Cheat day

Sugar Man (3)

The mushroom stew with various mushrooms, bean sprouts, and minari (water celery) was excellent.

The clear broth was not heavy, but it definitely had a refreshing umami flavor from the vegetables, making me keep wanting to spoon it up.

Lying on the warm floor felt like my exhausted body from the hike was melting away.

After finishing the meal, we boarded the limousine and, without realizing when I fell asleep, we had arrived in Seoul.

“Ugh.”

I got out of the car and stretched.

“This isn’t the broadcasting station?”

“What are you planning to order now?”

“I told you. Today is your healing day. You’re going to enjoy a spa and get an aromatherapy massage.”

“Giving medicine after giving a problem, huh?”

“Aren’t massages supposed to hurt?”

“I can give a decent massage too. If you do anything weird, I won’t let it slide.”

As we exchanged remarks and headed inside, it turned out they had rented the place out for us for a certain amount of time.

Stretching out in the hot bath and half-lying down made me feel alive.

“What’s up with Sang-cheol?”

“Seriously.”

“Ahhhh.”

“Except for the hiking, this is actually nice.”

“I’m good. It felt great to go up to a place with clean air after such a long time. It was much better than the gym.”

“That’s true. It’s better than being on a treadmill.”

Baek Woo-jin, who had recently increased his exercise intensity significantly, agreed with me.

Everyone was so tired that conversation didn’t continue, and only the sounds of splashing water were heard when Baek Woo-jin called out to me.

“Chan-yong.”

“Yeah?”

“What do you want to do with your life?”

“After this bath, I want to drink banana-flavored milk or Miero Fiber without a worry.”

“…Me too.”

Ju Ji-seung chuckled.

“Weren’t you trying to say something serious?”

“I meant to ask that, but thinking about it, it made sense. Working hard like today, coming to the bath together, eating delicious food. That’s the best way to live.”

“Right. When else are we going to enjoy such luxuries?”

Cha Ji-chan, who had been covering his eyes with a towel, revealed he had the same thought.

For us, just coming to the bathhouse felt like a luxury.

After becoming a celebrity by luck, even going out became a burden. Since the end of Season 1 of “Baek Bansang,” I hadn’t been to a bathhouse because people started to notice my private parts.

Since I was recognized anywhere I went, I struggled with that pressure for a while.

“I think helping others is good, but we need to find a way to live well too. I feel like that’s what I agreed with Chan-yong’s words.”

“Right.”

Ju Ji-seung wiped his face with water.

“We can’t do well if we’re not healthy and abundant. You guys shouldn’t overdo it either. I’m worried about you from the sidelines.”

“Yeah.”

“The same goes for the company.”

Cha Ji-chan said.

“If you look at the revenue structure of the Nam Sadangpae, our broadcast revenue and advertising revenue are all we have. Even if Ji-seung and I opened a restaurant, it would be hard to earn as much as from the broadcast revenue. In that situation, it would be tough to do charity as the expectations keep increasing.”

“That’s right.”

Baek Woo-jin agreed with Cha Ji-chan’s words.

“Even though our channel revenue is continually rising, there’s a limit in the country. Yet our expectations keep increasing. We went from selling lunch boxes in one area of Seoul to several cities. Then it’ll be nationwide. What should we do next?”

“We can do what we can. If we try to meet those expectations, we’ll overdo it and end up hurt.”

Ju Ji-seung nodded at my words.

“Chan-yong is right. We should do what we can do. And we need to revise our revenue structure as well.”

“Is there more we can grow through broadcasting?”

“Yeah. All of us have contributed to the channel’s growth significantly. We keep getting offers from the major networks, but there’s no guarantee it will continue.”

“The restaurant side has good scalability. We could sell meal kit products. Franchising isn’t impossible either. I think it would be fine for Ji-chan to start a chicken breast business under his name.”

“I really don’t know what this company is about. What exactly does Nam Sadangpae do? YouTube, advertising, broadcasting, lectures, restaurants, and now even selling chicken breasts?”

“We should include events too.”

“And we’re going to produce videos.”

“Are we really going to do that? Can our self-made variety show work?”

“We’ll just have to try.”

We were in the planning stages of a diabetes-related variety show, tentatively titled “Sugar Man.”

It’s a survival show that rewards the person who manages their blood sugar the best over three months among 100 diabetics.

While seeking investments, we caught the interest of WTV and Netflix.

Establishing franchise restaurants, selling chicken breasts, and producing content—

We don’t even know what Nam Sadangpae really does anymore.

We need to get organized.

“Eun-ji said we shouldn’t recklessly expand the business. Just because we succeeded on YouTube doesn’t mean we’re experts in other businesses. We might achieve temporary success due to our name, but we need to prepare very well.”

“That’s right.”

“First, let’s focus on Sugar Man. The rest can be done slowly.”

“We also need to wrap up ‘Happy Together.’”

***

“Ah, can you hear me?”

└lol

└Your face looks a bit better today.

└Take a break.

└Haha, there will always be people who will say something if you take a break.

└Haha, you have to row when the water rises.

└Big announcement??

