Is It Okay to Like This Much? (2)
“Is the reservation under the name Yoo Chae-ryeong?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“And the last four digits of the phone number...”
We arrived at the comic book cafe. I paused the camera for a moment while she checked in at the counter. The staff had asked us not to film outside the rooms, since some customers might feel uncomfortable being caught on camera. The warmth still lingering on my hand after we naturally let go felt strangely disappointing. Without thinking, I glanced down at my own hand, then stole a look at Chae-ryeong’s as she talked to the staff. It was just acting, but we’d been holding hands until a second ago. I wished we could keep holding on. Even though I knew it was all pretend, I was the only one whose feelings kept turning real. I clicked my tongue at my own pointless hope.
“Ah, you’re all set. As I mentioned earlier, we’d appreciate it if you kept the filming inside the room as much as possible.”
“Got it~!”
“We have two private rooms available right now. Would you like the smaller one or the larger one?”
“Hmm, the smaller one, please.”
Why the smaller room? I shot her a puzzled look from beside her, but Chae-ryeong just waved her hand like she had it under control.
“Then please use private room number seven. Would you like me to explain how everything works?”
“No, it’s fine. Thank you~.”
After a polite bow, she took the key and walked over to me.
“Wouldn’t the bigger room be more comfortable? We could sprawl out more.”
“It’s cheaper. And the smaller room is actually better for filming, too.”
“Is that so?”
“Don’t doubt me. Trust me. Anyway, let’s go.”
It felt like she was brushing something off, but I decided not to press. At least when we filmed, it would be easier to keep both of us in frame. That wasn’t a bad thing. ...Come to think of it, she’d mentioned being short on living expenses lately. Her sudden “poverty” probably played a part in the choice. Not that it mattered much—we’d already applied for YouTube monetization, but we couldn’t withdraw anything until address verification went through. She’d be scraping by for a while.
Once we reached the room and dropped our things, we headed to the manga shelves. While I browsed the fantasy section for something decent, Chae-ryeong returned with an armful of what looked like pure romance manga.
“What’s that? ‘One Day, My Childhood Friend Started Looking Like a Guy?’”
“...What do you think it is? A romance manga.”
“You like that kind of stuff?”
“You didn’t know I like romance?”
“No, I meant do you specifically like manga where childhood friends fall in love?”
The title was so on-the-nose that I couldn’t help teasing her.
“Huh?”
Chae-ryeong glanced at the cover she’d picked, looking slightly flustered, then hugged the stack to her chest.
“I-it’s not like that, okay? If you’re going to misunderstand, let me just say I picked it because it was the first thing that caught my eye.”
“Who said anything?”
What was there to misunderstand? And why was she getting so worked up? I’d only asked because I wondered if she had a thing for the friends-to-lovers trope. Her voice trembled a little as she tried to change the subject.
“Anyway, if we’re done picking, let’s go.”
Carrying our pile of manga, we returned to the private room. Chae-ryeong stacked the books to one side and started chattering while filming the view outside the window.
“Isn’t this private room amazing? The floor cushions are so comfy, and you can see everything through the big glass window. There’s even a shelf by the window so it’s easy to eat while looking outside.”
“The night view is pretty nice too. We’re pretty high up.”
“Right? It’s the perfect place for couples. You guys should come with your partners sometime.”
“Shouldn’t you check if our subscribers even have partners first?”
How rude. Then again, if she weren’t so pretty, she probably would’ve been dead a long time ago. But Chae-ryeong wasn’t done.
“Oh, come on. Everyone’s got at least a situationship even if they don’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend, right? They’re our subscribers!”
She laughed mischievously at the camera. Everything was fine until she dragged me into it. You don’t have a boyfriend either, you know.
“Can you take responsibility for that statement, Yoo Chae-ryeong-ssi?”
“Ah, everyone! It was a joke! Just a joke! Don’t get mad! Don’t terrorize me in the comments!”
“For the record, that statement does not reflect my own views and is solely the personal opinion of YouTuber Yoo Chae-ryeong.”
“Hey, don’t throw me under the bus! Aren’t couples supposed to be one in heart and mind?”
“Then starting today, we’re not a couple—”
“You’re betraying me that fast?!”
