The sudden cooking broadcast ended successfully.
We achieved the original goal of teaching Si Hyun to cook, and the results weren’t too bad either.
Even Jae-jun, like many men, named stir-fried pork as his favorite dish, so the quality speaks for itself.
There was a minor issue where viewers collectively had a meltdown midway, but it wasn’t a huge problem.
Unexpectedly, Jae-jun received some hostility from my fans, but hey, that’s just regular business when I get involved with a guy on broadcast. You could call it a regular event.
The cooking show ended smoothly, and I granted the request of my cute neighborhood friend Si Hyun, so I had no complaints. The V-tuber viewers, who were subtly hoping for my regular content, would likely be quite satisfied once this video was posted.
However, life isn’t always easy. Just when you get over one hurdle, another one looms ahead. Of course, cooking with Si Hyun isn’t a huge obstacle, but the preparation and other factors do take a lot of effort.
Anyway, coming back to the point, I was now facing a new dilemma.
“Wah, unni. Thank you so much…”
A pretty girl was crying in front of me, tears dripping down her face. Meanwhile, she was reaching out and tightly holding one of my hands, looking utterly pitiful.
Why is this happening? I was caught off guard by her sudden visit and tears were the last thing I expected.
Didn’t they say a man’s tears are a weakness and a woman’s tears are a weapon? Whoever said that was spot on. I was being attacked without mercy right now.
People passing by glanced our way. No one was staring or speaking up, but there was clear curiosity about what was going on.
How long did it take? The girl holding my hand and crying finally lifted her head with a bright face after sorting out her emotions.
“I’m sorry, unni. I was being such a child, wasn’t I?”
“…”
It’s true that I was certainly put in an awkward position and she was acting like a child, but she was indeed at an age that could be called a child.
They say it’s the tender age of eighteen. It’s the age where even a fallen leaf can make you giggle, and suddenly plunge you into sadness — truly an emotionally rich age.
Eighteen, currently a high school student. When it came down to it, I only had one acquaintance who fit that description.
Sebi, the sub-vocal and youngest member of the girl group Midkiss. We connected during the public program “Midnight Talk,” and even with her busy schedule, she kept in touch with me regularly.
I was Sebi. The connection we formed during the broadcasting program ‘Midnight Talk’ had her reaching out to me consistently despite her busy schedule.
It seemed like my appearance on ‘Midnight Talk’ went better than expected, as she would thank me every time we contacted each other, which was quite a burden. We kept saying we should meet, and finally, here we were.
I couldn’t say anything about the little inconvenience that she caused. I could only imagine how overwhelmed her emotions must have been.
“It’s okay. That can happen,” I said, offering her the usual cliché comfort, only for her to bubble up with tears again.
I sighed inwardly while patting her, saying, “There, there,” as a slight dampness spread from where her face was buried in my chest.
*
With the stage name Sebi and the real name An Joo Hee, she lifted her head from someone’s embrace.
It was so soft and cozy that it felt magical, like something she never wanted to leave. But she couldn’t exactly stay like this forever.
‘So embarrassing.’
As soon as she got her bearings back, feelings of shame hit her like a wave, alongside feelings of self-deprecation and disgrace.
Even after pulling her face away from Kayak’s chest, she still couldn’t bring herself to lift her head.
She couldn’t bear to look at Kayak. Why on earth did she cry right after they met? Why did she snuggle up to her with tears?
‘I’m not a child anymore…’
Though Kayak would definitely disagree, Sebi felt exactly that way.
How many years had it been since she stepped foot into the entertainment industry? Or even before that, how long had it been since she moved to the city alone to become a trainee? Acting like this was way past her time.
It was something she couldn’t understand herself. She’d been strong and tough in front of her older group members, so why did she act like a child the moment she saw Kayak?
Was it that motherly warmth? It certainly was plump. She felt like she could stay buried there for hours. Sebi had come to understand, at least superficially, why men went crazy for such heavy flesh.
‘Oh my, seriously…’
How was she supposed to resolve this situation?
Deep down, she had a strong desire to escape from this moment. But at the same time, she thought she needed to be a proper grown-up and thank Kayak for everything.
