Running Man: Episode 256

by gummimochi

Why I’d be that happy too if I knew that 2PM was coming over to my house. One fan gets a special treat this week by inviting our cast and guests into their home. The teams will duke it out to try and decipher hints by any means possible, whether that means dealing with some torn shirts, wrestling in the mud, or simply gathering the courage to jump into the air.

EPISODE 256. Broadcast on July 19, 2015.

As a fervent Running Man fan, one young boy texts our PD with a request: Could the entire cast come visit his house? That segues into today’s preview showing off our guests to the tune of 2PM’s latest single “My House.”

So it goes without saying who today’s guests are, but let’s give ’em an intro anyway: 2PM’s Chansung, Taecyeon, Nichkhun, Lee Junho, Jang Wooyoung, and Jun. K (otherwise known as Kim Minjun).

Nichkhun says today’s games ought to be six times as hard (since he knows they’re always in for a grueling day whenever he shows up) because the entire group is here. Last but not least, they’re also joined by actress Baek Jin-hee (Pride and Prejudice, Empress Ki). Jin-hee recognizes Kwang-soo because they once filmed a commercial a few years back, but insist that they’re just acquaintances.

Today’s rules will be relayed live through Kakao via the aforementioned young fan, and our teams — Running Man vs. 2 PM (plus Ji-hyo), natch — are not allowed to ask for demographical hints. Watching Jae-suk struggle with the smartphone only annoys the others, but thankfully the fan goes ahead to introduce the mission with the final destination being his house.

That darned auto-correct changes Jaesuk’s text of “Are you a girl (sonyeo)?” to “Girls’ Generation” (sonyeo shidae). Picking up on the fan’s use of ajusshi, the group surmises that they’re dealing with a young fan. And then they accidentally leave the chat room. LOL.

Taek PD goes ahead with a proper rundown for today’s “Come To My House Race,” where they’ll be getting strong or poor hints to this fan’s house. The first team to get there and gives that fan a hug, wins.

In the car, Junho remarks that they’re driving through his former neighborhood near Ilsan. After momentarily wondering if it could be Junho’s mom, the team wonders if it might even be a celebrity.

Meanwhile, the Running Man team is busy asking what kind of guy Jin-hee is into. She likes funny guys and thinks all the 2PM members are handsome, and that somehow opens up the topic of which member the RM guys would like if they were girls: Suk-jin: “Wooyoung” Gary: “Taecyeon” Jong-kook: “Junho.”

Having arrived first, the 2PM boys try out the four-seater cross seesaw that leaves them frightened and yet oddly intrigued. The game is Seesaw Nametag Ripping where four guys on each team will ride the seesaw while their lady captain tries to tear off their nametags. The team with the fastest elimination time wins the round, and the best two out of three wins the game.

Told that the ladies can use “any means necessary,” Ji-hyo asks to make sure Taek PD really means those words. The captions give us a warning: No one knew at the time how vicious these two ladies are…

Suk-jin loudly whispers into Jin-hee’s ear to give her tips on rock-paper-scissors, only for her to jump a foot at the sudden proximity. Jin-hee wins the match anyway, and then chooses to start with playing offensive first.

Right from the start, Jin-hee tries to literally pull Nichkhun down to Earth, instead of trying to grab someone more at her level. But no matter, she pulls… and rips Nichkhun’s shirt. Ahahaha.

She keeps moving to rip off the second and third nametag before trying to climb onto the seesaw itself. On the other end, Taec sprawls on the ground in order to keep Chansung high in the air.

But Jin-hee is nothing if not determined, using her strength to tip the scale to her favor. She misses her first chance but Jin-hee pulls down the seesaw again to tear off Chansung’s nametag seconds after he hollers that his team might win.

Now it’s Ji-hyo’s turn, but moments before the round begins, the camera director checks that they have a camera on Jae-suk. Despite Spartakooks sitting on the other end, Ji-hyo’s easily able to pull Kwang-soo down to her level to eliminate him.

Ji-hyo pulls Jong-kook down too and chomps down on his calf (oww), which ejects him out of his seat and sends Kwang-soo crashing to the ground. And then getting rid of Gary is a piece of cake.

It goes without saying that the 2PM team has won the first round. For the second round, one male team member will be doing the ripping; while they can grab onto people’s bodies, they can’t touch the seesaw.

Taecyeon is up first and digs behind Kwang-soo to grab his nametag. Eliminating the other Easy Brother is easy too, but it’s getting to Jin-hee that’s the problem. Because she’s climbing up and around her seat to avoid Taec. Heh, the captions call her “the Jin-hee-us,” a play on words from “genius.”

So he moves onto Haha, who is standing up in his seat. An easy pull brings him back down. Frustrated, Taec climbs onto the seesaw itself, and his weight brings it back down. On the other side, Kwang-soo rises and smashes his family jewels into the handle. Owww, that’s gonna hurt.

Taec gets a piece of Jin-hee’s shirt only to lose it moments later. A simple jump-and-grab finally does the trick, though.

