**”Hello! My name is Yuri. I’m a friend of Friede and have been living under her care lately, so I’ve volunteered to take charge of cooking. Nice to meet you!”**
[Oh wow, what a charming girl]
[Waaah, she’s so cute!]
[Hey, how old are you?]
[Ugh, so many sweet uncles here]
Yuri’s introduction, with a polite bow, brought a gentle breeze of warmth to the chat room. Back in my day, it wasn’t like this at all. Everyone is being too much.
Well, I guess you could say Yuri is warm-hearted, and it’s true that her typical friendly impression makes her feel approachable right from the start.
I can’t deny it. I’m just a trashy person radiating only lust.
While I was self-deprecating, Yuri shyly continued her soft-spoken story.
“I’m 18 years old. I’ve been cooking as a hobby for a long time, so I’m somewhat confident. I will do my best.”
[Huh? She’s just a little kid!]
[Weird how all the female characters are getting close to Friede @@]
[The lineup has a high school girl… sob. Child exploitation streamer Friede needs to wake up!]
[How does one even wake up from that?]
[No idea]
Yuri neatly arranged the ingredients and cooking tools on a separate cooking table as Ahjin, holding her phone, quietly approached.
“Okay, Yuri, please introduce the dish you’ll showcase this time.”
“Yes, we have beef tenderloin skewers served with vegetables, abalone grilled with melted cheese, king oyster mushrooms steamed in foil with butter and beef fat, grilled lamb chops marinated in wine, and finally, ramen with perfectly cleaned shrimp and sea bream. The accompanying wine is Romanee-Conti 1945. Of course, since I’m a minor, I’ll just drink cola. Hehe.”
[Haha, so cute!]
[Drink up when you can! Half of college life is about drinking, kiddo.]
[You crazy people! You should be focused on studying and scholarships instead of sharing weird things with the kid.]
[Heroes don’t study, you know.]
[That sounds like an extravagant dish. Tenderloin, abalone, king oyster mushrooms, lamb chops… wow!]
[Wow, I’ve never seen ramen with sea bream before.]
[You can tell just from listening that this is an unbelievably wasteful dish. Hmm.]
[Is this barbecue or banquet food?]
[Romanee-Conti 1945??? Is that the wine I know?]
[Isn’t that worth 600 million won a bottle? Is this a camping ad or what?!]
[Haha, burning 1 billion won on camping is nothing for Friede.]
“Camping cars should be luxurious, so the wine should be as well. There are kids here, so if you type any nonsense, I will ban you immediately. Relax, relax.”
[^7]
[We pledge our loyalty!]
[Absolutely must not anger this one.]
[Dom Huang Cha!]
A quick notification came down. Indeed, using Ahjin has always proven to be an effective strategy.
Even without Ahjin by my side now, seeing how everyone reacts to my remarks makes me wonder if this is the taste of power?
“Then, let’s get started.”
With a serious expression, Yuri rolled up her sleeves and began cooking in earnest.
The cool breeze just happened to blow the smoke away from the people.
Like baby birds waiting for food, we sat there dazed and waiting.
Since we were live streaming, normally I would have to say something, but right now, the intense heat enveloping us left us speechless, only able to stare blankly in amazement.
Spring is supposed to be fresh and warm, a season bursting with vitality, but there was definitely something beyond the seasons surrounding us right now.
Because…
“Whoaaah!”
A chaotic spectacle unfolded before our eyes that blurred the lines between cooking and magic.
—Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Yuri’s strong energy filled the air, and the chopping knife rhythmically moved like a catchy beat of a song against the cutting board.
“What in the world is happening? Sehee, was she always like this?”
“No, it’s my first time seeing this too.”
“Now that I think about it, we’ve never seen her cook with that kind of focus.”
Yeah. Until now, I had only gobbled up whatever freshly made dishes were served, never really caring how they were made.
It’s funny, really. I can’t help but wonder why she puts herself through the trouble of making food. I mean, I enjoy the well-cooked meals, but doesn’t it tire her out?
Ah, finally, she’s tossing the ingredients into the wok and starting to stir-fry.
“Here we go!”
[What the hell, I thought we were just watching some cozy camping dishes being made]
[We’ve got a cooking king in the house!]
[Does she have internalized muscles in there or what?]
[Whoa… this is something else…]
As she tossed in all sorts of ingredients, mixing them in a whirl, she quickly plated them, adding fresh ingredients and flipping the wok again.
Anyone watching would be dizzy just looking at her speedy and flashy movements. At this level, she could easily shine in a casino.
But that wasn’t all.
“Here comes the twist!”
Now she’s cooking upside down? What is going on here?
“Circus?”
The absurdity slipped out as my incredulous words tumbled from my lips, and the chat erupted in excitement.
[Why isn’t she pulling down her skirt?]
[What’s going on here…]
[Is there steel inside that skirt? Haha!]
[Was that a steel skirt?]
[If the concept is like that, it’s insane.]
[A high school girl who’s seriously passionate about cooking? Whoa!]
