Work Text:
<<VIDEO SEGMENT TRANSCRIPT>>
"What if a little girl is trying to cross the road on her own?"
The segment opens with a shot of a partially crowded pedestrian. The pedestrian traffic light has the DON’T WALK symbol. Amidst the crowd of blurry-faced university students and office workers waiting to cross the road, a little girl, YOO MIA, dressed in denim overalls with pigtails is shuffling nervously by the side. YOO MIA is fidgeting with her pink sling bag as she continuously glances between the traffic light and the people beside her.
A slightly disheveled man with his face blurred out runs into the frame. His suit jacket is slung over an arm that carries a large stack of files and paper. A backpack is hanging on his other shoulder. The man comes to a stop next to the little girl, shoulders heaving up and down as he heavily pants. The man wipes the sweat away from his face and seems to notice YOO MIA beside him. He tentatively looks around in search of something and finds nothing.
The shot zooms in, focusing on the man and YOO MIA.
The man turns to YOO MIA again and slowly leans down.
“Um… Hi?” the man’s quiet, hesitant voice is clearly heard by the hidden mic under YOO MIA's clothes. “Are you alone?”
YOO MIA seems to startle. She appraises the man before nodding warily.
“Are you trying to cross the road? Where are you headed?”
YOO MIA nods again and points to somewhere across the street. “My brother’s house is there.”
“Do you… want help?”
YOO MIA hesitates for a short while but agrees in the end. “Yes, please.”
The scene changes to show the traffic light turning red and the WALK symbol appearing.
The scene returns. The man walks around to YOO MIA’s other side. He transfers all the papers and his suit jacket to his other arm – the one side with the backpack slung over. He offers his now free hand, which YOO MIA quickly takes.
The two cross the street, with the man slightly leaning down and walking slowly so YOO MIA would be comfortable. Once they reach the other side, YOO MIA lets go. “Thank you!”
“Where’s your brother’s house? Do you need to cross the road again?”
“No. It’s just right there.” YOO MIA points to somewhere offscreen. The man follows YOO MIA’s finger and nods in acceptance once he sees the building she’s pointing to.
“Alright. Next time, ask your brother to pick you up.” The man then glances at his watch and jolts in a slight panic. “I’m sorry, but I need to go now. Don’t forget to look around while walking.”
The man bids a quick goodbye. YOO MIA opens her mouth, but the man is already rushing out of the frame before any words can be said. The scene changes to another camera angle, one that properly shows the man running down the street at great speed.
The scene turns black. Text appears in the middle of the screen: The man was gone before we could interview him. After some consideration, we decide to keep this segment in but hide his face. We want to sincerely thank the man, who despite being in a great hurry, still takes the time to help a little girl in distress.
<<END TRANSCRIPT>>
<<VIDEO SEGMENT TRANSCRIPT>>
"What if a teenager had horribly failed an exam?"
The segment opens with a shot of a teenage boy, KIM NAMWOON, in a high school uniform and a school bag, standing in a park. He’s holding a paper tightly, staring at it in great contempt. After staring at it a bit longer, he suddenly balls it up and threw it away with a small scream. The scene changes to another camera angle, showing some people, all with blurred faces, jumping at the sound and quickly moving away from the angry teen.
The scene returns the original camera angle. KIM NAMWOON stomps his way over to a park bench, where he proceeds to slam his bag to the ground and sits down. He grumbles for a few minutes, before slumping over. He hides his face in his hands, having seemed to lose all anger, leaving nothing but exhaustion.
A few people with blurry faces walk past KIM NAMWOON; some purposely ignore him, while others stare at him, but do nothing.
The scene changes to another angle. A man with his face blurred out appears, wearing a slightly oversized suit, and carrying a small plastic bag. The man bends down to pick up a crumpled ball of paper. He stares at the paper contemplatively and looks around for the possible owner.
The scene returns the original camera angle. The man is walking towards KIM NAMWOON.
“What?!” KIM NAMWOON snaps when the man stops near him. He's angry, strained voice could be heard through the hidden mic under his shirt’s collar. “What do you want?”
The man shows the balled-up paper. “… You dropped this.”
“I didn’t drop it.” KIM NAMWOON says in mild disbelief. “I didn’t want to keep it in the first place.”