└Where did you go yesterday?

“I took a bit of a healing break yesterday. Sang-cheol thinks of us sometimes. You can find out where we went by watching the broadcast. You know I can’t talk about it.”

Recently, I was worried because we’ve been doing live broadcasts about three times a week, but the number of viewers has actually increased significantly.

It seems that my recognition has grown due to various external activities, and now the numbers that used to appear only during the Baek Bansang discussions show up as soon as we turn on the broadcast.

Waiting for those who couldn’t connect while casually chatting with 10,000 viewers made me realize that the side dish shop has really grown.

“Today, I have a lot to share. First, since we’ve had a lot of external activities, the days we broadcast have decreased. I’ve mentioned before that we’re taking breaks each time, but there are still people waiting, so I’d like to set a schedule. We’ll broadcast from the side dish shop on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, we’ll do it irregularly with the luggage guy and Banya Sikyeong.”

└Are you thinking about your health now?

└See? They’re responding right away.

└Three times a week is sweet.

└I found it hard to keep up with their long broadcasts every day, but this is better.

└What am I supposed to do during dinner?

└Yeah, take it easy. Honestly, it looks tough even with the reduced schedule.

└Let’s go for the long haul.

└So the big announcement is about the broadcasting schedule change?

“I know. You might feel disappointed, but this is my best for now. Also, although I said three times, honestly, if you include the luggage guy and Banya Sikyeong, that makes it five times. I’m dying. I can’t do more.”

There were some negative reactions, but most of the comments expressed concern for me and offered support.

Even if this decision negatively impacts the growth of the side dish shop, I have to prioritize my health.

If I’m not alive, I can’t keep broadcasting.

“And one more thing. Thank you for participating in the ‘Happy Together’ event. Last week, we distributed 1,000 chickens. Honestly, I can’t handle it anymore. YouTube Korea counted the participants, and they said there were 610,000. Can you believe that?”

└OMG

└Nam Sadangpae’s class is unreal. Haha.

└No way, 610,000 is real?

└These days, many YouTubers are posting Manito videos targeting their families or acquaintances.

└It was even trending in foreign media? That’s the internet’s positive function.

└Foreign media???

└Yeah, they introduced us as people who are doing good deeds among YouTubers who attract attention with hidden camera pranks and crazy antics.

└After becoming a Lacoste global ambassador, now I’m in foreign media too.

└Is the big announcement over?

“All of that is what you all did. What did I do? I planned, got sponsorship, volunteered, and distributed products. That’s all I did.”

└Hahaha

└Interpretation: He means he did everything himself.

└I don’t know why it’s so funny to hear him say this so shamelessly.

└If you just look at the words, it sounds annoying, but he doesn’t mean it at all.

└It’s true. Hahaha.

“And many of you are asking about the big announcement. Well, yes, I made a big decision. I think it’s right to tell you all first, so I’m letting you know.”

Question marks pop up.

└What is it?

└Is something big coming?

└Are they doing something again?

└I knew it. It’s about school violence, right?

“School violence? What are you talking about! Are you going to talk nonsense?”

I was trying to get my emotions in check, but hearing that nonsense made me angry, and I shouted.

└Hahaha

└If you got hit, then you got hit. He’s not the type to hit anyone. Hahaha.

└His freakout is hilarious. Hahaha.

└Watch Ban-chan-yong’s video from two years ago. There’s no way he’s the type to bully anyone. Hahaha.

└How could I possibly be the victim?

└Then what is it?

└Running for office?

└Looking at Ban-chan-yong’s usual demeanor, he doesn’t seem like the type.

└Running for office? Who would that be? Hahaha.

└Running for office? Hahaha.

└Is he going for the general election? Hahaha.

└Isn’t there also a by-election?

└When’s the candidate registration deadline?

└I think it’s by March 22?

└Whoa.

└It might be true since the timing is perfect.

└If you watch him during Baek Ban-sang, he really does seem like he’d get into politics.

└Haha, if it’s about Ban-chan-yong stirring things up and fabricating stories, it might be possible. Hahaha.

└If he’s like a party representative, there might be a chance of winning.

└What chance? Hahaha.

Advertisements

└Honestly, if it were me, I’d vote for him.

└Finally revealing his sexual identity. I support it!

I was angry about the school violence talk, but the mention of running for office made me chuckle.

“No. Why would I run for office? Seriously, do you want me to talk nonsense?”

I took a deep breath to calm down.

“Actually, I’m getting married this fall.”

└Hahaha.

└What is he saying? Hahaha.

└Haha, so he is running for office, huh? Hahaha.

└Today is quite funny.

“It’s true.”

Turning my head, I saw an old kimchi wrapped in a cardboard box walking into the broadcast room.

“I’m sure you’re all surprised. I’ve been in a good relationship with this person here, and we promised to get married last year. Currently, we’re meeting our families and preparing for the engagement.”

└Is it real?

└Who is it? Is it the cardboard box PD?

└Does this mean he’s marrying Primary?

└Hahaha, he’s marrying Primary? That’s crazy! Hahaha.

└What kind of hidden camera prank is this? Hahaha.