100 Restaurant (2)
The autumn breeze had arrived. October had come, bringing with it the Chuseok holiday season. The movie Middle had wrapped up its run with an impressive 13.8 million admissions.
Thanks to that success, Woo Dan-wol had left his mark not only on the small screen but on the big screen as well. Before his next project, one more shoot remained on his schedule. That was 100 Restaurant.
Though it was a variety program, it was essentially a show starring the legendary restaurateur Baek Ju-yeon. With her signature image of standing with arms crossed, she was a celebrity known to a vast majority of Koreans regardless of age or gender. She owned over 2,500 chain stores across the country.
The concept of the show was simple: a woman who had thrived in the food service industry for over twenty years—could she replicate that success overseas?
It might not guarantee explosive laughs, but it was more than enough to spark viewers’ curiosity. She was hugely famous at home, that much was certain. But abroad? The general consensus was a doubtful well… we’ll see. Which, to be fair, was only natural.
Regardless, filming was about to begin.
“I’ll be back soon?”
“Yeah. Travel safe.”
Woo Dan-wol waved his hand. Leaving home filled him with equal parts excitement and worry. This would be his first overseas trip since reincarnating into this world. He was also concerned about leaving Woo Ri-na behind.
Even though she was a first-year high school student, she was still a minor. No matter how adult her appearance looked, her legal status made him uneasy. He had never stayed out overnight for work before, let alone spent over a month abroad. He was debating whether he should ask their parents for help when—
“Take care, okay?”
“Ah, yes. Thank you, Yu-jeong’s mother.”
“Don’t worry about a thing.”
It was Jin Yu-jeong’s parents—one of the members of Ri-na’s trio—who had stepped up to look after her. After their recent move, the already close families now lived even nearer to each other. As a result, Jin Yu-jeong and Woo Ri-na were constantly dropping by each other’s houses to hang out. Naturally, that led to more frequent sleepovers and late-night parties.
Because of that, contact had become natural. Since Ri-na’s middle school graduation, Woo Dan-wol had made a point of keeping in touch with Jin Yu-jeong and looking out for her. What goes around comes around. Woo Ri-na would continue living in their house, but meals and side dishes would be handled at the Jin household. In truth, the only one disappointed by this arrangement was probably Woo Ri-na herself, who had been secretly thrilled at the idea of living alone.
“Text me often.”
“I will.”
“I’m off?”
“Yeah. Safe travels.”
They had already said goodbye once, but they repeated it anyway. That was what true distance felt like.
Woo Dan-wol climbed into Lee Hye-ri’s car and headed for the airport. Seeing the cameras already set up in advance made the reality of filming a variety show finally sink in.
“Where are we going…?”
Meanwhile, Baek Ju-yeon, who had arrived at Incheon Airport first, stared at the PD with a bewildered expression. Quite a few people recognized her, but because they were at an airport and she was surrounded by cameras, no one approached beyond polite glances. Even so, her utterly confused face was a sight to behold.
It made sense. This was a completely real, unscripted situation. Na Na-yeong PD’s signature sly grin appeared. As a star PD famous even among celebrities, the cameras naturally captured her expression.
Baek Ju-yeon’s wrinkled eyes narrowed in shock and confusion toward Na Na-yeong.
“We’re heading to Spain.”
“Spain, you say?”
Perhaps because she was so flustered, her natural regional dialect slipped out. It had been a month and a half. That was the preparation period from casting to departure. Excluding location scouting and staff work, it was the amount of time calculated purely from Baek Ju-yeon’s perspective.
During all that time, they hadn’t given her a single hint about the destination. It was an absurd situation. But then again, who was Na Na-yeong? She was the kind of person who could turn potentially upsetting situations into laughter.
In fact, Baek Ju-yeon’s expression shifted from irritation and displeasure to pure disbelief, then finally burst into hearty laughter. One of the staff handed her the plane ticket.
“...It’s real?”
“Of course.”
“But why are you only telling me now?”
“It’s more fun this way.”
“...?”
She had said it was fun, and there was actually a good reason for it. For someone who had been running a massive corporation rather than working directly in the field, this would be her first time acting as a hands-on small business owner in nearly fifteen years.
It had taken an enormous amount of persuasion to convince her. She was anxious and worried. As the program progressed, the potential losses for her far outweighed any gains. After all, she was already a hugely successful businesswoman in Korea. If she went abroad and completely flopped… she would undoubtedly be flooded with malicious comments.
