Hometown Flex: Episode 05 in Cheongju Recap
This week's Hometown Flex is Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province, a city with a long history spanning over a thousand years. Known as the "academic city," Cheongju is a place where you can enjoy a rich cultural heritage and unique traditions. It is also a city with nature, surrounded by beautiful sceneries. Cheongju natives, Lee Beom Soo and Han Hyo Joo, will look back on their past memories and guide us on a tour of the city they grew up in.
The 3rd Hometown: Cheongju
Cha Tae Hyun and Lee Seung Gi arrive at the Cheongju Intercity Bus Terminal and receive instructions to head to the snack bar to meet the local representatives. Hyo Joo arrives first and is feeling the pressure and responsibility of agreeing to be a guide as she does not know much about the city beyond her school and home life. Beom Soo arrives shortly after wearing a "Cheongju" t-shirt and said he had it specially made for today. The locals chat away about their childhood as the Seoul bumpkins arrive to greet them. Seung Gi immediately points out the t-shirt with Beom Soo's display of overwhelming pride for his hometown.
Happy to meet his longtime friend Hyo Joo, Seung Gi mentions that it has been a long time since they last worked together. He reveals how much they have in common as both are early 87 liners, went to Dongguk University, and both also debuted together on the sitcom Nonstop. Another coincidence is that he lived in Cheongju before too for 2 years when he was young which happens to be in the same neighborhood where Hyo Joo grew up. Their homes were right across the road from one another and they could have potentially crossed paths in the past.
Beom Soo and Hyo Joo then shares why this bus terminal is meaningful to them. In order to study theater and film during high school, Beom Soo would travel back and forth to Seoul by bus to attend a private academy there. Hyo Joo echoes a similar personal story, where she would travel to Seoul by bus on her own once per week to prepare for university admissions in acting. This is the place where they left their homes to follow their dreams. Back in the days, this was a place you came to only with some kind of determination.
Tae Hyun brings up the subject of local satoori (dialect) and thinks people in Chungcheong Province do not have a heavy accent. Hyo Joo agrees saying they do not but Beom Soo quickly disagrees. While everyone does think this way due to their central location and close proximity to Seoul, they in fact do have an accent! As he learned from a friend who imitated his way of speaking during college, the end of their sentences do sound different. He shows an example how the end tends to elongate like an echo. Hyo Joo bursts into laughter fully understanding.
Moving onto the topic of stereotypes, Beom Soo mention how Cheongju people have a tendency to not give direct answers. Whether it is to set an appointment to meet or when asked if they would like to eat something, one would never say "yes" or "no" initially. It feels burdensome, too much pressure to do so. Hyo Joo agrees saying you must ask at least three times, you cannot take it as a "no" and stop after the first try.
Seung Gi then reveals a series of text messages exchanged with Hyo Joo as an example of how she does indeed act this way when he was out with friends and asked her to join. She would not give a clear answer saying "I'll text you later." Beom Soo explains it as Cheongju people being considerate, to let him know to continue doing what he is doing and that the details can be figured out later. Seung Gi says this is incredibly frustrating for Seoul people to understand but now he has learned to just ask three times for an answer.
After wrapping up the opening segments, it is now time to head to the first destination for some delicious food. The place is a famous seolleongtang (ox bone soup) restaurant that Beom Soo used to go to with his parents when he was young. He was wondering if the place was still around and it is!
Lee Beom Soo's Local Food: GEUMGANG SEOLLEONGTANG 금강설렁탕
They arrive at the famous Yukgeori Traditional Market (operating in Cheongju since the 1950s), and the memories slowly start to return as Beom Soo reaches the entrance of the restaurant. Upon entering, he meets the son of the former owners and recalls seeing a well-built lady with big eyes when he came here as a kid in the 70s. It turns out that the current owner is Beom Soo's high school sunbae (senior). In celebration of their meeting today, Beom Soo shows off his school pride by singing their school song and the owner hilariously jumps in to join him.
The restaurant has been in operation at this location for the past 55 years with only two things on the menu: suyuk and seolleongtang. A perpetual stock is used meaning the ox bone broth has been boiling continuously and added to over the course of over 50 years to maintain the original taste.
To earn a taste of the seolleongtang, the Cheongju locals who have returned home in glory will have to battle it out against the Seoul bumpkins to find out where public opinion stands. A popularity game is set up with an impromptu fan sign event where 10 local citizens have been randomly selected from within the market. Each local citizen may pick one person to receive an autograph from. The team with the majority of requests wins!
