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I am MC You Hee-yeol.
I am MC Haha.
I am Claudia Kim, and I can say I'm a Hollywood actress.
- Avengers! - Unbelievable!
Beautiful!
I am Kang Won-guk﻿, who was the President's speech secretary just one time.
You just pronounced "President" like the word excretion.
I am Cho Seung-yeon, half-fixed member of As I Say.
- Wow. - You really became a half-fixed member?
- What happened? - He's the second Jo Hyeong-gi.
(Coming soon)
What kind of work do people do after leaving the Blue House?
They do useless things.
(Kang Won-guk, expert of the Blue House)
The only thing I talked about was excreting.
I brought the culprit.
- You brought the culprit? -Yes.
Shouldn't people like him be the special prosecutor?
Looking smart like that...
could make people dislike him.
(The prodigal sons came back even stronger.)
The courageous have come out to talk.
- On Wednesday night, - Busking with words,
- this is As I Say! - this is As I Say!
We said that perfectly. It was so great.
Please greet each other.
We have a hot team today.
Hello. It's nice to meet you.
- Is your voice always this low? - I made it low.
"Hello."
- "It's nice to meet you." - I am Cho Seung-yeon.
We will officially introduce today's team.
Through the film "Avengers: Age of Ultron",
she entered Hollywood. She's actress Claudia Kim.
(Hollywood actress, Claudia Kim)
Finally, on As I Say,
we have a Hollywood star as our guest.
(Congratulations! Hollywood star is on As I Say.)
Welcome.
After hearing you will come today, we had a party.
Yes. It was no joke.
We were in such a great mood.
My wife also...
repeated said she's a very beautiful actress.
She kept vaccinating me about her beauty like that.
- So that you wouldn't be smitten? - Yes.
You know what I mean, right?
You must be someone easily swayed by beauty.
- Because our wives weren't like that. - Right?
I really like the "Avengers" films.
- He's a fanatic. - I'm a fanatic.
- Is that so? - I am so curious.
Right, we're curious.
Out of the Hollywood actors you filmed with,
are you close with any of them?
I think I spoke to Mark Ruffalo the most.
- The actor for Hulk? He was also in "Begin Again". - Yes.
Are you close with him?
I spoke to him the most on filming site because...
we studied scientific terms together a lot.
- It's because your character's in the same team. - Yes, we both played scientists.
When we stuttered our pronunciation, we'd joke around too.
You joked with him in English?
Yes. He can't speak Korean.
Could any question be more unsophisticated than that?
- I was so curious. - Would Mark Ruffalo suddenly...
say, "Hey, your pronunciation was off." in Korean?
Who else?
What about Captain America?
He was unexpectedly very playful.
- He'd say a ton of jokes. - I knew he'd be like that.
- Really? - What about Thor?
- For me, it was unexpected. - And Thor?
Thor was just a gentleman. He'd give a wink.
- He was that kind of a person. - I also knew he'd be like that.
He was really cool.
Is the actor for Thor still unmarried?
- No, he has two children. - He has kids?
I apologize. I'm sorry, Thor.
I'm sorry. Please hit me with your hammer.
- I see. - This is such an unsophisticated thing to say,
- but do you follow each others' social media accounts? - This is really important for him.
- Really? - It's the symbol for...
- how close you are. - It's the determinant factor.
Do you follow me?
I once posted a picture of me with Mark.
I follow them but I don't know if they follow me.
- It doesn't bother her. - It's because she's on the same level.
- Why check that? I have no time. - No.
I'm also curious what Hollywood is like. What's the life of a Hollywood actress?
It's not just glamorous.
First of all, I don't have a manager.
I have to live abroad by myself.
Even he has three with him.
He does.
If I brought along a manager, I could be called eccentric.
- Is that so? - Yes.
So I myself drive to the filming site.
They'd give me allowance, and I'd live a week off of that.
Who gives you the allowance?
- The production team does. - You mean the agency?
- Yes. - If so, even famous actors go around without a manager?
Yes. Mark Ruffalo and Chris Evans did as well.
- What about very famous ones like Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt? - They must.
I don't know about them.
(Laughing)
- What did you mean when you asked that? - I'm sorry.
It's a bit embarrassing right now.
It was just really cool, that's all.
That life is so cool.
The film "Avengers: Age of Ultron" was a blockbuster.
How were you cast for this huge movie?
I actually began acting in dramas since 2006.
But I learned you could audition for Hollywood films.
As top secret, a single sheet of script was sent to my agency.
- It was just one sheet? - Yes. It was for "Avengers: Age of Ultron."
At first, I went ahead with it while unaware.
When I went to the audition site, one of the lines...
that said, "Will George Clooney be there?",
was asked to read as "Will Thor be there?".
- Everything was top secret. - Yes.
It was completely hidden what the film was.
- They even changed all the names. - So you did it without knowing it's that film.
- Yes. - But it must have been in English.
- Pardon? - "Will George Clooney be there?" must have been in English.
- Yes. - Would it be in Korean then?
- I want to hear the original pronunciation. What was the line? - Exactly.
Will George Clooney be there? It was like that.
Was that it?
- Yes. - It was just that one line?
Yes. Then they asked me to change it to "Will Thor be there?".
- What was changed? - Will Thor be there?
- Thor? - Yes.
- You mean Thor. - Yes, it's Thor.
It must be spelled with "Th-".
Isn't it just "T-"?
(Innocent)
Right?
It seems a harder process than getting into the Blue House.
Exactly.
- Yes, it was Thor. - Exactly.
(High-quality pronunciation)
Even after "Avengers: Age of Ultron",
I heard you're continuing to act in Hollywood.
Yes. I was part of a period piece called "Marco Polo".
I also provided the voice for "Equals".
I'm waiting to hear back about "Dark Tower".
