Summer's Table First Broadcast
Thrilled at the prospect of heading back to Seoul to edit, PD Lee Gyeong-sik wrapped the first shoot of the variety show by capturing the cast exploring every corner of the island one last time.
The production team and cast rode the ferry back into Gunsan Port. The crew packed away their equipment, and everyone exchanged congratulations on a successful island shoot.
"Great work, everyone!"
"Yes, you all did amazing!"
"Thanks to Yeon-woo, this show is going to be a hit."
Once filming wrapped, PD Lee Gyeong-sik approached Yeon-woo with an affectionate look in his eyes and offered his thanks.
"Director, please speak comfortably. Our chemistry as a cast is pretty great, right?"
"Oh, you think so? Hahaha. The chemistry's solid, sure — but Yeon-woo carried the whole thing."
At the PD's praise, Yeon-woo scratched his head with an embarrassed smile.
Who would've thought my lonely solo life and years of living alone in my past life would come in this handy.
"Anyway, looking forward to the next shoot! When we film next week, the teaser from this shoot will probably already be out."
"Ah, variety really does move fast. Thank you for all your hard work on this shoot, Director."
The vans arrived one by one to pick up the actors, and starting with So-hyun — who was completely wiped out from seasickness — everyone headed home.
"Yeon-woo, see you next week! You too, Jin-uk hyung, Jun-ho!"
Yeon-woo waved back as he saw them off, then climbed into Manager Min-su's car.
"You worked hard, sir. How was the shoot?"
"It was fun. The director says it should turn out well."
Min-su smiled at Yeon-woo's cheerful reply and pulled out onto the road. Before long, they arrived in Daejeon.
"Thanks for making the trip. Once I graduate I'll be moving up to Seoul anyway, so just hang in there until then, Min-su hyung."
Yeon-woo conveyed the quiet guilt he felt about Min-su having to drive down to Daejeon for every schedule.
Min-su just grinned at him.
"Come on, it's not hard at all. Like I told you before, last year I was bouncing around military bases all over the country. Office work bores me stiff, so once you graduate, please shoot a ton of projects. Haha."
"Yes! There's probably a cameo shoot coming up right after this variety show wraps. I don't think the company's been told yet, though."
Min-su's eyes lit up at the mention of a shoot. He wasn't bluffing — he was a field guy through and through, and desk work had been pure misery lately.
Unlike Min-su's previous workplace, LN Entertainment didn't reassign a dedicated manager to other celebrities just because their assigned actor was on break. When there was no on-set work, managers reported to the office for artist analysis, general administrative tasks, and management-related training courses — that was the daily grind.
"Then I'll be back next week."
"Yes, Min-su hyung. Drive safe going up."
After seeing Min-su off toward Seoul, Yeon-woo went inside and shook off the fatigue.
School life carried on, and then Friday arrived — and the first teaser for Summer's Table dropped.
For fans still stuck in post-drama withdrawal, it was rain after a long drought.
A teaser for the spin-off variety show starting next week had dropped out of nowhere. The cast departing from the harbor, the haunted-house vibes of their new home base, So-hyun's startled face as she pulled up a fish trap — and a flash of dazzling knife skills on a cutting board, owner unknown. It was more than enough to send fan expectations through the roof.
"Hehehe. Absolute jackpot."
PD Lee Gyeong-sik was already buzzing in the editing suite, watching the online reactions and the first articles start rolling in.
The variety team had thrown themselves into editing the moment they got back to Seoul, and they'd already locked the cut for Episode 1 airing next Friday.
Four weekends of shooting for a total of eight episodes. They'd only just finished the first episode, but the vibe was excellent.
PD Lee Gyeong-sik had previously struggled with a variety show that never climbed the ratings and eventually got cancelled. This time, he barely had to lift a finger on the creative side — the cast of Summer's Closet was generating buzz and content all on their own, and he couldn't wipe the grin off his face.
And the MVP among them was Ryu Yeon-woo.
"Man. Where did a treasure like this even come from."
The next day, the cast gathered again at Gunsan Port and headed out to Gaeya-do for the next shoot. The highlights this time: So-hyun landing a sea bream on her very first try — beginner's luck or pure destiny — and high-schooler Yeon-woo's jaw-dropping turn filleting it into sashimi and cooking up a spicy fish stew. The writers' room collectively screamed and collapsed at the sight of the tendons flexing in his arms while he worked the knife. A minor incident, really.
Then Friday evening arrived — premiere night.
Seong-sik and Jun-su insisted on watching together and showed up at Yeon-woo's house. Yeon-woo's mother, still fretting over him after everything that had happened, welcomed his friends with open arms.
His little sister So-hyun, mortified by the unexpected visit from her brother's friends, locked herself in her room and declared she'd watch on her phone.
"Ah, it's starting."
"Whoa, this feels totally different from the drama. Weird in a good way."
