Cheat day

ollowing the Meal (1)

Saturday.

The most exciting day of the week.

“Make the side dishes.”

“Ju Ji-yong.”

At 11:30 AM, we started broadcasting from the Bucheon Banyasikgyeong studio.

Even though the time slot was a bit awkward, around 10,000 viewers gathered, indicating that there are indeed many loyal viewers of Banyasikgyeong.

“Today’s dish is fried rice. Chan-yong, you like fried rice, right?”

“I love it!”

“Today’s fried rice is also good for your health, so if you learn it, you can keep making it.”

“But why is there tofu?”

“Because it’s tofu fried rice.”

“I only like Mapo tofu over rice.”

I had never heard of fried rice made with tofu before.

“Okay, let’s start with the preparation. As always, we’ll be making two servings. Chan-yong, crack four eggs and chop the green onion and onion finely.”

“Yes, Chef.”

While Chan-yong was busy preparing the eggs, Ju Ji-seung got the tofu ready.

“Chan-yong is chopping one green onion and one onion finely, and I’ll fry one block of tofu.”

Ju Ji-seung placed the tofu in the frying pan.

“Aren’t you using cooking oil?”

“Nope. Tofu has a lot of moisture. If you add oil, it’ll splatter.”

“Oh.”

“Everyone, be careful. Right now, we’re cooking the tofu while drying out the moisture. Just put the tofu in without oil and crumble it like this.”

Ju Ji-seung quickly stirred the crumbled tofu.

As time passed, a nutty aroma began to rise.

“Once the moisture is all gone, we’ll add cooking oil and toss in the green onion and onion to stir-fry together.”

The sizzling sound was very appetizing.

“Once the onion becomes translucent, add a tablespoon of soy sauce and a tablespoon of oyster sauce, then throw in a bowl of rice. Keep stir-frying.”

“This is going to be delicious.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. With soy sauce and oyster sauce, it can’t be bad.”

“Ha-ha! Once the rice and tofu are well mixed, pour in the beaten eggs and stir-fry quickly. The key is to wrap the tofu and rice with the eggs quickly.”

Ju Ji-seung performed a flourish as he lifted and lowered the frying pan.

Every time he did that, a rich, nutty aroma wafted out, stimulating my appetite.

Sizzle-sizzle—

The sound of a train, something I hadn’t heard in a long time, resonated through the frying pan and transported me to the present.

My heart raced like it did before embarking on a journey.

“When it’s done, sprinkle some pepper. Alright, give it a taste.”

Ju Ji-seung served the tofu fried rice.

The steam rising was reminiscent of the steam emitted by a train.

Blowing on a spoonful and taking a big bite, I was transported to a scene of rice paddies unfolding before my eyes.

The scenery outside the moving train began to move slowly, yellow like a ripe egg, while the white clouds floated like tofu.

As I savored the grains of rice along with the savory aroma, the train gradually picked up speed.

My heart raced as I quickly moved my spoon.

“Wow. Ha-ha!”

“Delicious, right?”

“Yeah. It’s really tasty. There’s not much in it, but it’s so good.”

“We only used one bowl of rice. The rest is tofu, so it’s rich in protein and will keep you full. The only thing lacking might be dietary fiber.”

Ju Ji-seung served some young radish kimchi.

“You can’t have fried rice without kimchi.”

“I love it!”

The cool young radish kimchi instantly refreshed my slightly oily palate.

It felt like the cool breeze you feel when stepping out of a train station after a long journey.

I think I’ll be making this often.

***

After finishing the broadcast, Choi Mi-kael brought the car.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Have you found a place to live yet?”

“Not yet. I want to find one quickly, but it’s not going as I hoped.”

“Where are you looking?”

Ju Ji-seung asked.

“Actually, I have my eye on a place near Isu Station, but it’s too expensive.”

Ju Ji-seung nodded in understanding.

“Right. Ah, I’m also looking around since my lease is expiring, and it’s frustrating.”

“Do you have to move too?”

“Yeah. I have three months left, and I’m debating whether to move to Seoul or stay in Bucheon.”

“Hm… Actually, as I’ve been searching for a place, I wonder if I really need to be in Seoul.”

“Right? It’s too expensive.”

“Yeah.”

“But to be honest, I also have desires. Since I’ll be traveling a lot, I want to be somewhere that’s a bit more convenient to move around.”

“So, Isu?”

“Yeah. I’ve been looking in the Yongsan, Isu, and Sadang areas, but I can’t even touch Yongsan.”

“Ha-ha. I know.”

“What about you?”

“Well, I want to go to Seoul, but my wife says there’s no need to overextend ourselves. I actually think the same way.”

“Yeah.”

“But lately, I’ve been gathering guests.”

Since that time, Ju Ji-seung has been inviting famous personalities one by one to treat them to food.

Since the guests can appear on a channel with a million subscribers, it’s a win-win for both sides, and YouTube viewership has been good, so recently, he has been collaborating with 1-2 guests every week.

“But surprisingly, it has some influence.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah. Whether they come from that side or I go somewhere, it’s all the same. Honestly, I was looking into Sadang just like you.”

“Why Sadang?”

“It’s convenient for moving around, and it seems like a feasible option.”

I thought the same way.

“Are we going to be neighbors?”

“That’d be great. Since we see each other often anyway, we’d save time on commuting. We could also grab a meal together occasionally.”

“Hm.”

“But Chan-yong.”

“Yeah?”

“Was Producer Muk originally involved in contract-related work at Hongdangmu?”

“Yeah. He did that and handled external affairs. Why?”

Ju Ji-seung pondered for a moment.

