chapter 27

Chapter 27. Summer's Table (2)

"It's just oil so far," Yeon-woo said.

Joon-ho washed the vegetables, and Yeon-woo took them, placed a cutting board on the wooden platform, and began chopping.

Oohs and aahs! The others exclaimed in surprise at Yeon-woo's unexpectedly skillful knife work.

"Wow, Yeon-woo, where did you learn to do that?"

"Just… at home, sometimes." Yeon-woo responded casually to Joon-ho's surprised question.

He had lived alone in various countries for over twenty years during his overseas deployments, spending several years in Italy and India alone. In places without convenient takeout options, he had often cooked for himself, both local dishes and Korean food he missed from home.

While not a master chef, he was a competent cook.

Yeon-woo smiled and handed a bowl to Han So-hyun. "Noona, can you get some rice from the pot?"

"Okay!" So-hyun went inside and returned with enough rice for the four of them.

"Alright, let's get cooking."

He added the rice and chopped vegetables to the hot iron lid, along with soy sauce, sugar, and other seasonings, and began stir-frying.

The intense heat from the firewood stove created an impromptu fire show. Thanks to Jin-wook's well-built stove and the dry kindling, the flames roared, creating a dramatic scene that drew gasps from the actors and staff.

"Wow, this is amazing! We have to use this in the trailer." The production team busily jotted down notes as Yeon-woo continued to showcase his cooking skills.

"Alright, it's ready. Shall we have our first meal?"

"Wow, Ryu Yeon-woo, you're the best!"

A delicious, healthy fried rice was ready.

"Wait a second, let's get an insert shot." The camera crew zoomed in on the fried rice.

"Let's eat! Yeon-woo, thanks for the food!"

"Thank you for the food!" The actors chorused their thanks.

Jin-wook, the oldest, took the first bite, and the others followed.

"Wow, this is so good!"

"Seriously, you're a great cook." They couldn't stop praising Yeon-woo's cooking.

"It's just because you're all hungry after working so hard this morning," Yeon-woo said shyly, deflecting the compliments.

The actors, however, seemed genuinely delighted with the food, their expressions not just for the cameras.

The staff members were also getting curious.

"Too bad for you guys, only we get to eat," Joon-ho teased them playfully, bringing more laughter to the yard.

"These guys, they could just sit there and look pretty, and the ratings would go through the roof, but they're entertaining too. Perfect!" The PD and the main writer, delighted by the unexpected chemistry between the actors and Yeon-woo's surprising skills, quietly high-fived each other.

After lunch, Jin-wook and So-hyun volunteered to do the dishes, while the others rested or filmed individual interviews.

As evening approached,

"Wow, it feels like we just had lunch, and it's already time for dinner."

"That's why it's called 'Summer's Table.' Is our show about cooking?" Jin-wook nodded at Joon-ho's comment. Since arriving on the island, all they had done was prepare food, eat, and now, prepare food again. The director had lured him in with the promise of a "healing variety show," but he hadn't even seen the island's scenery, stuck in the house since their arrival.

Just then, Yeon-woo emerged from the house. "Let's check the trap before it gets too dark."

So-hyun stood up. "Let's go together, Yeon-woo."

"Yeon-woo, take the basket." Joon-ho handed him a large rubber basin.

They arrived at the beach where they had set the trap.

"I wonder what we caught."

"We might not have caught anything yet. It's only been a few hours."

Yeon-woo pulled on the rope, while So-hyun watched with anticipation.

"Hmm, it's pretty heavy."

"Ooh!"

Yeon-woo pulled the trap out of the water. The bread they had used as bait was gone, and something was inside.

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

The camera crew turned on the camera light, illuminating the inside of the trap.

"It looks like an octopus."

"Wow! Amazing!"

Yeon-woo carefully pulled the octopus out of the trap and placed it in the basin So-hyun was holding.

"Eek! It's scary, but amazing! Let's go back, Yeon-woo!" So-hyun, both scared and excited, wanted to show their catch to the others.

Yeon-woo released the small fish that were also in the trap and retrieved the now empty trap.

'Even without bait, sometimes you catch something. I don't want anything to die in there unnecessarily.'

Seeing So-hyun's eagerness to return, he said, "Let's go, noona."

"Okay!"

So-hyun excitedly showed off the octopus as soon as they entered the yard.

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

"Did the production team secretly put it there?" Jin-wook, also surprised by the large octopus, looked suspiciously at the PD.

"No, no, we don't do that kind of manipulation," PD Lee Kyung-sik said, waving his hands defensively.

