Episode 27

“Ah, I’ve only added the oil so far.”

Jun-ho washed the vegetables at the water source, and Yeon-woo received them, placing a cutting board on the table to start preparing them.

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

Wow!

Yeon-woo unexpectedly displayed a skilled cutting technique, eliciting exclamations as he skillfully prepared the vegetables.

“Wow! Yeon-woo, where did you learn to cut like this?”

“Just at home, occasionally.”

When Jun-ho asked, surprised, Yeon-woo casually replied that it was nothing out of the ordinary.

He had spent more than 20 years living alone overseas, dispatched to various countries. He had spent several years each in Italy and India. Living in places where delivery culture wasn’t prevalent, he often cooked local dishes as well as Korean food he missed dearly.

Naturally, his culinary skills weren’t flashy, but he knew how to make food that was quite satisfying.

Yeon-woo smiled and handed a plate to Han So-hyeon.

“Noona, please scoop rice onto the plate.”

“Got it!”

Han So-hyeon went to the kitchen and brought out enough rice for the four of them.

“Alright, shall we stir-fry?”

They added the rice and sliced vegetables into the pot covered with oil, along with soy sauce, sugar, and other seasonings. As they stir-fried, the strong heat from the fireplace resulted in a natural fire show. Thanks to how well Son Jin-yuk had built the fireplace, a strong flame ignited in the fire starter inside the cauldron. Without any intention of showing off, the beautiful scene of flames naturally captivated the crew and actors, eliciting their admiration.

“Hey, this looks amazing. We should use this in the trailer.”

As Yeon-woo showcased his cooking skills, the production team busily took notes.

“Alright, it’s ready. Shall we try our first meal?”

“Wow, Ryu Yeon-woo, you’re the best!”

The perfectly cooked, delicious stir-fried rice,

“Just a moment, let me get an insert shot.”

The camera hurriedly shifted to capture Yeon-woo’s stir-fried rice.

“Shall we eat? Yeon-woo, I’ll enjoy this!”

“I will enjoy it as well.”

With a laughter and simultaneous greetings, the actors began to eat. As the eldest, Jin-yuk was the first to pick up his spoon, and everyone tasted the food.

“What is this? It’s so delicious!”

“Seriously. You’re really good at cooking.”

Everyone couldn’t help but admire Yeon-woo’s cooking after tasting it.

“Well, we’ve been on an intensive march since morning, so everyone is hungry.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Yeon-woo turned the conversation towards the side dishes being served in the market.

The actors began to eat with expressions of genuine happiness, not just for the sake of reactions, but because the food seemed truly delicious.

At this point, even the staff members became curious about the taste.

“Hehe, we’re the only ones who can eat it.”

Jun-ho playfully teased the staff members, and they chuckled in response.

Jun-ho’s naturally playful reaction brought more laughter from the yard.

“These members, they could just show their faces and the ratings would go up, but they make it fun too. It’s great.”

PD and the main writer, observing the chemistry among the actors and Yeon-woo’s unexpected performance, silently applauded from the sidelines.

After finishing lunch, they left the washing up to Jin-yuk and So-hyeon, taking some rest time for themselves or conducting personal interviews.

Before they knew it, the sky was gradually darkening, and it was time to start preparing for dinner.

“Wow, it feels like we just had lunch, and it’s already time to prepare for dinner.”

“Seems like it’s the Summer Table. Our show is a cooking show?”

Jin-yuk nodded in agreement as he listened to Jun-ho’s words. Since arriving on the island, they had only prepared and eaten meals. Now it was time to prepare dinner. Although the director had promised a healing variety show during the production stage, in reality, they hadn’t even seen the island’s scenery, let alone gone out since entering this house. It was as Son Jin-yuk and Jun-ho had been saying. Then, Yeon-woo, who had been resting in a corner, appeared.

“Shall we check the fishing net once before it gets too dark?”

Yeon-woo’s words prompted So-hyeon, who had been in the yard, to stand up.

“Let’s go together, Yeon-woo.”

“Yeon-woo, take the basket.”

Jun-ho handed him a rubber glove.

Since they had thrown the net into the nearby sea, it didn’t take long to reach the fishing net.

“Hey, what do you think might be caught?”

“There might not be anything yet. It’s only been a few hours.”

Yeon-woo pulled up the fishing net’s rope, and So-hyeon stood beside him with anticipation in her eyes.

“Hmm? It feels quite heavy?”

“Wow!”

As Yeon-woo quickly pulled up the net, the bread used as bait had completely melted away, but there was something inside for sure.

“Wow, what is it? It’s too dark to see.”

In response to So-hyeon’s words, a production staff member turned on the camera’s lights to illuminate the inside of the fishing net.

“… It looks like an octopus?”

“Wow, this is amazing!”

Yeon-woo untangled the net and pulled out the octopus, placing it in the basin held by So-hyeon.

“Whoa, it’s scary, but amazing! Yeon-woo, let’s go back quickly.”

Though frightened by the octopus in the basin, So-hyeon seemed excited and eager to show it off to the staff and members. Yeon-woo released the small fish that were also in the net and collected the empty net, saying, ‘There’s no bait, but if we leave it, something might still get caught. There’s no point in catching if we’re not eating it.’

He looked at So-hyeon, who was visibly restless and wanting to return quickly, and spoke.

“Let’s go, Noona.”

“Okay!”

So-hyeon turned around and excitedly showed off the octopus from the front door.

“Wow, what is this? Is this really caught?”

“Did the production team secretly put it in?”

