[비즈한국] Is this Netflix’s way of offering laughter after having brought us to tears? I’ve cried a lot lately watching ‘Thank You for Your Hard Work’, but I’ve also laughed heartily thanks to Kian84’s Netflix debut, ‘Kian’s Bizarre B&B’. Personally, I wasn’t much of a fan of the Kian84 character. While I’ve laughed at his ‘living because I was born’ persona on ‘I Live Alone’, there were times I felt uncomfortable or even offended by his unpredictable nature or raw behavior. When I heard Kian84 would be the lead for ‘Kian’s Bizarre B&B’, I thought I’d skip it. There have been plenty of variety shows where celebrities run lodgings in unfamiliar places, so I expected the typical formula. But when that Kian84 becomes the host, he makes you lose your breath because he is just so unpredictable.
Although ‘Kian’s Bizarre B&B’ features Kian84, the epitome of raw personality, I thought it might have a base of “healing” since it’s produced by the team behind ‘Hyori’s Homestay’, including PD Jung Hyo-min and writer Yoon Shin-hye. Many guests expected that as well. However, the title role and the word “Bizarre” (daehwanjang) were not included for nothing. Because it flows through Kian84’s unique “Kian-style thinking,” it constantly blindsides you with moments of “Is this right?”, surreal realizations, doubts, and unpredictable stories that make you roar with laughter. Healing? Sure, there is some. But it’s a different shade from the kind of healing we usually imagine.
The location for the ‘Kian’s Bizarre B&B’ is Ulleungdo. But the “Kian-jang” (Kian’s Inn) run by Kian84 isn’t actually on the island. It’s on a barge (a flat-bottomed boat designed to transport cargo on rivers and canals) floating in the sea off the coast of Ulleungdo. It is literally an accommodation on the water. Even from afar, the exterior is bizarre enough to grab your attention instantly. It’s decorated in a yellow tone with pastel accents. The slide that doubles as a water slide, the colorful climbing walls, and the bedroom space that juts out like a terrace are all eye-catching. In short, it’s more of a theme park than a lodging.
Stepping inside is even more surprising. First of all, there is no entrance, so you have to climb up to a 3.8-meter-high doorway. There are no stairs inside either; to get to the dining room on the first floor, you have to slide down a pole. The open-air bed that juts out requires you to wear a seatbelt while sleeping, and you might be forced to wake up if it suddenly starts raining at dawn. There is an annex on the island to account for weather conditions like typhoons, but don’t expect a standard room there either. The kitchen and bedroom are attached without a wall, meaning there’s no chimney in the kitchen, so smoke fills the entire room when you cook.
This bizarre space was created entirely based on Kian84’s ideas. Not only are his ideas surprising and absurd, but Netflix’s capital to perfectly realize a sketch that Kian84 scribbled like a cartoon is also staggering. The fact that even Kian84 was amazed, saying, “I didn’t think they would actually build it,” is a bonus. I’ve seen a stage built on a barge in the Netflix reality music show ‘Take 1’, but a B&B on a barge? Sliding down a water slide straight into the ocean for a swim?
With such a unique structure, the lifestyle is bound to be unique as well. Since the restroom and shower are outside, you have to be extremely cautious whenever you step out. If you leave something behind, you’ll have to climb the wall all over again to get back in. Dinner is provided, but you have to follow the host’s rules. He said to eat curry like an Indian with bare hands (it was even 3-minute curry!), and from then on, eating with bare hands became the norm in the interior kitchen. I never thought I’d watch a broadcast of people eating bean-noodle soup with their bare hands.
While it’s hilarious to watch, I would certainly shudder if I were asked to visit as a guest. But that was Kian84’s intent. It’s a place I don’t want to go to, but I want to watch others go. It lacks the comfort and warm healing of ‘Hyori’s Homestay’ or ‘Youn’s Stay’, but as the slogan “Between Healing and Killing” suggests, there is an uncomfortable, Kian84-esque romance and a strange sense of relief in Kian-jang. Some places are perfectly curated and impose all sorts of rules, which can feel subtly stifling, but while Kian-jang has physical discomfort, it doesn't have that.
And once you get used to the discomfort, you start to notice other things. The starry night sky you can see while sleeping, the sunset over the distant sea seen from the monorail moving to the annex in the mountains... You also notice the guests growing closer because of the inconvenience of the lodging. Various guests, such as the climbers who help those not used to climbing, the young carpenter who built chairs on the spot because there was nowhere to sit, and the KAIST students explaining all kinds of insects to the young elementary school guests, mingle in the unique Kian-jang, filling it with the scent of humanity.
Kian84 is undoubtedly the center of ‘Kian’s Bizarre B&B’, but BTS’s Jin and actor Ji Ye-eun, famous for ‘SNL Korea’, join as staff, creating an even more intriguing dynamic. When Kian84 feels distressed by the inconvenience of the house he designed and tries to compromise with reality, the principled Jin reminds him of his wavering initial intentions, while the realist Ji Ye-eun, who brought all sorts of MZ items like board games and a soy milk machine, makes Kian84 consider other alternatives. They might not be the “super-efficient workers” seen in other B&B shows, but the chemistry of the siblings overcoming hardships together with the bumbling Kian84 is entertaining.
I’m starting to think I might be watching other Kian84 shows in the future. Seeing Kian84 quietly share intimate stories in a separate space after hearing a guest’s battle with cancer made me realize I didn’t know him well. The 9-part ‘Kian’s Bizarre B&B’ is being released in 3-episode batches over 3 weeks and ends on April 22nd. I’m already wondering if a Season 2 is possible, and if so, whether it could create a space that surpasses the current Kian-jang.
Who is the writer, Jung Soo-jin?
I have worked across various magazines, covering and writing about movies, travel, and pop culture. I don't want to fall behind on trends, but I’ve become an old-school person who watches the latest dramas only to guess the obvious clichés in the next scene. I am drifting through the vast OTT world, trying to regain my lost intuition, and my current wish is for a unified OTT subscription plan.