[Exclusive Interview] K-dessert variety, this time! A meet-up with the five muses of “Bite Me Sweet” ④ Bae Min-gi

Coming this April is 〈Bite me Sweet〉 (Bite Me Sweet), a K-dessert reality variety program that will be released worldwide across Asia and the Middle East, including Korea (Platform: Wavve) via (Platform: Viu). 〈Bite me Sweet〉 (Bite Me Sweet) is a competitive survival format in which celebrated pâtissiers from across Southeast Asia and Korean celebrities team up in pairs to create brand-new desserts using K-snacks. This time, model Bae Min-gi—who has steadily expanded her presence by taking part in major advertising campaigns like Samsung Galaxy Z FOLD 7, Burger King, and MINI CF—will appear and showcase her signature, twist-like charm. I sat down with her to learn more about the competition program 〈Bamis〉 and about model Bae Min-gi.

What made you want to join 〈Bamis〉, and how did the process unfold?

I just really love desserts. I also like cooking, so I bake at home sometimes. But when I heard there would be a K-dessert variety show, I wanted to try it at least once, so I talked to my company about it. I wasn’t especially interested in other TV programs, but I wanted to take part because this one is centered on something I genuinely enjoy.

What was your first shoot like?

First of all, since I’m a model, I mainly do commercials and brand campaigns. For ads that a lot of people would recognize, I did the Samsung Galaxy Z FOLD 7 commercial. Besides that, I mostly worked with clothing brands. I’m also actively working not only with domestic brands but overseas fashion brands like H&M. But my debut was actually in the beauty category—lip advertising for a women’s cosmetics brand. What I remember most is that when I debuted, I shaved my head and had no hair, and then I shot a lip beauty ad. I remember thinking, “Is it really okay for me to be doing this?” (laughs)

I think you also shot a lip ad for 〈Bamis〉 this time. When you put your lip stamp on the contract, you probably got a flashback—how did it feel?

A lot of memories from when I debuted came rushing back. When you look at my face, my lips look really prominent—that’s why I thought I could pull off the lips shot really perfectly. But honestly, it was the first time I’d ever captured my lips in a pretty way. Usually, when models do shoots, they either make distorted expressions or come across a bit strongly. Unlike that, it felt awkward trying to shoot in a way that would bring out the shape of my lips beautifully. Still, I tried to make the most of my strengths as a model, and it seems like the lip stamp came out nicely, so I’m satisfied. (laughs)

You’ve appeared in several major CFs—Samsung Galaxy Z FOLD 7, Burger King, and MINI CF, among others. I’m curious: what kinds of memories did each experience leave you with, and did anything end up helping you later in your modeling career?

Luckily, I shot those big ads pretty soon after I started modeling—I filmed them within less than a year. I originally majored in contemporary dance, and dance is something people can see right in front of them, so in a way it overlaps with acting too. Those things gave me a lot of inspiration when filming commercials. And because of dance, when I went to set, I didn’t get nervous—I think I started enjoying it from the beginning.

When you do big shoots, there are so many staff members, and I learned a lot about how to build rapport through communication with them. Those experiences became a stepping stone, and they even led me to variety show filming. And here, once again, breathing the same air as lots of friends made me feel like I was really growing again.

After your first meeting during an interview with the other cast members, you said they had a “different vibe from yours,” and Seong Seung-ha—another co-star—described you as “handsome in a way with a different feel.” I’m curious what you think about your own vibe—does it give you an edge as a model?

I think there’s a fairly raw kind of feeling to me. When I first saw the others, their images felt refined and polished somehow. Honestly, I don’t always think about what comes after. For example, with body piercings—other friends seemed to have a clean vibe, but I didn’t, so maybe that’s why I didn’t have those kinds of thoughts.

At first, I worried because everyone besides me had trained and worked as actors, and I wondered whether communication would go smoothly. But it turned out to be much more comfortable than I expected. It was almost ridiculous to worry, “Is it really okay for me to join this event?” because the cast was so witty and it was genuinely fun. Honestly, I thought we were filming with comedians, not actors. (laughs) It was really fun.

We’ve talked about your vibe, but please also share your strengths that viewers will be able to see in this show.

You’ll see my twist charm. My first impression makes me look cold and sharp, like I’m unfriendly, but on this broadcast, you’ll also see me smiling a lot. I think a lot of bright and kind sides will come through. I also hope I can show you a refreshing (?) image. It would be great if you could pay attention to those parts. (laughs)

Before you debuted as a model, you had experience working at a cafe. I’m curious whether that experience also helped during the program’s filming.

Actually, before I started dancing, I first dreamed of becoming a model. But when I was thinking about college entrance exams, the dream of modeling started to feel a bit farther away. Then, because I couldn’t do dance due to an injury, my desire to model came back even stronger. I tried to work toward getting into modeling again, but it wasn’t easy. First of all, I had to prioritize earning a living, so I took on all kinds of jobs. I worked at cafes, lounges, and even wine bars, and I learned how to cook at various restaurants. Among them, I worked at a cafe the longest—almost four years. While preparing for the pop-up in the program, a lot of memories from working at the cafe came back. That kind of experience definitely helped a lot.

Maybe that’s why, during the K-dessert plating mission, you ended up with the combination of strawberry + salted pollock roe (myeongran-jeot) + gimjaban (seaweed flakes). But you handled it really well, I think. How did you feel when you got that trio? And you said you made a dessert inspired by “the sea and the moon”—how did you come up with that idea?

Honestly, it doesn’t really make sense to eat all three together at once. (laughs) So I thought it would be better to treat them as one dessert, but turn it into two flavors. I chose the bagel, split it in half, then combined the parts that matched well with each other. For the parts that didn’t match, I made another dessert using the other half of the bagel. And when I plated it, the strawberry looked like it was sticking out sharply like the sun, and the other dessert looked like a round moon—so I called it “the sun and the moon.” The moment the idea came to me, it just fit perfectly.

I heard that when you eat, you enjoy looking for new combinations. Is there any combo you’d recommend?

I’m a fan of “jjamppong-style.” First, I think experience matters, so I combine things and try everything. I’ve even had muksa-balde—that Korean cold acorn jelly soup—mixed with soda, but I really recommend that combination. (laughs)

Since you’re actually the oldest sibling, you probably felt a special sense of responsibility. Did you feel that pressure?

In terms of age, I’m the oldest, but personality-wise, it’s not really like that. At first, there was a little pressure, but I think it went away because Se-on (Lee Se-on) is such a great “older-sibling energy” helper. And because the other friends made it easy too, I felt comfortable enough that I even forgot I was the older brother. But the friends who co-starred with me were so smart and full of common sense, and I think that when I couldn’t quite keep up with that, I leaned on the “oldest sibling” role. In those moments, I ended up doing the things I felt I should handle as the youngest, and I kind of pulled them off with my own hands. It felt like I was acting like the oldest while actually being the youngest, if that makes sense. (laughs)

What are your plans for the future?

I’d like to film in even bigger places. Ever since I started working as a model, I’ve wanted to go to the United States. Among those goals, I want to work on an ad for the jeans brand “Levi’s.” And I want to work with more brands too. In fact, my first goal came true—I wanted my face to appear on a giant electronic billboard, and it happened. I think I’m the type of person who keeps setting new goals and making them happen, and even after that, I still want more. I don’t really get tired. I want to collaborate with more places.

Lastly, is there anything you’d like to say to prospective viewers who will be watching 〈Bamis〉?

I’ll do it as a three-line acrostic. (laughs)

B—Come on, right here—right now,

M—so unbelievably sweet,

S—Sweet, sweet… please watch “Bamis”!