Cheat day

Sugar Man (21)

“Do you think he’s serious?”

At Joo Ji-seung’s words, Cha Ji-chan and I nodded in agreement.

It was strange how obsessively Baek Woo-jin was focused on winning; it seemed like the prize money was just an excuse, and he actually wanted to show something to Lee Ji-hye.

“As long as he works hard, that’s enough.”

What we were most worried about was how Baek Woo-jin’s victory would be perceived by the viewers. If he won while being lazy and scheming like usual, it would go against the spirit of the Sugar Man project and would likely lead to poor ratings.

Above all, it would also generate criticism directed at Baek Woo-jin personally, which concerned us. However, after observing him for the past month, I felt we didn’t have to worry too much.

“I’m worried about the confession, though.”

“That’s actually a good thing.”

Cha Ji-chan brought up something I had heard before. He seemed to think that Baek Woo-jin’s confession would be beneficial for the Sugar Man project.

“Anyway, I’m off.”

“Busy? Let’s have a cup of tea.”

“I have some things to wrap up before filming.”

“Okay.”

After saying goodbye to the two, I headed to my office. I had a lunch shoot for the rice bowl program scheduled, so I needed to handle the backlog of work before that.

“Let’s see.”

The most urgent task was the responses I had been putting off. I had received various proposals while working on multiple ads, and just reading through them would take a significant amount of time.

“Hmm.”

The first proposal that caught my eye was for an overseas food program being produced by NBC.

I would be the only host, and the premise involved traveling to find undiscovered restaurants, which was a pretty typical setup.

For this kind of show, the fun really depended on how well I could articulate my thoughts, so it felt a bit daunting.

A polite knock interrupted my thoughts.

“Yes?”

I looked up to see Muk-ji entering the room.

It seemed she had come to check in since she had mentioned she would provide an answer today.

“Are you still reviewing it?”

“Yes. What do you think about this food show?”

“Solo hosting programs have high risks, but the returns can be high as well. I think Chan-yong can handle it excellently.”

“There are so many food shows already. I’m not sure if I can manage it alone, especially with the rice bowl program in progress.”

“It’s scheduled for the fourth quarter. The rice bowl program will end in the third quarter, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

The second season of the rice bowl program was wrapping up soon.

If I took a month off and then started a new food show, it didn’t seem like it would be a big problem.

“I’ve never been abroad, so I’m a bit worried.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

“Hmm.”

“I thought you would enjoy the chance to try various cuisines.”

“I want to refuse, but that’s what’s making me hesitate. I’ve tried just about every type of food, so I want to experience foreign dishes too.”

“Want to?”

“I’m just not sure if I can do well.”

“You can do it.”

Muk-ji’s words were always reassuring.

Even without any basis, I felt like it would somehow work out.

“I’ll give it a try.”

“Good decision.”

I opened the next proposal.

“A drama?”

“It’s a role of someone who was overweight and successfully lost weight. It seems they suggested it based on your image.”

“Even if the image fits, I’m not confident in my acting.”

“I’ve heard it’s a project with significant investment from WTV. Even if it’s not a big role, it will help broaden your future opportunities.”

“It’s good that it’s not a big role, but I feel like I might cause trouble.”

Muk-ji waited patiently for my decision.

“I’ll decline this one.”

“Understood.”

I then accepted proposals for a sportswear commercial and a convenience store lunch box ad.

Both products were receiving good reviews, so advertising them would likely enhance my image.

“Oh.”

The verbal proposal I received from Editor Lee Chang-soo at WK Books last time had been documented.

“Hmm.”

Since I was unable to make a decision, Muk-ji approached me.

“If it feels burdensome, you don’t have to do it.”

“But you said it would be good to write as a way to organize my thoughts.”

“That’s right.”

“I feel like this experience wouldn’t be bad since I’ve been so busy lately. But I’m struggling because I’m not good at writing.”

“Just write down what comes to mind. Since you’re good at speaking, your writing will flow smoothly.”

“Hmm.”

“Genuine writing resonates more than complicated writing.”

While she didn’t discourage me from rejecting the drama, she genuinely encouraged me regarding the essay. It seemed that Muk-ji had a good habit of keeping a diary to sort out her thoughts and feelings.

“Okay. I’ll give it a try.”

“Good choice.”

“But please let them know that I can’t promise when I’ll submit the draft. Other work comes first.”

“Understood.”

I flipped to the next document.

“A documentary?”

The last proposal contained details about participating in a documentary.

“It’s about modern people and obesity. It aims to analyze sociologically why the population of obese individuals is increasing, why dieting is difficult, and how one can succeed in losing weight academically.”

It was a documentary produced by KBS, and I thought it could be of great help to people who share the same concerns as I do.

“I should do this.”

“Understood.”

Muk-ji sorted through the proposals and gathered them.

“Is the rice bowl shoot this afternoon?”

“Yes. I’m glad it’s in Seoul. It should wrap up quickly.”

“Got it.”

“I’ll see you at home.”

As I stood up to kiss her, Muk-ji playfully blocked my face with the proposal.

