Kim Tae-ri's 'After School Teacher' Delivers Heartfelt Moments with Chef An Sung-jae

Kim Tae-ri's first variety show, 'After School Teacher', offered a healing experience with Chef An Sung-jae.

On the 6th episode of tvN's 'After School Teacher', aired on the 29th of last month, 'Whale Teacher' An Sung-jae joined Kim Tae-ri, Choi Hyun-wook, and Kangnam at Yongheung Elementary School's sports day, achieving a triumphant first place. An Sung-jae also showcased his global chef prowess by attentively listening to novice teacher Kim Tae-ri's concerns and conducting a blind taste test during a cooking competition between Choi Hyun-wook and Kangnam.

The sports day was divided into teams led by Kim Tae-ri, Choi Hyun-wook, and An Sung-jae. Choi Hyun-wook's team won first place in group jump rope, while Kim Tae-ri's team excelled in the pot-breaking event, leading to a tie. However, the final relay race offered 100 points to the first-place winner, allowing An Sung-jae's team to clinch the overall victory, earning applause.

After the sports day, a cooking showdown between Choi Hyun-wook and Kangnam captured attention. Kangnam introduced a bold recipe by adding yogurt to his boiled pork to remove odors, while Choi Hyun-wook crafted a chive pancake batter by intuition, accompanied by a secret sauce.

While the two focused on cooking, Kim Tae-ri engaged in a heartfelt conversation with An Sung-jae, gaining insights to resolve her worries as an after-school drama club teacher. An Sung-jae emphasized the importance of communication by asking what performances the children desired, and shared parenting tips on conversing at eye level with children. His rational yet warm advice alleviated Kim Tae-ri's burdens, creating a heartwarming atmosphere.

The tense blind taste test between Choi Hyun-wook and Kangnam evaluated taste, texture, and presentation. An Sung-jae chose Choi Hyun-wook's chive pancake, while Kim Tae-ri favored Kangnam's boiled pork, resulting in a 1-1 draw. Choi Hyun-wook expressed his delight, saying, "Even though it's a tie, receiving a vote from Chef Sung-jae feels more rewarding. It feels like he acknowledged me to some extent."

With the school play a week away, completing the remaining scenes became a priority. Kim Tae-ri, Choi Hyun-wook, and Kangnam focused solely on preparing and rehearsing with the children. Despite demonstrating movements and acting points, time was limited, and many scenes remained unfinished. The question loomed whether the after-school drama club could successfully complete the play.

Choi Hyun-wook, tasked with teaching choreography for the choir scene, passionately adapted a children's song favored by Yongheung Elementary students to fit the play's theme, tirelessly practicing until the last moment. The anticipation builds on whether Choi Hyun-wook can successfully conduct the choreography class.

Lee So-jung, TenAsia Reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr