Double Date with ATEEZ, Episode 6: Say My Name

(Written September 14, 2025)

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Boy, I really focused on cake a LOT in last week’s recap.  I may even have bought a slice after that and eaten it for breakfast.  One thing I definitely did was watch a video in which ATEEZ broke down the lyrics to “In Your Fantasy,” in which they innocently denied any sexual meaning behind lines like “I’m here for the cake.”  I went to Urban Dictionary, and after the realization that I am seriously ignorant of modern slang, I started craving cake even more.  I have no idea what is wrong with me.  Welcome to Episode 6, ATINY!

I swear, I had no idea.

When we left our Pirate Kings, two of the couples were on Hidden Dates.  We open this episode with Mingi in a confessional.  He gives us more lyrical analysis regarding “Crazy Form.” 

“We believe if you write something in the lyrics, then the lyrics come true,” he says, which explains lines about getting a trophy, visiting all the continents, and putting commas in their checks.  That makes the protagonist of the song an ATEEZ-style motivational speaker.  The song is a badass TED Talk. 

We cut to a great moment in a recent live show.  Hongjoong tells the crowd that “In Your Fantasy” has just officially entered the Billboard Hot 100, marking their second appearance on that chart in a row (the first being “Lemon Drop.”)  He even looks a little stunned, like he can’t believe it either.  They’re being given yet another trophy they demanded in their lyrics.  Their dreams are made manifest.

We get a look of life on a concert tour.  Yonho describes it as “concert venue, hotel, airplane, repeat.”  Mingi says hotels are one of the factors that tire them out, which surprises me at first because I love staying in hotels.  But then I thought about arriving at a hotel, crashing from exhaustion, then doing a show and having to pack up and go to another hotel, crashing from exhaustion, rinse and repeat.  Yeah, that would get old really fast.   They do get time to go out and explore the cities they visit, which gives us some great footage.

I feel a glimmer of pride when I see Yunho discovering American landmarks.  As depressed as I’ve been about the state of our country lately, it is a beautiful and breathtaking place to explore. 

I also love seeing concert footage.  In a flashback clip of driving around in the mountains, Yunho asks Mingi if he’s going to take his shirt off on the upcoming tour.  (Pause for fan screams.)  Mingi says he’s not sure.  “I just take it off when I feel good,” he hedges.  Then, because the editors of this show have a great sense of comic timing, we get a clip of the 2024 Yonsei University Festival, where Mingi doesn’t just take his shirt off.  He shreds it like a wild animal escaping a net.

Now we go back to our dates.  Specifically, the amusement park with Seonghwa and San.  They’re still riding the indoor roller coaster, and Seonghwa’s screams are so high-pitched, they almost shatter my computer screen.  This guy should try opera someday. 

Now it’s time for the final ride.  After some hair-raising twists and turns on the roller coaster, they’re going to chill out on the carousel.  The last time they were here was four or five years ago, and back then they took pictures of themselves in front of this romantic ride.  They decide to re-create the photos.

My God, these guys are photogenic.  Total face cards.  (That’s another bit of slang I picked up this week.  I am really old.)

Now their phones buzz with the news that it’s time for their Hidden Date.  They hop back into the convertible.  I really can’t think of anything else they could do that would make this date more perfect.  An omasake meal in a Michelin Star restaurant and having an amusement park all to themselves – I think they may have the best date award wrapped up already. 

They drive through the city at night with the top down while Seonghwa sings under his breath.  It’s dizzyingly romantic.  When a Hidden Ask pops up on Seonghwa’s phone, asking them what their dreamiest day was, they both enthusiastically agree it was today. 

We briefly join Wooyoung and Hongjoong, whose Hidden Date was dinner at a 5-star luxury resort.  They’re also driving back through the city.  Wooyoung is singing in the car, practicing one of their English-language songs.  After some reminiscing with them, we join Yeosang and Jongho at the seafood restaurant, where the show has sent them after they failed to catch a single fish on their date.  The fish in that lake are going to be talking about that omasake bait meal for years. 

