Cheat day

Sugar Man (16)

It was the recording day for the Sugar Man project in its third week.

Perhaps due to the elimination of the first ten contestants last week, a strange sense of competition had developed among the Sugar Men.

The atmosphere in the filming studio, which had been friendly in the first week, had grown serious, with groups sharing information and collaborating while keeping a distance from others outside their groups.

Baek Woo-jin had worried that he might become isolated during this process.

However, the fact that the instructors (Joo Ji-seung, Cha Ji-chan, and Ban Chan-yong) had been bothering Baek Woo-jin ended up garnering sympathy for him.

“Hey, you four are close, right? Why are you acting like that?”

While monitoring through the cameras, actor Go Il-kyu asked Baek Woo-jin in the waiting room.

They seemed to have become friendly after meeting a few times.

“Oh, it’s nothing like that. Since I’m a Sugar Man, I can’t help but be concerned about various things.”

“Ah, like there might be manipulation controversies?”

“Honestly, you can’t blame anyone for doubting. Blood sugar and HbA1c can’t be manipulated, but they could give some leeway with missions.”

“Hm.”

“They’re doing it on purpose. I understand. Don’t worry about it.”

“Then I shouldn’t team up with you?”

“Ugh.”

“Hahaha!”

Every time Baek Woo-jin acted like this, it made him feel guilty. He felt sorry for having viewed such a kind and deep-hearted person as a shameless one just out to win the prize.

***

“Five minutes until recording!”

The production team circulated the waiting room to announce the start time for filming.

Baek Woo-jin, who was with YouTuber Choi Yang-jun (Dongdongguri) and actor Go Il-kyu, jumped to his feet.

“Have you heard what today’s mission is?”

Choi Yang-jun asked Baek Woo-jin.

“Eh? I don’t ask about those things. My company doesn’t even invite me to meetings.”

“Wow. That’s really nerve-wracking.”

“Yeah, I’m really anxious.”

“You jerk.”

Pretending to be annoyed, Choi Yang-jun shook his head, causing Baek Woo-jin’s chubby cheeks to jiggle, which made both Choi Yang-jun and Go Il-kyu burst into laughter.

“But are you really not in danger?”

Baek Woo-jin asked Choi Yang-jun.

Having recorded the highest fasting blood sugar among the 100 Sugar Men, Choi Yang-jun was a strong candidate for elimination.

However, as the breadwinner for his family, he had diligently managed his blood sugar for a week and recorded a fasting blood sugar of 377 mg/dl.

With the advantage from winning the first week’s mission, “Stair Climbing,” he managed to lower it by 10 mg/dl, avoiding elimination by a narrow margin at 89th place overall.

“Don’t even talk about it. I’ve cut out carbs completely for a week.”

“If you do that, the rebound will come later.”

“I know. But it’s the only way to get results in a short time.”

“That’s true.”

Baek Woo-jin nodded.

From the perspective of a participant, he realized that survival in this game would be difficult without taking risks.

The production team must have considered various issues, but for the participants, it was certainly a heavy burden.

‘Still, if you consider the ratios, people with high blood sugar have the advantage. This is tough.’

Baek Woo-jin thought that Joo Ji-seung, Cha Ji-chan, Ban Chan-yong, and Choi Mi-kael must have struggled considerably.

‘By the way, how on earth are they managing so many people?’

Having no experience in producing large-scale entertainment programs, Baek Woo-jin found it hard to understand how they handled new missions, managed the Sugar Men, and ran the program every week.

‘It must have been tough, right?’

Baek Woo-jin fell into brief contemplation.

As the Sugar Man project progressed, he began to imagine how much effort the employees of Sugar Man Entertainment had put into making it happen, rather than just thinking they had been preparing diligently.

“Ugh. This is driving me crazy. I didn’t win last week, so I can’t get any adjustments today.”

Choi Yang-jun trembled with anxiety.

Given his high blood sugar levels, he worried that he might be selected for elimination today.

“You worked hard, so it should be okay.”

Go Il-kyu encouraged Choi Yang-jun.

“Let’s definitely win today so we can relax a bit next week, okay?”

Go Il-kyu said to both Choi Yang-jun and Baek Woo-jin.

