'Fix That Habit': Karina Shuts Down Lee Youngji in Wooju Tteokjip Episode 8

aespa's Karina turned up at the Wooju Tteokjip counter on the September 18th episode of tvN's Wooju Tteokjip and declared it her first-ever part-time job, and by the end of her shift, she had also delivered the episode's sharpest line.

The show, directed by Na Young-seok and Kim Ye-seul, follows a rotating cast running a rice cake shop. Episode 8 brought Karina in as a surprise one-day worker alongside regulars Lee Eunji, Mimi, Lee Youngji, and Ahn Yujin. The Seoul branch's opening day was slow: the shop struggled to draw customers, and Lee Youngji lamented the disappearance of the "500-reservation reputation" the store had built up elsewhere. Lee Eunji tried to keep spirits up, pointing out that a fully prepared day always seems to attract the fewest guests.

Then Karina walked in through the door.

"I heard you opened a tteok shop, so I came," she announced, and the cast lit up. Lee Youngji, who knows Karina personally, tried to play the senior-colleague card and bring some discipline to the moment, only for Karina to deadpan back, "I'm a customer," and smile her way through it.

From customer to crew

Once Karina changed into her work clothes, the real hazing began. Ahn Yujin counted down five seconds for her to tie her apron, declared herself the "discipline captain" of the shift, and asked Karina how she looked while doing it. Karina looked around at the chaos and said flatly: "The discipline is extremely intense here."

Menu training didn't go much smoother. When Lee Eunji and Ahn Yujin introduced each item with a little sung melody, Karina stared at them and asked if they were being serious. Lee Youngji confirmed: "Doesn't it seem fake, unnie? It's real." Karina refused to believe her and accused them of hazing. Lee Youngji then performed a dinosaur impression to demonstrate a previous menu item called "Night Tyrannosaurus," which broke everyone.

Once the actual work started, though, Karina more than held her own. She took orders, helped with serving, made pomegranate ades, and was still in the kitchen washing dishes by the end of the shift. Lee Eunji watched her prep a drink and said, "You seem like you've actually done part-time work before." Karina replied that people often tell her she has "nimble hands", the Korean compliment for someone who gets things done efficiently, and kept moving.

Ahn Yujin, watching Karina's back as she worked the kitchen, asked if she was okay. "Honestly, yes, I am a little lonely," Karina admitted. Then she added: "But I think part-time work suits me. I'm having fun."

The line that landed

The episode's funniest exchange grew out of something Lee Youngji said herself. She pointed at Karina and told the group: "That unnie doesn't make empty promises. I only make empty promises. That unnie doesn't. It's scary."

Karina nodded, then turned to Youngji and delivered the jab cleanly: "I don't make empty promises. So, when are you going to fix that habit of yours?"

The line landed partly because it had context. Lee Eunji had previously shared a story on air about calling Lee Youngji with a question, not getting an answer, and being completely unsurprised, because that's just how Youngji is. What actually caught Lee Eunji off guard was when Youngji called back, apologized sincerely, and asked if it had been urgent. Lee Eunji's immediate response: "Who is this? You're not Youngji." When Youngji insisted she was, Lee Eunji told her she didn't need to apologize, she knows her. Youngji's explanation stuck: "Unnie, I've been ghosted a lot. I've learned."

With all of that hanging in the air, Karina's cheerful "when are you going to fix that?" hit exactly right.