“Then don’t litter.” The man forces the balled-up paper into KIM NAMWOON’s hand. “You’re making the cleaner lady’s job harder.”
KIM NAMWOON scoffs and grumbles but pockets the paper under the man’s watchful eyes. The man then sits down on the bench next to KIM NAMWOON. KIM NAMWOON is about to snap when the man suddenly pulls out a water bottle from the plastic bag and gives it to him.
“Drink this and calm down.”
The man waits for KIM NAMWOON to take it, but KIM NAMWOON doesn’t move. The man shrugs and puts the bottle in the space between them. “Suit yourself.” The man pulls out a samgak-gimbap and starts eating.
“What the hell are you doing?” KIM NAMWOON suspiciously glares.
“It’s lunchtime. It should be the same in schools, right? Are students allowed to leave the campus now?”
“… Don’t ask obvious questions.” KIM NAMWOON finally snatches the water bottle away. He is holding on to it tightly as he uncaps the bottle, causing some water to spill out.
“It should be exam season soon.” The man says between bites. “Were your mock results out?”
KIM NAMWOON growls and refuses to answer.
“I didn’t do so well in high school.” The man’s eyes are trained on the gimbap in his hand. “Things didn’t get better after I graduated either.”
KIM NAMWOON scoffs. “Are you trying to give me a motivational speech?”
“I’m probably the last person whose advice you should listen to.” The man shrugs and devours the gimbap in quick bites. “I’m basically a failure, both in school and life.”
A small group of office workers walks past the two, laughing as they do. KIM NAMWOON and the man are covered from the camera’s view. However, the man’s voice can be heard clearly through the mic.
“But I still survived even when my records on paper were abysmal. So, a low number is not going to sentence you to death.”
The group of office workers completely walks off the screen. KIM NAMWOON is looking up at the man who is already standing. “Don’t let writings on a paper dictate your life.”
The man faux stretches and walks away, casually leaving KIM NAMWOON and his plastic bag. Curiously, KIM NAMWOON riffles through the plastic bag, pulling out an unopened samgak-gimbap.
<<END TRANSCRIPT>>
<<VIDEO SEGMENT TRANSCRIPT>>
"What if a teenage girl had stained pants?"
The segment opens with a shot of a semi-crowded street. A teenager, LEE JIHYE, is dressed in a school tracksuit. The back of her white pants is stained red. LEE JIHYE seems unaware as she walks slowly. Several people, all with faces blurred, walk past her. Some look at her pants but say nothing.
A pair of office workers in facemasks, each bringing a large box, enter the shot. The man notices first as they run past LEE JIHYE. He stops and pokes the woman next to him then silently points. The two talk for a bit then the woman carefully stacks her box atop of the man’s then walks back to LEE JIHYE. The man stays in place.
“Excuse me,” the mic hidden inside LEE JIHYE’s jacket catches the woman’s gentle voice. “Your pants are dirty.”
LEE JIHYE stops walking and blindly touches the back of her pants. “Ah, is it really noticeable?”
“There’s some blood in your pants. Do you have a sanitary pad?”
LEE JIHYE tearfully shakes her head and pulls down the hem of her jacket. “I didn’t expect to have my period today.”
The woman opens her bag and discreetly hands over a pad to LEE JIHYE. “There’s a toilet in the convenience store just around the corner.”
Flustered, LEE JIHYE accepts the pad with both hands, bowing in thanks several times. She misses when the man wiggles his fingers from under the boxes to catch the woman’s attention. He nods at LEE JIHYE’s jacket and slightly twists his hips. The woman nods and helps LEE JIHYE to try and cover the stain.
LEE JIHYE takes off the jacket, revealing a white shirt underneath, and ties it around her waist. The woman checks to make sure the back of her pants is covered. Once satisfied, the woman pats LEE JIHYE’s shoulder reassuringly.
“Thank you.” LEE JIHYE carefully says eyes still slightly tearful and cheeks red.
“It’s alright.” The woman placates kindly. “I have to go first. You take care of yourself.”
After making sure one last time that LEE JIHYE is fine, the woman half jogs towards the man. She takes back her box and the two start running again, leaving the shot.
