The Second Vlog (3)
“Really? Yeah, the sunlight is pretty intense.”
“......Yeah. It is.”
I have no idea why. Why my face feels this hot. Is it really because of the weather?
I fan my burning cheeks with my hand, trying my best to act like nothing’s wrong. Thump, thump. My heart is beating just a little faster than usual, and it feels strangely good. Ever since we started filming, these moments have been happening more and more often lately.
The things he does aren’t all that different from before… like plucking a petal from my hair or wiping something off my mouth. Taeo used to do stuff like that for me even before we started filming. I’ve always been a bit of a mess, after all. It used to feel like a parent looking after a clumsy kid. That’s just how we were.
Is it because the camera’s rolling…? Or because we’re pretending to be a couple…?
I felt stupid for getting unnecessarily nervous about the close distance and the skinship.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You’re not getting heatstroke or something, right?”
“Huh? No, it’s not that.”
“You looked a little out of it. I got worried.”
What the heck, Yoon Taeo? Why is he being so sweet all of a sudden?
For some reason, making eye contact with him suddenly feels embarrassing, so I look down. I don’t understand why I’m acting like some lovesick teenage girl.
......Wait, are you seriously getting butterflies from Yoon Taeo right now? Just because he got close and picked a petal out of your hair?
No way. Between me and Yoon Taeo? That can’t be it. Sure, he’s not a bad guy, but getting flustered over him? Come on. If I’m going to get butterflies, I might as well get them from the dog, Ppong-i, back at my grandparents’ house.
I must be way too immersed in this couple-acting thing. Even when I play games, watch movies, or binge dramas, I tend to over-identify with the characters. That’s why I empathize with their emotions so easily. I’d burst into tears at the drop of a hat during sad scenes, and Taeo used to look at me like I was some kind of rare specimen.
.......This is definitely the same thing. Yeah.
I ignore the fluttering in my chest and lightly push his shoulder with my hand to create some distance. Once his face moves away, the heat seems to settle down a little.
To cool my overheated body, I look around. Is there anything cold nearby? Something refreshing. Oh, that’s it.
“Since we’re at a festival, let’s have a cup of makgeolli.”
“Makgeolli?”
“They’re selling it over there. Cherry blossom makgeolli. Aren’t you curious what it tastes like?”
Drinking a cold glass of makgeolli would definitely make me feel better right away. It definitely would.
#
“Do you think cherry blossom makgeolli actually tastes like cherry blossoms?”
Chae-ryeong’s innocent question makes an involuntary chuckle slip out of me. She really takes everything literally. It’s so childlike.
“What does cherry blossom flavor even mean? Do cherry blossoms even have a taste?”
We stare at the cherry blossom makgeolli we bought from the festival specialty booth. It has a beautiful, translucent pink hue. Mixed with the milky white inside the glass bottle, it creates a rather stunning color.
“Hmmm. Good question. Should I try one?”
“Try what? A cherry blossom?”
“Yeah! I’m curious what cherry blossoms taste like.”
“Why on earth would you be curious about that?”
It’s completely illogical behavior by normal standards. But that’s just Chae-ryeong’s identity, so I decide to let it go. She doesn’t just talk about it—she actually reaches out to the cherry blossom tree right next to us and plucks a few petals.
I quickly turn the camera on her, wanting to preserve this bizarre moment.
“Okay, I will now begin the cherry blossom petal mukbang. Watch closely. Waaang.”
Chae-ryeong really puts a few petals in her mouth. She chews for a moment, then her eyes slowly narrow.
......It doesn’t look very good.
“Is it good?”
“Ugh… what would you even call this flavor? Oh! Soap. It tastes like paper soap.”
“So it’s bad, then.”
“But the scent is nice, right? It feels like my mouth is full of flower fragrance.”
“It’s not a feeling—you literally put flowers in your mouth…”
Everyone. Please don’t try this at home.
I warn the viewers through the camera, just in case anyone tries to copy Yoo Chae-ryeong’s stunt. While I’m doing that, she smiles and asks me,
“Want a kiss?”
“What?”
The sudden kiss comment almost breaks my poker face. Even though I know we’re doing couple acting, moments like this still yank my mind back to reality. But I glance at the camera I’m holding and try my hardest to pull myself together.
“If you kiss me right now, I’ll give you extra cherry blossom scent~!”
“I’m good. I’ll pass.”
“Why~? It’s so romantic. ‘The taste of our first kiss was the flavor of flower petals.’ Doesn’t that sound like something out of a romance novel?”
“I don’t think any romance novel in the world has a line like that.”
