puppets in prague

(a hot place for designs) (korea's landmark, ddp) (dongdaemun design plaza, seoul) (57th class at the foreigner school) foreigners are settling in korea. this is my neighbor, charles. hello, tony hong, sayuri, and chris! - welcome. / - hello. sayuri and chris,

aren't there times in korea when your friends really help you out? so many times. one friend made seaweed soup for my birthday and brought it to the set where i was shooting. a guy or a girl? - a girl, of course. / - i'm envious. i'm a bit envious. as for me,

i have my other half. my wife. i devote everything to her. i think you're saying that for her to hear. - i'm happy. / - he's so serious. please don't misunderstand. he's stuttering now. he's flustered. we'll be able to see true friendship that transcends national borders today.

let's bring our guests in. come on in. - welcome! / - welcome! hello. two handsome men with a lot of personality. - welcome. / - welcome. my name is honza. i'm from the czech republic. i lived in the famous prague you've all heard of. your name is really honza?

- yes, he's honza. / - my real name is honza. for real? it's a very common name in the czech republic. i'm honza's friend of 10 years, mun suho. (they've had a long friendship) his friend of 10 years. with your 10-year age gap, how are you best friends? we first met in the czech republic. so age didn't matter. we met because of work.

- what kind of work? / - what do you do? we both work in theatre. i'm a director, and honza is a composer. that's so cool. different jobs. there's a culture, language, and age difference. i imagine it was a bit hard to become friends. i guess it was fate.

we've lived together since i came 1.5 years ago. even friends fight if they meet every day. don't you fight, since you live together? we fight a ton. i bet their story will be interesting. let's take a look at their lives. (my neighbor, charles) (the perfect duo) the first thing that stands out here is this puppet.

this is a theater where the two men work. i play this music when i'm cleaning the theater. remember when we first heard this song? i was shocked that you knew this song. it was in prague, right? i remember. (honza's place) they put on shows on the weekend, but the two men spend a lot of time working here. the two men are responsible for

painting the walls and all the props. but i hear there's one problem here. this one is a problem. i want to go to the toilet, this one's like... like, this move i must do... my size here is really good. it must be quite uncomfortable for him. but there's a reason why he can't give up this space.

it's because of the puppet shows. (honza, 30) he had an idea that this place is a small place, and it can match with a puppet. because a puppet is small, so it's like some secret place here. these are traditional czech puppets. suho makes all these puppets, as he learned how during his long time abroad in the czech republic. (a honza puppet)

what's this? you sleep like this. like this. (mun suho, 40) when he first got here, he slept for 24 hours, blaming it on jet lag. i was shocked. i thought he had died. honza, get up. get up. hold on.

beautiful music enhances the puppet shows. honza makes the music. honza was a musician in the czech republic. he first came to korea 4 years ago for suho's performance project. (honza decides to settle in korea 2 years later) he didn't forget about korea, and chose to move here 2 years later. (honza) i had a nice memory of yeosu 4 years ago,

so i wanted to experience that nice time again. and suho had a good idea. i thought i should come to korea with him. (they have a show today) are you okay? they get busy and anxious on the day of a show. it's a small performance, yet there's much to do. i must prepare for show. this one is something for show.

- enjoy the show. / - thanks. (packed house) he always makes his final check in the mirror. always. always a little nervous. (the show finally starts) just wait a moment. i have to close the door. honza starts acting as the show begins. he speaks in czech

and uses body language. (their fun performance starts) wow, they're so perfectly in sync. (ã‰dith piaf reborn from an apple) it's like the puppets are alive. (i'd better climb up fast) (hi, i'm john lennon) with the actions... you can understand through the body language.