- I heard you'll have a major role. - You'll be one of the main characters.
Yes. There's an order.
But my number is pretty high up there...
- so I filmed while deeply moved. - I see.
We must give her a round of applause.
We're really proud of you.
We really are.
This is true patriotism.
Do you also have plans for Korea? We probably can't see you anymore.
Why are your comments so unsophisticated? What's with, "This is true patriotism."?
It's because I feel so proud.
Please act with our national flag in your heart.
- You're a true patriot. - Okay, I will.
(Reverential)
I will work hard.
I keep feeling embarrassed.
(The talk is progressing very smoothly today.)
- Great. - Yes.
Next, we'll talk to Kang Won-guk who's here.
I thought you'll just skip me.
In our last busking, he gave a message on his thoughts.
He's Kang Won-guk, a speech assistant for the Blue House.
(Kang Won-guk, a speech assistant for the Blue House)
- Right. - How have you been?
- I wanted to see more of you. - He's a star.
To be honest, I didn't watch the episode I was in.
- I was too scared and nervous. - Why?
It made me a little embarrassed. So, I hadn't seen it,
- Embarrassed? - but I did yesterday.
- I can't repeat today what I said last time, right? - Right.
I decided to be brave and watched it yesterday.
I saw I did so well.
He's really something.
I saw why I was invited again.
It was very clear to me.
Your wife must be happy about this.
Above all else, at home,
she treats me completely differently.
My family has three members. Before that episode,
my wife ranked first in power, of course.
My son ranked 2nd. I ranked 3rd.
It's a bit different than my family.
For mine, it's my wife, my son, iPad, and then me.
(It's his wife, son, iPad, and then him.)
For example, even if we order fried chicken,
I'd eat what my son didn't finish.
My son would come looking for the chicken later, right?
- He'd ask where the leftover is? - Yes, he'd ask.
My wife got really mad at me.
- She asked, "Why did you eat it?" - "Why did you eat it?"
This isn't right.
It was like that, but I definitely rank second now.
- Really? - My son became 3rd place. But 1st place is an impregnable fortress.
Even now, she's probably watching this from somewhere.
Was your wife originally a ninja? She's hiding somewhere?
- That’s amazing. - Then when you're eating chicken,
- do you get to eat the drumsticks? - Not the drumsticks!
- That has a totally different meaning. - That would...
- get me in huge trouble. - You can't touch those?
- But there are two drumsticks! - I must eat the white meat.
- It's the white meat? - It's the dry meat.
- You're allowed to eat that. - Yes.
Do you confidently eat the drumsticks?
That's why I like the chicken skins.
- How could you live like that? - I keep eating the chicken skins.
(It's sad for fathers of this generation.)@@@@@
I should have asked. I'm curious about something.
You know those who worked at the Blue House?
What kind of work do people do after leaving the Blue House?
They do useless things.
It's especially the case if the power changes.
It's the same for me. My phone call history...
gets searched through by the prosecution.
I'd get a notice afterward.
I guess it's legally permitted.
It's not easy to find a job due to such circumstances.
So most of them have financial difficulty...
which leads all of them to go into political circles.
Then did political circles ever...
make offers to you?
During his term of office, President Roh Moo-hyun always said,
"Politics must be for the people."
"Why only enjoy being at the Blue House and never do hard things?"
"Go out for an election."
He'd say that to people but when he looked at me,
he'd say, "Politics isn't something anyone can do."
His facial expression would totally change.
Was it that he gave up on you?
- I think he thought everyone has his or her role. - He knew everything.
He said, "You were fortunate to experience being in the Blue House."
"If you don't share that, you're just enjoying privileges..."
"and being given preferential treatment. Progress in history..."
"is when the majority enjoys with privileged few enjoy."
"If you write about your experiences and share through a book,"
"you're contributing to progress of history."
So he told me write a book, but I never did before he died.
- You said As I Say is a show like a latrine. - Yes.
Why is it like a latrine?
When we intake food,
we must excrete, right?
Even our thoughts, after reading or hearing something,
must be excreted. This is a talk show, right?
That's why the show is like a latrine.
Latrine sounds so elegant. It's usually outhouse.
The end of what you say is always like this.
It ends with excretion, right?
You tend to end what you say with a bathroom.
Since you're here today, empty out everything.
Are you resolved to stay up all night?
You have that many episodes?
It'd take half a day. Once, I was...
on a bus after an Arbor Day event at the Blue House.
For about three hours, all I talked about was excretion.
It was so boring and there was a traffic jam.
- You talked about it to those in the bus. - Yes.
This is so great.
I was in the bathroom on Sunday,
and I got a call from Blue House's ancillary room.
It was when Roh Moo-hyun was the President. He wanted to talk to me.
He was to give an oral statement.
You didn't say, "I apologize, I'm in the bathroom so I'll call back soon."
I'm sure he would've been fine with it,
but I thought it'd be impolite.
I also thought the call would be short.
If it's just a line or two, I can just memorize.
But he spoke for a really long time.
I was at my limit.
Think about it. What could I do?
I just crawled out.
- It was in search of memo paper. - You should've had it stuck to the wall.
(Long journey in search of memo paper)
After that, whether it's a bathroom or inside a car,
wherever it is,
I keep memo paper there.
(This reminds us of the line, "This is true patriotism.")
It's the first time you've met him, right?
But when you see him later, he'll be completely different.
I was also very disappointed when I first met him.
He was also like this the last time he was here.
We must quickly change the mood.
Next,
here's the man who turned his life around.
Fund-raise with 8,000 won for 50,000 won. He's author Cho Seung-yeon.
(Bestseller author Cho Seung-yeon)
- It's great to meet you. - He's sexy.
Seung-yeon when we're busking...
has a punchline. He has a hook.
In the last busking, he had this powerful hook.
It was touche.
