Taste Point Ep. 201 — Twenty-Three Minutes of Lee Yeonjae's Face, Packed to the Brim

The moment Kwon Inah, president of Lee Yeonjae's official fan club, saw the pop-up notification, she had her earbuds in before her coffee even touched the desk. She took a deep breath and tapped the latest episode of Taste Point on YouT*be.

Our Bambi... on Taste Point.

Taste Point was an interview program hosted by MC Matdan, the woman the internet called the entertainment world's resident connoisseur. Instead of the same tired questions every other show asked, it was famous ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for digging into exactly what hardcore fans were dying to know.

Please, please ask what our Bambi actually does with his free time.

The president was desperate. Sure, Yeonjae posted essays of near-academic length on the fan cafe once a month — but never a word about himself. They were wall-to-wall bulletins like my manager did such-and-such today, this dish soap works best, and air purifier filters should be changed every two months. He didn't run social media either, so fans had no way at all of peering into Bambi's private life.

But Matdan, true to form, did not disappoint.

"I heard you're a huge fan of tteok cakes."

"...How did you know that?"

"From Lee Jeonghyeon's livestream. Goodness, do you have any idea how hard it's been for our team, with how little information about you exists in the world? Ninety-nine percent of today's questions come from Lee Jeonghyeon's livestream videos."

At the MC's mock tears, the president silently agreed. But Bambi's awkward, sheepish smile in response was nothing short of paradise. She drank in that beautiful creature with her eyes while her ears scrambled to keep up with the flood of information: Bambi's favorite tteok cake flavor was blueberry; outside of acting practice, he spent his time exclusively with his manager, Lee Jeonghyeon, and his friends.

When asked what he actually did with those friends, he answered, "We just... talk," wearing the expression of a man thoroughly flustered. Even through the pixels, you could feel him genuinely puzzling over whether there was supposed to be something else.

Oh no. He doesn't even play video games, does he...

Teenage boys hanging out and just conversing? The president was beginning to suspect Lee Yeonjae might literally be a fairy. She also learned that the watch his manager had given him as a gift was one he occasionally even slept in.

"Oh! Then is the watch you're wearing right now that very watch?"

At Matdan's question, Bambi spilled the story of how his manager had originally lied and told him it cost 30,000 won. The way he tattled to her — huffing and hemming like a kid reporting a classmate to the teacher — was unbearably endearing. Even the sidelong glances he sneaked at his manager between remarks, the not-so-subtle glaring off to the side, were maddeningly cute.

Excellent. This should put the watch controversy to rest for good.

That cursed watch had stirred up gossip early on. It was priced well beyond what a boy his age would normally wear — and worse, Yeonjae had grown up in an orphanage, which made the talk louder still.

But Bambi didn't bother defending himself. Honestly, he didn't seem the least bit interested. The fans had stamped their feet in frustration at that nonchalance, but what could they do? They'd had no choice but to squint, look the other way, and pretend not to see.

"I also heard a rumor that you don't accept watch sponsorships because of it."

"Wow. There really is nothing you don't know."

Bambi's eyes went round, and he laughed lightly.

"It's less that I'm turning down sponsorships and more that we're in talks to take things one step at a time. This watch is so good it's almost more than I deserve... I figure if I wear it every day for about ten years, it won't feel like a waste. Oh — and these shoes too."

With that, Bambi pointed down at his own feet: a pair of white sneakers so clean you'd believe they were fresh out of the box.

"These were a gift from last year, from my fans... B-Biyeon."

Bambi stammering through it with a bashful grin—

"He's gone. He's actually gone..."

—was unbearable in how lovable it was.

"Oh, but they look a little small on you."

"My feet have grown since then. Sadly I've only managed to wear them a handful of times, but I wore them today because I wanted to show them off during the interview."

No. Bambi. No.

The president groaned aloud. Then just accept gifts, for the love of— If they send them in your new size, every problem is solved! And on top of that, the fact that he had hauled a pair of shoes that didn't even fit all the way to France just to show them off nearly made her tear up.

What do I even do with him. How is he this lovable.... Though this really won't work as promo material.

Bambi was adorable, stylish, and gorgeous — but he was decidedly not blessed with variety-show instincts. Actors, as a rule, drew far lower view counts than idols anyway; they were just too calm for that arena.

Hooking newbies with the full video is a lost cause. I'll farm faces with screenshots instead.