<<END TRANSCRIPT>>
<<RAW VIDEO FOOTAGE TRANSCRIPT>>
"What if a hurt soldier struggle to tie his shoes?"
The video opens with a shot of the waiting room of a bus terminal. A troubled-looking man, LEE HYUNSUNG, dressed in complete army uniform, is sitting on one of the benches. His left arm is in a cast and the laces on his right boot are untied.
LEE HYUNSUNG turns around and meekly calls out to the nearest person: a man sitting behind him, eyes trained on the screen of his phone. “Excuse me…”
The man curiously turns around, face partially hidden behind a black cap.
“I hurt my arm,” LEE HYUNSUNG apologetically admitted. “Would you mind tieing up my boots’ shoelaces?”
The man glances at LEE HYUNSUNG’s boots and rises from his seat as he nods. He kneels in front of LEE HYUNSUNG and tugs at the loose laces.
“Do you want to tie it around the boots?”
“Just tieing it in a knot if fine.”
The man nods. He tugs at the loops to slightly loosen the lace, then pulls it straight, tightening the boot around LEE HYUNSUNG’s foot. He makes quick work of tying a double knot, cleanly tucking the leftover lace inside the boot.
“Thank you.” LEE HYUNSUNG gratefully smiled.
The man shrugs and goes back to his seat. LEE HYUNSUNG flounders awkwardly as nothing else happens. An announcement of the last call for a departure bus comes from the speaker and the man stands up. He walks around the bench, takes a milk box out of his bag, and offers it to a surprised LEE HYUNSUNG.
LEE HYUNSUNG takes it.
“Calcium helps.”
The man says, then abruptly starts running towards the gate. The few seconds' headstart was enough to create a distance too far away to be caught. LEE HYUNSUNG stares in the direction of the man, then at the milk in his hand, and lastly towards the camera and the crew with incredulity.
“Uh. Do I- Should I- The man,” LEE HYUNSUNG struggles to speak clearly. “Should I give chase?”
<<END TRANSCRIPT>>
<<RAW VIDEO FOOTAGE TRANSCRIPT>>
"What if a man fainted from overwork?"
The video opens to a close-up shot of two men, GONG PILDU and YOO JOONGHYUK, in a dimly lit alleyway. The former is dressed in an old suit and carries a big, ratty briefcase. The latter is wearing a black tracksuit and an earpiece. The two are hunched over the notebook that is in YOO JOONGHYUK’s hands.
“So, just walk unsteadily and pretend to faint, right?” GONG PILDU gruffly asks.
“Don’t stumble too much. You’re exhausted, not drunk.” YOO JOONGHYUK warns.
GONG PILDU huffs and throws a stink-eye. “Yah, do you think I’m an amateur? I’m probably the most experienced actor you had working in your videos. I know how to act.”
“Stagger around until you see someone, then faint as you walk past them.” YOO JOONGHYUK continues to instruct without responding to the man’s claims.
After a brief scuffle and some more instructions, the two go to their places. YOO JOONGHYUK walks off-screen behind the camera and GONG PILDU hides in a nearby corner. Minutes pass by in silence, the alley empty and the lamplight flickering occasionally.
Finally, a man enters the frame. He’s in a suit carrying a backpack. He’s walking slowly, barely raising his feet and looking more as if he’s shuffling. GONG PILDU enters the frame, walking unsteadily. He staggers on his feet and places a palm on the wall to steady himself.
GONG PILDU takes a few steps, already acting, when the stranger suddenly stops in his track. The man sways on his feet and collapses sideways. He falls to the ground with a loud thud, head knocking on the asphalt.
Various sounds of shock arise.
GONG PILDU stops his acting and rushes to the man. He shakes the man’s shoulder cautiously. “Can you hear me? Hey! Are you okay?”
Two people, YOO JOONGHYUK and LEE JIHYE, enter the frame. They run over to the man as GONG PILDU tries with little success to wake the man up.
“What happened?” LEE JIHYE frets, body tense. “Why did someone faint for real?”
“He’s not waking up.” GONG PILDU informs and stops shaking the man. “We should get him to the hospital. He hit his head when he fell earlier.”
“Jihye, get the camera.” YOO JOONGHYUK calmly instructs. He crouches down and gathers the main into his arms, backpack, and all. Jihye rushes over to the camera and the shot blurs as she picks it up. The camera focuses on her pale, worried face, and then goes black.
