Hometown Flex: Episode 02 in Busan Recap
Can the Seoul bumpkins, Cha Tae Hyun and Lee Seung Gi, level up to become just like real Busan locals? On this episode of Hometown Flex, a memorable tour of Busan continues with the local representatives Jang Hyuk, Lee Si Eon, and Simon D. The second story begins showcasing the true hidden charms of this magnificent port city.
Discover the Real Hometown Flex of Busan
Simon D is still feeling lingering emotions after a tearful and heartwarming reunion with meaningful people from his childhood. He apologizes for not being able to hold back his tears earlier. Tae Hyun understands as he would have reacted the same in such a touching situation. To help lighten up the heavy mood, Seung Gi teases Simon D's "hip hop style" of crying and how cool he still looks. He follows up with the most accurate imitation causing everyone to burst out into laughter.
The members are now heading to the neighborhood where Simon D grew up in, Geumjeong District, to dine at his favorite fried chicken restaurant.
Simon D's Local Food: Fried Chicken at DEO JO EUN 더조은치킨바배큐
This is a taste of old times that Simon D always craves whenever he is back in his hometown. His go-to place that would remain open even during the holidays. He excitedly calls out for the "sajangnim" (boss) upon arrival and she is incredibly happy to see him. She comes out running and greets him with a big warm hug just like family.
Simon D's favorite menu item here is the fried chicken gizzard with rice cake and chili peppers. It is amazing when dipped in the special homemade sauce. He would always order two servings of this accompanied with soju.
As they were chatting, a gentleman comes in calling out "SsamD" and taps him on the shoulder. Simon D looks up with befuddlement and exclaims "appa" (dad)! The members quickly jump on their feet to greet him. Since he lives right around the corner, he heard they were filming here and wanted to come by to say hello. Dad joins them at the table to chat and for a beer. Dad compliments how handsome Jang Hyuk is and says he is a "true fan." Simon D is feeling embarrassed, and tells his dad to stop trying to act hip by using slang words like that. Father and son show off their close relationship teasing one another.
Day 1 Ends with a Spectacular Night View of Haeundae
The members all loved the amazing food and thanks the "sajangnim" for the warm hometown hospitality. They get going now. While in the car, Jang Hyuk says it is nice to see Simon D's relationship with his dad being able to joke around like close friends. He shares a personal story, and tells the members how he rarely got to see his father as a child. His father had worked abroad for ten years in construction. He only saw him for about 15 days or so a year during the Christmas vacation and was like Santa Claus.
After the deep talks, they finally arrive at the accommodations for the night. Instead of a hotel, the production team prepared an empty apartment on the 75th floor of a high-rise building by Haeundae Beach. Everyone is impressed with the spectacular night view. Simon D jokes about how they do not have to worry about mosquitoes up here. All of the necessary amenities have been prepared just like a hotel. They can finally get some much needed rest after a long fulfilling day. Good night!
Morning Nonsense Arrives in Busan
Jang Hyuk is the first to rise at 8am, and starts the day with a shadow boxing workout. The others start to wake up one by one shortly after, and are disappointed to see the nice view shrouded in fog due to the overnight rain. They finish getting ready and set out on their new day to explore more of Busan. But first, coffee!
The production team directs the members over to a hotel for takeout coffee. Sensing something fishy, they predict that not everyone will be getting coffee today. Sure enough, the main PD goes up to their car and drops a random quiz question. Four cups of iced coffee are up for grabs, the last person will be left out.
Q1. What is the antonym of "offshore Busan?" Si Eon answers "onshore Busan" and the main PD says correct but another PD shouts from behind saying incorrect. Seung Gi guesses next with "Busan mom" and earns the first cup of coffee! It turns out to be a nonsense quiz, a play on words as "offshore" sounds similar to the word for "dad."
Simon D gets the next nonsense quiz correct with "Yeongdo" (sounds like 0°) as the answer to the coldest place in Busan. Tae Hyun easily gets the answer to the third quiz question. And Jang Hyuk manages to beat out Si Eon for the last cup of coffee. The surprise quiz time is over but Si Eon is still in a daze. He bitterly sulks and says he does not like coffee anyways.
Jang Hyuk's Local Attraction: Nampo-dong Theater Street
After a slight detour since Tae Hyun could not follow the GPS properly, the members finally arrive at Nampo-dong. This district is Busan's mecca of food, shopping, cinema, and the home of BIFF Square where various events and festivals are held. Along the Entertainer Street, you can encounter the bronze footprints of celebrities from Busan. Jang Hyuk directs the members in one direction and coincidentally stumbles upon his own set of footprints.
They head inside the Busan Theater, the city's first multiplex, to sit down and chat. Jang Hyuk begins to reminisce how there were even simultaneous screenings of films in the past. Tae Hyun jokes about how the second film, not so PG-13, was the real highlight that people go for. The older hyungs then discuss how Hong Kong action cinema was immensely popular in Korea back then. The films were very influential for their generation growing up.
It is now time to watch some movies! Production brings them cola and seeds hotteok (씨앗호떡) freshly made from the market. They enjoy the snacks while scenes from the 1980s Hong Kong classic, A Better Tomorrow, begins to play on the screen. Jang Hyuk is able to recall all of the minor details of the storyline, marveling at the mouthful of chicken and rice scene flawlessly acted out by Chow Yun Fat. He calls the scene "pure art" and says his very own scene with the mouthful of egg from The Slave Hunters was a homage trying to recreate that same emotion.
Jang Hyuk shares that even though he liked to imitate moves seen in Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee films as a child, he did not think about doing action films. It was his agency who wanted him to learn some action moves and even suggested training at Shaolin Temple in China. Eventually Kim Soo Ro helped to introduce him to a Jeet Kune Do center where he has now continuously trained at for 10 years.
Lee Si Eon's Local Attraction: Gukje Market
Si Eon recollects his memories and takes the members around Gukje Market to where he use to go shopping with his friends during his high school days. In Busan, they do not use the term "shopping for clothes" but instead says "get down some clothes." They start walking around the traditional market and pass by Arirang Street which is the restaurant area full of regional food like ssiat hotteok, bibim dangmyeon, chungmu gimbap and much more.
The members keep teasing Si Eon saying he is the king of Nampo-dong as the vendor "imo" (aunties) keep calling out Lee Si Eon. Meanwhile, Si Eon is busily searching for something and eventually goes into a store. He finds the owner of "Young Mi Fashion," the store where he shopped at often during his high school days. The owner says Si Eon would always give her a hard time back then by sitting on the floor asking for a discount. But she compliments him on his good character and loyalty as he has even returned to greet her after his acting debut. She is incredibly happy with their visit today, giving her the chance to meet such famous celebrities.
They continue to shop around the market as Tae Hyun and Jang Hyuk wants to buy a small waist bag or backpack to carry. Si Eon helps with the bargaining and buys the bags for his hyung-nims as a gift. Simon D also picks out a backpack he likes, and Si Eon starts bargaining with the owner as $40 was a bit pricey. He asks for a $10 discount and eventually settles with the owner by playing a game of "Jebisho," the local term for rock paper scissors. In the end, he wins and receives an $8 discount from the owner.
Lee Si Eon's Local Food: Hagfish & Eel at 제일산꼼장어장어구이 (Jagalchi Market)
It is finally time for lunch. The members walk over to Jagalchi Market, the largest fish market in South Korea full of fresh seafood all year round. Si Eon's pick is a famous local restaurant specializing in hagfish (kkomjangeo 꼼장어) and grilled eel (jangeo-gui 장어구이), loved for its charming texture. The delicious and invigorating soul food dishes are a must-try when in Busan!
Not everyone will get to eat. The Seoul bumpkins will compete against one another on the "Busan Comprehensive Exam" to find out how much they have learned about the city so far. The first person to get three answers correctly wins lunch. The Busan locals will each select a person who they think will win. Simon D and Si Eon chooses Team Seung Gi while Jang Hyuk chooses loyalty and goes with his close friend Tae Hyun. Only the winning team will get to enjoy the delicious meal. The losing team will be sent to an undisclosed location to experience the local vibe.
The score is tied at 1:1 after the first two questions. Jang Hyuk cheers on Team Tae Hyun as he really wants to eat after starving on this entire trip so far. The next question is a listening comprehension to test their understanding of Busan dialect. A famous line is recited from the film, Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time, and they have to pick out the correct dialect intonation from the options. The Busan locals chuckle with how easy it is. The bumpkins are clueless and thinks it all sounds the same. They each make a wild guess and Seung Gi is correct!
