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| Photo=MBC |
[Sports Today reporter Kim Tae-hyung] MBC’s Manitto Club staged a special late-night “diner” for firefighters, serving warmth, laughter and genuinely touching moments. The episode also kicked off the third-season Manitto assignments, injecting fresh energy into the series.
On the March 22 broadcast, the cast visited Bucheon Fire Station to launch a covert Manitto mission. Jung Hae-in, Go Yoon-jung, Park Myung-su, Hong Jin-kyung, Kim Do-hoon and chef Yoon Nam-no put together a homemade restorative meal for the crew, and their tight teamwork underscored how seriously they took the assignment.
According to Nielsen Korea, the episode scored a 2.6% household rating in the Greater Seoul area, a new personal best for the program. The 20–54 demo rating—a key measure of channel competitiveness amid shifting viewing habits—also climbed to 1.3%. The episode’s highest-rated minute, which showed Jung Hae-in, Go Yoon-jung, Park Myung-su, Hong Jin-kyung, Kim Do-hoon and chef Yoon Nam-no finishing the late-night service with exceptional teamwork, peaked at 3.4% (Greater Seoul area).
Once the late-night diner opened, the kitchen quickly became chaotic. They started with eight orders, and a steady stream of requests pushed the team to the limit. Jung Hae-in burned the tteokgalbi early on, visibly shaken by the pressure, and a series of small mistakes across the kitchen raised tensions. Despite the mayhem, the cast regrouped around maestro chef Yoon Nam-no and managed to produce a flawless spread.
The constant ringing of dispatch bells kept everyone on edge. Firefighters praised the meal as more than a late-night snack—calling it “1000% satisfaction”—but their admiration was brief; they rushed out to respond to calls, a reminder of the demands of their job. Even so, the cast stayed at the last-serving table and served warm meals to 34 people—35 portions once a refill was included. Jung Hae-in, Go Yoon-jung and the others called the experience “truly amazing” and said it was an emotion they had never felt before, reflecting on the deeper meaning of the Manitto mission.
New Manitto activities also began in earnest. Third-season members Cha Tae-hyun, Park Bo-young, Lee Sun-bin, Hwang Kwang-hee and Kang Hoon adopted code names—octopus, pufferfish, crab, shrimp and seal—and prepared heartfelt gifts for their assigned Manittos. The members’ reactions when they discovered their targets added charm and humor. After Park Bo-young confirmed Cha Tae-hyun—her co-star from Speed Scandal—she beamed, “Isn’t he like my dad?” Cha Tae-hyun laughed upon realizing Kang Hoon, a travel-show acquaintance, was his match. Hwang Kwang-hee and Kang Hoon turned out to be matched with Lee Sun-bin and Hwang Kwang-hee respectively, and Lee Sun-bin couldn’t hide her affection when she learned 8-year friend Park Bo-young was her Manitto.
Familiarity between cast members led to creative, upgraded tactics. To support Cha Tae-hyun, who recently launched his own agency, Park Bo-young consulted co-CEO Jo In-sung and chose a mother-of-pearl stamp as her first gift. She also shared a warm anecdote about Cha Tae-hyun once filling a luxury red wallet with cash as a present. At the same time, Cha Tae-hyun recruited his second daughter as an accomplice to secretly deliver an egg tart to Kang Hoon, and their natural father-daughter banter provided comic relief.
Hwang Kwang-hee prepared hydrangeas and a letter for Kang Hoon, who enjoys landscaping, prompting playful reactions like “Is this dating?” When his cover was nearly blown, he hurriedly hid the envelope and morphed into the mysterious “Envelope Man,” much to everyone’s amusement. Lee Sun-bin plotted an ambitious surprise birthday party for Park Bo-young, vowing to become the ultimate Manitto with an unprecedented event. After drafting a questionnaire to guide the party planning, she tracked down Park Bo-young—only to face a tense near-reveal that left viewers eager to see what happens next.
The episode closed by teasing bolder, individual Manitto missions and by previewing the first full meeting of Cha Tae-hyun, Park Bo-young, Lee Sun-bin, Hwang Kwang-hee and Kang Hoon, raising anticipation for the weeks ahead. MBC’s Manitto Club airs every Sunday at 6:05 p.m.
[Sports Today reporter Kim Tae-hyung ent@stoo.com]
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