- Touche is so cool. - He had that line.
Haha, explain touche for viewers who didn't see the last episode.
It's a fencing term.
In fencing, the victory is decided by this.
Say I've been stabbed. I'd say, "Touche".
By admitting I lost,
the opponent wins.
It's a meaningful word.
(He has perfect knowledge of touche.)
Wow. What a surprise!
- He uses the word touche a lot. - I really liked that "touche" punchline.
I really did.
- But I was disappointed in Haha as I watched the show. - Why?
Every time I come, you call me a genius busker, right?
So I thought you genuinely liked me.
But when I watched the show, as soon as I left,
you said I'm someone you can't work well with.
- You saw it! - How could you be so two-faced?
- It's not true. - What's the truth?
- He said it as soon as he left. - But it's true that we don't.
It's because I like him so much.
- I'm just envious. I do want to be close to you. - I'm blood type A.
- Yes? - So I'm mad at you.
(Conclusion is that he's mad.)
That's none of my concern.
- But I really do like you. - Right.
- They make a good pair. - I'm really a fan.
They make a good pair.
What topic will you talk about?
- Did you write your new year plan? - Yes.
What did you write?
- I wrote what I've always been doing. - That’s odd.
It's what you've always done, right?
For me, it's the weight training, which I've always been doing.
My goodness.
Haha, are you actually doing the new year plan you wrote last year?
It's really hard.
This time, for my health,
I'm going to put in a lot of effort. I began again...
- the attempt to quit smoking. - Right.
People always quit after three days after writing the new year plan.
When it's the new year again, rather than happy people,
there are so many who sigh and say another year passed.
So I thought about it.
Who made this thing called New Year,
making us age and eat ddukgook?
I went into history and caught the culprit.
- You caught the culprit who invented the New Year? - Yes.
Shouldn't people like him be the special prosecutor?
Looking smart like that could make people dislike him.
(New Year advice from senior in life)
I feel sorry for him because he seems to dig his own grave.
I dig in full awareness that it's a grave.
(In speech at least, he's incredible.)
- Right. That's the only way you'd dig up relics. - Right.
That's great.
The Director said,
"Slap that producer on the cheek."
"She has anorexia."
- I never imagined that. - If It was me, I'd be too scared to do it.
You must kill who you are...
and live without true identity...
to succeed in your job.
I think that's precisely what unhappy society is.
The value of one person's life is the first chapter of his or her love story.
- He's a romanticist. - He's cool.
We'll go out on the street in search of stories and start busking.
Today's busking location is...
a warm place for both youth and family.
It's Seoul, Mapo-gu, Changjeon-dong.
We must pass the gate of talk now. Please stand up.
Today, since Claudia is with us,
- we'll make it a Hollywood style. - Really?
Who'd like to be Thor?
I'll be Thor.
- You'll be Thor. - I like hammers.
- Who'll be Iron Man? - When you step out, do this.
It's like that!
Practice it.
(He's good!)
- Since he does a lot of weightlifting, - He'll be Hulk.
he'll be Hulk.
Then I'll be Captain America.
- Hey, watch out. - Okay, Avengers.
Let's go save the world.
- Okay, let's go! - Let's go!
(Totally into it)
Let's go! Let's go, Avengers!
(Save the world through talking! We now go into the street!)
(Seoul, Mapo-gu, Changjeon-dong)
Where are we?
We passed through the gate of talk...
- and arrived at Changjeon-dong. - Great.
How is it? We're much better than a blockbuster movie, right?
- We transported! - Yes.
- Are you slightly embarrassed of us? - I am just a tiny bit.
Great. Because it's January, after the sun sets,
- it becomes very cold. - Right.
Today, so that citizens could stay warm,
we've prepared this place.
Why don't we go inside and meet the citizens?
- Yes. - Great.
(They finally enter the busking zone.)
Hello, everyone.
- We're Ha Hee-yeol. - So many of you came.
Now, I'll tell you today's order...
of busking.
Today's order of busking will be...
Cho Seung-yeon, Kang Won-guk, and then Claudia Kim.
Great. That order is perfect.
- Am I the bumper again? - Yes, you are.
- I understand. - No, you're the hero!
Now, the rest of us will move to the waiting room.
Please wait just a moment.
(Immediately begins first busking.)
- Good luck. - Right.
(First busker Seung-yeon is left in the busking zone.)
(MC's and other buskers move to the waiting room.)
(Even though it's his third time, giving a talk is always nerve-wrecking.)
The first busking by Cho Seung-yeon will begin now.
- Right. - What will he talk about today? He said he caught the culprit...
- who created New Year. - I'm so curious. I want to see the culprit.
(Who's the culprit who created the New Year?)@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
(First Busker Cho Seung-yeon Start)
I came here last year but I came again this year too.
I'm the writer, Cho Seung-yeon. Hello.
(A writer who came again, Choi Seung-yeon)
- Our Bango. - It's already the...
year 2017. Are you all excited?
- Yes. - No.
The new year should be full of excitement.
But even people around me go,
"That's another year gone by."
"I'm getting older without anything to do."
That's what they say.
(Everyone starts off the new year unhappily.)
Did you make any new year's resolution?
No.
It's pretty meaningless, isn't it?
When I sat at my desk, opened up my notebook to write down my resolutions,
it was the same thing I wrote last year...
and the year before that.
It were things I would never do. Eat more vegetables, eat less meat.
Work out. Everyone knows.
(Everybody has the exact same resolutions.)
That's why this year, instead of doing this meaningless thing,
I went to find the culprit behind all these new year concepts.
The one who makes us older...
and sigh deeply in frustration...
I looked through history and found that culprit.
- That's amazing. - I know.
- I wonder how he thought of doing that? - He's...
(His extraordinary idea...)
Since when did we commemorate the concept of New Year?
