Chapter 28. The First Broadcast of "Summer's Table"

PD Lee Kyung-sik, who was excited about editing the footage back in Seoul, finished the first shoot of this variety show by capturing the members exploring various spots on the island before leaving. The production team and cast members boarded a boat to return to Gunsan Port. The staff packed up the equipment, and everyone congratulated each other on the successful island shoot.

"Great job, everyone!"

"Yes, everyone did a great job!"

"Thanks to Yenwoo, our show will be a hit."

After the shoot ended, PD Lee Kyung-sik approached Yenwoo, sending him a loving look and expressing his gratitude.

"Director, please speak more casually. Our members have great chemistry, don't you think?"

"Ah, really? Haha. It's not just the chemistry; Yenwoo carried it."

Yenwoo, flattered by the praise, scratched his head and smiled awkwardly.

His previously lonely solo life and living alone turned out to be quite helpful.

"Anyway, I look forward to the next shoot! Next week, the preview of this shoot will probably air."

"Ah, indeed, variety shows move fast. Great job on this shoot, Director."

The van came to pick up the actors, and Sohyun, who was exhausted from seasickness, was the first to leave, followed by the others.

"See you next week, Yenwoo! And Jin-wook and Jun-ho too!"

Waving goodbye, Yenwoo also got into his manager Min-soo's car.

"Great job, sir. How was the shoot?"

"It was fun. It looks like it will turn out well. The director did a great job."

Min-soo, feeling good about Yenwoo's response, started the car and soon arrived in Daejeon.

"Thank you for coming. After graduation, I'll be in Seoul anyway, so I appreciate your hard work until then, Min-soo."

Yenwoo, feeling guilty about Min-soo's frequent trips to Daejeon, expressed his gratitude.

Min-soo smiled at Yenwoo.

"Not at all. As I mentioned before, I used to travel around the country to military bases every day last year. I find office work boring, so please get involved in more projects after graduation. Haha."

"Sure! There might be a cameo shoot soon after this variety show ends. I think the company hasn't told me yet."

Min-soo, whose eyes lit up at the talk of shoots, is not just being polite. As someone who thrives on the production site, he finds office work tedious.

Unlike Min-soo's previous company, LN Entertainment does not assign managers to other celebrities when their assigned actors are on hiatus. When managers are not needed on set, they work in the office, analyzing their assigned artists and handling other administrative tasks, as well as taking classes needed for management.

"Then I'll come next week."

"Yes, Min-soo. Be careful on your way back."

After seeing Min-soo off, Yenwoo went home to rest.

As the week went by, it was Friday, and the first preview of "Summer's Table" aired.

For fans still reeling from the drama, this was a welcome piece of news.

- I'm so excited! How will I wait for next week?

- Living on an island with this cast? Look at Cha Woo-ju chopping wood. Sigh.

- The knife skills are amazing. Whose hands are those?

- When was this shot? I was relying on behind-the-scenes footage. JNBC is the best.

The sudden release of the preview for the upcoming variety show, which starts next week, featured the members departing from the port, the eerie visuals of their new home, Sohyun's surprised reaction to pulling up a trap, and a mysterious scene of someone skillfully handling a knife.

It was enough to build up the fans' anticipation.

"Hehe. That's a big catch."

PD Lee Kyung-sik, watching the internet reactions in the editing room, was thrilled. The variety show team, excited to start editing as soon as they returned to Seoul, completed the first episode, which would air the following Friday.

This variety show, scheduled to run for 8 episodes over 4 weeks, had a very promising start.

PD Lee Kyung-sik, who struggled to boost ratings in his previous show and eventually had it canceled, couldn't stop smiling thanks to the "Summer's Table" cast, who naturally created interesting content and topics without much planning.

Among them, Yenwoo was the top contributor.

"Wow, where did such a gem come from?"

The next day, the members gathered again at Gunsan Port and headed to Gayado for the shoot. This time, the highlight was Sohyun, a beginner, catching a dom with his first try, and Yenwoo, the high school student, preparing sashimi and spicy soup from it.

The writers collectively screamed and fell over when Yenwoo's bulging arm muscles were shown while preparing the sashimi, a small but memorable moment.

And it was Friday evening, the day of the first broadcast.

Seongsik and Junsoo came to Yenwoo's house to watch it together.

Yenwoo's mother, still worried about the previous incident, welcomed the friends with open arms.

Yenwoo's younger sister Sohyun, embarrassed by the unexpected visit of her brother's friends, locked herself in her room to watch on her phone.

"Ah, it's starting."

"Wow, this is different from a drama, and it's fascinating."

Seongsik, finding his friend's appearance on the show awkward.