<<END TRANSCRIPT>>
Exhaustion, the doctor explained. And light malnutrition. He hit his head when he fell, yes? Then we need to keep him in observation for a day.
The others went back after the man was deemed relatively stable. Yoo Joonghyuk had volunteered to stay with the man (Kim Dokja. It’s what’s written on the man’s ID) until his emergency contact arrived. He studied Kim Dokja’s profile as he waited.
Pale, sallow, skin, with large, heavy eyebags. Straight, fine, hair spread across the pillow and covered his forehead. He was covered from the chest down by the blanket, with an arm resting atop it. His wrist seemed especially frail and boney, with the iv-needle poking out of the back of his hand.
Two things went through Yoo Joonghyuk’s mind. First of all, Kim Dokja was light; rather concerningly. Yoo Joonghyuk was barely winded from carrying him all the way to the hospital. Second of all, his face seemed oddly familiar. Even though Yoo Joonghyuk was all but sure that he had never known the man.
So deep in thought, Yoo Joonghyuk almost missed the man waking up. His eyelids slowly slid open, long lashes fluttering as he did. He blinked a few times, eyes looking around to properly process his surroundings. Kim Dokja’s eyes soon landed on Yoo Joonghyuk and he made an inquisitive noise.
“Who…?”
“You fainted earlier, I found and brought you to the hospital.” Yoo Joonghyuk explained, instinctively talking formally. From his suit, he guessed that other was older than him. “Your emergency contact should be arriving soon.”
Kim Dokja slightly furrowed his eyebrows, blinking a few times to gather his thoughts. He nodded after a minute. “Ah, thank you…” He tried to raise his hand, but Yoo Joonghyuk blocked it before he could move.
“It’s best to stay still. The doctor said they wanted to keep you for a day.”
Kim Dokja stared up at Yoo Joonghyuk for a long time, but he stayed still, so Yoo Joonghyuk decided the man must have understood his words. “You look familiar.” The other finally said after a few minutes of looking at Yoo Joonghyuk’s face. “… Do you stream?”
Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyes rose. He hadn’t considered Kim Dokja as someone to watch game streams. “I’m currently on a hiatus.” He all but admitted, curious to see how he would react.
Surprisingly, a soft, hazy smile appeared on Kim Dokja’s face. “You’re Supreme King.” He lightly laughs, partly in disbelief and awe. “The Supreme King saved me.”
Yoo Joonghyuk quietly sat as Kim Dokja continued to stare at him with openly fond eyes. He resisted the urge to shift. The other didn’t seem to mind his silence but must have picked up his emotions, as he stopped his staring.
Seconds ticked by as the two waited in silence for the man’s contact to arrive. Kim Dokja mostly let his eyes rest and Yoo Joonghyuk thought he had fallen asleep a few times when he closed them for a moment too long.
The moment was broken when a female voice was heard. “Dokja-ssi!” A woman with long brown hair called out, she was lightly panting as she rushed over. Yoo Joonghyuk rose up to greet her.
“I received the call.” The woman said, immediately looking at Yoo Joonghyuk. A brief flash of recognition entered her eyes before she bowed a few times. “You must’ve been the one to bring him here. Thank you very much.”
“It’s no problem.” Yoo Joonghyuk stopped the woman from bowing again. He couldn’t help but feel the woman seemed familiar too, just how Kim Dokja was. “The doctors said it’s mostly exhaustion, but they’re keeping him for observation since he hit his head when he fell.”
The woman profusely thanked him again but then turned towards the bed. “Dokja-ssi, are you okay?”
Kim Dokja nodded and Yoo Joonghyuk took that as his cue to leave. “Then I’ll be going first.”
The woman took the seat as Yoo Joonghyuk vacated it. Before he left, he impulsively looked back and saw that the two were lightly conversing. As if he could feel the gaze, Kim Dokja looked up and the two accidentally locked eyes. He smiled and hesitantly waved.
Without returning the motion, Yoo Joonghyuk turned around and walked away.
The next day, Yoo Joonghyuk found himself in the hospital again. Two reasons: one, because he had accidentally left his bag by Kim Dokja’s bed; two, he figured out why the man looked familiar.
