Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Shall I Film a Vlog?
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Shall I film a vlog?
"Wow, you're amazing at studying~."
Just like any eight-year-old, the classroom without a teacher was total chaos.
Especially since it was the first time we'd taken midterms and gotten our report cards.
"How do you get a perfect score?"
A girl so cute it slipped out naturally stared at my test paper with wide eyes, full of wonder.
I glanced at the test she was holding, then casually tossed out a comment.
"You're really bad at it."
Looking back now, I had zero tact...
"That's so mean! But it's true, so it's fine."
With her easygoing personality, she just laughed and proudly showed off her zero-score paper.
Well, yeah. Not just anyone can bomb that hard.
"I'm Chaewon! You're Yumin, right?"
Anyway.
That was our first encounter (or more precisely, first conversation). Honestly, at that point, I never imagined getting close to Chaewon.
The cynical, emotionally reserved me and the bubbly, expressive Chaewon.
Like opposite poles of a magnet, our start was all about me pushing her away by turning my back.
Everything she said and did felt overwhelming to my passive self.
But they say you never know what life has in store.
As time passed, Chaewon started matching my pace.
I gradually kept up with hers, and before I knew it, we were practically inseparable.
It was third grade.
"What's your dream, Yumin?"
Our usual playground, our usual swing.
We were eating ice cream and playing like always.
Having discovered the fun of hanging out with Chaewon, I answered without much thought.
"...Dunno. No real dream. Just wanna keep playing."
"You study so well! Aren't you gonna be a doctor?"
"That'd be nice, but doctors have to study a ton, so not really—"
"I've had a dream since forever!"
"...You brought up dreams just to say that?"
"Yep!"
"......Blunt as ever."
As expected. She grinned brightly, mirroring my wry smile.
Chaewon put her hands on her hips, struck a proud pose, and huffed with a triumphant look.
"I'm gonna be a super famous idol someday!!"
"An idol?"
"Yeah! I'm gonna sing and dance for people all over the world!!"
"Like Big Bang?"
"Big Bang's a boy group..., but yeah! A huge idol like that!"
Chaewon hopped off the swing and started dancing Girls' Generation moves in the sandbox.
Back then, kids who weren't good at school got teased, but even now, I don't see what the big deal is about being good at studying.
If you've got a talent, playing to your strengths is way cooler.
"You can do it. You're great at dancing and singing."
So I just said it to cheer on my friend, without overthinking...
♩♬♪♪~
A cool late-April breeze blew in through the wide-open window.
My eyes, blankly staring at the night sky, followed the sound of the song drifting in and drifted downward. There, people were dancing to Ever's music.
"The whole world's gone Ever crazy."
It's been exactly fifteen years since I met you.
Twenty-three. I'm just your average guy fresh out of the military...
But my childhood friend has become the leader of a world-famous girl group after six years of debut—a rising star in Chungmuro and variety TV's blue-chip darling.
Thanks to her, even while traveling the world to celebrate my discharge, I heard Ever's songs everywhere.
Bong Joon-ho, Son Heung-min, BTS, Ever—let's go.
"...Come to think of it, it's been over three years since I last saw her."
The childhood friend who popped into my head at the sudden Ever song.
"Yaaawn~. Eh, she's a celeb, so she's probably doing fine."
But today had been packed tight, so thoughts of my celebrity friend didn't linger.
I closed the window and was about to book a train from Kyoto to Kamakura before bed.
「Can I call?」
10 p.m.
A short KakaoTalk popped up.
Speak of the devil.
"What's the girl who calls right away want now?"
「In Japan. I'll call when you're free later.」
I'd usually pick up, but it was an international call, and I was yawning from exhaustion.
I sent a quick reply and went back to booking the ticket, but she was persistence incarnate.
The moment she read it, a voice call came through.
-Gombangwa~.
"Hey. Didn't you see my polite text? And if you're gonna call anyway, why bother with KakaoTalk?"
-Just~.
Stubborn and shameless as always—gotta give her that.
Haa—.
I switched to speakerphone with a deep sigh.
"So, what's the grand reason for the call today?"
-C'mon~. We don't need a reason to call, do we?
"Hanging up."
-Hey! You'll regret treating me like that later!
"Already regretting picking up your voice note, so don't worry. Gotta wake up early tomorrow, so unless it's urgent, call tomorrow—"
-I'm in Japan too!
"Oh. Cool. Hanging up."
-W-Wait! What's with that reaction? I'm in Japan!
The Bratty One pleaded desperately.
No wonder she's the ace main vocal—her projection was crystal clear.
I frantically tapped the volume down, then slowly up.
"Why's that a big deal? I said 'cool' nicely."
-Talking all calm doesn't make you nice. No, how can a fellow Korean in Japan get such a deadpan reaction from you? Aren't you even surprised?
"Surprised or not, it happens."
-...You know exactly what I wanna hear and you're stubbornly holding out, huh?
"You wanna hang out together."
-See? Gotta love that rotten personality.
"Then you know what I wanna say?"
-Rejection denied.
Classic Han Chaewon.
She knows me too well.
I chuckled, turned my gaze from the window back to center, and closed my eyes.