This very moment wasn’t an easy one she had arranged for herself. The reason she had set this up was to properly convey her gratitude to Kayak.
Wasn’t it just one seat? The reason for setting up the place was to properly thank Kayak.
Ever since their appearance on Midnight Talk, the dance Kayak performed there became a hot topic, allowing Sebi’s group to make a name for themselves.
Recently, schedules had been piling up, and it finally felt like light was coming into the idol life that had been so dark.
So, Sebi and the older sisters in the group, along with the group’s personnel and fans who were hoping for Midkiss’s success, all owed a debt to Kayak.
If Kayak knew, she’d probably wave her hands and say they were exaggerating, but Sebi thought they were right.
Anyway, she was in a situation where even a hundred bows to the person in front of her wouldn’t be enough. It was no time to be sniffling and shy, with her head down.
Just as Sebi steeled herself and raised her blushing face…
Kayak, who had been holding something in both hands, just happened to set it down on the table.
It was sweet desserts that would make anyone’s mouth tingle with sweetness.
Blueberry cheesecake and matcha latte. All of them were Sebi’s absolute favorites.
Sebi’s eyes widened as she looked at Kayak, the person who brought them. With a warm smile, she said,
“I heard you like these. You seem like you have something to talk about, so let’s eat this and chat slowly.”
Kayak remembered the casual comment Sebi had made in the waiting room last time.
This is unfair, totally unfair. How can this person be like this…
Sebi felt overwhelmed again and put her hands on her face, bursting into tears.
*
There was no one quite as much of a crybaby as her.
She clearly remembered being mature and bold for her age back then. What was going on today that she burst into tears the moment she saw her?
Now, she was munching on desserts with a puffy face. It was nice to see her looking cheerier.
“Here, older sister, eat too, okay?”
“No, I’m fine…”
But then, she would scoop a big piece of cake and feed it to her one bite at a time, saying it wasn’t fair that she was the only one eating. They say you can’t dish it out while smiling. With that cheery face offering it, I couldn’t help but open my mouth.
Then Sebi started blabbering.
“Older sister, do you want to join our company? No, come join us.”
“Where is this coming from all of a sudden…?”
There were numerous points to critique.
First off, whether she would join was secondary; there was no way Sebi had the authority for that. What power does a mere idol of the company have to bring someone in?
It was out of the question to think that Sebi had such authority. What kind of power does a mere idol from the agency have to bring someone in?
“Leave it to me, I’ll figure something out!”
“Forget it, why would I even enter an entertainment agency with celebrities?”
Sebi babbled about how her older sister was at least partly a celebrity and how she was more recognizable than ordinary people, but it wasn’t particularly important. She had no intentions of appearing on broadcasts anytime soon.
Some might click their tongues and say you don’t paddle when the tide comes in, but I felt I had enough experience from the last broadcast. Besides, my personal stream was doing well on its own already.
“Hmm, then since you’re here, let’s check out the company. I’ll introduce my older sisters to you!”
“Don’t you have any schedules…?”
“I cleared my whole day!”
From what I heard, Sebi was being treated like a benefactor within her group, and everyone wanted to thank me.
Speaking of which, Midkiss had been on a roll lately. They seemed to be breaking into the ranks of major groups, appearing on broadcasts more frequently.
Thanks to them, quite a few people even came to my show to say thank you.
But honestly, there was no need for that. I just did what I had to do. I didn’t do anything worthy of gratitude.
However, Sebi didn’t seem to be taking my repeated reassurances seriously. Despite saying she understood, she grabbed my wrist and started walking toward her company.
“Here’s the recording studio, and over here is the lounge, and this is….”
Sebi was bouncing along, excitedly explaining things. To be honest, I wasn’t really listening. I just nodded along, feeling like I was watching a child show off.
“I think my older sisters are in the dance practice room. Let’s go check it out.”
So we arrived at the dance practice room, where the distinct beats of K-pop drifted through the door, and you could also hear the sound of shoes sliding on the floor.
“They seem to be in practice. Can we go in?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. They said you could bring anyone at any time.”
“Sisters— I’m here!”
The door to the dance practice room opened, and I followed Sebi inside.
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