Chapter 27. Summer Table (2)

"Hey, I've only put the oil in so far."

Joonho was washing vegetables at the sink, and Yeonwoo received them, placing the cutting board on the table and starting to prepare them.

Chop chop chop chop—

Oh!

As Yeonwoo showed unexpectedly high-level knife skills while trimming the vegetables, exclamations of admiration echoed.

"Wow! Where did you learn to use a knife like that, Yeonwoo?"

"Just at home sometimes."

When Joonho asked in surprise, Yeonwoo replied nonchalantly.

He has been living abroad for over 20 years, dispatched to various countries.

Among them, he spent several years in Italy and India.

Living in foreign lands where delivery culture was not well-developed, he often cooked local dishes and even Korean food to satisfy his cravings.

Naturally, his cooking skills, while not flashy, were good enough to make decent meals.

Yeonwoo smiled and passed the bowl next to him to Han Sohyun.

"Could you put some rice in the bowl, please?"

"Sure!"

Sohyun went into the kitchen to serve enough rice for the four of them.

"Alright, let's stir-fry it."

He put the rice and sliced vegetables into the pan with oil, adding soy sauce, sugar, and other seasonings while stir-frying.

Placing the pan on the hearth, the strong fire naturally created a fire show.

Thanks to the well-built hearth by Joonho, the firewood inside burned fiercely, and without Yeonwoo trying to show off, the scene was naturally impressive, causing the staff and actors to exclaim.

"Wow, that looks great. We should use this in the trailer."

As Yeonwoo demonstrated his cooking skills, the production team busily took notes.

"Alright, it's done. Let's have our first meal together."

"Wow, Ryu Yeonwoo. You're the best!"

A delicious, pollution-free stir-fried rice was quickly made.

"Wait a moment. Let me get a close-up shot."

The camera quickly captured Yeonwoo's stir-fried rice.

"Alright, let's eat. Yeonwoo, enjoy your meal!"

"Enjoy your meal."

The actors greeted each other with smiles, almost in unison.

When Jinwook, the senior, picked up his spoon, everyone tasted the food.

"Wow, it's so delicious!"

"Really, you're a good cook."

Everyone couldn't stop praising Yeonwoo's cooking.

"Hey, everyone is just hungry because we've been working hard since morning."

Yeonwoo modestly deflected the praise, calling the side dishes simple.

The actors started eating with happy expressions, not just for the sake of reacting, but because the food was genuinely delicious.

By this point, the staff were also curious about the taste.

"Hehe, only we can eat it."

Joonho playfully teased the staff.

The natural reaction from Joonho caused laughter to spread across the yard.

"Wow, this cast. Just showing their faces would boost ratings, and they're even entertaining. This is going to be great."

The PD and the main writer, who were quietly high-fiving in the corner, were pleased by the unexpected chemistry between the actors and Yeonwoo's performance.

After finishing lunch, Jinwook and Sohyun volunteered to do the dishes, while the others took a break or did personal interviews.

As the sky grew dark and it was time to prepare for dinner.

"Wow, it feels like we just had lunch, but it's already time to prepare dinner."

"That's why it's called 'Summer Table,' I guess. Our show is a cooking show, right?"

Jinwook nodded in agreement with Joonho's comment.

Since coming to the island, all they've done is prepare meals, eat, and now prepare meals again.

Although the director had promised a healing variety show during the production phase, Jinwook hadn't even stepped out of the house since arriving, let alone seen the island's scenery.

At that moment, Yeonwoo, who had been resting in the corner, came out.

"Let's check the traps before it gets too dark."

Sohyun, who was in the yard, stood up.

"Let's go together, Yeonwoo."

"Yeonwoo, take the basket."

Joonho handed her a rubber basin.

They quickly arrived at the traps near the house by the seaside.

"Wow, what did we catch?"

"It might be nothing. It's only been a few hours."

Yeonwoo pulled the line, and Sohyun watched with eager eyes.

"Hmm? It feels heavy."

"Wow."

As Yeonwoo quickly pulled up the trap, the bread used as bait had dissolved, but something was indeed inside.

"Wow, what is it? It's too dark to see."

The filming staff turned on the camera's light to illuminate the trap.

"It looks like an octopus?"

"Wow, this is amazing!"

Yeonwoo shook the trap to remove the octopus and placed it in the basin Sohyun was holding.

"Ahh, it's scary, but amazing. Let's go back quickly, Yeonwoo."

Sohyun, who was excited to show the octopus to the staff and other members, despite being scared.

Yeonwoo released the small fish that were in the trap and collected the trap without bait.

'Even without bait, it still catches something. It would be a waste if they came in and couldn't eat it.'

Seeing Sohyun, who was eager to return, he said,

"Let's go, sister."

"Okay!"

Sohyun excitedly showed off the octopus from the moment they returned to the gate.

"Wow, is this real? Did you really catch it?"

"Did the production team secretly put it there?"