The battle begins with each citizen entering one at a time to introduce themselves. Cheongju people turn out to be quite amusing, playing with the members by teasing and faking out who their final choice will be. After five citizens, Team Cheongju leads with a score of 3:2. The match is close...
Na Young Suk PD (Three Meals a Day, New Journey to the West, etc...) who is a Cheongju native returns a call to Seung Gi and the game pauses for a quick chat. As Seung Gi presses Na PD for a clear answer on whether or not he will be joining them today, Na PD proceeds to explain how Cheongju people make promises. When asked, they will always reply with something like "we'll see" or "we'll talk when it's time." Everyone bursts into laughter as this is exactly what they had discussed earlier during the opening segment. This is just how Cheongju people talk!
The game resumes and Team Seoul pulls ahead with a score of 5:4 for the potential win. The last person comes in with the intention of getting Seung Gi's autograph for his wife. But ends up charmed by Hyo Joo and selects her at the last minute instead. Since the game resulted in a beautiful tie, the PD tells them to all enjoy the delicious meal. After 40 years, Beom Soo gets to savor the taste from his childhood memories once again.
Lee Beom Soo's Local Attraction: Jungang Park
The members arrives at their next destination for a walk around Jungang Park, an urban park located in the center of downtown Cheongju. The site once held a government office from the Goryeo Dynasty until the Joseon Dynasty but is now a popular resting place for the citizens to enjoy.
A number of cultural heritages can be found inside the park including the Apgaksu, a 900-year-old gingko tree that stands 30 meters. Another one is the Chungcheongdo Byeongma Jeoldosa Headquarters Gate that was mistaken for being the Cheongnyeonggak until 1988. Beom Soo shares a fond personal memory of drawing this gate for an art contest back in 1978 when he was in 3rd grade and receiving a lot of praise.
After strolling through Jungang Park, they make a quick stop for some hotteok (a deep-fried sweet pancake) at Jjol Jjol Hotteok 쫄쫄호떡. This popular hotteok place that everyone in Cheongju knows about has been around for over 20 years. Hyo Joo has come here since she was young. The hotteok is like a balloon bread with honey inside. It is incredibly delicious, crunchy on the outside and not too sweet on the inside.
As the cast continues exploring, they reach a plaza where a large pillar stands in the middle of downtown. Erected in 962, the Yongdusaji Cheoldanggan (Iron Flagpole at Yongdusa Temple Site) is designated as a Korean National Treasure from the Goryeo Dynasty. It was used to raise flags to honor the Buddha during events at the temple and now serves as a popular meeting spot in downtown Cheongju.
Due to the heavy rain, production decides to move the filming indoors to continue the conversation. They sit down at a cafe overlooking the plaza. Beom Soo and Hyo Joo resume talking about the city's historical treasures. There are many relics found in Cheongju including the Jikji, a book of excerpts of popular Buddhist analects published in 1377 during the Goryeo Dynasty. The Jikji is the oldest extant book printed with movable metal type. This treasure was originally found at Heungdeoksa Temple but is now housed at the National Library in France.
While looking outside, Tae Hyun mentions how this plaza is the ideal location for people to meet. The site is over a thousand years old, it is fascinating to think about how many people must have met up here over all this time.
Hyo Joo would always meet her friends here at the Iron Flagpole. She reminisces the times of her youth coming to meet friends in downtown along Seongan-gil Road. Sticker photos was a popular trend back then and they always came to take pictures together.
As they were looking at Hyo Joo's old sticker photos, a surprise phone call is on hold for Beom Soo. It turns out to be from his best friend since middle school, Ki Tae. Beom Soo shares how he was torn about which career path to pursue as a high school senior. He ultimately decided to forgo art and turn in the direction of theater because of Ki Tae's advice. Feeling incredibly grateful, Beom Soo publicly thanks Ki Tae for directing him on this path that he still continues on with today.
Han Hyo Joo's Local Attraction: National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
Hyo Joo likes the energy that museums give and chose to visit despite not knowing much about art. The MMCA in Cheongju is only 1 of 3 branches in the entire nation, contributing to the development and conservation of Korean contemporary art. Upon arrival, the cast marvels at the outdoor neon LED art installation displayed on the exterior of the building: Venetian Rhapsody—The Power of Bluff by Cody Choi.
