Cheat day

Sadang (5)

As I interacted with Ju Ji-seung, Cha Ji-chan, and Baek Woo-jin while growing the side dish store with Mukwaji, I gradually became more aware of myself.

The painful scars were slowly fading, and new skin was forming over them.

I can’t completely erase the past, but I realized that both the tough times and the moments I worked hard without regrets are all part of me, and I can accept even the scars.

Unlike before, when I was obsessed with having flawless skin without a single scar, I’m now proud of how I’ve made it this far, even with wounds here and there, by doing my best.

“It’s really interesting. I used to think, no matter how hard I try, will trauma ever go away? If it doesn’t go away, does my effort even matter? That’s how I used to think. But that’s not it. When you care for yourself and strive to improve, the dirty things wash away, and the wounds heal.”

└Great mindset.

└I’ve thought this for a while, but even if he looks like a kookdass, his mental state is better than I expected.

└It doesn’t just disappear.

“Right. Not everything disappears. But now I can accept it. Before, I was scared of the people who hurt me and just wanted to forget them, but now I think, ‘Wow, I’ve overcome this. Even when it hurt, I worked so hard to protect myself.’ There’s a huge difference between those two perspectives.”

I scrolled down.

The content of this year’s broadcasts was detailed and organized, which surprised me.

I had moved nearby. Ban Yasikgyeong was planning to move near Sadang Station, and the second branch of the Gym Buddy was set to open between Isu Station and Sadang Station. Although Woo Jin-ius was farther away, three out of the four members of Baek Seung-yong’s team had registered in Sadang, leading to talks about the “Sadang Cartel” among subscribers.

“Wait? Ji-chan’s gym is opening a branch in Sadang?”

└Yeah.

└Why didn’t you know?

└Gyms have been struggling lately, so it seems like business is doing well.

└You haven’t been going since you moved away from the Mapo headquarters. Now it’s undeniable.

└For real, start exercising again.

“Why would he open it in our neighborhood when there are so many other places?”

Since moving, I hadn’t visited Gym Buddy due to the end of “How Long Will You Be Fat?” and Cha Ji-chan was busy preparing for competitions. Most importantly, I hadn’t been to the gym because it was too far.

I was really enjoying my newfound freedom, but if a branch opened nearby, it would reduce my excuses for not going to the gym.

To make matters worse, the bodybuilding competition would wrap up next week, and I was already contemplating how to avoid it.

I took out my smartphone and called Cha Ji-chan.

Side Dish.

“Hyung, are you okay? I’m in the middle of a broadcast.”

Yeah. What’s up?

“Are the viewers saying you’re really opening a gym branch?”

Yeah, that’s right.

“In Sadang?”

In Sadang.

“Why?”

Why? I thought about it and made the decision.

“Don’t lie! You’re coming to torment me, right?”

Am I crazy? Would I open a gym near your house just to get you to work out?

“Then why?”

I’m going because Ji-seung is there too.

I was shocked.

I was so surprised that I opened my eyes wide and couldn’t say a word, which made the viewers laugh and go wild.

An acquaintance of mine is closing down, so I bought it at a low price. It’s also good for collabs with you and Ji-seung.

“But hyung, your house is in Mapo. Why open it in Sadang?”

Hey, if two gyms are next to each other, will they both do well? You need some distance to make both places appealing.

“That’s annoyingly logical.”

Anyway, after the competition, you should start again. Come hang out with Ji-seung next week.

“I’m not going. How could I go back to that after finding my peace?”

You seem to be relieved since you lost some weight, but you’re far from it, man. When I relax, my blood sugar and body fat just keep increasing.

“That’s because you overdid it. Did you think you’d be fine after eating 6 to 12 donuts every day for a month?”

Hey, I’m fine because it’s me. If it were someone else, they would have had a blood sugar shock. So you should also work hard to build some muscle.

“I don’t want a body like yours.”

Then?

“I want a lean body. Some nice definition.”

You have a basic frame, so no matter how hard you try, it won’t happen.

