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# Chapter 29 – Found You, Tokki-Kking
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When I asked Hansu hyung to teach me how to make vlogs, he readily nodded.
"A vlog isn't really anything special. You just record your daily life the way you normally do. The important part is
editing."
"Editing? How do you do that?"
"Well, editing is..."
From there, Hansu hyung taught me everything he knew.
What software could be used for editing videos.
How to make videos attract people's attention.
How YouTube monetization worked.
How live streaming worked.
And countless other things.
"Whew... This is really not easy. I'm not very good with computers."
"It's late today, so it can't be helped. I'll teach you again slowly tomorrow. Once you get used to it, it'll be easy.
Ah, but first, should we try filming something?"
"Yes! Let's do it!"
I immediately opened the camera and adjusted the angle so neither of our faces would appear.
"You're filming without showing faces?"
"Yeah. I'm a little uncomfortable showing my face to other people. Is that okay?"
"Of course. There are plenty of faceless vlogs these days. Just in case someone's face gets caught on camera, I'll teach
you how to blur faces tomorrow too."
"Thank you!"
Just as we were talking about YouTube—
"Hey, you two men over there. The campfire's ready. Are you coming or not?"
"Yes, ma'am! Let's go, little brother. Her Ladyship says the fire's ready."
"Yes, hyung."
Answering Okja noona's call, I picked up my phone, which was still recording, and headed toward the campfire.
"Okja noona. I'm trying to make a vlog. Would it be okay if I record?"
"Will my face be in it?"
"No. Just your voice. And if your face accidentally appears, I'll blur it!"
"Then it's fine. Record as much as you want."
After giving her cool approval, Okja noona stepped inside briefly and returned carrying several things.
An ice bucket.
Tongs.
Glasses.
And a bottle of whisky.
The moment he saw it, Hansu hyung looked shocked.
"Huh? We're drinking again? We already filled our stomachs with soju. If we add whisky on top, my head's going to split
open tomorrow."
"I only brought it out for the mood."
Judging by the way she poured it generously into each glass filled with ice, she wasn't merely setting the mood.
Glug, glug.
The fruity and vanilla aroma drifting from the glass immediately caught my attention.
Then I noticed the label.
[ROYAL SALUTE 21 YEAR OLD]
"Royal Salute...? Isn't this expensive?"
"Expensive? It's under three hundred thousand won if you buy it at duty-free."
"...My room only costs thirty thousand won a night."
A guest house was still a business.
A place intended to generate profit.
But Okja noona had already given me far more than what I'd paid for.
A beautiful room.
Black pork.
Sea urchin.
And now premium whisky.
As I looked at her with concern, she answered with slightly reddened cheeks.
"...We've only had terrible guests lately. It's been a while since a normal person showed up. That's why I'm happy. So
don't refuse."
"..."
At this point, I was genuinely curious.
What kind of guests had visited this place before?
Refusing someone's kindness over and over wasn't polite either.
I bowed deeply.
"Then I'll gratefully accept. Thank you, noona."
"Good."
"Come on. Let's make a toast. To the rest of our lives and a happy future."
Clink.
We lightly tapped our glasses together.
Then slowly sipped our whisky.
"Khh..."
"How is it, little brother? Good?"
"It's way better than I expected!"
This was my first time drinking whisky neat.
I'd had plenty of alcohol at the live pub in Gwangju, but those had all been cocktails mixed with whisky.
I had worried the pure taste would be too harsh.
Instead, the faint sweetness hidden beneath the bitterness had a charm entirely different from cocktails.
"Glad you like it. Here, have some tangerines too. A local farmer gave them to me. They're sweet even though it's
summer."
"Wow! Thank you!"
As expected of Jeju.
The snacks served with alcohol were tangerines.
Not hallabong oranges, but the cute little tangerines I liked.
We sat around the campfire eating tangerines and sipping whisky while chatting.
Just staring into the dancing flames was enough to calm the heart.
Even the ordinary conversations Hansu hyung and Okja noona tossed back and forth felt enjoyable.
Above us, stars filled the sky.
Not perfectly clear.
But far more numerous than anything I could ever see in Seoul.
"...This is nice."
The words escaped my mouth naturally.
'This is what healing feels like. This is what living is.'
Good food.
Good alcohol.
Good people.
A place to relax.
Could there be a greater happiness?
Just as I smiled at that simple sense of contentment, Okja noona noticed the guitar beside me.
"By the way, what's that? Why do you have a guitar?"
"Oh! I almost forgot. Little brother said he'd sing for us!"
Hansu hyung clapped as if the memory had suddenly returned.
"Little brother! You promised a song! Come on, sing one!"
"Oh? You can play guitar too?"
Faced with their curious eyes, I shyly picked up the guitar.
"Yeah. A little. Hehe. Is there anything you'd like to hear?"
"Hmm. Neither of us knows much about music."
"We'll listen to anything. Just sing something you're comfortable with."
Something I knew well...
At that moment, thousands of songs I'd listened to alone in my room over the past decade flashed through my mind.
Yet the one that remained most vividly was the song I had performed with the members of The Slacking Band at the Haenam
Song Festival.