Jong-kook asks if it’s okay if he draws a little blood, and as soon as the whistle blows, he eliminates three members in less than fifteen seconds. Wooyoung tries holding on as the last contender, but it’s no use and Jong-kook takes him out too.

The official record for Jong-kook? A cool 29 seconds. This means the teams are tied 1:1 coming into the third round, and there are even more rules in place: no grabbing or climbing onto the seesaw. Conversely, the ones on the seesaw must remain in their seats.

The 2PM boys worry about facing Kwang-soo, whose long limbs could reach them even without jumping. And then Taecyeon asks Jin-hee if she’s wearing an undershirt. Why do you ask—are you looking for a little vengeance for Nichkhun’s ripped shirt earlier?

Of course the cast spins that question the more inappropriate way before the 2PM boys explain otherwise. Chansung easily takes out two nametags before honing in on Jong-kook. Once he does, Chansung meets his last obstacle: trying to jump and reach Jin-hee.

He keeps trying, and then you see it—the bit of yellow that tells us he’s accidentally ripped Jin-hee’s shirt. Cut to: Taec immediately trying to explain himself. Pulling on it only makes it worse, and Kwang-soo literally offers the shirt off of his own back for Jin-hee. Haha: “Are you happy now Taecyeon!”

Kwang-soo’s chivalrous gesture backfires on him afterward, with the guys saying that he’s been trying to grab any opportunity to show off his toned muscles lately. Taek PD honestly announces that Chansung’s record wasn’t that great, to which Jae-suk adds that the entire situation wasn’t that great.

Once the round starts, Kwang-soo eliminates Junho before moving on to Taec by grabbing him in a headlock between his legs. Most of the time it’s Kwang-soo’s butt all up in Taec’s face, but Kwang-soo decides to move on for now.

His idea of trying to pull her hand and then her hair backfires on him, as Ji-hyo kicks him back despite his repeated apologies. He keeps a firm grip on her shirt… well perhaps too fim because he ends up with a bit of shirt, too. Pfft, is this going to be a running gag today?

Kwang-soo eventually tears off Ji-hyo’s nametag before running back to Taecyeon. He starts dragging Taecyeon’s legs into the handle and we all know where this is heading. But thankfully Kwang-soo straddles him instead and tries his damndest to flip him over and tear off that final nametag.

Time to examine the numbers: Kwang-soo clocks in at 2 minutes and 24 seconds whereas Chansung comes in at 2 minutes and 15 seconds. The 2PM team drink in that nine-second victory, and Jae-suk jokes that Jin-hee’s getting ready to sue for that ripped shirt.

Both teams are given two digits to the fan’s four-digit passcode; however, the Running Man team doesn’t know that the other two are the same digits. Deciphering the fan’s vocab has the mat-hyungs thinking that they’re definitely dealing with an older fan, but we know better.

Our second game leads our teams to a pool with a basketball hoop. Hm, a dunk-off maybe? The original “beast” idols claim that they’re at a loss here because they’ve got poor hand-eye coordination.

They’re told that yes, they’ll be jumping off of the platform to shoot the ball into the hoop. It’s just that said hoop will be a full twelve meters away from their launching pad. And that means everyone will end up in the pool.

Not only that, the hoop rises another six meters. Holy crap, that looks impossible. When Jong-kook says all they need to do is get a bank shot, the hyungs remind him just how terrible he is when it comes to basketball.

No basketball-related game is complete without the epic Last Match soundtrack, and I love the player profile we get from each member. Take for instance Grasshopper Shooter Jae-suk, whose strength is keeping his cool but he’s just awful at basketball.

It takes Jae-suk a minute before he runs up and off the board, the ball flying through the air. Unfortunately for him, it hits the backboard. At least you looked cool in the air?

Hee, Chansung’s stats are pros: is strong; cons: is only strong. Chansung starts running, but then stops a few steps later because Jae-suk tapped him on the elbow. Hehe, way to throw off a boy’s game.

Once Chansung does shoot, the ball looks good in the air, but falls short. Jin-hee’s profile tells us that she’s petite and strong, but not that strong. The staff reduce the distance by five meters for the ladies, and then Jin-hee runs off looking like she’s going to chuck it…

… and falls right into the water. Aw, it’s adorable. Taec’s shot hits the rim but bounces off. So close! Jun. K’s shot, however, is the first one that makes it… or so it would seems because another shot shows us that it hit the netting instead.

Next up is the Running Man team’s basketball star Haha, who’s proven to be able to dunk a shot or two. He’s got a rep to live up to, and he flies into the air… then it hits the backboard. Aw man.

Hahah, even the RM staff can’t think of a decent weakness for all-around star Nichkhun. But even he can’t make a basket, as the ball flies over the backboard to the other side. Jun. K: “In one fell swoop, you’ve ruined that image you’ve built up all this time!”

Now it’s Jong-kook or bust for the Running Man team, and evidently the staff can’t think of a good weakness for him either. Ooh I know, I know—women! And well, any sport that involves a ball.

Jong-kook runs off the platform while simultaneously shooting the ball… which sinks into the net. Whoa, now that’s impressive.

