Fans will still come running to them even when all the hair on their head have turned white. On July 6, members of Running Man, the longest variety show in South Korea, returned to the Mall of Asia arena for “Run 2 U: Running Man live in Manila,” their second fan meeting in the Philippines promoted by Pulp Live World. The show ran for more than three hours with Jee Seok-jin, Yoo Jae-suk, Kim Jong-kook, Haha, Song Ji-hyo, and Yang Se-chan playing three games and performing 18 songs.
Members of Running Man Philippines, the local version of the show, opened the night with a song and dance performance of OPM hits.
Pom michyeotda
After serenading the PH Runners (fandom) with “Spring Day” by BTS, the members greeted the screaming crowd with “Salamat po!” The show had Kring Kim and Ryan Bang as hosts.
Ji-hyo playfully taught the audience the phrase “Pom michyeotda” which Ryan explained to be equivalent to the Filipino slang “astig. Jong-kook explained the phrase in English by saying that “pom” means form and “michyeotda” means crazy.
On July 7, the show had aired 712 episodes. It celebrated its 14th anniversary on July 11. When you add the age of the members, the sum would be 284, with the average age at 47. The cast has worked hard to maintain enthusiasm and not lose passion even after doing the show for a very long time.
Similar to the games played in episodes of the show, the fanmeeting were a battle of wits, stamina, and knowledge among the members. In “All About K-pop,” they had to listen to identify the titles of three songs playing simultaneously and identify them based on the choreography. When Seok-jin was giving his answers, Jae-suk tickled him from behind to block him from winning. This was the kind of interaction that the fans are going for: sabotage and shameless cheating.
Solo stage
Just like last year, each member had a solo spot numbers. Ji-hyo performed BIBI’s “Bam Yang Gang” while her backup dancers wore masks featuring the faces of the other members. The crowd’s screaming got louder when she danced with the one wearing the Jong-kook mask. They are one of the show’s famous pairings in the show, known as Spartace, a name derived from their combined aliases: Sparta (Jong-kook) and Ace (Ji-hyo).
Seok-jin charmed the audience with his steady vocals, singing John Legend’s “All of Me.” The youngest member, Se-chan, surprised everyone when he appeared on stage with a piano immersed in his parody of Freddie Mercury’s 1985 Live Aid rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” From the mustache to the all-white attire and the famous call-and-response part where he asked the audience to repeat the melodies he was singing, Se-chan must have practiced a lot to deliver a flawless performance for the Filipino crowd.
Haha’s electrifying performance of “Ice Bottle” with “SRG,” a newly formed duo under his agency, transformed the venue into a festive party place. Earlier, the other members teased that he should perform as if his Waterbomb Festival invitation depended on it. Jong-kook romanced the audience with back-to-back renditions of his original songs, “One Man” and “Spring Has Come.” Jae-suk’s Yoo San-seul character from his show “Hangout with Yoo” completed the solo spots with his performance of the trot “Redevelopment of Love.”
Playlist
The members also performed as units, with the PH Runners anticipating the “Spartace” number. Fans can reminisce about their favorite performances from the fan meet by listening to the playlist created by Running Man PH, the official fandom of the show in the Philippines.
Runners who participated in cosplaying as their favorite “Running Man” characters had the chance to meet the members on stage. They played the “Telepathy” game and received gifts from the members.
After taking a photo with the 14th-anniversary cake prepared by Running Man PH, they performed five more songs.
“Thank you to everyone who loves Running Man,” Jae-suk said.
“We always tell ourselves who are we to deserve this much love? But thanks to your love it will keep us going and wanting to do better,” Seok-jin added.
The members took fanservice into the next level when they started giving autographs and selfies to fans in different sections of the floor, up until the final song and all the confetti had fallen.
“Thank you.” “Kamsahamnida.” “Salamat, Philippines.” The members expressed their gratitude to the audience in various languages as they slowly exited the stage, promising to return.
But if you’re impatient and want to see them again, you can run to their next fan meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 10. Who knows? They might recognize you and say, “Pom michyeotda!”