"Too many people recognize you if we're out together. I like quiet."
-Big misunderstanding here, but even as a world-class idol, not that many people spot me. People aren't that interested, y'know?
"Dude, you know how many times I heard Ever and your solo today? Especially Japan's MZ gen—they'd know you anywhere."
-Hehe. Gave a bunch of autographs to the flight attendants. Impressed by your friend Minah?
"Okay. Can't hang with you. Let's meet in Korea later."
-Whoa. How can you say that? Kang Yumin, that hurts my feelings.
"Fine. You can make it up to me in Korea."
-Yuminieee~! Don't be like that, let's travel together~.
Practically a whine.
I knew her tenacity all too well from middle school, when she'd hounded me for two weeks over one of my Doublemint gums.
Resistance is futile once she sets her mind to it, but I still said no for another reason.
"Guy friend? Fine. But a guy and girl spotted together? Dating rumors, drama—tiring issues during my leave."
An idol's life is all about image.
Even top idols struggle if a bad image sticks.
Keep a good one steady, and unimaginable wealth, fame, and popularity follow.
Chaewon's an idol.
For idols with short careers, nothing's deadlier than dating rumors—especially with Ever facing the 'seven-year jinx' soon.
Catching up as childhood friends sounds great, but I was serious for her sake.
-Dating rumors? Me and you? Puhahaha!!
Laughs her ass off.
"...Funny?"
-Should I cry? Oh man, your sense of humor's improved. Hilarious~.
"No contact for two months."
"Aww, why the whining~? Sorry, Yumin, okay?"
"...What about the others? Didn't you say you were vacationing with the members?"
-Did that. Spent a month in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, all over. Personal leave since yesterday.
"Straight to Japan?"
-Yeah. Flew right here to travel with my Yumin~.
"Jeez."
Speechless, I just let out dry laughs.
Words failed me.
That summed up my feelings perfectly.
-Touched, right? Can't think of anything but traveling with me?
"Not really."
-Don't be so cold~. It's been three years since we hung out.
Around her debut prep, my college entrance exams cut our meetups.
It went from daily to weekly, biweekly at worst—not a huge drop...
Post-debut, she was slammed with solos and world tours. I was grinding exams too.
Schedules kept clashing, and here we are—three years without seeing each other.
I'd thought about meeting up this year too.
——Anyway.
"You know where I am in Japan?"
-Where?
"...Haa, you really..."
-FYI, I'm at Narita Airport~.
The Bratty One preempted my scolding.
Lots to say, but couldn't snap at the girl who flew here for me.
I answered softly.
"Kyoto. About three hours to Tokyo."
-Should I come to you?
"Heading to Kamakura tomorrow. But if you wanna come here, I'll stay."
-Nah, I'm tailing you anyway. Kamakura's near Tokyo.
"Around 2:30 p.m. tomorrow. Grab food."
-Yay! I'll cover everything while we're out! Perks of your rich friend, right?
"...You'll buy for free? You?"
She snorted at my skeptical tone.
-What's with the lukewarm vibe? Kang Yumin, you're hurting my feelings.
"Sorry. Wait, why am I sorry? You never buy anything free."
Says free, then demands aegyo or 'noona' out of nowhere...
I learned there's no such thing as free from this Bratty One.
You'd fall for it again?
-Okay. You. That's karma. I was gonna treat you out of reunion joy and natural kindness, no strings... Ugh, now I can't.
"Still remember you haunting me for Doublemint like a ghost."
-Loser Guy trait: nitpicking old stories. Okay. 2 stacks. Gonna make you buy expensive stuff, unprecedented levels.
"Whatever. Hotel for tomorrow?"
-Same as you, duh.
"Really?"
-Karma 3 stacks.
"Bratty Girl trait: tracks every bad mood."
-Upper Girl trait: ignores slander, sticks to her guns. You, 4 stacks.
"Stacking like that? You already planned what to order."
-...Smartass. Sharp as hell on this stuff.
"...Hey. Fine. Let's travel separate."
-Nope. Telling your mom?
"Mom card's cheating..."
Our mom, Mrs. Park, loves this Bratty One—her "daughter"—more than me, her own kid.
Especially since Han Chaewon blew up as an idol. I'm chopped liver now.
Still remember her telling me to use honorifics and '-nim' for Chaewon.
Unfair.
I clicked my tongue softly.
Didn't wanna hear it from Mom, so...
"Tomorrow, 3 p.m. Cool?"
I caved to her scheme reluctantly.
Her breathing alone screamed satisfaction.
-Yeah. I'll wait at the station.
"No. I'll come to you—don't crowd the station."
-Reunions are canon at stations or airports.
"Stay somewhere quiet till I call tomorrow? Yawn, sleepy."
I slid the window shut and crawled into bed.
She caught my yawn cue and rushed to keep talking.
"Huh? Why'd the sound cut? Hello? Chaewon? Can you hear? Why'd it—"
Click.
I hung up with robotic acting even ChatGPT would envy.
She might be the idol everyone wants to call, but to me, she's just the chatty childhood friend.
+++
"Shall I film a vlog?"
Thanks to full karma stack, looks like a face-reveal vlog's coming up.