Cheat day

Be Happy (6)

On Sunday, I relaxed playing board games with Muk-ji, took a nap, and then had dinner before playing again.

On Monday, we went to Mokpo to film a segment for a show called “White Rice” and enjoyed braised hairtail. I thought hairtail was only famous in Jeju, but the braised hairtail I had at Restaurant B in Mokpo was quite impressive.

Even though it was braised, it had a lot of broth that was deep yet clear, so I could easily finish a bowl just by pouring the broth over plain rice.

According to Baek Woo-jin, I should savor the rich flavor that develops slowly as it simmers, but before I could do that, the broth was already gone.

And today, Baek Woo-jin invited me to lunch, saying he had something to discuss, so we headed to the N Restaurant at W Hotel.

“…I’ll have the same as you,” I said.

I couldn’t understand the menu, so I decided to just order what Ju Ji-seung ordered.

“The view here is nice.”

The door leading to Hwan-gu-dan outside the large window has a quaint charm.

“So, what is it?”

“Chan-yong is doing lunchboxes. Ji-chan is aiming for the sky. Ji-seung did ‘Korean Food Praise.’ Now I want to do something too.”

This was something he had been talking about for a while.

Although “Korean Food Praise” happened because we ended up appearing together, it wasn’t something we had initially planned as a group.

Still, Baek Woo-jin insisted that since everyone was doing what they wanted, he should do what he wanted too.

I thought it was only natural to do it together, so I told him to feel free to say anything. Apparently, today was the day.

Just as Baek Woo-jin was about to speak, the bread arrived.

The golden, glossy crust looked incredibly appetizing.

Taking a bite of the bread, I could feel the fluffy yet chewy texture and rich aroma.

“It’s delicious.”

“Right? I guess there’s a reason it’s expensive.”

“Exactly! I’m treating you all today.”

“Mmm.”

“Anyway.”

As Baek Woo-jin tried to speak again, the onion soup arrived.

It didn’t look particularly inviting, but surprisingly, it felt like a hangover cure despite not having drunk anything.

“This is delicious too.”

“Is this your first time having onion soup?”

“Yeah. It’s really good!”

I couldn’t stop eating.

“I’ve really thought a lot about this, and in the end, we’re all struggling because we want to be happy, right?”

“I’m happy.”

“Immensely happy!”

“I want to learn how to make onion soup.”

“Sure. So, how can we become happy? I’ve found the answer.”

Just as Baek Woo-jin was about to say something, the salad arrived.

I didn’t know what I had ordered, but it looked like a lot was thrown together. I even spotted some flowers.

“Tastes like a regular salad.”

“True.”

“No, look at the state of the vegetables. None of them are wilted or bruised. Someone must have prepared them all by hand.”

“Oh.”

It seems experts have a different perspective.

“Remember when Chan-yong and Ji-chan said they wanted to be useful to others? That’s spot on. According to Maslow, once physiological and safety needs are met, we start wanting belonging and affection, and then respect.”

“Are we eating too quickly?”

“Well, it’s delicious, so of course we’re eating fast.”

“I’m nervous since it’s my first time here.”

“So what? Just eat what you want. What’s next?”

Just then, the pasta arrived.

I was curious since the name had “truffle” in it, but I didn’t expect this type of pasta.

Even before tasting it, the strong truffle aroma was wafting up.

As I picked up the fork, the thick, creamy texture along with the truffle aroma made it undeniably tasty, but it felt a bit too rich for me.

Ju Ji-seung and Cha Ji-chan were enjoying it, while Baek Woo-jin was saying something that I couldn’t hear because the steak was being served.

Baek Woo-jin had asked for an extra steak, so I was looking forward to it, but they really only gave a tiny portion.

It was too small to cut, so I put a piece with sauce into my mouth and forgot to even be amazed.

The steak made its presence known as it filled my mouth.

With every chew, the rich meat aroma filled my nasal passages, and the juices flowing out teased my tongue.

“Are you not going to listen to me?”

Baek Woo-jin asked.

“Uh-huh. I’m listening.”

“Good, good.”

“Hyung, what did you make this with?”

“Hmm…”

“Oh, seriously.”

Baek Woo-jin pouted in frustration, so I met his gaze for a moment and popped the remaining steak into my mouth.

I could eat this every day.

“Phew.”

“That was good.”

“Are they going to give us dessert?”

They said they would bring more bread, so I had a piece to cleanse my palate, and now I was coming back to my senses.

