Cheat day

Side by Side (2)

We arrived in Suanbo late at night.

Reflecting on the journey, the idea of reaching Mungyeong today was fundamentally a flawed plan.

“So, there’s a hot spring here.”

Ju-ji-seung said as he looked at the footbath path next to the stream.

They had set up a comfortable spot to soak one’s feet in hot spring water, and a sign reading “53°C King’s Hot Spring Suanbo Water” caught my eye.

It was my first time here, so I had no idea there was a hot spring, but I could see the word “hot spring” here and there.

We arrived at S Hotel, the accommodation arranged by Producer Ahn Sang-kyu.

“Good work, everyone.”

Ahn Sang-kyu greeted us.

Cha-ji-chan was so exhausted he just waved his hand, lacking the strength to respond.

We were all incredibly tired and just wanted to rest quickly.

“Key.”

“Just a moment. Let me explain first. Suanbo Hot Spring is the first natural hot spring in our country. It was visited by kings like Taejo Lee Seong-gye and Sukjong, hence it’s known as the King’s Hot Spring.”

“Give me the key! The room key!”

When Cha-ji-chan shouted, Ahn Sang-kyu was startled and quickly handed out the room keys.

“I know! This place has been famous for hot springs since the Goryeo Dynasty, and it was a popular tourist destination in the ’80s. It’s mentioned in the Goryeo History.”

I covered Baek Woo-jin’s mouth.

This guy would chatter on even if he were buried in the ground.

“There’s a bike repair shop here too. If you need it, you can use it, Woo-jin.”

Just as I silenced one, another began to chatter.

“The rooms feel quite old, but they have everything you need. There’s laundry service and a dryer, so you can dry your clothes.”

“I got it! I got it!”

“Each room has a bathtub with hot spring water.”

Cha-ji-chan stretched Ahn Sang-kyu’s cheeks. Even in that state, he continued explaining the accommodation, which meant Ahn Sang-kyu wasn’t quite normal either.

“Uwaaaah.”

As soon as I entered the room, I filled the bathtub with water and submerged my body.

It didn’t take long for my tired, stiff body to start melting away.

“Whew.”

As I lay back, I thought of Sky Pig, who brought me water in the afternoon.

I can’t express how grateful I was when he came to help when I wanted to give up. I wished I had at least properly thanked him.

“……100,000. 100,000?”

It feels unreal.

For those like Sky Pig who have watched my broadcasts for a long time, I can remember their nicknames, but it has become hard to find familiar names in the chat due to the sharp increase in subscribers over the past six months.

The fact that people I don’t know know me is both exciting and frightening.

There’s a chance my words and actions could be misinterpreted, and there could be people who harbor ill feelings towards me without reason.

No, I’m sure there are.

The fear begins there, but in reality, anyone who is noteworthy is bound to have critics.

I once saw an interview on TV with a famous musician who is compared to Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, loved and respected by millions. Even he had critics.

When the host asked him what he thought of them, he replied, “I make music solely to soothe my heart. I have no intention of trying to win them over.”

At the time, I found his confidence impressive and envied him.

Now that I think about it, it’s right to do things for oneself.

If I do what I enjoy, then the work will be fulfilling; if I start worrying about others’ opinions, those who like me now will eventually leave.

I want to walk my own path without being swayed, doing things that are kind and sometimes thrilling, just like his music.

“The hot spring water really is nice.”

I let out a long breath.

“The bathtub is nice.”

Thinking about how nice it would be to have a bathtub suddenly reminded me of home. I still haven’t found a place to live.

If possible, I’d like to find a place with a separate bedroom and workspace, like the one I used to live in.

I have quite a bit of money saved up, so I’m feeling greedy about it.

I’m tired of moving around, after all.

If I combine the money spread across various accounts, I could have about 300 million won, but I’m unsure whether to buy an apartment with a loan or wait a bit longer.

“Hmm.”

Speaking of which, I had a slight disagreement with Baek Woo-jin about the house situation before going on this trip.

It’s as if nothing happened, and we’re getting along like usual.

Will “Baekbanttara Season 2” be able to settle down, and can we make it to Busan safely?

They say aged kimchi likes slim people, but when will the weight come off?

Thinking about it, my head was full of complicated thoughts, but as I walked aimlessly, I managed to escape those worries.

If I had been worrying about this when the fire broke out upstairs, I might have lost my mind. In a way, it turned out well.

By the time we arrive in Busan, I’ll sort through my thoughts.

***

Maybe it was because I bathed in the hot spring water, but I felt quite a bit of fatigue lift.

Yesterday, I was really at the point of giving up, but now that I can see the Super Chat and views stacking up in the video all the way up to the sky, I couldn’t let that happen.

“Hey.”

As I went down to the restaurant, Cha-ji-chan was already done with breakfast and was eating a donut for dessert.

“Hyung, you’re really going to get into big trouble at this rate?”

He didn’t even listen to me and just stared at me while chewing the donut.

He had been eyeing me up and down on the way, so I asked, “What are you looking at?”

“Did you lose weight?”

“Me?”

“You did, didn’t you?”

“Really?”

Cha-ji-chan nodded with the donut still in his mouth.

“Is there a scale here?”

“It’s in my room. We can weigh ourselves later.”

“Why do you carry a scale around?”

“It’s all about thorough professionalism.”

Baek Woo-jin came down while yawning.

He sat next to me and stared blankly for a while before grabbing the donut in front of Cha-ji-chan.

“Hey.”

