Park Ji-hoon, Sweeps TVING…‘Legend of a Cook’ Becomes a Huge Hit as Original Views Soar 170-Fold

Original views explode—up 170-fold… 'Legend of a Cook' creates overwhelming synergy

A 'TVING' original series, 'Legend of a Cook', adapted from web novels and webtoons, has kicked off a fierce box-office-style popularity surge, driving the explosive 'backward climb' of the original content.

On the 20th, according to 'Naver Webtoon', over seven days after the drama was released (11th to 17th), the original web novel’s views surged by a staggering 170 times compared to the motivation period (April 2nd to 8th) before the preview video was shared. During the same period, webtoon views also jumped 61 times, proving with hard numbers the powerful synergy effect created by the adaptation.

'Legend of a Cook' is a fantasy story set in the military, depicting how a conscript private, Kang Seong-jae, who swaps a knife for the role of a total, and an apron for a cartridge belt, gains cooking skills like a game and is reborn as a legendary cook. The series began as a web novel by writer 'J. Robin' in 2017, and later became a webtoon that added artwork by writer 'Jin-soo Lee' in 2019, building a devoted fanbase through serial publication.

Recently starring 'Ji-hoon Park', who rose into the ranks of ten-million-view actors with the film 'The King and the Man', this work has attracted attention even before it aired. Simultaneously broadcast on 'TVING' and tvN, it’s captivating the public. According to Nielsen Korea’s tally, the nationwide viewership rate, which began at 5.8% on the 11th, climbed straight up to 7.9% by the fourth episode aired on the 19th. In particular, 'TVING' performance has been remarkable. It ranked No. 1 for paid subscription contributions in its first week, which is also the top result among 'TVING' drama content released within the past three years based on performance in the first week of release.

A blend of B-grade comedy and game fantasy… Ji-hoon Park delivers perfect acting that even the original creator marveled at

At the center of this box-office buzz is the lively acting performance by actor 'Ji-hoon Park', who fully shed his existing sorrowful image and transformed perfectly into a private, along with the directing that maximizes the fun unique to B-grade comedy. Analysts point out that the story’s key strength lies in its original setup—merging highly realistic military surroundings with game elements like status windows and quests—that sparks viewers’ curiosity.

The combination of a solid original IP and meticulous live-action adaptation work won praise from both original fans and general viewers. The original creators, 'J. Robin' and 'Jin-soo Lee', said, “We felt endless joy watching status windows and flashy cooking scenes from the web novel and webtoon come to life in such a great format as a drama.”

The two also spared no praise for lead actor 'Ji-hoon Park', saying, “They drew the character’s growth narrative with astonishing immersion, infusing it with more vitality than the original. We’ve been watching in awe.”

They added, “As an IP writer, it’s incredibly gratifying and precious to see an IP that many readers breathed with expand in such a huge way, creating this kind of synergy. And if the public is encountering the work for the first time through the drama, we hope they’ll visit the web novel and webtoon platforms and enjoy the additional fun brought to life by the original.”

Lastly, writer 'J. Robin' emphasized, “It’s moving, as a creator, that content containing uniquely Korean sensibilities is gaining empathy from the public. I feel tremendous reward knowing this work can deliver laughter and comfort to people.”