Baek Woo-jin was pouting a lot.

“So? What’s the way to be happy?”

There was no response.

“You were talking about some recognition need and then just stopped.”

Cha Ji-chan chimed in, and Baek Woo-jin shot us a glare.

“You’re really going to listen, right?”

“Of course.”

“Oh, dessert is coming.”

I thought the timing was uncanny as I turned my head, but no one was there.

Baek Woo-jin, teased by Ju Ji-seung, was shaking his fist in frustration.

He’s really a fun guy.

“Hah.”

Baek Woo-jin sighed and then started to speak.

“There are a lot of lonely or depressed people among those who aren’t struggling to make a living. I’m thinking about doing something for them.”

That’s a good idea.

Even with a stable income, I’ve experienced a sense of loss and loneliness, and I’ve struggled with depression.

“How?”

Ju Ji-seung asked, “They say it’s important to feel like I’m needed by someone.”

“Right. I think I gradually got better while thinking that way too.”

I agreed with him.

“Yeah. So I want to give my subscribers that opportunity.”

“Volunteering?”

“It would be nice to go together.”

“No, it’s about becoming someone the viewers need. If they donate 10,000 won to me every month, how happy would that make me?”

I was left speechless because it was so absurd.

“Are you crazy?”

Cha Ji-chan stepped in for me and Ju Ji-seung.

“It’s a joke! Why do you guys always tease me and not go along with this kind of prank?”

“Shh.”

“If you act up here, you’ll get kicked out.”

Baek Woo-jin’s lips were twitching.

This was entertaining.

“So? What’s the real plan?”

“Nationwide Secret Santa.”

“……”

I was so baffled I couldn’t say anything, and this time, real dessert arrived.

In front of Ju Ji-seung and me, there was some kind of mysterious dish with nuts, and in front of Cha Ji-chan and Baek Woo-jin was a delicious-looking cake.

I should have ordered that.

“Did you ever do Secret Santa when you were a kid?”

“……I did.”

I looked it up and found out that it’s derived from the Spanish word “manito,” which means a very close friend.

“Hey, how do you do that? Nationwide? I can’t even grasp that.”

“Why? We just do it.”

“How?”

“Make eye contact with a friend and smile. Sneakily give them snacks. Then, after a month, reveal you’re their Secret Santa and give them a letter. It’s easy.”

“No, how do you do that for the entire nation?”

“What’s so hard about it? You just decide for yourself.”

Baek Woo-jin said while eating cake.

“Our subscribers can each pick someone they like and film themselves giving gifts throughout the month. Everyone has a phone, right? They can upload it all to YouTube.”

The mysterious dessert turned out to be surprisingly harmonious with fruit and nuts.

“Our subscribers are over 6 million. Even if only 10% participate, that’s 600,000 people. Then, 600,000 videos will be uploaded, and surely Secret Santa will become a trend, right?”

“What’s that?”

“Everyone becomes kinder.”

This time, I was so astonished that I couldn’t respond, not because it was ridiculous, but because I was genuinely surprised.

Although Baek Woo-jin’s idea seemed a bit far-fetched at first, the intention behind it—to hope that individuals would become kinder to their neighbors—was indeed noble. If it really catches on, maybe it could fill a corner of the news, previously filled with hate, with good stories.

“How will you persuade the subscribers?” Cha Ji-chan asked.

“It’ll be fine. Everyone will do it.”

“What about incentives or something like that?”

“No, we don’t need that. If they’re our viewers, I’m sure they’ll participate voluntarily.”

“……What if we reached out to those with interesting or touching videos from the Secret Santa project? It would feel like interviewing the creators.”

Baek Woo-jin nodded at my suggestion.

“Since it’s an act without any compensation, Chan-yong’s idea makes sense.”

Ju Ji-seung seemed interested as well.

“Wow. Can we handle this?”

Cha Ji-chan still had some concerns.

“The fact that you’re worried about handling it means you’re thinking you’ll be participating a lot too, right?”

Baek Woo-jin asked.

“Well, just for fun. I’d probably do it just to enjoy myself. If everyone’s doing it, it might be easier to consider. But a month is too long.”

“Yeah, given the current pace of content consumption, it’s better to keep it short and sweet. It’s better than letting it fizzle out later.”

“Hmm. Then how about a week?”

“A week sounds reasonable.”

“Wait, are we really doing this?”

“Let’s do it!”

Baek Woo-jin exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement.