chapter 28

Chapter 28. Summer's Table Premiere

PD Lee Kyung-sik, excited to return to Seoul and begin editing, filmed the cast enjoying the island's scenery before wrapping up the first shoot for the variety show.

The production team and cast returned to Gunsan harbor.

The staff packed up the equipment and exchanged farewells, relieved to have completed the island shoot without any major issues.

"Good work, everyone!"

"Yes, good work!"

"Thanks to Yeon-woo, our show is going to be a hit," PD Lee Kyung-sik said, approaching Yeon-woo with an appreciative smile.

"Director, please speak comfortably. Our team has great chemistry, right?"

"Should I? Haha. The chemistry is great, but Yeon-woo carried the show."

Yeon-woo chuckled, scratching his head at the PD's compliment. He hadn't expected his lonely, single life and years of cooking for himself during his overseas deployments to be so useful.

"Anyway, looking forward to the next shoot! The trailer will probably air next week, using footage from this shoot."

"Ah, variety shows move fast. Thank you for your hard work today, Director."

Vans arrived to pick up the actors. So-hyun, exhausted from seasickness, was the first to leave.

"See you next week, Yeon-woo! Jin-wook, Joon-ho!"

Yeon-woo waved goodbye and got into his manager's car.

"Good work, actor. How was filming?"

"It was fun. The director said it's going to turn out well."

Min-soo, pleased with Yeon-woo's response, started driving and soon arrived in Daejeon.

"Thank you for the ride. I'll be moving to Seoul after graduation, so please bear with me until then, Min-soo hyung." Yeon-woo felt slightly guilty about making Min-soo drive all the way to Daejeon for every schedule.

Min-soo smiled. "It's no trouble at all. Like I said, I was driving all over the country for military base performances just last year. I get bored with office work, so please get cast in lots of projects after you graduate, haha."

"Yes! I think I have a cameo shoot coming up after this variety show. I don't think the agency has told you yet."

Min-soo's eyes lit up at the mention of filming. He was a field person and found office work tedious.

Unlike Min-soo's previous agency, LN Entertainment didn't assign managers to other artists when their designated actor was on hiatus. During downtime, managers worked at the office, analyzing their artists' profiles, handling administrative tasks, and attending training sessions.

"I'll see you next week then."

"Yes, Min-soo hyung. Drive safely."

Yeon-woo saw Min-soo off and went inside to rest.

Friday arrived. The first trailer for "Summer's Table" aired, a welcome sight for fans still reeling from the end of "Summer's Closet."

– I'm so excited! How am I supposed to wait until next week?

– This cast, living on an island? Look at Cha Woo-joo chopping wood! I am Swooning over him.

– Those knife skills are no joke. Whose hands are those?

– When did they film this? I was surviving on behind the scenes videos. JNBC is the best!

The trailer for the new variety show, airing next week, had been released unexpectedly.

It showed the cast departing from the harbor, the dilapidated state of their island home, So-hyun's surprised reaction to the fishing trap, and a glimpse of someone's impressive knife skills.

It was enough to generate significant buzz and anticipation.

"Hehe, this is a big catch." PD Lee Kyung-sik, watching the positive online response and the numerous articles being published, was delighted.

The production team, energized by the positive feedback, had already finished editing the first episode, scheduled to air next Friday.

The show, planned for eight episodes, was being filmed over four weekends.

They had only finished editing the first episode, but the PD had a good feeling about it. He had struggled with low ratings for his previous variety shows, which had eventually been cancelled. However, with the "Summer's Closet" cast generating their own buzz and content, he hadn't stopped smiling since they started filming.

Ryu Yeon-woo was the biggest contributor to the show's success.

"Where did we find this gem?"

The following day, the cast gathered at Gunsan harbor again and returned to GaeYa Island for filming. Perhaps due to beginner's luck, So-hyun caught a sea bream on her first fishing attempt. The highlight of this shoot was Yeon-woo, the unexpected culinary expert, expertly filleting the fish and making spicy fish stew.

The writers collectively gasped and swooned when they saw the muscles in his forearms flexing as he filleted the fish.

Friday evening arrived, the day of the premiere.

Sung-sik and Joon-soo came over to Yeon-woo's home to watch it together.

Yeon-woo's mother, still worried about him after the incidents during the Lunar New Year holiday, was always happy to have his friends over.

So-hyun, embarrassed by her brother's friends' visit, locked herself in her room, claiming she would watch it on her phone.

"It's starting."

"This is different from a drama. It's strange." Sung-sik felt awkward watching his friend on a variety show.

Yeon-woo chuckled. "It's still me on TV."

The episode opened with the cast meeting PD Lee Kyung-sik at a pub.

"You weren't there at that time?"

"No, I think it was the day before the March mock exams."

Everyone focused on the screen.

The scene shifted to Yeon-woo's self-cam footage from the morning of their departure.

"Oh my, when did you film that? We should have redecorated your room!" Yeon-woo's mother playfully hit him on the back.

"Ouch! We just moved, so it's clean!"

Then, Yeon-woo's manager, Min-soo, appeared on screen, his awkward greeting making them laugh.

"He's funny."

"He's a really nice person. Min-soo hyung is a great manager."

The editors had added robotic CGI effects to Min-soo's greeting, making it even funnier.

"Whoa, they went to an island by boat? I thought they just went to the countryside."

"Yeah, that island is basically countryside."

Then, a scene Yeon-woo hadn't seen before aired. It showed Han So-hyun suffering from seasickness and Ahn Joon-ho being scared off by the dilapidated appearance of the house.

"Wow, Yeon-woo, is So-hyun noona pretty even when she's seasick?"

"Ahn Joon-ho is hilarious, haha. He's surprisingly timid for someone who looks like that."

"Dude, you wouldn't have gone in there either. Look at that place."

Yeon-woo, who had wondered during filming if the show would be entertaining, nodded, watching his friends and family enjoying the episode. The power of editing was truly impressive.

He had been worried about his ability to be entertaining, but the edited episode was surprisingly funny, and the online response was positive.

"Son, didn't you get seasick?"

"No, I don't get seasick."

The scene shifted to Yeon-woo arriving on the island and So-hyun running to hug him. The editors had added pink flower petals fluttering in the wind.

"Ooh, what's going on, Ryu Yeon-woo?" Sung-sik exclaimed, pointing at the screen.

"What? She just suddenly ran towards me when I got off the boat."

Yeon-woo's father, who had been quiet, smiled faintly and looked at his son. "Um, son, what's your relationship with her?"

"Nothing! She's ten years older than me!"

"Whoa, ten years older than us? Han So-hyun noona? She plays a twenty-year-old in the drama, so I had no idea."

The episode continued, showing Yeon-woo and the others cleaning up the house, building the stove, and retrieving the fishing trap.

The episode ended with So-hyun's surprised reaction as they pulled up the trap, followed by the caption "Next week."

"Ahhh! What is it?! What did you catch?! Tell me, Yeon-woo!"

"How can they end it there?! Argh!"

"It's a secret! Watch next week's episode!" Yeon-woo grinned, refusing to reveal the secret, enjoying his friends' frustration.

Time flew by as they watched the show. His friends stood up to leave.

"Thank you for having us, Mr. and Mrs. Ryu."

"Thank you for keeping Yeon-woo company."

"No, Yeon-woo is the one who keeps us entertained." They chatted with Yeon-woo's parents for a while before leaving.

So-hyun finally emerged from her room. "Oppa, my friends keep asking me what you caught in the trap."

"It's a secret," Yeon-woo replied with a smile.

So-hyun pouted. "And why does that noona have to be named So-hyun?! My friends keep sending me screenshots of articles about the 'Yeon-woo-So-hyun couple.'"

"Ho ho, that's true. She has the same name as our So-hyun."

Yeon-woo went to his room, took out a fifty-thousand won bill, and slipped it into So-hyun's hand, whispering, "Buy some snacks with your friends. And we caught an octopus in the trap."

So-hyun's pout instantly turned into a wide smile. Money was the best medicine, indeed.

The online response was just as enthusiastic as his friends' and family's reactions.

-HousewifeHwa-kyung (sowol0***): I ship the Yeon-woo-So-hyun couple.

└ KingJoon-soo (forbes***): Yeon-woo is a high schooler. They're ten years apart.

-Yu-ri Hong (yuri131***): How am I supposed to wait until next week?! Yeon-woo!

-Seo-goon (zksl56***): I love this cast. I hope they do another drama together.

-HandsomePerson (zlflxh31***): This is going to be my new favorite variety show, as well as my favorite drama.

└ GlenGrant (glang***): "GaeYa Island Fish Identification Guide" is trending.

Han So-hyun, watching "Summer's Table" with her mother, smiled at the online comments.

"Mom, the show is doing well."

"You said you would never do variety shows because you were afraid of making a mistake. You're doing great!"

So-hyun's eyes crinkled into crescents as she thought of her fellow cast members. "We had such a great time filming the drama. I knew this group would be fun, hehe."

She continued scrolling through the comments and quietly downvoted a comment that mentioned the ten-year age gap. While she had no romantic feelings for Ryu Yeon-woo, a minor ten years her junior, she found the emphasis on their age difference annoying.

"I'm still in my twenties, for crying out loud."