Cheat day

Takers, Matchers, Givers (7)

“Cheers!”

The Sadang family gathered to celebrate Ju Ji-seung’s victory.

Even though they often met during the recording of “Hansik Yechan” every Monday for Baekban, and every Wednesday for exercise, it had been a long time since they had a drinking gathering since Nana and Baek Woo-jin don’t enjoy alcohol.

Today, I raised a soju glass as well.

“Ugh.”

To wash away the bitterness, I drank the broth from the dried pollack stew repeatedly and then fished out a dried pollack.

It was mid-November, the peak season, and the sensation of the roe bursting was quite fun.

“300 million! 300 million! 300 million!”

Baek Woo-jin shouted excitedly, and Ju Ji-seung laughed in disbelief.

“Is it just 300 million? Look at the subscribers.”

Cha Ji-chan joined in the excitement, but Ju Ji-seung waved his hands dismissively.

“The prize money was 100 million. You get 100 million when you start a business.”

“What about the remaining 100 million?”

“They say they’ll give royalties when they sell the Sogari bread.”

“Eh?”

Baek Woo-jin, Cha Ji-chan, and I were surprised together.

“They’re making Sogari bread?”

“Is that going to be commercialized?”

“They’re going to mix in another fish and pork instead of Sogari, and it will be spicy soup flavored.”

“…That’s a disaster.”

Baek Woo-jin’s words made me burst out laughing.

“Wow. That’s not going to sell, is it?”

“They sell Jjamppong bread, so it could sell.”

“The name itself is a problem. What’s spicy soup bread?”

“No, I’ve tasted it, and even if they just imitate that flavor, there’s potential.”

“Is it really that good?”

“Yeah. It’s amazing.”

“So, if it sells a lot, do they pay you more?”

“Not really, just 100 million. Honestly, if we’re talking about making money, Chan-yong probably made more than I did.”

At Ju Ji-seung’s words, Cha Ji-chan and Baek Woo-jin turned their heads sharply.

“Is that true?”

“Be honest.”

“Eh. No way.”

“Of course it is. The participants’ appearance fee is fixed at 50 per episode, but you weren’t, right? You have your appearance fee plus two CFs and YouTube content.”

“That’s right. It was over 10, right?”

“Boo!”

Baek Woo-jin grabbed my collar and shook me.

“The appearance fee was 500, and the CF was 100 million each. The content went well, but I also showed appreciation to those who appeared.”

Ju Ji-seung, Cha Ji-chan, and Baek Woo-jin’s eyes widened.

“Wow. Banchan.”

“This is really messed up. How is it that Chan-yong earned more than the winner?”

“Eh. I said you earned more!”

“Die! Die!”

After laughing for a while, we clinked glasses again.

“Oh, by the way, Lee Chan-seok came to see me.”

“Why did that guy come?”

As Ju Ji-seung spoke, Cha Ji-chan asked with a serious expression, while Baek Woo-jin reacted as if he were a cat with its fur bristled, ready to pounce at any moment.

“He apologized. He said he thought wrong.”

“That’s ridiculous. Why come now?”

“He should be grateful he’s living in a civilized society.”

Baek Woo-jin and Cha Ji-chan each chimed in.

Due to the attitude they showed toward us, their hostility toward Lee Chan-seok had reached its limit.

“So what happened?”

“Well, I didn’t feel like he was saying anything insincere, so I sent him away.”

“What do you mean, just send him away?”

“You should have ripped his shoulder blades off.”

At Cha Ji-chan’s fierce words, Baek Woo-jin nodded in agreement.

“What am I supposed to do? I’ll just be the criminal.”

“That’s true.”

But I quickly calmed down.

“Seeing him lose everything was pitiful. I thought of Chan-yong’s words, so I just forgave him. Chan-yong didn’t come to you, right?”

“He did. He surprised me by coming without a word.”

“He did that to me too. He probably thought I wouldn’t take his call. He even went to Hyung Eun-sam.”

It seemed he was visiting each person one by one.

If he truly regretted his mistakes, eventually he would change, and even if they couldn’t forgive him, they would accept his apology.

Just like I did.

“He must be busy.”

“Busy? What’s he busy with? His restaurant is failing; he has to do that at least.”

Baek Woo-jin said while munching.

“Yesterday, Master Bae Seung-ho sent a message through Master Ham Seok-ho that Lee Chan-seok will be working at Bae Seung-ho’s restaurant.”

“What?”

“Why would they accept that?”

“Calm down. I asked for it like that.”

I thought I would get an earful, so I prepared to tune it out while filleting the dried pollack, but the three of them were quiet.

When I looked up, Cha Ji-chan was filling my glass, and Baek Woo-jin was patting my back.

Ju Ji-seung was smiling.

“What’s up? Why are you doing this?”

“Yeah. You fool, it’s not even yesterday. Good job.”

“Good job.”

“This hyung has a bit of an underdog vibe. Right?”

“That’s not it.”

We all toasted and downed the soju in one go.

“Seeing the public opinion being swayed and criticized made me feel bad. I thought it could happen to us too.”

The three of them listened as they ate their food.

