Actor Lee Sang-i Achieves Three Consecutive Hits with 'Becoming a Cookhouse Legend'

Actor Lee Sang-i Achieves Three Consecutive Hits with 'Becoming a Cookhouse Legend' = Chorokbaem Entertainment

Actor Lee Sang-i has succeeded with three consecutive hits through the Tving original 'Becoming a Cookhouse Legend,' emerging as the cheat code for broadcasting success in the first half of 2026.

Lee Sang-i showcased the essence of bare-handed action in Season 2 of the Netflix original series 'Bloodhounds,' playing a driving role in the show reaching No. 1 in the Global Top 10 Non-English TV Shows category in its second week of release.

Following that, the tvN variety show 'Bogeom Magical,' in which he transformed into a nail artist to provide healing, also recorded No. 1 in its time slot for target ratings for seven consecutive weeks, playing a decisive role in confirming the production of Season 2.

On top of that, he appeared as Captain Hwang Seok-ho, the 4th Company Commander, in the currently airing 'Becoming a Cookhouse Legend,' anchoring the drama with his impressive physique and natural acting. He made a distinguished contribution to Episode 3, which aired on the 18th, achieving a nationwide viewership rating of 7.2% and peaking at 9.1%.

Episode 3 of 'Becoming a Cookhouse Legend,' simultaneously released on Tving and tvN on the 18th, ranked No. 1 in Tving's daily subscription contribution with its high viewership ratings. Not only did it record No. 1 in paid subscription contribution in its first week on Tving, but it also achieved the highest subscription contribution performance in the first week of release among all drama content released over the past three years. The tvN viewership ratings for Episode 3 showed an upward trend, averaging 7.2% and peaking at 9% on a nationwide household basis, and averaging 6.9% and peaking at 9.1% in the metropolitan area, ranking No. 1 in its time slot among cable and general programming channels on a nationwide basis, and among all channels including terrestrial broadcasters in the metropolitan area.

The 2049 viewership ratings (male and female), which are tvN's target demographic, ranked No. 1 in their time slot across all channels including terrestrial broadcasters. (Based on paid platforms integrating cable, IPTV, and satellite / Provided by Nielsen Korea)

That day, Kang Seong-jae (Park Ji-hoon), who had been growing his presence as a cookhouse soldier, suddenly collapsed. Kang Seong-jae, who had carefully prepared a pork cutlet to stop Company Commander Hwang Seok-ho's (Lee Sang-i) order for a position change, ended up serving the food not to Hwang Seok-ho but to an unexpected person.

Kim Min-ho (Kang Gil-woo), a North Korean resident who had been swept by rough waves and pushed to the Gangnim Outpost, complained of hunger. Outpost Commander Jo Ye-rin (Han Dong-hee) recalled the pork cutlet that Kang Seong-jae had made with great care and placed an order with Kang Seong-jae.

As the situation could become sensitive depending on how the North Korean resident was received, Kang Seong-jae nervously handed over a freshly fried pork cutlet. Kim Min-ho, enchanted by the taste of the pork cutlet, began to open his heart.

Another stage was set to prove Kang Seong-jae's further-developed cooking skills. A member of the National Assembly and a division commander visited the Gangnim Outpost to inspect the issue of poor military meals. Kang Seong-jae, who was preparing braised pollock — considered the most disliked side dish among the Republic of Korea's armed forces — applied both the recipe taught by the Guardian and his father's secret technique for removing the fishy smell, completing 'Pomodoro Braised Pollock.'

However, before the National Assembly member and the division commander could taste the food, an unexpected accident occurred as Kang Seong-jae, who had gone to the kitchen to serve rice, suddenly collapsed.