[Is it a person or a hippo?]
[Wow, you eat a lot.]
[No wonder you swim well.]
[There’s a saying that the food cost for raising a kayak is double that of a cow; I really love this story.]
[Stamina goat, meal portion goat, body goat.]
[There’s no part that’s not goat;;]
[Hey, share some with Riri and Nicang, you pig.]
[I told you to bring a lot of meat.]
[Taker’s expression, haha.]
[Huh? I definitely grilled 4 pieces though.]
[As expected, love for the wife is unique, haha.]
[How many kids are you planning to have?]
[One boy and one girl is the most standard, right?]
[These days, raising one child is really tough. Having an only child isn’t too bad either.]
[But won’t an only child feel lonely as they grow up?]
[Why are you already planning for children?]
[You should eat a lot too, Gunhee, since you’ll need the energy later.]
Swimming consumes more stamina than you can imagine. It looks like a simple activity just floating around in the water, but once you swim properly, you really feel all your energy drain away.
But then again, it makes sense. You’re not just floating along with the flow of the water; cutting through the currents and moving forward is a whole different sensation that expends energy, much like running on solid ground.
Hence, the need for replenishment. Water play and meat are an inseparable combo. The meat you eat after intense exercise is just what your body craves for nutrients—it goes down smoothly.
“Wow… I’ve seen it before, but this is really—.”
“It looks good, doesn’t it? You eat well!”
“Yeah, I’m glad I brought a lot of meat on purpose.”
The stares felt as if I were witnessing a rare spectacle. I had gotten used to it by now.
In the past, I often felt embarrassed about my increased appetite and would either avoid eating with others or pretend not to notice when there wasn’t enough. Those days are over now.
After all, I’ll be seeing these people repeatedly and can’t hide it forever. Whether they look at me with amazement or not, all I have to do is eat deliciously.
Nom—
[Wow, you’re eating so well.]
[You could start a mukbang channel; I bet you’d get a good number of views.]
[For real, you eat way better than an adult man, haha.]
[Is Kayak taking over the mukbang category?]
[Following female streamers, now even VTubers for mukbang are on the rise.]
[Ecological destroyer Kayak, whoa.]
Mukbang, huh? That doesn’t sound too bad.
To be honest, I used to have a negative impression of mukbangs.
Why would anyone want to watch others eat? That was my first thought. I also didn’t understand the act of amplifying the sounds of chewing and slurping that people claim to be “real sounds” or ASMR. Even more so, I couldn’t wrap my head around those who search for them.
I still can’t wrap my head around the whole ASMR trend of amplifying sounds of chewing and slurping. I mean, who in their right mind enjoys that?
But I guess my understanding has lightened a bit since it’s all about personal preferences. After all, who doesn’t have their own quirky likes, right?
If most viewers love mukbangs, then giving it a shot doesn’t sound too bad either.
As I munched on the meat, I found myself craving a drink. Delicious meat paired with a crisp beer sounded like the perfect combo.
But that wasn’t going to happen. Saying “let’s get the booze and some ladies!” just isn’t feasible with the broadcast running and the setting we were in.
Besides, there were already plenty of women around. It wouldn’t be appropriate to throw a surprise drinking party with families all over the place.
So instead of a pheasant, I settled for a chicken—that is, I had to pick something else in place of drinks.
“Ice cream?”
“Let the two losers of rock-paper-scissors go get it. How about that?”
“Well, I don’t mind…”
“Aren’t the rest of us stuck cleaning up this mess anyway?”
Riri pointed out the lack of perks for the winners. I shook my head at her.
“Thinking like that just kills the romance.”
“Uh-huh…”
“Trying to figure out what’s beneficial and opting for the easiest task? Zero romance there.”
[Why is it suddenly so serious? LOL]
[Profound words from Kayak;;]
[Look at them arguing about efficiency, no romance at all]
[Romance will always be with Camilla, LOL]
[Seems like walking in the blazing sun to get ice cream is just a loss?]
“Anyways, rock-paper-scissors!”
“Eww.”
In the end, Nicang and Riri were the unfortunate losers, embarking on their journey to fetch ice cream from the shop across the street.
*
“What the heck is up with that woman?”
A blonde guy muttered, looking bewildered.
He was thinking about the stunning beauty he’d encountered earlier, the one who could make anyone’s eyes pop with her looks.
The beach he visited every year felt extra special this time. This year, he was in top-notch shape, with muscles peaking on his body like never before.
He was confident, thinking he wouldn’t be called ugly and was all set for a successful hunt.