Since they had already worked together as a team for two missions, there was an underlying assumption that they would do so again today.

“Okay.”

Baek Woo-jin awkwardly replied, still lost in thought as they stepped into the auditorium.

Many people had already gathered.

Every individual seemed to have lost a noticeable amount of weight compared to two weeks ago.

“Wow. That person really looks like they’ve lost weight.”

“It seems blood sugar management really helps. I can feel it. Look.”

As Go Il-kyu tried to tilt his neck to show off his jawline, Baek Woo-jin and Choi Yang-jun burst into laughter.

There was hardly a trace of a jawline to be found.

“What are you trying to show?”

“Just look closely. It’s a little noticeable, right?”

While the three of them were joking around, the lights brightened.

As the 90 Sugar Men gathered in the auditorium, Choi Mi-kael checked that the camera crew and sound crew were ready and gave the signal.

“The average HbA1c is 9.0! Here come the sweet and confident contestants competing for the final prize of 100 million won!”

“The first blood sugar management survival in the country!”

“Sugar Man Project!”

“Waaah!”

As hosts Woo Wang-seon and Jwa Wang-taek announced the start, the Sugar Men erupted in cheers.

Some of them even displayed exaggerated movements in front of the cameras, showing their determination.

“Welcome, Sugar Men. You stand here today after a week of rigorous self-management.”

A short, edited video showcasing how each Sugar Man had spent the previous week was displayed on the central screen.

17th Sugar Man actor Go Il-kyu climbed Gwanak Mountain every morning.

23rd Sugar Man Baek Woo-jin carved out time to hit the gym despite his busy schedule.

36th Sugar Man Lee Na-yeon returned to her old gym on her precious day off to participate in the same intensity of training with her juniors.

71st Sugar Man Choi Yang-jun stopped his eating broadcasts and began following the workout videos of a famous fitness YouTuber.

Seeing everyone doing their best in their own situations only intensified the seriousness among the Sugar Men.

‘Please.’

Amidst all this, YouTuber Dongdongguri and Choi Yang-jun felt increasingly desperate.

For someone like him, who lived day by day, the prize money was incredibly important.

He wanted his wife, who was struggling alongside him, to be able to relax even for just one day, and he wanted to buy whatever his young child wished for without hesitation.

To achieve this, he completely overhauled his mukbang channel content, which had been his last remaining source of pride.

As the concept of his broadcasts changed, some of the viewers he had, albeit few, drifted away. Nevertheless, it was a significant decision for the sake of immediate prize money and his own health.

“However, cruelly, ten Sugar Men will be eliminated today based on how they spent the past week,” Jwa Wang-taek’s voice resonated heavily in the auditorium.

“Sugar Man Project, week three. We will now reveal the list of eliminations.”

The names of eleven Sugar Men appeared on the central screen, including 5th Sugar Man Shim Beom-woo, 8th Sugar Man Han Seung-jae, 49th Sugar Man Bae Ga-young, 61st Sugar Man Park Sae-rom, 71st Sugar Man Choi Yang-jun, and 80th Sugar Man Kang Kyung-mo.

Baek Woo-jin and Go Il-kyu, who were with Choi Yang-jun, turned in surprise.

Upon confirming his name, Choi Yang-jun felt despair wash over him.

If he couldn’t win the prize, at the very least, he wanted to gain some recognition through the Sugar Man project.

He couldn’t possibly drop out after only the third week.

“5th Sugar Man Shim Beom-woo.”

“Yes.”

“71st Sugar Man Choi Yang-jun.”

“Excuse me?”

Choi Yang-jun responded blankly when called by Woo Wang-seon.

“Your fasting blood sugar levels are both 341, placing you tied for 79th.”

A murmur spread among the Sugar Men.

“Since both of you lack the advantage gained from the second-week mission, we will measure your blood sugar one more time before deciding on the eliminations.”

“If the second measurement yields the same result, your survival will depend on today’s mission outcomes.”

A staff member approached Choi Yang-jun and Shim Beom-woo to measure their blood sugar.

The sound of the needle pricking twice echoed, and shortly after, the staff member checking Choi Yang-jun’s blood sugar spoke up.

“339!”