Cheat day

Sugar Man (12)

Saturday, May 25.

The first entertainment program from Sugar Man Entertainment, “Sugar Man Project,” commenced its first filming.

For the past month, we all had sleepless nights due to the production cost being a staggering 4.6 billion won.

We believed that accepting outside funding would make it difficult to manage the company as we wished, so we established it on our own.

There was a very high possibility that a single failure could lead to bankruptcy.

Baek Woo-jin actively advocated for attracting investments, arguing that while we should retain our company shares, we needed to minimize risks for large projects like the Sugar Man Project.

Cha Ji-chan mentioned that investments from large companies would help with marketing, and all employees, including myself, worked hard to secure production funds from Netflix.

As a result, we managed to secure funding amounting to 2 billion won.

We hired experienced personnel, including writer Song No-eul, and prepared thoroughly, but the preparation process was not smooth.

Although the individual participants, numbering around 100, actively followed our plans,

scheduling with external collaborators—including doctors, nutritionists, trainers, and filming companies, including short-term contractors—proved challenging.

Despite the active help from Ahn Sang-kyu’s Planning Team 2, Choi Mi-khael, who was in charge of establishing competition rules, progress methods, script writing, and filming, looked increasingly haggard every day.

Mukeunji, who was responsible for external tasks like casting, advertising, sponsorship, and marketing, along with Lee Ji-hye, who handled overall administration, faced long nights of overtime as well.

Ju Ji-seung, who was in charge of motivating the participants, and Cha Ji-chan, who was active as an exercise instructor, were equally busy.

Only the sole participant, Baek Woo-jin, remained carefree.

We excluded him from all tasks, as disclosing the competition rules in advance would violate fairness, and our justified anger towards Baek Woo-jin, who walked around smiling, reached its peak.

While we aimed to provide entertainment as a variety show to viewers while also informing them about the importance of blood sugar management and how to do it,

all employees of Sugar Man Entertainment prepared the Sugar Man Project with only Baek Woo-jin’s suffering, annihilation, and downfall in mind.

“Ah, really? Of course, I participated to win first place! Ah-hah-hah-hah!”

Seeing that insufferable guy chatting among the participants made Cha Ji-chan, Ju Ji-seung, and me grit our teeth in frustration.

***

“Averaged hemoglobin A1c of 9.0! Here come the sweet and confident contestants competing for the grand prize of 100 million won!”

“The first blood sugar management survival show in Korea, the Sugar Man Project!”

When Choi Mi-khael gave the signal, the hosts of the Sugar Man Project, Woo Wang-seon and Jwa Wang-taek, energetically announced the opening.

They introduced each participant, but detailed introductions had been recorded separately, so only the names and resolutions of the main participants would be mentioned in the studio.

Given there were 100 participants, many would inevitably be omitted from the edited version, and they would be introduced sequentially.

“Participant number 11, Baek Woo-jin.”

Baek Woo-jin’s current status was displayed on the central screen. Standing at 179.8 cm and weighing 90 kg, his hemoglobin A1c was 9.4, which, although not as severe as before, was still quite serious.

“Hasn’t he been working out with us for quite some time?”

Cha Ji-chan whispered.

“Exactly. What on earth does he eat usually?”

Being someone who enjoys sweets, there was likely an issue with his diet.

“Mr. Baek Woo-jin is the only participant among the Sadang family. He seems to be the Sugar Man who can most easily access blood sugar management know-how. What are your thoughts?”

“Recoup the production costs!”

Baek Woo-jin replied energetically, “I’ve put a lot of my own money into this! I will definitely recoup that 100 million won!”

While Woo Wang-seon, Jwa Wang-taek, and a few participants laughed, Ju Ji-seung, Cha Ji-chan, and I couldn’t share in the laughter.

We couldn’t let that guy recoup the production costs.

“Ah, that’s right. Mr. Baek Woo-jin is also one of the producers of the Sugar Man Project.”

“He’s the one who gave us the money.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you.”

As Woo Wang-seon and Jwa Wang-taek stood up and bowed, Baek Woo-jin held his chin up arrogantly.

“Uuuhhh.”

I jeered with my thumb pointed down, and most of the participants joined in.

“From now on, I will explain the rules of the Sugar Man Project.”

At Woo Wang-seon’s words, the participants’ gazes sharpened.

The grand prize of 100 million won.

Since this event was set to award a total of 200 million won, with each of the final 10 participants receiving 10 million won, their motivation was palpable.

“The Sugar Man Project will last for three months, and the final winner will be determined by measuring hemoglobin A1c levels on the last filming day.”

“If we compare simply by how much it’s reduced, those with currently high levels of hemoglobin A1c will have the advantage, right? But there’s no compromise when it comes to health. The person with the lowest final hemoglobin A1c after three months will be the winner.”