Jin-yuk also looked amazed at the large, naturally caught octopus and glanced at the PD almost instinctively.

“Oh my, no. We don’t manipulate things like that.”

PD Lee Kyung-shik shook his hands as if to emphasize his innocence.

“But how do we cook this? I can’t handle it.”

Jun-ho, who was too scared to get close, spoke, and everyone naturally looked at Yeon-woo.

“I’ll take care of it. I’ve cleaned them before.”

“Awesome. Ryu Yeon-woo, the master of everything.”

So-hyeon pointed her thumbs up from a distance.

Seeing So-hyeon’s innocent gesture, Yeon-woo couldn’t resist joking.

“Wow, look at this octopus, Noona.”

Holding the octopus he had taken from the rubber basin, Yeon-woo approached So-hyeon.

“Ack!”

Hahaha!

Seeing Yeon-woo and So-hyeon’s innocent behavior, laughter once again filled the yard. And with all the commotion, Yeon-woo then seriously started to clean the octopus. The process of cleaning and washing was so skilled that even the camera director who was capturing the insert shots couldn’t help but be impressed. Before they knew it, the actors had gathered around Yeon-woo as he cooked, providing reactions while being near his cooking area.

“Jun-ho hyung.”

“Yes, Chef.”

When Yeon-woo called Jun-ho, he playfully answered like an assistant cook.

“Haha, could you go to the backyard and check if there’s perilla leaves? Or any vegetables that could be used for salad?”

“Yes!”

Jun-ho ran off to carry out the command.

“Next is Noona.”

“Yeah! What should I do?”

“Noona, go to the kitchen and get the ingredients prepared by the production team. Tomatoes, olive oil, soy sauce…”

“Yeah! Got it all.”

So-hyeon headed to the kitchen to collect the ingredients Yeon-woo had ordered.

“Jin-yuk hyung, can you put some water in the pot?”

“Okay!”

Following Yeon-woo’s instructions, the members moved enthusiastically.

“Wow, you’re really a leader.”

“Absolutely, it’s a different picture from what we initially thought, but it’s turning out to be fun and interesting.”

And as always, PD Lee Kyung-shik and the main writer continued to exchange opinions and take notes. He put two circles next to the note that read ‘Ryu Leader’.

 

Starting with putting the cleaned octopus in the refrigerator, Yeon-woo’s cooking preparations began smoothly.

“Normally, it should be left in the refrigerator for a few hours, but it should be fine without that.”

“Your skills are really quick! What kind of dish are you making?”

So-hyeon asked with anticipation, and Yeon-woo smiled without saying a word. He was going to showcase dishes he often made when he lived alone in Italy. With the ingredients So-hyeon brought, Yeon-woo swiftly cooked up the dish. He substituted similar ingredients for the ones he lacked, adjusted the seasoning, and enhanced the flavor. Then took the boiled octopus out of the fridge and sliced it thinly as if cutting sashimi with a knife.

“Now, if we pour the sauce over this, it’s complete.”

The filming set was filled with sounds of admiration for the visually appealing gourmet dish Yeon-woo had made.

“Yeon-woo, what did you just make?”

“Octopus carpaccio. It’s a dish we often eat in Italian households.”

As he answered the PD’s question, Yeon-woo smiled inwardly. In reality, this dish was more often consumed as a side dish with alcohol. Considering the actors’ tendency to not eat heavily at dinner, this amount was more than enough.

“I made the seasoning a bit strong, so it might go well with rice.”

As he had to substitute ingredients and spices, the dish ended up slightly more seasoned than intended.

“Wow, amazing! It looks like a restaurant dish.”

“I’ll capture an insert shot.”

In the midst of this seldom-seen visual for a dish at Gaeyado, So-hyeon’s expressions and the camera were in competition, both trying to capture it at the same time.

“Now, let’s try Yeon-woo’s gourmet dish!”

Jin-yuk, who approached with chopsticks in hand, was followed by So-hyeon and Jun-ho as they sat down.

“Thank you for the meal!”

It was already the second meal filled with Yeon-woo’s cooking since they arrived on the island.

“Wow! It literally melts in your mouth. It’s tangy and sweet, and so delicious.”

Jun-ho’s response was not just for show, and the other two actors widened their eyes in agreement.

“Wow, Yeon-woo. When you visit our house, cook for us. I’ll make sure we have all the ingredients.”

“Hahaha. Got it. Jin-yuk hyung.”

Yeon-woo also joined the members at the table, and they started to have their meal.

“The chemistry among the actors is really great.”

“Thanks to that, the visuals are turning out amazing.”

With the actors’ chemistry and Yeon-woo’s unexpected performance, the production team was struggling to decide which scenes to include due to the abundance of material.

After the meal, everyone gathered in the room, including Jin-yuk, who had taken care of the dishes. They sat around, sharing stories with each other.

Funny episodes from the shoot, anecdotes about Yeon-woo’s first impression that Jun-ho shared from the audition room, and various behind-the-scenes stories were being exchanged, all to be prettily edited to enrich the broadcast.

The next morning dawned, and So-hyeon, who had risen early, used the leftover tomatoes and eggs to make tomato and egg fried rice for herself.

Initially, the production team had planned various games to acquire finished food, thinking that young actors might not be skilled in cooking.

However, the reality turned out to be different. The four actors, in line with the theme ‘Summer Table’, created visually appealing dishes that suited the trend of showcasing dishes nowadays. This led the production team to quickly abandon the games and pivot toward a true healing variety show direction.