Jinwook, surprised by the large natural octopus, naturally glared at the PD.

"No, no, we don't do that kind of manipulation."

PD Lee Kyoung-sik waved his hands to show his innocence.

"But how do we cook it? I can't prepare it."

Everyone naturally looked at Yeonwoo when Joonho, who was scared to even get close, spoke.

"I'll do it. I've prepared it before."

"Amazing. Ryu Yeonwoo, you're the best."

Sohyun, standing far away, gave a thumbs up.

Seeing Sohyun, Yeonwoo's playful side emerged.

"Wow, look at this octopus, sister."

Yeonwoo approached Sohyun with the octopus he had taken out of the basin.

"Ahh!"

Haha!

The yard erupted in laughter at the innocent and playful interaction between Yeonwoo and Sohyun.

PD Lee Kyoung-sik, who was now faced with the happy dilemma of editing out scenes from the first day, as there were too many good ones.

After the commotion, Yeonwoo started preparing the octopus seriously.

His skilled movements in cleaning and washing the octopus were so proficient that even the camera director, who was taking close-up shots, was impressed.

The actors had gathered around Yeonwoo, who was cooking, to react.

"Joonho hyung."

"Yes, Chef."

When Yeonwoo called Joonho, he playfully responded like an assistant chef.

"Haha, could you check if there are any perilla leaves in the garden? Or any vegetables that can be used for a salad."

"Sure!"

Joonho ran off to carry out the order.

"Next, Sohyun sister."

"Okay! What should I do?"

"Sister, go to the kitchen and get the tomatoes, olive oil, and seasoned soy sauce from the ingredients the production team provided..."

"Okay! I remember."

Sohyun went to the kitchen to get the ingredients Yeonwoo had ordered.

"Jinwook hyung, could you put some water in the pot?"

"Okay!"

The members moved in unison, following Yeonwoo's instructions.

"Wow, he's really a leader."

"Exactly, it's different from what we initially thought. It's going to be really entertaining."

The PD and the main writer, who were constantly giving opinions and taking notes, were pleased.

PD Lee Kyoung-sik circled "Ryu Leader" twice on his memo.

Yeonwoo's cooking, starting with blanching the prepared octopus and putting it in the refrigerator, proceeded smoothly.

"Normally, it should be left in the refrigerator for a few hours, but it should still be edible even if we don't."

"Your movements are really fast! What are you cooking?"

Yeonwoo smiled without answering, encouraging Sohyun to look forward to it.

A dish he often made while living alone in Italy, now being made on a variety show.

Yeonwoo quickly prepared the dish with the ingredients Sohyun brought.

He substituted missing ingredients with similar ones and adjusted the taste.

He then took the blanched octopus out of the refrigerator and thinly sliced it like sashimi.

"Alright, now pour the sauce on top to complete it."

Wow!

The filming site was filled with exclamations of admiration for the high-level dish Yeonwoo had created.

"Yeonwoo, what did you make?"

"It's octopus carpaccio. A dish I often eat in Italian households."

Yeonwoo smiled inwardly at the PD's question.

Actually, it's a dish he often eats as a snack.

Given the actors' tendency not to eat heavy dinners, this amount was sufficient.

"The seasoning is a bit strong, but it should go well with rice."

The seasoning was a bit strong because he had to substitute the original ingredients.

"Amazing! It looks like a restaurant dish."

"I'll get a close-up shot."

The visual of the dish, which was hard to see in a rural area, and Sohyun's face were captured by the camera simultaneously.

"Let's try Yeonwoo's high-end dish!"

Jinwook, followed by Sohyun and Joonho, picked up their chopsticks and sat down.

"Enjoy your meal!"

This was the second time they had eaten Yeonwoo's cooking since coming to the island.

"Wow! It really melts in your mouth. It's sweet and sour, and so delicious."

Joonho's reaction was genuine, and the other two actors' eyes widened.

"Amazing, Yeonwoo. When you come to my house, cook for me. I'll prepare all the ingredients."

"Hahaha, sure, Jinwook hyung."

Yeonwoo also joined the others for the meal.

"The chemistry between the actors is really good."

"Thanks to that, the show is turning out great."

The production team, who had too many good scenes due to the actors' chemistry and Yeonwoo's unexpected performance, were beaming.

After finishing the meal, Jinwook, who was in charge of the dishes, joined everyone in the room, and the actors gathered to chat.

They shared funny stories from the filming, Joonho's first impression of Yeonwoo at the audition, and other behind-the-scenes stories, which would be edited to make the show more engaging.

The next morning, Sohyun, who woke up early, offered to make breakfast and used the leftover tomatoes and eggs from the previous day to make tomato and egg fried rice.

The production team, who had initially planned to have the young actors, who were thought to be poor cooks, play games to obtain ready-made food, quickly changed the direction to a real healing variety show, as the four actors, with their picture-perfect looks, were making food that matched the current trends.