Sighs of discontent were heard here and there, but this was a condition that had been deeply considered.

The reason for setting the competition period at three months was that hemoglobin A1c is measured every three months. If the winner were determined based on how much it was reduced, those with historically high hemoglobin A1c levels would have an advantage.

Conversely, under the current condition where the person with the lowest final hemoglobin A1c wins, those with high levels would be at a disadvantage.

Since being close to normal levels was more important than just the reduction, we decided on the latter.

“Sugar Man contestants will receive exercise and diet management from selected blood sugar management instructors every weekend and will check their fasting blood sugar levels weekly.”

“From the second week, based on the results, the 10 participants with the lowest scores will be eliminated every week until the tenth week.”

From the second to the tenth week, a total of 90 participants would be eliminated, and from the eleventh week onward, only the final ten would compete.

“However, if a Sugar Man reaches a normal hemoglobin A1c level of 5.7 within the 12 weeks, all activities will end immediately.”

Participants were stirred by the announcement that anyone recording a normal level would be immediately recognized as the winner, regardless of the schedule.

“It will be crucial to see whether they can consistently perform the diet and exercise learned over the weekend in their daily lives.”

Filming would only take place on weekends over the three months.

The burden of having all participants stay together full-time was too great, so they would live their usual lives during the week and only record on weekends.

To check how each individual spent their daily life, we rented personal cameras for each Sugar Man to document their day-to-day activities.

Subsequent individual filming would be conducted based on the program’s progress.

“Now, let me introduce the three instructors who will guide the Sugar Man contestants with their knowledge.”

“13 years of bodybuilding experience! Three-time amateur bodybuilding champion! Fitness YouTuber Jim Kkun!”

Cha Ji-chan, dressed in a sleeveless shirt and short shorts, stepped forward to showcase his impressive muscles.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Jim Kkun, the fitness YouTuber, Cha Ji-chan.”

As Cha Ji-chan greeted the participants, they welcomed him with cheers.

“You all must have found daily life quite tough. You’ve been overwhelmed with work and people, just waiting for the weekend, right?”

“Yes!”

“As Monday approaches, you probably feel like something is wrong, and you start to feel tired.”

The participants nodded in agreement.

“From today, I’ll make sure to cure your Monday blues. I’ll create a three-month period where you’ll pray for the weekend to never come and for Monday to return quickly!”

A look of apprehension spread across the participants’ faces.

Anyone who knows about the torment I’ve endured at the hands of Cha Ji-chan would understand how terrifying his words are.

As the personal trainers, known as Jim Kkun, showcased their muscles alongside Cha Ji-chan, some Sugar Men already seemed to have lost their determination.

“Winner of a national cooking competition! The master of 1,000 recipes! Chef Ju Ji-seung from the Heart Sutra!”

This time, Jwa Wang-taek introduced Ju Ji-seung.

Wearing a monk’s robe and with prayer beads on his wrist, Ju Ji-seung greeted the participants.

“It’s time to cut ties with the worldly foods you’ve enjoyed until now. When you leave this place, I will do my best to ensure that worldly food no longer suits your taste.”

Wearing a robe like he would be serving temple food, he probably sounded like a death sentence or a chant to the Sugar Men who detest such things.

“Lastly, the master of persuasion and manipulation! I present to you the instructor responsible for the mental state of the Sugar Men, the side dish teacher!”

It was my turn.

“Everyone, you may regret standing here today.”

A few participants nodded, aware of Cha Ji-chan and Ju Ji-seung’s presence.

“You will feel the urge to give up dozens of times a day. You might even want to run out of the set right now and devour some chicken. No, you will definitely want to do that. But remember, everyone, all of that must be alive to be healthy and enjoyed.”

It was nice to see their determination start to take shape.

“Think about the healthy body and the 100 million won prize. Opportunities to earn 100 million won while maintaining your daily life for three months are rare!”

As I raised my voice, vitality returned to the participants’ faces.

“That’s right! This precious opportunity provided by Sugar Man Entertainment! Are you planning to give it up for a moment of pain?”

“No!”

“Are you going to let a program you invested in, where the sly Baek Woo-jin, who has never managed his blood sugar, is eyeing the prize all for himself, slip away?”

Baek Woo-jin’s eyes widened in shock.

“Are you really going to let that guy snatch up 100 million won, or rather, the total of 110 million won, which includes the final ten participants’ prize of 10 million won? You’ll be the ones suffering, while the producer walks away with the prize money—are you really okay with that?”

“Yes!”

Baek Woo-jin, who had been chatting and laughing with the participants, suddenly became a target of public ire.

People must know this as well.

Out of 100 participants, only the final 10 will receive the prize money. It would be incredibly frustrating if all the hardships were imposed on them while the producer walks away with the grand prize.

“Me?”

Baek Woo-jin pointed to himself, looking around in confusion.

“Why me?”