[Hoo boy, for cooking, that high school girl is like the North Star…]
The tools were divided between a grill and a griddle. The skewers and lamb chops were on the grill while everything else was on the griddle.
“Hoooh!”
“Hahaha! Hey, Yuri, your shouting is hilarious!”
“Yuri’s unexpected charm is something else. Hehe.”
“Good, very good. Hey, Ahjin, stop teasing Yuri. Jihee, you too?”
“Every time I see Pomming, she’s surprisingly cool. Why so serious? Look, even Yuri enjoys it.”
[What an odd combination without any hitter!]
[The only common-sense in the room, Pomming, is in tears.]
[Friede’s faction is hilariously falling apart.]
Seeing Yuri looking genuinely happy caused Dayoung to turn her head away in silence.
“It’s done! Be careful, it’s hot!”
“Whoo, it’s not like I have to spit this out and send it to the underworld, right?”
“Don’t worry, I’m quite confident in the taste.”
The dish served on the plate was indeed enough to fill your stomach just by looking at it.
Camping cuisine… it’s truly impressive.
** *
[Is this a mukbang or a camping car commercial?]
[Everyone’s eating so happily]
[At this point, anyone would gorge down that food.]
[For real lol]
“Yuri, great job. I had a wonderful meal thanks to you.”
“Thank you! Hehe. I used to take care of my friends like this. I’m glad my skills haven’t rusted.”
Honestly, what kind of people run away from such a sweet girl just because she’s cursed? Their humanity is questionable.
As can be seen from the clean empty bowls in front of us, the trope of spitting out half-eaten food didn’t occur here.
The skill and the money spent made for a worthy quality, and experiencing the bliss of cooking allowed a satisfied smile to form naturally.
Cooking is quite ambiguous; it’s great to enjoy the finished product but the preparation and cleanup can be a hassle.
I again realized how happy I could be if someone were to do all the serving like this.
Having polished off everything and patting my warm belly while finishing a glass of wine, the flames in the brazier continued to burn brightly, radiating heat.
“Thanks to Friede, I’m able to enjoy wine like this too. Honestly, if it weren’t for the stream, I’d be blasting music with this.”
“6 billion won for that wine bottle… I don’t really know if I should see this as content.”
“Isn’t it going to get roasted by wine lovers?”
Following the remnants rising from the flames in the brazier, my gaze naturally drifted upwards.
The night had fully descended, revealing a breathtaking sky adorned with stars and a moon, where the camping car, the fire, and the surrounding forest blended in with an exquisite romanticism.
“Should we grab it soon?”
I nodded at Jihee’s question.
It would be a shame not to have a soothing song in such a romantic scenery. It especially needs to be a live performance rather than a recorded track.
Jihee’s skills, which I had briefly seen before heading to the camp, were impressive, and I expected they would enhance the atmosphere even more.
“Yeah, the mood is perfect.”
“OK, I’ll be back!”
As Jihee dashed off to the camping car, I smiled at Ahjin holding the phone camera.
“From now on, we’re on a music stream. Right? Having done fishing, camping, and mukbang, it’s time to wrap things up. Ending soon? Not just yet. But we’re in the closure phase. From now, my stream tags are camping car, beautiful night view, peaceful forest, cozy brazier, and soothing music. So, goodbye.”
Waving my hand to finish the last comment, Ahjin adjusted the phone holder to capture us sitting, with the night view, camping car, and the brazier in the background.
Just then, Jihee came back with an acoustic guitar and took her seat, checking the strings, slightly revealing her nervousness.
After all, performing on an online broadcast seen by thousands can be daunting. Even if it’s not a full-fledged concert, some degree of tension is only natural.
“Let’s begin.”
As she declared and gently strummed the guitar strings, a delicate melody livened the air.
Soft and addictive rhythmic playing filled the atmosphere. Perhaps due to the slight buzz of alcohol, the auditory backdrop enhanced the current vibes without disrupting them.
Suddenly, a unique beat flowed from Jihee’s mouth.
“Ta-ta-ta, pat-tit-ta, tit, pat-tit-ta, huu, hut-tit-ta.”
With no lyrics and a rapidly repeating simple structure, it possessed a strangely addictive quality.
‘This is great.’
If it had been a song with weird lyrics, it might have felt off.
Initially, everyone was puzzled, but soon Dayoung, Ahjin, and Yuri started tapping their palms on their thighs or lightly swaying their feet or shoulders.
Well, that’s how it goes. Regardless of taste, an infectious good beat gets everyone in a groove.
“Tit-ta, ta, ta, tat-cha, tat-cha, chuck, mud. Chuck, cheek, chii, cha, cheek, POOP POO, cha….”
Look, according to Jihee’s beat, even the moon and stars flicker in rhythm.
Checking in on the stream with my spare phone, the camera captured the brazier in the center and us sitting around it, with the camping car and night view in the background.
Enjoying the blooming romance of camping, I closed the phone and sank deeply into my chair.