- we enjoyed the show. / - thank you. learn soon. i'm saying you should learn korean soon. thank you. goodbye. (an odd couple? honza from the czech republic) the two men go home together from work. there's something honza must do as soon as he gets home.

he must wash his feet as soon as he gets in. (sniff) are they clean? yeah. show me your soles. beautiful, right? a real guy's smell. your feet should smell after a day of work. is honza working again at home?

i have to do this now. just easy. not so hard. (focusing) honza can work at any time once he gets into his work. but his life has really changed here compared to his life in the czech republic. he says he came to korea because he wanted to improve himself.

i think i lived a pretty wild life. (honza) in the czech republic, i lived how i wanted. but in korea, i started to think a lot more about what i should do with my life. (noon the next day) he hasn't slept a wink in 2 days. he's making up for it now. suho gets tired of waiting and wakes up honza. (i want to sleep more)

suho isn't the only one waiting for honza. they have a pet dog, dasha. (i've been waiting forever) (both from czech republic) both together... but she come to korea 6 months before me. dasha has been in korea longer than he has. (he's just walking his dog?) honza, aren't you going to work?

sit. stand. shake. he certainly is laid-back. (angry) honza's constant oversleeping annoys suho every time. i told you not to stay up late working. so why did you do it?

you didn't finish your work, did you? i did. you had that much to do? don't lie to me. for real. suho is acting like his teacher. (acting cute) sorry, master. (i apologize)

it's already way past lunchtime. (acting nice) they go to fill their empty stomachs. as usual, they have korean food for lunch. i know what they're going to order. (they order the same thing every day) stew with instant noodles and spicy pork. the spicy pork is good... (politely setting the table for his elder)

honza, you know korean dining etiquette. i taught him. "you set out the utensils for your elders." (shake, shake) i taught him to shake the rice, too. easily you can put it outside like this. it's clean. one rice is a really big problem. in korea, you must eat all the rice.

so i must... okay, i got it. it's like i'm watching my son. after they eat, suho heads to the cash register naturally. suho pays most of their living expenses. (mun suho, 40) honza was broke at first, so of course i covered his living expenses. and since honza has to save up money... he needs money if he wants to live alone.

so i'm still paying for him. the two are preparing another project separate from the puppet show. they've been working nearly all day. black and white. - black and white. / - black and white. - make it color. / - make it color. i must make some file pdf and go to store and print. honza stops working for a little while

to run an errand for suho. - we're not open today. / - you're not? we're not normally open on this day. i'm sorry. what will he do now? it's closed. (what will i do?) i don't know. maybe this way... 1 hour later...

it was so far away. he made the copies after all. you went around everywhere for these 2 pages? why didn't you call me? i wouldn't have asked if i knew it'd take this long. i would've done it myself. (flustered) it's a waste of time. you'll have to work until late at night again

and oversleep again. i'm sorry. honza must be sad. (mun suho, 40) i wasn't angry at honza. it's more like i was angry about the situation. i feel like i did it. i feel like i was the one who wasn't flexible. i feel like you want to punch my shoulder.

no, no. so this is how they make up. that evening... suho felt bad about getting angry. he suggested an outing at the market. this looks good. want some? honza, where are you looking? (i'll try some squid, too!)

he copies suho and eats whatever he does. (suho pays again) excuse me. he's like a child with his mom at the market. (honza is very loyal to suho) (honza) he's my best friend, and i'm the most comfortable around him. but when we talk about work, he's like a teacher, because i've learned a lot from him. (why is he out alone in the morning?)

oh? what is sleepyhead honza doing up so early? (a field near his house) i want to play soccer. really? you need the right clothes and soccer cleats. not these? those are just sneakers. let's kick the ball around a bit. soccer is honza's favorite sport.

soccer cleats... - what's your shoe size? / - size? - 300mm. / - 300mm? he's a size 300? yeah. do we have that size? nope. (the practice match starts) he might not have cleats, but he's still going to play.