The calendars we use is commonly known as the Roman calendar.
It's a system back from the Roman era.
It was invented back in Rome...
and came to evolve into the form we know today.
But this Roman calendar was...
founded by Romulus.
That Romulus is like our Dangun.
He's the founder of Rome.
Anyway, when I looked closely at Romulus' calendar, I found something strange.
What do you think I found? On Romulus' calendar,
December 31st isn't the last day of the year.
January 1st isn't the first day of the year either.
(What?)
On Romulus' calendar, the New Year starts in March.
Also, instead of having 12 months in a year, it has 10 months.
Instead of 365 days,
there are only 304 days.
Isn't that weird?
(The calendars were vastly different from today's.)
Then where did those remaining 60 days go?
(Where did those remaining 60 days go?)
The Romans believed these 60 days...
were days that were frozen in time.
The Romans thought very simply.
They were people who farmed and lived together with nature.
When the fields rest, they thought people had to also rest.
Just like how the fields have to be covered in snow and recover their nutrients...
in order to sprout new buds in spring,
they thought people also...
needed a time of rest to meet the New Year.
(They thought people also needed a time of rest to meet the New Year.)
It wasn't only the Romans who thought that way.
Even our farming ancestors knew about this fact.
That's why if you look at our language...
Holiday, season, lunar seasons...
In those terms, what does the character "jeol" stand for?
It stands for "length of time".
("Jeol" stands for "length of time".)
Then what about the "bun" in spring equinox,
autumnal equinox, first quarter, second quarter?
It means to "divide".
People innately knew they weren't supposed to live continuously in time.
They knew they needed to split it up.
People in the past who lived with nature, knew this for a fact.
(The people of the past already knew this.)
But science began to advance.
It made 10 months into 12 months and 304 days into 365 days.
That's why when it's December 31st,
we don't get any period of rest. January 1st starts right away.
We're forced to live in this never-ending cycle of time.
(People are forced to live in a continuous cycle of time.)
There's this Romanian philosopher I really like. His name is Emil Cioran.
How can he have a favorite Romanian philosopher?
It's good to put in those kinds of things.
- It is? - A little bit.
(A tip from the speech writer.)
This person compared this pain of a continuous cycle without rest...
or end to the symptoms of insomnia.
When our friends get into a car accident, we get shocked.
When our friends are crying because they broke...
up with their lovers, what do we tell them?
We tell them, "First, go take a deep rest".
"First, go take a deep rest."
Rest, sleep. When people sleep,
people are given time to make the distinction between...
the things they'll leave behind yesterday and the...
things they'll take with them tomorrow.
(Make a distinction between things to leave behind and things to take.)
Same thing with life. If you're forced to live life continuously without rest,
the burdens of life gets heavier.
There's no time to empty them out.
And before you know it, the weight of your burden...
becomes bigger and heavier than your own weight.
And then, our knees will give out.
I believe the term we use for that is called, "burnout".
(Burnout: physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress)
People aren't meant to live like this.
They're supposed to live in periods of times with breaks in between.
Society has already made us those break periods.
We call those break periods, vacation or "vacance".
"Vacance" originated from France.
And it means "empty" or "to empty".
It does?
Busan Vacance.
(The singer is promoting his song.)
Yet, how do we usually use these vacances?
When students are given time off from school, they don't use it to rest.
They think it's the right time to go take supplementary lessons.
Same thing with workers. I also do this.
We work very hard to plan out the perfect vacation.
We plan out a full schedule.
We go and take a million pictures.
We have to go and come back, filled to the brim with memories.
That's what we think a great vacation is.
In fact, if we see someone just lying in a resort, just taking in the sun,
we look at them in fascination, thinking they're very nonchalant.
We really don't know how to rest, do we?
- It's really hard to rest well. - Yes.
In fact, I get more tired when we go abroad.
We have to always wake up for breakfast.
(I completely agree with you.)
Even if I sleep only two hours, I put on an alarm for breakfast.
We think it's a waste to miss out on the hotel's breakfast.
(It's a waste to miss out on breakfast.)
But if you think about it, that person lying down...
is doing the most important thing...
we can do as a human being.
In American culture, there's a concept of "closure".
It's a little different than Korea.
Closure basically means to close something.
Usually, when lovers break up, they break up with very unpleasant feelings.
But after a year or two, we think back and regret what we did and what we said.
But when you worry about it alone, it becomes very painful.
Closure happens...
when you call that ex and ask them to meet you.
Of course, both of you...
know you will never be able to get back together.
"I felt hurt by when you said this or that."
You talk with them and apologize.
And you shake hands on it and become friends.
For couples that had closure,
many of them go on to be great friends.
But if there wasn't any closure,
it becomes something where you never want to see them again.
(Closure is needed to keep good relationships.)
Compared to connecting, it's much more important to have closure.
Let me tell you about my experience.
I once had someone I really loved.
That woman was from a very small town somewhere in Italy.
He went out with an Italian woman?
He goes out with women all over the world.
It's amazing.
Because I wanted to be together with her, I moved into her town.
Even though I had no connections or work there.
But two months after I got there, she broke up with me.
That's why I went to Paris, where I had friends from my college days.
That's how I spent the next six years, as if I was a cripple.
But during that time, I met this mentor I came upon...
back in my college days.
He told me, "A person's life..."
"is nothing but the first volume of a series of love stories."
- Wow. - Nice.
I only wrote one volume.
One long love story.
I'm still trying to write one.
(My love story is still in the process of being written.)
"You wrote a pretty good book, didn't you?"
"Now, put that book on the bookshelf."
"You should get started on your next one, don't you think so?"
That's how I wrote her a letter.
"When you broke up with me, I was really angry."
"Because I was so angry at you, I couldn't forget about you."
"But I thought about it and came to a realization."