I abandoned the girl who was busy making enemies of every single person in the country and looked at her with a smirk.
“Should we start reading now?”
“Yeah, let’s. Hold the book for a bit so I can film you reading.”
“Like this?”
I turned slightly and pretended to flip through the pages. She grinned.
“Ooh, that’s kinda cool. You look like you’re in a photoshoot. Like someone reading the New York Times at a cafe in New York.”
“I’m holding a manga, though.”
Once she seemed satisfied with the shot, she set the camera on the windowsill shelf and came over holding one of the manga. She looked exactly like a kid begging her mom to read her a bedtime story.
“I told you to read manga, so what are you doing?”
“Read it to me.”
“What?”
“Just kidding. Pfft. Why do you look so shocked?”
“For a second I thought you’d regressed to a five-year-old. I was worried you were stressed about exams.”
“Aaaagh... don’t even mention exams... I don’t want to hear it...”
Even while covering her ears and pretending not to listen, she didn’t lie down next to me. Instead, she stood there fidgeting in front of me before boldly making her demand.
“Let me use your lap as a pillow, Yoon Taeo.”
“Huh?”
“That’s the whole point of manga cafes, isn’t it?”
“There are plenty of soft cushions right here. Why do you need my lap?”
“Because I do. Absolutely.”
I patted the cushion beside me to steer her toward it, but it was useless. She just smiled at me with that stubborn glint in her eyes, and I knew I’d already lost. Well, we were acting right now. Might as well lose gracefully.
“Lie down. Go on. Even if my legs break, just lie down.”
“Kyaa, thanks! And this won’t break them. My head’s super light.”
“Do you know the human head is the heaviest part of the body, Chae-ryeong-ssi?”
“It’s fine. I’m not a human—I’m a fairy.”
“Ugh.”
“Why are you gagging when your girlfriend says she’s a fairy? Isn’t that cute?”
She lay down on my lap and tilted her head up at me. Honestly, I did sometimes think she belonged to a different species. No human could be that pretty. But I kept my thoughts to myself, as usual.
“Yeah, yeah. So cute. Since you’re a fairy, I guess you live on nothing but morning dew.”
“Yup. I don’t even go to the bathroom.”
“What are you talking about? You disappear to the bathroom every time we do anything.”
“I do not! Are you slandering me because the viewers won’t know?”
“She goes to the bathroom once an hour, everyone.”
“No! That only happens when I drink too much water!”
I wasn’t sure how we’d ended up on bathroom talk, but once she was settled on my lap, Chae-ryeong finally quieted down. Not bad. Peaceful, even. I wondered if I’d ever get to use the lap pillow trick again as I opened my book and started reading with her head resting on me.
Of course, with her personality, the peace didn’t last long. She shifted around on my lap for a bit before speaking again.
“......Pat my head.”
“Hm?”
“I’m bored. Stroke my hair.”
“What’s with you today? Why are you being so clingy?”
“I don’t knooow~~ hurry up~~ pat my head~~ do it~~.”
She whined, shaking her head side to side. I couldn’t help but laugh. Seriously, what was wrong with her? But deep down, I didn’t actually mind—and that annoyed me a little.
“Ah, you laughed. Was I cute?”
“No? I laughed because it was ridiculous.”
“Tch.”
“How am I supposed to read the manga if I’m patting your head?”
“I don’t know, but you have to. Your girlfriend wants it.”
“Fine, fine. Stop thrashing around. I’ll do it!”
I placed my hand on her head just to shut her up. She let out a satisfied little “Heh—” and smiled.
“Good. Now move your hand faster.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Hehe.”
Content, she went back to holding the manga with both hands. I gave up on reading and just watched her face instead. With a face this cute, I could probably stare for hours. While I was thinking that, Chae-ryeong hummed softly under my touch, flipped through a few pages, then stopped. Out of nowhere, she asked,
“......Taeo. Hey.”
“Yeah?”
For a moment, it felt like time had stopped.
“Do you like me?”
The question was so casual, but it knocked the breath right out of me. It sounded like she already knew exactly how I felt.
“.......”
Suddenly, I couldn’t speak at all.