Cheat day

Baekban-ttara

The Gyeongju terminal, which we arrived at after passing through the Nakdonggang rest area, was less crowded than expected.

It looks like there are no tourists because it’s a weekday.

Hello. I’m currently filming. I can’t disclose the program name, but I’ve come to Gyeongju.

Baek Woo-jin connected the GoPro and smartphone and started the broadcast.

They said they wouldn’t do it, but it seems they’re in a good mood after securing 30,000 won.

In fact, we, the producers, hope that “Baekban Dara” does well, so we don’t oppose the promotion itself.

On the contrary, they are proactive.

Since it was outdoors and difficult to check the chat, I also logged into Woojin’s live broadcast to check the chat window.

“I came with Chan-young.”

Baek Woo-jin turned on the camera.

“Don’t you do that thing where you tell me anything these days?”

“When was that?” I don’t even remember.

“I am Ujini, the genie of the lamp, here to tell you anything you want to know.”

When Baek Woo-jin imitated the greeting he used to promote in the early days of YouTube, the viewers of the Woozineus channel flooded the comments with “kek.”

“Don’t do it!”

“Why? You like it, don’t you?”

“I’m embarrassed.”

“Are you ashamed of your past?”

“oh! I’m embarrassed!

Looking back now, saying greetings seemed cheesy or forced.

When I had just opened the channel, I was very eager to promote it by any means possible.

So both Ji-chan, Woo-jin, and I find it hard to watch the old videos.

We also sometimes use it as a way to tease each other.

└Where are you going in Gyeongju?

Are we going to Hwanglidangil?

└Uh? Wasn’t that Park Sang-cheol PD just now?

└”Wow” Is Woojin Park Sang-cheol PD leaving the program?

└World-class certification

The viewers recognized PD Park Sang-cheol who was briefly caught on camera and made a fuss.

Baek Woo-jin looked at PD Park Sang-cheol and said.

“Hyung, please say hello.”

Hello. This is Park Sang-cheol.

Viewers are in an uproar once again.

“We came to Gyeongju, but we don’t know what to eat.” Please give me a recommendation.

When Baek Woo-jin asked, the viewers each introduced their favorite restaurants.

Seeing that so many people know about Gyeongju’s restaurants, it seems that Gyeongju is definitely loved as a travel destination.

“R Restaurant?” Didn’t we see each other on the bus earlier?

Looks like you’re doing okay. Let’s go.”

If you walk for about 20 minutes from the Gyeongju Intercity Bus Terminal, you can reach Restaurant R on Hwanglidangil.

Since I had to capture Hwanglidangil on camera, I took my time and moved my feet leisurely.

“Huh.”

Baek Woo-jin made a strange sound, so when I turned my head, I couldn’t help but say “huh” too.

The Starbucks building is made of tiles.

I’ve never seen anything like that before.

“To compete.”

“Kyungju.”

As I continued walking in wonder, this time a Burger King that had entered a traditional tiled-roof house caught my eye.

“Because it’s Gyeongju.”

“If it’s Gyeongju, that makes sense.”

As I walked, feeling that I had come to Gyeongju in my own way, I soon arrived at Hwanglidangil.

“Let’s see from here.”

“Right?”

I arrived at the entrance of Hwangridan-gil, where low buildings lined up to form an alley.

There are several stores on both sides of the main road, and wherever I look, I see 10-won bread.

“What is a ten-won bread?”

“I don’t know.”

I was curious about what a ten-won bread was, so I went to a store that sold it.

It looks like a 10-won coin, but it has the shape of the Seokguram Grotto, which is one of the symbols of Gyeongju.

I was curious about what it would taste like, but since my budget was tight, I just looked and moved on.

“There’s something here too?”

“Right?”

Every time you enter an alley, there are small shops that make you feel like you’re exploring.

Even the convenience store is built with a vintage feel, so it’s definitely fun just to look around.

“Over there.”

I found the R restaurant at the end of the alley.

Even though it’s past lunchtime, seeing the line makes it clear that it’s definitely a popular restaurant.

We lined up, and PD Park Sang-cheol went inside to ask for permission to film.

Since we’re only taking pictures of our table, there shouldn’t be any major issues.

“Hey, you’re Woo Jin, right?”

Someone in line recognized Baek Woo-jin and approached him, asking to take a picture.

Woo-jin happily obliged.

“Thank you.”

“Aren’t you going to take a picture with this guy too?”

“Uh…”

“Hey, what’s up with you?”

“Don’t you know this guy? We do a lot of collaborations together.”

The subscriber of the WooJineous channel shook their head slightly.

“You’re doing this on purpose, right? Trying to mess with me.”

“You love this kind of stuff, don’t you? Autographs, handshakes, pictures.”

He’s referencing that one time I joked with Mugeunji about shaking hands.

I definitely said it was a joke, but they kept teasing me, saying I had a celebrity complex.

“He says he’d love to take a picture too. Could you just take one with him?”

“No.”

The WooJineous subscriber firmly declined.

“Bro, he said no. Such a shame, right?”

“We’ll talk later.”