Jongho throws back soju shots, and they both enjoy a meal that has their bandmates in the studio drooling with envy. Seonghwa tries to recreate the meal by taking a shot of water from his bottle cap.  

San is in actual pain from jealousy.  “Please eat the butter-grilled abalones now,” he begs.  I don’t think I’ve truly understood the meaning of “food porn” until now.  And why am I craving cake again?!

Jongho and Yeosang argue about who the best drinkers are in their group.  The fact that Jongho keeps taking shots and hasn’t keeled over yet has me thinking he’s in first place.  They debate whether Wooyoung or Mingi is in second place, which I’m not sure is a fair fight.  Mingi’s at least four inches taller than Wooyoung and looks to have a good 20 pounds over him, so his tolerance has to be higher.  And now I realize I am starting to take this show WAY too seriously.

Okay, it looks like I’m not the only one.  Our two boys get into a scientific discussion over who is better at drinking soju versus liquor, and then Jongho breaks down how getting drunk on soju is more cost-effective than getting drunk on whiskey (Mingi’s drink of choice).  I’m actually getting out my calculator before I remember I suck at math and don’t even drink.  What the hell are we doing here?

Jongho must realize how he sounds, because he makes a point of saying he doesn’t have a drinking habit.  His bandmates in the studio emphatically disagree.  His bandmates also agree with me that this is a strange conversation for a romantic date.

Jongho is still going.  He talks about going to a convenience store after a long video shoot and getting ramyeon and a bottle of Chamisul Soju, which of course took me down another Google rabbit hole.  “Chamisul” means “real dew,” and it’s made by filtering it through charcoals made from three year-old Korean bamboo.  Now I’m wondering how the makers of this drink landed on three years as being the right age for the bamboo, and I’m sure Jongho could tell me, but what a weird date this is turning out to be.    

We then get a confessional in which Yeosang talks about how much Jongho drinks.  And there’s even more.  “When it’s time for a toast, he doesn’t like it if you just sip,” Yeosang tells us.  “If he poured it, you must finish it in one go.”

Jongho is clearly thrilled with this conversation.

In the studio, Jongho’s bandmates accuse him of being a “kkondae.”  Back to Google I go.  A kkondae is a unique kind of bully, usually an older person in a position of power who forces their outdated attitudes and rules onto others.  Wait, isn’t Jongho the maknae?  Is he secretly running this group?  What the hell is going on here?

And for the record, I now have screenshots labeled “Jongho drinks” and “Jongho denial.”  This recapping project just took a hard left turn and is now careening off the overpass because Yeosang STILL isn’t done.  “It’s scary, drinking with Jongho,” he says.  “The next day, you kinda have to worry about it.  But Jongho is great at handling alcohol.  No matter what happens, he always bounces back the next day.”

I don’t know if he’s saying this because it’s true, or because Jongho is sitting right next to him in the confessional and Jongho is the secret evil genius running this group and Yeosang is terrified.  I start analyzing Yeosang’s facial movements to see if he’s blinking for help in morse code.  We can hear the production crew laughing behind the camera, and I don’t know if it’s because this is all really a joke or if they’re all Jongho’s henchmen and Yeosang just talked himself into serious danger.

Speaking of hard left turns, let’s veer over to the Grand Walkerhill Hotel lounge, where Hongjoong and Wooyoung are enjoying their dinner, unaware of the horrors that are unfolding for their bandmate on the other side of town. 

Wooyoung puts some food on Hongjoong’s plate and says he remembers that Hongjoong doesn’t eat his veggies.  That’s something I have in common with our captain.  Why can’t veggies taste good, like cake?  Everything should taste like cake.

Their cocktails arrive, and oh good, we’re drinking again.  Well, Wooyoung is.  Hongjoong sticks to soda.  Now it’s time for them to check the results of the poll they posted to the rest of the group to decide who is the best dressed after today’s shopping trip.  (A reminder to our viewing audience:  My pick is Hongjoong.)

Turns out only three members voted – Seonghwa, Yunho, and San.  I remember an earlier episode where Hongjoong complained about his bandmates not checking the group texts.  I’m guessing the others were too busy to vote because they were fleeing from the maknae, who was chasing them with a bottle of Chamisul.

