The screen changed, and just like when it introduced Kang Chaheon, it continued with Rowoon’s introduction.
It focused especially on Gwiro and Taewoon’s CF, but there was a finishing blow that stood out above the rest.
<The rising star of the film industry★>
“Cough!”
It was the kind of caption that practically forced you to choke.
“Rowoon, are you okay?”
“Kh— Yeah. I just choked for a second.”
Rowoon, who fell for PD Han’s dazzling eloquence without any guard up.
And Kang Chaheon, watching that in disbelief.
After that came the kidnapping scene Rowoon knew all too well.
Rowoon, throwing out nothing but question marks even as he was being dragged away, overlapped with Kang Chaheon, sighing heavily and covering his eyes.
-I’m dyingㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-They’re both totally goneㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Why is the BGM so wistfulㅋㅋㅋ
-But it looks like those two are genuinely close? Their back-and-forth is such real-besties vibeㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└For real, this is the kind of thing you only get if they’re actually close
└Isn’t it acting? Kang Chaheon’s a great actor
└? You’re not a ChaCha fan, are you? He doesn’t act unless it’s a project
└F***, the troll crawled all the way in here too
Their wistful faces faded out, and the third member appeared.
A mosaicked face and a voice changer were caught from a low angle, and then—shaaaarang—with a sparkle sound effect, it was revealed.
<Oh wow, if it’s PD Han’s variety show, I’ve gotta come out for it.>
It was Kim Bonggeun, who already had a friendly connection with PD Han and often did YouTube together.
<Sacrificial Offering 2, recruited successfully>
Kim Bonggeun’s case was even crazier.
<You dressed up today, Mr. Bonggeun?>
<I heard there was a pre-interview today, so I put in a little effort. Can you tell?>
His bright smiling face turned black-and-white and a caption appeared.
<That was a fake★>
<What is happening!>
<PD? You’re not selling me off right now, are you? I’m not very expensive…>
Under Kim Bonggeun’s blank, dazed face as he muttered pitifully that his corneas, kidneys, and liver were all bad so he was useless anyway, a wistful italic caption slid by.
<I’m sorry, Mr. Bonggeun…★>
Next came an introduction to the location where the three of them would be working.
It was a formal introduction explaining the program’s purpose, emphasizing nature, so much that they even used a heli-cam.
After a sped-up montage of them repairing and fixing up an abandoned, run-down house—
The completed appearance was revealed with all sorts of flashy effects.
A clean, spacious kitchen, a dining hall that could accommodate a good number of people, and even the second-floor lodging where the three would live for the next week.
And then what followed was…
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Ah I’m losing it, seriously—every single one of them is goneㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
With Kim Bonggeun added, it showed the three of them standing in front of the restaurant, each holding a suitcase in one hand, completely dazed.
-What even is this lineupㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Kim Bonggeun’s “got struck by lightning” faceㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Is there anyone there whose mental is intact right nowㅋㅋ
-This is a total madhouse festivalㅋㅋㅋ This is insaneㅋㅋㅋ
-The “brains blown out” faces have me laughing with zero resistanceㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Creak, creak—
In a way that could only be described like that, the three somehow managed to divide up roles and start a meeting.
-No, Kim Bonggeun is the oldest, so why is he looking around for cues like thatㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Right??ㅋㅋ It looks like Kang Chaheon is the oldest brotherㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Reality: ChaCha insisting he’s not the youngest
On screen, the three exchanged awkward introductions.
<Please speak comfortably.>
<Uh… should I?>
-Kim Bonggeun definitely didn’t flinch when Kang Chaheon told him to speak casually, did heㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Yeah… Chaheon isn’t exactly “comfortable”…
<But… you two are friends, right?>
<…….>
<…….>
-I’m losing itㅋㅋ why are they both silentㅋㅋ
└Maybe they’re silent because they’re not friends?
└? How is that not friends? That reaction is because they’re friends
└Replying: you don’t know because you have no friends, understandable~
└Ahh I see~ I thought you were trolling^^!
<I was unsure because Rowoon talks politely to Chaheon… that… guy.>
<My birthday is earlier.>
-Look at Kang Chaheon, in the middle of this, making sure to emphasize his birthday is earlier
└Wait, was our ChaCha always this kind of characterㅋㅋㅋ He sits there expressionless and then says his birthday is earlierㅋㅋ
In reality, the vibe was clunky, like they’d eaten the “awkward-awkward fruit,” but once it went through editing magic, it became entertaining—like watching a slapdash, thrown-together skit show somehow roll along.
“Rowoon, they’re calling you an interpreter!”
The manager, who was watching live and monitoring real-time reactions, burst out laughing—“Puhah!”
