Cheat day

The reason why rice is good

While we were chatting, the next dish quickly came out.

“These are asparagus and paprika.” Enjoy your meal.

“Thank you.”

After receiving it, I realized the amount was as small as a mouse’s droppings.

Thinking about who to stick this on, I put the temple and the paprika in my mouth.

The unique chewy texture of the scallops is still alive, yet they are incredibly chewy.

The crunchiness of the paprika adds joy to my mouth.

The texture is so much fun that I want to keep chewing it if possible.

“Scallops are so delicious.”

Baek Woo-jin was impressed.

“Right.” Doesn’t it go really well with the paprika?

Joo Ji-seung and Cha Ji-chan are also nodding and eating deliciously.

“I don’t like asparagus, but we should eat this together.”

I agree with Baek Woo-jin’s words.

Even just eating the scallops is delicious, but to truly appreciate this dish, you need to eat it with the accompanying ingredients.

“That’s amazing.” “How can it be so soft yet still have such a lively texture?”

Cha Ji-chan tilted his head.

“Hyung, do you know how this happened?”

Baek Woo-jin asked Joo Ji-seung.

“You know it.” I removed the membrane, and if it’s thick, it will be too tough, so I sliced it and cooked it just right. It also did a good job of getting rid of the fishy smell. I usually use white wine, but I don’t know what to do for Chinese food. “But this kind of thing is a skill, so you can’t just say you know it.”

The reason why the taste differs from store to store even with the same recipe.

“These are abalone, scallops, and green beans.”

The shrimp tempura and tenderloin steak that followed the scallops were also perfect.

“It’s amazing; it’s really delicious but not at all spicy.”

“Right.” The liver is just perfect.

“Places where you can eat like this and feel good tend to do well.” When it comes to Chinese food, honestly, it’s a bit uncomfortable for us at our age, isn’t it?

That’s right. Without getting involved.

Everyone was sharing their impressions in admiration when an employee came in and asked about the meal menu.

Baek Woo-jin and I ordered fried rice, while Joo Ji-seung and Cha Ji-chan ordered jjambbong.

Since I ordered jajangmyeon as a single dish, I avoided it because I wanted to try more different foods.

“Suddenly, I remembered that side dishes, you must be worried about getting sunburned.”

Cha Ji-chan brought up the topic of the dinner discussion.

“White rice debate?”

“어. Everyone is laughing, and I’m having fun too, but I could see you were a bit worried.

“Right.” I already talked to Woojin about it anyway. Let’s be careful about the sensitive parts.

“Since it’s a live broadcast, there are times when things get said incorrectly.”

It’s really something to be careful about.

You might push yourself too hard in the obsession to make the broadcast entertaining, and in doing so, mistakes are bound to happen.

There are often cases where a once-successful YouTuber can never return after making a single wrong statement.

Even while talking, you should constantly think and self-censor, and avoid topics you don’t know well.

“So, let’s have a rough chat.” What topic should we talk about?

Cha Ji-chan nodded.

“Don’t lie.” “When did you ever tell me in advance that you were going to accuse me of elder abuse?”

Baek Woo-jin got angry.

“You said the candy attacks the hard stuff.”

“How can you possibly connect hard candy with elder abuse in a common-sense way?”

I didn’t know before, but teasing him is quite fun.

“Actually.”

Cha Ji-chan started the conversation.

“A PD I know is keeping an eye on the Baekban Debate.”

I didn’t understand what was being said, so I just blinked along with Baek Woo-jin.

If you roughly tell me the concept. I’m going around the area reviewing famous foods. “Simple, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“I guess they want to do this with YouTubers.” They asked me to introduce someone if I knew anyone, so I mentioned you, and they said the white rice debate was fun. He said it would be fun to include it in the program he’s preparing.

“……Huh?”

“We need to discuss the details in person.”

“Do you mean you want me to discuss the banchan?”

Baek Woo-jin asked the most important question.

“No.” Just leave the discussion about the set menu. It seems like they want to cast you two because your chemistry is good. Because it’s funny.

“Um.”

“Why are you getting so serious again?” If you want to do it, do it; if not, then don’t.

Cha Ji-chan smiled to lighten the burden.

“Since there are so many people watching the Baekban debate, it’s okay to focus more on that.”