Yenwoo laughed at Seongsik's reaction.

"Really? It's the same on TV."

The broadcast began with the members meeting PD Lee Kyung-sik at a bar.

"Weren't you there that time?"

"Yeah, that was probably the night before the March mock exam."

The friends and parents focused back on the screen.

The scene then switched to Yenwoo's self-camera footage before departure.

"Mom, when was this shot? You should have repainted your room!"

Yenwoo's mother playfully hit his back.

"Ouch. We just moved, so it's still clean."

When the awkwardly robotic manager Min-soo appeared, everyone burst into laughter.

"He's funny."

"He's a really nice person. Min-soo seems to be a great manager."

Min-soo's greeting, enhanced with robot CG, was even more awkward.

"Heek. You went to an island by boat? You just said you went to the countryside."

"Yeah, that island is completely rural."

A scene that Yenwoo had never seen before appeared.

Before Yenwoo arrived, Han Sohyun and An Jun-ho were scared by the eerie appearance of the house and turned back.

"Wow. Sohyun-ssi is still beautiful even when seasick."

"An Jun-ho? He's really funny. Haha. He looks tough but is quite scared."

"Hey, you couldn't have gone in either. Look at that place."

While shooting, Yenwoo had wondered if it would be interesting, but seeing his friends and parents enjoy it, he nodded, realizing the power of editing in variety shows.

Despite his initial worry and burden about being on a variety show, the edited broadcast was entertaining to watch, and the reactions were quite positive.

"Did you get seasick, son?"

"No, I didn't get seasick at all."

By the time Yenwoo arrived on the island and ran to hug Sohyun, the production team had added pink flower petals to the scene.

"Oh. What's this? Yenwoo."

"Huh? No, I just got off the boat, and she suddenly ran over."

Seongsik pointed at Yenwoo with both fingers, exaggerating his reaction.

Yenwoo's father, who had been quiet, also smiled and looked at Yenwoo.

"Hmm, what's the relationship?"

"Ah, no. We're just friends. She's ten years older than me."

"Wow, ten years older? Sohyun-ssi. I didn't know she was 30 in the drama."

The broadcast continued with scenes of the members decorating the eerie house, splitting into teams to build a hearth and retrieve traps.

As expected, Sohyun's surprised reaction to retrieving the trap and the staff's commentary increased the suspense, leading to the "Next Week" teaser.

"Ah! What did they catch? Tell us, Yenwoo."

"Where's the cut? Gah."

"Secret! Watch the next episode."

Yenwoo, maintaining his secret with a sly smile, faced the excited Seongsik and Junsoo.

As they watched the show, time flew by, and the friends got up to leave.

"Mom, Dad, we'll be going now."

"Sure, kids. Thanks for playing with Yenwoo."

"Ah, Yenwoo played with us."

After spending time laughing and chatting with Yenwoo's parents, the friends finally left, and Sohyun, Yenwoo's younger sister, came out of her room.

"Bro! The kids keep asking what they caught in the trap."

"Ah, that's a secret."

Yenwoo, smiling, answered.

Sohyun, feeling a bit jealous, complained.

"Ah, why is that lady's name Sohyun! The kids keep sending me captures of articles about the Yenwoo-Sohyun couple."

"Hehe. It's because our names are the same."

Yenwoo, seeing his sister's pout, went to her room, gave her a 10,000 won bill, and whispered in her ear.

"Buy something yummy with the kids. And what they caught in the trap is a catfish."

Sohyun, who had been complaining, suddenly stopped and shouted, "Brother, you're the best!"

Indeed, the best therapy is financial therapy.

The internet reactions were as enthusiastic as the friends and family's.

- sowol0***: I support the Yenwoo-Sohyun couple.

- forbes***: Yenwoo is a high schooler. They have a ten-year age gap.

- yuri131***: How will I wait for next week? Yenwoo.

- zksl56***: This cast is amazing. I hope they do a drama together next.

- zlflxh31***: This could be a life-changing drama and variety show.

- glang***: The real-time search is about the fish caught in the trap on Gayado.

Sohyun, watching "Summer's Table" with her mother at home, laughed as she read the comments.

"Mom, the reactions to the show are great."

"I thought you'd never do a variety show because you might slip up. But you did a great job, daughter?"

Sohyun, thinking about the members, smiled.

"The atmosphere on the set of this drama was really good. I thought it would be fun with this cast. Hehe."

While checking the comments on her phone, she quietly gave a thumbs down to a comment about the ten-year age gap.

"Still, I'm in my twenties. Tch."

Of course, she had no romantic feelings for the underage Yenwoo, but she disliked comments that emphasized the age difference.