Cheat day

Baekban Ddara (4)

“Got it. Then I’ll ask you questions on the topics you want. But each person will take turns answering.”

“Okay.”

“First, Ji-seung.”

“Fighting!”

“You can do it!”

PD Park Sang-cheol alternated between looking at Joo Ji-seung and the script before throwing out the topic.

“We have food, health, science, general knowledge, and nonsense prepared. You can choose any topic you want.”

“Food.”

It seemed like PD Park underestimated us.

Food is Joo Ji-seung’s area of expertise, and Cha Ji-chan has quite a bit of knowledge about health as well. Science and general knowledge are no threat to Baek Woo-jin, who’s like a walking Wikipedia.

Joo Ji-seung chose food without hesitation.

“You’ve chosen food, so here’s your question.”

PD Park grinned before reading the question.

“This novel, published in 1925 by writer Kim Dong-in in the Joseon literary scene, depicts how a person changes due to their environment. What did Bok-nyeo steal from Wang Seobang’s field in this novel?”

“Wait. Hold on.”

I jumped in.

“How is this a food question? It’s literature!”

“Exactly! Don’t cheat!”

Baek Woo-jin chimed in.

“I’ll give you 10 seconds. 10, 9…”

PD Park began counting without paying attention to our protests, and we could only pray that Joo Ji-seung knew the answer.

Joo Ji-seung opened his mouth.

“Sweet potato?”

“Wrong! The answer is potato!”

There was something oddly cheerful about PD Park’s voice when he announced the wrong answer.

“How can you even know that?!”

“Why is that wrong? Sweet potato is right!”

“The novel published in 1925 by Kim Dong-in is about potatoes. The main character gets caught stealing potatoes from a potato field.”

“No! It’s sweet potato!”

Baek Woo-jin jumped in.

“In the past, they called potatoes ‘jeo,’ and sweet potatoes were referred to as ‘dalda,’ meaning sweet ‘jeo.’ Depending on the region, they sometimes called it ‘gamja.’ I know!”

“That’s right. Sweet potato.”

With confidence, Joo Ji-seung backed him up, causing PD Park to fumble and huddle with the writers.

After searching for something on his smartphone, he let out a deep sigh.

“…Sweet potato is correct.”

“Wowww!”

We cheered, exhilarated by outsmarting the sly PD Park. I could hear him asking the writers if they hadn’t checked their facts.

“Next up, it’s Banchan Yong’s turn. You can choose from food, health, science, general knowledge, or nonsense.”

“Whatever I choose, you’ll ask something weird anyway. Nonsense.”

PD Park’s expression turned serious.

“What pasta do you eat on a rainy day?”

“Spaghetti.”

I immediately blurted out the answer, catching PD Park off guard.

“Why?”

“What? Is that the answer?”

“Why?”

“Because it’s humid. Humid-etti.”

Cha Ji-chan and Joo Ji-seung widened their eyes and then turned to pressure PD Park.

“…That is correct.”

“Chan-yong!”

“What’s the side dish? You!”

PD Park huddled with the writers again.

“It’s too difficult. What’s going on?”

We drove to Gangneung, Gangwon-do, in the red Casper that we used during Season 1.

Since I knew the way, I took the wheel, and the more I thought about it, the more amazing it felt.

“How did Ji-chan get that right?”

“It was a question I saw a long time ago. I solved it when I was tutoring.”

“You remember that?”

“It was such a difficult question that it was famous back then.”

“You must have been good at math. Enough to tutor for science too.”

“Just that much.”

“Wait a minute.”

“Hey, didn’t you just say I can’t count because I’m a liberal arts major?”

“…Hey, hey. Look ahead. Do you not know to pay attention to the road?”

“Wow, Cha Ji-chan.”

“Hehe. Did you see PD’s expression? He was so flustered when we got all the answers right.”

“Exactly. He underestimated us.”

In the end, we answered all 10 prepared questions correctly and earned 100,000 won.

“Before we got in the car, he said it’s okay to get some wrong for comedic effect.”

“What can I do if I know the answer? I can’t help it.”

“Me neither.”

If I were to edit the second season of Baekban Ddara, I’d actively use what just happened.

It was a fresh development, different from typical variety shows, and the producers’ flustered reactions to unexpected situations had been a source of good responses for years.

“But what are we going to eat?”

“Since we’re at the beach, we should eat seafood.”

“Squid?”

“We can’t catch squid. Let’s eat octopus.”

“Octopus?”

“Yeah. I went to a place before that was pretty good.”

“Alright, let’s leave it to Chan-yong for Gangwon-do.”

The coastal scenery between Gangneung and Donghae is beautiful. As we reached the coastal road leading to Jeongdongjin, Okgye, and Eodalri, all three of us couldn’t take our eyes off the window.

When we arrived at a shabby little building in front of Geumjin Port, it was already bustling with people.

“Wow, there are so many people.”

“It’s a famous place. We should probably sign up for a waitlist.”

“I’ll do it.”

As we got out of the car, we attracted attention.

“Oh? It’s the side dish store.”

“It’s the diabetes uncle!”

“Hello!”

“Can you take a picture for me?”

“Of course!”

“Me too!”

After a flurry of greetings and taking photos, I rejoined the group, and Joo Ji-seung chuckled.

“Wow, Chan-yong is really popular.”

“I’m cuter, though.”

“Aren’t you embarrassed? At your age, saying you’re cute?”

“Speaking the truth isn’t embarrassing; it’s courageous.”