"When lovers break up,"
"it's not because one is more wrong than the other."
"It's just means..."
"that our paths diverge in separate ways. That's all."
After a little while, that woman replied back to me.
"Thank you for thinking of it like that. You were my first love."
"I'm sure I'll live life and fall in love with another man,"
"but no one will be able to replace your spot as my first love."
They really broke up like that? It's too wonderful!
When we break up, it's like, "You asleep?", "Get lost".
(The reality of dating...)
When I received that letter, a great burden...
has been lifted from my shoulders.
Feeling lighthearted, I returned back to Korea...
and was able to start a new life.
This is how people aren't meant to live a continuous cycle.
This was how I realized we were supposed to have periods of rest as well.
That's why, I want to encourage you all...
to go back and make a new New Year's resolution.
This year, try not to fill it up,
but try to empty it instead.
The things you weren't able to put closure to last year...
Those partially done things that are still weighing down on my shoulders...
Those relationships and everything else...
I want to suggest that you don't fill your life with unnecessary things anymore.
That's where I'll end today's busking. Thank you.
(I wish this year can become a emptier year.)
- That was great. - Wow.
He's a professional.
Things like taking time off and having periods of rest...
Besides having value personally, would that...
also have any values socially, too?
What do you think a happy society is?
A happy society is something filled with happy people.
At least that's what I think.
But, without time to empty themselves...
Can all those people, forced to carry the weight of their burdens,
make a happy society?
(Can people find "happiness"?)
Unfortunately, in our society, whenever I walk on the streets,
I don't see a lot of people who are lighthearted.
I rarely see anyone who seems like they're really enjoying life.
I believe that's how an unhappy society looks like.
When each individual is forced to bear their burdens,
it's impossible for there to be a cheerful, happier society.
That's why if this person, that person, and everyone is happier,
society itself can become a much happier place.
Since there are two more famous people waiting behind me,
I'll be taking my leave. But before that,
during my first busking, I only got 8 dollars.
He goes on to request the most important topic, his donations.
- I thought he told us to empty ourselves. - Yes.
In the beginning, he would act all great and intelligent,
but now, he's acting like a door-to-door seller.
Behind you, there's a machine where if you scan your card,
it'll take a dollar which will be put to good use.
I'd be grateful if you could give me the courage to come out here again.
Anyway, thank you for listening.
(The busking about emptying had ended.)
That was great.
- How do you speak so well? - Here's the mic.
(He passes the mic very quickly.)
Come sit down.
Won-guk﻿, do you have anything you don't want to do this year?
I don't want to act like a hypersensitive leader...
(He doesn't want to be a hypersensitive leader.)
You don't want to do that?
What about you, Claudia? Anything...
you want to quit or not do in 2017?
I was really touched when he mentioned...
closure. Putting things in closure...
Are you talking about the same "closure" we heard just now?
- Her pronunciation is... - Nice.
She has a West Coast accent.
I lived in the East Coast.
(She reveals his poor knowledge of America.)
(He's so embarrassed.)
- Sorry. - I'm so embarrassed.
(Laughing)
- That was the first busker, Cho Seung-yeon. - Thank you.
We're going to continue with our second busking. How do you feel?
What are you doing?
Get out there!
Good luck!
(The second busker goes out.)
(Kang Won-guk﻿ enters the busking zone.)
(It's a cozier busking zone.)
This is my second time coming out on "As I Say".
When I was first here, I talked about how...
we shouldn't just read and listen.
We should learn to speak and write.
Instead of just inputting information, we should output our thoughts.
That's what I talked about the last time I was here.
But today, I would like to talk about...
something a little more serious.
After quitting from work, I...
For four years now...
Basically, I've been living unemployed for four years now.
I want to share what I felt during those periods.
Because I worked at the Blue House,
I thought people would call me for my skills.
But no one called me.
There was no reason to. The party has already changed.
Why would anyone use someone from the previous party? They wouldn't.
Back then, it was 2008, when America was in a financial crisis.
It was winter back then.
On TV, the news reported that the unemployment rate...
was on the rise.
It was the first time I ever felt so scared looking at the news.
I was so scared.
I thought I would never be hired again.
But the paradigm is shifting.
When it's 2050,
the average life expectancy is 120 years old.
The average life expectancy.
- It is? - It is?
In 2050, we'll live to be 120 years old?
Meanwhile, the retirement age is becoming younger and younger.
Your working years are becoming shorter.
Even if somehow, you end up enduring until you're 60 years old,
you'll have to live 60 more years after that.
Live 60 more years.
(We'll have to live 60 more years.)
During those 60 years, you won't have a name card.
You won't be part of a company. You won't have a job.
All you'll have is yourself.
You'll have to get by on your own...
for the next 60 years.
This is everyone's reality.
It will be your future.
When I became 50 years old,
I wondered how much longer I could work.
At least three years? At most five years?
But when I think about how long I'm going to live,
I think I'll live to be about 80. I'll have to live 30 more years.
If that's so, I thought to myself...
it wasn't important whether I work three or five years there.
I realized I had to find something I could do for 30 more years.
That's why I quit my job.
I went to a newspaper publishing company, and for six weeks,
I learned about the publishing business.
I was rejected from the first publishing company I applied to.
I went to a second one.
They asked me to introduce myself so I did.
One of the oldest female member...
She was five years younger than me. She took me aside.
It felt like I was being taken to the principal's office.
I followed after her.
She turned and said one thing.
"Please refrain yourself from becoming too long-winded."
"No one will like you if you speak like that." Then she closed the door in my face.
Because I was old...
I had no experience. I wasn't going to help lessen her work.
Instead, she had to teach me.
She didn't want to have to deal with me. It was natural of her to think so.
The only way I endured through that...
was to just work harder.
I worked every Sunday.
For a year and a half,
I edited close to seven books. That's a lot.
