Cheat day

Side by Side (3)

It seems there are quite a few people biking from Chungju to Mungyeong and then to Sangju.

While walking along the endless uphill paths, I occasionally spotted people on bicycles.

“There are a lot of shady spots,” Cha-ji-chan chided Baek Woo-jin.

“Did you know it would be like this?”

“You were acting smart!”

“I am smart!”

As Cha-ji-chan and Baek Woo-jin bickered, we soon reached Mungyeongsaejae.

Once we passed the gate, we were met with a true mountain path rather than a paved road.

Since this is a popular tourist spot, there were quite a few people hiking, making the desolation of the past few days feel like a lie.

“Biking is uncomfortable,” Baek Woo-jin complained, as he had to push his bike up the continuous slopes.

“If you didn’t have that, you’d be in Seoul right now.”

“Isn’t that actually better?”

I oddly found that understandable.

Just a few days ago, I had made a fuss about getting a bike, but after experiencing the past two days, people’s hearts can change.

That said, he wouldn’t be the type to turn back now.

“The water here is nice.”

At Ju Ji-seung’s words, I turned my head to see the water flowing next to the path was incredibly clear.

“Let’s take a break.”

I sat by the stream, took off my shoes and socks, and dipped my feet in. Sitting side by side in the shade felt refreshing.

“So cool.”

“How is it so clear?”

“You can’t experience this in Seoul.”

“My home is better.”

Baek Woo-jin mumbled to himself.

“Pack mule.”

“Aren’t you the diabetes guy?”

Hearing our conversation, a group of people turned to look at us.

“Hello!”

Cha-ji-chan waved.

“Hey, could you take a picture of me?”

A man approached us.

“Oh, of course.”

Cha-ji-chan stood up and took a picture with the man.

“Did you come for hiking?”

“No, I just happened to pass by here this morning.”

“Really?”

“Seriously, I’m not joking. Is it okay to take a photo? Want a donut?”

“No, that’s okay. You take this.”

The man pulled out a transparent plastic container from his bag and handed it to us.

“Wow, you have great taste.”

“I fully support you, man.”

Cha-ji-chan greeted the fan and returned to sit by us.

“This is amazing. Yesterday it was Chan-yong’s subscribers, and today it’s Ji-chan’s.”

“Right? Let’s eat one each.”

After a bit of hesitation, I took one. I had lost quite a bit of weight, and if I wanted to keep walking with energy, I needed to eat something.

“Woo-jini!”

Just as I was about to eat the donut, someone called out to Baek Woo-jin. Another group of students seemed to be talking among themselves.

“Do you have water?”

“Pardon?”

“Do you have water?”

That’s quite brazen of them.

I turned to look at Baek Woo-jin in disbelief, but in the end, he managed to get a water bottle.

“Aren’t I cute?”

That kid clearly has no sense of embarrassment or something must be wrong with him.

Seeing them laugh, it seemed they found it ridiculous too.

“You are cute.”

He might have a very unique taste.

“He’s usually cuter. He’s just tired from the hard work.”

“Woo-jini looks exactly like in the videos, but Ban-chan is way cooler.”

“……Me?”

“Yes.”

I had misunderstood these very normal people.

Baek Woo-jin squinted at me with a strange face, pressing his upper lip to his nose.

“When is Baekban Dara Season 2 airing?”

“It should be around fall. We haven’t started filming yet.”

“Is it okay to say that?”

“Is that not allowed?”

“I don’t know.”

“Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that. I don’t want to get scolded.”

I couldn’t get their signatures because I didn’t have a pen, but we took pictures and exchanged greetings before dipping our feet back into the stream.

“It’s really amazing. There are people who recognize us in the mountains.”

“Right?”

“I never thought someone would come all the way out here.”

When I passed through Gyeonggi-do, there were a few people who recognized me in the city, but meeting subscribers in the mountains was truly delightful.

“What’s wrong?”

Baek Woo-jin asked Ju Ji-seung.

Ju Ji-seung had his elbows resting on his thighs, his head hanging down, looking quite sad.

“Is it because no one recognized you?”

“……Maybe I should work harder.”

“Oh, come on. That can’t be it. They probably didn’t recognize you because of your hair. Ha!”

Cha-ji-chan poked Baek Woo-jin hard in the side.

“You deserve to be hit more.”

Ju Ji-seung turned on his smartphone camera and angled it to show his face from various angles.

“Do I look younger?”

“……Are you sad or enjoying this?”

***

It was the ninth day since Baek Seung-yong’s car left Seoul.

Their story began to gain traction in various media outlets.

The young people who had previously sold affordable and healthy lunchboxes and engaged in charitable work were now sharing the profits from their lunchbox sales, and with WH’s sponsorship, they were supporting a total of 14 children’s homes and nursing homes in Busan, bringing a warm touch to what had been a rather bleak piece of news.

Laughter bloomed at a children’s home in Mungyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Four internet broadcasters who sold healthy lunchboxes a month ago visited with toys and smartphones.

How did you come here?

[Influencer Cha-ji-chan] We planned to play with the kids. We were going to play soccer, and luckily, the weather is clear today.

