Cheat day

Sugar Man (20)

As Baek Woo-jin made his explosive statement, Woohang-seon and Jawang-taek fanned the flames.

“Confessing along with the prize! It seems that today’s mission is extremely important for Baek Woo-jin!”

“Let’s reveal the Week 4 mission of the Sugar Man Project!”

With Jawang-taek’s shout, fireworks erupted in front of the prepared setup.

“Complete a 110-meter course made up of 5 obstacles! You have unlimited attempts to complete it within 10 minutes!”

The most expensive obstacle course in the Sugar Man Project was unveiled.

The first obstacle requires participants to pass over a rotating bar.

The second obstacle is a 16-meter-long cloud bridge.

The third obstacle is to climb over a 4-meter-high slanted wall using ropes.

The fourth obstacle consists of climbing a 1-meter-high staircase 10 times.

The fifth obstacle requires participants to zip-line down and land precisely on a spot to ring a bell.

It wouldn’t be easy for the Sugar Men to succeed, but the organizers put a lot of thought into making sure the obstacles were not impossible.

“All Sugar Men who complete the course will receive special care from our country’s top diabetes specialist, Dr. Kim Young-il.”

“Not only that! The best trainer at the gym will provide 10 free personal training sessions!”

“It’s the best opportunity to get closer to the final victory!”

“Now! Let’s begin!”

Since managing blood sugar requires exercise and a proper diet, this mission was very important for the Sugar Men.

However, many already seemed to be giving up, likely due to their lack of physical activity, making it hard for them to feel confident.

“First and foremost, avoiding injury is the priority. Safety personnel will explain the precautions for each course, so please be sure to listen.”

“As you can see, the floor is covered with grass, so it’s safe even if you fall.”

While trainers were relaying precautions to the Sugar Men, I spoke with the paramedics and Dr. Kim Young-il about the possibility of any emergencies.

Once all the preparations were completed, filming resumed.

“Ah! Sugar Man No. 3, Hong Joo-ri. Eliminated.”

Sugar Man No. 3, Hong Joo-ri, fell from the cloud bridge.

Following that, No. 8, No. 11, and No. 14 also failed to cross the cloud bridge, as most diabetes patients tend to be overweight, making it difficult for their upper body strength to support their weight.

“Sugar Man No. 17, Go Il-kyu. You exercise quite regularly, right?”

“That’s right. I expect you to be the first to succeed.”

Actor Go Il-kyu was up next.

Since he was someone who had been consistently exercising among the Sugar Men, everyone was looking forward to it. He easily passed the first course and then quickly succeeded on the second course, the cloud bridge, by stretching his arms wide.

“Oh, he’s fast! Really fast!”

“Now he needs to land accurately.”

Go Il-kyu took a breath before heading to the fifth course.

He needed to land precisely on the buoy while zip-lining down, and he hugged the buoy with both arms and legs as he landed, becoming the first among the Sugar Men to complete the course.

As failures piled up, I was worried that if no one succeeded, it would be a disaster, but thankfully, that was not the case.

***

“Sugar Man No. 23, Baek Woo-jin. Start!”

Woohang-seon announced Baek Woo-jin’s departure.

‘Why is it turning around so quickly?’

Baek Woo-jin looked at the rotating cylinder but hesitated to extend his foot.

“Go, Baek Woo-jin!”

Choi Yang-jun cheered loudly for him.

Baek Woo-jin let out a deep breath.

Having mentioned winning, he could no longer hesitate.

Gathering his courage, he took a step forward.

Though his balance wavered as he passed the midpoint, he managed to get through.

Before he could calm his racing heart, the cloud bridge came into view.

The equipment that he used to navigate easily as a child now felt daunting.

Since hanging for too long would be physically taxing, Baek Woo-jin decided to move as quickly as possible, reaching out hand over hand.

It felt as if his shoulders would tear, but he gritted his teeth.

He wanted to appear as someone who could do anything.

“Ah, good job!”

“Baek Woo-jin surprisingly has some strength. He’s steadily advancing one step at a time.”

Having crossed the cloud bridge, Baek Woo-jin was already exhausted. His back and shoulders were giving out, yet he still had to climb over the slanted wall.

“Ah.”

Baek Woo-jin sighed.

As he grabbed the rope and slowly climbed up, his body was not cooperating.

Having already expended all his energy on the cloud bridge, using his muscles one more time was no small feat.

“Ugh!”

Baek Woo-jin climbed over the wall with every ounce of strength he had left.

“Hah. Hah.”

He felt like he was choking as he faced the fourth obstacle, the staircase.

Each step was 1 meter high, and climbing just one was no easy task, yet he had to ascend 10 steps.

His vision was completely obscured, making the task seem even more overwhelming.

“Ugh!”

Baek Woo-jin took his first step up. After several repetitions of using his hands to grab the upper steps and lifting one leg at a time, he was on the verge of fainting.

“Ah! Is Baek Woo-jin giving up here?”

“You only need to climb five more steps to pass!”

He couldn’t give up here.

He wanted to be seen as someone who could accomplish anything he set his mind to.

Stumbling, Baek Woo-jin got back up, leaned his upper body against the upper steps, and rolled his way up step by step.

His desperate appearance moved the Sugar Men.

“Go, Baek Woo-jin!”

“You’re doing great!”