“Both sides have their advantages.” “If the broadcast goes well, it will definitely have an effect, and since I think of it as gaining broadcasting experience, it’s not a bad idea to go for the pilot.”

Jujiseung chimed in with a word.

“But Chan-young’s schedule is still packed right now.” If you start working there and can’t focus at all, it could be a loss. In that case, it would be better to focus on the successful baekban discussion we have going on right now.

“Jiseung’s right.” “Side dishes these days are no joke.”

“I think it’s fine as long as Chanyong-hyung can handle it.” The scope of activities really changes.

Baek Woojin also joined in.

All three of them—Joo Ji-seung, Cha Ji-chan, and Baek Woojin—had reaped the benefits of TV exposure.

Joo Ji-seung gained prominence by appearing on numerous cooking shows, and Cha Ji-chan had a permanent spot on a health program. As for Baek Woojin, even though there are still many people who don’t know him despite being a YouTuber with a million subscribers, his face became more recognizable thanks to his frequent appearances on TV lectures.

“We’ll bring out the next dish,”

The staff interrupted our conversation and served the next course.

“Wow. What is this?”

“It smells amazing.”

“It actually works together like this?”

On top of the jajangmyeon was a thick slice of beef and a perfectly cooked soft-boiled egg in the center—an almost violent combination of richness.

Even from a distance, the truffle aroma hit my nose, completely disarming my resolve to not eat jajangmyeon.

“Dude, just eat it,” Cha Ji-chan said, pushing his bowl toward the center.

“No, I shouldn’t.”

“You can just work out later. If you don’t eat this now, you’ll be stressed all week, and that’s even worse. When you’re stressed, your brain releases adrenaline.”

“Cortisol,” Baek Woojin chimed in.

“Right. Cortisol gets released, making you more alert. But when stress lingers, the cortisol causes your body to produce more glucose, fatty acids, and amino acids, which raises your blood sugar and increases your appetite.”

“Ji-chan’s right. Stress is one of the causes of obesity.”

“I thought people just said that when they didn’t know the real reason,” I said, surprised.

“Not at all. Stress can actually give you the energy to push forward and improve—if you get it under control. But if it keeps building up, it’ll harm you,” Baek Woojin nodded in agreement with Joo Ji-seung.

“Just eat it,” Cha Ji-chan insisted, offering me part of his portion.

Baek Woojin and Joo Ji-seung also shared a little, so I ended up with quite a bit.

Jajangmyeon.

For me, the famous jajangmyeon vs. jjamppong debate was never an issue. Since my first taste at age six, I’ve never once betrayed jajangmyeon in almost 30 years.

Sure, my mom gave birth to me, but 20% of my belly fat was made by Chinese restaurant chefs.

And now, the jajangmyeon I love was in front of me, in its most luxurious form.

The glossy, beautiful noodles.

A rich, juicy steak and a soft-boiled egg that looked ready to burst at a touch.

And the most seductive fragrance, Truffle No. 5.

I picked up my chopsticks with reverence.

“Mmm.”

I was taken aback.

It felt like seeing an old neighborhood friend who suddenly had a new hairstyle and fancy clothes. The playful kid who used to kick me for fun was gone, replaced by someone gazing down at me with heavily made-up eyes and a confident smile.

Could the addition of truffles really change the taste so much?

Helpless against the irresistible umami, I devoured the beef steak draped in a rich sauce like a fur coat.

It was delicious.

I couldn’t think about anything else but the act of eating this jajangmyeon in front of me.

All sense of decorum gone, I shoveled it into my mouth, while the soft-boiled egg just smiled at me, calming me down.

Like an obedient child, I carefully cracked the egg open and mixed in the yolk. One bite of the creamy mixture brought a wave of pleasure that overwhelmed me.

“This is insane.”

Baek Woojin was also devouring his truffle jajangmyeon.

“Hey, give me back what I gave you,” Cha Ji-chan said, trying to take back the portion he had shared with me.

“Why? You gave it to me.”

“Now that I’ve tasted it, I can’t let you eat it. You’ll die.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m eating this.”

Neither of us was willing to back down, and we reached a stalemate.

I glanced over and saw Joo Ji-seung speeding up his chopstick action, trying to finish his share without saying a word.