But when you work really hard, you gain something in return.
For me, that was...
the realization books weren't written by only special people.
(Books weren't written by only special people.)
That's why...
after that year and a half, I took two months off work...
and wrote a book.
I wrote a book for two months.
That was "The President's Writing".
So that's how that was made.
In 2014, that book...
became a bestseller.
It was selected by all the major newspaper companies.
That's so great.
(He courageously started his second half of life.)
Let's say living up to 60 is...
the first half of your life.
Until now,
for that first half, I worked like my life depended on...
my success and making it up the ladder.
I'd suck up to the higher ups and throw myself away.
That's how I lived.
I thought the years after my first 60 years...
That time left after your retirement was nothing but...
a useless period.
That was the paradigm.
But that has ended.
During the first half of your life,
you guys aren't the star.
If you act like you're the star, they'll fire you from work.
You can't get promoted.
It'd be a utopia if you could say these two things.
"I don't want to."
"I can't do it."
Saying you don't want to when you don't,
and saying you can't do it when you can't.
But you can't ever say that.
You have to push down and ignore your true feelings...
to succeed.
You spend half your life fooling yourself.
(You can't express yourself for half your life.)
Life really starts in the second half.
(Life really starts in the second half.)
Then, you have to live as yourself.
Living as yourself means being true to who you are.
It's not hard to be who you are.
If someone asks me, "What do you like?",
"What are you interested in?",
or "What are you good at?",
all you have to do is answer them truthfully.
That's what it means to be true to yourself.
Your own story...
(It's my own story.)
Right now, you're all in the midst of writing your own story.
Being rejected for a job and failing a test are all stories.
Writing written apologies, writing reports,
and being scolded by your boss...
These are your true stories.
These sad, painful, bitter stories are your true stories.
People like to hear about sad, painful, bitter stories.
Every time they hear that kind of story,
they gather up contents for their own story.
They're making up their own stories.
That's what I realized when I looked back on my life.
Not everyone can be successful in life.
It's because there's a limited amount...
of successful positions.
However, anyone can become happy.
Anyone can become happy.
People who can live true to themselves can become happier.
People who find themselves are happy.
That's why I want to tell everyone here...
to get started on building up your contents.
In my later half of life,
- I want to write a symphony. - That sounds awesome.
I want to write a symphony for a full orchestra.
But that orchestra will be mine.
(That will be my orchestra.)
- That sounds good. - Doesn't it?
Your own orchestra.
(Haha and Hee-yeol's dream)
I'm currently in the midst of experiencing the Korean...
work culture in a company.
I'll have to endure through this grueling work culture to gain contents...
and move on into the next portion of my life.
But can you tell me...
where I could find the motivation and drive to get through it?
I'm sure everyone knows, but having a good...
relationship with your boss is really difficult.
When I was working under President Roh Moo-hyun,
he would constantly scold me. I would think...
he was being too hard on me...
when I was doing the best I could do.
And while I was thinking that,
the president sent me a speech...
he had written himself.
It starts with, "Dokdo is our land." You can find it on the internet.
Dokdo is our land.
It is not only part of our territory but also our own soil...
of historic significance where forty years of painful history is engraved vividly.
When I saw that,
I realized I wasn't just helping and aiding the president.
I was also learning from him.
When I realized that,
everything he said to me sounded differently.
So I ended up learning more.
When you try to work as if you were learning, and make those kind of relationships,
you'll find you can learn and have better relationships.
(You'll find you can learn and have better relationships.)
I think that might help you with your own work life.
- I have some questions about what you said. - Yes?
- Oh? - Oh?
- Oh? - That's Jung Joong-won.
- He was one of our buskers. - Oh?
We were already masterpieces.
But we spend all our lives trying to make ourselves into common goods.
Let's not continue to damage our self worth like this because...
(The busker on episode 12, Hyper-realistic Artist, Jung Joong-won)
- He's a graduate student nearby. - He's a graduate student in Hongik University.
(Artist Jung Joong-won goes to school nearby.)
If I look around me, a lot of people are having a hard time.
Especially the youths of our generation.
But to those youths, saying that their lives will...
become their own stories someday is a little...
You have to understand that a lot of us...
are unhappy with our social environment.
So, if we all share our stories later on,
it seems like they will all be tragedies.
So, instead of enduring through our life...
right now so that we can tell about it later,
I wish we can be able to...
find a little bit of more happiness right now.
It's very unfortunate.
Our generation can't help but feel sorry for you.
But when I was talking about making up our own stories,
I meant to say you shouldn't look far but close by.
For example, look in your bookshelf and see what kind of books there are.
Find out what you're interested in.
What do I like to talk about with my friends?
It's important for you to observe and learn more about yourselves.
Even if you think you know a lot about yourself, you don't.
(Start to get a little more interested in yourself.)
That's all I had to say for today.
Also,
there's that card machine in the back...
I hope you'll do me a good favor.
Thank you.
(Kang Won-guk's Living Life Happily as Yourself)
I hope you'll do me a good favor.
(Oh my...)
- You can't help but act like that when you're out there. - He's only human.
Welcome back.
(Kang Won-guk returns to the waiting area.)
You did great.
Although not everyone can be successful,
anyone can become happy.
That's why I think gossiping and chatting with each other is very important.
You can only find yourself by talking more and more with people around you.
You start to see what you like and so on.
Talking with each other like this...
- It's really helpful. - It is.
That's why I think "As I Say" is a good program.
- Oh. - You have to speak out more.
I see. Today, after listening to Cho Seung-won and Kang Won-guk's busking,
- both of their busking make you think outside the box. - Yes.
We shouldn't stay stuck in that rigid way of thinking,
and instead, learn to let go of things.
Will your speech be an extension of what these two talked about?
Yes. I'll be talking about having to stop and taking a pause as well.
