GIJS

Chapter 185 They practiced.

While waiting for the 7IN members, PD Yang Hong-seok and the crew of 'Restaurant Maker' were more excited than ever.

After working with Baek Jung-hoon, 'Restaurant Maker' had established a fairly stable production environment, but it always fell short in terms of viewer ratings and interest compared to competing programs airing at the same time.

On the other hand, the competing channel's cooking show SSS-Grade Chef is Excellent at Bizarre Dishes dominated both ratings and buzz with its shocking dishes and intense competitive format, led by Chef Jang Poong.

Though the 'Restaurant Maker' team took pride in their show, they were always disappointed by their inability to outperform SSS-Grade Chef is Excellent at Bizarre Dishes.        (Doesn't it sound like a title of a novel or manhwa?)

Then, they managed to secure 7IN as guests.

The same 7IN that tripled the ratings of Masterpiece Genuine Antiques and catapulted a Webflix survival show to the worldwide number one ranking. The same 7IN that would attract hundreds of thousands of viewers with just a live broadcast!

The crew, trying hard to maintain composure, seemed excited on the day of the shoot. As they waited for 7IN at the filming location, the assistant director and writers eagerly rubbed their hands together.

"PD-nim, I'm so nervous right now."

"Why? Because you're finally working with your dream idol?"

"That's part of it, but it's also because now we might actually beat SSS-Grade Chef is Excellent at Bizarre Dishes!"

"Already thinking about ratings?"

"How can I not? We've been stuck in second place all year."

"Not much we can do. Chef Jang Poong is a master of drawing attention."

"That guy is so annoying. I don't even watch his YouTube videos."

"Why so extreme...?"

"Anyway, PD-nim. We can win this time. You know how strong 7IN's fan base is, right?"

"Yeah, it's incredible."

"What are you going to do? Should we go all out with some clickbait and sensationalism this time?"

But unlike the writers, PD Yang Hong-seok remained surprisingly calm.

"But I can't direct like that."

"Huh? Wouldn't that be a waste?"

"Just because we've booked influential guests doesn't mean we should lose our heads and change the format. Many shows have failed after making such a mistake. We just need to capture the fun we always aim for."

"Is that so...?"

"Besides, didn't Chef Baek say those boys are sincere about cooking? We should focus on capturing that sincerity, as we've always done."

"It is a bit disappointing, but you're probably right, PD-nim."

"Exactly. Let Senior Producer Kim Seok-hoon handle the sensational stuff."

"True. And even if we stick to our usual style, we might still top the ratings this time. It's 7IN, after all."

"Sigh, the assistant director seems more concerned about ratings than the PD."

"That's because you're not ambitious enough."

"Hmm? Not true. I'm plenty ambitious."

"In what way?"

"In making a good show."

As the crew continued their banter, Chef Baek Jung-hoon arrived at the set, a good 40 minutes before the scheduled call time. It seemed he, too, was looking forward to the day's shoot.

"The 7IN boys aren't here yet?"

"Nope, they'll be here soon."

"This is going to be interesting. It's my first time running a stall at a hiking trail entrance."

"Thank you again for today, Chef."

"Of course. Today's going to be busy. Those boys must be swamped and haven't had time to practice."

As soon as Chef Baek finished speaking, the junior writer started rattling off 7IN's recent schedule.

"That's right. They've been super busy lately, preparing for their new album, filming music videos, and practicing choreography non-stop."

"...Wow, you really know their schedule inside out..."

"Hehe, they're our guests now."

"Well, I figured they'd be busy. Plus, they're still young. We'll have to support them a lot during the preparation."

Chef Baek had extensive experience filming with idol groups.

Most were kind and well-mannered, but being nice doesn't necessarily mean they're good at their jobs. And with their always-busy schedules, it was unrealistic to expect them to come prepared.

So, the staff would need to work even harder on set.

"Let's stay sharp, everyone."

Just then, 7IN's luxury van arrived at the location, a full 15 minutes before the call time. The 7IN members, dressed casually, stepped out of the van, looking a bit nervous.

"Thanks for coming. You're early! Let's have a quick meeting and then start filming right away."

PD Yang gathered all the cast members around the meeting table. Encouraged by his invitation to ask questions freely, the 7IN members began firing off inquiries.

"PD-nim, what restaurant are we competing against today?"

"Excuse me? Uh... it seems like you're not familiar with the format of 'Restaurant Maker'. We're not a competitive show."

"We reviewed the previous episodes before coming, but every show we've been on so far involved some kind of competition."

"I see."

"So we were curious if there would be any competitive element today."

"If we do have to compete... we'll definitely win."

"Competitions, contests, survival shows—we're pros at those now!"

Though they spoke confidently, the boys' faces were tinged with nervousness. PD Yang couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

Even though 7IN had dominated every competition they participated in, they were, at their core, just boys. There was no way they hadn't grown tired of constant contests and rivalry.