Our boys try calling the members who didn’t vote.  I have to laugh at how irritated our captain looks.  

“Join a K-pop group, they said.  It will be FUN, they said…”

Hongjoong gets Mingi on the phone, and it would be so great if he were still paragliding when taking this call.  Instead, Mingi is clearly aware the cameras are rolling and he’s on speakerphone, so he drops his voice several octaves and tries to sound bored.  “Check KakaoTalk, Mingi,” his captain orders before hanging up.  Leading this group must be like herding drunk cats.

While Wooyoung tries calling the others, Mingi logs in and votes for Hongjoong.  Good call.

Now our boys start arguing over who wins that vote.  Was it for Hongjoong for looking good, or Wooyoung for picking out that outfit?  Ah, the chaos of this group.  I live for it.

And now Wooyoung is irritated because none of the members are picking up his calls.  To be fair, we’ve established they may be in serious danger right now.

“Hi, you’ve reached Yeosang.  I can’t come to the phone right now because I’m running for my life.”

Yeosang finally does log in and vote, ending any chance of a tie.  Hongjoong wins in a landslide.  San adds insult to Wooyoung’s injury, saying his look has no vibe and he needs a hat. 

Wooyoung claims victory because he’s the one who styled Hongjoong.  Whoever won, the result is that Hongjoong has to wear his new outfit on their next Music Bank appearance.  That tells me that Hongjoong DID win, because he looks great in that jacket.  Yes, he’ll look like a Amherst College grad student on Music Bank, but he’ll still rock the look.  Especially if he pairs it with glasses.

Now we jump ahead to the Music Bank appearance on June 20, 2025.  Just a few short weeks ago.  (How is summer over already?)  Our captain steps up to the building in the pouring rain and heavy winds.  He looks embarrassed, but I still think he makes it work.

He also poses in the stairwell, and this footage solves a mystery for me.  I’ve seen so many K-pop artists wedging themselves under the railing of this same stairwell in photos, and I didn’t know where it was.  Now I see that it’s a popular photo spot for K-pop artists when they perform on Music Bank.  They also record a lot of TikTok dances here.

Now we return to Jongho and Yeosang, and we’re STILL talking about drinking.  Yeosang has chosen not to drink today because he has a busy schedule tomorrow.  But Jongho wants to make a drinking bet.  They will each pick a different bandmate and call them at the same time.  The person who gets their call answered wins.  The loser has to take a drink.  Jongho then pours a shot of soju and sets it in the middle of the table.  This man is EVIL.

Yeosang wants to see what time it is so he can get an idea of which bandmate might pick up.  Jongho won’t even let him look at the time.  Jongho is REALLY evil.  Like, a deliciously mean kind of evil.  It’s a little bit thrilling. Why am I turned on by this?  AND WHY AM I CRAVING CAKE AGAIN?!

Yeosang picks Hongjoong.  Back in the studio, San is jealous again.  He’s mad that Yeosang didn’t choose him.  San’s an only child, isn’t he?  (Okay, I looked it up – he has a sister, but he’s the only son.  As a sister to an only son, I know how those boys can be.)

After some thought, Jongho chooses Wooyoung.  That’s pretty ballsy, considering Jongho didn’t pick up Wooyoung’s call when it was time to do the clothing vote.  

This man doesn’t answer calls.  He makes them.

Our boys count to three and then dial.  I honestly don’t know which one I’m rooting for.  My heart is actually pounding.

And the one who picks up is … 

… Hongjoong.  Yeosang wins!

“I missed you!” Yeosang tells his captain, who is understandably confused.  Jongho takes the phone and demands to know why Hongjoong answered, considering he usually has his phone on DND.  Again, are maknaes supposed to talk to their elders like this?  And wait, why is Hongjoong’s phone usually on DND?  Isn’t Hongjoong the one irritated by how unresponsive his bandmates are?  I am so confused.

Yeosang puts the captain on speaker, and they talk about their dates.  Jongho says his dates with Yeosang have been healing.  Hongjoong reflects on his day of nearly drowning and then struggling to dress Wooyoung, and he says, “I don’t know if my dates were healing or killing.”

