Late October – Shooting Day for Please Take Care of My Refrigerator
"Troublesome! The Identity Reversal Project of Misfit Refrigerator Ingredients!"
"Korea’s top chefs will completely empty out your fridge!"
"A refined culinary talk show!"
"Please Take Care of My Refrigerator!"
Clap, clap.
"Take care of it!"
The opening remarks from the two MCs had barely ended before applause erupted.
"Wooaaah!"
It began with cheers and applause from the dazzling lineup of chefs.
The MCs calmly moved on to introducing the guests.
"She’s rewritten Olympic golf history! The Golf Queen—Park Eun-jin!"
"And the world’s eyes are on him—a man not even drugs could defeat! The world’s strongest fists—Kim Donghu!"
A spectacular lineup.
The chefs widened their eyes as Olympic gold medalists made back-to-back appearances.
"Wow, this is insane...."
"Kim Donghu looks absolutely unreal in person."
"I heard he was good-looking, but... this is just ridiculous."
Kim Donghu’s presence, in particular, was overwhelming.
‘I can’t believe Kim Donghu actually agreed to appear on our show... Thank you, thank you so much.’
Lee Junghoon, the producer of Please Take Care of My Refrigerator, felt tears of gratitude welling up as he looked at Kim Donghu.
In reality, it had been a desperate long shot when they first sent the invitation.
‘With the whole world trying to get him on their shows, we actually landed him!’
At this point, Kim Donghu’s name value was off the charts.
The entire world was clamoring for him,
and international celebrities were bombarding him with love calls, eager to associate with him.
He could easily have spent his time touring overseas interviews.
Yet, to everyone’s gratitude, Kim Donghu prioritized his domestic fans.
‘Thank you... Thank you so much....’
Muttering endless thanks in his head,
Producer Lee refocused on the program.
"And now, after 112 years, Olympic golf has made its return! And with overwhelming skill, she made history! Park Eun-jin!"
"An absolutely incredible achievement! Historic, even!"
The show strategically placed Park Eun-jin first.
This ensured Kim Donghu could receive more screen time later and become the focus.
Due to the show’s format, each guest would appear in one dedicated segment.
Naturally, the guest appearing second drew more attention.
‘If Kim Donghu’s segment is second, people will make sure to tune in to the next episode even if they miss the first.’
The entire strategy revolved around maximizing ratings and audience engagement.
"Now, before we open Park Eun-jin’s refrigerator, let’s decide the cooking themes and matchups!"
With that setup, the show progressed quickly.
Eight chefs in total, each preparing four dishes per guest, meant four chefs were assigned per contestant.
"The themes are dishes that keep joints warm and golf-inspired recipes! Let’s decide the matchups!"
At this point, half the chefs would compete to cook for Park Eun-jin.
‘But... it’s obvious.’
Everyone was blatantly eager to cook for Kim Donghu.
Well, of course.
It was only natural.
‘He’s not just an athlete. He’s an actor and an international sensation.’
But anticipating this, they had already assigned the matchups through a pre-recorded rock-paper-scissors contest.
"I’ll take the joint-warming dish."
"I’ll go with the golf-inspired recipe!"
And just like that, the matchups were quickly finalized.
The refrigerator was revealed, and the cooking began in a flash.
Between shots:
"Donghu, how’s the taste so far?"
"Honestly... there’s no way I could make this in 15 minutes. It’s incredible."
"I heard Kim Donghu even cooked himself when he appeared on that Japanese show."
"Really? Wow. Then he must have some skills. We’ll have to try his cooking someday."
They made sure to keep the cameras rolling on Kim Donghu, maximizing airtime.
After a short break, the second segment focused entirely on him.
"Now, just like before, we’ll decide the cooking themes and matchups before revealing the refrigerator!"
The chefs’ eyes sparkled.
Fresh off his Olympic triumph, Kim Donghu was the hottest name in the industry.
This was their chance to build a connection with him.
"The first theme is! A taste of Korea’s soul!"
Kim Donghu explained his choice:
"I’m sure Park Eun-jin can relate, but when you spend a lot of time training overseas, you start to really miss Korean food."
"Right? Definitely."
"So I wanted to experience something truly Korean again. That’s why I chose this theme."
"Got it! And the second theme is! A nourishing dish to prepare for winter!"
"Since winter’s almost here, I figured it’d be great to focus on health."
"But if an Olympic heavyweight boxer gets any healthier, won’t he become Superman?"