It was a glimpse into just how big a decision this was. It wasn’t simply about money.
“Teacher Baek…!”
“Oh! Dan-wol!”
A bright smile bloomed on Baek Ju-yeon’s face. It was someone she had met a few times over the past month. Woo Dan-wol had arrived. Han Da-sol followed behind him, but her strangely hunched, timid posture made her easy to miss. She was probably extremely nervous since it was her first time abroad.
Anyway, Baek Ju-yeon’s lips curved upward like flowers in full bloom. A warm, satisfied smile.
It was all thanks to the evaluation she had made of Woo Dan-wol in her heart. A dependable young man. The kind of young man you didn’t see much these days.
At fifty years old, she was exhausted by the gender conflicts that had become one of the biggest social issues in Korea lately. She had even been labeled as man-hating after some offhand comment on a broadcast program. That alone showed how drained she was.
In that sense, Woo Dan-wol’s behavior was impossible not to view favorably. He threw himself wholeheartedly into even the simplest tasks. If he had been a woman, she would have wanted to hire him at her company and put him in an important position. A capable female employee. That was exactly what his true nature looked like beneath the mask of being male.
“Good morning, Teacher.”
“Hehehe…”
He was even polite. While she gazed at Woo Dan-wol with honey-sweet eyes, Han Da-sol offered her own greeting. Her voice was so tiny it was like an ant crawling across the floor. It was hard to believe this was the same confident actress who dominated film sets.
“U-um, hello…”
“What? You were here too?”
“Hahaha.”
Even the production crew who had been filming them burst into laughter. Although it was a variety shoot, the unique atmosphere of Na Na-yeong’s team played a big part. It was such natural laughter. None of the staff, including Baek Ju-yeon, had even noticed Han Da-sol was there. A master-level stealth mission! The only flaw was that it wasn’t intentional. Still, if it got a laugh on a variety show, wasn’t that enough?
“She’s just nervous.”
“I am not!”
The moment she got worked up, she returned to her usual self. Their oddly harmonious chemistry was on full display. It was a little different from what she had imagined, but it wasn’t bad at all. The corner of Na Na-yeong PD’s mouth lifted in satisfaction.
With that, the scene was wrapped up and it was time to board the plane. A grueling twelve-hour flight awaited them.
They would need time to recover from jet lag and fatigue, so they would rest for two full days after arrival. Actual filming would begin after that.
“...What are you doing?”
Han Da-sol asked Woo Dan-wol. He was tilting his head curiously toward the camera. He was used to cameras on drama and film sets, but this was his first variety show. The sight of a camera attached to the seat filming him seemed endlessly fascinating.
“Is this thing actually recording?”
“...Who knows.”
Her mouth, which had opened to answer, closed again. This was her first variety shoot as well. She couldn’t say for sure. The two began debating the matter, only for Baek Ju-yeon—who had been quietly reading a book—to put an end to it.
“It’s recording, yes.”
“Ah, I see.”
Anyway, they arrived in Spain. Despite the long flight that should have left them exhausted, Woo Dan-wol showed no signs of tiredness as he looked around with bright eyes. His puppy-like excitement made both the staff and Baek Ju-yeon smile warmly.
“Whoa…”
The situation had somehow reversed. Baek Ju-yeon and Han Da-sol stood side by side, watching from a distance. This happened after they had arrived in Spain, unpacked at their lodging, and gotten enough rest.
Of course, running a business wasn’t something that could be thrown together in a day or two. Even for Baek Ju-yeon, thorough preparation was essential. The location and staff had already been secured. After naturally analyzing the local market, Baek Ju-yeon held a meeting with Woo Dan-wol, Han Da-sol, and the production team to decide on the menu.
The very first task was, naturally, grocery shopping. Woo Dan-wol took the lead, conversing fluently with the store employees.
If the others had stepped forward, they could have managed some form of communication, but having someone who actually knew the language made all the difference.
“He looks pretty cool, doesn’t he?”
“He really does.”
Watching Woo Dan-wol handle the conversation with such ease from a few steps back was undeniably impressive.
After successfully finishing the shopping, they began organizing their supplies. They would open for business the next day, so everything needed to be prepared in advance.
Han Da-sol, who had stopped by the lodging to sort some luggage, was left stunned.
“Dan-wol…?”
“Hic…”
Woo Dan-wol, who had said he would help Baek Ju-yeon prepare, was crying.