Wanna Start a YouTube Channel With Me? (2)
“You wanna start a YouTube channel with me?”
The sudden question makes me echo it without thinking. Chae-ryeong’s nonsense isn’t exactly new, but this time it feels different. She’s always dreamed of being a YouTuber, yet she’s never once suggested actually starting one. She always said she’d begin once she learned enough at school and felt ready. So what on earth got into her today?
[Yeah, yeah! I can’t believe I never thought of this before. I’ll explain when I see you. Come over to my place right now! Hurry!]
“Right now?”
[You don’t have class, right? You were just gonna go to the PC bang with Yoon Gang-hu anyway.]
“Well… yeah.”
I glance at the gym-otaku sitting across from me with a sulky face. We’d planned to hit the PC bang after class and grind some ranked games. Getting swept up in Chae-ryeong’s 100% P-type energy is nothing new, but I did just get relationship advice from her. Ditching him here feels a little… even if the advice wasn’t exactly helpful.
[If you feel bad, just tell Yoon Gang-hu. I’ll buy him three meals at the school cafeteria as compensation.]
“Three meals?”
[That’s nothing. Piece of cake. Heh.]
“Fine. I’ll negotiate with that. Talk to you later.”
[Okay~! Come quick! Before I forget!]
“Yeah, yeah. Brainstorm something so you don’t forget.”
I throw out whatever comes to mind and hang up. Yoon Gang-hu looks up the moment I set my phone down.
“Yoo Chae-ryeong?”
“Yeah.”
“What’d she say?”
“No idea. Said she had a great idea and told me to come to her place.”
“What about our ranked games? She said she’d carry me.”
“Change of plans. Sorry. But Chae-ryeong says she’ll buy you three free school meals as an apology. That good enough?”
“Three free meals? Hold on. The most expensive one is the beef bulgogi rice bowl at 9,500 won, so…”
He mutters to himself, calculating, then starts drooling. Must be about that mobile game again. I don’t know the details, but Gang-hu’s a top-ranked player in one of those popular anime-style mobile games in Korea.
“So I’m heading out? I’ll send you money for drinks at least.”
“Hey, wait! You’re just leaving like that?”
“You’d ditch me too if your girlfriend called. Sorry!”
Of course, she’s not my girlfriend—just the girl I’ve been crushing on. Still, choosing the girl you like over a friend feels pretty natural, doesn’t it?
My attempt to lure the beast out of her territory fails. I sigh at the messages and step out of the elevator. It’s a high-end officetel near campus with solid security—about 500 units, monthly rent around 600–700 thousand won. Chae-ryeong’s only been living alone for a month, but I’ve been coming and going so often that it already feels familiar. Unlike me, who grew up in an ordinary household and struggles even with a 300,000-won monthly budget while working part-time, she’s what people call a gold-spoon kid. Her father runs a big entertainment company in Seoul, and her mother is a pharmacist.
“She could probably afford somewhere much nicer than this.”
I’ve met her parents a few times. With their income, this place isn’t exactly luxurious. But they’re the type with clear financial values—they don’t splurge just because they have money. The same goes for their daughter. They probably wouldn’t have gotten her this place if she weren’t living alone. A young woman living by herself carries security risks, after all. That’s why they chose an expensive officetel. Proof of that is how Chae-ryeong earns her own living expenses, allowance, and phone bill through part-time work—though her parents probably still send her some money.
Room 1204. Standing in front of her door, I send the message. Inside, I hear the sound of footsteps rushing toward me—thud-thud-thud—and then the door swings open to reveal Chae-ryeong.
“You’re here? Yoon Taeo~! You finally came!”
Seeing her bounce like an excited puppy makes me smile. She’s adorable. She’s in pajamas, her long black hair falling to her waist. Her warm brown eyes are full of affection. Even without makeup, her face is flawless. No wonder people call her a goddess.
“Did you just wake up?”
“Yeah… maybe an hour ago? I was lying down watching YouTube, and then suddenly—bam! A genius idea!”
“You haven’t even put on makeup. Did you at least shower?”
“I’m a morning-shower person. Of course I did. But I did put on lip tint—for you, as a courtesy.”
She points at her lips with a playful grin. The soft pink shade she likes gives off a fresh, spring-like vibe. I follow her inside through the entrance.
“Wow, thank you so much. How considerate of you to dress up in pajamas.”
“It’s better than being naked, right?”
“You’re insane.”
“What? You walk around in just your underwear during summer too. At home.”
“Enough. What are we even talking about?”
That’s what an old female friend is like. Some people might romanticize childhood friends, but maybe I’m the weird one for liking someone like her. Even with no illusions left between us—everything laid bare—I still find her attractive as the opposite sex. Following her into the living room, I spot underwear scattered on the sofa and quickly look away.
“Agh, at least put your underwear away! Why do I have to see your underwear in broad daylight?”
“Ahaha. My bad. Total mistake. I took it off for a shower and forgot. Sorry?”
She casually picks up the underwear and tosses it into the laundry basket by the bathroom door. Score! She looks pleased with her three-point shot, and I feel my soul leaving my body.
“Aren’t you embarrassed showing a guy your underwear, no matter how close we are?”
“What’s the big deal? We’ve seen everything there is to see between us.”
She says it like it’s nothing and leads me to her room without a care. The fact that she doesn’t see me as a man at all is just depressing. Meanwhile, I get nervous just stepping into her place and try my best to act normal outside. …Will she ever understand how I feel?
A sigh escapes me.
“Or maybe you’re secretly having naughty thoughts while looking at my underwear?”
“As if.”