Seong-sik found the sight of his friend on a variety show oddly unfamiliar. Yeon-woo laughed at him.
"Yeah? It's still just me on TV."
The broadcast opened with PD Lee Gyeong-sik meeting the cast at a pub.
"You weren't there for that part?"
"Nope. That was probably the night before the March mock exam."
His friends and parents refocused on the screen. Before long, the footage cut to Yeon-woo's self-cam from before departure.
"Oh my, when did you film that? I should've re-wallpapered your room!"
His mother smacked him on the back.
"Ow. We just moved — it's clean."
Then his manager appeared, stiff as a machine, and the whole room burst out laughing.
"That guy's hilarious."
"He's actually a really good person. Looking at Min-su hyung, I think I lucked out with my manager."
The editors had slapped robot CG over Min-su's greeting, making him look even more awkward.
"Hyeek. You went to an island by boat? You said you just went to the countryside."
"Yeah. That island is basically the countryside."
Then came footage even Yeon-woo was seeing for the first time — Han So-hyun woozy and seasick before he arrived, and An Jun-ho spooked by the exterior of the haunted house and turning right back around.
"Whoa. Yeon-woo, So-hyun noona is pretty even when she's nauseous."
"An Jun-ho? That guy's so funny. Hahaha. He's way more of a scaredy-cat than he looks."
"Hey, you wouldn't have gone in either. Look at that place."
During filming, Yeon-woo had wondered whether any of this would actually be entertaining. Watching his friends and parents laugh beside him, he nodded to himself — variety really was all about the edit.
He'd fretted over the genre itself, convinced he simply wasn't an entertaining person. That worry felt almost silly now. The finished broadcast was fun even to him, and the reactions were solid.
"Son, you didn't get seasick?"
"No, I don't get seasick at all."
On screen, Yeon-woo arrived on the island and Han So-hyun came running into his arms. The production team had even layered in pink flower petals drifting through the air.
"Ooooh. What's this, Ryu Yeon-woo."
"Huh? No. I just got off the boat and she suddenly ran at me."
Seong-sik pointed both fingers at Yeon-woo with exaggerated volume. Even Yeon-woo's father, who'd been quiet, was smiling faintly as he looked at his son.
"Hmm. Son, what's going on between you two?"
"Come on, nothing. She's ten years older than me."
"Wait, she's ten years older than us? Han So-hyun noona. In the drama she was twenty — I had no idea."
The broadcast rolled on through Yeon-woo and the cast fixing up the haunted house, splitting into two teams to build a fire pit and haul in the fish traps. Then, right on cue — So-hyun's startled reaction as she pulled up a trap, the staff's voice spiking curiosity, and the subtitle: Next week.
"Aaaah! What is it?! What did they catch? Tell me, Yeon-woo!"
"You can't cut it there. Argh!"
"Secret. Tune in live next week."
Yeon-woo just grinned at Seong-sik and Jun-su losing their minds over the perfect cliffhanger and held his silence.
Before they knew it, the show was over and his friends were getting up to leave.
"Auntie, Uncle — we'll head out now."
"Alright, boys. Thanks for hanging out with Yeon-woo."
"Nah, Yeon-woo's the one hanging out with us."
They spent a good while laughing and chatting easily with Yeon-woo's parents before finally heading home. Only then did his little sister open her door and come out.
"Oppa! My friends keep asking what was in the fish trap."
"Ah, that's a secret, though?"
Yeon-woo answered with a smile. Ryu So-hyun looked at her brother and, for no good reason, got sulky.
"Ugh, but why does that unnie have to be named So-hyun too?! My friends keep screenshotting articles about the Yeon-woo–So-hyun couple and sending them to me."
"Hohoho. You're right. Same name as our So-hyun."
Yeon-woo eyed his sister's protruding lower lip, slipped into his room, pulled out a fifty-thousand-won bill, and pressed it into her hand while whispering in her ear.
"Buy something good with your friends. And what they caught in the trap was octopus."
At the sight of a single Shin Saimdang note, So-hyun's pout vanished on the spot.
As always, the best medicine was financial therapy.
His friends and family had loved it — and the internet was just as unhinged.
At home, Han So-hyun watched Summer's Table with her mother and smiled as she scrolled through the comments.
"Mom, the variety reactions are great."
"You always said you'd never do variety because you might slip up and say something wrong. Our daughter is good at this, huh?"
Thinking of the cast, So-hyun's eyes curved into crescents.
"The atmosphere on our drama set was really good, you know. I figured if it was this group, it'd be fun. Hehe."
She kept scrolling through the comments on her phone — then quietly hit dislike on a comment that said "ten years apart."
Of course she had no romantic feelings toward Ryu Yeon-woo, a minor a full decade younger than her. But comments that made a point of emphasizing the age gap still rubbed her the wrong way.
"I'm still in my twenties, though. Tch."