No way, right?
Please tell me it’s not true.
“Yes! That’s right! We’re doing it here! Kimjang experience! Kim Deok-Sung! Everything is already prepared at Gyeongbokgung’s Gyeonghoeru!”
What?
Making kimchi at Gyeongbokgung’s Gyeonghoeru?
This is ridiculous.
Can they really use a cultural heritage site like this?
Feeling the pressure, my tension unwound, and it’s hitting double on my senses.
My head is spinning.
Besides.
“Why are we making kimchi in the summer?”
Kimjang is done in the winter.
Who makes kimchi in the summer?
“Ah, um…”
Yoo Se-Ra trails off.
“Junior! Kimchi is Korea’s representative dish! So we asked for this. Anyway, we’re here for our cooking club’s activity retreat, so…”
It was Kasumi, the senior, who answered instead of her.
Kasumi waves her hand and smiles.
Ugh.
Am I really losing my mind?
Because of this crazy collab between national pride and light novels, we have to make kimchi?
In this hot summer? While wearing hanbok?
“Master, aren’t you going to make kimchi? Eri- ring. I’ve been looking forward to this moment! Eri-rin wants to feed you kimchi that she made!”
Eri puffs her cheeks.
She’s playing with her dog collar.
Why is she wearing a dog collar with her colorful hanbok?
“I-I feel the same······! Deok-Sung! As your future, w-wife······ I’ve been preparing diligently! I heard that making kimchi is fundamental for a Korean daughter-in-law! Even though making kimchi isn’t in the Shinozaki curriculum······ I-I’ll do my best!”
Rin next to me turns red.
She’s mumbling determinedly with pursed lips.
A Korean daughter-in-law, huh?
What on earth does she know about Korea? Morning dramas?
“I-I’m not particularly interested, but… Also, I mean… I’m not completely uninterested, you know? This is a special opportunity for me, the noble French princess Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte, to let you taste the kimchi I made, so you should be thankful! Got it?”
Olivia shouts at me with a flushed face.
“…I want to make kimchi for my master too.”
“Junior, you’ll help us make kimchi, right?”
Makoto and Kasumi look at me with sparkling eyes.
I can’t believe I’m hearing heroines from a light novel talk about kimchi.
What the heck am I watching and listening to?
There’s no backing out now.
Damn it.
“…Alright, let’s go.”
Making kimchi at Gyeongbokgung.
Barely holding onto my sanity, I followed Yoo Se-Ra as she led the way to Gyeonghoeru.
Gyeongbokgung’s Gyeonghoeru.
The largest wooden structure in Korea, used as a banquet place for the kings during the Joseon Dynasty.
The grand pavilion standing by the calm pond was quite a sight to behold.
Before this, I couldn’t enter Gyeonghoeru because of reservation closures, but now I’m getting to go in like this.
But why are there so many cameras around?
“Hello, Kim Deok-Sung. I’m PD Kim Bum-Seok, in charge of today’s kimjang experience shoot.”
As I approach Gyeonghoeru, I see filming equipment and staff.
A man wearing a hat approaches me politely and offers his hand for a handshake.
What?
Are they filming the kimjang experience?
“Really?”
“Are we actually going to shoot this?”
After rejecting all those variety show appearances and press conferences, now this?
My head hurts.
“I had to request it because we need to document it for the club activity report, Junior!”
With a smile, Kasumi-senpai says this beside me.
Filming a kimchi-making experience.
They’re actually going to film this terrifying ordeal?
Is this what club activities are?
The summer retreat I envisioned was supposed to be about renting a beach house or mountain lodge and grilling meat while having fun.
I’m losing it.
“I’ll do my best to capture the grace of Kim Deok-Sung and your party on camera!”
PD Kim Bum-Seok shouts with a tense expression.
The other crew members look at me with sparkling eyes.
It’s no longer surprising to see someone on the verge of tears.
[Partner, it’s easier to give up.]
The Black Prince whispers in my head.
I don’t know if it’s easier to give up, but in this situation, I can’t just back out because I don’t want to.
After all, I’m a hero in Korea, and I need to meet at least some expectations of public opinion.
This is why I didn’t want to come back to Korea.
“Uh, yes. Well, thank you.”
Climbing up to Gyeonghoe-ru, I feel an awful twisting in my stomach.
Inside the Gyeonghoe-ru, which I had seen only on TV, there are ingredients for kimchi.
Salted napa cabbage, glutinous rice paste, red pepper powder, radish, and other kimchi ingredients.
And there are huge plastic tubs, plastic sheets, and red rubber gloves used for making kimchi.
They’ve prepared everything too thoroughly.
My face is burning.
Doing a kimchi-making experience after coming all the way to Korea? It’s ridiculous even just thinking about it.
It’s practically essential for foreigners visiting Korea to eat kimchi, but I never thought I’d be the one to experience it.
Why is the embarrassment all mine?
“So, do we just start making kimchi now?”
