Park Myung-soo shared sales know-how with the makgeolli CEO.
On the afternoon of the 18th, KBS2's entertainment program ‘The Boss's Ears Are Donkey Ears’ (hereinafter ‘Sadangui’) featured Park Myung-soo, Byun Jin-seop, and Jeong Ji-seon as guests in order.
In this episode, Park Myung-soo, who leads a global mega project, appeared as the first boss. While heading somewhere with Ye-won, he hinted, “I’m trying to renew with exemplary figures and get verified. The person I’m meeting today is already successful. Their annual sales exceed 50 billion won.”
At that moment, the CEO of the makgeolli company, Kim Gi-hwan, appeared and introduced himself, saying, “My grandfather took over, and my father and I have continued it.” The CEO revealed the reason for seeking out Park Myung-soo, stating, “I’m the second in the makgeolli industry, but I wanted to know how to become number one.”
He pointed out that the secret to success was, “At first, we did all the makgeolli processes manually, starting work at 4 AM. However, as we continued, the taste varied depending on the person working. Since consumers find it hard to accept this, we automated the process for mass production and grew rapidly.” However, he also mentioned that the reason they couldn’t become number one in the industry was due to a lack of distribution know-how. Park Myung-soo expressed his desire, saying he currently has no models.
Later, Park Myung-soo and Ye-won participated in a sensory evaluation. An employee said, “You might want something refreshing, and there’s a way young people drink it,” introducing a combination of vanilla ice cream and makgeolli. After tasting the makgeolli dessert, Park Myung-soo exclaimed, “Now I understand why the MZ generation eats this. I finished it all,” even giving a standing ovation.
Using his know-how in self-employment, Park Myung-soo took the initiative to get the makgeolli into restaurants. The restaurant owner explained, “It’s just the two of us running it, and it’s hard to manage, so we only have one type of makgeolli,” revealing why they hadn’t stocked that particular makgeolli. Park Myung-soo then went out to sell it himself. He said, “After trying the side dishes, I feel like makgeolli would be perfect. Would you like to try it? We can offer you better conditions,” and began his sales pitch.
After persuading other tables, the owner replied, “I will definitely stock it,” and Park Myung-soo’s sales efforts were successfully concluded.
The second boss was the emperor of ballads, Byun Jin-seop. He introduced himself, saying, “Artists are very sensitive, but I think I’m easygoing and have a good personality.” However, his band revealed, “He only looks that way, but his personality is like Go Gil-dong. He gives a lot of hints and nags a lot,” and “It’s hard to adjust to his changing moods every day.”
On the day of the rehearsal before a performance, Byun Jin-seop showed his true colors during a rehearsal, saying, “No, again! What if you just play the accompaniment? That’s mechanical! It needs to be stronger and more powerful. Just give it more depth. I say this every day, but...” The piano player expressed his frustration in an interview, saying, “I don’t know what that depth is. I don’t understand what you’re saying.” Watching the VCR, Byun Jin-seop appeared somewhat shocked, saying, “That’s a bit shocking, isn’t it? That depth...”
After the rehearsal, they began checking the choreography. Watching the dance, he said, “You can’t make mistakes like this in a performance! If you’re a choreographer, teach them well! Strong yet gentle!” and insisted on practicing.
Upon arriving home, he called for his second son, who turned out to be the choreographer he had scolded earlier during the choreography check. Byun Jin-seop boasted, “My son performed modern dance on my stage. Our Jae-jun has such a beautiful body that he received a good response.”
Coincidentally, Byun Jin-seop’s band team visited his home, and they had dinner together. When asked if he was at the top in the 1990s, he said, “My first album officially sold 1.8 million copies, but I think it actually sold 2 million. The second album sold 2.5 million copies,” boasting about his achievements.
He continued, “That year, my income was 2 billion won. The best car at that time was that X car. But I liked driving an American car, so I bought that too. I earned that much back then. I easily bought two cars,” feeling proud. He added, “If we talk about today, I’m like BTS. I’m BJS. That’s what the fans say.”
The third boss was Jeong Ji-seon. He said, “We collaborated with a restaurant brand in the U.S. We held a pop-up event for five days and made a total of 2,500 servings of dim sum,” showcasing his recent expansion into the U.S. However, the employees expressed their struggles, saying, “This has been the hardest schedule so far. I don’t know if this is Itaewon or New York. I’ve never smelled America.”
He also demonstrated the prowess of a world-class chef, having even given a lecture at Harvard. Jeong Ji-seon said, “I gave a lecture on cooking philosophy and leadership to students majoring in business,” surprising the panel.
At that moment, Lucky and Alberto visited Jeong Ji-seon’s team. Jeong Ji-seon suddenly asked the employees to create new menu items, saying, “The team chosen by the two will get a vacation,” making a bold proposal.
After midnight, the employees began developing new menu items. The Hee-won team created tofu tacos related to the hottest tacos in America, while the Jeong-geon team made radish shrimp balls. After tasting the tofu taco, Ali praised, “Making the tortilla with tofu gives it a great texture. The addition of cilantro and cumin was also good.”
Alberto commented, “Both dishes look like Chinese food on the outside, but once you taste them, they’re completely Chinese,” praising the dishes. After much deliberation, the two chose the radish shrimp balls, saying the taco had a familiar visual.
Subsequently, Jeong Ji-seon took the strengths of both dishes and began cooking. However, he ended up preparing a completely different dish, a new menu item called ‘American Expansion Chicken’. After tasting the food, Ali exclaimed, “This is totally made in China!” and Alberto expressed satisfaction, saying, “I don’t think there are any downsides. It has various flavors.”
‘Sadangui’ airs every Sunday at 4:45 PM on KBS2.
[Seo Ye-ji, Star Today Guest Reporter]