"But how do we cook this? I don't know how to prepare octopus." Joon-ho, who was too scared to even approach the octopus, asked. Everyone naturally looked at Yeon-woo.

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

"Amazing! Ryu Yeon-woo, the jack-of-all-trades!" So-hyun gave him a thumbs-up from afar.

Her enthusiastic praise gave Yeon-woo a playful idea.

"Whoa, look at this octopus, noona!" He took the octopus out of the basin and approached So-hyun.

"Aaaack!"

Hahaha! Yeon-woo and So-hyun's playful antics brought more laughter to the yard.

PD Lee Kyung-sik was delighted, already envisioning the abundance of footage they had for the episode.

After the commotion subsided, Yeon-woo began preparing the octopus. His skillful movements as he cleaned and rinsed the octopus impressed even the cameraman filming the insert shots.

The other actors gathered around, providing enthusiastic commentary.

"Joon-ho hyung."

"Yes, Chef?" Joon-ho responded playfully, acting like a sous chef.

"Haha, can you check the garden for perilla leaves? Or any other vegetables we can use for a salad?"

"Yes, Chef!" Joon-ho ran off to fulfill his assigned task.

"So-hyun noona."

"Yes! What should I do?"

"Can you go to the kitchen and get the tomatoes, olive oil, and seasoned soy sauce from the supplies the production team provided…?"

"Got it!" So-hyun headed to the kitchen.

"Jin-wook hyung, can you boil some water in a pot?"

"Okay!"

The members followed Yeon-woo's instructions efficiently.

"Wow, he's a natural leader."

"This is different from what we expected, but it's going to be great." The PD and the main writer continued their discussion, busily taking notes.

PD Lee Kyung-sik circled the words "Leader Ryu" on his notepad twice.

Yeon-woo's cooking proceeded smoothly, starting with blanching the octopus and placing it in the refrigerator.

"Ideally, it should be chilled for a few hours, but it'll still be good."

"You're so fast! What are you making?" So-hyun asked.

Yeon-woo simply smiled, telling her to wait and see. He hadn't expected to be making this dish, which he often enjoyed while living in Italy, on a variety show.

He expertly used the ingredients So-hyun had brought, substituting similar items for what was missing and adjusting the seasoning as he went.

He took the chilled octopus out of the refrigerator and thinly sliced it, almost like sashimi.

"Now, we just add the sauce, and it's done."

Oohs and aahs! The set was filled with admiration for Yeon-woo's culinary creation.

"Yeon-woo, what is this?"

"It's octopus carpaccio. It's a common Italian dish." Yeon-woo smiled inwardly as he answered the PD's question. It was a dish he often enjoyed with alcohol.

The portion was perfect for the actors, who usually ate light dinners.

"I seasoned it a bit strongly, so it's good with rice." Since he had to substitute ingredients, the flavor was a bit more intense than usual.

"Amazing! It looks like something from a restaurant."

"Let's get some insert shots." So-hyun's face and the camera lens competed for a close-up of the visually appealing dish, rarely seen on GaeYa Island.

"Let's try Yeon-woo's gourmet dish!"

Jin-wook picked up his chopsticks, and So-hyun and Joon-ho followed suit.

"Thank you for the food!" This was their second meal prepared by Yeon-woo since arriving on the island.

"Wow, it melts in your mouth! Sweet and sour, so delicious!"

The other two actors, equally impressed, echoed Joon-ho's enthusiastic praise.

"This is amazing, Yeon-woo. You have to cook for us when you come over to my place. I'll stock up on ingredients."

"Haha, alright, Jin-wook hyung."

Yeon-woo joined them and started eating.

"The chemistry between these actors is incredible."

"The footage is amazing." The production team, delighted by the actors' chemistry and Yeon-woo's unexpected culinary talents, were beaming. They had so much good material to work with.

After dinner, they gathered in the living room, waiting for Jin-wook, who was doing the dishes. They chatted, sharing funny anecdotes from filming, Joon-ho recounting his first impression of Yeon-woo at the audition, providing plenty of behind-the-scenes stories for the editors to weave into the episode.

The next morning, So-hyun, who had woken up early, volunteered to make breakfast. She used the leftover tomatoes and some eggs to make tomato and egg fried rice.

The production team had initially planned to have the actors earn ingredients through various games, assuming they wouldn't be skilled at cooking. However, the actors' unexpected culinary talents and the visually appealing dishes they created fit the "Summer's Table" concept perfectly, aligning with current trends. They had quickly scrapped the game ideas and shifted the focus to a genuine healing variety show.