“Just one.”

“No way. You’re getting fat.”

“Fat? After going through all this hardship? I’m just going to eat one.”

Baek Woo-jin unwrapped the donut and took a big bite.

“The hot spring water was nice.”

Ju-ji-seung came down.

Had he taken a bath after waking up? His skin was shiny.

“Did you wash up?”

“Yeah. It felt nice to shampoo since my hair is growing back for the first time in a while.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at him boasting while combing his hair, which barely seemed to be 0.1 cm long. Meanwhile, Baek Woo-jin spat the donut he had in his mouth onto Cha-ji-chan’s face.

“…….”

“Hahaha!”

“Is it funny?”

“Huh-huh-huh-huh!”

Cha-ji-chan jumped up and grabbed Baek Woo-jin by the collar, shaking him. Seeing him laugh even while choking means he’s definitely lost it.

Ju-ji-seung said while wiping the table, “Should I grow it out a bit?”

“I’ll definitely support you.”

“Really? Do you think it’ll be okay?”

“Yeah. I think it’ll be good for the broadcast.”

It might even get a better reaction than the Gungye cosplay.

“Yeah. You’ve lost weight.”

“Hyung Ji-chan said the same. Have I lost some?”

“You can tell by looking in the mirror.”

“I think I look a bit better.”

Ju-ji-seung shook his head.

The laughter continued, and when I shifted my gaze, Baek Woo-jin was still laughing, alternating between looking at Cha-ji-chan and Ju-ji-seung.

Everyone seems to still be able to walk fine.

“You guys have a lot of energy for the morning.”

PD An Sang-kyu came down.

“Since you’re all here, I’ll quickly go over today’s schedule. We’ll be at the children’s center in the morning, and just like yesterday, we’ll depart at 1 PM.”

Cha-ji-chan and Baek Woo-jin, who had been joking around, sat down.

“There are two ways to get to Mungyeong: one is via Iwharyeong Pass, and the other is towards Mungyeong Saejae.”

“Which one is closer?”

Baek Woo-jin asked.

“Mungyeong Saejae. About 5 km?”

“Let’s go via Mungyeong Saejae.”

Everyone nodded without any complaints.

Fortunately, it wasn’t raining today, but thinking about the scorching sun we experienced yesterday, it makes sense to take the shorter route.

“However, the road to Mungyeong Saejae is a mountain road.”

“……This is insane.”

“If it’s a mountain, there will be trees, right? It should block the sunlight a bit.”

Baek Woo-jin’s reasoning sounded plausible.

“Let’s go via Mungyeong Saejae.”

“Okay.”

“Alright. Then it’s settled. We’ll leave in an hour.”

PD An Sang-kyu headed outside to grab items to donate to the children’s center.

“Hyung, the key.”

“Weight?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go up together.”

I went upstairs with Cha-ji-chan.

I thought it was an ordinary scale, but a fancy one that can measure body composition was placed in front of the bed.

“……Is it broken?”

It showed 95.7 kg, which I couldn’t believe, so I weighed myself several times, but it kept fluctuating between 95 and 96 kg.

“What’s it at?”

Cha-ji-chan asked as he came out of the bathroom.

“95.7 kg.”

“Wow. That’s quite a drop in weight. When was the last time you saw two digits?”

“Four to five years ago?”

Actually, I had been in a plateau for quite a long time.

In the beginning, I lost weight quickly, but as I started a healthy diet and exercised, my muscle mass increased a bit while my weight barely changed.

I had been fluctuating between 101 and 103 kg for almost two months, which made me a bit anxious, but suddenly I dropped 5 kg.

Plus, I weighed myself right after breakfast, so it’s likely that I lost even more.

“Is it from walking?”

“Of course. I’ve been walking at least 10 hours a day; it would be strange if I didn’t lose any weight. Let’s see.”

Cha-ji-chan checked my body fat and skeletal muscle mass, nodding.

“Some muscle has come off too, but this is good. You’ve escaped the plateau.”

Cha-ji-chan patted my back.

It started for various reasons: my friends doing something good, me going through tough times, wanting to have fun, and it being a good deed, but I never once thought about losing weight.

“Is there something wrong with me? I mean, I lost 5 kg in a week before and ended up in the hospital with diabetes.”

“Are you checking your blood sugar?”

“Yeah. It’s normal.”

My fasting blood sugar is around 85–90, and it doesn’t exceed 200 after eating.

“Then that’s good. With such a tight schedule, fluctuations like that can happen. And make sure to drink plenty of water.”

“Why water?”

“Right now, you’re losing fluids, so it might temporarily show a lower weight. Don’t just drink plain water; also eat a little salt.”

“Why salt?”

“You’ll have an electrolyte deficiency, and if you just chug water, it’ll mess you up.”

I should eat something salty for lunch.

“Then I’m not actually losing weight?”

“You are losing weight.”

“But you said it’s just water.”

“Hey, if you lost 5 kg of water, you’d be dead, you know.”

“So I really did lose weight?”

“Yeah.”

“Really, really?”

“I’m telling you!”

“Am I really down to two digits now?”

“Ah! Stop it! Yes, you are!”

I’m so happy that my body moves on its own.

I don’t know how to express this feeling, so I start running around the room, picking up Cha-ji-chan.

“I’m not a pig anymore, right?”

“……Put me down.”

“Am I slim now?”

“Put me down.”

“Eun-ji will probably like this too?”

It seems like she’s not impressed with the sights of Seoul.