# Chapter 127
Tae Igyeol went to the hospital on Monday morning to have his cast removed. Although the doctor told him to be careful for a while, which made him nervous and uncomfortable, it was still better than having the restriction on movement that came with wearing the cast.
Ban [Please subscribe and like ♡] 1:23 PM
While he was about to take his medicine after lunch, Ban Hajun posted a MiTube link with a message in the group chat. Tae Igyeol wondered what nonsense this was now. Looking closer, he found that the link was also in Ban Hajun’s messaging app profile and SNS profile, and he was actively promoting it by posting multiple screenshots of the video on his SNS.
Tae Igyeol hesitated to touch the link, feeling like he’d see something he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t ignore it since Mo Eunje was currently with Ban Hajun. When he touched the link, the screen switched to a MiTube channel, and a clumsy title appeared with cheerful and lively music, completely lacking any aesthetic sense.
“Falling for Ban Hajun’s Taste”
The dazzling sparkling effects and colorful combinations—it wasn’t hard to guess whose idea this was just by recalling their fashion style. Tae Igyeol took his medicine, started the video, and sat on the sofa with his phone, staring at the screen with a numb expression.
At first, it seemed like ordinary cooking. Though he found it slightly strange that the focus was on Ban Hajun’s face rather than the cooking, it wasn’t annoying enough to bother him. Around 2 minutes into the 10-minute video, a familiar voice was heard.
– “What’s the secret to Ban Hajun’s kimchi stew?”
– “Adding kimchi. If you don’t add kimchi, it’ll definitely fail.”
“What is this nonsense?”
Tae Igyeol unconsciously muttered to himself at the absurdly pointless conversation. Similar exchanges continued with Ban Hajun’s face as the center of attention while the kimchi stew was hastily completed. Since no one could possibly follow along with the cooking from this video, it was difficult to understand its purpose and intention.
Soon the scene changed to the lift table in Ban Hajun’s officetel living room. Mo Eunje and Ban Hajun were sitting side by side with kimchi stew and rice.
– “For the taste test, I’ve invited my best friend, novelist Mo Eunje. How does it taste?”
The corners of Tae Igyeol’s mouth rose involuntarily as Mo Eunje’s face, exuding the image of an intellectual and elegant novelist, filled the screen. The sight of him taking a spoonful of rice and then a scoop of kimchi stew was adorable. Tae Igyeol had been worried that Mo Eunje might have lost his appetite, but compared to the day he left their home, he looked better and seemed to be eating well.
– “Hmm… It’s not that it doesn’t taste good, it’s edible. It tastes like kimchi stew because you added kimchi.”
– “Why are you being like this, author? Stop joking around.”
– “I’m serious. Actually, people watch this video for the pleasure of seeing Ban Hajun-ssi’s face, not to follow the recipe. If you need recipes for delicious food, I recommend watching professional cooking videos.”
Only after hearing Mo Eunje’s words did Tae Igyeol understand the video’s intention and purpose. It was astounding that someone would create this sort of content—with no useful information, humor, entertainment, emotional impact, or special meaning—when everyone was busy living their own lives. Who would watch Ban Hajun’s face, of all things? But what was even more astounding was that the subscriber count had already reached 405.
There were a total of 5 videos uploaded to the channel. Though the outcome was predictable, Tae Igyeol clicked on each of the other videos and moved the playback bar to check them out, just in case.
– “What’s the secret to Ban Hajun’s bomb egg custard?”
– “Adding eggs. If you don’t add eggs, it’ll definitely fail.”
– “What’s the secret to Ban Hajun’s bean sprout soup?”
– “Adding bean sprouts. If you don’t add bean sprouts, it’ll definitely fail.”
– “What’s the secret to Ban Hajun’s fried shrimp?”
– “Adding shrimp. If you don’t add shrimp, it’ll definitely fail.”
“Have these people gone crazy…”
They uploaded this garbage and called it content. Both Mo Eunje asking the questions and Ban Hajun answering them were equally pathetic. Stupidity comes in many forms, but this was consistently worthless. They seemed to be having a serious conversation, so entertainment wasn’t the goal, but there was a strange feeling that laughing would mean losing. There probably wouldn’t be anyone who would laugh and lose after hearing that pointless conversation, and Tae Igyeol, who was stingy with laughter to begin with, couldn’t hide his disapproval.
He was shocked that Mo Eunje had participated in this ridiculous and stupid act. Lately, Ban Hajun’s communication had been sparse, and now he knew why—they were wasting their time on this nonsense. Rather than spending time lavishly watching this garbage, it would be more beneficial to wash his feet and go to sleep.
