There’s nothing like meeting the people that made you laugh for the first time. The cast of “Running Man” is more than just a group of celebrities visiting the country for the first time. They are friends who have been with us through good and bad times. And watching their smiles and laughs in person is a dream come true.
The fan meet “Running Man: A Decade of Laughter” on April 1 felt more like a reunion. The event that was postponed for several times because of COVID-19 was finally held in Manila. Yoo Jae-suk, the show’s main emcee, walked to the center of the stage, bowing in a perfect 90 degrees to show his respect and gratitude to the audience who waited long to meet them. Jee Seok-jin, Yang Se-chan, Haha, Kim Jong-kook, Song Ji-hyo and Jeon So-min joined him to perform BTOB’s ballad “Missing You.” It was their way of telling their Filipino fans that they too yearn to meet them in person.
The event was promoted and organized by Pulp Live World.
Look, ma! I’m famous
Two local hosts join the “Running Man” crew. Pulp’s regular host Kring Kim is joined by TV host Ryan Bang for the night.
“We felt sad when we could not come to the Philippines because of Covid and we were really surprised that so many waited for us.” Haha said.
The crowd cheered, chanted the members names and waved the colorful lightsticks. The cast was excited to see the reception.
“I wish my mom was here, so she could see how famous her son is,” Se-chan said. Jong-kook delivered his message in English, saying that he was happy to be in Manila. The fanmeeting felt like watching the variety show live.
They came back in their “Running Man” uniforms. Seven fans were pre-selected to form a team with each member for the three-game relay. The team that finishes the mission the fastest receives personal items from the members as a prize.
It was utter chaos as every trick in the book was used to win the game, but Jong-kook proved to be superior when it comes to physical games. His team won the missions within 24 seconds.
Hype girl
The second game was the K-Pop dance quiz (similar to charade). Two fans who came in Running Man-inspired costumes were pre-selected to join the game. One of them is fan Kat Noble’s eye-catching hair-nose girl costume which was inspired by a character from one of the show’s episodes (473, to be exact).
Fan Mond Barcelon’s character was inspired by “Time Controller Haha”. They have been fans of the shows for years. They moderate and run the fan base Running Man Philippines. They were also the group that prepared for the fan projects.
The decision to wear the costumes paid off since the running man members were delighted to see them. A starstruck Barcelon got so mesmerized with Jae-suk dancing in front of him that he mirrored his movements, completely forgetting that he needed to face the next member when he’s doing it. Jae-suk burst out laughing.
Noble’s precise movements of NewJeans’ “Hype Boy” earned her praise from her teammate Ji-hyo. Running Man in Manila. The actress gave her a high five and applause from the other team who was watching while she was dancing. Barcelon won the polaroid, but Kat was able to join them in a photo op. The experience of sharing the stage with the seven members was already a reward for both.
It was their time to show their original jobs before they became part of Running Man. A reminder that, while they are funny, they are also musicians, actors, and entertainers.
“We are, we artist baby,” a line in Zico’s “Artist” goes and which Se-chan rapped and danced to. It was the perfect opening for the “music show”. Seok-jin, dressed in all white, looked like a leading man in a classic K-drama while serenading the audience with his version of Yeng Constantino’s “Ikaw.”
Amazing Manila
So-min danced to 2PM’s “My House” while Jae-suk came out in pink and sang the trot “Redevelopment of love.” He transformed into his trot singer character Yoo San-seul from “Hangout with Yoo”.
Haha’s did an explosive performance of the tongue-twisting “Dang Diggi Bang” and the reggae, “Don’t laugh.” Ji-hyocaptivated the crowd with her sexy dance performance of Brave Girls’ “Rollin.”
To complete the solo stages segment of the show, Jong-kook sang Adelle’s “Easy on me,” and his widely popular ballad, “One man”.
After their solo stages, they went on to perform six more songs which fans can now listen to in Running Man PH’s Spotify Playlist. The entire program was well thought out from the stage, light, sound, costumes and the passionate performances. This brand of excellence is probably one of the reasons why it is the longest-running variety show in Korea.
“The response of our fans in Manila has been amazing,” Jae-suk said. The cast hinted on returning to show more of their side. In the fan-made video for the cast, Filo runners of all ages shared how their show touched their lives. The members clapped for the viewer who claimed that watching the show enabled her to learn the Korean language which became the reason why she was hired for a job.
Constant companion
Jong-kook’s “Loveable”, which was once the show’s theme song, was performed by the members as the closing number. It was nostalgic. For the encore, they requested that the audience sing along with them.
The members took part in writing the lyrics of the song “I like it” for the show’s 9th anniversary and was used for the fan project. When they sang the line that featured the name of former member Lee Kwang-soo, the crowd cheered and clapped in appreciation.
They sang two more songs for the encore. They made everyone feel that they do not want to leave the stage. They interacted with as many fans as possible, asking for their phones and taking photographs with them.
The fans appreciated what the cast gave them. After all, “Running Man” saw them through the lockdowns. They provided the much-needed laughter in the midst of the uncertainty. The cast were like a dependable friend or family member who were always by their side.
And while the screens of the phones or gadgets were wonderful, it does not match the emotion and joy of meeting the cast in person. The fan meeting provided an opportunity for the fans and the team to express the emotions that they have been meaning to say to each other.
Seok-jin, who said that Running Man is his life, would turn 60 in three years. But his energy from the three-hour-and-twenty-minute fan meeting demonstrated that he has no plans of slowing down.
Run forever
“We’ve been through difficult moments, but just like what Seok-jin Oppa said, we will keep running for as long as we can still run,” said Ji-hyo.
The fans, in turn, made a promise: “We will keep on running with you.”
Jae-suk shared how sometimes they wonder if they deserve the love that they have been receiving. But he said that the love gave them the strength to run. “As long as you’re there, we will keep on running.”
The members cherish their fans, and the fans cherish them. For one night, the Mall of Asia arena was transformed into a magical universe where everyone was given the mission of creating and collecting lovely memories. Everyone went home a winner.