- What is this? - Did you three plan this out?
- I know. - Yes.
- Our third busker, Claudia... - Yes.
- What are you doing now? - Get out!
Get out...
(The third busker, Claudia, goes out.)
(It's kind of embarrassing.)
That surprised me. That did.
Good luck, Claudia.
(She's...)
(coming.)
Hello.
(Staring)
(They're all fixated on her.)
She looks good on the screen.
She's getting a lot of good responses.
Hello, I'm Claudia. It's nice to meet you.
(Claudia's busking starts.)
- Why's he preening himself? - What was that?
The reason why I decided to come here...
is because I feel...
I never had the chance to show you my true self.
That's why I came.
Is there anything you think of when you see me?
- Avengers. - Avengers.
- Anything else? - English.
English?
Just as you said,
you think of Avengers or English...
when you see me,
but just for today, I hope you can forget about that...
and take some time to listen to my story.
(Everyone focuses on her story.)
Before I became an actress,
I was just a normal student who was interested in...
learning about the media.
In college, I worked as a reporter.
I would cover people's stories.
And during break, I would work as an intern in a newspaper or broadcasting company.
I had a clear goal...
and worked hard to achieve them.
However, one day in 2005, my mother...
saw an ad for an international super model contest.
My parents are crazy about the world international.
My mother told me try out for it.
She'd keep trying to persuade me.
And soon enough, I started to think...
that this could look good for my resume.
Back then, I was always worried about getting hired.
My parents would always ask me what I was going to do.
(Nods)
If I succeeded in this,
I can earn the qualifications to work as a model.
I applied on the last day and worked really hard...
even though it wasn't my original goal.
That's how...
I was lucky enough to win first place.
(She entered the modeling world, although it wasn't her original goal.)
Please don't think I'm bragging.
(She's cute.)
Back then, it felt like I was in a scene in a drama.
While I was part of a program for the winning contestants,
I got a call from a director.
He asked me to appear on his drama.
He said, "You'll fit the image of an international lawyer."
That was my debut.
I made my debut with "The Queen of Games"
I was completely dazed.
Just what was happening to me?
When I woke up one day,
the world and the people around me have changed.
Was this what I've been striving for?
Was this something I should do for life?
Can I really do something like this?
(She suddenly got scared of the change.)
So I asked myself, "What's next?"
But I couldn't answer myself.
So I stopped. I stopped...
and ran away from the celebrity world for three years.
Since then, I've been asking myself what I could do.
I remembered I dreamt about being an announcer.
I found an academy and went only to lose courage at the entrance.
I also remembered that I liked to draw.
So I tried drawing too.
But for some reason, I couldn't do it either.
I kept wasting my time like that.
Living like that for three years...
I'm also the oldest.
My parents were worried about their jobless daughter.
And I started feel the mental pressure building and building...
Right now, I can talk about that time like it was nothing.
But back then, even meeting people was so hard for me.
And so, I started distancing myself away from people.
Back then, if you saw me,
you would have seen someone with very low self-esteem.
I can't believe she took time off for three years.
It's really not easy.
(Having a blank period of time in life isn't easy.)
Seeing me like that,
my younger sister came to me one day, saying,
"Remember how Cha In-pyo invited you to..."
"join NGO during your advertisement shoot?"
"Why don't you try that out?"
"Maybe you'll find people who understand you there."
Although it was unfamiliar, I went to the NGO.
There, I started to share and talk about my worries.
I also made some lifelong friends there as well.
Cha In-pyo did something really good for her...
by inviting her to a nonprofit organization.
My nickname is "Semi-dried Cha In-pyo".
(Semi-dried Cha In-pyo)
That's right.
Through those friends, I started to realize...
that there was no need to rush.
It's okay to take the time to rest when you want to...
change your life for the better.
Also, to get through this oppressive dark period,
it's okay to run away. That's what they told me.
And that's what I learned.
Although those three years had no progress,
I think those times were when I was fully invested in myself.
I was able to accept my insignificant, worthless self.
And gradually,
I was slowly able to recover...
my self-esteem and confidence.
Eventually, I told myself...
that there was probably a reason why I had to go through that.
I was being tested to see if I could overcome these difficult situations.
That's why I decided to go back to where I had stopped.
Just when I made that decision,
I was very lucky to receive an offer to play a role in "The Fugitive: Plan B".
I was running away when I met a fugitive.
- She's right. - Yes.
I decided to do my best and stick to my beliefs.
Ever since then, various dreams started...
to sprout inside within me.
I started to get greedy for other things.
It's really interesting but during that time...
Well, there's an actor named Daniel Henney in my agency.
During that time, he was auditioning for a role in Hollywood.
I wondered if there would be something new there.
I was looking around...
when I came upon an audition call for a role in "Fast and Furious 7".
You had to wear this complicated belt and kick midair...
and act like you were in a racing car.
It was really uncomfortable.
But unexpectedly, that footage got great feedback.
It got a good reaction.
We were talking when they told me,
"It's really unfortunate,"
"but the original actress for that scene came back."
Basically, I couldn't do the role anymore.
But I have this belief...
that auditions are for letting people know about me.
It's not important to always score the role for that project.
That's why the "No" of today...
will definitely become the "Yes" of tomorrow. I believe in that.
Yes.
Besides this one,
there are many other auditions that I failed.
So I was telling myself that...
when suddenly, I got a callback from another project.
It was a historical drama. It was an American historical drama.
The offered me a role in drama called, "Marco Polo".
They told me they saw that footage.
It was really good news but also within the same time frame,
a mysterious script was sent to me through our agency.
Because the story was interesting...
and seemed like it'd be fun, I took the offer.
That was the "Avengers".
- Awesome. - So that's how they do it.
That audition for the "Avengers"...
was a very meaningful audition to me.