If we’re going to do this, we should get it over with quickly.
I think so and ask Yoo Se-Ra.
“No. Even if you know, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung, the rest don’t know much about kimchi. So today, we’ve called in an expert!”
Clap, clap, clap.
Yoo Se-Ra claps and beams with a smile.
An expert?
A sense of foreboding looms over me.
They didn’t bring in the head bride of a traditional family or a kimchi master, did they?
Just then, as I’m trembling in fear,
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
On the Gyeonghoe-ru, there stood a grandmother dressed beautifully in hanbok.
With a stern expression and wearing magnifying glasses, the grandmother smiles.
“I’m Kim Mal-Sook, the daughter-in-law of the Park family, which has been preserving the 400-year tradition of traditional kimchi. I’ll be guiding you and your party through the kimchi-making experience today. I look forward to working with you.”
What? A 400-year tradition? The Park family’s daughter-in-law?
Traditional kimchi?
Not traditional fantasy or traditional martial arts, but traditional kimchi? What the hell!
Damn it, can I just go back to Japan?
This is a country gone mad.
I look around.
I see PD Kim and the crew getting ready for the shoot.
I heard yesterday that the viewership rating for my return home live broadcast hit 80%.
In a time when a 20% viewership rating is considered a major hit due to YouTube and OTT, an 80% rating is absurd.
It’s a clear indicator of how obsessed this country is with national pride.
If we consider past records, this kimchi-making broadcast will surely score at least 50% viewership rating.
The thought of a show where we just make kimchi alongside light novel heroines getting over 50%, followed by all kinds of national pride videos, makes my head spin already.
This is a national embarrassment and historical shame.
Such a dark future cannot exist.
I must prevent it at all costs.
Just as I was about to make my serious resolve and speak,
“Wow! 400-year tradition? That’s amazing! Kimchi is such a historic dish! Eri-Ring, I’m even more interested in making kimchi now!”
“Indeed… A traditional dish representing Korea. I shouldn’t underestimate it. I need to approach this kimchi-making with a more serious mindset.”
Eri’s eyes sparkle with excitement, while Rin wears a serious expression.
Rin makes a face.
Olivia steps forward after seeing the two.
Pose.
She places a hand on her chest.
This feels ominous.
“Hmph, did you two not know such a basic common sense? It’s utterly ignorant of you. Kimchi is the food that represents Korea!”
Pose.
With a triumphant lady laugh, Olivia points at Rin, Eri, Makoto, and Senior Kasumi while shouting.
“Of course, when you think of kimchi, you think of the classic napa cabbage kimchi, but there are also radish kimchi, 동치미, young radish kimchi, cucumber kimchi, chive kimchi, mustard leaf kimchi, and countless other varieties! Kimchi is the most loved food in Korea and an indispensable side dish on the Korean table! Do you understand?!”
Unbelievable.
Why on earth is she memorizing that?
It’s uncomfortably detailed, like a line from a drama product placement.
I’m speechless.
A heavy silence settles over Gyeonghoeru at Olivia’s words.
“I had no idea that Princess Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte possessed such precise knowledge about kimchi.”
Breaking the silence is the grandmother of the 400-year-old kimchi family.
The grandmother chuckles and says, “Hohoho!”
Upon hearing that voice, Olivia covers her mouth and lets out a lady-like giggle.
“Ohohohohohoho! You two are still a hundred years, no, a thousand years away from defeating me, Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte, in Korean culture! Do you understand?!”
Olivia flips her platinum hair to the side, wearing an air of superiority.
[That’s my sister! She can’t be beaten by anyone!]
The Black Prince starts boasting about his sister in an excited voice.
Rin bites her lips.
“Grr… Losing to Bonaparte… that’s failing as a daughter-in-law of Korea, disqualified as a virtuous wife… what a disgrace. But theory and practice are different! I will definitely repay this disgrace during the upcoming kimjang experience…”
Her clenched fist trembles.
What on earth is she planning to repay?
I don’t understand why she’s so obsessed with kimchi.
“Tsk, Eri, I didn’t expect to lose in cooking. Beauty and cooking were my strongest points…”
Eri droops her shoulders.
Her lips pout.
“Lady Bonaparte, you’re amazing. To achieve that much, you must really be able to win over the heart of the Black Beast Junior… I learned something today.”
Senior Kasumi’s eyes sparkle.
What? What’s she planning to steal?
“Master, I will also work hard on kimjang and cross-cultural exchanges…!”
Makoto declares with determination.
“Everyone looks so eager and motivated. It’s delightful to see.”
The kimchi master grandmother smiles at the scene.
“Shall we start the kimjang now?”
Oh no.
I silently scream in my head, but the kimjang was already in the starting phase.
“Normally, we would start with preparing and salting the napa cabbage, but since salting takes a lot of time, we will skip it today. Rest assured; we brought pre-salted cabbage using our 400-year-old traditional recipe.”
