Here comes a guesthouse that will blow your mind, as well as the owner. The unimaginable guesthouse on the ocean, ‘Daehwajang Gianjang’, will be released on Netflix.

On the 8th at 11 AM, the production conference for Part 1 of Netflix‘s ‘Daehwajang Gianjang’ was held at the Masil Live Hall in Community House in Jung-gu, Seoul. PDs Jung Hyo-min, Lee So-min, and Hwang Yoon-seo attended the event and met with the press.

‘Daehwajang Gianjang’ is an extraordinary new concept guesthouse variety show where Gian84, Jin, and Ji Ye-eun interact with guests at Gianjang in Ulleungdo, where things are going according to plan. PD Jung Hyo-min and writer Yoon Shin-hye, who pioneered the bed and breakfast variety genre through [Hyori’s Bed and Breakfast], have joined forces.

PD Jung Hyo-min introduced ‘Daehwanjang Gianjang’ as “A bed and breakfast variety show that lacks most of what you would expect from a typical bed and breakfast program and is filled with things you wouldn‘t imagine.” PD Lee So-min, who co-directed the show, said, “It flows differently from typical bed and breakfasts, but strangely, it’s run well. I think it‘s a place you’d want to experience at least once. Kian84 confidently said, “The guesthouse element that he personally created will be a series of surprises,” and PD Hwang Yoon-seo added, “Like the name of the program suggests, it is a series of chaotic and unpredictable situations, but it also has its own romanticism, like falling asleep looking at the stars and waking up to the pouring rain.”


Why Kian84 out of so many stars? PD Jung said, “Since ‘Hyori’s Inn’, we have continued to work with writer Yoon Shin-hye on programs since then, and we thought, ‘What can we do if we make a modern version of a variety show?’ ‘Hyori’s Inn’ was with the outstanding and special person Lee Hyo-ri, wasn’t it? A guesthouse variety show also reveals the main MC’s thoughts, way of thinking, and philosophy. I always got stuck wondering if any guest could be more fun than ‘Hyori’s Inn‘,“ he said. ”It was around the fall of the year before last. It was when Kian84 was rising as a hot topic right before he won the grand prize. I had a question, ’Would it be a program if Kian84 played the owner of the inn?‘ But rather than ’What would it be like?‘, the question that came to mind first was ’Can it be done?‘ I was curious. It seemed like it would flow in a different direction even though only one main character had changed.“ He said, ”At the time, Kian84 became a hot topic for challenging a marathon, and watching him do that, I vaguely thought that he wasn’t someone who was out of the ordinary. I felt a sense of responsibility. I thought that by building up the narrative, we could create an entertainment show that everyone could watch happily at the end.“

Regarding the differences with Lee Hyori, PD Jeong said, ”I saw more similarities than differences. When you become a host who takes care of guests, you have to check on them to make sure they eat well, sleep well, and are not uncomfortable. Kian84 also worried about what to fix from the first day. He said that he didn‘t know that he would do that. I think it’s something that all hosts have in common,“ he said.

The staff of ‘Daehwajang Kianjang’ includes BTS‘ Jin and actress Ji Ye-eun. Regarding the fresh combination, PD Jeong said, ”I thought that it would be important to have staff who would support Kian84. I wanted to hire a team that could show different colors, but also not be swayed by Kian84, and each person has their own distinct color.“ He explained, ”First of all, Ji Ye-eun was recommended by Kian84, and she also seemed to represent MZ,“ and ”Jin is not only a member of BTS, but also a globally famous idol, which is good, but I think that even one-tenth of his human charm has not been revealed to the public yet. I thought it would be good to bring out their charms through variety shows,” he said. He continued, “Jin hadn’t been discharged from the military at the time, so it wasn’t easy to convey it. Jin watched the Kian84 program a lot in the military and wanted to meet them. He happily coordinated his music video schedule and spent nearly ten days with us.” He added, “We didn’t tell each other that we would be appearing together. I wanted to capture everything from their awkward first meeting to the process of them becoming close.”

PD Hwang Yoon-seo said, “We filmed it like we were filming a spy movie. We even figured out their movements,” and confidently stated, “Jin was such a superstar that it was difficult and awkward, but don’t people become close through hardships? We captured the process of them becoming close quickly.” PD Lee So-min said, “We had a superstar, so we were worried about what we would do if he said, ‘I can’t do it,’ or ‘It’s hard.’ But Jin was the one who slept the hardest in the outdoor bed. ‘Superstar is amazing’ and he joked, ”The stereotype was broken.”


The ‘Daehwanjang Gianjang’ accommodations are as special as the unique combination of cast members. ‘Gianjang’, located on the vast ocean of Ulleungdo where real-time sea fishing and a water park are held, starts with a special ‘boat pick-up service’ driven by Captain Ji Ye-eun herself. Check-in is also novel. The first thing that greets guests at the romantic Gianjang on the ocean is a 3.8m high rock wall(?) entrance. The entrance is a climbing wall, and the exit is a slide.

The open-air beds with different views during the day and night present the ‘romance’ of falling asleep looking at the starry ceiling, and on rainy days, you can receive a cool wake-up call service provided by nature. Here, the gym where you can train your body while listening to the sound of waves, including the ocean slide, can only be found at Gianjang. Lastly, the kitchen is a system where you have to hold on to the ‘pole’ to enter.

PD Jeong said, “It was really hard to get the sketch of the guesthouse. The filming date was set and there was a time when it had to be built. We gave them some ideas, but it was Gian84’s job to design and bring it in,” and added, “Even on the day we were supposed to get the drawing, he said he hadn‘t drawn it. I thought, ’Is it right to do a program with this person?‘ but he drew it quickly. The moment I saw the finished drawing, a specific picture came to mind. I tried my best to keep it a secret. At that time, Jin and Ji Ye-eun had already been cast, but I thought I shouldn’t show them the blueprint of the guesthouse until the very end.”

PD Lee So-min recalled, “I wanted to make it just like I imagined, and I wanted Gian84‘s drawing to be highly synchronized with the set. The art director is someone who has done many pretty works such as ‘Youn’s Kitchen’, but he said, ‘This is a house that even experts would never imagine.’ He happily participated because it was a new challenge.” PD Hwang Yoon-seo emphasized, “’Let‘s make it safe because there might be dangerous parts. The production crew tried lying on the bed, cooking, and climbing a pole and even ran simulations before filming.” ... Even the monorail was newly made in a Kian84 style,” he said.


Since it is an unpredictable situation, he thought about the possible scenarios over and over again. PD Jeong said, “Kian84 is a truly unpredictable person, but if we put realistic restrictions on the program, it would become boring, so we had to leave it open. However, with less than a week left until filming the program, a typhoon was approaching, so we were worried whether we would be able to enter Ulleungdo. The production team’s faces became thoughtful while we were figuring out possible scenarios.”

The production team becomes thoughtful and the cast members go crazy in ‘Daehwajang Kianjang’, which airs today (the 8th) on Netflix.

Reporter Jeong Hee-yeon, Donga.com shine2562@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.