With comedian Park Na-rae's departure causing a shortage of female cast members on I Live Alone, a heroine has finally appeared: chef Kim Si-hyun, nicknamed "Little Tiger," who gained recognition on Culinary Class Wars 2.
On the program I Live Alone broadcast on the 13th, chef Kim Si-hyun, known as "Little Tiger," revealed a tidy daily life as someone dreaming of being an all-rounder (All-rounder). His pure affection for namul and his boundless passion for learning drew admiration from viewers. Also, Ok Ja-yeon made I Live Alone even warmer with the fateful meeting with her newly adopted visually impaired cat "Bomi" and everyday moments shared and enjoyed with neighbors.
Appearing as the third protagonist of the "Let's run, rainbow horse" special, chef Kim Si-hyun, nicknamed "Little Tiger," revealed a flavorful daily life. In addition, Ok Ja-yeon, who welcomed the visually impaired cat "Bomi" as a new family member, was also broadcast.
Thanks to this, according to Nielsen Korea on the 14th, the household rating for I Live Alone broadcast that day was 5.7% in the metropolitan area, ranking first among Friday variety programs. The 20-54 rating, a core indicator of channel competitiveness reflecting changes in media consumption environments, was also 2.8%, ranking first among Friday variety programs.
Among them, the "best minute" belonged to chef Kim Si-hyun, nicknamed "Little Tiger," in the scene where he prepared a housewarming table. Dishes born of his touch, from dried namul rice cooked in a pot and perilla seed soft tofu stew with crab to various namul dishes, stimulated the taste buds of the rainbow members. Chef Kim Si-hyun also warmed hearts by presenting lunchboxes for the rainbow members in the studio. As a result, the peak rating rose to 7.6%.
Recently, I Live Alone has been said to be suffering from a shortage of female cast members. Core members Park Na-rae and SHINee's Key left the show in succession. Moreover, amid disputes between Park Na-rae and her former managers, stories spread that there was also a fight between the "ju-saimo" and the production team during filming of I Live Alone, raising questions about the program's sincerity. It was therefore urgent to find new faces to replace the departed regular members and add a new image. Chef Kim Si-hyun emerged as a newly active cast member.
The first public look at chef Kim Si-hyun's morning routine on I Live Alone began at his home and workshop, the "Little Tiger House." The "treasure vault" filled with a large kitchen, professional cooking equipment, and tableware drew attention. The rainbow members admired his background, which included time at Michelin restaurants. Kim Si-hyun, who graduated from Korea Culinary Science High School and had no prior career, reportedly sent a portfolio with a letter, suggesting his unusual passion and drive for cooking.
Chef Kim Si-hyun's refrigerator was also revealed. Various aged ingredients neatly labeled and organized drew admiration. While everyone wondered what he would cook at home, he said he likes ramen and attracted attention by showing himself cooking and eating "shepherd's purse doenjang ramen" made by adding shepherd's purse in the morning.
Next, chef Kim Si-hyun made preserved yuja syrup and purchased a variety of namul at the namul shop in Gyeongdong Market, which he called a department store. He praised the flavors of spring namul versus other winter namul and captivated the rainbow members with various namul stories. His professional manner—buying a namul he had never seen before at the market, tasting it, and seriously researching it—left a deep impression.
Chef Kim Si-hyun's housewarming menu was also special. He prepared dried namul pot rice, perilla seed soft tofu stew with crab, and seasonal namul dishes. He also drew attention by handcrafting and serving "duteopddeok," saying "this is dujjonkkuji." Chef Kim Si-hyun said, "I want to become an all-rounder who cooks soup with napa cabbage, makes kimchi, prepares namul, pans jeon and eats them all," conveying his dreams and hopes.
Meanwhile, Ok Ja-yeon introduced her new family member, the second cat "Bomi," and told the story of their fateful meeting. Last December, Ok Ja-yeon discovered and rescued "Bomi," who was injured on the street, and said a veterinarian told her, "There is no external eye injury, but Bomi has a visual impairment, so adoption would be difficult." She decided to adopt, thinking, "I must raise it," and surprised everyone by saying that the day she met "Bomi" was her birthday.
Ok Ja-yeon added that the veterinarian said that if she had not rescued "Bomi" at that time, "Bomi" might not have survived the winter, and she named the cat "Bomi" with the wish, "May your life be filled with spring from now on." Kian84 admired Ok Ja-yeon's warm heart, saying, "She met a good owner." Ok Ja-yeon expressed affection for her first cat "Chacha" and second cat "Bomi," saying, "Other senses have developed so daily life is not hindered."
Meanwhile, Ok Ja-yeon took on the challenge of making her favorite Korean dessert, "Gaeseong juak," for Lunar New Year. Using cooking tools borrowed from a neighbor, she calmly followed the recipe and made "Gaeseong juak," but a mistake of adding sweet rice syrup instead of jocheong turned it into a "tanghulu" style, causing laughter. Still, she put care into it and added various toppings herself to complete "Ok Ja-yeon's Gaeseong juak."
Ok Ja-yeon also joined a "pingpong club" and showed herself practicing pingpong with neighbors. As a one-month rookie member, she transformed into "Ok Pingpong" and practiced alone, prompting Jun Hyun-moo, Ku Sung-hwan and Code Kunst to boast "pingpong pride," which made viewers laugh. In the pingpong match that followed practice, she exhibited tremendous focus with a manic gaze. Afterwards, Ok Ja-yeon gifted the "Ok Ja-yeon style Gaeseong juak" to the pingpong club members. Her openness in sharing feelings and joy with neighbors brought warmth to viewers' living rooms.
With such welcoming anticipation for the new face, next week I Live Alone's longstanding member and former chairman Jun Hyun-moo will attempt to make "mujjonku." Coincidentally, the wildly talked-about "Dubai jjondeuk cookie" previously caused an amusing surplus phenomenon the moment Jun Hyun-moo mentioned it. He is also scheduled to provide after-service for guests who visited the "Rainbow grand bazaar," further arousing curiosity.
[Photo] OSEN DB, provided by MBC.
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