“Oh, uh, hello.” Kim Dokja greeted clumsily. He was eating a fruit cup pudding when Yoo Joonghyuk arrived and had become flustered by the surprise visit. “You must be here for your bag.”
Said bag was put atop Kim Dokja’s nightstand. None of the zippers had been opened or tampered with, merely moved from where Yoo Joonghyuk had left it on the floor the night before.
Instead of reaching for it, Yoo Joonghyuk sat down on a vacant chair.
“I recognize you.” A look of confusion entered Kim Dokja’s face. “You help out a lot in our videos.”
“Videos…?”
“I have a social experiment project. I wanted to see how people would react if they see a stranger in problem.” Yoo Joonghyuk explained. No sense of recollection seemed to hit Kim Dokja and he continued to look a bit lost. “Do you remember helping a young girl cross the road? Comforting a teenager who got a bad score? Helping a teenager who got her pants dirty? Tying a wounded soldier’s boots?”
Dokja looked at him blankly for a long while. Then, his eyes widened slightly. “Oh…” he slowly breathed out. “All of those are fake. Should’ve guessed.” The last part he said with a wry smile, looking down on his hands with something akin to self-mockery.
A moment of silence befell the two, as both fell into their thoughts. Kim Dokja was eerily quiet, staring blankly at the half-eaten cup pudding in his hands. Yoo Joonghyuk appraised the other’s physic – healthier; there’s finally some healthy flush to his cheeks – and sudden sullen air.
“Why did you help?” Yoo Joonghyuk asked. “You’re always in a hurry, but every time, you helped out.”
Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t know why he asked. He usually wasn’t this inquisitive. He had only planned to retrieve his bag and leave right after since he had a class in about half an hour. But something about Kim Dokja made him itch to ask; to know how his mind worked.
Without looking up, Kim Dokja quietly replied, voice barely above a whisper. “… I wanted that.”
“What?”
With a slightly louder voice, Kim Dokja continued. “Having someone help me cross the street, comforting me after a failed exam, pointing out my dirty clothes, helping me when I got hurt… I wished I had those help when I grew up.”
Kim Dokja shrugged casually and tried to brush off his sudden heartfelt confession as unimportant. The smile on his face looked something akin to brittle, fragile glass. “Thank you for bringing me to the hospital. You didn’t need to, but you did anyway.”
Yoo Joonghyuk left after. He didn’t visit Kim Dokja again and he knew by now the other was probably already discharged. Yoo Joonghyuk continued making his videos, continued inciting the help from his usual casts. Most people ignored the scripted scenarios, but some kind of strangers gave their help. Kim Dokja never showed up again.
Still, Yoo Joonghyuk’s videos continued.
It was close to midnight.
Yoo Joonghyuk just finished recording yet another video. Although it was valentine, he didn’t want to make a cliché scenario. The prompt this time was what if a stranger got dumped on Valentine. Lee Jihye and Kim Namwoon had acted as the couple, with them switching roles every few takes. Unsurprisingly, Lee Jihye had more people coming up to comfort her, but the number of people coming up to Kim Namwoon wasn’t too.
The shoot finished late since they had to switch locations a few times; one had grown too crowded; in the other, people were starting to catch up on their scheme. Despite the long shoot, neither Lee Jihye nor Kim Namwoon had minded since the two of them didn’t have any plans.
Yoo Joonghyuk had planned on going home right after, but Yoo Mia had previously asked him to buy her a chocolate cake. So, Yoo Joonghyuk was walking around the neighborhood, trying to find a bakery that was open in the late hour.
After walking around for twenty minutes, Yoo Joonghyuk miraculously came across an open bakery. From the window, the bakery seemed to be already cleaned out, but the sign on the door showed that it was still open.
Not wanting to waste any time, Yoo Joonghyuk quickly stepped in. The blonde woman manning the counter was in the middle of clearing out the display case. She stopped and looked at Yoo Joonghyuk in surprise.
“Oh, welcome! I didn’t expect to have any customer coming in again this late.”
It was a good thing that Yoo Joonghyuk rushed in then.
“Do you have any chocolate cake left?” Yoo Joonghyuk asked the woman; the nametag on her shirt read Uriel.