“I can put in the effort.”

Then try CrossFit or something. I’m actually planning to hire a CrossFit instructor.

“What’s that?”

You’ll know when you try it.

“Isn’t it hard?”

You want a lean body, right? Then CrossFit is better than bodybuilding.

“I can’t trust a weirdo who says they love the feeling of muscles tearing while lifting heavy stuff.”

No, many people say CrossFit is more fun than regular gym workouts. The movements are varied too.

“Really? Hey, everyone, is what this guy saying true?”

When I asked the viewers, the chat was flooded with “yes” responses.

Surely, not all 20,000 of them would be lying, so I figured it was probably okay to believe them.

Anyway, I’m off. See you next week.

“Okay. Good luck with the competition.”

As soon as I put my smartphone down, the bell rang.

It was Baek Woo-jin.

“Hey, I’m in the middle of a broadcast.”

Hyung…

His voice lacked energy. Given how lively he usually is, something must be wrong.

I was about to switch to speakerphone but hesitated.

“What’s up? Why?”

Hah. What should I do?

“What’s going on? What happened?”

There was no answer.

Even though I told him I was broadcasting, his tone indicated it was something serious.

“Is it hard to talk over the phone? Should I call you back later?”

…I have diabetes.

“Oh.”

I had been worried and warned him several times since he didn’t exercise regularly and didn’t control his diet.

But now it had come to this.

What should I do?

“What do you mean? You need to pull yourself together and manage it. What’s your HbA1c level?”

…8.0.

That’s better than when I first received my diabetes diagnosis.

It’s probably type 2 diabetes caused by obesity, but my HbA1c is 6.5, so if Baek Woo-jin manages it well, he can definitely return to normal levels.

I can’t eat anything anymore.

“What do you mean you can’t eat? You’ve seen what I eat.”

How can I live like that? I can’t live without macarons. I can’t live without frappes.

“I get it. It’s tough. I know that too well. But you can still live.”

I really want to die. This isn’t living.

“Hey, what kind of talk is that? What do you think Ji-seung, Ji-chan, and I are doing?”

You guys work out!

“You can too! If you manage it well, you can still eat sometimes!”

They say I’ll lose my memory without frappes!

“Get a grip! You know exactly what happens if you don’t manage your blood sugar!”

└What is this about?

└He’s saying to manage blood sugar, right?

└Blood sugar management??

└Did Baek Woo-jin get diabetes too?

Hee.

“Have you been to the hospital?”

Yeah.

“Then start your diet and come to Ji-chan’s gym from next week.”

Huh?

“What do you mean, ‘huh’? No simple sugars, and walk for 20 minutes after eating.”

I wasn’t the only one who had lost weight while walking all the way to the sky.

Aside from Cha Ji-chan, who devoured donuts, both Ju Ji-seung and Baek Woo-jin had lost quite a bit of weight.

Even though my meal portions had increased compared to usual, the reason I could still lose weight was that, during this time, I had maintained a relatively healthy diet and had been exercising much more intensely than usual.

Afterward, Baek Woo-jin’s meal portions remained similar to those during the nationwide hiking event, consisting mostly of refined carbohydrates, specifically simple sugars.

Not exercising and eating a lot of quickly absorbable simple sugars caused his blood sugar levels to spike.

He had built up a lot until now.

I don’t want to…

“Think carefully. You can live like this, giving yourself insulin shots every day and worrying about when complications will come. Or you can manage it with medication now.”

…

“Answer me.”

I understand.

As I hung up, the viewers’ chat began to catch my eye.

└What?

└Is he really diabetic?

└Are we all working out together from next week?

└It seems serious, but why does he look so happy?

“Yeah. For more details, please ask Woo-jin. It’s not something I should discuss. What’s there to be happy about? Do you know how I felt when I found out I had diabetes? Woo-jin is my beloved brother and friend. Don’t stir things up with comments like that. This is a warning.”

└But why do his lips keep twitching?