"As I mentioned to the staff before you arrived, we're sticking to our usual format. No competition."

"Really?"

"Yes. Today, you just need to enjoy cooking and interacting with the guests. Don't worry about sales or anything like that."

"Thank goodness—"

Hearing that there would be no competition, the boys' expressions visibly relaxed. The production crew also smiled as they watched the boys unwind.

"I feel ashamed for even suggesting clickbait..."

"Exactly. No matter what bizarre dish Chef Jang whips up, we'll stick to our wholesome approach."

After the pre-shoot meeting wrapped up, the preparations for opening the restaurant finally began.

The menu for the first day consisted of braised spicy chicken, cold bean soup noodles, acorn jelly, and potato pancakes—a total of four dishes. None were particularly difficult, but there were ingredients that needed to be prepped in advance, so the set was busy from the start.

"Alright, let's start with the prep work."

Chef Baek gathered the kitchen staff around the pile of fresh chicken. However, the 7IN members moved faster, taking their places first.

"Chef, would it be okay if we handle the chicken prep?"

"Hmm..."

Chef Baek hesitated, pondering for a moment.

While it was nice to see the cast eager to participate, ingredient prep had to be done quickly and accurately. It could be challenging for those who weren't experienced.

But Chef Baek decided to trust the boys for now.

"The water's cold—are you sure you can handle it?"

"Yes! We can do it!"

With the members' enthusiastic response, Chef Baek stepped aside.

He could always call the kitchen staff back in if things didn't go well.

However, there was no need to call them back.

Slice, slice—

The seven members standing at the counter began skillfully breaking down the chicken and trimming off the fat with deft knife work.

"Oh..."

Even under Chef Baek's scrutinizing gaze, their technique was impeccable. Although the structure and fat placement varied slightly from chicken to chicken, the members swiftly and efficiently broke down the birds.

"It looks like they've been practicing."

"Ah, yes. We've been practicing whenever we had free time over the past two weeks."

"Hehe, thank you for noticing."

"Of course I noticed. You can tell just from watching one cut."

As the members quickly prepared the ingredients for the braised spicy chicken, Chef Baek couldn't help but smile proudly.

In truth, it was the 'Restaurant Maker' crew that felt like they'd won the lottery by having 7IN as guests. Honestly, even if 7IN had just come to promote the show without cooking, it would have been a win for 'Restaurant Maker'.

But the 7IN members were sincere.

Even without the pressure of competition, they took their task seriously. Their knife skills, honed over two weeks of practice, were sharp and precise, rivaling those of professional kitchen staff.

"This, this is what we need to capture."

With a camcorder in hand, shaped like a gun, Chef Baek filmed the members as they prepped. PD Yang Hong-seok also focused the camera, intrigued by the fact that the members had practiced their knife skills.

Thanks to the members' preparation, the work leading up to the restaurant's opening went smoothly.

Slice, slice, chop, chop—

The quiet kitchen was filled with the sounds of chopping and prepping. The assistant director glanced anxiously at PD Yang.

"PD-nim, PD-nim."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Isn't the sound too empty?"

"It's fine. This is perfect."

"But this feels too much like a documentary..."

"Once the guests arrive, it'll get lively. Besides, no one has ever seen these boys like this before."

"That's true, but..."

"Isn't this scene much more appealing than forced laughter and chatter? I'm confident we're on the right track."

"Okay. If you're that sure, then I'll trust you."

By the time the members had finished preparing the ingredients for the chicken stew, they were already grinding soybeans for the cold soybean soup. Baek Jung-hoon subtly quizzed the members, extracting more content for the show.

"What about the potatoes for the potato pancakes? Shouldn't you have grated them in advance?"

"Oh, we thought it would be best to grate the potatoes fresh with each order."

"Why did you come to that conclusion?"

"When we pre-grated the potatoes, the taste deteriorated for some reason. It seemed that the ingredients react with oxygen and the flavor diminishes. From our experience, the potato pancakes taste best when the potatoes are freshly grated."

"Wow, impressive. People who have done it themselves always know best, don't they? So, are you planning to use a blender or a grater?"

"If the dining area was bigger and we had more customers, we might have to use a blender out of necessity. But since there are seven of us and the space isn't that large, we're going to use a grater. Hand-grated potatoes have a coarser texture, which makes the pancakes much more enjoyable to eat."

"Looks like you injured your finger while practicing grating potatoes, didn't you?"

"Oh wow, how did you notice that so quickly?"

"I've grated my fingers plenty of times back in the day. I used to joke that I was eating pancakes with my fingers in them."

"Haha! I guess that dad joke is actually pretty funny, teacher. Why is that kind of joke so amusing?"

"Not only do these guys have a knack for cooking, but they've got a good sense of humor too."

With a friendly rapport established, the 7IN members continued their preparations, ready to welcome their first customers.