Cha Ji-chan, who had been asleep, finally got out of the car and stretched.

“Did we arrive already?”

“We got here a while ago.”

“Ugh. No matter how much I sleep, I’m still tired.”

“Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard trying to lose weight?”

Joo Ji-seung asked with concern.

After walking to the sky and then binge-eating, Cha Ji-chan had managed to reduce his body fat percentage to about 5% in a month.

Because of that, he started experiencing side effects like wrinkles on his face and frequent fatigue.

“I told you that kind of dieting is no good.”

When I asked, Cha Ji-chan just chuckled.

“Of course, it’s not good. But I can’t place in competitions with a normal body.”

It’s hard to accept, but I’m just glad that Cha Ji-chan hasn’t resorted to taking any drugs.

“But are you okay? Can you eat this?”

Baek Woo-jin asked.

“It’s the week before the competition, so I’ll eat this and then work hard to lose weight again.”

Seeing everyone looking at him with concern, Cha Ji-chan shook his head.

“This is the last time. After this competition, I’ll eat and live comfortably too. When I was eating donuts last time, everything seemed beautiful.”

“Hehe.”

That was a comforting thing to hear.

While the visually stunning and awe-inspiring physique of a bodybuilder is impressive, it’s a grotesque state in terms of health.

Having too much body fat is problematic, but keeping only 3-4% can lead to major metabolic issues.

That’s why professional bodybuilders maintain such a strict diet only for competition season and manage their bodies more leniently otherwise.

It seems Cha Ji-chan is now trying to let go of that lifestyle he’s held for nearly 20 years.

“Table 6.”

“Yes.”

We sat down when it was our turn.

The ceiling of the makeshift building was haphazardly decorated with plants growing along the steel framework.

It had a distinct old-fashioned vibe.

“It feels cozy.”

“Right?”

“What’s good here?”

“Let’s have one octopus salad and one knife-cut noodle each.”

“What’s the difference between the spicy crab noodle soup and the clear crab noodle soup?”

“They both have crab, but the spicy one is served with a sauce to make it spicy.”

“Then I’ll have the clear one.”

“I’ll take the spicy.”

“If you’re in Gangwon-do, you should have the spicy noodle soup.”

“Sir!”

I called the owner, but he didn’t respond, as he seemed busy. After calling a few more times, we were finally able to place our order.

As I felt last time I was here, there wasn’t much of a friendly service vibe since it was near a rural port, but the generous portions of food offered a sense of warmth.

Octopus Salad (Market Price)

“Wow.”

“Look at that pile.”

The octopus and vegetables, mixed with a sweet and tangy sauce and generously topped with soybean powder, was the house’s best dish.

“Unbelievable.”

Baek Woo-jin’s eyes widened as he took a bite.

“It’s really delicious.”

Joo Ji-seung examined the ingredients and took a taste, while Cha Ji-chan seemed to be almost rolling his eyes in ecstasy.

After following such an extreme diet, it was easy to imagine just how tasty the stimulating food must be.

I took a big bite as well.

The fresh vegetables had a crunchy texture, and the freshly caught boiled octopus was chewy yet tender.

The sweet and tangy sauce enhanced the flavors, while the soybean powder added a nutty richness that made me crave white rice.

“Should we mix it all together?”

“I’m in favor.”

“Sounds good.”

When I looked at Cha Ji-chan, who wasn’t responding, he shook his head in distress.

“Then should we just order three?”

“Ah!”

“…….”

“Sir! Four bowls of rice, please!”

Cha Ji-chan couldn’t hold back and ended up ordering rice.

When you order rice, they generously sprinkle seaweed flakes and sesame seeds over it, and it’s so delicious when you mix in the salad.

“This is it.”

“The kimchi here is delicious too.”

“Right? The skills are good, and the ingredients are fresh, so how could it not taste good?”

“Exactly.”

“Knife-cut noodles!”

As we were eating the bibimbap, the knife-cut noodles arrived.

Carefully lifting the bowl filled to the brim with spicy crab noodle soup, I took a sip of the broth, and it felt cool and deep, settling in my stomach.

It felt like I was capturing the sea inside me.

“The generosity here is no joke.”

“Right?”

“Hey, if the noodle portion is this big, you should’ve told us.”

Cha Ji-chan complained.

“So, are you not going to eat?”

“I will. I have to eat.”

“Wow. I really don’t drink much, but I can’t resist this.”

“Right? I want to have a shot of soju.”

Joo Ji-seung licked his lips in anticipation.

“PD, can we have some alcohol?”

“No. Who’s going to drive?”

“Alcohol is a no-go.”

Park Sang-cheol PD also stopped Joo Ji-seung.

“Eating in front of the sea feels quite charming, doesn’t it?”

When I asked, Baek Woo-jin, who was staring down at his noodles, looked over at the sea.

“Did they catch this over there?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm.”

Nodding, he continued to eat.

After coming back from Busan, his appetite has definitely improved.

It’s nice to see him eating heartily, but it makes me a bit worried as it reminds me of the old days.

“This can’t just be paired with regular soju. We need to bring out some good soju to enjoy with this,”

Joo Ji-seung kept talking about drinking.

Cha Ji-chan was filming a silent mukbang with Baek Woo-jin, feeling resigned.

I couldn’t be left out.

As I was eating the mild and nutty octopus salad, Park Sang-cheol PD carefully tried to speak up.

“Everyone, can we talk…”

“Hmm! Hmm!”

I motioned for him not to interrupt, and he laughed in disbelief.