After the call, Jongho remains true to form.  He wants to play another round.  Yeosang knows better than to push his luck.  Now Jongho is really disappointed, especially since Wooyoung isn’t even calling him back.  The dynamics between these bandmates are wild.  

Now Jongho is complaining that he had so many missed calls from Wooyoung earlier.  “I guess they wanted my vote on who dressed better,” he says.  Now I’m bewildered.  He KNEW that’s what they wanted, he KNEW it was for the show they’re filming, and he DELIBERATELY ignored the calls?  I’ve never seen a maknae get away with behavior like this.  The closest I can think of is I.M from Monsta X, and he just seems older than his bandmates.  Jongho is too babyfaced to be able to pull this off.  Back in the Introduction Episode, Mingi got scolded for crossing his legs, and now Jongho just blows off his captain’s phone calls and orders people to drink.  Just … wow.

Now Wooyoung calls Jongho back, saying he didn’t pick up because he was sleeping.  “I drank because of you,” Jongho tells his bandmate.  No, my guy.  You drank because it was there.  You drank because it’s Sunday.  You drank because there’s a fifty percent chance of rain.  You don’t NEED a reason.

Wooyoung hangs up on him, which is fantastic.  I actually applauded.

Now we briefly join San and Seonghwa, who are still driving to their Hidden Date.  They’re talking about Coachella again, and I am so jealous of everyone who got to see that performance live.  Just watching the clips makes me want to jump out of my seat and punch the air.  The choreography is insane.  Human bodies are not supposed to be able to move like that.

On to Yunho and Mingi.  They’re also driving toward their Hidden Date.  They’re both hungry, and I realize they haven’t eaten at all on their dates.  They’re both craving baeksuk, which is meat (usually chicken) with different dipping sauces.  They talk about baeksuk for several minutes.  It’s all they can think about.  I feel like I’m watching the Korean version of Forrest Gump.  Someone please feed these guys.

“There’s young-gye baeksuk, and dak baeksuk, and hanbang baeksuk … “

They arrive at the restaurant, and Thank God it’s a baeksuk place.  In keeping with the theme of their dates, it’s nestled beautifully in the forest, near a small waterfall.  I can smell the air.  I wish I were there right now.

This looks even more romantic than the carousel at the amusement park.  I could spend hours here.

They decide to order makgeolli, which is an off-white, sparkling rice wine.  I Googled it, and the taste is described as a less-sweet alcoholic yogurt drink.  We spend several minutes with them in this relaxing atmosphere, watching them savor the food and enjoy the scenery.  A cat joins them out of nowhere and curls up next to the table.  This looks like heaven.  Even the bandmates in the studio are peacefully calm while they watch.

Now back to San and Seonghwa, and they finally arrive at their Hidden Date location.  It’s now past midnight.  They’re wondering what could be open at this hour. 

They drive higher and higher into the mountains and finally arrive at Forest Park.  A glampsite has been set up for them, and it’s beautiful.  Of course, the entire site has been rented out just for them.  I’m calling it – San and Seonghwa will get the best date award.

Their picnic table includes premium, single malt Scotch Macallan Whisky. Back in the studio, both Jongho and Mingi look very jealous.   This is incredibly romantic.

They raise a toast to happiness and then toast marshmallows over the glampfire.  Well, San toasts marshmallows while Seonghwa tells him he’s doing it wrong.

We leave San and Seonghwa under the stars, sipping top-shelf whisky and eating marshmallows, talking about their perfect day.  Time to check back in with Yunho and Mingi, their biggest competition for the best date award.

They’re remembering the first time they drank alcohol.  Yep, that tracks with the rest of this episode.  Mingi also talks about how much they’ve changed and grown up since they debuted.  He says he went through a dark period of self-doubt for a while, thinking he was just a pretty face who didn’t deserve to be in a successful group.  Eventually, he learned to rediscover his lost self.  I like how he phrases that.  And I really like how open and honest these guys are in moments like these.