“You’re in luck!” Uriel gleefully informed. “We have just one cake left. Please give me a moment, I’ll retrieve it from the kitchen.”
As Uriel left to the back, Yoo Joonghyuk casually looked around the bakery. Most of the chairs were already put up and half of the lights were turned off. The only occupied spot in the bakery was in the back, close to the window. Three people sat around a circular table: a man, a boy, and a girl. Between the three was a simple cake with lit candles above it.
The two children were looking at a phone and while Yoo Joonghyuk couldn’t hear them, their mouth suggested that they were counting down. The man had a chin propped up on a hand, looking fondly at the two. Yoo Joonghyuk couldn’t get a clear look at the man as he was sitting sideways.
As if noticing his stare, the man suddenly turned his head and Yoo Joonghyuk paused. Because then and there, mere meters away from him, was Kim Dokja.
“Yoo Joonghyuk…?” Kim Dokja mouthed, the same time the two children in front of him finished their countdown.
“Happy birthday!” the two children cheered, clapping loudly. Their locked gaze was broken as Kim Dokja faced the two, lips split in a happy grin. At their insistence, Kim Dokja made a wish and blew out the candles. The boy whooped, while the girl had the phone directed towards Kim Dokja, seeming to record that very moment.
It was a heartwarming scene; private and speak volumes of the three’s closeness. Yoo Joonghyuk felt the urge to capture the precious moment himself. If he were a less decent man, he would’ve. Instead, he turned towards the counter, right as Uriel came out with a packaged box.
“Here you go! I put in an extra macaroon since you’re our last customer for the day.” Uriel put the box in a bag and Yoo Joonghyuk pulled out his card to pay. The transaction process took less than five minutes, but when Yoo Joonghyuk turned around, it was to see a slightly nervous Kim Dokja standing a few feet away from him.
“Hi.” Kim Dokja awkwardly greeted. “I don’t know if you remember me-“
“Kim Dokja.” Yoo Joonghyuk interjected. Surprise flitted past the other’s eyes. Kim Dokja didn’t seem to mind that Yoo Joonghyuk skipped out on formality. “You’re no longer sick.”
“After the thorough lecture Sangah gave me, I don’t think I have the courage to get sick again.” Kim Dokja shrugged, mentioning who must’ve been his emergency contact.
A quick appraisal did prove that Kim Dokja looked much healthier compared to before. He had gained some weight, though it was clear he was still a bit under. The bakery’s lighting painted Kim Dokja in a warm glow, his skin almost golden, and it's easy to point out how he no longer had eye bags.
Yoo Joonghyuk could congratulate Kim Dokja’s discharge or even leave right away, seeing as they’re merely strangers. Instead, what he said was, “Happy birthday.”
Kim Dokja blinked and turned around to look at his table. The cake was still uncut, with the candles taken out. The two children were staring cautiously at Yoo Joonghyuk, with an equal amount of ferocity and wariness. However, when Kim Dokja turned around, the two put on bright, happy smiles.
“Thank you. You must’ve heard us.” Kim Dokja turned back and the smiles on the two’s faces dropped. In fact, they’ve started glaring at Yoo Joonghyuk again. However, it all paled when compared to Kim Dokja’s bashful, yet genuine smile.
Yoo Joonghyuk remembered his smile back in the hospital. This smile was a lot nicer in comparison. Happiness was a good look on Kim Dokja.
“Would you mind taking a picture of us three?” Kim Dokja managed to say after a while, carefully offering his phone. Yoo Joonghyuk stared down at his hand and Kim Dokja flinched. “Of course, if you’re in a hurry then it’s fine-“
“I’ll take it.” Yoo Joonghyuk cut in again. He put his bag and the cake box on the counter then took the phone. Their fingers brushed each other briefly. Behind him, Yoo Joonghyuk heard a muffled squeal. He ignored it, but if he were to look, he would’ve seen Uriel with a hand clasped against her mouth, staring with wide, excited eyes at their touching hands.
“It’s the least I could do after all of your help.” Kim Dokja was always in a hurry in his videos, yet he always took the time to help. It was easy for Yoo Joonghyuk to take a page out of Kim Dokja’s book, especially since he’s not in any hurry.