But the outcome? A glorious rejection. No, it was worse—he was humiliated. She had left, claiming the awkward-looking dude nearby was her boyfriend.
The moment that bewildered uncle claimed to be her boyfriend and left his spot was unforgettable.
The sardonic smile she wore as she left, and the clueless expression on the uncle’s face lingered in his mind.
“What a fish-headed dude, that’s a real taste killer…”
“Taesung, are you still on about that woman?”
“What does she even look like?”
“You guys haven’t seen her, right? She’s stunning, not just her face but her body too.”
His friends, who arrived late, tried to comfort the man, Taesung. Yet, he could only feel regret at having missed out on such a woman.
“Hey, before anything else, let’s just suck on some ice cream for now. It’s boiling out here.”
So, following his friends’ suggestion, he trudged to the shop.
And there, he met them.
“Taesung. Hey, Kim Taesung.”
“What?”
“There are pretty women over there too. Should we go hit on them?”
Worn out from the heat, the women in swimsuits were picking their ice creams, wiping sweat off their foreheads. The compliments from his friends weren’t hollow; they were genuinely gorgeous, a level of beauty hard to find in this out-of-the-way seaside.
“What do you think? I don’t know who that other woman was, but these girls are hot too.”
“Wait a second.”
But Taesung focused on something else. A familiar face and outfit.
‘That’s her group.’
He quickly recognized that the women before him were the ones who had been seated where the kayak went. They were with the woman who had rejected him.
“Ha.”
Taesung chuckled wryly, staring straight ahead. The spark of desire reignited in his eyes. He had found a connection to the girl who had left.
While his friends debated whether to approach, he dashed toward them faster than anyone else.
“Hello?”
“… Yes, hello.”
“Looks like you two are here together.”
“Haha… Yes, we came for a friends’ getaway.”
“Aaaah, so you’re on a summer vacation. Summer is all about the sea!”
The initially perplexed expressions of the women began to shift as one started elbowing her friend, whispering conspiratorially.
It seemed they recognized Taesung as the guy who had approached their group earlier, adopting a defensive posture.
“Shall I buy ice cream? It’s so hot out.”
“No, it’s fine—”
“Oh come on, I’ll buy. But can we hang out together? We came as just guys and it’s kinda dull.”
Taesung and his friends revealed their true colors. The girl on one side bit her lip, as if she had stepped into a trap.
One of the girls chewed on her lips as if something was wrong, and said,
“We’re leaving. Don’t follow us.”
“No, I’m saying I’ll buy you ice cream!”
“I don’t want it! Why do you keep doing this when I said no?”
“As I said, you really are clingy… If this continues, I’ll report you.”
At the mention of ‘report,’ Taesung and his friends flinched for a moment, but soon they began speaking again as if there was nothing to worry about.
Even if they wanted to report, there wasn’t really any solid reason. All they had done was talk and suggest playing together.
The standoff continued. Taesung kept surrounding them and chatting while the girls answered coldly and mechanically, clearly annoyed.
That tense standoff was suddenly broken by the appearance of a woman.
She approached, fluttering a white piece of cloth, placing her hand on the shoulders of the arguing women, and looking at Taesung.
“Oh, it’s you from earlier. What business do you have with my girlfriends?”
“Excuse me?”
Taesung could only let out another painfully cliché question. Girlfriends? What does that even mean?
He was perplexed, making a dumbfounded face, but this time he gathered himself to retort.
“Girlfriends? But you said they were boyfriends earlier!”
“Why, can’t you date both a guy and a girl?”
“Well, it’s not that you can’t…”
The woman spoke so confidently that Taesung felt oddly tongue-tied.
“You shouldn’t categorize friends by gender.”
“Friends?”
“Yes, that guy over there is my male friend. Here are my female friends. In short, boyfriends and girlfriends.”
“Is that a pun…?”
Taesung gritted his teeth at her playful response. That’s when she asked him.
“Do you want to play with us?”
“Yeah, let’s play together! We rented sunbeds and tubes!”
“No, not that.”
She raised her hand and pointed towards a sandy beach in the distance. A court with a net set up on the glaring sand.
“Let’s play a game of beach volleyball.”
“Beach volleyball?”
“We’re at the beach, so we should at least play beach volleyball, right? Playing together is a form of having fun, isn’t it?”
It was a sudden proposal. Before Taesung could respond, she smirked and added.
“Loser has to grant the winner a wish.”
It was an eerily unsettling smile that sent shivers down his spine without him even realizing it.
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