The Tving original ‘Become a Legendary Military Cook’ premiered on the 11th. The series met viewers through both Tving and the tvN Monday-Tuesday drama slot.
After suffering from loss and depression following the death of his father, Kang Seong-jae becomes an ‘S-class’ soldier of interest and is assigned as a military cook. Under the “suggestion” of his company commander, he begins his life in the kitchen alongside Sergeant Yoon Dong-hyun (played by Lee Hong-nae).
Kang Seong-jae’s life as a cook is anything but ordinary. A mysterious status window system appears before his eyes! Though initially flustered by the system that only he can see, he soon begins to adapt. Using the ‘Chef’s Eye’ skill, he organizes the warehouse perfectly, even avoiding any issues during a surprise inspection by the battalion.
Following the guidance of the status window, Kang Seong-jae continues to adapt to the unit and his role as a cook. His progress in leveling up was particularly impressive.
Just as Kang Seong-jae takes his first steps in adapting to his role, a crisis hits. At the end of the episode, Lieutenant Colonel Baek Chun-ik (played by Jung Woong-in) makes a surprise visit. Kang Seong-jae attempts a twist by using a hidden item, sea urchin roe, in his seaweed soup. However, Lieutenant Colonel Baek suddenly collapses after tasting the soup. This shocking ending leaves everyone wondering how Kang Seong-jae will overcome this crisis.
The first episode of ‘Become a Legendary Military Cook’ interestingly portrayed Kang Seong-jae’s assignment and his life as a cook. In particular, Park Jihoon’s passionate performance as Kang Seong-jae stood out. His portrayal of Kang Seong-jae’s fragile inner self and his struggle to overcome it made viewers root for him. The start of the tutorial to become a ‘legendary military cook’ provided the fun of a game quest with a leveling-up system.
Generating interest from the very first broadcast, ‘Become a Legendary Military Cook’ easily surpassed the ratings of its predecessor, ‘Yumi’s Cells’ Season 3. The first episode recorded a rating of 5.8% according to Nielsen Korea’s paid platform nationwide. This already exceeds the peak rating of 2.5% for the Kim Go-eun led ‘Yumi’s Cells’ Season 3 (in the tvN Mon-Tue slot). Furthermore, it recorded the highest rating among all dramas scheduled for tvN’s Monday-Tuesday slot this year, surpassing ‘Spring Fever’ (peak 5.7% in episode 12) and ‘Siren’ (peak 5.5% in episode 1).
With Park Jihoon and ‘Become a Legendary Military Cook’ capturing viewers’ attention from the start, all eyes are on what kind of legend they will write in the Monday-Tuesday drama slot.
