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Lee Kyung-gyu faces crisis after 42 years of broadcasting
In the 6th episode of the special backpacking trip 'Kyung-gyu over Flowers' (hereinafter referred to as 'Kyung-gyu over Flowers') of JTBC's entertainment show 'Munchy Returns', which aired on the 18th, entertainment godfather Lee Kyung-gyu, who was a Cheongiljeom and 'Kyu guide', and his 'female friend' (traveler) (Human Friends) Noh Sa-yeon, Park Mi-sun, Jo Hye-ryun, and Shin Bong-seon go to Hanoi, Vietnam together and attempt their first backpacking trip.
Lee Gyeong-gyu, who has an average age of 55.6 years and is going on his first backpacking trip, and 'female friends' Noh Sa-yeon, Park Mi-sun, Jo Hye-ryun, and Shin Bong-seon had their first meeting before leaving for the trip. Lee Gyeong-gyu, who played the role of guide for this trip, was clearly nervous that day, unlike his usual appearance. He said, “This is the first time in my life that I have traveled with women,” and said that this was his first trip with women since his honeymoon. He then explained why he couldn't help but feel nervous, saying that he had no experience backpacking and also revealing that he suffered from panic disorder during a previous trip to Australia for filming.
Above all, the person who made Lee Gyeong-gyu have a 'mental breakdown' the most was Noh Sa-yeon, who appeared at the end, showing off her heavy force. Lee Gyeong-gyu, the godfather of entertainment with 42 years of broadcasting experience, screamed at the appearance of Noh Sa-yeon, who is three years older than him, saying, “I might not do it.” As Lee Gyeong-gyu, who was nervous, stuttered, Noh Sa-yeon said, “I heard you start stuttering whenever you see me.” “Kyung-gyu might feel uncomfortable with me,” he said, worried. Lee Gyeong-gyu scolded Noh Sa-yeon, saying, “Singing is really a burden,” and the two engaged in a bickering battle with each other.
Park Mi-sun said, “It feels like I’m going on a trip with my parents who I don’t get along with,” and added, “How are we going to go on a backpacking trip?” Lee Gyeong-gyu snorted after hearing this. He said, “I’m going to cry in three days. He expressed his confidence as a guide by boasting with the sweetest comment in the world, “I was moved by me.” Park Mi-sun was surprised at Lee Gyeong-gyu's unfamiliar appearance, saying, "Oppa, you weren't like that in the past, why did you become so sweet?"
Guide Lee Gyeong-gyu, who had greatly increased his trustworthiness with his confident attitude, and the 'Female Friends' members who trusted and followed him headed to the airport to leave for Hanoi, Vietnam. When they arrived at the airport, they faced a major crisis that almost ended filming. The youngest child Shin Bong-seon's passport disappeared. Even the production team worked together to find the passport, but no matter how hard they searched, it couldn't be found, and Shin Bong-seon was on the verge of crying.
Meanwhile, Shin Bong-seon's passport suddenly appeared in Lee Gyeong-gyu's pocket, shocking everyone. Lee Gyeong-gyu, who unconsciously took Shin Bong-seon's passport and put it in his pocket, was confused and asked, "Is it my fault?", to which Park Mi-sun scolded him and said, "I'm not of any help in my life," and gave Lee Gyeong-gyu a 'back smash'.
The members of 'Flower Gyeong-gyu' then boarded the plane safely and arrived at Hanoi Airport. In the unfamiliar environment he encountered for the first time, guide Gyeong-gyu Lee lost his confident demeanor and looked around with a nervous expression. Soon, an acquaintance of Lee Gyeong-gyu holding a placard appeared like a savior, and Lee Gyeong-gyu said with a triumphant expression, “Acquaintances are the lifeblood of backpacking.” The ‘Female Friends’ members were very satisfied with the express service equipped with a spacious car and a driver, saying to Lee Gyeong-gyu, “Isn’t he cool?”
Kyung-gyu Lee and the 'Female Friends' members, who arrived at their accommodation comfortably with the escort of a local acquaintance, began their backpacking trip in earnest. Lee Gyeong-gyu motioned for a passing taxi, but he couldn't catch a taxi for an hour after leaving the dorm, and Shin Bong-seon, the youngest member, stepped forward and called a taxi through a taxi app. When catching a taxi wasn't as easy as expected, Lee Gyeong-gyu told the taxi driver, "They'll give you a table," and tried to verbally reserve a taxi for the return trip, sticking to the 'old-fashioned way' and making people laugh.
After going through a difficult time, the members of 'Flower Gyeong-gyu' arrived at 'Hoan Kiem' and went in search of a pho restaurant. Lee Gyeong-gyu could not stop his instinct to go straight even here. He said, “There are many pho restaurants. “If you walk, everything will come out,” he said, and walked straight ahead, but couldn’t find the pho restaurant. This time, Shin Bong-seon eventually searched for nearby pho restaurants through a map app, and before he knew it, the guide had changed. At the pho restaurant, which they arrived at after walking for 30 minutes, the 'Kkot Gyeong-gyu' members grabbed the entire bowl of pho and inhaled it. Next, the members of 'Flower Gyeong-gyu' went to the Hanoi Night Market, the course of conversion for 'Guide' Lee Gyeong-gyu, and went to their accommodation after matching friendship rings.
Shin Bong-seon suggested that we play a game where we had to decide who was on duty to wash the dishes. However, Lee Gyeong-gyu showed his ‘sweet’ side by volunteering to wash the dishes, saying, “I will do it.” Park Mi-sun was surprised and said, “You’ve never done that before,” and Shin Bong-seon said, “Senior, why do you keep making comments like that when the camera is rolling? “It’s creepy,” he said, causing laughter. When asked what kind of image he would like to have, Lee Gyeong-gyu answered, “I am a very nice person who is considerate of women and says, ‘I guess the anger I had all this time was a set-up.’” At the same time, he said, “To be honest, today is a difficult day for me too,” and made everyone around him laugh by talking about the difficulty of building a ‘sweet’ image.
Then, while deciding the schedule for the next day, Lee Gyeong-gyu and Park Mi-seon had different opinions. When Park Mi-sun said, "Let's go to St. Joseph's Cathedral tomorrow," Lee Gyeong-gyu said, "Let's go to the war museum," Lee Gyeong-gyu said in protest, "Because we're going to the war museum!" and failed to maintain a 'sweet' image. In response, Shin Bong-seon asked, “Sir, didn’t you say you were going to change your image?” and Lee Gyeong-gyu shouted, “It’s just my image!” and showed his familiar appearance as usual, making everyone laugh.
Lee Gyeong-gyu's 'Creating a Sweet Image Challenge' continued again at the dorm. He worked hard to wash the fruit and serve it to his ‘female friends’, but the kitchen floor became a sea of water. The 'Female Friends' members who discovered the scene turned into a sea of water desperately tried to dissuade Lee Gyeong-gyu, saying, "Don't let him come to the sink!", and Lee Gyeong-gyu's efforts to become 'Sweet Kyu' were in vain.
In next week's broadcast, Lee Gyeong-gyu foreshadowed another crisis situation by suddenly saying, "It's over, I'm done," implying giving up. 'Sixteenth birthday boy' Lee Kyung-gyu raised curiosity about whether he would be able to maintain his 'sweet' appearance even afterward.
The special backpacking trip ‘Kyung-gyu over Flowers’ episode of ‘Backpacking, Not a Package – Bundled Returns’ airs every Tuesday at 8:50 PM.
Taeyuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr
