Hometown Flex: Episode 03 in Gwangju Recap
The second city on Hometown Flex is Gwangju, a city at the forefront of democracy and protest. It is a place full of culture and is known as the mecca of delicious cuisine in the South Jeolla Province. The Seoul bumpkins Cha Tae Hyun and Lee Seung Gi are on the KTX traveling to Gwangju Songjeong Station. Today's guests are Yunho, Hong Jin Young, and baseball legend Kim Byung Hyun who will be sharing personal memories of this vibrant city.
The 2nd Hometown: Gwangju
Tae Hyun and Seung Gi arrives in Gwangju but the local representatives are not at the station to greet them. They receive a call from Jin Young giving them a few hints about where to find them. The location is a famous landmark in Gwangju, loved by the locals and is associated with the number 11. After searching online to no avail, Seung Gi uses an acquaintance chance and gives Yunho a call for some additional clues. Yunho hints the location is related to exercise. Tae Hyun figures out how all the clues are related to baseball so they jump into a taxi and head for the baseball stadium.
Champions Field, Home of the Kia Tigers
The meeting spot is a landmark in Gwangju that has made locals laugh and cry for 39 years. It's Champions Field, home of the Kia Tigers (formerly Haitai Tigers)! The Tigers holds the record for most wins in the KBO League and the 11 championship emblems are proudly displayed at the stadium.
A view of Mount Mudeung can be seen in the background at the stadium and Yunho explains that the name of the mountain means unparalleled. An inexorable mountain that stands unrivaled. The Tigers gets to play baseball with the fighting spirit of Mount Mudeung behind them.
Seung Gi requests to learn some phrases using satoori (local dialect) as they are about to tour Gwangju today. Jin Young tells them that with Gwangju satoori, one needs to start speaking from within the stomach. Yunho adds that the intonation on the first syllables near the front of the phrase needs to be stressed. To express delicious food the local way, Yunho teaches the Seoul bumpkins a few expressions like "geobnage" (겁나게) meaning "darn good" or "heobeolnage" (허벌나게) meaning "crazy good."
The members work out the details on how to properly address one another before heading out to the first location. Tae Hyun is a huge fan of baseball and only found out while on the train that BK (Byung Hyun's nickname, Born to K) will be a guest today. BK tells him that it is okay to be comfortable with him as he is younger. Tae Hyun is really honored to meet him and is feeling touched that BK will refer to him as hyung.
The members walk around the stadium and Byung Hyun brings them to a spot where it is connected to the former home of the Tigers, Mudeung Baseball Stadium.
Kim Byung Hyun's Nostalgic Place: Mudeung Baseball Stadium
Mudeung Baseball Stadium is the home stadium of the Haitai Tigers from 1982-2013 before Champions Field was built. It is where 10.3 million people enjoyed 1,881 games over the course of 32 years. This baseball stadium feels like a shrine to the people of Gwangju. Whenever there was a game, the entire town will gather crowding to watch. The old stadium is currently being remodeled by the city and will be reborn as a new place for the citizens to enjoy once again.
This stadium holds Byung Hyun's memories from elementary school to high school. This is the place where he first started playing baseball and where he had his first game as a kid. He fondly describes the field as an incubator for young baseball players, a place for one to see the world for the first time. Many legendary players have passed by and played at this field. Byung Hyun is feeling thankful for the chance to visit again as the stadium does mean a lot to him. This place has given him a lot of things. This is where his Major League dreams began.
Kim Byung Hyun's Local Food: JEONTONG NAJU GOMTANG 전통나주곰탕
Byung Hyun's local soul food pick for breakfast is a popular restaurant where he and other athletes would go to for a boost of energy after training. The main menu here is the incredibly filling and nutritious dish, naju gomtang, beef bone soup. However, only one bowl of beef bone soup is served at the center of the table. Sadly, not everyone will get to eat. The guests are flustered by the sudden harsh rules of the show. Everyone is allowed a spoonful to get a taste of the soup before the game starts.
Tae Hyun and Seung Gi will compete against one another on the "Gwangju Preliminary Exam." Each of the guests will choose who they think will win and joins the team. Jin Young chooses Seung Gi, Byung Hyun follows the trend and also chooses Seung Gi, Yunho likes his energy and also goes with Seung Gi. They all tease the oldest hyung, Tae Hyun, who is left to be on a team by himself.
The first subject of the exam will test the Seoul bumpkins on how well they have learned local satoori. They will be given local phrases and have to correctly write down the hidden meaning behind it. Both give plausible answers to the first question according to the Gwangju locals. The restaurant owner is asked to come in to judge and declares Seung Gi's answer as the most accurate. They are both completely wrong on the next question. Tae Hyun gets the third question correct and ties the score at 1:1.
With the score tied, Seung Gi suggests a chance to switch teams. Jin Young is the only one who decides to switch and is now cheering on Team Tae Hyun. The exam continues and is neck and neck with the score tied again at 2:2 so the final question will determine the winner. Each region uses a different name for public bicycles. The question is to guess the name used in Gwangju. Jin Young inadvertently gives away a hint and Seung Gi manages to guess the answer. Team Seung Gi wins! The losing team will have to get their breakfast at the convenience store.
The winning team gets to enjoy a hearty breakfast of naju gomtang along with a delicious plate of suyuk consisting of boiled beef chin, beef cheeks, and beef tongue. Byung Hyun shyly orders a second bowl of rice to dunk into the remaining savory broth. Despite being on a diet, Yunho does not stop eating and clears the bowl slurping up every last drop. Seung Gi is fully satisfied with the meal and gives the owner a thumbs up. He claims that this is the best gomtang he has eaten in the past decade!
Now that the members feel rejuvenated, the next location is teased as a place that is globally known. It turns out to be Byung Hyun's former high school, Gwangju Jeil High School. A place that has been mentioned in the New York Times, a school that has produced the most number of star baseball players from Asia who have entered the MLB including Byung Hyun himself.
Kim Byung Hyun's Flex: Gwangju Jeil High School
Byung Hyun stops by the local store next to the school paying a visit to the owner, and to also pick up some drinks for the students. It starts to rain heavily as the members cross the drenched field to reach the indoor practice room where they will meet the baseball team. The students remove their hats to greet their sunbaenim politely with a full 90-degree bow.
After BK offers a few words of encouragement telling the team to keep up the good work, the members sit down to chat with five of the star players. These are some of the most talented high school players in the entire nation. The players introduce themselves: catcher and team captain, Cho Hyung Woo, pitcher Lee Eui Ri, pitcher Kang Seung Bo, infielder Jung Sun Woo, and outfielder Ryu Min Seung.
The players each share their wishes and future goals before warming up to showcase some of their skills. Lee Eui Ri is a pitcher that Byung Hyun has kept his eye on after training with him at a baseball camp in Japan. Among the graduating class this year, BK says Eui Ri is good enough to be nationally ranked in the top 3. Their mouths drops wide open as they watch Eui Ri pitch with incredible speed and accuracy, consistently throwing perfect strikes. Tae Hyun, Seung Gi, and Yunho each go up to the batter's box to give it a try. The pitch is so fast that all they can do is flinch as the ball disappears into the catcher's mitt before they can even react.
The members plays a game to determine who gets to enjoy lunch. It is a battle between Team Seoul versus Team Gwangju. Each team will be given 20 balls to try and knock over the 10 cans on the table. The team with the most hits wins! The five high school players each selects a team to help out. Three players chooses to join Team Seoul while the other two joins Team Gwangju evening out the teams.
The match starts and Team Seoul is up first. Seung Gi throws 3 balls and misses all 3. Tae Hyun is holding onto 3 balls but Seung Gi tells him to just try one throw first. He ends up trying a few throws and gets close but ultimately misses each time. Eui Ri and the two other players unfortunately did not fare much better and only managed to hit a few for a final score of 2.
Pitcher Seung Bo gets to start out for Team Gwangju. He misses the first few throws but easily hits the cans on his next two tries to tie Team Seoul at 2:2. They switch players to infielder Sun Woo who throws and easily gets 1 shot 1 kill. With 3 cans hit already, Team Gwangju wins! Game over! Yunho wants to give it a try anyways and makes a throw. He also gets a 1 shot 1 kill hitting the can, shocking everyone. They thank the players for joining them today and Byung Hyun surprises the entire baseball team treating them out to delicious burgers.
Hong Jin Young's Local Food: Raw Beef at NAMDO SAENGGOGI 남도생고기
This local food pick by Jin Young is a must-try in Gwangju. The raw meat is bouncy, firm, and fresh with a beautiful wine color. She describes how the meat will look slightly transparent once you put it up against the light. The meat is incredibly soft and will easily stick on the ceiling. Tae Hyun wants to find out if her words are true and holds up a plate for a test. Jin Young flicks the piece of meat onto the plate and it sticks even when turned upside down. That shows how fresh the meat is!