“Like when you signed the advertisement contract for the rice cooker last time, or the WH contract, and now your appearance fee. I’ve heard rumors that he’s good, but it’s impressive.”

“Right. Our Eun-ji is amazing.”

“I thought about it carefully, and my contract with Tomato is up this year. But working with Producer Muk seems better than continuing with Tomato.”

“Of course. I’m not envious of big corporations. As long as I have Eun-ji, I’m good.”

“So, what if we create our own company together?”

“…Huh?”

“If Producer Muk takes on the management role, I’ll give you the same percentage that Tomato was getting. If starting a separate company feels off, I can just contract with your corporation.”

I was surprised by the proposal itself, but my joy at how much Muk is being recognized overshadowed it.

Even though I didn’t know the exact amount Ju Ji-seung was sharing with Tomato, it must be in the tens of millions.

To me, this was a sign that Muk’s abilities were being highly valued over the benefits of the contract with Tomato, which made me incredibly happy.

“Right now, I’m just so surprised that I can’t think straight.”

“Ha-ha. Right.”

Neither of us is the type to find it difficult to communicate, so Ju Ji-seung probably thought carefully before bringing it up casually.

“I’ll talk to Eun-ji about it.”

“Okay. Take your time and think it over.”

“Sure.”

***

When I conveyed Ju Ji-seung’s words, Muk slowly lifted his head, looking pleased.

“I refuse.”

“Huh?”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“It seemed like you were pleased.”

“It’s always a joy to have my abilities recognized.”

“Then why are you refusing?”

“I just started a Shorts channel. And as a producer, I’m still a beginner.”

Muk poured me a cup of tangerine tea, which he likes.

“Right now, I need to focus on planning content for the side dish store and ‘One Bite Only.’ I don’t have the capacity to take on other projects.”

“That’s something you can start next year. By then, if you find someone else, Eun-ji’s burden will be reduced.”

“We talked before about things we need to be careful about. Do you remember?”

“Expanding the business?”

“Yes. The side dish store is currently growing rapidly. Since the growth is so fast, there’s a chance we might overlook important things. I want the side dish store to become more solid.”

I nodded in agreement.

“I understand Eun-ji’s perspective. I really appreciate it.”

“What do you think, Chan-yong?”

“I see it positively.”

Muk looked straight at me.

When we first met, I thought his demeanor was very stiff, but now I trust he’ll listen to whatever I say.

“Ju Ji-seung and I will continue to work on various content together. For example, in the case of ‘Making Side Dishes for Ju Ji-seung,’ I’m personally benefiting from it, and the views have been consistently good.”

“Indeed.”

“On the other hand, I feel a bit of a gap in the external work for ‘Banya Sikgyeong.’ Although Mikael has good planning skills, he’s a bit weak in that area, so we’re entirely relying on Tomato. They only bring in big projects without considering the quality of the products.”

“That’s efficient, I guess.”

“Right. Tomato might think that way, but Ju Ji-seung has a different perspective. That’s why they often decline offers, leading to stress for both sides.”

Muk slowly nodded in agreement.

“On the other hand, we’re lacking in planning skills. Eun-ji and I are trying our best, but I’m spending more time as an actor, and Eun-ji is overwhelmed with her current workload.”

“You can do it.”

“No, you’re doing planning, editing, subtitles, and external affairs all by yourself.”

“I’m just helping you out.”

“We plan and edit together, but you’re handling external affairs and company management alone. Plus, you just started a Shorts channel.”

“…”

“Eun-ji is also trying to refuse this offer to solidify the side dish store’s foundation, so I don’t think it’s entirely unrelated.”

“Just as you said, that’s true.”

“But what if Mikael helps with our planning to some extent, and Eun-ji takes care of external affairs for ‘Banya Sikgyeong’? We could focus on what we do best, right? I thought that might be more efficient.”

Muk took a sip of tangerine tea and pondered.

“I see. If we’re talking about efficiency, that might be better.”

“Is something bothering you?”

“Yes.”

Just like Muk, I’m ready to listen to whatever she has to say.

I gently nodded to encourage her, and Muk unexpectedly said something.

“I’m hesitant about letting someone else into our company.”

“…Huh?”

“Ju Ji-seung’s proposal certainly has its merits. Even just by guessing, we could earn several million, and I’m sure others would want to assign similar work to me. It’s a small industry.”

The word spreads quickly in this industry.

“If that happens, it’ll be hard for you and me to maintain our close relationship like now. I don’t want that.”

“Haha. Ah, um. Oh.”

“I want to create programs that I’ve planned and have you handle them, and then we’ll edit them together. I want to be able to lie side by side before bed, looking at comments together, laughing together, getting angry together, complimenting each other, and comforting each other.”

“That sounds great!”

“It does.”

“Um. That’s good. I’ll refuse this offer.”

“Please let me know if you need help without interfering with your current work, and I’ll do my best to assist you. I can manage that much.”

I shook her hand.

“Maybe—no, I’m sure there will come a day when I want to grow the side dish store.”

“That’s how it should be.”

“Do you think your thoughts will change by then?”

“When that time comes, I’ll have become competent enough to handle everything, so there will be no problem.”

“Ha ha ha. But what if you end up exhausting yourself?”

“That won’t happen. I’ll take care of my health, the side dish store, and you as well.”

“Isn’t that a bit greedy?”

“Yes. I’ve become quite the ambitious person.”

“How did it come to this?”

“It’s because of you, Chan-yong.”

I share the same sentiment.

I was once a terrible workaholic, and now I wish to be healthier than anyone else and have someone special in my heart.

“I’ve become more ambitious because of Eun-ji, too.”

“We can manage everything.”

“Yeah. We can do that.”