Recently, Lee Dong-gun, who opened a cafe in Jeju Island, revealed the behind-the-scenes of his business.
On the afternoon of the 18th, Lee Dong-gun appeared on the SBS entertainment program 'My Ugly Duckling' (hereafter 'MiwooSae') as the first guest.
In this episode, Lee Dong-gun, who recently opened a cafe in Jeju Island, introduced his daily life as the owner of a Mediterranean-themed cafe. When Lee Sang-min visited him, he looked at the cafe's interior and asked, "Overall, the rent must be quite high?" To this, Lee Dong-gun replied, "I didn't spend much money. There are initiatives to keep the rent low for people running cafes in Aewol. The building is not mine."
Lee Dong-gun said, "This area is originally the hottest street in Aewol," and showed Lee Sang-min around the cafe. Sang-min commented, "It's nice to have someone close running a cafe. You can just come and eat," revealing his true feelings and eliciting laughter.
At that moment, Yoo Jeong-soo, the space planner in charge of cafe consulting, arrived. He said, "I came to do a final check," and tasted Dong-gun's coffee. Yoo Jeong-soo remarked, "When did you get this good? There's no bitterness or unpleasantness from the coffee grounds at all. I'll give it a 92," acknowledging Lee Dong-gun's efforts.
Lee Dong-gun also brought out the cafe's signature dessert, dates, and introduced it by saying, "It's dried date palm topped with kaymak, citrus chips, and honey. You can just pick it up with your hands." Yoo Jeong-soo critiqued, "There's sweetness on top of sweetness, and then it's finished with sweetness, so I think how you managed to balance this is the point. I find this date too sweet to eat. The date palm is imported in a candied state, so you can't remove the sweetness."
Lee Dong-gun confidently presented his second dessert, 'Pistachio Pancakes with Kaymak.' After tasting the dessert, Lee Sang-min exclaimed, "It's too dry! This thickness is like the thickness of mung bean pancakes from Gwangjang Market!" Yoo Jeong-soo also commented, "Only the kaymak is good. At this pace of making, the shop will go bankrupt. If you cook one pancake at a time, you can only serve four customers in an hour," delivering another harsh critique.
Afterward, Yoo Jeong-soo suggested, "How about introducing a waffle machine? Instead of pancakes, we can make waffles. The advantage of a waffle machine is that it cooks the same way no matter who uses it. Plus, both sides are cooked evenly," immediately providing a solution.
Yoo Jeong-soo encouraged Lee Dong-gun, saying, "You need to upgrade the desserts much more than anything else. I don't think you'll have time to sleep."
The day of the soft opening for Lee Dong-gun's cafe arrived, and Lee Sang-min decided to help out at the cafe. At that time, Koo Bon-seung came to assist them. Lee Sang-min said, "I'll post it on SNS. I have about 350,000 followers," and Koo Bon-seung added, "I also have acquaintances in Jeju, so I'll post it on SNS," actively supporting Lee Dong-gun.
In the meantime, Dong-gun prepared the desserts that had been changed based on the solutions. After tasting the waffles, Lee Sang-min said, "This is so delicious! Kids would love it," and Koo Bon-seung praised, "The cream flavor is really unique," and only then did Lee Dong-gun let out a sigh of relief.
Finally, the cafe officially opened. As customers lined up to enter, Lee Dong-gun showed signs of panic. The first customer who tasted the coffee said, "It's delicious!"
As more customers than expected flocked in, Lee Dong-gun apologized, saying, "We're a bit slow. I'm sorry," while gradually increasing his speed. Customers who tasted the waffles exclaimed, "I want to eat more," and "It's refreshing inside. This is a dessert hotspot," praising the cafe.
A group of customers said, "We canceled three schedules to come here. We spent three hours just to see these three," which moved Lee Dong-gun.
As the second guest of 'MiwooSae,' Kim Jun-ho appeared, heading to Donghae alone to celebrate his mother-in-law's birthday. After receiving a call from Kim Ji-min, he said, "I thought about it from your perspective, but it seems too awkward. I really appreciate you and think highly of you. It's the best gift before marriage. It's much better than what you do for me," expressing his affection for Kim Jun-ho.
Meeting Kim Ji-min's younger brother, Kim Jun-ho headed to his mother-in-law's house with his hands full of gifts. He gave his younger brother gifts like wine, saying, "What's awkward? You can call me brother-in-law now, right?" However, his younger brother replied, "I'll call you brother. It's still before the wedding, and I feel a bit hurt. I found out about my sister's wedding through an article. I saw on 'MiwooSae' that she's getting married on July 13. We have a group chat for siblings, and all the sisters knew," expressing his disappointment.
To this, Kim Jun-ho said, "I'll apologize for that. How about 'Ambiguous Brother'?" to lighten the mood. The younger brother replied, "I cried a lot when you proposed. But thinking about it, I feel sorry for you! You have to live with my sister's personality for the rest of your life! I'll be on your side," showing a genuine sibling bond and eliciting laughter. Kim Jun-ho said, "At least one person in Korea knows me," holding his younger brother's hand.
Kim Jun-ho prepared an electronic drum set and a whole pig barbecue as gifts for his mother-in-law, and he himself got into a large gift box as his final present.
At that moment, Kim Ji-min's mother appeared with her friends, and Kim Ji-min's younger brother led her to open the gift box, saying, "I revealed the most necessary and important gift for mom." When the mother-in-law opened the box and saw Kim Jun-ho, she burst into laughter, and Kim Jun-ho said, "Mother-in-law, I'm here!" as he fell out.
When Kim Jun-ho mentioned that he prepared a whole pig barbecue, the mother-in-law asked, "Seong-rae, what's wrong with you? Why are you doing something you never did before?" and eventually shed tears. Kim Jun-ho entered with a traditional Korean music troupe he personally invited, saying there would be a birthday party show. He also brought a fresh flower cake and bouquets for his mother-in-law's friends, scoring points.
As the final gift, Kim Jun-ho showcased the electronic drum set, and the mother-in-law smiled brightly, saying, "Oh my, really," and played the drums herself. After tasting the seaweed soup and barbecue, the mother-in-law said, "I had leftover kimchi stew and cold rice for breakfast, but this is so touching. This is really labor-intensive and full of sincerity. I never thought of something like barbecue. No one has ever received a birthday meal like this! Let's brag a bit! It deserves more than 100 points," expressing her deep emotions.
'My Ugly Duckling' airs every Sunday at 9:05 PM on SBS.
[Seo Ye-ji, Star Today Guest Reporter]
