“What romance when it’s getting cold” Yoon Nam-no chooses soup over a woman's advances

He did not budge even at a woman's proactive advance. It wasn't because he didn't like her, but because he was more concerned about the gukbap (soup with rice) cooling down in front of him. Chef Yoon Nam-no brought laughter by revealing a ridiculous anecdote he experienced at a gukbap restaurant. Continuing his six-year dating hiatus, he showed an introverted side that prioritizes meals over romance even in unexpected moments and even finds blind dates burdensome.

Appearing on KBS2's 'Problem Child in House' on the 13th, Yoon Nam-no revealed that he belatedly realized there was more interest in him than he had thought. He brought up an incident that occurred while he was eating alone, saying, "I didn't know I was in such high demand. Something happened at a gukbap restaurant." Although he has an introverted personality in daily life, he is accustomed to eating alone, but he also candidly confessed that when he eats with someone, he feels the need to walk on eggshells around them.

The incident happened one day while he was having a glass of soju with gukbap alone. Suddenly, a woman sat in the seat opposite him and abruptly asked, "How about me?" While one might have been flustered by such an unexpected and proactive advance, what Yoon Nam-no regretted most was something else. He confessed, "I was upset because I should have eaten the gukbap while it was warm." The moment that could have led to a romantic encounter was remembered by him as an incident where his golden meal time with the gukbap was interrupted.

That is not to say he blindly ignored her. Yoon Nam-no cautiously approached the woman's companion and asked them to take her away, but the situation did not go as planned. Rather, an awkward atmosphere continued as even the companion joined in. Ultimately, the method he chose was earphones. He said he put on earphones, silently finished his gukbap until the end, and then left the seat. The cast burst into laughter at the story of his "solo gukbap defense," where he remained unshaken by the woman's direct advance.

Yoon Nam-no's passivity in dating was not the first story to be revealed on this broadcast. Webtoon artist Kim Poong, who appeared alongside him, revealed that he often receives requests to introduce Yoon Nam-no to people, and even tried to arrange a blind date with a flight attendant, but it did not happen because Yoon Nam-no himself refused. Even if there were sufficiently attractive blind date candidates from an outsider's perspective, the first meeting itself was a burden to Yoon Nam-no. He stated, "I have never been on a blind date even once," and "Natural encounters are more comfortable."

The reason he avoids blind dates was also specific. Yoon Nam-no confessed, "When I meet someone for the first time, I don't know what to talk about, and it's hard to even say the first word." He explained that he prefers situations where relationships start naturally rather than formal meetings where he has to worry about conversation topics and the atmosphere before meeting the person. Considering the cooking skills and uninhibited speech he showed on the broadcast, it is a side that is difficult to imagine easily, but his personality revealed in work and private relationships can inevitably be different.

The characteristics of his profession as a chef also played a part in why dating did not go well. Yoon Nam-no confessed that he was dumped by all the lovers he met while working as a chef, saying, "In particular, I was always dumped in December." The end of the year is a time when the food service industry becomes exceptionally busy. As the number of customers visiting restaurants for Christmas and year-end gatherings increases, it is also a time when chefs must guard the kitchen rather than spending time with their partners.

Yoon Nam-no explained the reality of it being difficult to spend Christmas with a partner, saying, "Chefs are busiest at the end of the year. They definitely work on Christmas." Even on days when everyone spends special time with their lovers, chefs must prepare meals for customers, and as much as that, schedules with romantic partners inevitably get pushed back. He said that even if he wanted to continue the love, the situation where the rhythm of his profession and the expectations of his partner collided repeatedly led to breakups.

Ultimately, Yoon Nam-no's six-year dating hiatus is read not simply as a lack of interest in dating, but as a result of his introverted personality, the burden of blind dates, and the reality of his profession as a chef. While the anecdote of finishing his gukbap before leaving despite a woman's proactive advance drew laughter, the story of not being able to be with a partner every Christmas also contained the bitterness of having to miss out on love because of his job. Gukbap must be eaten before it gets cold, and love can drift away if the timing is missed. Yoon Nam-no's solo life was fully imbued with both laughter and the weary daily life of a chef.

Read the original (Korean)