Lee Young Ji faces 'rice cake hell' after becoming main chef

Singer Lee Young Ji secured the position of main chef at 'Space Rice Cake Shop' after intense preparation, but the moment she stepped into the shop, she faced an unexpected reality that left her fuming.

"I wanted to make tteokbokki, not press rice cakes!" Lee's desperate cry drew laughter and signaled the turbulent beginning of 'Space Rice Cake Shop.'

In the first episode of the tvN variety show 'Space Rice Cake Shop,' which aired July 31, Lee Eun-ji, OH MY GIRL's Mimi, Ive's An Yu Jin, and Lee Young Ji competed fiercely for the main chef position ahead of the opening of the first Earth branch.

Ahead of the selection process, Lee appeared more prepared than anyone else. When asked if she had prepared a specific concept, she claimed, "I just came. I came naturally," but in reality, she had been obsessively researching tteokbokki for a month.

Lee brought laughter by revealing she had constantly fed tteokbokki to those around her, including friends and her manager, saying, "I've made so much tteokbokki that I don't even want to look at it anymore."

However, the preparation for her competitors was equally intense. Lee Eun-ji revealed she utilized her extensive network to seek advice from chefs, prompting Lee and An to cast suspicion, asking, "Didn't you just receive a recipe?"

Conversely, Lee countered Lee and An, who had recently visited chef Kwon Sung-jun's restaurant, by saying, "I heard you two went to see the Napoli Matpia teacher as well."

Lee explained, "We just went to eat a legitimate meal," and clarified, "We only asked if we could seek advice regarding the menu."

However, when chef Kwon Sung-jun appeared as a judge, the scene fell into chaos once again. Lee Eun-ji shouted, "Isn't this corruption?" while An also expressed her frustration, saying, "It's not like that. We just ate."

To prevent controversy regarding fairness, the production team checked directly with Kwon, who cleared the misunder-standing by stating he had never provided private tutoring or passed on recipes to the two.

Interestingly, the person actually closest to Kwon was Mimi. Mimi expressed tension, suggesting that because of their closeness, her evaluations might be even more cold-hearted, and the four members entered the rice cake cooking competition in their own ways.

Lee presented 'Elementary Schooler Tteokbokki' to stimulate childhood nostalgia, while Lee Eun-ji made 'Space Torong Rice Cake Kimbap' filled with memories. An presented 'YJY Tteokbokki' and 'Ex-Boyfriend Rice Cake' using foods that became famous on 'Earth Arcade,' and Mimi competed with creative menus such as 'Potato Cream Rice Cake Janya,' 'Myeongnan Oil Rice Cake Star,' and 'Baek Rami Su.'

The winner was Lee Young Ji. Receiving high marks for creativity and concept, Lee took first place and grabbed the main chef position.

But the true hardship came after that. Lee burned with passion, even preparing a PPT and conducting special training until dawn, but the moment she arrived at the shop, she faced an unexpected sight.

It was the 'Mill System,' where they had to press the rice cakes themselves.

The members were bewildered upon seeing the rice cake machine set up inside the shop, and Lee Eun-ji denied reality, asking, "Are we running a tteokbokki shop or a rice cake mill?"

Mimi also provided a burst of laughter with a resigned reaction, saying, "I think the reason this work came out in this world is because it came out while working."

In particular, Lee exploded in anger toward the production team, protesting, "Who said they wanted to press rice cakes? I only said I wanted to do the cool part of cutting the rice cakes at the end."

She then declared to An, "Write down the names of people who leave rice cakes behind and put them on a blacklist," foreshadowing the full-scale 'Rice Cake War.'

From the moment she became the main chef, Lee and the 'Earth Arcade' crew were deployed to an unexpected labor site. Attention is focused on the tumultuous startup story caught between the dreamy tteokbokki shop they envisioned and the reality of a rice cake mill.