Yoo Jae-suk's surprise attack with the secret agents on ‘What Do You Do When You Play?’ was successful and left a significant impact.
The episode aired on the 22nd featured ‘Yoo's Surprise Attack’. The reason for reviving the surprise attack, which was first introduced by Park Myung-soo on ‘Infinite Challenge’ 16 years ago, was due to the recent economic downturn. Yoo and the secret agents brought fun and emotion by ‘supporting through eating’ small business owners who are struggling. The ‘surprise attack’ brought vitality back to the businesses, and the smiles of the small business owners made the viewers smile as well.
On that day, Yoo declared, “Let’s cheer up the small business owners today,” and held a launch ceremony for the ‘surprise attack’. Original members Jo Se-ho and Nam Chang-hee, who participated in Park Myung-soo's surprise attack 16 years ago, joined forces. Jo Hye-ryun brought a large team from the play ‘I Love You, Mom’. Additionally, Im Woo-il, DinDin, and Patricia, who were armed with hunger, joined to strengthen the team.
The first operation took place at a tteokbokki restaurant in front of Ewha Womans University. The owner was struggling to manage the business alone due to high labor costs, and the lowest sales were just one table a day, making it difficult to operate the store. The secret agents felt the economic downturn as they checked the now quiet streets in front of Ewha and the stores that were actually up for rent. Fueled with determination, Yoo announced the arrival of the secret agents and shouted, “Owner, please serve us plenty of food,” and the secret agents rushed in to fill the empty tables.
Thanks to their long fasting, the secret agents eagerly devoured the tteokbokki from the start. Yoo rang a golden bell for the customers who were dining, and feeling soft-hearted at the customers' requests, he announced a surprising takeout policy. After hearing that the owner had three months of unpaid electricity bills, Yoo was moved and shouted, “We need to eat more,” prompting the secret agents to increase their eating speed. The final drink order was given, leading to a last-minute push.
The target sales for the first tteokbokki operation were 800,000 won. The result was 1,467,000 won, marking a great success for the ‘surprise attack’. The owner, with teary eyes amidst the cheering secret agents, expressed gratitude, saying, “It’s been tough because business was bad, but it feels like a dream.”
Building on this momentum, Yoo and the secret agents advanced to the second round at a charcoal grilled ribs restaurant in Eunpyeong-gu. Many days saw sales of less than 400,000 won, and the store was struggling to the point of considering closing down. Former basketball player Park Kwang-jae and actor Lee Gyu-ho played key roles in the battle against the ribs. The two warriors dominated the meal with an overwhelming amount of ribs compared to other tables. Joo Woo-jae showcased his small appetite, and with his last chopsticks, he humorously fainted. In the meantime, all the ribs were consumed, and Yoo announced the sold-out status with a flourish. The two warriors, Park Kwang-jae and Lee Gyu-ho, ordered additional rib soup, bibim naengmyeon, and doenjang jjigae to keep boosting sales until the end.
The owner’s family expressed gratitude upon seeing the full restaurant after a long time, saying, “It’s a recession. Sales have halved. We often say it’s so tough we could die, but we laughed for the first time in a while.” The target sales for the second charcoal grilled ribs operation were 2,000,000 won. The result was 1,715,000 won, which was a failure in terms of the target, but it succeeded in bringing smiles to the owner. The two warriors, Park Kwang-jae and Lee Gyu-ho, stayed until the end in the deserted restaurant, and with the production crew's meal, they ultimately achieved the target sales.
Meanwhile, the preview for the next broadcast featured Incheon native comedian Im Woo-il and Daejeon's pride, fencer Oh Sang-wook, introducing the ‘My Friend’s Table’ segment, raising expectations. MBC’s ‘What Do You Do When You Play?’ airs every Saturday at 6:30 PM.
[Lee Da-kyum, Star Today Reporter]
