LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 188 - Cheating Day Chapter 188
Ha-chan (1)
I set the title as a special episode for Ha-im and turned on the broadcast.
Since there was some time left until Park Ha-im arrived, we chatted about various things when I noticed comments about how many incidents had occurred this year.
“Yeah. Many people were affected by the floods in summer, and there have been a lot of troubling news.”
└Why is life getting tougher and tougher?
└I’m seriously considering buying some self-defense products.
└Is this a Choco Ha-im special?
└I haven’t watched the news in a while because it just brings me down.
“There were good things too. The Berlin Philharmonic won, right?”
This year, the genius musician Bae Do-bin, who is only 17 years old, was appointed as the music director of the Berlin Philharmonic and won the overall championship in the ‘Orchestra Wars,’ which included prominent orchestras from around the world.
I remember that for a while, that story was in constant circulation.
└And then he went missing.
└I cried out when I heard he was found last week.
└In Germany, it felt like a state welcome ceremony.
└Not just Germany? The whole world was in an uproar.
└Honestly, it was deserving of it.
└I genuinely cried when I saw the breaking news.
“Right? It’s such a relief that he returned alive. What other news was there? Oh! The painter from the French royal family donated his 700th self-portrait to the Pompidou Center, but they rejected it?”
└Hahahahahaha!
└Wait, he has 700 self-portraits?
└Ah, you know Henri Marceau!
└[Henri Marceau, “A work that will be a significant turning point in art history.” Pompidou Center: “Marceau’s self-portraits don’t hold enough value for our museum.”]
└Hahahahahaha! What an embarrassment!
└What does that even mean?
I don’t know much about art, but I remember seeing a discussion about it on the Ujinus channel.
There’s a handsome painter who only paints self-portraits and has been gaining popularity lately, but it seems critics view him as a bit of a madman.
Curiosity piqued, I looked it up, and he seems like a fascinating person who engages in all sorts of outrageous behavior.
“And there’s also a play made by Bong Gi-tae that became a huge success.”
I learned about this information from a video that Woo-jin posted.
Last year, a playwright from our country won the Molière Award in France for his play “Red Coat,” which achieved record-breaking box office success in Europe.
└How does he know this stuff?
└He’s surprisingly well-informed about arts and sports.
└He looks like a young farm manager from some countryside, but I was shocked at how well he knows classical music.
└Hahaha! He really did have that vibe back in the day.
“If you watch Woo-jin’s videos, you learn a lot of trivia. I play them while eating or showering so I don’t get bored.”
└It’s been so long since I’ve watched the news that I didn’t know a lot.
└It’s surprising not to know about Bae Do-bin, Henri Marceau, or Bong Gi-tae.
└So, what else is there?
“Oh? Today marks exactly one year since I started managing my blood sugar.”
The viewers responded with question marks.
└Who cares about that? Hahaha!
└I can’t believe you think this is significant.
└Do you really think you’re on the same level as those three? Seriously?
└Hahaha! Does she think her dieting is such a big deal? Hahaha!
“It’s important to me. It’s like I was reborn.”
While chatting with the viewers, Ha-im arrived at the office with her manager.
Previously, she had expressed a desire to appear on my show to promote her album, and it turned out she was serious, as it was officially arranged through her agency.
As I stepped outside, Mukeunji was greeting Ha-im.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Mukeunji, the PD from the side dish store.”
“I really wanted to meet you, PD.”
Mukeunji could only stare at Park Ha-im in unexpected admiration.
“I remember you came out using a cardboard box before. That was really funny.”
Mukeunji’s face turned bright red.
Since she immediately mentioned something that Mukeunji still considers an embarrassing moment, it seems unlikely they’ll become close.
“Come in.”
I gestured for Ha-im to enter the studio, and she looked around curiously.
“Hmm.”
“What’s up?”
“I didn’t expect there wouldn’t be a reflector here. Hello!”
Ha-im waved to the camera. The chat room was already in chaos.
└????
└Why are you here?
└Park Ha-im?
└Wow, what a face!!
└Choco Ha-im major shareholder!
└What’s going on?
└Wait, so this isn’t about snacks?
“I came to hang out with Chan-yong hyung.”
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“You came to promote, didn’t you?”
“That’s just an excuse. Oh, I’m really struggling these days.”
Ha-im slumped into a chair, burying her back.
“Is it normal to have four schedules in one day? I sleep in the car and eat in the car. This isn’t living at all. I can’t keep going like this.”
└Exploiting boss
└Report to the labor department!
└Are they treating Ha-im like that? APOP is insane!
Park Ha-im is part of APOP, a famous agency that has produced several idol groups, and today, they are the generous ones who are paying me for this advertising broadcast.
“Should I really report this?”
“Don’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because they’re the ones paying me. You’re the one being bad here. You should feel sorry for not being able to work 24/7.”
“……”
“Hurry up and apologize. Say you’re sorry for not being able to do five a day.”
Ha-im looked at me, then bowed her head toward the camera.
“I’m sorry for not being able to do five a day.”