The episode ends here.  Next week, our boys will get a Hidden Ask question about a truth they’ve kept hidden from the others.  I’m guessing Jongho will confess his plan to overthrow the management at KQ Entertainment and declare war on BTS.  I wouldn’t put it past him.  See you then, ATINY! 

Episode 7:  Answer

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Double Date with ATEEZ, Episode 5: Wonderland

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(Written September 7, 2025)

A true sign of how invested I am in this show is the fact that I really hope Jongho and Yeosang catch a fish today.  Yes, we’ll be going back to the amusement park and possibly learning more about San’s obsessive deal with Yeosang, but I’m looking forward to justice for these two.  They’ve lost a metric ton of bait.  I just know those fish are laughing at them.  And I’ve got a weird feeling that Jongho will turn out to be my bias in this group.  Welcome to Episode 5, ATINY!

We open with Seonghwa telling us ATEEZ has been on six world tours, which sounds insane.  They debuted barely six years ago.  I can’t imagine the physical toll that takes on them.  Seonghwa tells us, “This is my first time saying this.  I don’t have any religion, but I pray before going onstage.  I pray that nobody gets hurt that day, and that for those who came to the show, it wasn’t for nothing.”  He’s a little embarrassed admitting this, but as an agnostic, I find him relatable.

Back at the food court, he and San get another Hidden Ask question on their phones while munching on their churros.  (In the studio, Mingi says it would be more romantic if they ate one churro together, Lady and the Tramp-style.)  This question is one I was just thinking about while watching the clips of their concert footage:  “What was the hardest time for you, when you felt like collapsing?”

Both agree it’s when they’re on tour.  Each show runs about three hours.  I looked up the dates for their most recent tour and was glad to see there’s been a minimum of three days between each concert.  

In a confessional, San says they’ve done 44 shows on this most recent tour.  They perform every show like it’s their last, keeping in mind that for some audience members, it’s their first.  Keep eating those churros, boys.  You need the carbs.

They get another text.  I’m expecting another Hidden Ask, but no.  Something’s up.  One more ride has been added to their amusement park date, and it’s the haunted house.  Neither one is thrilled about this.  I’m not a fan of those either, but it should make for some great screenshots.  Come on, boys.  Put on your big boy boxers and let’s do this.

San is not going without a fight.  “I don’t want to!” he wails.  “Last time, I hit a staff member in the stomach and had to apologize!”  San has some serious arm muscles.  I hope that staffer didn’t wind up in the hospital.  Then we find out the staffer was actually one of the ghost actors.  Please tell me there’s footage of this somewhere.

San really doesn’t want to do this.  He’s actually pouting.  It’s so funny how this muscle-bound jimseung-dol is the cutest little thing right now.  

Another text notification.  No haunted house – the staff was just kidding.  I’m guessing they don’t want us to see San beat up another staff member.  Instead, it’s off to the Spanish Pirate Ship.  The boys are so relieved, they need to take a break for a few minutes to recover from the stress. 

I totally get it.  As a kid, my sister made me go on the haunted house ride at the Myrtle Beach Pavilion with her.  This is what the outside of that ride looked like:

I spent that entire ride with my eyes tightly shut.  My sister says I tried to punch her when the ride was over.  If that’s true, it served her right.

Just when we think we’re safe from any potential violence, San finds out that Mingi is the one who told the production crew to have him do the haunted house.  We cut to Mingi waiting to go paragliding, and he’s telling the crew, “San’s a real scaredy-cat.  He’d be acting all cute.”  Then both Mingi and Yunho do an impression of San’s cute act, and I’m dying because it is so spot-on.

Mingi isn’t done.  “Jongho has a lot of expectations,” he tells the staff, explaining that Jungho likes extreme things like haunted houses.  “Don’t make him do extreme stuff.  Just seated activities.”

We then cut to Jungho’s pottery date, and Mingi is so MEAN.

Jongho, seen here making a bat to clobber Mingi with

 
Moving on.  We join Hongjoong and Wooyoung on their shopping date for vintage clothes.  Wooyoung is clearly worn out after all the water sports, and on top of that, we learned in the last episode that he doesn’t like vintage clothes OR Hongjoong’s driving.  He then has a sneezing fit in the shop.  These two have gone from potential Best Date winners to possibly needing to call an ambulance.