“See, this is why I said we should order four,” Baek Woojin said.

“I didn’t know it would be this good.”

“Here, have some jjamppong.”

“I don’t like jjamppong.”

“Then why did you order it?”

“I told you! I didn’t know!”

“Ugh, this is so childish. You two are both over 70 combined. Why are you fighting over food?”

Baek Woojin shook his head, looking at us like we were pathetic.

“Then why don’t you share yours?”

But he didn’t respond, just kept his head down and continued eating without a word.

***

A restaurant with a great atmosphere, delicious food, and like-minded people.

381,000 won is not a waste.

“It’s not a waste…”

After I finished paying, Cha Ji-chan put his arm around my shoulder.

“I ate well.”

“I ate well.”

“I ate well.”

Baek Woo-jin and Joo Ji-seung also greeted us.

“Jiseung hyung, let’s really work out together next time.”

381,000 won?

“Okay.” Should we watch it together when Chan-young goes out? “Without needing to set a separate date.”

Did you say 381,000 won?

“Good.” You can come over anytime.

If it’s 381,000 won, that’s more than half of my monthly food expenses. Is this right? Is this okay?

How is Chanyong? “Are you okay?”

381,000 won?

“Side dishes?”

Ah, yeah. 381,000 won.”

In that moment, I thought something was wrong.

“Ah.”

“Khahakhah!”

Cha Ji-chan laughed loudly, and Ju Ji-seung and Baek Woo-jin also giggled.

I should have paid it off coolly without showing any signs, but that was too much money for me.

“Anyway, see you next week.”

“I’ll get it ready.” Be careful with the side dishes and go in with Woojin.”

I’m going.

Joo Ji-seung, Cha Ji-chan, and Baek Woo-jin left, and I was left alone.

The winter wind is still chilly.

“Shall we walk?”

Even though it’s cold, I thought about walking home since I overindulged today, and at that moment, I was utterly shocked.

I, who had never walked for more than 10 minutes a day, am thinking of walking from Seoul Station to Jowon-dong.

This is all because I’ve been continuously gaslit by Cha Ji-chan’s wicked tongue.

I searched on the map, and it says 3 hours.

At my walking speed, it would take at least 3 hours and 30 minutes to 4 hours.

When I arrive home, it will be dawn.

“Ah…”

I’ve been feeling dizzy since a little while ago.

Maybe it’s because my blood sugar is high.

As far as I know, jajangmyeon, along with tteokbokki, is one of the foods that raises blood sugar the most.

It’s not surprising that my body is sending out warning signals since I’ve been eating things like that as they are.

Sigh. Let’s walk.

Tomorrow, there are no broadcasts and no videos to handle as outsourcing.

“Really.”

I took out my smartphone, transferred 1 million won to my mother’s account, and then made a call.

-Son~

“Mother.” What are you doing?

-I’m cleaning up after dinner. Where’s the son?

I had dinner with my friends. Thank you for helping with the broadcast.

-Okay. People should help each other and live together. You did well.

“And I sent some money to my mother’s account.”

What money?

“Last month, the broadcast went well, so I treated myself a bit.”

You are not saying anything.

It seems like they are checking the deposit details on their phone.

-Oh dear. Chan-yong, why did you send so much?

“I told you I made a lot of money.” “Buy some clothes and enjoy some delicious food.”

-Mom, you’re making money. You don’t have to do it this way.

“I just want to do it for you.” Brr, it’s cold. I’ll go in now.

-Okay. Sleep well. Thank you.

“Yes.”

I hung up the phone.

I treated everyone to a big dinner and even gave my mother some pocket money, and in an instant, I spent 1,381,000 won, but I don’t regret it at all.

On the contrary, an inexplicable sense of satisfaction arises.

The time when I had no money and ate free ramen at the goshiwon while being discreet.

The early years of my career, living in a black company, enduring all sorts of humiliation and feeling powerless.

And until recently, when I was diagnosed with diabetes and it seemed uncertain whether I could continue living as a mukbang YouTuber.

Various emotions and scenes that were hard to express in words flashed through my mind like a passing parade.

“……I’m not going to die, am I?”

It’s a good time to kill off a character in a movie or drama.

When crossing the crosswalk, I walked carefully, looking left and right.