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Bros on Foot: Episode 7
by stroopwafel
The cast has gotten a much needed city respite, complete with real beds for them to sleep in. But that sort of luxury can’t last for long, after all, there are still Dream Tickets to be earned and what’s a mission without some suffering? I have grape expectations that they’ll be working hard for every last ticket.
EPISODE 7
Ji-hoon stands on the bungee platform, 15 stories above water. He spreads his arms out, takes a deep breath, and the operator counts down to one. And nothing. Another beat passes with Ji-hoon frozen in place, arms still outstretched. Then he turns and grabs the platform to face Min-ho, “I’m sorry, I can’t do this.” Min-ho tells him it’s okay and Ji-hoon scootches backwards to the safety of the bridge.
He explains that he thought he’d be able to jump, but realized on the bridge that that was arrogant of him lol. “I can’t fly.” Aw, Ji-hoon. He looks a little shaken, and he tells Min-ho, “You’re the best, Min-ho. Use banmal with me from now on. My hyung!” Ha, it’s like the student has become the teacher, with their hyung/dongsaeng status now reversed. Ji-hoon has a parting word of advice for future adventure seekers: There are no refunds in bungee jumping.
Jin-gu and Jung-woo are having a much calmer day, they’re checking out some of the buskers (including a singing dog) and then start off on a walk around the local botanical garden. As they walk Jin-gu tells Jung-woo that traveling together has been comfortable, like traveling with hyungs rather than sunbaes. Jung-woo quips, “Well, we’re not your noonas.”
Their conversation winds from topic to topic and Jin-gu opens up about how things changed when he reached his twenties. He shares that he sometimes gets caught up in all sorts of vague concerns and that might be part of why he’s developed insomnia. Jung-woo understands completely, and he’s also experienced that sort of thought fixation and he’s learned to deal with it by stopping his train of thought.
It’s not easy, but he tells Jin-gu that time and practice can help, and Jin-gu says he’ll try it. Jin-gu interviews that normally he keeps his thoughts and concerns tamped down but he’s been able to open up a lot on the trip, especially to Jung-woo. There’s something about their friendship that’s really sweet, and I love that Jung-woo takes Jin-gu so seriously even with the big age gap. He treats Jin-gu with a real tenderness that shines through in their interactions.
In another part of Queenstown, the Bungee Bros (I think Ji-hoon deserves the honorary title) are exercising furiously in an empty gym. For the inquiring viewer, Ji-hoon explains that finds it easier to maintain his physique by keeping to an exercise schedule even on vacation. Everything he does has to align with his career so here we are at the gym. As the guys are doing a few sets, Ji-hoon gets into jokester mode and counts pretends he’s done a whopping 15 set of lifts (rather than the actual number, three).
He then helpfully helps Min-ho keep count — by going in reverse and minimizing the number of sets Min-ho is managing to complete lol. Min-ho squeaks out, “Why are my numbers getting smaller?!” When it’s Ji-hoon’s turn, Min-ho returns the favor and loudly miscounts and successfully gets Ji-hoon to stop what he’s doing since he can’t stop laughing.
Their exercise session doesn’t end at the gym though, they hit the streets for a jog around Queenstown. Ji-hoon reels me in when he tells Min-ho to take it a little easy and slow down since their cameraman’s struggling. “And since I’ve said that—” He zooms away, cackling as he runs even faster. Heh, they end up swapping out cameramen in the end and the guys end their run by taking a little break at the lake. As they lie down on the shore, they listen to the water lap against the rocks.
The crew is back together, and they’re getting ready for dinner. It’s a special occasion tonight — Ji-hoon’s even gelled up his hair — as Lee PD is treating them to dinner at a fancy restaurant for all their hard work. Before splitting up after lunch, the guys had stopped by a vintage clothing store, looking for some nice, non-camping outfits. They browse and Ji-hoon picks out a few outfits for the other guys. He tells Jin-gu that genderless fashion is all the rage and suggests an off the shoulder dress for dinner (I’m not sure Jin-gu could pull it off). Ji-hoon offers up a pink crop top for Min-ho (I think Min-ho could pull it off) but ultimately the guys end up choosing their own outfits for the night.