(is the ball avoiding me, or am i avoiding it?) honza, what are you doing? (he's out of shape, too) his problem is not a lack of skill. i'm dead. going home already? i'm going home. i'm so tired now. - already? / - yes.

wear cleats next time. you can't play properly in those. okay. (huffing) maybe i have soccer cleats for this. i didn't run a long time. so now it's a very tired feel. (blaming his lack of cleats...) (he must find cleats in size 300mm) honza can't forget about the soccer cleats.

he ends up asking a korean friend for help. - hey. / - hello. itaewon has my size? 300? 300. $200. you're not a pro. you can't just play in sneakers? why even play soccer? how about badminton?

it looks like suho doesn't want to buy cleats. i don't have $200 just lying around. now is not the time for him to buy those. he should be saving every penny. (the next day) honza can't be stopped. (he decides to buy the cleats) he heads to itaewon the very next day.

believe me. don't worry. alright. but where is the big-size store that sells cleats? (the phone keeps ringing) closed? "closed every monday." he should've checked what day they were closed. he checks another big and tall shop just in case.

sir, do you have shoes in size 300mm? yes, we do. what kind of shoes? (regular shoes, and not cleats?) how much? $75. $75? they look great. but those aren't soccer cleats.

thank you, sir. (i found size 300mm shoes!) honza must really like his new shoes. (now they go clothes shopping?) 30% sale. - 30%? / - discount. oh, good. honza, are you going to splurge today? (i like this one)

good. good. it fits. (excited) (let's just buy them) please give me a discount. a discount? is that the only korean you learned? asking for a discount? - thank you. / - bye. come again.

(meanwhile...) meanwhile, suho seems to be in a serious mood. why didn't you do this yet? i thought you had already finished. he forgot to finish his work and went shopping instead. i thought i was supposed to do this in my free time. you had time this morning. (seeing the new shoes)

geez, unbelievable... you said you'd buy soccer cleats. the place was closed, so i just bought these. how much were they? $70. why did you even buy those? you already have a lot of shoes! (wary, wary) honza's friend gyeongtak is on edge.

and what were you doing with him all this time? (gloomy) it looks like honza is upset, too. (suho gets things off his chest) we've seen so many bad sides of each other after being around each other 24 hours a day. i'm sure i've hurt his feelings quite a lot these days. honza...

i don't know what to do about him. (when will they make up?) the next day, the two still aren't on good terms. but they need to get to work. i'm not finished yet. honza's music soothes suho's uneasy heart. (and this boy was named yeonin)

how nice. it's perfect. (they always make up in the end) this must be the power of music. (today is lunar new year's day) a few days later, it's korea's biggest holiday, lunar new year's day. (the two men visit suho's parents) what do i say?

is this a holiday gift? thank you. you have a happy new year. have a happy new year, sir. be healthy, and i wish you good fortune. honza goes to the kitchen. but those are pork cutlets. they make pork cutlets in the czech republic? yes, this is czech style. i see.

(honza) if we have some event for the new year, many people made it. (traditional czech pork cutlet, rizek) wow, he's a pretty good cook. (looks tasty) wow. how do i look? want to try it on? (taking off his clothes) goodness, honza!

(i feel flustered) it looks like he really wanted to try it on. - it suits you. / - yeah, it does. - it goes well with your pants. / - yeah. your pants are the color of hanbok pants. you're right. (thank you for letting me borrow a hanbok) (preparations are almost done) those are going on the memorial ceremony table?

where do i put this? red goes east, white goes west. (red goes east, white goes west) (pork cutlets in the center) dad, where did you put the czech alcohol? here. i brought this for the memorial ceremony. you thought it was a gift for you, dad? i actually did.

our ancestors will get drunk if we use this glass. it looks like he wanted to keep it for himself. honza insisted on grieving for his grandfather alongside suho's ancestors. he looks pretty serious. where are honza's? the fork and knife. (fork and knife) what's this for?