Both teams are allowed some time to speak with the fan’s mother, who can only answer yes or no questions. Jin-hee confirms that the fan isn’t middle-aged nor a celebrity, and Wooyoung asks two questions before hanging up. Even if they didn’t get too much information, Jin-hee can tell that the mother sounded quite young.

The 2PM team arrives at their third and final location to see a large portrait of Ji-hyo, who is currently trying to wake up from her nap. There are two rooms—one of Ji-hyo and another of Jin-hee—both of which are beautifully decorated.

And then there’s a giant mud pit. Yeah, you knew it was too good to be true. Entitled “Why’d You Come To My House,” the rules are as follows: the teams will face off singing the lyrics to the above song, then the offensive team will hone in on their target and try to take off one of their shoes within the time limit. Should the defensive team hold out by the time limit, the point is moot, and the first team to eliminate three members first, wins.

The Running Man team are up to charge in first, thanks to Jin-hee winning the rock-paper-scissors match again. Jong-kook is confident in hunting down just about anyone.

That’s exactly what the 2PM boys are worried about right now, the memory of Jong-kook eliminating them all in an instant still fresh on their minds. So it’s no surprise that they’re hesitant to approach Jong-kook if they can help it.

The Running Man team’s first target is Taecyeon. Somewhere in the ensuing chaos, Kwang-soo bends down to grab Taec’s leg and his shoe. Oh and remember that shirt-ripping parade earlier?

Jae-suk is the first victim to that in this game. Next thing we know, he’s back wearing a plastic bag. Hahaha.

The 2PM team is given the chance to attack in the next round, and they’re feeling a lot more confident than earlier. Gary’s the target in this round, as he flies around the pit to evade his captors.

Gary just keeps running until Chansung grabs a fistful of his shirt. Everyone piles on top of him, and then Wooyoung proudly shows off Gary’s shoe. And his victorious abs, along with Chansung’s. Suk-jin: “Can we get four blue plastic bags here?” LOL.

It’s a quick decision for the 2PM team to settle on their next target: Suk-jin. Everyone piles over him too, and Gary tells him to curl his toes. And if you can believe it, Suk-jin holds on for the full minute.

Jae-suk shows off his surprisingly sturdy plastic bag uniform, while Taec returns with an umbrella to shade his teammates. We skip ahead to after Haha is eliminated, and Jin-hee shows off a bit of aegyo after losing the first rock-paper-scissors match to go for a best two out of three.

It works, and Jin-hee wins the second match. Chansung gets upset when his hyungs rag him for it, reminding them that he won the first match. Then he makes up for it by winning the third match.

Kwang-soo’s the next target, whom they grab within seconds. Wooyoung comes out victorious with his shoe, winning the last game for his team.

The teams are given hints to the fan’s address, and then Suk-jin realizes that it’s his home address. Could it be little Hyun-woo? It would explain a photo of Jae-suk holding him as a baby. Junho: “Is that why he said he liked Suk-jin and Jae-suk the most?”

Haha suggests that Suk-jin get his wife to speak with Jin-hee, since she could recognize the voice. So Suk-jin tries calling, only to get a busy signal. Hm, suspicious.

Realizing that many of Suk-jin’s neighbors are celebrities themselves, Suk-jin wonders if it could be Junsu, Lee Jong-hyuk’s son. But Junsu would be considered a celebrity since he’s been on television before.

Suk-jin still can’t believe it even when they pull into his apartment complex’s parking lot. Arriving at the door, he tries inputting his usual passcode… but it’s been changed. Uh oh.

A voice from the other side asks them to input the passcode, to which Suk-jin answers, “Are you really going to do this? Honey… can you open the… ”

As Suk-jin continues to rack his brains, his son calls out: “It’s a really easy number!” So Suk-jin tries 0000, and eureka—it works. And there he is, little Hyun-woo, also known as Dad’s No. 1 fan, as he gives his dad a hug. Awwwww.

Suk-jin’s wife, Ryu Soo-jung, is thoroughly proud of herself for having deceived everyone. She looks incredible for being a mother to a tween, and Suk-jin says she overdressed for the occasion.

Suk-jin embraces his son once more to give this mission an official ending, and I just can’t get over that warm smile he’s wearing. And then the 2PM team appear from their hiding place.

Aha, so they’d turned up fifteen minutes earlier and even got Suk-jin’s exact apartment number from one of his young neighbors. Not just any neighbor, too—Lee Jong-hyuk’s eldest son Tak-soo, to be exact.

Thanks to his help, the 2PM team walked into the right apartment and hugged Hyun-woo. Asked if that actually happened, Hyun-woo readily answers that it did. Hehe. Suk-jin: “Who did you hug?” Hyun-woo: “Everyone.”

Jae-suk mentions how great it is that Suk-jin has come home earlier than usual (around 3 AM) today, to which Suk-jin says, “We’ve got something else to film too, right?”

Both wife and son are given a chance to speak, and they share the same sentiment: that Suk-jin will win someday. I think discovering that your son cares enough about the work you do is more than enough, don’t you?

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