Today's Chicken Mukbang W 34 - Hyacinth in Bloom

#34

[Welcome to Korea We welcome your visit to the Republic of Korea – Incheon Airport Honorary Ambassador On The Sky]

“Wow, this is really… amazing.”

On the billboard that filled an entire wall of the airport building, he saw a face more familiar than any other. I can’t miss this! While capturing Imun with his camera, entranced by the sight before him, a security guard’s warning sounded.

“No photos, please.” “Ah, yes.” Embarrassed, he lowered his phone and gazed steadily at the sign. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Imun’s beaming face. It finally felt real that he had arrived in Korea.

***

The immigration check, which he thought would take about an hour, ended in an instant. Right, this is what Korea was like. He wanted to make the most of the unexpected extra time. Glancing at the people moving briskly around him, he hastened his steps.

After taking the airport railway and arriving at the hotel, he quickly changed his clothes. Standing before the full-length mirror and turning his body this way and that, Hajun unconsciously frowned.

“Hmm… did I dress too casually?”

Though they’d video called, meeting Imun in person was different altogether. I’m afraid I won’t be able to say a single word. Shaking off the involuntary pessimistic thought, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

“Imun, hello? …Hi, it’s our first time meeting. Ah… no, that’s not right. This is really bad!”

Seeing how awkward he looked made his hands and feet curl up on their own. After struggling on the carpeted floor on his knees for a few minutes, he finally collected himself and straightened his disheveled clothes.

***

The fan signing venue was close to the hotel. He had chosen accommodation considering only two factors: airport accessibility and the fan signing location.

The timing is a bit odd. Before going to the event venue, he thought it would be perfect to visit a small museum nearby. While following the map and fumbling his way through unfamiliar streets, a man in a flashy suit approached him with a microphone.

“Hello! We’re from ‘Little Street Talk Show.’ If you have a moment, could we interview you?”

“…Pardon?”

As soon as the man finished speaking, a staff member carrying a broadcast camera suddenly appeared. Perhaps interpreting his efforts to understand the situation as silent agreement, the man spoke again.

“Could you please give us a brief self-introduction?”

He noticed a sticker on the camera. ‘NTBC.’ It was a suspicious broadcasting station name he’d never heard of. The film crew’s desperate gaze suggested they were having a hard time finding interviewees.

Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. He thought it would be fine for a moment. After staring at the microphone uncomfortably pushed in front of his face and checking the time he had left, he began a casual self-introduction.

Thanks perhaps to the man who reacted excessively after each sentence, a crowd of onlookers was gathering. At the production team’s request, they hurriedly moved locations and resumed the interview.

“May I ask where you’re headed right now?”

“…I’m on my way to attend something.”

“Attend what, if I may ask?”

“…A fan signing event.”

As if hearing an unexpected answer, the reporter exchanged signs with staff members, looking surprised. Soon, his increasingly friendly smile seemed quite suspicious.

“May I ask what you do for a living?”

“Ah… I’m a Twitch streamer.”

“Aha, a streamer! When I first saw you, Hajun-ssi, I thought for a moment you were an actor. So, what kind of content do you mainly stream on Twitch?”

The questions continued one after another. Swept away by the rapid-fire speech that prevented him from thinking about anything else, Hajun found himself spilling trivial information in the blink of an eye.

Why am I doing this here? Awkwardly touching the folding chair he had somehow ended up sitting on, he surreptitiously glanced at his phone. The filming had gone on longer than expected, and now it was time to go to the fan signing event, let alone visit the museum.

“Um… so when will the interview end…” When he didn’t hide his anxious appearance, the man excitedly grabbed him saying, “Then, just one last question!”

“Come to think of it, you mentioned earlier that you were going to meet fans-“

“What? …Oh, the fan signing event, I’m attending it.”

“Pardon? Wait, wait! Is it not your own fan signing event, Hajun-ssi?”

“No, um, I’m going to someone else’s fan signing event.”

“What?! What did you say?!” The reporter’s eagerness with his rolling eyes was more than a little burdensome. After sweating profusely and attempting to escape for a moment, he finally found himself caught by the man and confessing that he was going to an On The Sky fan signing.