I made up my mind to completely roast him in the next Baekban Discussion.

“If you’re okay with outdoor seating, we can seat you now.”

An employee from R Restaurant offered outdoor seating to the person ahead of us in line.

“No, we’d prefer to eat indoors.”

“Okay. How about you? Would outdoor seating be alright?”

The employee who had been turned down asked me as well.

I looked to Baek Woo-jin and Park Sang-chul PD for their agreement, and they both nodded.

“Yes, that’s fine.”

“Please have a seat over here.”

Tables were also set up outside, and it wasn’t too cold. The open atmosphere wasn’t a bad choice.

We checked the menu the employee brought over.

The pork cutlet was 14,000 won, stir-fried udon was 13,500 won, and omelet rice was also 13,500 won. Overall, it was quite pricey.

“We can’t order three dishes.”

“Right? What should we get?”

“Since it’s a pork cutlet specialty place, how about one pork cutlet and one omelet rice?”

“Sounds good.”

Woo-jin pressed the button, and an employee from inside came out to take our order.

“Sir, we’ll have one pork cutlet and one omelet rice, please.”

“Got it. Anything else you need?”

“Nope.”

After a short wait, the food came out quickly.

“Wow.”

Both the omelet rice and the pork cutlet looked stunning at first glance.

“They’re so beautiful.”

The omelet rice was plated elegantly on a lovely dish.

The bright yellow egg omelet looked incredibly soft, even to the eye.

With the sauce placed neatly to one side, it resembled a moon reflected on a lake.

The dish was perfected with cherry tomatoes and what seemed to be parsley powder for accent.

“Let’s see.”

I took a bite of the omelet rice.

As expected, it melted in my mouth.

The omelet was perfectly cooked, soft yet with a noticeable texture, and the combination of savory sauce and fried rice was a work of art.

“Wow, this is insane.”

“The veggies have a great texture too.”

“I’m loving the sauce. How does it taste this good?”

It was a sweet sauce with well-cooked stir-fried vegetables, and the omelet was as soft as the finest fabric.

To be honest, I had some hesitation about paying 13,500 won for omelet rice, but this quality actually made it feel like a bargain.

It was a perfect experience.

“How’s the pork cutlet?”

Woo-jin took a bite of the pork cutlet, eyes widening as he nodded.

His expression alone made it clear how good it was.

I took a bite as well, and my eyes instinctively closed.

As I exhaled slowly through my nose, the scent of the sauce and the meat filled my sinuses, making the flavors even richer.

“It’s incredibly tender.”

“Right? The outside is crispy, but the meat inside is unbelievably soft.”

The food at this place seemed to generally lean toward soft textures.

“Hey, you guys have to try this. Quick.”

Woo-jin motioned to the PD, cameraman, and writer.

All three were standing there blankly, so Woo-jin took it upon himself to put a piece of pork cutlet in each of their mouths.

It’s a mystery when he started calling the cameraman and writer “bro” and “sis.”

“Isn’t it delicious?”

The cameraman nodded, and the writer playfully hit Park Sang-chul PD while grinning.

“It’s good.”

“Right? So how about we order one more?”

“What?”

“You ate with us, right? Let’s order one more.”

“No.”

“Sir, could we get a stir-fried udon? And sorry, could we also get three extra pairs of chopsticks?”

“Sure, I’ll bring them right out.”

Before Park Sang-chul PD could say anything, Woo-jin ordered the stir-fried udon.

It seems to take a certain level of shamelessness to truly be bold like that, and Woo-jin seemed to have learned well from me.

As a compliment, I fed him another piece of pork cutlet, which he accepted without hesitation.

“Your stir-fried udon is ready.”

The stir-fried udon placed on the table looked more luxurious than any I’d ever had.

Shrimp and various vegetables were neatly arranged, topped off with nuts, making it look delicious before I even took a bite.

“What are you waiting for? Dig in.”

Woo-jin passed out chopsticks to the PD, cameraman, and writer.

They hesitated at first but couldn’t resist the visually overwhelming dish and grabbed their chopsticks.

I took a bite too, and it was spicy.

Not overwhelmingly so, but spicy enough, and the vegetables retained their crunch, each maintaining its own texture.

The crunchy bok choy, along with the firm and chewy udon noodles, danced on my palate.

An utterly divine bite.

As I savored the aroma, texture, and umami, I opened my eyes to see the plate completely empty.

I couldn’t believe it, so I looked up and saw that everyone was focused on their own eating.

Not only was the stir-fried udon gone, but so were the omelet rice and pork cutlet.

“What the—?”

“Ah, that was good.”

Woo-jin put down his chopsticks and patted his stomach.

“I only had one bite.”

“So what?”

“What do you mean, ‘so what’? You guys ate everything!”

I angrily glanced at Park Sang-chul PD, who avoided my gaze.

“I don’t care. I’ll just buy my own meal. Turn off the camera, everyone. Sit down. Sir, we’d like to order!”

Trying to act sane among these lunatics is a losing battle.

There’s no way I’m leaving after just one bite of this incredible food.