[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] aespa’s Karina has emerged as the savior of “Space Rice Cake Shop.”

Episode 7 of tvN’s “Space Rice Cake Shop,” which aired on the 11th, was packed with content ranging from the first day of business at the Seoul store—filled with the joys and sorrows of Lee Eun-ji, Mimi, Lee Young-ji, and Ahn Yu-jin—to the arrival of new part-time employee Karina from aespa.
The staff members, though exhausted from being trapped in the grind of preparations, exchanged comical banter. While Lee Young-ji and Ahn Yu-jin used their charming regional accents to reenact labor-management conflicts—first in Goheung and now in Seoul—the sweet romantic skit between Lee Eun-ji (playing Jeong Hye) and Lee Young-ji (playing Cheol-yong) also brought laughter.
On the long-awaited opening day of the Seoul store, the overwhelming popularity was evident, with over 3,000 people on the online reservation waiting list even before the store opened. As business began in earnest at 1:00 PM, with reserved guests entering every 10 minutes, Lee Eun-ji made a mistake by failing to give a table number ticket to a customer.
Ahn Yu-jin assumed the table without a number was Table 5, but the diners at that table—who hadn’t received a number tag—didn’t know their own number, and the Table 5 tag was placed on a different table, causing confusion. However, she recalled a customer’s request to omit the mayonnaise and successfully completed the food service. She then calmly explained to Lee Eun-ji how to synchronize the POS system with the table numbers to resolve the situation.
The emotional journey of rookie chef Lee Young-ji also drew attention. After reading a customer review praising the shrimp burger made by Mimi, Lee Young-ji went through a range of emotions—denial, anger, distortion, and depression—but regained her smile only after hearing other customers say the beef burger was delicious.

During the break, Lee Eun-ji and Lee Young-ji entertained everyone with a skit portraying Jung-hye and Cheol-yong, a sweet yet feisty middle-aged couple. Most notably, when Lee Young-ji, who was singing a love song, said, “My love, Lee Jung-hye,” Lee Eun-ji exploded in anger, exclaiming, “I’m Seon-woo Jung-hye! Who’s Lee Jung-hye? Lee Jung-hye!”—which sparked a wave of laughter. Lee Young-ji then added to the humor with a ridiculous excuse, claiming she had changed her last name.
A simulation was also held to maintain discipline, featuring Ahn Yu-jin—who was assigned to oversee part-time worker training—along with stand-ins Lee Young-ji and Lee Eun-ji. However, Lee Young-ji and Lee Eun-ji ended up provoking Ahn Yu-jin even more and started picking on the youngest member.
In particular, when Lee Eun-ji provoked her by saying, “Haven’t you heard what Yoo-jin said? I’m going to be on the next season of ‘Poof Poof Earth Arcade,’” Ahn Yu-jin exploded in frustration, exclaiming, “That’s the one thing I won’t let go of… It’s my last shred of pride. Do you know how hard I’ve worked to hold onto this position as the youngest member?”—which drew laughter.
Meanwhile, Karina arrived as a part-time worker at ‘Uju Rice Cake Shop,’ which had just opened for dinner service. Since the ‘Ji-rak’ crew had been struggling with a labor shortage, they were overjoyed at the arrival of the new part-time worker they’d been eagerly awaiting, leaving viewers looking forward to the next episode featuring Karina.
“Woo-ju Rice Cake Shop”: From rice cakes to cooking! Thanks to Torongi’s scheme, the Jirak members have become part-time workers at Woo-ju Rice Cake Shop. A full-fledged, forced-employment restaurant labor adventure. It airs on the 18th at 8:35 p.m.