BTS\’ V interns as a cook in cutthroat ‘Jinny’s Kitchen\’

Cable channel tvN’s smash-hit cooking and travel show “Youn’s Kitchen” is set to return with the spinoff series “Jinny’s Kitchen.”

“I am at that age where I should become a boss and run my own business. I felt happy doing whatever I wanted,” actor Lee Seo-jin, the new CEO of the Korean street food restaurant featured the show, said in an online press conference Wednesday.

Lee has worked alongside the Oscar-winning actor Youn Yuh-jung in “Youn’s Kitchen” since the show’s premiere in 2017.

“Because ‘Youn’s Kitchen’ was promoting traditional Korean dishes to foreigners, I thought it would be interesting for Lee to sell bungeoppang overseas,” the series\’ director

Na Young-seok said, explaining how he came up with the show\’s concept. Bungeoppang is a fish-shaped waffle filled with sweet red bean paste that is popular as a winter snack in Korea.

“This idea developed into popular on-the-go meals and Korean street food. Luckily, we were able to open a new franchise restaurant, following the footsteps of ‘Youn’s Kitchen,’” Na added.

Unlike the heartwarming, slow-paced “Youn’s Kitchen,” “Jinny’s Kitchen” will be more like a suspense thriller in which the restaurant crew are strictly evaluated by Lee. Throughout the series, the cast members keep each other in check and secretly reveal their own ambitions, according to the director.

“Under a new company philosophy titled \’Making revenue is everything,\’ everyone (except Lee) worked really hard, trying to fulfill their roles. Some were saying that they wanted to open a franchise restaurant of their own, like ‘Yumi’s Kitchen,’ ‘Junny’s Kitchen’ or ‘Tae-hyung’s Kitchen,’” Na said, beaming.

The upcoming variety show features South Korean movie stars Lee, Jung Yu-mi, Park Seo-joon, Choi Woo-shik and K-pop boy band BTS’ V. The star-studded cast sells Korean street foods including gimbap, tteokbokki, Korean-style hot dogs and more in Bacalar, a tropical destination in southern Mexico.

Park, who is set to make his Hollywood debut in the Marvel film “The Marvels,” was surprised to discover his lesser-known greedy side.

\”Though I got a new title, I still had a boss and a senior. Nothing really changed much for me. I always stayed inside the kitchen, working hard,\” said Park, the newly promoted chef in the series.

“‘Jinny’s Kitchen’ is a variety show, but whenever Lee tried to close the restaurant, I started to get a little frustrated, thinking we could sell more if we worked a little longer. I felt that this is why people say, ‘Avoid the love of money,’” Park said, adding that he has come to respect people in the restaurant business even more as a result of being on the show.

V, joining the series for the first time as an intern, said that he was more than happy to be a part of the “Jinny’s Kitchen” crew.

\”Many tasks were waiting for me, and I had to work hard,\” V said, recalling his duties as an intern.

“I felt grateful to be able to share unforgettable memories with everyone. As part of BTS, I considered myself as someone who couldn’t cook, but I got to be a chef in the series. After cooking some dishes, I became certain that cooking is definitely not entertaining,” V said jokingly.

“Jinny’s Kitchen” is set to premiere at 8:50 p.m. on Friday on tvN and the streaming service Tving.

The show will also be available in 12 countries including the US, the UK, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong and Indonesia via Amazon Prime Video on the same day.

By Lee Si-jin (sj_lee@heraldcorp.com)