“Thanks.” Kim Dokja scurried back to the two children, and they went into position. The two of them sandwiched Kim Dokja, looping their arms around his while Kim Dokja’s holding on to the cake. Wide grins painted the children’s faces while Kim Dokja had a more subtle smile. The happy glint in his eyes was unmistakable, even through the phone screen where Yoo Joonghyuk was taking pictures.
Yoo Joonghyuk took several pictures and the three changed poses several times. When the children got a bit too rowdy and almost caused the cake to fall, Kim Dokja decided it was enough. He carefully put down the cake and walked over to Yoo Joonghyuk.
“Sorry if that took too long.”
Yoo Joonghyuk shrugged, still holding on to the phone. “Are you in a hurry?”
Kim Dokja raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting that question. “Not really. We’ll stick around a bit to cut the cake and eat a slice or two.”
“Good.” Yoo Joonghyuk slowly nodded. “Then you won’t mind if I hold on to your phone for a minute.”
“Do you want to make a phone call?” Kim Dokja tilted his head.
“I’m adding my contact.” Yoo Joonghyuk bluntly announced. “Just in case you happen to help out in my videos again but run off before we could ask permission to release the clips.”
After he added his number, Yoo Joonghyuk sent a text to his own number so he could have Kim Dokja’s contact. “Or in case I want to ask you out.”
Kim Dokja froze. His face turned white then red in quick succession. He sputtered, struggling to come up with a response, and in the end, he only released a meek “What.” The sound was akin to a whimper.
Yoo Joonghyuk tried not to think of how he wanted to pull out a real whimper from Kim Dokja’s mouth.
“Good night.” He returned the phone, picked up his belongings, and calmly walked out of the bakery. He left behind a squealing bakery owner, two angry children, and a frozen man.
Yoo Joonghyuk looked back. The gap on the slowly closing door showed a wide, flustered smile spreading across Kim Dokja’s face.
.
.
.
"The Reason"
Yoo Joonghyuk won’t admit it out loud, but he was in a slump. He was one of the more experienced students when it came to camera work. One doesn’t simply become Korea’s most famous streamer without knowing how to shoot and record a scene optimally. But this time, he was stuck without any ideas.
Instead of having finals, one of his university courses instead had a semester-long project. The professor had tasked them with creating a video series; it could be anything, from a miniseries to a vlog, to a tutorial video. The first thing she did, after explaining the assignment’s details and answering basic questions, was to forbid Yoo Joonghyuk from creating gaming videos.
“You can’t have an advantage,” the professor calmly reasoned. “And you need to widen your repertoire other than recording your gameplays.”
It was a big surprise to Yoo Joonghyuk himself that he couldn’t come up with any ideas. He leaned back against his chair, the laptop in front of him still showing a blank document. He sighed and looked outside of the café’s window.
Suddenly, a fellow university student with an arm in a cast tripped and fell to the street. Papers and files tumbled out of the box he was holding. After a moment of blinking back pain, the student gathered his papers with some difficulty. A few people stopped in their tracks, staring wide-eyed at the fallen young man, but none made a move to help him. Some even walked past him, either pretending not to see or care at all.
The view annoyed Yoo Joonghyuk.
It seemed basic human decency was a rare thing nowadays.
Yoo Joonghyuk’s thoughts were cut short as a man in a suit suddenly hurried down the street. He kneeled down and began gathering some of the more faraway papers. The task of picking up the fallen papers was a faster one with two people working on it. In no time at all, all the papers were put back inside the box and the student was repeatedly bowing at the man in gratitude.
The man stopped the student’s bowing and reassured him it was fine. After only making sure the student was fine, did the man leave the scene.
Yoo Joonghyuk stared contemplatively at the street for a long moment, even when both the student and the man were no longer visible. It was then an idea struck his mind. Yoo Joonghyuk reached for his laptop, furiously typing down his ideas.
It would be a good idea to show the world that kindness and decency still existed. Amid his fast-paced typing, Yoo Joonghyuk thought back to the man who had helped the student. He was pale and thin, looking as if the mere wind could knock him over. The most accurate way to describe him was unassuming.
Yoo Joonghyuk barely caught a full view of the man’s face, but for some reason, he thought the man would look nice happy. It’s a shame that he couldn’t see the man smile.