(tap, tap, tap) i see. honza's grandfather probably never used chopsticks. this is honza's first memorial ceremony, yet he looks like he belongs there. did you feel your grandfather's presence? yeah. i think something passed through me. liar! (they go to get their new year's fortunes told)

the new year always makes people curious about the upcoming year's luck. - can you talk to foreigners, too? / - sure. they must come here often. yes, i just need someone to interpret. what do you want to ask her? are we good colleagues? i took a look, and you two were a couple in your past lives.

no way. and to put it simply, he may be younger, but he was the husband, and you were the wife. that's why he takes the lead. he's with me now, but i want him to move out. when would be a good time? honza needs the energy of soil. and to you, soil is money.

but suho has all the soil. remember, everyone? this is why... he should be at least 32 years old. since he's 30 now, in 2 years? suho, why are you suddenly thinking of parting ways with honza? (mun suho, 40) we live together, so he has to follow my rules.

and i don't like to nag. i don't want to ruin our friendship. honza can call me "master" or whatever he wants, but i hope he keeps thinking of me as a friend, too. that night... did honza know about suho's concerns? honza takes something out. what's this? "keep me?"

(keep me) these are honza's notes for his korean studies. i wrote for an hour every evening. i'm working in korea now. i think i should work harder for my future here. like learning the language... i didn't know you were trying so hard. (mun suho) i studied that way in the czech republic.

as he wrote each line, he probably was picturing his difficult situation. i'm touched. (get ready to become independent!) honza. honza. i'll teach you how to cook. i'd love that. if he'll live alone, he must cook for himself.

- chili paste bulgogi. / - chili paste bulgogi. do you know what that means? since "bull" is english, is it "meat" in korean? "bul" means "fire." what is this in korean? - carrot. / - carrot. (he spells carrot wrong...) oops... (seeming uneasy)

will he be able to read it later? the first thing you do is add sesame oil. - sesame oil. / - sesame oil. next, you add kimchi and meat and stir-fry it. add water and turn the heat on the highest setting. (very thorough) and that's it. (how will it taste?) time for a taste.

but... (this is...) (not good) hold on. it's not done yet. suho, i hope that's not... they call this msg. (a big spoonful) wow! give me a lot.

a lot... (use lots of msg!) it's not that important of a tip. (strolling) to become independent, he also needs his own place. i'd like to buy a room. small rooms don't fit foreigners. you're a pretty big guy.

the size of the room... a small size... shall i show him the unit we have available? they'll look at a small room first. it's really small. it's this small. you'll have no room to move if you lie down. (it really is cramped...) is this okay?

i live with a friend right now. you want to move out? become independent. i see. very good. - how much is it? / - how much is this place? a $5,000 deposit, $400 monthly rent, and $50 for utilities. even a small place is expensive. what about a big place then?

this is a pretty big studio. you're fine as long as the price is okay, right? how much is this place? a $10,000 deposit and $600 rent. - i see. / - you'd better save up money fast. - work very hard. / - i will. thank you. - thank you. goodbye. / - bye. will honza be able to find a place? i must to work harder, but it's possible.

i must think about it. right now they gave it to me. right now, that is not good. (becoming independent) (checking living expenses) honza has never added up his living expenses. he looks serious. internet i have to pay. trash i have to pay. electronic, water, gas. now it's a reality.

i have to find more exactly. i'm shocked about it. how much suho pay for me, so... living with me for suho is really hard. i don't know how he can survive with me for maybe... one and a half years almost. ah, honza... stupid, stupid... honza took some time to reflect.

he thought of a surprise gift for suho. you paid a lot of the living expenses. it's not much. it's some money. (pleased) suho can't believe his eyes. who are you? are you really honza? - really? this is for me? / - yeah, yeah. thanks! (how much is it?)

$1,000? (just $100) is that it? it shows how i feel. while suho is gone, honza will watch over the theater. (a car parks in front of the theater) hello, this is the theater. please move your car. (car owner...)

hello? please move your car. (hangs up!) he calls again. - hello? / - hello? this is the theater. please move your car. - okay. / - thank you. always the same problem. (honza) "please move your car." but many times, they don't understand me.