"Haha."
With a brief laugh, Kim Donghu’s matchups were swiftly set.
"Now, let’s open the fridge of Olympic champion and actor—Kim Donghu!"
Kim Donghu’s refrigerator was unveiled for the first time on broadcast.
"Wait, what the hell is that?!"
The chefs were visibly shocked.
"Is that truffle? And premium-grade, too?!"
"Wait... I think that’s Korean beef?!"
"What’s that in the package? Look! Those are pine mushrooms!"
"There’s even kelp-aged salmon? Are you serious?"
The refrigerator was stocked with luxury ingredients—
all in pristine condition.
And at that moment, everyone except Kim Donghu had the same thought:
‘Did he stock up just for the show?’
‘This looks way too staged... This might be a problem.’
‘Isn’t this going too far for ratings?’
It seemed suspiciously staged to the point of raising eyebrows.
*****
After Downloading Culinary Skills Through The Elegant Gourmet
I had awakened to the joy of cooking ever since acquiring culinary talent.
‘Not just any cooking talent—a Michelin-level talent.’
Maybe that’s why high-end ingredients started piling up in my refrigerator one by one.
‘But now that it’s stacking up, I don’t know how to process it efficiently.’
In fact, that was one of the reasons I decided to appear on Please Take Care of My Refrigerator.
The chefs were bound to showcase simple yet brilliant recipes.
But—
‘Something feels a little off.’
Scanning the reactions around me, I realized the situation wasn’t flowing smoothly.
‘I guess it could look staged.’
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It was an instinct honed from years of experience in broadcasting.
No matter how big of a deal I was as an athlete or actor,
it was suspicious for a 20-year-old guy to stockpile such premium ingredients.
‘It might seem like I staged the fridge just for the show.’
If that was the case, I had no choice but to address the suspicion directly.
"These are ingredients I often use for cooking at home. Should I show you something simple?"
I said this because Please Take Care of My Refrigerator wasn’t a live broadcast.
‘If suspicion arises, I can prove it’s not staged through the unaired footage.’
That was the intention behind my words.
【The current situation is perfect! Proceed as is! Donghu, feel free to cook!】
But somehow, the situation took an unexpected turn.
"Huh?"
Before I knew it, I was standing in the kitchen.
The chefs, MCs, PD, and writers were all staring at me expectantly.
I could practically feel their curiosity about what I’d make.
I immediately spoke to clear the air.
"I’ll make something simple—a truffle cream pasta and grilled pine mushrooms. I’ll aim for dishes that’ll bring smiles."
If they suspected me, I had to clear it up right away.
*****
Meanwhile
While the situation was hard to pin down exactly—
‘Whatever it is, having Kim Donghu actively participate in the show is great!’
Producer Lee Junghoon took a highly optimistic view of the situation.
The first-ever guest chef on Please Take Care of My Refrigerator?
A cooking segment to clear up accusations of staging?
What could possibly be wrong with that?
‘Entertainment is all about fun first, and fun second.’
As long as it was entertaining,
as long as it looked good and made people laugh—
that was variety TV.
‘I finally get why everyone’s obsessed with Kim Donghu.’
Watching Kim Donghu in action, PD Lee realized why people kept chanting his name.
With someone so effortlessly engaging on camera, who wouldn’t love him?
‘And what’s up with his cooking skills?’
The cameras captured Kim Donghu’s impressive cooking abilities in vivid detail.
Even without the 15-minute time limit imposed on the chefs,
he churned out dishes like a professional.
"This is my first time tasting a guest’s dish, but I’ll give it a try!"
One of the MCs stood up to sample the food.
"Well? Does it make you smile?"
"It makes me beam!"
Everyone was caught off guard by the unscripted exchange.
Was Kim Donghu’s cooking really that good?
Even Kim Jungju, known for being a harsh critic, was showering him with praise?
The murmurs settled down quickly.
Before long, the dishes were plated and ready.
There were 12 people on set,
and Kim Donghu prepared 12 servings in under 20 minutes.
‘Seriously, how is he this good?’
‘I can’t judge just by the speed, but it’s almost impossible for this to taste bad.’
The cooking showcase meant to dispel accusations of staging—
its result?
‘Wait... should we be serving him food instead?’
Smiles? That was an understatement.
"This... tastes heavenly."
In that moment, a dish that doubled the size of the chefs’ eyes was born—
from the hands of a guest.