The museum guide welcomes the members and asks what their first impressions are of the place. Beom Soo says he is amazed by the magnificent scale of the building while Seung Gi says it looks brand new. This 5-story building is in fact a former tobacco factory built in the 1940s. It is now repurposed as a national museum to serve as both a open storage and a display of modern art collections. Like a treasure box, there is no end in the world of art.
After a tour of the open collections, the production team prepares an activity for the cast showing Beom Soo's own drawing on his wedding invitation. The main PD says a portrait reflects an artist's own point of view and asks them to explore each other through drawings. Everyone takes it seriously and gets started on their masterpieces.
Hyo Joo is the first one to present her drawing and gives a brief introduction. This person has always been known as a charismatic actor. After getting to know him more today, she wanted to reflect his young boy and mischievous side. It is a portrait of Beom Soo! The members are impressed and compliment her on how well she drew the eyes as well as the use of smudging technique to create the shading.
The next to present is Tae Hyun with a portrait of Seung Gi based on his recent performance of "Forbidden Love" on another program. While Seung Gi thinks the portrait looks like a monkey, Hyo Joo says she can get the feeling right away. One can really feel Seung Gi is singing his heart out!
Beom Soo is feeling immense pressure as the others are anticipating his drawing the most. He originally intended to incorporate the background but had to draw a portrait and tried to mix the two. As it did not work out, he started over. An incomplete portrait of Tae Hyun is revealed and Seung Gi says it looks like a ghost. As they were curious, they take a look at the previous drawing. Tae Hyun drops to the ground laughing after seeing another ghost.
Seung Gi presents the final portrait and says Hyo Joo has an image of "innocence and elegance" to the public. So instead, he wanted to portray her cool and chic side that he has gotten to know over the years. Hyo Joo is starting to feel nervous after hearing his description. As the portrait is revealed, even Seung Gi wonders why the eyes look so sulky and laughs. While nice, she says it does not look like her at all.
The PD says their works will be placed on the Hometown Flex official instagram account (@hometownflex_official) for voting. Please check back for the final results!
Lee Beom Soo and Han Hyo Joo's Nostalgia: Their Old Homes
Beom Soo returns to Seokgyo-dong for a visit in search of his old childhood home with Tae Hyun joining him. This place has always held a special place in his heart as it is where he was born and raised. He has always wondered if the house was still there since his parents had sold it a long time ago to move to an apartment. As he makes his way through the narrow alleyway, he finds the location but sadly the house has been replaced with a building. With a heavy heart, he recollects his memories of where the front gate once stood.
Feeling emotional, Beom Soo shares the story of the day he officially left his hometown for Seoul. He felt sad back then that his father stayed in bed and did not get up to send him off. But as he later learned from his mother, it was because his father was heartbroken to see him leave. He misses that time the most. It was when his parents were still young and at their healthiest.
The next day, Beom Soo makes another visit to the site of his old home before going back to Seoul. He shares his father had already passed away and his mother is now also living in Seoul but wanted to return one last time to tell his parents that he has come home. He also wishes to bring his children here for a visit one day.
Meanwhile, Hyo Joo and Seung Gi return to the Yullyang-dong neighborhood where their old homes were located. Hyo Joo is excited and curious to see how much things have changed. Arriving at her old apartment, she stares at the building and says it looks exactly the same. A former neighbor who remembers her family even passes by. The childhood memories come rushing back as they reach the playground. Things look different now but she points out where the swings were and how she fell off and broke her nose. She gets emotional and tells Seung Gi that she is very close to tears. A very strange feeling of nostalgia.
After walking pass her high school, Hyo Joo begins to share the story of how she became an actress. There was a modeling contest that she had applied to just for fun. But one day after school, she received a call with the 02 area code for Seoul asking if she could come in for an audition. This is what led to magazine covers and paved the way for her to join the industry as an actress.
Hyo Joo just wanted to follow her dreams back then and did not feel like she was truly leaving home. At the time, it felt like it was just temporary. As she thinks back now, she feels regretful about not properly thanking the important people in her life before leaving. She stops herself from speaking further as she gets choked up with tears.
They head across the road and reach the area where Seung Gi used to live at. Things begin to look familiar as he gets closer to the apartment building. Precious memories begin to return as he recalls how he struggled to ride his bike over the hill at the entrance. He now sees that it is just a slope but it felt so different to him as a kid. Seung Gi and Hyo Joo thank each other for this opportunity to return to their old homes. A chance to look back at a precious time and place when they were just innocent children having fun without any hardships or pain.
The story in Cheongju will continue on the next episode of Hometown Flex...
Comments
Post a Comment