Ahn Hyo-seop prepares for cooking competition in JTBC drama 'Final Table'

In the third episode of JTBC drama 'Final Table' aired October 31, Kang Han began assembling Team Familia to prepare for 'The Table: K Chef 2026' after the episode recorded a 2.2% viewership rating. The head chef aims to defeat Pyeongyeon Group, which is tied to his father's death.

In the third episode of the JTBC weekend drama 'Final Table' aired on October 31, Kang Han (Ahn Hyo-seop) was shown preparing to enter a cooking survival competition as the head chef of restaurant Familia to stand against Pyeongyeon Group, which is tied to his father's death. The episode recorded a viewership rating of 2.2%, a 0.2%P decrease from the 2.4% recorded in the previous second episode. The drama airs every Saturday at 10:40 PM and Sunday at 10:30 PM on JTBC.

Kang Han forms Team Familia based on strict perfectionism and standards

Ahead of 'The Table: K Chef 2026', Kang Han began assembling his team. After proposing a vegetable stew duel to Choi Du-yeong (Kim Jae-hwa) and Park Geon-woo (Lee Bong-jun), he evaluated not only taste but also spatial utilization and hygiene standards. He ultimately chose Du-yeong as sous-chef over Geon-woo, who possessed superior cooking skills, revealing his criteria for viewing the team as a whole. Demonstrating the persona of a genius chef who dominates the kitchen with short speech and a cold gaze, Kang Han showed that he does not judge team members solely on cooking ability. He assigned the remaining spot to Choi Song-i (Hong Hwa-yeon). He began training Song-i, who has no cooking experience, by teaching basics such as how to sprinkle salt, heat control, and steak cooking. While personally correcting her clumsy knife skills, he even cut his finger. While maintaining strictness by not allowing small mistakes in heat control, salt sprinkling, and steak cooking, he showed delicacy by placing his hand over hers to correct her posture during knife training.

Encouraging team members with obsession for victory and Spartan-style special training

Kang Han made his goal clear to the team members, asking, "Aren't we going to win for Familia? If we aren't going to win, why are we even entering?" He displayed charisma by stimulating the team's competitive spirit, repeatedly asking them if they intended to win while leading training through repeated steak cooking exercises. His thorough perfectionism and intense obsession with winning, characteristic of a world-class genius chef, were evident during the harsh training that allowed for no compromise. In the scene training Hong Hwa-yeon, who has no cooking experience, Kang Han led the team by combining strict basic education with delicate posture correction, expressing his tenacity for results and competitive spirit. While he is a flawless perfectionist in the kitchen, the contrasting image of Ahn Hyo-seop's character, who wavers in the face of past memories, fleshed out the character's narrative. By capturing both the charisma of a chef with sharp judgment and leadership and the scars of losing his father, he is leading the center of the cooking survival competition that is set to begin in earnest.

Past rivalry with Cha Woo-jin and ill fate with Pyeongyeon Group Chairwoman Moon Hae-seon

The past relationship with Cha Woo-jin was also revealed. In a previous overseas cooking competition, Kang Han's team took first place while Cha Woo-jin took second. As the two face off once again after Kang Han won and Cha Woo-jin remained the runner-up in that past overseas competition, tension was added to their rematch. Furthermore, upon encountering Moon Hae-seon (Jang Young-nam), the chairwoman of Pyeongyeon Group, at the competition venue, Kang Han recalled the fire in which he lost his father as a child. Recalling the fire accident, Kang Han's expression and gaze wavered, revealing his hidden wounds. Rather than exploding with emotion, Kang Han expressed the memory of the past through an expression of suppressed confusion and anger. As the rivalry with Cha Woo-jin also intensifies, tension builds as the two, who faced each other in a past overseas competition, stand on the same competition stage once again.

A determination to turn the wound of losing his father into competitive spirit rather than sadness

Kang Han revealed his reason for participating in this survival competition, vowing, "The person who made my dad die, I will definitely beat them." Swept by the memory of the fire where he lost his father as a child, Kang Han soon composed himself, revealing a unique determination for this competition. As the reason for his obsession with entering the competition is gradually revealed, the emotional acting gains strength. He depicted the character's emotions by suppressing anger toward Moon Hae-seon, the chairwoman of Pyeongyeon Group who caused his father's death, and turning that sadness into competitive spirit. Carrying the painful memories of his childhood and the scars of the fire accident, Kang Han's journey continues as he faces an unavoidable match against the former overseas competition runner-up Cha Woo-jin and leads Team Familia as head chef toward winning 'The Table: K Chef 2026'.

The JTBC weekend drama 'Final Table' airs every Saturday at 10:40 PM and Sunday at 10:30 PM.

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