I heard you are visiting other cities as well.

[Influencer Cha-ji-chan] Yes. We started walking from Seoul and have stopped in various places like Seongnam, Dongtan, and Chungju.

What is your destination?

[Influencer Cha-ji-chan] Our goal is Busan.

They signed a sponsorship deal with a company, and if they successfully walk from Seoul to Busan, they will donate a total of 140 million won.

Moreover, they are collecting 10 million won each to distribute learning materials, electronic devices, and toys that the children need.

The public response has been enthusiastic. The combined viewership of these four individuals’ live broadcasts has reached 100,000, and donations are flowing in as fans join in on their good deeds.

Are you receiving help?

[Director of the Children’s Home] Yes. The kids are very happy. Seeing people they watched on their smartphones come here makes them feel good. We’ve also received more inquiries about how to donate, and many people have sent rice and cash.

[Influencer Baek Woo-jin] The welfare budget allocated by the government is absurdly low. According to the data released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare for 2021, it’s 256,267 won per person per month. That’s 8,000 won a day. They have to eat, dress, and sleep on that amount. They say children are the future. We need institutional checks.

[Influencer Ju Ji-seung] It’s definitely heartbreaking. I heard from a teacher that some children in the home get bullied just for being there. If they had parents, they would be protected, and if things got tough, they could at least transfer to a school or a local area, but for children in a home, that’s not easy. I think we need to change perceptions, and when I go back, I’ll have a lot to tell my daughter.

[Influencer Ban-chan-yong] At first, I only thought of doing good deeds, but after hearing from the teachers, I realized I had many misconceptions. I’m just trying to give gifts out of goodwill, but it turns out that’s not necessarily good for education. So, we’re delivering donations and toys through the teachers, and we’re just playing and eating with the kids.

Many citizens are joining in the footsteps of these individuals known as Baek Seung-yong’s car, signing up for donations and volunteer activities for children’s homes and nursing homes. The young people’s good deeds have become a warm light for the community, breaking through the long rainy season. This is Park Seong-jun reporting for WTV News.

***

The next day after arriving in Mungyeong.

I was so busy with interviews and various things since the morning that when lunchtime came around, some familiar faces arrived.

“Surprisingly holding up, huh?”

Producer Lee Ji-hye from Ujinious teased Baek Woo-jin.

“Yeah, you can’t take a vacation now.”

“You say it’s tough, yet…”

“I didn’t say it was tough!”

“So? How’s your back?”

“It’s okay.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried about what would happen if you couldn’t earn a living.”

It seems they were genuinely concerned despite their playful banter.

Producer Lee Ji-hye asked Baek Woo-jin if he had any blisters or other pain, and then handed him a bunch of ointment and antiseptic.

“How is it?”

“Hmm. I’d prefer to rub it in.”

“Not good? I like it.”

“It seems like it’d be fun to grow it out, but since you’re a chef, it’s better to keep it hygienic.”

“Is that so?”

Choi Mi-kael seemed to hope that Ju Ji-seung would shave his head somehow.

“The walking stick turned out to be surprisingly useful, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, it was comfortable. What’s that?”

“You asked for clothes. It’s a robe made of hemp; they say it’s cool.”

“How can you wear this? If you wear it for a day, it gets soaked with sweat. Didn’t you bring any other clothes?”

Choi Mi-kael sighed and handed over the bag.

Turning my head, I saw Muk-ji-ji get off the bus for the last time.

“Eun-ji!”

As I approached her with a delighted heart, she looked worried.

“You’ve lost a lot of weight.”

“Isn’t it good to be slim?”

“You said being healthy is good.”

“Isn’t your preference for skinny people, Eun-ji?”

Muk-ji-ji ignored me and took out her bag.

“I brought your clothes.”

“Oh, thank you. It must have been heavy, right?”

“I loaded it in the car.”

How can she be so smart? I just felt glad to see her face.

“Is the office running smoothly? It didn’t seem like there were any particular issues.”

“All filming except for the content related to the national long-distance trek has been exhausted. We’re planning to edit funny moments from past broadcasts into shorts.”

“Let’s create a separate channel for that.”

“I’ll do that.”

“It must have been tough getting here. Hurry and go upstairs.”

Muk-ji-ji took the bag she was carrying and headed to the room.

As I set down my bag and Muk-ji-ji’s bag next to the entrance, she took out a bottle of water and sat down at the table.

“By the way, the home baking machine project that was in progress has been temporarily suspended.”

“Huh? Why?”

“If we’re going to shoot anyway, it’ll be after this, so if we delay the negotiation period, we might be able to increase the unit price.”

“If it’s something you’re doing, it must make sense.”

“That kind of attitude is problematic. You need to confirm things properly.”

“That kind of attitude is also problematic for me. It’s nice to talk about work, but we’ve met after ten days, so let’s talk about how you’ve been.”

“Didn’t we talk on the phone every day?”

Thinking about it, I nodded in agreement.

As I was organizing the clothes Muk-ji-ji brought, I heard her mumble something softly from behind.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

“I think you said, ‘My preference is for Chan-yong.’”

Muk-ji-ji silently tapped my back.