Cheat day

Success (8)

“Come on now. What’s with this, huh?”

Currently in first place is loin, leading second-place pork belly by 200 votes.

They know they’re choosing my dinner, yet some viewers are trying to mess with me, while others are picking whatever they feel like eating.

“Guys, this is to choose *my* dinner menu. You’re not choosing something for yourselves; you’re choosing what I’ll eat.”

We know.

Man, I’m really craving loin.

Haha, pork loin is so good.

I want pork belly.

Tonkatsu cooking stream, let’s go!

The vote difference approaches 300.

“Hey, come on. This isn’t a joke! Is my dinner a joke to you? One of only three meals I get each day?”

Obviously, it’s a joke.

This is hilarious!

You look so serious, it’s killing me, haha.

Are you mad?

Finally, the vote difference between loin and pork belly crosses 300.

I’d forgotten something important for a moment.

These people love messing with me. Even if choosing a meal were a sacred ritual, to them, it’s just entertainment.

“Hey, everyone, let’s do it this way.”

Questions start popping up in the chat.

“I can’t even make tonkatsu here right now. I don’t have the ingredients. Going grocery shopping, setting up—it would take at least an hour or two. You’d get bored waiting, right?”

A few say they don’t care, but the voting has noticeably slowed.

“Let’s go with pork belly. Just a suggestion.”

Why?

Why should we?

Nope.

Haha, wait, what’s in it for us?

I want to see you make tonkatsu.

“Come on, I’m not just asking this for no reason. How about a burger giveaway? A little event? Ten people will get one.”

No thanks.

Only ten, when there are 20,000 viewers?

I’d rather watch you suffer. Just give in, dude.

It’s over.

The votes suddenly surge before I even get a chance to suggest another option.

“I just want to enjoy a nice meal for once. How can you just mess with someone’s dinner like that? Seriously?”

Tonkatsu! Tonkatsu!

Since tonkatsu is so common, how about sweet-and-sour pork instead?

Let’s start from scratch. Buy loin and pound it out yourself.

Haha, he actually looks so sad, lol.

If there was any hope, I’d try reasoning, but the gap between first and second place has grown to nearly 1,000 votes.

It’s over.

“…Fine. Grilling meat just means more cleanup anyway. Why bother?”

Haha, he’s giving up.

Wait, does this mean you’ll actually make tonkatsu?

Our victory is complete.

“Actually, I think I’ll just order tonkatsu.”

Why does that sound so dodgy?

Weren’t you supposed to make it yourself?

We chose loin, though!

“I never said I’d make it. I said I couldn’t make it here. Since you picked loin, guess I’ll just have to order it in. Don’t you agree?”

We’ve been duped.

Wasn’t this a grilling decision?

“I said I wanted to grill something. And I also mentioned that we don’t have the right setup here. Should I rewind the footage for you?”

I replay the recent footage, and the chat fills with exasperated reactions.

So what would you have done if pork belly had won?

What would you even do if you didn’t stream?

He’d probably be out there scamming, lol.

“If pork belly had won, I’d order it too. Man, tonkatsu sounds so good. I actually hadn’t been able to enjoy it much until recently, after a filming with Baekban at a Japanese-style place. Been craving it ever since. Thank you.”

You tricked us from the start?

Wow, is this how Baek Woo-jin feels every week?

Such a little devil, haha.

Do it again. This vote doesn’t count.

“Ugh, this is so annoying, haha.”

“What do you mean invalid? Where’s the invalid vote? I didn’t lie about anything!”

The viewers began to protest even louder.

“Sigh. Alright, but try asking politely instead of cursing, okay?”

Wait, are we really supposed to beg for this?

Get out of here, streamer.

Haha, kick him out!

Do it again!

How is he so shameless?

“Seriously. I wasn’t going to do it, but just this once, I’ll let it slide, alright?”

This guy’s too funny, haha.

Acting like he’s doing us a favor.

Is he usually like this?

Yep.

The guy’s got a talent for getting under people’s skin.

We did another vote, and this time, it seemed like the viewers teamed up to vote for cuts I don’t like, like pork cheek and dry back leg meat. In the end, pork cheek won.

Laughter flooded the chat.

So what are you gonna do now?

Go buy pork cheek.

Do a live cook-off in a barbecue joint.

It’s been a while since a taste-testing stream.

Let’s go! If you want to beat rush hour, you’d better hurry.

“Alright. Looks like pork cheek won. I’ll order tonkatsu.”

I grabbed my phone and started scrolling through the delivery app, then looked up to see the predictable reactions.

Don’t even try that nonsense!

Why tonkatsu again? Haha.

It’s always back to tonkatsu.

Are you making pork cheek tonkatsu now?