Then I'll sing a song I performed with some older brothers I know."
"Ohhh! Applause!"
Clap, clap, clap.
Hansu hyung and Okja noona looked at me fondly while applauding.
It felt like encouragement rather than expectation.
Neither of them seemed to believe I was some amazing singer.
I closed my eyes and slowly began to play.
♬♩ ♬♪
Originally, The Story I Want to Tell You was a band song.
Playing it alone on guitar felt somewhat empty.
So I rearranged it into a softer, more emotional version and began to sing.
I saw you crying on your bed in a dark room
Perhaps because of the atmosphere, my emotions flowed into my voice more deeply than usual.
The gentle solo guitar arrangement supported my singing.
Crackle.
Crash.
The burning firewood and distant waves enriched the song.
Even if I tell you it's okay
You probably won't believe me
But it's really okay
The song of comfort quietly drifted into the night air.
I sang sincerely for the two precious listeners sitting before me.
And for anyone who might someday watch this video.
I filled my voice with all the happiness I had experienced that day.
"...That's it."
After finishing the short three-minute song—
"..."
"..."
I slowly opened my eyes.
Both Hansu hyung and Okja noona were staring at me with their mouths hanging open.
Hansu hyung recovered first.
His eyes were filled with disbelief.
"L-Little brother... just who are you?"
"Huh?"
Bzzz.
My phone continued recording everything for the vlog.
---
"Ughhh..."
"Wake up, little brother. Time to cure that hangover."
The expected hangover arrived the next morning.
Perhaps because I had mixed soju and whisky.
My stomach churned and my head felt ready to split apart.
Hansu hyung, who had woken up before me, somehow dragged me to the dining table.
"Here. Eat this. A bowl of momguk will fix you right up."
"Mom...guk?"
For breakfast, there was rice, kimchi, and a soup I'd never seen before.
"Yeah. It's a Jeju dish. Perfect for hangovers. Try it."
"...Alright. Thank you."
The appearance wasn't particularly appetizing, and my stomach was still upset.
But the moment I took a spoonful—
"Wooow!"
The thick, rich broth instantly won me over.
"This is called momguk? It's amazing, hyung! I feel better already!"
"Good. Glad you're eating well. And by the way, noona made it herself."
I looked up in surprise.
"Okja noona made this? Wow... Huh? Where is she this morning?"
"Working."
"What? She drank yesterday too. Is she okay?"
"She's not doing official diving work today. Just checking around the sea. Besides, she's basically a seal when it comes
to swimming."
Hansu hyung quickly finished his own bowl and looked at me excitedly.
"More importantly, after breakfast we should hit the water too."
"Huh?"
"You came all the way to Jeju. You're not skipping the ocean, are you? It's right outside."
After recovering from our hangovers, I borrowed a swimsuit and headed to the sea with Hansu hyung.
Phone in hand.
Ready to film a vlog.
"Oh? You filmed breakfast too. Bringing your phone again?"
"Yeah. I'm planning to edit everything from yesterday and today and upload it tonight."
"Khh. That's the spirit of a true YouTuber. In that case, let's have fun for the camera."
The ocean in front of Haenyeo's Guest House looked like something from the Mediterranean.
Emerald-colored water.
Gentle waves.
Hardly any people.
According to Hansu hyung, the area had only recently been opened for swimming, so most people didn't know about it yet.
The two of us spent the entire morning swimming.
For lunch, we ate bibimbap made with sea squirts Okja noona had gathered.
In the afternoon, Hansu hyung kept his promise and taught me video editing.
"The highlight of your vlog is definitely that song around the campfire. So start with the swimming footage, then..."
"Ohhh. That really does look cleaner."
Hansu hyung was surprisingly talented at teaching.
After struggling for several hours with his help, I finally completed my first vlog.
It was rough.
Amateurish.
But full of sincerity.
Even Hansu hyung looked pleased with the finished result.
"Little brother. This is just my intuition, but..."
"Yeah?"
"This video is definitely going viral."
"You really think it's good?"
"Yeah. Sure, it feels amateurish. But that's exactly what gives it that authentic vlog vibe. People are going to love
it."
He patted my shoulder proudly.
"I taught you at lightning speed, but you already edit well and film well. Keep this up and you'll catch my 1,500
subscribers before long. Haha!"
"...Haha."
For reference, my subscriber count had already reached around fifteen thousand.
Ever since uploading the second guitar video, the channel had continued growing.
And so, for the first time in my life, I uploaded a fifteen-minute vlog to a channel that previously contained only two
twenty-second guitar videos.
[Jeju Healing Vlog – 0 Seconds Ago]
[Video Uploaded]
I was worried.
'Will people who subscribed for guitar videos even like a vlog like this?'
Still, it wasn't really meant to entertain anyone.
It was simply a way to preserve my memories.
"Little brother! Now that you've uploaded it, want to go ride bicycles with Okja noona before it gets dark?"
"Wow! Definitely!"
I quickly forgot about YouTube and continued enjoying my trip.
Then the next day—
[Jeju Healing Vlog]
[Views: 218,274 – 11 Hours Ago]
...Something unbelievable had happened.