“Good. Did you hear that, boss? Ha-im is apologizing like this, so please cut her some slack.”
└Hahahahaha!
└What is this, just mocking? Hahaha!
└At this point, even if the advertiser sued, they wouldn’t have a leg to stand on, right?
└Haha, that was a good jab.
I need to make it seem like Ha-im is just joking around, so her slip of the tongue doesn’t cause any issues.
She’s popular enough that even a single comment could lead to disputes with her agency and various scandals.
If Ha-im is truly struggling and wants to rest, she can always bring it to light later.
Public opinion and fans will always be on her side.
“Anyway, let’s get started.”
I presented the script we had discussed with APOP, and Ha-im sighed.
“Hyung, let’s not do this.”
“What?”
“It’s boring. Introducing the new song, talking about what it is… other places have already done that.”
“Then why did you come?”
“To hang out with you. But can we eat something? I’m hungry.”
Ha-im said she’s been on a strict diet since two months before her album activities began.
She mentioned she got scolded by her agency’s president for having eaten pork cutlet with me and joked that if it weren’t for her love of Korean food, she would have starved to death.
It’s just about time for dinner.
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“How do you usually eat?”
Ha-im showed me a photo on her phone.
“Is it okay to share this?”
“Yeah, let’s show it. People need to know about this.”
It seems like we’re turning this into a session to expose her agency rather than promote her album.
I wonder if she’s asking for a refund.
Ha-im sent a photo to show the viewers.
For breakfast: 3 cherry tomatoes, 100g of chicken breast, and a salad with no dressing.
For lunch: 100g of chicken breast and a glass of low-fat milk.
For dinner: a bowl of brown rice, one boiled egg, and a vegetable salad.
└What the heck?
└Is this for real?
└How can you dance and sing eating just this?
“This looks a bit extreme even to me. What’s your weight?”
“60 kg.”
“You’re 178 cm tall and only weigh 60 kg?”
If Mukeunji had seen her before, he would probably think that was an ideal physique.
“That’s a lie. I’m 175 cm.”
“……Are you really okay today?”
“I don’t know! I seriously can’t hold on. Give me food!”
I started to worry that today’s broadcast might become controversial. Anxiety crept up on me as I scratched my neck, but knowing how tough hunger can be, I steeled my resolve.
“PD, could you set up the cooking station, please?”
As I spoke to the broadcast, Mukeunji brought a portable gas burner, pot, and other cooking utensils into the studio, still wearing the paper bag.
“Oh? What are we eating?”
“This is what we used for cooking shows. Do you want anything in particular?”
“Anything. Just not chicken breast.”
Most of the food I learned from Joo Ji-seung is for dieting, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem.
There’s soft tofu and eggs in the office fridge, so I could make golden fried rice and Chinese-style soft tofu with eggs.
As I was preparing, Ha-im kept glancing between my hands as I cooked and Mukeunji’s hands as he moved the cooking tools and ingredients.
“Just wait a bit. I’ll make something delicious for you.”
“Okay.”
Since I was focused, I managed to prepare dinner in under 20 minutes without any complicated dishes.
I served golden fried rice that was crispy and fluffy, seasoned with egg, and spicy Chinese-style soft tofu with eggs drizzled with chili oil, along with seaweed and kimchi.
For a makeshift meal, it looked pretty good.
“Hmmmm!”
Ha-im’s eyes widened after taking a bite of the fried rice.
“This is really delicious!”
“There’s a misconception that you have to eat chicken breast when dieting, but that’s wrong. It’s important to create a sustainable diet.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Can you tell our boss this?”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
Ha-im savored the soft tofu and kimchi, looking ecstatic.
It’s tasty, but it’s hard to believe she’d be so moved by it. I feel sorry for her considering how strict her diet must have been.
“Boss, are you watching? A person who lost 58 kg in a year is telling you that you don’t need chicken breast.”
“Boss, I think you’re right.”
“What? Why are you siding with the boss?”
“Because they paid me.”
“……”
Park Ha-im stared at me and then nodded.
“By the way, aren’t you going to eat, PD? You should eat with us. It’s really delicious.”
“No, PD doesn’t want to be on camera.”
While explaining the situation to Ha-im, Mukeunji walked into the broadcast studio.
He cut the bottom of the paper bag to reveal his jaw.
“……PD?”
“Told you. PD wanted to eat too. Here, have this.”
“Okay.”
“Isn’t it really delicious?”
“Yes.”
I was so happy to see Mukeunji showing interest in eating something that I was at a loss for words.
The two people put down their spoons.
“I’m full.”
“I’m full too.”
“……Did you finish it all?”
It’s hard to believe they couldn’t finish the meal that used one bowl of rice, one block of soft tofu, and three eggs.
└But you said you were hungry.
└Wait, what kind of stomach is that? Hahaha! And they even shared it? Hahaha!
└Look at the ridiculous expression of the side dish. Hahaha!
└It’s so ridiculous that it’s hilarious. Hahaha!
└Ha-im, Chan-yong, Eun-ji, Ha-chan