└Lol, it’s funny that Baek Woo-jin will go through the same suffering he did.

└Thinking about rolling Baek Woo-jin is just so amusing, right?

└Wow, the Sadang family really has formed.

└Sadang fam lololololol

└How is the entire crew diabetic?

└Four diabetics working out together in Sadang

└The big picture is insane.

I nearly laughed at the Sadang family jokes.

“Seriously, stop. Woo-jin is going through something really serious. This isn’t something that’s accepted easily. And you all take care of yourselves too.”

***

I arrived at the gym in Sadang.

They had moved the exhibition hall from the first location here, and I noticed a trophy I hadn’t seen before.

It was from a bodybuilding competition where Cha Ji-chan had placed third recently.

After gaining weight and managing it again to win third place, I felt a new sense of admiration for Cha Ji-chan.

“Pretty cool, right?”

Cha Ji-chan came over and smiled.

“That’s impressive. I thought you were done for.”

“It’s the last time. I can’t keep doing this anymore. I can feel my body breaking down.”

“Then you’re not going to be a bodybuilder anymore?”

No. I just want to eat what I want moderately and focus on functional workouts from now on.

So it seems he’s taking an interest in other sports, including hiring a CrossFit instructor.

It’s certainly not easy to maintain a long career as a professional bodybuilder.

“But what’s wrong with him?”

Cha Ji-chan asked, looking at Baek Woo-jin, who was squatting down on the gym floor and scratching the ground.

“It’s because of his diabetes.”

“He’s still like that?”

Cha Ji-chan approached Baek Woo-jin.

“Hey, what’s with a guy sulking over something like that? Just manage it.”

“I have a disease now, and I have to work out too.”

“We all live like that.”

“It’s different from you guys.”

“What’s so different? I started working out last winter, and look at me now. I’m in normal range.”

Baek Woo-jin looked at me and sighed deeply.

“Everyone’s here, huh?”

Ju Ji-seung came in and handed Cha Ji-chan some protein.

“Congrats. You’ve got the second location.”

“Wow. Hyung, I was going to stop eating this.”

“Just looking at it makes you sick?”

“Yeah. I’m thinking of learning how to cook from you and how to make side dishes.”

“That’s good. Just move here completely.”

Ju Ji-seung noticed Baek Woo-jin slumped over and patted his back.

“It seems you’re still struggling a lot.”

“I don’t want to work out. Come on, let’s start.”

“Don’t you have any medication? I heard there’s a medication you can take for 72 weeks that helps with weight loss and normalizes HbA1c levels.”

“Monjaro? When are you going to take that? It’s faster to exercise and diet.”

“… Are you trying to get me to do the same thing you did?”

Baek Woo-jin looked up at me and asked.

“Yeah.”

“Wait, what?”

“I struggled to lose weight, so it would be unfair for you to just take medication and lose it easily.”

“Don’t joke around! I’m really having a hard time!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

At one time, I desperately denied this like he is now, but eventually, I realized it was a futile resistance.

Thinking about how he would suffer today was starting to make me a bit happy.

I wondered if this is how Cha Ji-chan felt.

“Getting ready for the first episode of the Sadang family!”

Producer Ahn Sang-kyu shouted from a distance.

It seemed like they really built a joint workout broadcast for Baek Seung-yong and company in Sadang.

We stood up to greet each other, and Baek Woo-jin started doing squats.

“Okay, your form looks good. Just go down like that. Don’t let your knees come together. That’s right. One.”

As Cha Ji-chan started counting, I raised my voice as well.

“One. Two. Three. Three. Four.”

Baek Woo-jin turned his head and glared at me.

“You just counted three twice!”

“No, I counted once.”

He furrowed his brows and glared, urging me to hurry up, so he started again.

“Four.”

“Why is it four? Didn’t we already count to four?”

“No, we didn’t. Right?”

Looking between Ju Ji-seung and Cha Ji-chan for agreement, they both turned away and stifled their laughter.

“Ugh, come on! Stop joking around!”