance at a guitar shop?”
“Where!”
“Angry Bird...”
They even had an official website.
Oh... I did say she could upload the performance video, but to put it on the main page already?
She was unnecessarily efficient!
There were three videos.
• Full Version
• Back in Black Performance
• Impromptu Jam with Gil Lahui
“Who is this woman...?”
“S-she's the shop owner. Usually, when guitarists make eye contact, they jam together...”
“What? Eye contact?”
“Whoa, whoa... why are you so mad? That was just a figure of speech. It was just, you know, musical exchange! That's all!”
“Ughhhhh...”
She trembled, her eyes welling up with tears again.
Stop the panda eyes!
This won't do. I have to shut her up!