Hongjoong, on the other hand, is having a great time finding clothes for Wooyoung, dressing him like a mannequin.  As soon as Wooyoung puts something on, Hongjoong has him take it off and try something else.  Clothes fly through the air.  Finally, they settle on outfits and take pictures for the other members to vote on.   

For me, it’s Hongjoong, hands-down.  He looks great in jackets.

It’s already dark out when they leave the shop.  Because of the earlier trying-on frenzy, Wooyoung isn’t even sure what he has in his shopping bag but is pretty sure he doesn’t like any of it.  “Whatever, just wear what I give you,” Hongjoong responds.  I like this bossy look on our captain.

They post the photos to the group chat for voting.  As they prepare to drive away, they get another text notification.  Their day isn’t over yet.  They’re getting a Hidden Date.  Off they go, following the map coordinates.  We’re only halfway through the series, so I was wondering how they were going to keep these dates going.

On the way, they get the Hidden Ask question about when they felt like they were going to collapse.  Right away, Wooyoung says, “Summer Sonic.”  This was a festival in Japan they played in 2024.  I looked it up, and what a wildly varying group of performers.  Along with ATEEZ, they had American rock band Hoobastank, Scottish indie pop group Belle and Sebastian, rapper Lil Yachty, and the heavenly, soulful vocalist Olivia Dean.  (Olivia Dean has a new album coming out later this month, and I’m desperately hoping the song “Keep On” is on it.  That song has been featured on some television show soundtracks but hasn’t been released as a single yet, and I love it so much.)

Sorry.  Got off track there.  The Summer Sonic festival was held in August, one of the hottest, muggiest months of the year in Japan.  Hongjoong says he actually fainted from the heat, and Wooyoung got hives.  Add that kind of stress to the physical demands they’re already making of their bodies when they tour, and I don’t know how they survive it.

ATEEZ at Summer Sonic

 
We now cut to our Twin Towers, Mingi and Yunho, fresh from their landing after paragliding.  They get a new Hidden Ask.  “Was there a time when you felt like you were connected with your bandmates, even if you didn’t say it?”

Yunho says this happens onstage all the time, and I believe it.  Six years of performing together through exhaustion and extreme weather and hives and fainting will create a strong bond.  It must be like a marriage forged in fire, with eight spouses.

They get another question about their best days.  Yonho is still on a high from the paragliding.  For Mingi, it was after the performance at Coachella, when they got to meet other famous artists, like Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift.  Being able to meet artists he’d looked up to for years was a surreal experience.  As he’s talking, I remember that KPOPPED is currently airing on Apple TV, and ATEEZ is meeting even more legendary artists.  I’ve always thought it would be cool to meet Kylie Minogue.  ATEEZ got to perform with her.

Their phones buzz again with notifications of their Hidden Date, and they hop back into their yellow Porsche.  Mingi’s driving this time.  We get a great shot of one of the camera drones floating in front of the car as they pull out of the parking space.

On the way, they get a Hidden Ask question about favorite memories.  Yunho talks about winning their first M Countdown award in 2019. Back in the studio, Wooyoung tells us that after that win, the CEO of KQ Entertainment had special trophies made and sent them to their parents.  Everything I learn about KQ makes me like them more.  Especially after I see the footage of the boys being presented with a cake after the win.  Cake is the best.  I love cake.  I wish I were eating it right now.

Sorry, where was I?  Right, this episode.  We cut to Jongho and Yeosang, fishing lines still in the water, where I assume the fish are lying at the bottom of the river in food comas and asking for to-go boxes.  They get notifications of their Hidden Date.  They pack up the rest of Yeosang’s chocolate birthday cake with strawberries (GOD I LOVE CAKE) and drive off in their Porsche. 