Even as she drowned in syrupy adoration, the president's brain rendered its verdict with icy precision: this video would be one the fans treasured among themselves.

Then she watched the segment that followed, and shoveled that thought straight into the trash.

"Our prepared content today is the 3 People 3 Colors Q&A! I'll ask a question, and you answer while holding up one sign at a time!"

Matdan's first question was: If you suddenly came into 300 million won?

Sign in hand reading LEE JIN-WOO, Yeonjae answered with perfect composure.

"Looks like I could scrape by on that."

"I'm sorry?"

"It's far too small a sum to do anything properly with. I imagine I could put it toward building a reasonable amount of trust with the people on my side."

The voice saying it was impeccably refined. Then, the instant he picked up the KANG TAE-IL sign, that blank, tidy expression transformed.

"I'm buying beef for my hyungs!"

The corners of his brightly smiling eyes crinkled with pure mischief.

"Yukhoe for Cheolwoo hyung — and Hanseong hyung's crazy about cars, so I'd pick out something real flashy for him~"

Grinning like the mere thought delighted him, he looked like a completely different person from ten seconds earlier. Expression and vocal tone flipped in a flash, like someone with multiple personality disorder*.

"..."

Behind Matdan, staring blankly with her mouth agape, a full shot briefly appeared of the entire production crew sunk in silence. And through all of it, Yeonjae paid the room no mind whatsoever as he picked up the final sign. He stared at his own profile photo for a long moment, then spoke in the familiar expression the president knew so well.

"Hmm, let's see. I'd probably save it first. There isn't anything I particularly need to spend it on..."

"..."

"...Matdan-nim?"

Only then did Yeonjae seem to notice the silence pressing in around him. At the sight of Bambi's face morphing in an instant into Did I do something wrong?, Matdan hurriedly burst into applause.

"Wow... Actor-nim, your acting... is genuinely incredible. Maybe it's because I watched the movie yesterday, but I'm feeling even stranger than I should be."

"I got chills and I don't even know what the movie's about!"

At the staff's cheering, Bambi murmured his thanks, looking thoroughly bewildered. On screen, Matdan — with the caption 'Barely Composing Herself' plastered across her frozen face — delivered the second question.

"If you could make just one wish?"

To that question, Lee Jin-woo tossed out a flat-faced "paying back what's owed." Kang Tae-il, bouncing like a puppy at full excitement, answered "spending the rest of my life together with my hyungs."

Lee Yeonjae hesitated for a long time. Then, in a small voice, almost a whisper, he said:

"...I hope the people beside me never get hurt."

The earnestness in it — as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠if he were truly, desperately making a wish — made her go huh? for a split second, but Yeonjae immediately broke into a gentle smile and smoothed the moment over.

"Health is the greatest thing there is. You can't buy it with money. I hope my manager hyung, my friends, my seniors, everyone at the agency — I hope every single one of them stays healthy."

"Gosh, exactly~! Health comes first. Which means you'd better take care of yours too, Actor-nim. Think of yourself as a national treasure and act accordingly! If you get hurt, it'll pain Biyeon — but more importantly, it'd be a loss to the nation!"

At Matdan's fully-loaded variety-show antics, Bambi smiled softly. The president stared, dazed, as Yeonjae bowed out with a gracious closing greeting.

The screen went black — but the video wasn't over. It cut back in with Matdan suddenly reappearing, the corridor noise around her bustling, as if she'd been filmed in a rush.

"Everyone. Twins is about to hit theaters in Korea, right? Go watch the movie — then come back and watch this video again. You'll get even more chills, I promise."

With Matdan's whisper trailing off in a loaded, meaningful tone, the video finally ended.

"..."

The president gazed at her darkened phone screen, then quietly opened the search bar. She already knew the answer — she'd searched it several times — but hope, foolishly, springs eternal.

Twins Korea release date

"Ugh, still two whole weeks."

What was the point of being fan club president if she couldn't even see her own actor's movie first? Muttering the deranged thought that she should have burned her vacation days and flown to France, the president hit replay on the video.

And the notion that only Lee Yeonjae's fans would ever seek this video out was — exactly as she'd judged — a truly, royally garbage thought.

Amid the community's boiling reactions, the day finally arrived.

The day of the Cannes Film Festival awards ceremony — the day the winners would be announced.