BTS's Jin And Chef Baek Jong Won Test Their Public Recognition And One Immediately Regrets It

BTS‘s Jin is back with two new episodes of his YouTube series The Drunken Truth (also known as Jin’s Traditional Alcohol Journey), where he partners with his friend, celebrity chef Baek Jong Won.

Chef Baek Jong Won (left) and BTS’s Jin (right) | *@jin/Instagram*

Chef Baek Jong Won and BTS’s Jin have formed a close friendship over the past year after the celebrity chef appeared on an episode of Run BTS! in 2021.

(From left to right) BTS’s J-Hope, RM, Jin, Jimin, Chef Baek Jong Won, BTS’s Jungkook and V (Suga was healing from his shoulder injury at the time of filming) | *@BTS_bighit/Twitter*

In the last two episodes, the famed chef and global idol met with a veteran alcohol artisan, Park Rok Dam, to make traditional Korean rice wine, makgeolli.

In the episodes, Park Rok Dam took Jin through the steps of making the traditional Korean rice wine as Korean families have for generations. Jin thoughtfully and diligently took all of the information in and carefully took the rice they had soaked home to allow it to ferment.

In the third episode, Jin and Chef Baek Jong Won finally get to try the makgeolli they made. They displayed their hilariously competitive friendship when Baek Jong Won grew jokingly annoyed that Jin’s first attempt at making makgeolli was such a success. In response, the chef brought out his own makgeolli to compare them.

The episode quickly turned into a battle of confidence between the two friends as they “fought” to be the best at anything they did. As a result, the two decided to head to a local market to gather people to try their makgeolli in a blind taste test and decide whose was better.

While chatting on the way to the market, the topic of food came up as they discussed what ingredients to get for dinner. Jin declared that he and his parents are famous for their yukhoe sauce recipe, a raw meat dish popular in Korean cuisine. As Jin began to tell the Chef his secret ingredient, Baek Jong Won hilariously shut him down, saying he didn’t believe Jin’s yukhoe dish would go well.

With their competitive side already showing, they arrived at the store. Their journey to the store took them to Pungmul Market, the largest traditional Korean market on Ganghwa Island, where they discovered one of them had a slight advantage over their competition.

In the parking lot, Chef Baek Jong Won was already getting recognized, leading Jin to jokingly complain that he wouldn’t be recognized as much with his mask on. When Baek Jong Won suggested he remove the mask for a better chance of getting recognized, Jin quickly backtracked.

As they made their way into the store, Baek Jong Won asked his fans if they recognized Jin to help his younger friend out. When they shared they didn’t recognize the BTS member, who was still wearing his mask, Jin jokingly stated the unexpected reception was affecting his self-esteem.

Once inside the store, Jin hilariously gave up on winning the “popularity contest” as Baek Jong Won was immediately swarmed for pictures while the BTS member was left waiting for the superstar chef.

In the end, they concluded that the younger people they ran into for the makgeolli blind taste test tended to choose Jin’s as the best, while the older people chose Baek Jong Won’s makgeolli.

As they got back in the car, Jin shared that it was the first time in a long time that he was able to go out and not be recognized. The production team jokingly chimed in that the BTS member “completely lost” the competition.

Of course, BTS’s Jin is a household name worldwide, and both celebrities have worked tirelessly in their respective fields to earn fame. At the end of the day, they’re both winners for their success.

Check out the article below for Jin’s recent thoughts on fame and what truly makes a “celebrity.”