“Right? Then there’s no problem. Hehe.”
Honestly, I do. But I can’t exactly admit it. I don’t want to ruin her good mood, so I let it slide.
“Sit here for now.”
“Why are you in such a good mood? Aren’t you like this every day?”
“Because you came over. Why would I be in a bad mood? Should I cry? I’m good at fake crying.”
“No. Whatever. So what’s this YouTube idea you mentioned?”
She throws out these loaded comments without realizing how much they make my heart race. I look at her clueless face and decide to just hear her out.
“Oh, right! Look at this! Check it out, Taeo!”
She scoots closer on the bed and shoves her phone in my face. I quietly watch the video she plays.
[Yes, we’re in Suncheon right now—Suncheon Station. So why did we come here? Why did we come, huh?]
A pretty girl talks to the guy filming her. They banter back and forth, eat delicious food, and enjoy sightseeing outside. A typical vlog.
When it ends, Chae-ryeong turns to me.
“What do you think? Was it fun? It was fun, right?”
If I say it wasn’t, she might actually kill me. Hmm.
“I mean… it’s not bad. The conversation part was entertaining. But what’s the point of showing me this?”
“Couple vlog.”
“Yeah, I know it’s a couple vlog. But why show it to me?”
“Why else? Your deduction skills are terrible. You’d make a terrible detective, Yoon Taeo.”
I have zero desire to become a detective. Chae-ryeong wiggles her fingers, points at the vlog video, then points at herself. When I just stare, confused, she says:
“I want to film one. You and me. Okay?”
Then she points at me too.
Me? Film that?
“What are you talking about?”
“Just listen first. The reason I came up with this idea was this morning when I woke up.”
“…”
“As soon as I got up, like a modern zombie, I grabbed my phone and watched the usual couple vlog, you know?”
“Right.”
I listen to her story, trying to make sense of what she’s saying.
“I’ve been watching so many couple vlogs lately that I wanted to film one too. But I don’t have a boyfriend, right?”
“True.”
“So I thought of you. Who else would film something like this with me?”
“Ah, I see.”
“Yeah! Think about it—we used to hear all the time in high school that we looked like the perfect couple, a match made in heaven, that just looking at us together was nice to watch.”
“Yeah. Even though we weren’t dating, we heard it so much it got annoying.”
When are you two getting together? Or were you already dating and just hiding it? Our classmates used to say stuff like that a lot. Visually, we probably do look good together. She’s pretty, and while I hate saying it myself, I’m objectively handsome. The world loves a beautiful couple’s romance—just like in dramas or movies.
“Why do you think romance movies and dramas have been dying lately? I think people are tired of scripted formats.”
“Wow, very Media and Video department of you.”
“Just like how observational variety shows are trending, people want more natural vibes these days. That’s the flow of this era!”
Chae-ryeong’s eyes sparkle like she’s made some grand discovery. I nod along and listen.
“So?”
“In that sense, isn’t a couple vlog the essence of modern romance content? It’s trendy and hip!”
I get what she means. It aligns with the current desire for naturalness. Dating shows are also leaning toward observational formats. When I nod, Chae-ryeong’s eyebrows droop in disappointment.
“Ugh… your reaction is so lukewarm. Why don’t you get how brilliant this idea is?”
“I get it. I totally get it. Wow, it’s really brilliant. Let’s make vlogs great again!”
“Anyway, I was thinking—what if I debut on YouTube with this instead of putting it off forever?”
She starts spilling what’s been on her mind, excited.
“Honestly, the reason I haven’t started YouTube until now is because I didn’t know what to do.”
“Yeah.”
“I can’t do educational content, and I don’t have the skills for beauty videos. But vlogs are just filming dates and having fun, so it’s easy, right? Plus, you know how to edit!”
“Oh, so editing was already decided to be my job?”
When was that decided? She nods happily. I feel the urge to flick her forehead. A few questions are bubbling up in my mind. Suppressing my rising frustration, I ask the most pressing ones first.
“Okay, I get what you’re saying, but will it actually work?”
“It will. It’ll definitely work. These days, people are more interested in ordinary couples than celebrity relationships, right?”
“Well… that’s true, looking at recent trends.”
“I hate saying this myself, but you and I are pretty good-looking, aren’t we? College students with near-celebrity visuals filming a couple vlog? This is guaranteed to be a huge hit!”
“You think so?”
“I know so! People feel more connected to good-looking ordinary folks than distant celebrities!”
She’s so confident that it feels wrong to rain on her parade. And honestly, she’s not wrong. Being the romance-obsessed Yoo Chae-ryeong, her instincts probably aren’t far off.
“But does it have to be a couple? Couldn’t you just film it alone? You’re pretty enough.”
“Aah~ That just feels… wrong somehow. It’s a bit scary too… I need someone I can rely on… Plus, without romance or a story, filming alone just isn’t fun…”
True to her extroverted E-type personality, she wants to do it together. The way she glances at me while saying she wants to depend on someone stirs a slight protective instinct in me. But there’s the biggest issue I’ve been ignoring—the one that makes her entire proposal meaningless unless resolved. I lay it out plainly.
“More importantly, we’re not even a couple. How are we supposed to film a couple vlog?”
“Aha. That part?”
She smiles as if she knew this question was coming.
“We just pretend to date! How’s that? Aren’t I a genius? How did I even come up with this?”
She pats her own head, proud of herself. I shake my head at her unstoppable energy and ask:
That was the genius idea?
“……I’ve heard enough. Can I go home now?”
“Aah~! Don’t go! Yoon Taeo~! Wait! Just listen a little more!”