“Public opinion can give us the greatest strength, but it can also be the scariest thing. If it gets swept up even when it’s not right or different from the truth, it doesn’t matter how much you explain; it’s useless.”

“Right.”

“That’s why I felt bad about Master Bae Seung-ho’s situation. He kept apologizing to me, and I didn’t know how to react.”

“What does that have to do with letting Lee Chan-seok off the hook?”

“I saw that he might have rejected him, but he still seemed to have him in mind. So I suggested that rather than rejecting him, it would be better to take him back and teach him again. It would be easier that way. If he leaves it as it is, it will leave a scar in his heart for the rest of his life.”

The three of them listened quietly to my words, then poured more drinks and patted my head while smiling.

I felt like I was being patted like a child.

“So when will the CF come out?”

“Tomorrow, I think?”

I checked the schedule on my phone and told them again.

“Yeah. Tomorrow.”

***

The spicy galbi jjim CF made by Choi Eun-sam came out.

It starts with me enjoying a steaming hot spicy galbi jjim.

Even I could see how delicious it looked, but then Ham Seok-ho appeared and awkwardly said, “Didn’t you forget something?”

I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head in confusion; it was really too awkward.

I wondered if I should take acting classes.

Ham Seok-ho, with his own awkwardness, recited, “You forgot the Yeongcheon garlic!”

I’m really not sure about this CF.

During the filming, Ham Seok-ho and I were so awkward that the staff couldn’t stop laughing. The director suggested that we go with a more awkward concept instead.

Even though I wanted to do well, I couldn’t help but comply with the request, and it ended up being set in a retro concept.

The screen looked like watching an 80s CRT TV, and the narration felt like something out of an old silent film.

“Eat a hearty breakfast. The spicy garlic galbi jjim that takes care of our family’s nutrition!”

The CF concluded with the Oduki logo.

I’m already worried.

As soon as I turn on the TV tomorrow evening, viewers will flood the chat with laughter, and when the Sadang family gets together, I can easily picture them mocking me.

My mother must have boasted to relatives about her son shooting a TV commercial.

I wonder if my mother will even be able to show her face.

That aside.

I’ve become accustomed to appearing on TV through Baekban Season 1, Season 2, and Hansik Yechan, but being in an advertisement feels different.

Not just in feeling; I definitely look different too.

They took off my glasses, did my makeup, styled my hair, and added lighting corrections. I look like me, but I don’t feel like myself at all.

“It was intense, right?”

I asked Mukeunji, who was watching beside me.

Not getting an answer, I turned to look, and she was blankly staring, slowly turning her head.

Then she searched for the Oduki spicy galbi jjim CF, alternating between the screen and my face.

“Don’t do that. I know I look different.”

Mukeunji gently raised her hand to take my glasses away. After staring at me for a while, she grabbed my hand and stood me up.

“Go wash your hair and face.”

“Why?”

“Quickly.”

I showered today; do I smell bad?

While smelling my clothes and following her orders, I found myself sitting in front of the vanity.

“Apply in order.”

She pointed to the basic skincare products and then started drying my hair with a hairdryer.

“Like this?”

Without answering, Mukeunji looked at my reflection in the mirror and started twisting my hair.

That wasn’t enough; she wanted to apply makeup, so I pulled my face back.

“What are you doing?”

“Just stay still.”

“Um…”

Her expression was serious.

She must be bored, I thought, so I gave up and closed my eyes. Various textures—softness, thickness, crunchiness—tormented my face for quite a while before the painful time ended.

“All done.”

When I opened my eyes, I had no glasses on and couldn’t see anything.

During the CF shoot, I was so scared of putting in lenses that I just went without them, and I struggled to distinguish the food shapes.

“Glasses.”

“Just stay still.”

Mukeunji turned me around and stared intently. I knew she was looking at me, but it was hard to discern her expression.

“…Chan-yong.”

“Yes?”

“Are you not thinking of wearing lenses?”

“I tried it during the CF shoot, but it was too scary.”

“It’s because you haven’t tried it. You’ll get used to it.”

“…That’s not helpful at all.”

“Try it occasionally.”

“Hmm.”

No matter how I thought about it, sticking something to my eyeball couldn’t be safe.

If something broke or went behind my eye while it was attached, it would hurt far worse than I could imagine.

“Have you thought about learning makeup?”

“Makeup? Why?”

“It looks much better this way. If it’s too much hassle, I can do it for you every morning. You can go to a salon if you want.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

I wondered why she was saying this; it seemed she really liked what she saw in the CF.

I felt happy knowing that Mukeunji saw me positively.

“You once said you liked me just as I am.”

“That was about not wanting surgery.”

“I heard that guys who wear makeup aren’t very appealing.”

“That’s what people who don’t know say.”

“Hahaha!”

Laughter erupted.

“Oh. It’s not bad, is it? I must have been really starving for compliments on my appearance. I’ve never experienced this before. Hmm. It’s nice.”

“Be sure to keep doing this.”

“What if I lose the ‘diabetic uncle’ concept and can’t get on TV?”

“I’ll support you, so you can focus on your appearance.”

“Pwahaha!”