“It’s work.”

It was my office, and there were only the two of us, but she was being overly cautious.

“By the way, how’s Team Leader Ji-hye?”

“I haven’t seen her today.”

Since the two had been getting along quite well, I asked, but it seemed they hadn’t yet opened up to each other completely.

“Is something going on with Team Leader Lee Ji-hye?”

“Didn’t you hear? Woo-jin declared his public confession.”

“What does Baek Woo-jin’s public confession have to do with Lee Ji-hye?”

“Because Woo-jin likes Ji-hye.”

Muk-ji’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Did you not know?”

“I thought it was one-sided on Lee Ji-hye’s part.”

This time, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes in shock.

“Really? So Ji-hye likes Woo-jin too?”

“She denies it, but she gives off that vibe.”

“If they both like each other, how could nothing happen in over 20 years?”

“It seems like Team Leader Ji-hye wasn’t even aware that she liked Baek Woo-jin.”

In that case, Woo-jin was slightly ahead in that aspect.

Or perhaps the reason he was trying to confess so dramatically was because of Ji-hye’s obliviousness.

Since vague expressions of feelings wouldn’t register with her, he likely wanted to make a public declaration to drive the point home.

“That makes sense.”

Muk-ji tilted her head in confusion.

“I was wondering why Woo-jin was acting like that. No matter how I thought about it, it didn’t seem like it was just for the prize money. It was odd that someone who lived freely even after being diagnosed with diabetes suddenly decided to participate in the Sugar Man project.”

“Oh.”

Muk-ji gasped as if something came to her mind.

“It must have been about two months ago. In the break room, Team Leader Ji-hye expressed concern about Baek Woo-jin’s health. When I went outside, I saw him walking weakly.”

“What did she say?”

“He worried about complications. When I bragged that Chan-yong was managing his health diligently, Baek Woo-jin said he should follow Chan-yong’s example.”

“…So he heard that?”

“It seems so. Now that I remember, that day was the deadline for Sugar Man applications. Baek Woo-jin applied on the same day.”

“That’s right. So, he must have wanted to impress Team Leader Ji-hye.”

All my doubts solidified into certainty.

“Anyway, it seems like both of them have feelings for each other, but something got tangled. It looks like Woo-jin misinterpreted Ji-hye’s concern. Oh.”

“Is there something else?”

“A few days ago, he asked me something strange. He wondered if someone with diabetes would be disliked if they confessed.”

“I would have liked it.”

I felt so grateful and affectionate that I attempted to kiss her again, only to be blocked by a stack of documents.

“I wondered why he asked that suddenly; it seems he overheard our conversation. No wonder he’s working so hard.”

“Regardless of the circumstances, he’s now managing his blood sugar, so that’s a good thing for Baek Woo-jin.”

“Right.”

The power of love is great.

***

After pushing his older brothers away due to feeling unwell from overexertion over the weekend, Baek Woo-jin searched for medicine.

Worried about whether he could manage today’s rice bowl shoot, he was looking into the guest for the cultural program when the office door swung open roughly.

It was Lee Ji-hye.

She strode over to Baek Woo-jin and tossed the documents onto his desk.

“What’s this?”

“You’ll know when you see it.”

Under her intense gaze, Baek Woo-jin lowered his eyes.

It was the script summarizing the content that would be covered on Woo-jinius this week.

“Oh, thanks.”

Baek Woo-jin lifted his head again.

Ji-hye was glaring at him with a fierce expression, and he felt completely bewildered.

“What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you look so furious?”

“You can tell I’m angry?”

“Then why are you so mad?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“If you don’t know, who does?”

Ji-hye’s lips twitched.

It was clear from the start that this wasn’t a mood that could be easily brushed off.

“Oh, what! What is it?”

“I heard rumors at the company.”

“What rumors?”

“You’re going to confess after winning.”

“……”

Baek Woo-jin rolled his eyes.

It seemed she was upset about his public confession, but he couldn’t figure out what exactly was bothering her.

Was the problem with the word “public” or the word “confession”? After thinking it over, Baek Woo-jin decided it was the “confession” that bothered her.

“So?”

“Are you out of your mind? You have Woo-jinius, Sugar Man, and soon a documentary at JH. Is this really the time for dating?”

“What does being busy have to do with it? Chan-yong is doing it!”

“Director Chan-yong is different!”

“What’s different?”

Ji-hye briefly averted her gaze.

“He manages himself well while also doing his job!”

Baek Woo-jin felt a surge of anger.

After working harder than ever over the past month because of Ji-hye’s words, he had even more reason to be frustrated.

“I’m managing too! I’m doing it! I’m doing really well!”

“So, will he accept it?”

“What?

“He said if he loses weight and brings home the prize money, he’ll accept the confession?”

As Ji-hye’s voice trembled, Baek Woo-jin felt flustered.

“What are you talking about?”

Ji-hye said nothing and huffed, turning away.

“Hey.”

When Baek Woo-jin grabbed her hand to turn her back around, Ji-hye punched him in the solar plexus.

“Oof.”

“You jerk.”