Jin Young continues to describe how the texture of the meat is very chewy but also incredibly juicy making a "chop chop" sound as you chew. She advises the members to start off with a piece of fatty brisket dipped in the oil sauce for the best taste. Another option is to dip it in the sesame oil for a nuttier taste. If the meat starts to feel too heavy, pair it with a piece of ripe kimchi to balance it out with some acidity.
Team Seoul is mesmerized by the look of the meat and salivating at the table. Jin Young offers one of them a taste but Seung Gi wants Tae Hyun to try it since he got to enjoy a full breakfast earlier. Yunho offers Seung Gi a taste if he succeeds in coming up with a witty acrostic poem. After a few tries, Seung Gi ultimately fails and does not earn a taste. Other than the raw meat, Team Seoul is allowed to eat the other side dishes at the table.
Yunho's Nostalgic Place: Ssangam Park
Now that everyone has filled their stomachs, Yunho takes them on a walk around Ssangam Park to help digest the food. The beautiful lake park is a meaningful place to him full of memories of where he and his friends started their dreams. This is where he took up dancing and where he made a resolution to begin his journey as a singer. This is the place that eventually led him to join S.M. Entertainment and to become a member of TVXQ developing who he is today.
Ssangam Park is the place that Yunho comes to whenever he needs to make a big decision for himself. Even until this day, he returns whenever he needs help in clearing his mind of worries. He would walk around and his favorite spot is at the center of the bridge where he can stop to look out at the lake. This is where he can stay for a while to help ponder through worries. This is also the same spot where he set his determination making the big decision as a teenager to leave his hometown for training in Seoul.
The members continue to walk around and reach the spot where Yunho once danced at with his friends when they were in middle school. Yunho reminisces in the past and begins to show off the dance moves. Their dance crew of five would bring along cassette tapes and dance mats to perform at the circle. This spot became their stage. It was the most noticeable location at the park where people would walk by from multiple directions. People stopped, and word eventually spread, their audience grew bigger and bigger. They won dance competitions and have performed at events. Yunho left the dance crew when he signed as a trainee. Sadly, they have not kept in touch since they all work in different fields now. But one former member is a well-known choreographer, Choi Young Joon.
The Return of Gwangju Dance Crew, B.O.K (Boys of Korea)
The production team plays music for Yunho at the newly built stage within the park so he can properly show off his dance moves from the past. As Yunho freestyles to the music, a group of people carrying dance mats can be seen walking toward the stage. He is in complete shock by the surprise guests. While turning his back to the camera, he excitedly tells everyone "they are the members of our dance team!" The friends set down the mats and performs to "Sea of Love" by Fly to the Sky dancing in sync just like the old days. Yunho remembers the choreo too and jumps in to join them, performing as a whole group once again!
Everyone sits down to introduce themselves as the members of B.O.K: Choi Young Joon, Kim Gye Won, Yang Jin Ho, and Baek Nam Hyun. Yunho was the one who named their dance crew B.O.K which originally stands for "Best of Charisma." But the word was spelled with a "c" and not "k" and so their group was renamed to "Boys of Korea."
Yunho is still in shock seeing his old friends again. It has been a really long time since they have last gathered like this. The dance crew members begin to reminisce the good old days sharing the details about their past popularity. They even had a fan club following, and how all the younger students would give them boxes of Pepero snacks as gifts. Receiving hundreds at a time, they would have to take a taxi to carry everything home. On a daily basis, they would receive 100-200 fan emails. Literally, all of the younger students in Gwangju knew who they were.
Production prepared a small gift for Yunho and his friends who have reunited in their hometown, a manhwa (comic book) depicting the story of B.O.K in 7th grade. A story of young kids who share a passion for dancing and coming together to perform on the stage. But eventually parting ways and going down separate paths in life. They flip over to the last page. The story shows the dance team members now in their 30s but still yearning to dance together as B.O.K once again. This is the production cue...
"Diamond" by Dana starts to play and B.O.K is on the stage performing together for the first time in 20 years. Their bodies automatically react to the music remembering all the moves of the past. Dancing just like they did in the old days, the key choreography is still perfectly in sync. Their dance skills have not deteriorated and they shine on the stage once again. B.O.K is back!!!
The story in Gwangju will continue on the next episode of Hometown Flex...
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