"what? what did you say?" i'm trying to explain something. it's hard. i need to study. (his korean partner) honza decides to practice his korean with dasha. the next time you come, i'll have studied korean, and i'll do the show in korean. i want to do the show in korean, but my korean now...

this could be tiring for dasha. dasha! (refusing him) dasha, give honza some attention. i want to do the show in korean... if you come next time, the show will be in korean. (honza) i got used to speaking czech with suho, so speaking korean is still hard for me.

i need a new friend. honza decides to put on a street puppet show by himself. (worried) relax. i don't know what to do. this is bad. no. can he do a good job

when he's this nervous? i can't speak korean right now. there's a melody. there's a tough guy melody. for the ladies... radies? tough guy? what will i do, mister? help me out.

just melody. (he draws attention on the street) he arrives in a busy area of hongdae. he draws a lot of attention immediately. wow, that's so cool. they like the puppet. (the street performance starts) so many people have gathered. it goes well at first...

(it's too loud for the music to be heard) honza, people can't hear the sound. (ignoring him) people can't focus on the performance. (what do i do?) nobody listened. that's a problem. this speaker isn't very loud. please step forward. come closer.

the sound volume has improved. what will happen? that's bad. (tears...) (honza) i'm really sad. no people. everyone leave me, because it's... i did show... i must training more. it's my bad. (he walks home heavy-hearted) it's very hard to become independent.

(go to jeju-do alone?) suho has finished a new puppet. these puppets have a very korean feel. the new show they're preparing tells a jeju-do story. this isn't a simple puppet. it shows how people have lived. that's the point. i got it.

(honza) i heard it's a beautiful place. jeju island. i want to visit. you have to be inspired. that's the most important. i don't need a secretary. you're an artist. (going to discover the sounds of jeju-do) in order to compose new music, honza sets out on his own. how much is the fare to the bus terminal? $1.20.

you don't have any small bills? i don't have change. i have this. that's $5. (he gets $3.60 in change in coins...) honza must have been flustered. if you ride the bus, you need change. yes. i'm sorry. shock. now i have red face?

honza heads to the beach. he sees haenyeo who look like suho's puppet. (watching the haenyeo dive) (whistle) excuse me, ma'am. why do you make this sound? we do that when we surface and we're out of breath. honza had never heard the diver's breath before. where are you from?

i'm czech. do they have a sea there, too? not in the czech republic. oh, you don't have a sea. do you work every week? - what? / - every week. fermented soybean block. sure. we boil beans, make the block, and make paste. now he listens to them sing an old song.

a song? "if you call me at age 60..." ♪ if you call me at age 60 ♪ ♪ tell them i can't go ♪ what song is that? an old song? this song? it's called "100-year life." we just sing it the way we want. i thought it was a traditional song, too.

(honza) they are smiling always. so... seems like it's kind of maybe happy for them. i'm surprised. he visits a haenyeo's house. freshly picked red ginseng from the sea. - eat this? / - yeah. it's good, right? sea cucumber innards are unfamiliar in terms of shape and taste.

do people really eat this? people come from the mainland in order to eat this stuff. ma'am, you have the rest... you eat it. i can't. i have a cold. just a little. thank you. he can't seem to say no. thanks to that, the elderly ladies love him. do you have a home?

no. zero. do you have a bunch of money? - no money. / - no money? i still think you're a nice person. (showing off the haenyeo puppet) - a haenyeo puppet. / - haenyeo. we used to wear those clothes to dive. wearing shorts that exposed our legs. (they recall long-forgotten memories)

the sight of a puppet makes them relive their youth and think of a song from back then. (a song about mothers during tough times) (they can't go back to that time now) ♪ the pink jacket is soaked with tears ♪ nice. she's good at singing. oh, this is funny. when i think of my mom...

i start to cry, even while singing. hey, it opened its eyes. honza wants to put on a show that takes the ladies down memory lane. he brings out his honza puppet. it does look like you. you're going to make us like that, too? make some haenyeo. haenyeo. got it.

