aespa's Karina draws 3,000 fans to 'Space Rice Cake Shop'

A new chapter has opened for 'Space Rice Cake Shop' as aespa's Karina joined the crew as a new part-time worker alongside the 'Jirak-i-deul.' As Lee Eun-ji, Mimi, Lee Young Ji, and An Yu Jin grew weary from the heavy labor, an unexpected reinforcement appeared, adding a fresh dynamic to the existing members' tight-knit chemistry.

In the 7th episode of the tvN variety program 'Space Rice Cake Shop' aired on the 11th, the process of Lee Eun-ji, Mimi, Lee Young Ji, and An Yu Jin opening their first Seoul location was revealed, along with Karina joining as a new part-time employee. The program creates laughter by applying the unique spontaneity and exaggerated situational acting of the four members from 'Earth Arcade' to the labor-intensive setting of running a restaurant.

As the scale of the Seoul location grew, the business entered full swing. With the online reservation waiting list exceeding 3,000 people on the opening day, the production team and members realized the response was even hotter than expected. As full-scale operations began, receiving customers in 10-minute intervals, 'Space Rice Cake Shop' moved beyond a simple experiential variety show to create tension akin to a real business.

However, as much as the customers flocked, accidents followed. A mistake regarding table number tags caused confusion over which food should go to which table. In this unexpected situation, An Yu Jin solved the problem by recalling the customer's order and showed her ability to manage the situation by organizing the POS system and number tags.

An Yu Jin's calm handling is also interesting, as it shows the role distribution of the 'Jirak-i-deul' has somewhat stabilized. While they were clumsy in every process from making rice cakes to serving at first, through several business sessions, their respective strengths and weaknesses were revealed, and they are gradually internalizing who should move in what way during crisis situations.

On the contrary, Lee Young Ji provided laughter with her persona as a novice chef who fluctuates between joy and sorrow based on customer evaluations. The camera captured her experiencing complex emotional shifts when a customer said Mimi's shrimp burger was delicious, only to have her expression brighten again when another customer praised the beef burger.

The fatigue accumulated during the prep process also made the relationship between the four more comedic. In the process of repeatedly preparing ingredients ahead of the Seoul branch opening, they complained of mannerism and burnout, yet once the cameras started rolling, they continued their signature 'tiki-taka' by creating impromptu situational skits.

In particular, Lee Eun-ji and Lee Young Ji used their break time to transform into Jeong-hye and Cheol-yong, reminiscent of a middle-aged couple. As Lee Young Ji performed a sly acting piece, Lee Eun-ji countered, creating another skit between the two and instantly converting the atmosphere of exhaustion from actual labor into variety-style laughter.

The 'maknae teasing' surrounding An Yu Jin was also unavoidable. When An Yu Jin was tasked with part-time training and discipline simulation, Lee Eun-ji and Lee Young Ji instead counterattacked, causing the situation to flow in an unexpected and whimsical direction.

When Lee Eun-ji provocatively said, "I'll do the next season of 'Earth Arcade,'" An Yu Jin flared up, saying her last bit of pride had been touched. This scene, which inversely utilized An Yu Jin's character as the consistent maknae in the 'Earth Arcade' series, showed that the relationship between the four has been built into a character ensemble beyond simple friendship among cast members.

Amidst this, Karina, who appeared during the dinner service, changed the atmosphere instantly. When a new part-time worker appeared before the four who were struggling with a labor shortage, the members could not hide their joy, and Karina also formed a new combination by joining the store operations with the existing members.

Karina's involvement is also significant in terms of the program's scalability. 'Space Rice Cake Shop' originally started from the penalty of Lee Eun-ji, Mimi, Lee Young Ji, and An Yu Jin, who failed the escape room mission in 'Earth Arcade 2.' While it was a method to maximize the characters and relationships of the four through the setting of working at a rice cake shop, by moving the stage to the Seoul branch, the program expanded its worldview into a structure where external part-timers like Karina, Gabie, and Doh Kyung-soo appear.

In particular, the key observation point is how Karina will create a connection between the global idol image built through aespa's activities and her natural reactions in variety shows. Given that 'Earth Arcade' style content has already used the unplanned words and actions of the cast as the core engine of laughter, there is a high possibility of new entertainment emerging depending on how Karina adapts to the tempo of the original four.

The charm of 'Space Rice Cake Shop' does not lie simply in bringing in famous celebrities to secure buzz. Rather, it lies in utilizing the awkwardness and adaptation process that occurs when new individuals enter the unique order established by the existing members as a narrative itself.

In fact, ahead of Karina's joining, the program had already prepared a new stage in Seoul. As the rice cake shop operation that started in Goheung expanded to Seoul, the scale of the shop and the number of customers increased, which in turn raised the labor intensity required of the members. With external part-timers being brought in one after another, a structure was completed that can create new relational combinations every episode.

The strength of 'Earth Arcade' style variety shows, centered around PD Na Yeong-seok and writer Lee Woo-jung, also lies in these variations of relationships. Rather than creating massive separate incidents, they repeatedly clash the personalities, linguistic habits, competitiveness, and intimacy of the cast to produce unexpected laughter. 'Space Rice Cake Shop' is operating this formula again through the relatively simple setting of a 'business.'

Ultimately, Karina's appearance produced an effect greater than just adding a one-day part-timer. In a situation where the Seoul branch is bustling with over 3,000 people on the waiting list, Karina appeared as a literal new variable and a relief pitcher for the 'Jirak-i-deul' struggling with labor shortages.

From the small and large mistakes occurring during the process of making rice cakes and greeting customers, to the emotional rollercoaster of novice chef Lee Young Ji, the 'maknae teasing' centered on An Yu Jin, and the impromptu skits of Lee Eun-ji and Mimi, a new character named Karina has been added. Whether Karina can quickly melt into the frantic tempo of the 'Jirak-i-deul' and what unexpected chemistry she will create with the existing members is becoming another key point to watch in the latter half of the Seoul branch episodes.