“You know the special loin cut? The one with the fat on top and lean at the bottom—that’s made from pork cheek. Well, guess I’ll have to spend extra money on this expensive tonkatsu thanks to the re-vote. Honestly, I’d rather just have loin. Too bad. Really, such a shame.”

Doesn’t look like you’re disappointed at all.

Wait, why hold a vote if you’re just going to do what you want?

What would you have eaten if it had been a different cut?

Haha, feels like we’re experiencing this from Baek Woo-jin’s perspective.

Woo-jin, I’m sorry we ever messed with you.

“If it had been neck meat, I’d have ordered neck tonkatsu. They had it in *Solitary Gourmet* Season 7, and it looked really good.”

A ton of question marks filled the chat.

“Pork jowl? I’d have gone with pork jowl tonkatsu. You don’t know about that deliciousness? With a thin batter, it’s super crispy.”

Tonkatsu made from front leg meat reminds me of the ones I used to eat as a kid, and as for tenderloin, it’s just as popular as loin for tonkatsu.

“Of course, there’s even pork belly tonkatsu. As for skirt meat tonkatsu, you’ll find it sometimes at places specializing in skirt meat—it’s got a chewy texture that pairs perfectly with the batter.”

So was every option just a setup to get tonkatsu anyway?

We’ve been completely played.

All just a plan to eat tonkatsu, huh?

You just get sneakier every day, don’t you?

“See, that’s why you should all do good deeds often. Oh, this is nice and cozy.”

I joked, and the viewers, naturally, got all worked up again.

The channel has grown, so we don’t have the same small, friendly vibe as before, but this rowdy atmosphere isn’t bad either.

**Knock, knock.**

When I turned my chair around, Mugunji was standing at the door.

“Yes, PD?”

“I’ve got pork cheek, a grill plate, a portable burner, and veggies prepared. You can use them during the stream.”

“What?”

I went outside, surprised, and there it was—all set up for me.

“What’s all this?”

“You said you wanted to grill, so I got it all at the store.”

With that, Mugunji casually left, so I took the portable burner, grill plate, pork cheek, green onions, and onions back to the studio.

Haha, I can’t believe this.

Mug PD, Mug PD!

You don’t like pork cheek? It’s good!

Time to make green onion salad first.
Just go ahead and make tonkatsu.

This PD sure knows how to get him back, haha.

Look at his expression.

***

“Yaaaawn.”

I received an interview request from the *Korea Daily* tomorrow. They sent over a list of questions beforehand, and reading through it made me yawn.

I took off my glasses and put my phone down on the bedside table as Mugunji came in and lay down next to me.

“Finished everything?”

“Yes. How about you, Chan-yong?”

“I’m too tired to go on. I’ll just wake up early to finish it.”

Mugunji turned off the bedside light.

“One of the questions they sent was about how I achieved success.”

Mugunji turned over to look at me.

“I get that question a lot these days. I really don’t know. Saying it was effort doesn’t feel right because I had so much help, but saying it was luck doesn’t feel right either because I worked really hard.”

“Isn’t that the answer you usually give?”

“Yeah.”

“Then are you looking for a clearer answer?”

I thought about it for a bit.

“I guess it got me wondering about something more fundamental: What really defines success?”

Mugunji nodded.

“Financially, even before the streaming blew up, I was doing well.”

Once my editing job became stable, I made over 100 million KRW annually.

It’s not as much as now, but I think I was making enough to earn people’s respect.

“But back then, I never felt successful. Now, though, I genuinely feel like I am.”

“Is it because you’re earning more?”

“Mm. That’s part of it, of course. The more, the better. But honestly, I don’t think I’d feel successful if I didn’t have you.”

Mugunji smiled.

“If I didn’t have Ji-seung, Ji-chan, Woo-jin… if I hadn’t done things like the lunchbox project or the national hike, it wouldn’t feel as real. If there were no people saying I inspired them, I don’t think I’d feel as fulfilled.”

“So your idea of success is about relationships.”

“I guess so. Or, wait, I mean… it’s not like you can get by without money.”

I chuckled.

“If you answer like you just did, there’ll be people who understand.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.”

I looked at Mugunji for a while.

“Eun-ji.”

“Yes.”

“…Eun-ji-ah.”

She widened her eyes a bit, surprised, then smiled.

“Yes.”

“Sweetie.”

This time, there was no reaction.

“When I call you with honorifics, doesn’t it feel distant?”

“I don’t mind either way.”

“Then try calling me that.”

Mugunji looked away and then turned her back to me.

She must be embarrassed.

“Good night.”

I whispered into her ear as I wrapped my arm around her waist, and after shifting slightly, she finally responded.

“This feels uncomfortable.”