After that, because Kim Bonggeun—overwhelmed by Kang Chaheon’s aura—kept only cautiously checking Rowoon’s face and speaking to him, and Rowoon kept relaying it to Kang Chaheon, over and over.
It was the same on Kang Chaheon’s side too, so with Rowoon in the middle, the two of them used Rowoon to talk to each other from either side, creating an absurd scene.
Of course, once the insane mission of starting the restaurant began in real time four days later and they got ground down, that awkwardness disappeared quickly.
-Surprisingly, their chemistry is good?
-I thought it’d fall apart, but even picking the menu is super fast
-LOL look at how nobody trusts PD Han
└Kang Chaheon even brought his own card, neatly hiddenㅋㅋ
└As expected, experienced pros are different
-Wow, lots of people recognize them, and they’re getting tons of freebies
-Kim Bonggeun really can cook
└He has a cooking YouTube tooㅇㅇ I heard he was already famous among acquaintances for having amazing “hand taste”
└But seriously, the plating is art. It’s so prettyㄷ
└They keep calling him a genius and Kim Bonggeun looks like his face is about to burstㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-This is weird… The way Kim Bonggeun keeps telling people to eat, I keep seeing my grandma in him…
└Hey, you too? Hey, me too
Episode 1 ended with a scene of Rowoon sharing fried rice with Kang Chaheon.
He definitely said “just one spoonful,” but it was that shocking moment where half the bowl disappeared with one spoon.
Rowoon’s aghast expression, Kim Bonggeun laughing so hard he doubled over.
Kang Chaheon, completely unfazed, eating the rice he’d outright stolen.
And the crew, cracking up—one by one—while that once-famous Caffè Bene ending BGM played underneath.
-No, what is that faceㅋㅋㅋ He looks like a hamster whose cheek pouches got completely emptiedㅋㅋㅋ
└And the finishing blow is him beaming when Kim Bonggeun gives him more riceㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-I’m telling you they’re real friendsㅋㅋ The people doing fortune-teller nonsense like “it’s business” or “it’s scripted” disappeared like cockroaches^^ㅋ You can tell the troll level, right?
└Exactly. Even on set, Kang Chaheon keeps his manners razor-sharp with coworkersㅋㅋㅋ Are they even Kang Chaheon fans?
└222 If you know ChaCha, you can’t say “business” and all that. More than anything, why would ChaCha need to do “business” anywayㅋ His real job is being insanely handsome and his career is already top-tierㅋ
The moment Episode 1 ended, the teaser for the next episode immediately followed.
<Hello, good morning.>
Kang Chaheon filled the screen, greeting them.
Then came a fast-forwarded scene of Kang Chaheon washing his face and hair, then snapping a towel—thwack thwack thwack—and blow-drying, and after that, Kang Chaheon filled the screen again and said,
<Then I’ll go work out.>
Next was a scene of Rowoon and Kang Chaheon holding a plate with something on it, with question-mark effects floating above their heads.
<Ah, this rice cake? It’s nothing special. They were selling really good rice flour yesterday. So I tried making it.>
With Kim Bonggeun’s rice cakes in hand, the two headed next door, with little footprint effects and scampering sound effects added behind them.
<Such a good kid, and so young. Looks like you came with your older brother?>
Rowoon and Kang Chaheon were shown looking at each other awkwardly.
<The performance of two best friends who look exactly alike!>
<Did you two happen to come from farming somewhere?>
<If you’re going to do it, do it properly.>
Then a scene came of Kim Bonggeun showing off his cooking skills.
<Bong Chef begins to show his skills!>
With this slapdash setup, would running a restaurant even be possible?
It was a flashy lineup that brushed away that concern.
And then—
<PD, are you serious?>
Kang Chaheon’s incredulous line, and—
<Yes! More serious than anyone>
A caption that answered instantly.
After that, the cast appeared, each wearing a serious expression as they looked at something.
<A crisis arrives in just two days!>
<You want us to do this?>
<Whoa, what do we do about this?>
<Can we… open our restaurant…?>
Even the teaser bait that made you think you absolutely had to watch live next week too.
“Wow. It’s fun. The response is good too. The ratings must’ve been great.”
After finishing even the last teaser, the manager looked like he could finally breathe easy.
“Honestly, when they said they were going to kidnap you, I wondered if this would even work. But it worked?”
“But you still sent me.”
“…It went well, so can you let me off?”
It really was just like the “Midas touch” PD Han—called the god of variety.
‘To make that hopeless situation into something this entertaining…….’
All he remembered was getting thrown into the middle of the forest and having his mind go blank.
But from a third-person perspective, it was comedy of the highest order.
It made his worry that it might flop for being too boring feel ridiculous.
-Seriously, it’s insane from start to finish, not a single part to cut
└I watched with my little sibling and they kept going, “Is this even allowed these days?” ㅅ1ㅂ Is it allowed?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-They’re all mildly unhingedㅎ,.
