Chapter 128
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 128
Chapter Title Tasting Corner Training
Before the daily parttime job shoot officially kicked off, we naturally had to go through some pretraining, of course.
The cinema team was set to meet with the staff from Superbox and learn what tasks theyd be handling.
We, on the other hand, were going to meet folks working at the big supermarket and get a detailed rundown on the tasting station.
I was dreading coming today...
Hyeongbin, you that scared?
You try hearing some kid with a wrecked look on his face going uuuugh right next to you, hyung.
Isnt that just Yubin sometimes?
WWhen did I ever go uuuugh!
The four heading to the cinema were all in different moods.
Chae Eungyu and Heo Yubin seemed totally chill, without a care in the world.
Song Hyeongbin, whod heard horror stories about cinema parttime gigs from a friend, had worry etched all over his face.
And Kang Siyoon was quickly searching something on his phone.
Hmm...
Siyoon, whatcha looking at?
Oh, nothing much. Just got a bit worried about what Hyeongbin hyung said, so I was checking out some parttime reviews.
Kang Siyoon held up his phone, and Chae Eungyu and Heo Yubin peered at the screen intently.
Pros You can have fun working while getting close with the other parttimers. Cons Cleaning the theater might snap your back in half...?
Thats exactly what I was talking about!
At the mention of theater cleaning, Song Hyeongbin reacted with a loud shout right away.
Everything else is doable, but cleaning the theater after the movie ends is the worst, they said.
Now that you mention it, those theaters with over 400 seats look massive.
Imagine us cleaning every inch of a place like that, hyung. Popcorn dropped everywhere. Drinks left behind!
...Sounds kinda rough.
Meanwhile, our group was relatively peaceful.
Peaceful in name only, reallyYu Minha was the one bubbling with excitement, chattering away all by himself.
Should we practice our lines in advance? Oh, maybe theyll tell us how to say them when we get there?
It varies a lot depending on the product, so probably best to learn onsite today.
Yeah, makes sense. What product do you hope we get, Karis hyung?
Hmm. Honestly, Im not too familiar with tasting stations myself.
I gave a suitable dodge.
An Estonian idol knowing Korean supermarket sampling culture inside out would be weird.
That set Yu Minha off, letting his preferences run wild.
You know how at marts, theres always those people shouting super loud? In my memory, the seafood section folks had the biggest voices! Ive got solid projection too, so I could shout loud, but... selling seafood feels kinda boring.
I see.
Yeah! So I was thinking itd be fun to do something like frozen foods or sausages that kids love!
As I listened to Yu Minhas chatter, I tried to guess the production teams intentions.
Even with training, they wouldnt assign anything too tough.
And considering airtime and entertainment value, products where we just stand around talking without making anything were probably off the table too.
Hope we get something straightforward, whatever it is.
Unlike the lively Yu Minha, I glanced at Ji Yooncheol, who was quietly keeping to himself.
Lately, hed been talking more when it was just us, but...
Right now, he was back to that poker face from the Idol Training Simulation days.
Is it because of Yu Minha?
Ji Yooncheol still didnt chat freely with the other members besides me.
Sure, we hadnt had much time to bond, but seeing the others mix well, it was clear he just hadnt opened up yet.
Id clocked this from the start when the teams formed, and my first thought was worry.
Two members with polaropposite personalities stuck together.
Maybe noticing my glance at Ji Yooncheol, Yu Minha asked him brightly.
Yooncheol, any tasting station you wanna try?
...Not really.
For real? Nothing from the times you went to the mart before?
...I dont go to places like that much.
Ah.
Even the great Yu Minha, master of keeping conversations flowing, trailed off.
Then he shot me a desperate look.
Like he was begging, Please help!
But I was actually pretty intrigued by what Ji Yooncheol had just said.
He hardly ever goes to big supermarkets?
Most people have memories of tagging along with parents as kids.
Given his speech patterns, it wasnt like he was dodging the question on purpose.
No matter how quiet or antisocial he was, he wasnt the type to fabricate lies like that.
So that meant what he said was straightup true.
...No way hes in the same boat as me.
As I was deep in thought piecing together Ji Yooncheols backstory, the manager hyung came over and said it was time to head out soon.
See you alive, Hyeongbin hyung!
No way theyd throw tough stuff at us on the first day of training.
You gotta assume the worst to feel less pain!
Can you not with the scary talk?
After saying goodbye to the cinema team, we hopped in the car and headed to the nearby big supermarket.
It happened to be the marts day off, so there wasnt a single customer.