- see you again. / - sure. (he goes to a folk village to see a show) next is a folk village. he goes there to see a traditional show. i want to hear sounds. will he be able to see the show? that show takes place in october. october? - not now? / - no. not now.

oh, no. but what's going on? he met this woman by chance. she happens to be an intangible cultural asset. (honza) wow. she's a very famous korean woman. good luck. what's this called? - "mulheobeok." / - "mulheobeok." during tough times,

this sound would offer people consolation. (a jeju working song for field work) does he understand the meaning of this sound? his eyes have teared up. was it okay? i love you. my goodness! (honza) i felt something deep inside. so really... i don't know. i can't explain.

just a feeling. feels pretty good. if a listener can't feel it, singing is meaningless. thank you so much for feeling the song. - thank you. / - sure. ("honza song" by honza) i learned about life from them. they're really living life. i want to improve myself every time i learn. are they loving and sweet,

or are they always quarrelling? it's a little ambiguous. they're like a cat and dog. - i think honza has two faces. / - two faces... he seems very laid-back now, without a thought in his head. but he's charismatic when he works. he really has two faces. i know nothing about music,

but his music is inviting. it's relatable and beautiful. this isn't a show you can see every day in korea. can you two put on a little show for us here? (nice to meet you) (amazed) hi!

it's like it was alive. honza, suho is really helping you out during your stay in korea. (honza) yes. suho is my friend and teacher. are you always together on your days off? yes. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. you spend more time together than a married couple. without suho,

it'd be a bit hard for honza to survive in korea. how frustrating it must be for him. i'm sure he has many concerns. let's look at some of honza's concerns. (when can i live in korea alone?) when can he live in korea alone? honza's problem is that he can't live alone. i think suho has helped him enough. i think it's time for you to part ways.

honza, do you want to keep living in korea? (honza) of course i do. it's so much fun, since it's a different country. - i want to stay here. / - really? when honza decided to come to korea... i heard all about it. he only brought $500 with him. - $500? / - $500?

how did you come without a plan? (honza) yes, i came without any plans. i spent a very dynamic time in prague. i was at a loss for words when i found out. i didn't know what to say. (mun suho) he's very frugal and thorough. he calculates all the money he uses. but never the money he borrows from me. that's so funny.

suho is so generous to him. i bet suho really owes honza for helping him in the czech republic. it's got to be something like that, right? i am indebted to him. i've lived in another country as a foreigner, and the people there really helped me out. and thanks to them, i was able to adjust there.

i know how that feels, so i naturally try to help him whenever i can. honza, once you start living on your own... it'll happen eventually. have you prepared anything for that? for financial self-reliance? (honza) i'm trying, but i don't think it's enough. i know i have a hard path, so i should try harder.

you only have one friend, right? (honza) i have a few. around 5 friends. i'm slow, so i haven't made many friends yet. i hope you make many korean friends. that's the most important. honza, do you have a girlfriend? so this is where the problem starts. promote your charms in korean. you should know some korean.

what do you think you can say? hello. i'm honza. and i'm really alone. what is he taking out? did you memorize something? - a ring? / - a ring? a letter? a proposal? what did you write down?

you wrote a letter? (he wrote something in korean ahead of time) it's okay. you can look. i'd like to meet a nice friend to spend time with. - bravo! / - hold on. he memorized that entire thing. (honza really doesn't like being alone) - give him a call... / - he's... who wrote this?

(honza wrote this himself) - probably suho. / - you wrote this, honza? - you did a great job. / - i bet he spent all night. it looks like a woman's writing. he's too embarrassed to get the words out. all his spelling is correct. suho, you're his best friend. what is his best trait? even if i hate 100 things about him,

he's such a good guy that it makes up for all that. that's how pure-hearted he is. he's also a very passionate guy with a lot of potential. he'd be the best boyfriend ever. thanks, suho. you're the best. thanks a lot. (i'm thankful for you, too, honza) now that i've heard you two talk, you should live together another 10 years.

we'll all be rooting for honza's independence. thank you for being here today. that wraps up today's show. we'll see you all next time. goodbye. show honza some love! (next episode. she watches korean dramas) i'm really good at korean. (life in korea is still tough for vivian) one for $2 and two for $3!

(beauty is my strength) (junior high student makishi) this is annoying. (we can do anything together) i'm a hardworking woman. a hardworking woman. we have socks here! one pair for $2! kitty socks.

they're so cheap. one for $2 and two for $3. pick one out! (the story of 3 liberian ladies)