When I fire back, completely dumbfounded, she shakes her body with delight and says,
Her body sways, and certain other parts sway along with it. Now that she’s taken off her cardigan, it’s even more obvious. I instinctively avert my eyes.
“Ugh. You’re no fun… Anyway, since I ate the cherry blossoms, I’ll give you a review. Does cherry blossom makgeolli actually taste like cherry blossoms?”
“At this point, shouldn’t you just switch careers to a mukbang YouTuber?”
Eating cherry blossoms first just to check if the makgeolli tastes like them. How many YouTubers in the world do such insane buildup? She’d probably be amazing at reviewing new products.
We head back to the table we’d claimed earlier and decide to drink the makgeolli there.
“Should we open it now?”
“Wait, wait. You have to shake makgeolli before opening it.”
“Oh, right.”
Something about sediment settling at the bottom. Come to think of it, my dad used to shake the bottle before opening makgeolli too. When I leave it alone, Chae-ryeong excitedly starts shaking the bottle.
“......Isn’t that enough shaking?”
“It’s fine! It’s fine!”
“No, it was already getting shaken while we were walking over. That should’ve been plenty.”
“Just wait a little longer. Okay, done.”
She shakes it like a bartender mixing a cocktail, then sets it down on the table. I’m not sure if she has her own standards or if she just enjoys shaking it, but she looks very satisfied.
It feels like it’s going to explode…
As I watch the bottle with a nervous expression, Chae-ryeong opens the lid without hesitation.
Psheeeeee. Fsssssh.
“Kyaaaak!”
The makgeolli erupts like a fountain, just like when you drop Mentos into cola. Chae-ryeong screams and tries to dodge, but she’s already completely soaked. I can only sigh as I look at the mess.
“I knew this would happen. The second you started shaking it like a bartender, I had a bad feeling.”
“Huuu… I’m all wet… My hair’s soaked too… My makeup’s running… Waaah.”
Looking upset, she hurriedly tries to clean up with the wet wipes and tissues we have. She frantically wipes her face and hair first. Cleaning up after her has always been my job. There’s the one who causes the accident, and the one who cleans it up. That’s just how the world works.
I stand up and move to the seat next to her.
“You wipe your hair and face. I’ll clean your clothes.”
“......Okay. Thanks.”
It’s not like this only happens once or twice, and I’m not even that annoyed anymore. It’s just another one of those things.
I carefully wipe the makgeolli off her white t-shirt and arms with a wet wipe.
“At least it didn’t get on your skirt. That’s a relief.”
Since we opened it on the table, only her upper body got splashed. That was lucky, all things considered. My hand moves along her wrist, elbow, and shoulder. Naturally, my gaze shifts toward the front of her upper body, and—
“......”
The moment my eyes land on her chest, my breath catches. The white t-shirt is soaked with makgeolli, and through the fabric, the black bra underneath is faintly visible.
It would’ve been fine if she hadn’t taken off her cardigan earlier. The bold color and curves make me freeze for a second. Noticing my hand has stopped, she whispers,
“What’s wrong? Why did your hand stop?”
“Huh? It’s nothing. My arm just got tired.”
I pretend not to notice and continue wiping her shoulder. There’s no way I can wipe that area anyway. I figured I’d just clean up to her shoulders and then throw my jacket over her.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
Suddenly, an incredibly loud scream comes from behind us. It sounds like a man shouting. I can’t tell if he’s excited or if something bad happened. Both of us flinch hard at the noise.
“......Wh-what was that?”
Startled, she instinctively pulls her shoulder back a little. I’m startled too, blinking rapidly, and instinctively tighten my grip. My hand slips from her shoulder and slides straight down—
And lands right on her chest.
By the time I come to my senses, my hand is already resting on top of her black bra.
“......Hiyat?”
At the same time, a cute little sound escapes Chae-ryeong’s lips. It wasn’t intentional—she was just reacting purely to something touching a sensitive area.
“......Um, that is…”
Her gaze drops downward. She looks at her own chest, then our eyes meet.
About three seconds pass. Then our faces turn bright red at the exact same time.
I finally unfreeze and quickly pull my hand away from her chest.
“......Were you trying to wipe there too?”
“No! I wasn’t!! It’s a misunderstanding! The scream startled me… I’m sorry.”
When she asks me that with an embarrassed face, I have no idea what to say. I just lower my head and keep apologizing.
“If that’s what happened… it’s okay… things like that can happen… I was just surprised too…”
Both of us keep our heads down, unable to look at each other’s faces. All I can do is offer her the most comforting words I can manage.
“......We should probably edit this out, right?”
“......Yeah.”