First time seeing a supermarket this dead in my life.
Its eerie how quiet it is.
The reality show staff had arrived ahead of us and finished setting up for filming.
We sat in a row on chairs, listening intently to the PDs briefing.
Welcome, tasting station parttime team. Before we dive into training, we gotta decide what menu youll sell, right?
Yes!
Please pick one member to represent you here.
A representative?
Yu Minha and I exchanged a quick glance.
Then we said in unison.
Ji Yooncheol!
I think Yooncheol should do it.
...Me?
Ji Yooncheol doublechecked that hed been picked.
We nodded firmly, and he stood up without protest.
...What do I do?
Simple! Bring in the wheel!
At the PDs cue, staff wheeled in a big spinner that had been hidden nearby.
It was marked with all sorts of foods.
Pasta, sausages, chicken nuggets, dumplings...
Chicken stirfry and beef bulgogi too.
Karis hyung, Im suddenly hungry!
All stuff youd see at a big supermarket.
The rep, Ji Yooncheol, throws this dart to pick the menu for your day labor gig. Wanna try a practice throw?
Ji Yooncheol got three oversized darts.
I asked if hed ever thrown darts before, worried.
Yooncheol. Ever done darts?
...No.
As expected, zero experience.
Id scanned the options, and honestly, nothing looked brutally hard.
So whatever we got probably wouldnt matter much, but the issue was Ji Yooncheol had to hit it.
The wheel was big, but if he missed...
We might relive that camp content nightmare.
Even this easy thingif he fails, Yooncheol might mope again. Hes already got barely any lines for footage cant have him get more down.
I was about to tell him to toss it lightly when.
...Still, feels doable.
Yooncheols confidence is cool!
What food would be best if it lands?
Ji Yooncheol actually asked us calmly.
No hint of being deflated on his face.
His shoulders even straightened a bit.
Anythings fine, but we gotta hit the sales target... Whats the priciestlooking one over there?
Too pricey might backfire. Some people might pass if they see the price.
Then we need midrangenot too cheap, not too expensive. Hmm.
Yu Minha furrowed his brow thinking, then gave up.
Forget it! Yooncheol, dont sweat itjust chuck it hard! Whatever comes up is good!
...Alright, challenging now.
No practice?
Yeah.
Ji Yooncheol grabbed a dart without hesitation.
I smiled faintly watching him.
No waydid he get a confidence boost from something similar before?
During the camp content, hed barely contributed in the first stickcollecting mission.
But in the followup draw, hed pulled the easiest one and got team praise.
Felt like he was channeling that glory now.
What would happen?
Ji Yooncheol eyed the spinning wheel and threw the dart cleanly.
Amazingly, it stuck on the first try.
It stuck! What menu will the tasting team sell?
The wheel slowed to a stop, revealing Ji Yooncheols pick.
Beef bulgogi!
Beef bulgogi it is.
Hmm, bulgogi.
Popular menu, sure.
But from old memories, not tons of people buy bulgogi at big marts.
Plus, wed have to grill it ourselves for samples.
Didnt seem super simple.
At least the price was reasonablenot dirt cheap or absurdly highso primary goal achieved.
Tasting teams menu is set beef bulgogi. Now then...
The PD quickly instructed the staff.
From afar, a burly guy in a white apron strode over, flashing pearly whites.
Nice to meet you all! Im Baek Hyuncheol, in charge of the meat tasting station at K Mart. Over the next few days, Ill teach you how to run the meat station and grill tasty meat. Looking forward to it!
Please take care of us!
First off...
The tasting instructor cleared his throat.
I was thrilled when you picked my menu. Out of all stations, meat requires the loudest voice, so I figured youd nail it with great projection.
Confident in my voice!
Love the confidence. Alright, follow me like this?
He took a short breath, then boomed out the lines fast.
Come on, come on! Chance of a lifetime! Super tender, delicious bulgogibuy one get one free! Amazingly marinated bulgogi for 12,000 won, buy one get one!
Incredible resonance.
Not just the speedthe vocal power made bulgogi buy one get one ring crystal clear in your ears.
Felt like youd lose out bigtime not buying right now.
Theres more lines than that, but lets practice the most common one first. All together, loud!
Yes!
Yu Minha beamed like hed been waiting for this, showing off his deep voice.
I gave it my all too, camera or not, but Ji Yooncheol fumbled like he had no clue what was happening.
And the instructor wasnt letting that slide.
Tallest guy! Voice too quiet! No one hears that! Once more!
Ji Yooncheols usually stoic face started paling a bit.