What is SHINee member Onew doing in Singapore?

SHINee boy band member Onew certainly had a great year even without his boy band. He had a relatively memorable role in Descendents of the Son as a junior doctor to Song Hye-Kyo’s character Lee Chi-hoon. And now, he gets to eat delicious, interesting food in Korean cookint variety show Go Go With Mr Paik.

“My role (in this family) is to be the one who’s always learning while looking over my uncle’s (Chef Paik) shoulder,” Onew said in an interview last week after filming for the Singapore leg of Go Go With Mr. Paik ended. Meanwhile, girl group I.O.I’s Chaeyeon chimed in: “My role is to eat the food that Chef made deliciously!”

The two idols play niece and nephew to Chef Paik Jong Won on the show, as the trio travel the globe to discover new foods on their journeys and put a Korean twist on them. Smiling like a proud uncle during the entirety of the interview, Chef Paik explained to us that while he’s in charge of looking after the goings-on in the kitchen, his ‘niece’ and ‘nephew’ help him in other ways.

“When I’m feeling tired, Onew will try to cheer me up with his humour,” he chuckled. “Chaeyeon eats really well and I feel energised just by watching her eat.” For their trip to Singapore, they spent three days cooking up a storm, visiting local markets such as Little India and Chinatown and drinking in the sights and sounds in Universal Studios Singapore and S.E.A. Aquarium.

Despite their hectic schedules, the trio was in high spirits. They shared they created unforgettable memories during this trip, and have had memorable experiences in the kitchen even before embarking on this series.

Onew let on, “I can clearly remember the food that my mother used to make for me - noodles with kimchi.” Chaeyeon added, “My mother can cook well and while my mother cooks, my father always helps out too. Both my parents cook well.” Chef Paik, however, had an interesting story to tell as from how he gained confidence in the kitchen.

“I used to cook hamburgers when I was young. I loved my family’s reaction when they ate my burgers but they started to force me to make them every single day. I gained confidence from that,” he grinned.

While others may feel the burden of maintaining their idol images while filming variety shows, Onew and Chaeyeon shared that they felt no such thing. “I didn’t feel any pressure of being an idol at all in this show,” Onew said. Chef quipped that he too, felt that “the two have never been faced with this sort of pressures. In fact, it’s only when their managers pop out from time to time that I go ‘Ah right, they’re idols’.”

Go Go With Mr Paik in Singapore will air on tvN (Singtel TV Channels 518, 619 and StarHub TV Channel 824) on Dec 19 & 26, 10.30pm.

This story first appeared on www.toggle.sg