The final winner who got to have his own store through 'Baek Jong-won's Les Misérables' was Joo Hyun-wook.
The protagonist who seized the opportunity for a life turnaround with the final victory of the ENA entertainment program 'Baek Jong-won's Les Misérables', which ended on the 22nd, was Joo Hyun-wook.
On this day, the TOP3 (08 Choi Jeong-hyun, 14 Son Woo-sung, 16 Joo Hyun-wook) who made it through the fierce semifinals received their final mission for the finals. They opened their own stores at Gwanghanru in Namwon and operated for three days. The final victory was determined by the net profit earned from the three days of business. Baek Jong-won explained, "This is a mission that is very close to real business. Since the criterion is net profit, there are many things to consider, such as turnover, inventory management, and profit margin. It is the most difficult mission."
The TOP3 approached their business with firm determination. 08 Choi Jeong-hyun, who wanted to succeed and take revenge on his parents who abandoned him in childhood, had the shortest cooking experience among the TOP3 but relied on his excellent sociability and customer service skills. 14 Son Woo-sung, a 40-something head of a household in South Korea with 500 million won in debt, strengthened his resolve with feelings of guilt and responsibility towards his family. 16 Joo Hyun-wook, who gave up his major in sports due to his father who fell into a pyramid scheme and incurred 400 million won in debt, took up the wok to make a living. Joo Hyun-wook entered the finals based on his solid cooking skills and diligence.
The TOP3 had clear strengths and weaknesses. Baek Jong-won and the four chef mentors (Kim Min-seong, David Lee, Lim Tae-hoon, Yoon Nam-no) watched the finals with a supportive heart, having accompanied the TOP3 on their 100-day journey. However, as expected in the finals, the TOP3 were pushed to the brink both mentally and physically. 08 Choi Jeong-hyun's voice, which called out to customers until he was hoarse, eventually became hoarse, and 14 Son Woo-sung endured extreme pain to the point of recalling a past illness, taking painkillers to cope. 16 Joo Hyun-wook was exhausted from the barrage of orders.
Nevertheless, what caught attention was the change and growth of the TOP3. In particular, 16 Joo Hyun-wook created a popular restaurant in Namwon that had customers lining up within three days with the menu 'Eohyang Gaji' completed with the help of his mentor Chef Lim Tae-hoon. As a result, the final victory went to 16 Joo Hyun-wook, who recorded a total sales of 11,616,000 won and a net profit of 6,030,066 won over the three days. The final winner, 16 Joo Hyun-wook, was given 50 million won in startup preparation funds and the opportunity for a life turnaround with his own store.
16 Joo Hyun-wook expressed his feelings, saying, "I just believed in Chef Lim Tae-hoon and followed him diligently, and I am grateful to have achieved this result. I also want to thank Baek Jong-won for creating this opportunity. I will work hard to show even better results in the future." He added, "I really wanted to learn cooking, but it was vague. I thought that seeing Chef Lim Tae-hoon was the only way I could succeed. I feel like I have gained hope."
After the final winner was decided, Baek Jong-won shared his heartfelt thoughts in an interview with the production team, saying, "Having done numerous broadcasts, I worry about what to do after being number one. It was a training that was very close to real life, and it's a shame. I think we need to teach more and provide experiences to increase the chances of success. I want to show examples of 'Les Misérables' challengers succeeding and establishing themselves. That way, more people will be encouraged to take on challenges."
Following this, the screen showed the eliminated contestants of 'Baek Jong-won's Les Misérables', including 02 Choi Yoon-seong, 03 Jeon Dong-jin, 04 Yang Kyung-min, 06 Kim Guk-heon, 08 Choi Jeong-hyun, 10 Yoo Hyo-deok, 14 Son Woo-sung, and 18 Lim Young-jun. After four months, they were seen starting new training to become merchants at the Budget Permanent Market. Their challenge continued for more than six months, beyond the 100 days. Along with this, the preparations of the final winner, 16 Joo Hyun-wook, for his own store were also revealed.
'Baek Jong-won's Les Misérables' is a survival program that started to show how important 'opportunity' is for those who have experienced failure. To this end, Baek Jong-won and the four chef mentors did their best to support the challengers as mentors and life seniors.
In response, the challengers, who were once unruly, used 'desperation' as their weapon and fought with all their might to seize the miraculous opportunity that came to them. They gradually underwent change and growth, beginning to transform into true merchants. They showed the importance of 'opportunity' and the 'miracles created by desperation' to the home viewers, bringing both laughter and emotion.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