└Mildly? ㄴㄴ openly ㅇㅇ
└I knew PD Han wasn’t normal, but I didn’t think Kang Chaheon and the other actors would be like this too, for real; and what was that rice cake in the teaser, seriouslyㅋㅋㅋ
└They even went next door and got snacksㅋㅋㅋㅋ Their adaptability is insane;
Most reactions were positive.
In particular, Kang Chaheon’s fans—who’d gotten sharp from the troll-baiters that swarmed after the teaser—started venting all the resentment they’d been holding back once they saw from episode one that this looked like a guaranteed success.
-F***, everyone who said the program would flop, come out right now
└God, it was so hard holding out and waiting; every time I said it wasn’t true, people acted like I was the dramatic one, f***
-I was seriously pissed; like, it’s our baby’s first variety show and people are chanting prayers that it’ll flop—how could you not be pissed?
└I couldn’t even say anything before, and the moment he starts looking more human, trolls latch on perfectlyㅋㅋㅋ But what now? He tore it up in variety too, not just his main jobㅋ
-At this point, do the “it’ll flop because of him” parrots have even 1% credibility left? Honestly, watching him, he’s kind of cute?
└22222 I was tired because it felt like our ChaCha kept getting dragged into hate because of that guy, but watching today, he just seemed gentle and diligent, like… normal??
└Yeah, and he looks a bit airheaded, but he also seems to have a bit of temper, so the way he and ChaCha ping-pong off each other is funny. Honestly, it’s normal for everyone to be intimidated by ChaCha like Mr. Bonggeun is, so thanks to him, we got to see ChaCha hanging out with someone his age, and I loved itㅠ
└4444 Just for this, Lee Rowoon deserves a lifetime “can’t criticize” pass
└555 At this rate they’ll say variety is scripted too, but isn’t PD Han famous for not using scripts?ㅎ
The “purging” reactions—like venting out a grudge—were the same for the tiny handful of Rowoon fans on the fringes.
-Guys, the response is better than I expected
└Honestly, even after the teaser I couldn’t believe it, but after watching the live broadcast I think I can believe it now
└I thought it was propaganda and fabrication;
-Is the world filming a hidden-camera prank on me…
└F*** I think I know what kind of reaction this is, so it’s hilarious; actually it’s not funny;
-Wait, our Yess??????
└Doesn’t he seem different since Gwiro?
└Maybe it’s time to drop the “trash” nickname. Even during Gwiro as a “civilian,” his reactions were great and he did all the fan service, remember
-Ha, the trolls who went to Kang Chaheon fans and chanted prayers that the variety show would flop because of our kid—now they shut up and became a “biscuit meme” lol
-There was that one person who posted a review before, right? Why did nobody believe themㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Wasn’t that a lie?
└No; they said they couldn’t talk because of spoiler/gag rules, but they did give simple proof they went
└F*** why did I skim past it—what did they say in the review ㅠ?
└They said Rowoon changed completelyㅇㅇ But watching now, I get it
-I don’t care, I feel like I’m going to die from happiness,, is this the taste of being mainstream? So this is how everyone’s been eating so luxuriously?
└I, too, finally get to taste this (prayer emoji)
After episode 1 aired.
Forest Restaurant, a ten-episode series, became even more of a hot topic with each episode that aired.
It even set a record for renewing all-time-high ratings week after week, among PD Han’s shows.
At first, people analyzed it as being because of the “Kang Chaheon’s first variety show” buff, but that reaction gradually shifted.
In particular, the number of troll-baiters who’d raised all sorts of conspiracy theories about Rowoon got smacked down by people every episode and quietly shrank away.
“Of course. Viewers aren’t idiots. Kang Chaheon is handsome, sure, but looks alone wouldn’t be enough to renew ratings every week.”
The manager insisted he wasn’t just saying that because he was biased.
“Think about it. Koreans are ruthless about boring stuff. If it weren’t for the chemistry between you three, forget renewing ratings—people would’ve been cursing it out as ‘Kang Chaheon video lookbook’ or something.”
On top of that, someone turned a Rowoon-fan’s reaction into a meme image and spread it around, which made the positive public opinion about Rowoon surge even more.
[If our kid could act like that 24/7, he would’ve been famous ages ago, f***. Acting, my ass. F***. Our kid doesn’t even have the brains to pull that off, okay???]
It spread through every community as a meme titled:
Someone_who_will_speak_only_the_truth_even_if_a_knife_is_at_their_throat.jyp
So naturally, people who’d only heard rumors about Rowoon couldn’t help but react even more favorably.
Note:
I kept the crazy format of the commenters in the thread.
ChaCha = Kang Chaheon, our Yess = Rowoon in that thread.
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