“The On The Sky members are incredibly popular these days. I saw them recently on another broadcast, and they all seemed well-mannered and decent fellows.”

“Oh, really?”

“Ooh! Now you’re finally looking at my face properly! Do you know it’s been a full thirty minutes? By the way, Hajun-ssi, you’re really handsome.”

“Ah… uh… that kind of talk…”

I shouldn’t have asked. Hearing the flattery that viewers often gave, but now in a street interview, he felt so embarrassed he didn’t know where to put himself.

He was biting his lips, blaming himself for momentarily being intrigued by the mention of seeing On The Sky, when:

“How did you come to know On The Sky? Since there aren’t many male fans of boy groups, I’d like to hear a bit more about it if it’s not rude. Do you have a bias, or rather, a favorite member?”

He momentarily halted all movement and scrutinized the filming team. The male reporter, cameraman, lighting technician, sound technician, and a very tired-looking middle-aged female staff member – just five people in total.

With this small team size for a broadcasting company he’d never heard of, it probably wasn’t a popular program. But there were many reasons to be cautious about mentioning Imun in a broadcast that wasn’t his own.

“The fan signing is just, um… I have a member I’m personally close with, so I thought I’d see his face… um, can I go now?”

“Wow, are you saying you’re friends with one of the On The Sky members? I’m so curious who this friend is that you came all the way from Japan to meet!”

It felt like he was personally experiencing the reason why Imun had denied having friends on variety shows. Once he answered, there was no end to related questions.

He tried to change the subject casually, but like being trapped in a maze, the conversation kept returning to square one. The fatigue accumulated from starting his journey early in the morning came rushing in.

I shouldn’t be tired. Since he was supposed to meet Imun separately after the fan signing event, he absolutely had to maintain good condition today of all days. Remembering their dinner appointment, he reflexively grinned, but then became serious for the first time at the continued questioning.

“Um… that’s a bit… And I really need to go now.”

“It’s a shame, but can’t be helped. Then, really! Lastly, since you’re already in Korea to see your friend, how about sending a video letter to your friend if that’s okay?”

“…A video letter?”

“Yes. Something you’ve wanted to say but couldn’t – why not take this opportunity to convey it through video?”

He thought this would be enough to send him on his way, but the man was definitely not an easy opponent. His obsessive gaze, suggesting he wouldn’t end the interview until Hajun did this, was blatantly pouring out.

It seemed faster to just say something and get up. “Something I couldn’t say normally, huh.” Whether Imun saw this broadcast or not, the thought of writing a letter to him was quite embarrassing.

“Um… hello. You must be tired from your busy schedule every day, but thanks for contacting me and hanging out with me. Let’s continue to be close friends. I hope things won’t be awkward when we meet today. See you in a bit.”

Fortunately, the man’s claim that the video letter would be the last thing was true. As he was hurriedly wrapping up the suspicious interview and signing the filming consent form, a staff member spoke to him in a small voice.

“So, Hajun-ssi, who is that friend you mentioned earlier? Can you tell just me?”

Why did the woman’s face, which had been haggard with fatigue, suddenly look particularly bright? Since he had revealed his name and occupation during the interview, she could easily find out who his friend was with a little search.

It won’t be broadcasted, so it should be fine. Staring blankly at the staff member, Hajun laughed emptily and revealed his secret.

“Hmm… Seo Imun-ssi. Haha.”

***

Thanks to his hurried steps, almost like running, he arrived at his destination without being late. After holding his knees and catching his rough breath, he took a business card out of his pocket.

[NTBC Entertainment Division 1, Special Planning Department, PD Ha□□]

“So the staff was actually a PD. Hmm… well. Probably not a scam.”

After recalling the bright smile of the woman who had thanked him for agreeing to the interview, he raised his head.

So this is the fan signing venue. The endlessly rising building was so tall that it made his neck ache. Feeling his quickening heartbeat, he took one firm step forward.

The event venue was bustling with women. From students in school uniforms to adult women, the age range was diverse, but they all had one thing in common – they had all done their best to dress up.

It feels like our eyes keep meeting, but that must be my imagination. Deliberately ignoring the gazes of people that somehow seemed directed at him, he wandered around looking for the reception desk.