Blackout Blues: The Oppa Incident
“Ughhh...”
The moment I opened my eyes, a splitting hangover hammered my skull like it was trying to cleave it in two. What time is it...? I fumbled for my smartphone and checked—late dawn. Pressing my throbbing temples, I dragged myself upright.
What the hell? This familiar yet ominous headache... it wasn't just a regular hangover. And when did I even fall asleep? Wait... let's think this through first. Yesterday, for sure...
“Whoa, this is seriously delicious! It's called Yamazaki?”
Hmm. My reaction to the booze had been positive...
“Ugh... this is the stuff!”
Yu PD slurped down the hangover soup made with bean sprouts and let out a gasp of delight. We all burst out laughing at the sight. Next came the meat. The tomahawk steaks were fully cooked, so we plopped the cutting board right on the table and sliced them up. I handed out the best, most tender shrimp cuts—one piece to everyone...
“This is the real premium part. Melts in your mouth.”
As I placed a piece on each side plate, O Seokgyun and the staff kept exclaiming in awe, thumbs up all around.
Good, I remember that. And then... the booze tasted amazing, right? Maybe because of the great sides or the vibe, it went down like water. One glass, two... a pleasant buzz hit, and I think I got into a heated debate with O Seokgyun about the romance of camping. And... and?
“......”
My memory cut off cold. Huh? What the—give me back my memories! How the hell did...
Ah. Ah...?
Suddenly, a fleeting memory from right before I passed out. Standing in front of my tent, saying goodbye to O Seokgyun.
[Oppa, goodnight~]
That had come out of my mouth. Not in my normal voice, but some slurred, overly cutesy aegyo tone like my tongue was half-cut off.
And O Seokgyun's reaction to it.
[Yeah, Areum, you too. Tonight was a blast.]
He'd waved with the kindest, most benevolent smile in the world.
“...?”
I stared blankly into space. No matter how I turned it over, it didn't make sense. What the fuck. Why were we that close? What happened in the middle?
A chill ran down my spine. Let's think rationally. He's a famous actor I just met. No matter how good the mood, you don't chug drinks and suddenly max out intimacy to call him oppa. And me? I called a near-stranger in his forties oppa?
“Crazy... I must be going crazy.”
I had to be hallucinating false memories. No way they'd stick otherwise. What the hell went down during that blank spot? Did I screw up somehow? Or... something even worse.
Anxiety crashed over me like a tsunami. But there was no way to check right now. Rustling sounds were already coming from outside the tent.
“Haa...”
I let out a deep sigh and unzipped the tent. Cold morning air slapped my face, but it wasn't enough to cool my burning cheeks. Stepping out, I saw Kim Seokho manager hustling to set up the cameras.
“Ah, Areum. You're up?”
“...Yeah. Good morning.”
My voice came out raspy. I scanned his expression. Looked normal, same as always. Had they filmed me drunk last night? 'Hey, can you show me yesterday's footage?' The words rose in my throat, but I swallowed them. If there really was blackmail material, seeing it might make me want to bite my tongue and die on the spot.
Forcing a calm facade, I started tidying up. That's when the zipper on the opposite tent opened, and O Seokgyun stepped out. His rugged face was as intimidating as ever. Our eyes met.
...I'd called this guy oppa last night? Me, who hadn't even called Im Nana unnie yet?
“Hey, Areum. Already cleaning up? Should've woken me. Let's do it together.”
“......!”
Areum? Banmal? O Seokgyun approached as naturally as if talking to a little sister. Fuck, so it wasn't a dream?
“Need some hangover remedy? Stomach okay?”
No formality, no awkwardness in his tone. He really saw me like a close dongsaeng. But if I suddenly got serious here and said, 'Um, actor-nim, I don't remember last night...'? That'd be like advertising, 'I got wasted and turned into a mess. Blackout city.'
Whew, calm down. Water under the bridge. Gotta roll with it. Memory or no, we'd apparently sworn brotherhood last night. Forcing my trembling lips into a smile,
“Ah. Yeah...! D-did you sleep well too, oppa?”
“Hahaha! You bet! Slept like a rock thanks to you. That sleeping bag you recommended was toasty.”
O Seokgyun laughed heartily and clapped my shoulder. His hand felt heavy.
'What the actual fuck happened last night...'
In the midst of my confusion, we started prepping breakfast. Leftover meat and kimchi turned into kimchi jjigae.
“Areum, taste this. Perfect, right?”
“Yeah... hits the spot.”
Yu PD and Kim Seokho manager took it all in stride too. Just me... only me found this awkward and terrifying.
Even during pack-up after eating, hearing “Areum” from O Seokgyun felt off.
“Next time, I'll introduce you to my wife and daughter.”
“S-sure... looking forward to it.”
I answered like a robot while loading gear. Up to the final goodbyes and getting in the car, I couldn't fill that memory gap.