When I was in high school,
there was a drama called, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".
It was so long ago.
The person who directed that...
was the same person who was directing the "Avengers", Joss Whedon.
And while that person was sitting before my eyes,
I acted.
"That was great!"
"That was awesome!" "Do it again!" That's what he said...
while pulling out his hair.
Those compliments from him...
helped me recover back a huge amount of...
self-esteem and confidence.
He accepted me for who I was,
and was satisfied with what I had to offer.
That itself was very comforting.
(Claudia felt comforted by the "Avengers" audition.)
And just when I thought everything was good,
there were many instances I was almost deprived of that role.
It was because I wasn't famous like all the other competitors.
That's why I had to wait one more time.
I told myself it was fine.
I already did the best I could...
and got back some good compliments.
Even if that role wasn't mine anymore, I was happy. That's what...
I kept telling...
Well...
Basically, I emptied out my expectations.
But when I did that, that role became mine.
And a little after that,
"Marco Polo" called me back...
saying they wanted to cast me.
(Tearing up)
(She didn't become "Marvel's Cinderella" by magic.)
(She learned to let go...)
(and learned to firmly wait for the opportunities.)
(She can't help but cry when she remembers those moments.)
I'm sorry.
- I think she still feels very thankful. - Yes.
It's because she was really desperate for it back then.
She can talk about it like it was nothing,
but what she had to experience back then was...
(It's a difficult process to empty yourself.)
Actually, there are a lot of people...
who don't look well upon my activities abroad.
"Is she only taking Hollywood roles?"
But Hollywood isn't as glamorous as you think it is.
It's filled with difficulties as well.
You have to go without a manager.
You go abroad and live off the allowance that...
your agency gives you.
I have to be in charge of my own schedules...
and be in charge of communicating with the staff members.
I have to do them all by myself.
And because of that, there's bound to...
be a lot of cultural and spoken...
misunderstandings.
This life as an actress...
had a lot of ups and downs.
It made me reflect...
and look inside myself.
It helped me see a world beyond what I could have imagined...
and helped me meet so many different people around the world.
Also, even now, I can't predict what my future will hold.
I don't know how long I'll be able to do this thing.
But rather than being anxious and nervous about that,
I find myself always looking forward to whatever will come next.
Anyway, I'm telling you this story...
If there's anyone here...
who's also worrying by themselves...
If there's anyone who's also trying to find their identities...
To those people,
I want to tell them that it's all right.
(It's okay to stop.)
Sometimes the anxieties that rises from stopping...
can become the driving force that'll help you...
fly even further than you can now.
(Sometimes, those anxieties can becoming the driving force.)
Thank you.
Actually, I first found out about...
Claudia through an article saying she would appear on the "Avengers".
I thought she was a "Cinderella".
But she had to go through that kind of situation...
to get to where she is now.
When you failed the audition,
you've endured, telling yourself that the...
"No" of today will become the "Yes" of tomorrow.
Whenever I fail something,
I can't help but feel sad and upset, trying to figure out where I went wrong.
How were you able to change your negative thinking into a more positive one?
I think that...
you shouldn't live for the sake of becoming someone.
Instead, you should live just as you are.
I don't know if this will answer your question,
but don't you think transforming those...
negative thinking into positive ones...
is more effective in the long run? At least, that's what I think.
Thank you.
I wanted to ask what kind of...
actress you wanted to be remembered as...
from the people of Korea.
I would really like to act in roles that feel like...
people you can find in your everyday life.
Something I can relate to better.
Something that feels like me and is close to my age?
Whenever I play the cold woman, it feels uncomfortable and feels really cheesy.
But anyways,
a lot of people say that because I lived abroad,
I don't seem very Korean. Sometimes, they say...
my tall height makes me...
look too fierce.
But those are problems I'll have to solve on my own.
I'll have to keep looking for new ways to challenge myself...
so I can show you something outside those roles. I hope you can look forward to it.
Thank you.
(Actress Claudia's busking ended.)
All right. The total amount we were able to gather for As I Say was...
a total of 126 dollars.
After ending the busking performances of the the 16th episode,
I'm sure everyone wants to know. How many money did the buskers collect?
Let's start by revealing the amount...
starting from the first busker, Cho Seung-yeon.
- Yes. - This is very serious business.
We're very serious.
There were instances where someone got 8 dollars...
and suddenly got 50 dollars after their second performance.
You should empty your expectations of collecting a huge amount.
- I'm sorry but I can't do that. - I see.
The first busker, Cho Seung-yeon, collected...
(First busker, Cho Seung-yeon, collected...)
- Cash included. - Okay. So?
You got 29 dollars!
That's a lot.
- Yes. - That really is a lot.
- That is a lot. - It is.
That's amazing.
Some people walk by and come inside,
thinking he's Choi Za of Dynamic Duo.
(He looks like Choi Za of Dynamic Duo.)
- All right. The second... - Yes?
How much did Kang won-guk collect?
Wow.
- Together, they collected 65 dollars! - Wow.
(Cho Seung-yeon and Kang won-guk got 65 dollars.)
(Jealous)
You don't look very happy.
(Sad)
Last but not least, how much did we collect, including Claudia?
We'll show you after the commercials.
Once again, As I Say have ended successfully.
Everyone.
We'll continue to do our best next week as well.
They laughed.
All right. Next week,
- As I Say. - Yes.
Thank you.
(A busking special about turning your life around!)
(From backstage dancer to being awarded the grand prize as an entertainer...)
(The entertaining genius, Kim Jong-min)
(Overcoming her slump,)
(making a comeback as the "Roman Princess"...)
(A pure art entertainer, Solbi)
(A country kid who became a Korean traditional music idol.)
(A master of voice, Song So-Hee)
(As I Say, On Wednesday night at 9:30pm.)
Subtitles by OnDemandKorea