The cast gets a full Boys Before Flowers treatment as they walk to the restaurant and each of them gets a moment to shine. Jung-woo gets dubbed “a fashion revolutionary” for his shirt-over-shirt layered look. Jin-gu’s look is “21st century Leon” as he channels his inner Jean Reno. Ji-hoon just looks hot and the show captions his look, “Finally, the Joo Ji-hoon we know.” Min-ho has a snazzy beret and his look is dubbed, “Monmarte style. SHINee is back.”
The restaurant looks very nice and modern, and the menu options have some international infusions like gochujang and kimchi as ingredients. The guys order a pretty broad range of dishes: steak, seafood and lamb. After the orders are placed an awkward stillness sets in. Is it because they’re dressed up all fancy? Is it because they’re eating somewhere fancy? Time stretches on with no food in sight.
They fill the emptiness by talking and Jung-woo ruminates, “It’s already been nearly a week. I’ll be happy whenever I see you in Seoul — it’s like I’ve made two new friends.” He’s obviously done a ton of projects, but it’s his first time working with younger actors as costars, apart from Ji-hoon. So that’s why he’s so glad to have met them all. Aw, he has a knack for saying such sweet and touching things.
When their food finally comes out, it’s unlike anything I pictured but very in line with the whole modern dining vibe: Tiny portions, minimalist plating. Their first appetizer was a “Bloody Mary Oyster Shot” and it turns out to be a literal shot of Bloody Mary with a single shucked oyster floating in the glass. One of the dishes they’d most been looking forward to is a grilled octopus dish that was supposed to come with kimchi, but no matter how you look at it, there’s no actual kimchi.
Jin-gu asks the waiter, “Where is the kimchi?” And it looks like the chefs are taking a page out of Ji-hoon’s culinary playbook because the kimchi turns out to be a sprinkling of kimchi. It actually looks exactly like Ji-hoon’s beloved kimchi seasoning and I’m not the only one who noticed as Ji-hoon exclaims, “They stole my idea!” LOL. It may not be the kimchi they were hoping for but the dish still gets a thumbs up from everyone. Table service continues to be excruciatingly slow for the guys and this whole scene cracks me up because nearly every Korean person I know always complains about how slow table service is outside of Korea.
When the waiter comes by the table holding a platter they get really excited but alas, it’s just a new set of cutlery for them. Not long after the fakeout, their main courses arrive and they happily dig in. Ji-hoon watches Jin-gu enjoying his rack of lamb dish and jumps on the chance to tease him: “You thought the lamb were so cute, and here you are eating them.” (It’s a lamb-eat-lamb world, Ji-hoon.)
With the meal finished, Jin-gu’s already thinking ahead to the next mission and is nervous about how hard the next mission will be. They concur that the nicer the staff are, the harder the mission is lol so any nice treatment just makes them nervous. (Variety has changed them!) Jin-gu worries, “What if we have to leave someone behind?” Ji-hoon’s reply: “Usually the person who first speaks it [gets to experience it]…” Jung-woo says the mission might be skydiving, and Ji-hoon repeats his curse/mantra lol.
Jung-woo suggests they have a nightcap and snacks before bedtime, since it’s their first night sleeping indoors. He even has a surprise for them. During their free time he stopped by a local Asian supermarket and picked up a few items. Everyone’s ears perk up at that and they ask what Jung-woo bought but he plays coy, saying they’ll see once they get back to the hostel.
In their hostel room, a bottle of wine and a note is on one of the beds (Lee PD loves being enigmatic). The note tells them to drive to a nearby vineyard and to find Mr. Elfie. But that’s for tomorrow; tonight there are more important matters at hand — genuine Korean food. Jung-woo pulls out a shopping bag that’s absolutely stuffed with Korean snacks and foods and, a bit randomly, cheese.
The snack shopping spree was all because of Jung-woo’s love of drinking and snacking in his hotel room whenever he travels and he wanted to recreate the experience in New Zealand. Thus, the haul of food. Jin-gu takes the frozen dumplings to the kitchen to cook, and the guys start to eat in the meantime. Jung-woo suddenly asks Min-ho if he’s heard of a triple combo before (he hasn’t) and he says it’s a stack of cracker, ham, and cheese. He lovingly stacks the ingredients together and delivers it straight into his own mouth. Min-ho looks a little surprised as does Ji-hoon. Ji-hoon tells Jung-woo, “You know what caught me off guard? I thought you were going to give it to Min-ho.” They all start laughing and Min-ho even says he had been ready to get hand-fed his first triple combo lol. Jung-woo gets a little embarrassed and says that does make sense but also, “That is my unexpected charm.”