In the past, when Mo Eunje was paired with Gye Minho, they would engage in constructive and progressive activities, but when paired with Ban Hajun, they often engaged in useless, time-wasting, and unnecessary acts. A prime example was last year’s April Fool’s joke when they pretended to be dating.
However, since the channel name had Mo Eunje’s touch to it, Tae Igyeol couldn’t completely condemn it. It was obvious whose mind had spawned this idea.
“I shouldn’t have put those two together…”
It was too late for regrets now. Even after ten days, Mo Eunje hadn’t contacted him or come home. Despite clearly expressing that he wasn’t in the right mindset to sort things out, it seemed Mo Eunje stubbornly expected Tae Igyeol to organize his feelings and reach out first. Mo Eunje could be quite obstinate once he set his mind to something, and Tae Igyeol suddenly felt choked up.
“…”
Only ten days had passed. Ten days was nothing compared to ten years. However, just from watching the video, Mo Eunje seemed to be doing well, which started to make Tae Igyeol anxious. He wondered if he should break one of his limbs or kidnap Mo Eunje to forcibly bring him back. If there was still no response from Mo Eunje after waiting another week, he would need to take the next step.
&
“Wow. We’ve already passed a thousand subscribers.”
After promoting the channel following lunch, Ban Hajun couldn’t put his phone down and achieved the remarkable feat of gaining over a thousand subscribers in just three hours by mobilizing his relatives, acquaintances, people he knew by name only, and his few fans, all to increase the subscriber count. The comments were mostly “hahahahaha,” but the response wasn’t bad.
Considering Ban Hajun’s SNS follower count, Mo Eunje had expected at least 2,000 subscribers. Although it fell short of Mo Eunje’s predicted figure, it had only been three hours, so increasing the subscriber count was just a matter of time. Mo Eunje also promoted Ban Hajun’s channel by capturing several images from the taste test interview video and posting them on his SNS.
“What should we eat for dinner? I want to use the same joke again, saying that without the main ingredient, the dish will fail. I swear, when you said kimchi stew fails without kimchi, I thought you were a genius.”
“I really didn’t expect you’d make that the concept.”
Ban Hajun showed enthusiasm as their week-long preparation immediately produced results. Conversely, having accomplished his goal of “Making Ban Hajun Start MiTube,” Mo Eunje’s interest had waned, and he showed a lukewarm response. He couldn’t stick around forever to help, and Ban Hajun would have to manage on his own from now on, so it was better to gradually reduce his role and step away.
“Let’s decide on dinner and this week’s menu and go shopping.”
“…How long am I staying here?”
“Forever? Who’s going to film me if you’re not here?”
“I won’t be coming over to film you every time you cook, so you should practice filming yourself. Get all the spare phones you have and use them.”
Since buying the expensive cameras that MiTubers use would be financially burdensome, Mo Eunje was fully prepared to steal one or two spare phones from Tae Igyeol’s collection if Ban Hajun didn’t have any. Tae Igyeol changed his phone whenever a new series of his preferred model was released and habitually collected his old phones without showing much attachment to them or even looking at them. So, one or two missing wouldn’t be a big issue. But since Tae Igyeol probably wouldn’t give them if asked, stealing would be necessary.
“Hey, having you as a cameraman is just an excuse. To be honest, my cards were cut off and I’m in a cold war with my parents, so it’s been an unstable and difficult time for me being alone, and then you came.”
Ban Hajun revealed his true feelings with an awkward face. Then, uncharacteristically checking Mo Eunje’s reaction, he continued.
“All of you guys achieved financial independence early on, and I wonder what I’ve been doing all this time. It feels pathetic. Everyone is busy with their own work, and I’m the only one with too much time and nothing to do, making me wonder if this is normal, which fills me with self-loathing.”
At some point, Ban Hajun had mentioned that his days were too long, boring, and dull. After casually mentioning it, he would act like it wasn’t a big deal and play boisterously, so Mo Eunje hadn’t realized he was being so self-critical. Even after living together for ten days, he hadn’t noticed such signs. Perhaps Ban Hajun had been sending signals all along, but Mo Eunje had been too absorbed in thoughts of Tae Igyeol to notice.
“Why compare yourself like that? Everyone has their own circumstances.”
“It’s not just you guys. Close friends keep appearing in movies and dramas, and those who decided this path wasn’t for them gave up early to prepare for employment. I’m neither here nor there, so I feel like I’m falling behind and becoming obsolete, which makes me anxious.”
Due to their different situations, Mo Eunje couldn’t fully empathize, but he could vaguely understand. In the face of Ban Hajun’s practical concerns about his future, Mo Eunje’s own worries about his emotional conflict with Tae Igyeol seemed luxurious and even ridiculous.
But what could he do? Everyone prioritizes and considers their own concerns most important.