The grandmother smiles kindly.
Behind her, stacks of salted cabbage can be seen.
Well, not many houses start by salting cabbage when making kimchi.
Most just buy it. Ours did too.
“Then let’s start with making the kimchi filling. The kimchi filling refers to…”
“The seasonings and stuffing that goes inside the kimchi, right? Hehe.”
Olivia interrupts the grandmother’s words.
She’s already wearing red rubber gloves.
“That’s right. You’re very clever, Princess Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte.”
“This is basic knowledge. Ohohohohoho!”
Olivia covers her mouth with her gloved right hand while giggling like a lady.
“Grr…”
“Tsk…”
Rin bites her lip while Eri clicks her tongue.
The two’s gazes turn toward the ingredients for the kimchi filling.
“Now, let’s officially make the kimchi filling. First, we will make the seasoning…”
The grandmother continues the explanation.
It continues.
The recipe for the seasoning sauce was nothing special.
Just mix sticky rice paste with gochugaru (red pepper powder), minced garlic, fish sauce, sugar, minced ginger, fermented shrimp, and so on.
Then, toss in some green onions, grated radish, and onions to complete the kimchi filling.
The members diligently donned red rubber gloves and mixed the seasoning, following grandma’s instructions.
Is this really a club activity?
With a sigh, they continued to mix.
In the end, making kimchi became an unavoidable fate.
Not that I wanted to enjoy it.
“Now let’s add the prepared ingredients to make the kimchi filling…”
“Are we really adding oysters?”
Oyster kimchi is a no-go.
You don’t put oysters in kimchi.
“…That’s up to you, but since it doesn’t seem like Kim Deok-Sung likes it, let’s skip it this time.”
The kimchi master grandma quickly changed her mind.
Thank goodness we avoided the worst outcome of oyster kimchi.
With everything mixed, they completed the kimchi filling.
“Now we just have to rub the filling on the salted napa cabbage.”
Slap, slap.
They smeared the finished kimchi filling on the salted cabbage.
Red kimchi was completed.
Doing this reminded me of making kimchi at home.
Every winter, we used to make kimchi and store it in the kimchi refrigerator.
After I started living alone, my mother always sent me kimchi.
Right up until she fainted.
I felt bitter for no reason.
Looking around, I noticed the club members dressed in hanbok, wearing sanitary hats and rubber gloves, diligently mixing kimchi.
The sight of a light novel heroine making kimchi at Gyeongbokgung Palace.
What an incredible scene born from a collaboration between national pride and light novels that was never seen in the original!
I shook my head in disbelief and continued mixing the kimchi.
First, I had to finish this darn kimjang.
*
Naturally, the scene of Kim Deok-Sung and the club mixing kimchi was being broadcast nationwide on terrestrial and comprehensive channels as well as YouTube.
Just like during the live broadcast of Kim Deok-Sung’s homecoming, countless Koreans were tuning in for the kimjang experience broadcast.
An unrealistic viewership rating of 80%!
[(Photo) Kim Deok-Sung and his companions enjoying themselves during the kimjang experience]
[(Photo) The charm of K-Kimchi captivating even Japan…]
[(Photo) Princess Olivia passionately talking about kimchi]
[Feature article: Who are Kim Deok-Sung’s women? – Shinozaki Rin edition]
Articles flooded the portal in real-time.
[K-hero Kim Deok-Sung finally did it! Princess Olivia of France enjoying K-kimchi dressed in K-hanbok! The global Korean Wave is spreading! The world is currently in a kimchi frenzy!]
[Isn’t kimchi the most perfect food in the world?! The world’s people are fascinated by the amazing benefits of the world’s best food kimchi certified by K-hero Kim Deok-Sung! Japan is astonished, France loves it, and America respects the greatness of K-kimchi! “Kimchi is truly an amazing food; let’s eat kimchi too.”]
National pride YouTube started shining a spotlight on kimchi.
Kim Deok-Sung’s minor gallery, which had crashed the server several times, was also overwhelming in real-time.
[Haha, of course Koreans are all about kimchi lol]
[From today, Olivia is officially the main wife lol Someone who knows that much about kimchi is worthy of being our Kim Deok-Sung’s partner lol No debate, losers lol]
[- Look at those malicious water rocket Olivia fans spreading rumors; obviously, the main wife is Shinozaki! Didn’t you see how hard she’s trying?]
[- The nonsensical cow crew was amusing lol Si Nozaki who can’t even cook might make Kim Deok-Sung faint after eating her kimchi lol]
[- Eri Ling, the most beautiful girl in the universe, is the best lol What good is just knowing the theory? Cooking is practical; Eri Ling can confidently claim to make the best kimchi lol]
[Honestly, isn’t it time for our Yoo Se-Ra to be the main wife? She’s Korean too!]
[- Yoo Se-Ra logs in;]
[- Arrest at the Gyeongbokgung household;]
[- The run now, this is how you capture it;;]
