tvN‘s extreme business trip cooking team ‘Backpacker 2’ has concluded its 6-month run.

The 24th episode of tvN’s ’Backpacker 2 (directed by Shin Chan-yang)‘, which aired on Sunday the 10th, featured Baek Jong-won, Lee Soo-geun, Heo Kyung-hwan, Ahn Bo-hyun, and Go Kyung-pyo visiting the Youth Food Court to deliver 3,000 won of happiness to hungry youths. The members‘ ‘hard’ chemistry, which grew significantly around Baek Jong-won during his meaningful business trip, continued, presenting warm laughter until the end.

The broadcast that day recorded an average of 6.7% and a peak of 10.2% in the metropolitan area, and an average of 6.2% and a peak of 9.5% nationwide, ranking first in its time slot including cable channels for 24 consecutive weeks. Especially, based on households nationwide, ’Backpacker‘ achieved its highest viewership rating, ending on a high note. The viewership ratings for men and women in their 20s and 49s, which are tvN’s target demographic, also recorded an average of 3.2% and a peak of 4.5% in the metropolitan area, and an average of 3.1% and a peak of 4.4% nationwide, not only ranking first in the same time slot across all channels including terrestrial channels, but also recording ’Backpacker‘ its highest viewership rating, proving the power of tvN‘s mega IP until the end. (Nielsen Korea, based on paid platforms)

The 24th business trip destination was a small restaurant next to the alley at the main gate of Ewha Womans University. The Youth Table Restaurant that the business trip team visited is a place that provides comfort and courage to young people with 3,000 won kimchi stew in this era of high prices. Father Lee Moon-soo, who has been running the ‘3,000 won restaurant’ Youth Table Restaurant for young people for 8 years, requested that they make a special kimchi menu that day using kimchi, the main ingredient in kimchi stew.

The group, who had their first restaurant business trip and challenged their first business, struggled in the unusually small kitchen size and difficult environment. The menu presented by the group, who were thinking about a different transformation of kimchi, was kimchi dumpling stew. The hellish labor of having to make 400 handmade dumplings one by one continued, but under the leadership of the business genius Baek Jong-won, they actively performed their respective roles and showed a completely different appearance compared to their first business trip. In particular, Go Kyung-pyo caught everyone’s attention by boiling the broth for the stew with the keen eye he learned from watching Baek Jong-won‘s cooking.



Baek Jong-won mixed sesame seed powder as the final kick into mashed tofu, minced kimchi, and minced meat to complete the dumpling filling with a total of 11 ingredients. The five people’s five-color dumpling-making, where subtle competition sprouted from Yangpyeong-style Lee Soo-geun to North Korean-style(?) Go Kyung-pyo, also caught the eye. Baek Jong-won, who swept Nonhyeon-dong during the IMF era by running a pocha and making dumplings himself, also impressed everyone with his new technology of making dumplings in 5 seconds. Meanwhile, Ahn Bo-hyun and Go Kyung-pyo, who are the leading figures of the active class, quickly made two kinds of stir-fried fish cakes and seasoned bean sprouts to eat with stews using side dishes.

With 30 minutes left until the restaurant opened, the group became even busier. The members prepared a generous topping of 8 kinds, including potato dumplings, beef brisket, and glass noodles, and learned the ordering system for customers, completing thorough preparations. With Baek Jong-won, who returned as a business genius, at the center, Ahn Bo-hyun set the stew, Lee Soo-geun served the table, and Heo Kyung-hwan and Go Kyung-pyo, who assisted in the kitchen, also distributed the work efficiently.

As the restaurant is usually famous for its high-quality food, there was a long line even before the opening, and the customers who actually entered were surprised by the new stew menu instead of kimchi stew. The students who had no idea that ‘Backpacker 2’ was coming showed dilated pupils after seeing Baek Jong-won and the group. Lee Soo-geun, who was in charge of serving the hall, not only did a great job of guiding customers and answering the phone, but he also showed off his friendly charm by becoming a friend to the customers who ate alone. There was some confusion as the order sheets piled up, but the experienced response of Heo Kyung-hwan, who had experience in food trucks, also shone.

The students responded enthusiastically to the unexpected visit of the group, saying things like, “This is a legend,” “This costs 3,000 won,” and “We are really lucky college students.” However, there was a moment of crisis. A customer who had come expecting kimchi stew ended up leaving. Baek Jong-won showed his wit by making dumplings in the center of the kitchen so that the customers could see them, and he was able to successfully close the business as the customers kept coming. Baek Jong-won warmed our hearts by sharing the news that he would donate ham to the Youth Table after filming.

‘Backpacker 2’ started with a business trip to the Taean Mageum-ri fishing village and finished a 6-month journey with 135 dishes and 4,011 servings at a total of 24 business trip locations up to the Youth Table. A journey that provided meaningful meals to approximately 7,000 people in Season 1 and Season 2. Special greetings were sent to the business trip teams from the Air Force Band Honor Guard actor Lee Do-hyun, the Ministry of National Defense Remains Excavation Team, the National Institute of Ecology, Andong Daema Village, the National Institute of Scientific Investigation, and Cheongju Post Office.

We were also able to hear the mixed feelings of the business trip team as they finished Season 2. Ahn Bo-hyun said, “I‘m grateful and blessed to have made precious connections in my life,” and added, “My family, especially my grandmother, really liked it,” before shedding tears. Baek Jong-won then shed tears, saying, “Isn’t it because we feel a sense of accomplishment for all our hard work? We feel so attached to each other,” and the business trip team couldn‘t hide their collective choked up expressions.

At the end of the broadcast, a request letter was delivered promising to go on another business trip, adding to the anticipation and lingering feelings for the next season. PD Shin Chan-yang, who is in charge of producing ‘Backpacker 2’, said, “The members jokingly said that we should go on business trips until we can gift one meal to the entire nation,” and added, “I want to go anywhere that needs a meaningful meal,” in his closing remarks.

Choi Yoon-na, Donga.com Reporter yyynnn@donga.com