On the drive back to Seoul, I passed out cold. Even in my dreams, O Seokgyun appeared, shoving a soju bottle at me: “Areum! One more shot!”
A few days passed after getting home. That night's memories stayed shrouded in fog. No matter how hard I racked my brain, only the horrific finale—“Oppa, goodnight~”—looped endlessly.
Ehh, what could’ve happened? I tried to console myself and return to normal life.
Then one day, a text from Kim Manho CEO.
It had arrived. He'd mentioned a series, so the truth would come out over the next few days... but the countdown had begun.
Logging into my YouTube channel, a new video sat at the top.
The thumbnail was killer. O Seokgyun's buzzcut, sunglasses, scary mug next to my cowering face—pure clickbait.
“Hoo...”
Deep breath, click. The video kicked off with studio footage. My fidgeting was cute-ified with subtitles and SFX; O Seokgyun's tough look flipped into charm. Views were already in the tens of thousands hours after upload. Subs climbing in real-time. At this rate, 300K was inevitable.
Comments were lit.
Mostly fun, laugh-out-loud stuff. But I couldn't laugh. Only I couldn't.
What could I do? Wait anxiously for the next one.
Two days later. Episode 2 dropped.
The title was reassuring. Hit play. Acoustic guitar strummed gently over Gangwon-do's stunning scenery. Tent setup, O Seokgyun hammering stakes and sweating, me advising—wittily edited. Camping quiz time was hilarious with my flinches at his words. Then the food. Sizzling tomahawk, bubbling bean sprouts in high-quality audio. Ended with us toasting at the table.
[To Be Continued...]
“...Huh?”
Over. No drinking, no getting wasted. I leaned back, sighing in relief.
“Phew... thank god.”
Of course... views matter, but they'd edit tastefully for the creator and actor's image. Any drunken nonsense or slip-ups? Cut.
“Yeah, I overthought it. Nothing happened. Just loosened up in the good vibes.”
Anxiety melted away. Light-hearted, I hearted comments and chatted with fans. Just EP.3 left. Probably a wholesome wrap-up: morning hangover cure, pack-up. That's what I believed. Or wanted to.
Two days later. Leg day at the gym—trainer's devilish grin left my legs jelly. Groceries for dinner, then home.
“Maximus... sis is home...”
Maximus wagged, but I had no hug strength left. Quick shower, habitual YouTube check. Then... I doubted my eyes.
The thumbnail... was weird. Me somehow strumming a guitar, O Seokgyun clapping beside me.
“...Huh?”
Dread hit. Heart pounding. Fresh upload, but views crushed EP.2. 'No... it can't be...' I don't even remember playing guitar! When the hell did that happen?
Trembling mouse click. Peaceful start: drinking, eating. Fine so far. Then screen switch—unremembered scenes flowed.
“Actor-nim, know that movie? The one where he rides the bike hands-free, enjoying the wind...”
“Oh! Yeah! I debuted back then...”
We were cackling, bonding across generations. Then the problem scene. I grabbed the acoustic guitar for ambiance.
“I'll sing one song.”
“Ooh! Guitar!”
“Normally bad campsite manners, but no one else around, so...”
Strum, and... not idols or pop. “As time passes~” Late-80s ballad vibe. Belting it soulfully, with killer vibrato. Bottom subtitle: [1 hour of non-stop singing] Fast-forwarded through company-forced oldie karaoke I'd memorized through tears.
O Seokgyun tapped the table with chopsticks, keeping beat.
“Great! Encore!”
“Thanks! Next...”
The me I didn't remember stood, swaying, strumming 90s pop.
Crazy bitch. That's a crazy bitch.
I barely stifled a scream. Song end, slammed glass, stared intensely at O Seokgyun.
“Actor-nim.”
“Yeah, Areum-ssi? What's up?”
“We're clicking so well! No more stiff 'Areum-ssi, actor-nim'!”
On-screen psycho me even pointed accusingly.
“Pardon?”
“We're super compatible, right?!”
“Haha, true...”
“Then casual speech! I'll do it too!”
O Seokgyun chuckled awkwardly.
“Shall we?”
“Yes! I'll call you... oppa! Oppa! Good?!”
Oppa. The word punched through the speakers into my eardrums. Hell, I was impressed I hadn't gone with hyungnim in my drunken state.
O Seokgyun blanked a sec, then roared laughing.
“Hahahaha! Deal! Awesome! Areum-ah!”
“Sweet! Cheers!”
Glasses clinked, pact sealed. Video end. Black screen reflected my dumbstruck face.
“......”
Silence. Then...
“N-no way!!!”
Scream exploded.
“Fuck, there's no way I did that shit!!!”
I clawed my hair, rolling on the floor.
“No... CG... deepfake...!”
Me, really? Impossible. C-comments! How were they reacting?! Don't want hate for overreacting...!
But comments were a festival, ignoring my dread.
I stared at the black screen again. If YouTube was this bad, what about Camp Gallery...?
......
...
Yeah. Time to die. My own choice.