Not just Go Il-kyu and Choi Yang-jun, but several other Sugar Men began to cheer him on.

“Don’t cheer for me. I’m weak at this kind of thing,” he thought.

Finally reaching the top, Baek Woo-jin steadied his emotions and looked down.

He needed to land precisely on the buoy placed in the grass, and he questioned whether his arms would hold up during the zip line to get there.

“I have to succeed on the first try.”

He didn’t have the strength to endure a second attempt.

Baek Woo-jin took a deep breath, tightly gripped the zip line, and kicked off.

However, the speed was much faster than he had anticipated.

Surprised, Baek Woo-jin let go of the line before reaching the buoy and fell straight into the grass.

“Puhah!”

Soaked, Baek Woo-jin stood up in shock.

“Ah! I let go too early!”

“To start again, you have to climb the stairs again!”

“There’s still plenty of time!”

Baek Woo-jin hurried back to the fourth obstacle. He had 5 minutes left on the challenge timer. If he rushed up the stairs, he would have one more chance.

He crawled back up the stairs, lying down on the upper steps to roll his way up.

“Hah. Hah.”

His breath was almost at his throat. It felt like his lungs and thighs were tearing apart. He was dizzy from a lack of oxygen, but his goal and determination were clear.

Gripping the zip line, Baek Woo-jin recalled his earlier experience.

He needed to let go sooner because of the speed, but he didn’t seem to gain enough momentum.

He had to wait until the last moment and land by wrapping his arms and legs around the buoy like Go Il-kyu had done.

Thinking this was his last chance, Baek Woo-jin kicked off and landed on the buoy, but he couldn’t control his speed and rolled off again.

While everyone expressed their disappointment, Baek Woo-jin sprang back up and headed towards the fourth obstacle again.

“Ah! Baek Woo-jin hasn’t given up yet!”

“There are only 2 minutes left! There’s hardly enough time to try again!”

“I’m climbing the stairs again! I won’t give up!”

The remaining time was woefully insufficient.

Unlike the first and second attempts when he still had some energy, his body was truly spent now.

Baek Woo-jin knew better than anyone that he needed more time, but he couldn’t give up.

“I can do this!”

“Just a bit! Just a bit faster!”

The Sugar Men anxiously cheered him on, pacing back and forth, but ultimately, Baek Woo-jin could not go beyond the eighth step and exhausted his challenge time.

***

“Ugh.”

Monday.

When Baek Woo-jin arrived at the office, worried, he found, just as expected, that he was wrapped in a blanket, groaning in pain.

“Are you okay?”

“No.”

“Have you been to the hospital?”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you rest at home?”

“I have too much to do.”

“Baek Woo-jin!”

Just when he thought about sending him home forcefully, Cha Ji-chan and Joo Ji-seung arrived.

“What are you doing like this? Go rest.”

“I’ll handle it myself.”

“Handle it? Seriously? You need to manage your condition to film next time.”

“The kid looks like he’s dying.”

Joo Ji-seung looked at Baek Woo-jin with concern and asked, “What did the hospital say?”

“I have a cold. So why did they make that ridiculous mission?”

“Do you have any idea how much that costs? They’ll fix it up and use it multiple times.”

Baek Woo-jin’s mouth fell open at Cha Ji-chan’s words.

“You want me to do that a few more times?”

“Why? It looks great. The passion for challenging your limits.”

Cha Ji-chan seemed to like the way Baek Woo-jin had shown his determination. Even though failure was evident, he believed that the relentless passion of not giving up would inspire both the other Sugar Men and the viewers.

Honestly, I was also moved by the unexpected side of someone who usually lazed around.

“If only you had done just a little more.”

“That’s the death flag talking.”

“What do you mean?”

When Baek Woo-jin asked, I shook my head.

“But are you really going to confess to Ji-hye?”

“Am I crazy?”

Baek Woo-jin replied with a serious expression.

We all thought he liked Lee Ji-hye, so it was surprising.

“What? No way?”

“Then who is it?”

“Shut up! I’m a patient! Get out!”

“From the sound of it, you seem fine.”

“Hey, if you’re going to confess, do it during filming. That way, more people will see it.”

“You think I’m confessing for the ratings?”

“Good things come from good things.”

“If it’s not Ji-hye, then who?”

Joo Ji-seung seemed genuinely curious about who the confession target was.

“I have someone.”

It seemed like he wouldn’t be honest through ordinary means.

“It probably won’t be Ji-hye. He has no interest in her.”

“Who says that?”

Scratching his pride got a reaction.

“Isn’t it true? You’ve known her since elementary school, and nothing has happened all this time?”

“She’s just slow! Do you think I like her?”

“So, it really is Ji-hye, right?”

“…….”

Baek Woo-jin buried his face in the blanket, looking down.

If he was calling Lee Ji-hye slow, it seemed like he had been trying since he first confessed at the Western restaurant, but it hadn’t properly conveyed his feelings.

“So, you’re trying to do it right this time?”

“……Then there won’t be any misunderstandings.”

Before dating Muk-ji, Baek Woo-jin had said that confessions should be done publicly, but I never thought he meant it seriously.

“But why winning, though? You could just do it.”

“She keeps looking down on me! Ah, just get out! Get out!”

Baek Woo-jin yelled so much that he had no choice but to step outside.