Romance Approved

Now that I'd confirmed the campsite, it was time to head to the fish market for tonight's seafood dinner. I followed the navigation's directions and pulled up near the market. Squeezing the campervan into the narrow public parking lot was even tougher than parking in Daejeon.

"The van's big, but this lot feels kinda narrow too."

Is that right? Does it just feel that way because the van's so massive? Sorry viewers, but it was time to ditch the stream again.

"Yeah? Anyway, I'm gonna check out the market real quick. I'll be back as fast as I can, so hang tight."

"Yeah, yeah. Guilty as charged. It's cold, I get it—just bear with me a bit longer."

I ignored the frenzied chat and hopped out of the van. The weather was starting to turn chilly. The moment I stepped into the market, a bustling scene unfolded before me. The narrow street was lined with shops that made me feel like I'd stepped back in time—rice cake stalls, side dish vendors, even a little mart. Everything was packed in tight.

A bit further in, the briny scent of seafood hit me. Fresh catches piled high in tanks, merchants hollering to attract customers, chatter mixing into a lively cacophony.

"Whoa, those shrimp are huge."

Mantis shrimp? Grilling them over charcoal would be insane. The tanks were stuffed with massive scallops and shrimp. What should I get? How can I make this taste even better? As I pondered while browsing, a friendly grandma from a nearby stall called out.

"Hey, missy! You're a real beauty—what're you looking for?"

"Oh~ Just hunting for stuff to grill over charcoal~!"

She'd approached so kindly that my voice came out extra sweet. I've always been weak to elders... I turn into this over-polite mode for some reason.

"Well, aren't you in the right place! The kids are in prime shape today!"

The grandma, who I figured was the owner, scooped a bunch of mantis shrimp into a sieve and held it up for me. They looked fresh as hell—still plump and bouncy, with big ol' scallops.

"Ah, but I'm eating alone, so... do you sell small portions?"

"'Course we do~ These days, if you don't, you can't make a sale! How much you want?"

Phew, lucky break. Fish markets usually sell by the kilo, so I'd been worried—but this place does small batches.

"Then, ten each of mantis shrimp and scallops?"

"You got it! Hang on a sec, I'll ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pick the big ones for ya!"

She fished them out with a net, generous heaps of scallops and shrimp. Wait, that looks like way more than ten already? I got played! Is this her trick?!

"Threw in a few extras so eat up—you're so skinny, you need it! I'll only charge for ten each, no worries!"

Whoa. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Sorry for doubting you... The weight of her generosity in that black bag made my heart feel heavy too. How could I suspect such an honest merchant?

"Thank you so much! I'll enjoy it!"

"Eat up good! Come back anytime~"

I bowed to the grandma and moved on. Man, I didn't expect service like that at a modern market. It's been years since I got extras like this. I glanced at the seafood in my hand and grinned, satisfied.

And right then—

"Ah! Still got some! Areum-unnie!!!"

Huh? Did she just call me? No way someone here knows my name... Unless a viewer tracked me down from the stream? All the way to Geoje-do? A twinge of fear hit me, but the voice was a woman's, so I relaxed a bit. Turning around, a woman and a man were waving as they approached.

"Areum-unnie! You really came here!"

"Uh, um... who, who are you?"

"Ah! Sorry! We're the viewers who said we'd drop by when you crossed the Geoje Bridge..."

"Whoa."

They actually came? Or are they locals? I must've eyed them suspiciously. They spoke up first.

"No, no stalking or anything! We run a stall here too!"

"Yeah! We're a married couple, big camping fans. We sub to your channel, and since you were live, we had it on while working."

"And get this—what a coincidence, you're coming to Geoje-do? Hehe."

Whoa, what are the odds? Out of my measly thousand viewers...

"We sell seafood over that way. When you said you were hitting the market, we wondered where and spotted your parking spot—it looked familiar, so we left the shop empty and rushed out."

"...? But leaving your shop unattended..."

"It's fine. Another vendor will cover for us."

"Man... this neighborhood's so warm-hearted."

"We're market lifers here. Parents did business here too—third generation. Haha."

"Ooh... And 'we' means your wife here too...?"

"I'm from the shop next door! Hehe."

Hoo... childhood sweethearts who got married? Romantic. Approved!

"Whoa, that's romantic. So you were childhood friends who tied the knot?"

"Yep. Honestly, we've dated longer than we were just friends."

"We were stuck together since elementary school, so it just happened naturally! We always figured we'd end up married."

What pure, beautiful love story is this?! Suddenly flooded with lethal doses of romance. They're clearly a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hot couple, childhood friends, probably each other's firsts, and now married...! To think I have fans like this. And they love camping too—perfect.

"Ah! Take this."

"?"

"We came out to give you this, actually. Fresh cod and a few oysters from this morning."

"Oysters for steaming, cod for soup—they're delish! Threw in some soup fixings too!"

"Gasp."

This premium stuff! I gotta do something in return! Pics, at least!

"...I got nothing much, but wanna take a photo together?"

"For real?! Awesome!"

I whipped out my smartphone, and we huddled for selfies. We passed phones around for a few shots. I'd made memories at campsites before, but this was a first—felt kinda fun. Honestly, romantic, right? Meeting new folks on a trip. Kyaah...

"Thank you so much. I'll savor it. Mind if I show the pics on stream?"

"Go for it! Sorry for ambushing you—we were just so excited... hehe."

"We'll keep watching live, so enjoy Geoje-do!"

Partings follow meetings. We exchanged quick goodbyes and parted ways. Watching the smiling, chatting couple's backs, I felt a bit happier myself.

"Such a cute couple."

Put folks like them in marriage promo ads, and it'd be a hit. Felt like I'd watched Married Life: Paradise Edition.

Sky's already getting dark. Wait, dark? Oh shit! I'd ditched the viewers way too long! I hurried back to the parking lot.

*

Glancing at the live chat on my phone on the way back, it was pure chaos. Time at the market had dragged more than expected, leaving viewers abandoned longer than planned. Another wave of attacks incoming. I rushed to the lot and jumped in the van.

"Sorry! Took longer than I thought!"

[So, why were you late. Ex.Plain.]

Oof, I figured it'd be bad, but this backlash is intense. Time to play tough.

"What explanation? Shopping can take time, y'know."

Im Nana, you arsonist! Why fan the flames?! Sigh, I was gonna spill anyway. Nah—save it for later, or I'll run out of stories. Might as well stay shameless a bit longer?

"I'll tell ya later—what's the rush? Dinner menu's still a secret. We're doing camping cooking anyway."

I brushed off the furious chat and drove back to tonight's campsite.

"Ugh, second time and it's still tricky—this road's rough."

"Hmm, just trust me—it's rough. Like I said before?"

Despite the backlash, I killed the camera again, navigated the winding mountain road, parked fully, then turned it back on. My privacy matters more than whiny viewers.

"Phew, made it just before full dark. Gonna set up the outdoor cam and restart—hold on!"

*

Meanwhile, Im Nana, who'd finished work and was watching the stream at home.

"Areum...? Who ends it like that outta nowhere! At least reply to viewers first!"

Her karma was piling up.