As they drive through the night, all the group members back in the studio talk about when they first debuted, their first performances, their first videos.  We learn that they shot their first videos on location in the Sahara Desert because KQ didn’t have the budget to use CGI instead.  It was actually cheaper to send them and the crew on a 30-hour journey to the desert.   They have come a long way in a short time.  Now they can probably afford to have the Sahara packed up and brought to them.

ATEEZ filming in the Sahara

 
Back to the amusement park and the pirate ship ride.  As great as it is to have the entire park to themselves, I think they’re missing out by going on this ride without other people.  Part of the thrill of rides like this is everyone screaming at once. It’s a shared adrenaline rush. 

Still, this should be fun.  Strap on those glowing armbands and let’s go!

I swear, they’re screaming in harmony.  And San can really hold a note.  As the ride slows down, they start dancing, and the other members in the studio scold them for spoiling some of the choreo for their single “Shaboom.”

Back to Hongjoong and Wooyoung as they arrive at the Hidden Date destination.  It’s the Grand Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul, a 5-star luxury resort.  Wow.  Princess Mingi’s gonna be so jealous.

They settle into the 16^th floor lounge overlooking the city.  Watching the footage, Mingi says it’s the perfect spot for a marriage proposal.  For all his swagger, Mingi is going to be a very romantic husband someday.

Hongjoong points out the window to the Han River and says, “Just six hours ago, we were drowning over there.” 

The wait staff brings them platters of amazing-looking food, rivaling the menu from San and Seonghwa’s omakase date.  

It all looks so good.  Will they be getting cake afterward?  Cake would make it perfect.

They order two Old Fashioneds instead of cake, which I guess is almost as good.  They find out the lobster alone at this meal costs 400,000 won (about $288 USD).  Wow.  Thanks to ATEEZ’s success, KQ Entertainment has CGI money now.

Now back to Jongho and Yeosang en route to their Hidden Date.  Jongho says he really needs a drink.  Good thing, because they pull up at a playfully-decorated restaurant with a SERIOUS bar.  It’s called Yangpyeong old-style raw fish place, according to the translation.

I find it really funny that the show is sending them to a place where they can eat fish caught by people who actually succeeded in catching fish.  After several hours of fruitlessly baiting hooks, I don’t think I’d be in the mood for seafood.  And didn’t they just finish eating a ton of ramyeon and birthday cake?  Where are they putting it all?

The food does look amazing, though.  I’d make room.

The food looks so good, our boys in the studio are jumping out of their seats and yelling.  San demands to know where this restaurant is.  Please tell him before he punches someone.

Jongho does some Soju shots between bites of fish, and his bandmates in the studio are in jealous agony, demanding that he describe the taste of every bite.  They are writhing and moaning in their seats.  Is this what Koreans consider porn?

As they savor the food, Jongho and Yeosang talk about the last time they went out with Wooyoung and got plastered.  “That was a pork belly place?” Yeosang asks, trying to remember.

“You don’t remember?” Jongho asks incredulously. 

“I only remember the alcohol,” Yeosang admits.  Jongho says they drank 21-degree Soju that day.  I looked it up.  That kind of Soju is 21% alcohol by volume.  American beer has between four and eight percent.  

“You, me, and Wooyoung drank six bottles,” Jongho says.  “Wooyoung and I carried you out of there, laid you down in your hotel room, took off your clothes, covered you with a blanket, and left.” 

God bless KQ Entertainment for not muzzling their artists during interviews. 

Back to the amusement park, where San and Seonghwa are drunk on dopamine after the Pirate Ship ride.  Now they’re gearing up for the ultimate ride, the French Revolution, where they will put their heads in actual guillotines.  I think.  I have no idea what that ride is.

Turns out, it’s an indoor roller coaster that makes the Atlantis ride look like a snooze on the merry-go-round.

At first, I couldn’t tell if Seonghwa was screaming, but then all the neighborhood dogs started gathering around my window and howling.  That man has some serious pipes.

Of course, they get to ride a second time, and the episode ends here.  That was fun.  Next week, we’ll find out what our other two Hidden Dates are and hopefully hear more tales of drunken debauchery about our Pirate Kings.  And cake. Hopefully, we’ll get more cake.  See you then!

Episode 6:  Say My Name

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