Changing the subject, Jung-woo’s curious about idol life and how dance training works when you’re a trainee. Min-ho explains that they all start with the basics, and all of a sudden they’re at the Min-ho Dance Academy. Jung-woo tries out some moves while still reclining, but he looks pretty awkward lol. Jin-gu returns with the dumplings and once together they relax and just talk and talk. It’s lovely and Minho says: “We’ve gotten so close during the trip… I wanted to cancel our plans for tomorrow and stay up all night talking.”
In the morning, they leave Queenstown for a nearby area called Gibbston, which is known for its pinot noir grapes. As they drive, row after row of grapes stretches out as far as the eye can see. They arrive at a vineyard with a sign that says, Brennan Wines. Standing outside the gate, as if to greet them, is a big friendly looking dog. The guys wonder what’s up with the dog and Min-ho asks aloud, “Mr. Elfie, is that you? How are we supposed to communicate with him?” The dog is indeed Mr. Elfie and when the guys draw closer, Mr. Elfie walks them inside the vineyard where two people step out.
Emma and Sean, the owners of the vineyard, welcome the cast and Emma invites them to sit for a bite to eat so they head over to a picnic table that’s set up with a large snack platter. Instead of being happy, their suspicions are on high alert. Sean brings them even more food and confirms their suspicions while giving them their latest mission note — they’ll have to work for their food. The mission note mentions New Zealand’s popularity as a working holiday destination. The guys will be able to experience their own working holiday on the vineyard and they’ll be working for their keep. Once the mission is completed, they’ll earn seven Dream Tickets. Jung-woo: “That means the work will be hard. How are you supposed to work and enjoy a holiday?” (True that.)
Sean brings them a bottle of wine and tells them to enjoy — for the next 30 minutes — because after lunch it’s straight to work. Everything from the sandwiches to the almonds and other finger foods are delicious and pair well with the wine (unsurprising). Jung-woo’s starting to look on the bright side thanks to the wine, “Why am I in such high spirits all of a sudden?”
He’s resigned to his fate though and he’s feeling optimistic, “It’s okay, I got my tooth glued back on so I’ll be fine.” Even better for Jung-woo, something about the vineyard’s geomancy speaks to him. The vineyard also has lots of cute dogs roaming around and they’re super laidback; just flopping all over the place for naps. When one of the giant dogs climbs up on the bench, Jung-woo quips, “So is this a chihuahua?” He attempts to bond with the pup, “Do you want to get drunk? What’s your name? Come to Korea with me.”
Sean shows them to their rooms for the night, and they’ll all be sleeping in his house. It’s right on the vineyard grounds and it’s very spacious with a huge kitchen. They guys will share two bedrooms, but there are only three beds for the four of them. Ji-hoon and Min-ho decide to bunk together for the night, and seal their decision to share the big bed with a mighty hug. Sean also shows them where their work clothes are and reminds them to apply sunscreen before they head out.
Ji-hoon tells Min-ho their room arrangement must be fate because there are even dumbells in the room. Jung-woo sits on his bed with a pair of hip waders and instead of pulling them on, he somehow climbs into them. It’s hard to explain but very entertaining to watch. Before they can start work, they take a moment to have a little sunblock PPL and I am weak, because now I want an Abib sunblock stick and some Brennan wine heh.
Once the guys are suited and sunblocked up, Sean takes them on a tour of the grounds. As they tour the vineyard, Sean explains that the work is hard but satisfying. He doesn’t do it for the money; it’s all about the passion. Min-ho asks how big the vineyard is and it’s 13 hectares of land, 20 if you include the wineries as well. Wow, their work is going to be cut out for them.
Epilogue
During their fancy dinner in Queenstown, Ji-hoon laughs and calls Jung-woo “Our princess.” Jung-woo’s in full agreement as he lists out all of his princess-y characteristics: “I can’t go on rides. I can’t handle heights, or spicy food.” Jin-gu adds, “You find alpacas really cute.” Jung-woo nods, “This show will make me look like a little princess. My name might as well be Princess Sara.”
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