Cheat day

Buckwheat Soba and Blueberry (2)

The end of the recording always ends the same way: picking up trash.

What started as a small action to overcome my self-esteem and depression has now become a habit or part of daily life.

“Ugh! Let’s stop now. It’s cold.”

Baek Woo-jin whined.

“What’s cold? I’m sweating; it’s just right.”

“Then you do it more.”

Woo-jin tied up the trash bag.

“It seems like not many people come to the beach in winter. There’s not much trash, so let’s head in soon.”

Joo Ji-seung’s comment prompted me and Cha Ji-chan to tie up our trash bags and dispose of them at the nearby trash collection point.

This recording session ends here.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

After greeting the production team, we stepped into a nearby café to catch our breath.

It was D Café at Mangsan Beach, a place I often visited when coming down to the East Sea.

“I’ll have a hot Americano.”

“Me too.”

“Ah, ah.”

“Two hot Americanos and two cold Americanos, please.”

Joo Ji-seung and Baek Woo-jin decided on hot Americanos, while Cha Ji-chan and I opted for cold Americanos.

Since all four of us have diabetes, we always order Americano or cold brew when we visit a café.

It was the same today, but suddenly I craved something sweet.

“Let’s get two blueberry bingsu too.”

When I turned back after paying, all three nodded in agreement.

“We moved around a lot; we deserve something sweet.”

“Right. I felt dizzy.”

Of course, eating sugary food isn’t good for the body.

However, if someone orders it, a diabetic will eat it as if there’s no choice.

But I wondered if I would be scolded for wanting bingsu in the winter.

“Ugh!”

After settling by the window on the second floor, Baek Woo-jin stretched.

“So what’s the big deal you wanted to say?”

Cha Ji-chan, impatient, asked.

He seemed curious because I had mentioned I wanted to talk after filming.

“It might take a while, but I’ll try to explain as I think of it.”

I thought I was pretty good at speaking, but I didn’t know where to start.

Still, I believed these people would understand my feelings, so I felt comfortable starting.

“You remember how we talked earlier this year? How it’s hard for people with obesity or diabetes to manage themselves, even if they want to?”

When we go to work, we have to eat takeout loaded with sugar, and after working late, we’re too drained to exercise or do chores.

“So, I started making and selling lunchboxes. Many people said they received help from it, and while just helping with one meal might not lead to big changes…”

Joo Ji-seung nodded.

“At first, it was something I did for myself, but hearing people thank me felt nice. No, it felt good. So I thought I’d like to open a side dish shop someday.”

The bell rang.

“I’ll go get it.”

“Are you sure you can carry it alone?”

“I can handle it.”

As Baek Woo-jin and Cha Ji-chan went downstairs to get the drinks and bingsu, Joo Ji-seung opened his mouth.

“Chanyong, I feel the same way as you.”

He seemed to anticipate my words. Maybe he had been waiting for this moment.

He had mentioned starting a company together before, and we had talked about starting a business consistently.

“Yeah.”

Cha Ji-chan and Baek Woo-jin each came back up holding a tray.

Setting it down by the window made it look picturesque.

The bingsu topped with fresh, not frozen, blueberries always looks luxurious.

“I was wondering why we had bingsu in winter, but now it makes sense.”

“Yum!”

Baek Woo-jin, who hadn’t had a sweet dish in a while, shook his fist in delight.

“So, do you want to restart the lunchbox business?”

Cha Ji-chan asked.

Even though he usually jokes around, he approached this matter seriously.

“Yeah. But I want to do it on a larger scale.”

Everyone looked at me with their spoons in their mouths.

“I know from experience that it was pretty small-scale. I want to give out more to those who need it.”

“…But that’s not really giving it away.”

Woo-jin put down his spoon as he spoke.

“No matter how big you want it to be, if it scales up, it won’t be funded like before through ads. To be sustainable, there must be profits to cover all expenses like rent and labor.”

“Right.”

I acknowledged that readily.

“Thinking back to previous experiences made me say it that way, but I want to provide good service and receive fair compensation in return. If possible, I want to start with a branch in Seoul.”

The intention is good, but I don’t want to give up on profits either.

I have employees to take care of, and I also want to earn more.

They feel the same way.

As I pondered these thoughts and turned my head, Joo Ji-seung looked astonished.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Uh?”

“You just said you feel the same way as me.”

“I was just thinking about the business part. Making it a franchise wouldn’t be easy.”

“Of course it’s difficult. …If the business does well, it’s not impossible.”

Woo-jin displayed a vague attitude.

“Well, that’s good. It’s nice to earn money while doing good work. But you can’t think it’ll be like before.”

Cha Ji-chan voiced his opinion.

“To do that on a larger scale, you’ll have to give up one of the two: broadcasting or business. But what was the reason our lunchbox was successful?”

“Because of YouTube.”

“Exactly. None of us are foolish enough to give up our successful shows to do something else. If we half-heartedly do business, we’ll only end up in trouble.”

Cha Ji-chan’s words were spot on.

As Muk Eun-ji has always emphasized, our YouTube channel is our greatest strength.

It must always be the top priority.

Because of this, there isn’t enough time to take on new challenges.

If I start the diabetes meal plan business with a complacent mindset of “it will work out somehow,” the outcome will surely not be good.

“Hyung is right. Time is limited, so we need to think carefully.”

“It sounds like you have a plan in mind.”

Cha Ji-chan urged me to speak up.

“A while ago, Ji-seung mentioned merging our companies.”

“Right.”

The content planner, Choi Mi-kael, is actively managing two channels: Ban-Yasikgyeong and the side dish shop.

If Muk Eun-ji, who is skilled in external affairs, manages these two channels, I thought there would be synergy.

“Not a bad idea.”

“Then why didn’t you do it?”

Cha Ji-chan and Baek Woo-jin looked at me, asking why it hadn’t happened yet.

“I thought it wasn’t the right time yet. I suggested we take our time thinking it over, and Ji-seung was willing to wait. He probably intended to discuss it again when we start the business. Right?”

Ji-seung nodded.

“Let’s start with Ji-seung’s store. I, Eun-ji, and our staff will help as much as possible with what’s needed for Ban-Yasikgyeong. No, I’ll do it together.”

“…So you’re saying we’ll help establish the business since Ji-seung is definitely opening a store anyway?”

Baek Woo-jin accurately grasped my intention.

“Yeah. It’ll be tough for Ji-seung to run both the YouTube channel and the store at the same time. I thought we could help and flesh out the plan together. He also reached out to me because he needed assistance.”

“I’m all for it.”

Ji-seung smiled broadly.

Baek Woo-jin started digging into the blueberry bingsu while Cha Ji-chan sipped his iced Americano, lost in thought.

I also began to eat the bingsu, feeling the luxury of enjoying it indoors on a warm winter day, which seemed to melt away the fatigue of the day.

“Side dishes.”

Cha Ji-chan called my attention.

“I was thinking of creating a chicken breast product under my name. Does your plan include nationwide delivery or anything like that?”

“It just came up.”

“What?”

“It’s our collaborative work, after all. If you want to do it, let’s do it. We can deliver the lunchboxes too. Nowadays, people are even shipping live fish, so why not?”

“Why do you make it sound so easy?”

“I’m just speaking easily. Once we start, it’ll be a huge task!”

“Is that something you know who’s saying?”

“I can give you way more reasons not to do it than you can!”

“But?”

“Because I want to do it. I have to find one of the few ways to make it happen.”

Cha Ji-chan, who had been zoning out, let out a small laugh.

This person knows the ‘reason’ better than anyone.

When doing something, anyone can think of concerns.

You can easily come up with excuses like, “I exercised a lot yesterday, I’m not feeling well today, it’s hot, I showered this morning, and I’ll sweat if I exercise,” and countless other excuses.

However, the sole reason to exercise is health.

Cha Ji-chan, who has consistently pushed through numerous temptations and worries to stick to one task, would surely understand what I’m saying.

“I want to do it.”

Baek Woo-jin licked his spoon and expressed his willingness to participate.

Ji-seung looked confused, alternating his gaze between the empty bingsu bowl and Baek Woo-jin, who hadn’t eaten much yet.

“There will be a lot to learn, but we already have some know-how, and most importantly, the business potential has been confirmed.”

He seems to be confident that we can make money.

“If we had said we were going to build a factory from the start, we wouldn’t have done it. But since Ji-seung is starting, we can trust and hand it over to him. We’ll send the necessary personnel for Ban-Yasikgyeong from the three of us. I believe there’s a possibility if we start slowly and build it up.”

Since we confirmed our intentions with Ji-seung and Baek Woo-jin, we looked at Cha Ji-chan for the final confirmation.

Cha Ji-chan kept clenching and relaxing his fist before nodding.

“So? What should we do first?”

***

“Ugh, this is too salty.”

“There’s still plenty left.”

“I really can’t eat anymore. Sang-kyu, clear this away.”

“No way. Finish it all.”

In the video, Cha Ji-chan is eating his 11th chicken breast.

Since he said he wanted to produce and sell chicken breasts, I told him to compare all the chicken breasts currently on the market first.

It seemed like it could also be used as YouTube content, so I suggested he make a review video.

“Chanyong, there’s a new schedule that wasn’t on the calendar, but there are no details. Is it a mistake?”

Muk Eun-ji entered the broadcasting room.

“Oh, the 24th and 25th?”

“Yes.”

Muk Eun-ji checked the dates and nodded.

“It’s our date, so I left it blank to avoid scheduling anything else.”

“…Please don’t write things like this in the work calendar.”

“It’s a very important matter.”

“Have you completed the activities and lectures for the Pediatric Diabetes Association?”

“Of course. I paid a lot of attention to it.”

“…Did you memorize the script?”

“Should I recite it?”

“Have you given feedback on the edited broadcast from the other day?”

“Of course. I sent it during lunch.”

“…We need to broadcast on Christmas too.”

“Why?”

“The side dish shop has always done that.”

“Since it has always been like that, we should get a day off. I worked hard this whole week to take a day off.”

Muk Eun-ji stood still for a moment, thought, and then silently pushed the door open and left.

I’m glad I got everything done in advance.