With Seung Gi now leading 2:1, the 4th question is a practical test where they have to get the most expensive fish from the market without asking the price. Seung Gi overhears Tae Hyun looking for an expensive sawedged perch as they search the market. With the help of the locals, Seung Gi manages to secure one from a vendor. Tae Hyun could not find one and settles with a sea bream. The receipts are checked and the price of the sawedged perch is $250 while the sea bream is only $90. Game over, Team Seung Gi wins!
Jang Hyuk finds himself on the losing team once again. Defeated to the ground with a win rate of 0% for meals. To make matters worse, his credit card is selected so he ends up paying for the entire meal too. Without any food, the losing team is sent off to the undisclosed location.
The winning team begins to enjoy the mouthwatering meal of invigorating food. The owner shows them how to eat the grilled hagfish properly by dipping a piece into sesame oil, adding ssamjang, and eating it together with a slice of onion and garlic. For the seasoned hagfish, make a flavorful wrap using the perilla leaves. Delicious!
Busan Flex: Refrigerated Warehouses
Busan is the backbone of Korea's fishing industry with the city earning about $504MM in 2019. Half of the nation's refrigerated warehouses are located here in Busan. This is the powerhouse location where locals work diligently to store and ship seafood to the entire nation on a daily basis.
Jang Hyuk and Tae Hyun arrives at a refrigerated warehouse to learn about the local seafood industry. A manager welcomes them to the site and will be showing them around today. To experience the extremely low temperatures, they enter storage rooms set at -20°C and at -50°C. Once inside, the two are amazed with the incredible sight and scale of the rooms. Expensive products like tuna, sand tiger sharks, and ocean sunfish are stored inside the -50°C storage room. It was so cold that Tae Hyun had to borrow the manager's jacket.
After lunch, the rest of the members arrive at the refrigerated warehouses bringing along sawedged perch sashimi to share. Jang Hyuk and Tae Hyun make them experience the extreme freeze of the -50°C room saying how there are sharks inside. Next, they crouch down on the warehouse ground taking big bites of the sweet sashimi to enjoy the chewy texture. Thankful for the food, it is both a heartwarming and sad sight at the same time.
Lee Si Eon's Nostalgia: Mandeok-dong Tour with Jang Hyuk
The final location is something on Si Eon's bucket list: to revisit his childhood neighborhood, Mandeok-dong, along with his hometown hero Jang Hyuk. However, the main PD suggests ending the filming here out of concern for the cast members and crew who are fatigued. Si Eon is very disappointed as this is what he had been looking forward to the most today. The PD makes an offer for Si Eon to still go on the tour. The others may voluntarily choose to go or not. Those who do want to join Si Eon can stand directly behind him. Those who do not can jump in the van and immediately leave for home. What are the choices?
Without any Busan loyalty, everyone leaves and Si Eon is left to go on the tour alone. Disheartened, he revisits his old neighborhood for the first time in 20 years on his own. He arrives at his old home and gets goosebumps fondly reminiscing the memories from his youth. He sits down for a break by the playground and points in the direction of Green Core, the apartment complex where Jang Hyuk used to live in. The hometown legend that he always heard about but never got to meet when he was younger.
Worried about Si Eon not getting enough food to eat earlier, the production team prepared a box of chicken on rice for him. While sadly eating the food by himself, a familiar figure is approaching from the direction of Green Core. It is Jang Hyuk! Surprised, Si Eon jumps up excitedly and gives his hyung-nim a big hug. This is the moment Si Eon has always dreamed of, his longtime wish finally comes true!
The PD had sneakily planned for Si Eon to come to Mandeok-dong by himself, requesting in advance for the other members to not join him. The chicken on rice was given to him to parody Chow Yun Fat's emotional scene from A Better Tomorrow. The two sit down and look back on their childhood memories of home for a very long time saying how much things have changed. A heartwarming moment between two Busan hometown brothers.
Song Feature:
Old Town by Say Sue Me (세이수미)
From the Busan-born artist’s 2nd album, "Old Town" is a song that reflects the conflicted feelings of youths who leave their diminishing hometown.
Comments
Post a Comment