On Sunday’s episode, two stars make their first-time-ever appearance on popular variety show Running Man (RM). Guess who? Both guests are starring in upcoming movie, Detective: The Beginning. They are none other than leading man Kwon Sang Woo and veteran actor Sung Dong Il! Watch them in action as they join the cast members on a mission to find out who their mysterious client X is. And perhaps be in for a surprise?

Actually, I haven’t been faithfully watching every episode each week but how could I miss this one?! It’s Kwon Sang Woo from hit drama Stairway to Heaven 😉 It seems that he’s been working on movies in 2015 ever since his drama Temptation from last year. I hope he makes his dramaland comeback soon! Maybe sometime next year…? Hopefully. Then we have Sung Joon’s appa (That’s his son who was on MBC’s variety show Dad, Where Are We Going?) who must be a familiar face in kdramas. He starred in It’s Okay, That’s Love (Kwangsoo too!) as well as Fugitive Plan B, to name a few. He was also in film Chronicle of a Blood Merchant released in January.

[Episode 264 begins]

  

Following the opening sequence, someone enters a rooftop. It’s Yoo Jae Suk, who is the legendary quick-witted detective for today. Hahaha he sure lives up to this name! Then our guests make their entrance: Sung Dong Il smiles as he walks in while Sang Woo tries to act secretive by covering his face with his coat. They sure look cool in shades! And Jae Suk goes, “Sang Woo ah, what are you doing?” LOL. After a greeting he continues to say that he’s seen Dong Il on other programs, but it’s been a long time for Sang Woo. Dong Il then mentions that they would be filming at Sang Woo’s hometown for the day: Daejeon. Sang Woo replies that he’s never been in this neighbourhood before kkk which prompts Jae Suk to ask which part of Daejeon he lived in: Dunsan-dong!

  

Jae Suk remarks that it’s been quite a while since Sang Woo was on a variety show and how Jung Jun Ha (JJH, another comedian) always talks about him and So Ji Sub. To that, Sang Woo says that they were really close which Jae Suk laughs at how he used past tense hahaha. Sang Woo finishes his sentence by making a remark that it’s a pity. (Awww you can always guest star on JJH’s variety shows! I’ll welcome that ^^) The PD then tells them that they would be leaders of their team. Jae Suk finds joy in that and questions, “So our subordinates are over there?” Hee. Then Dong Il jokingly asks Jae Suk if they can abuse their power HA. They’re supposed to select fellow team members via name tag elimination and are told that the RM members are already on a stakeout.

Meanwhile, the rest of the members are told to hide as detectives will be coming to look for them soon. Once their name tag is ripped off, they would be part of the detective’s team. We see Ji Hyo and Gary using boards to act as physical barriers to cover them, and Suk Jin asking where a good hiding place is. Prior to that, they are made aware that they may not necessarily be eliminated and Suk Jin worries that he’ll be left on the shelf hahaha~

  

Cut back to the rooftop where PD-nim continues to give instructions with Dong Il asking, “Can’t we do it alone?” kkk. However, PD-nim informs them that the important thing is each team does not have to contain the same number of members. In short, the more you eliminate, the larger your team becomes. In the process, he is unsure about the total number of remaining RM members and Sang Woo is like, “How many years has it been and you don’t know how many of them are there,” (Haaa) to which Jae Suk plays along, “That’s because he only sees me.” Sang Woo goes, “Ah, the most powerful; so this is why everyone talks about you.” LOL. To that, Jae Suk laughs and tells him to stop it XD The talk about eliminating RM members to be part of the leaders’ teams continues and Dong Il says that he likes to do things alone. Jae Suk comments, “He’s like the lonely chief” and Dong Il replies that there are movie characters like that, then goes, “I don’t really think the members will be of any use…” Jae Suk then tells him Kim Jong Kook and he’s all, “If there’s anything physical, maybe.” With that, the detectives set off and Dong Il continues to provide humour by saying variety shows have gotten a lot simpler because they can just go like that.

  

In the car, Sang Woo muses that someone might end up alone and Dong Il agrees that there is a possibility. Sang Woo then says he’s going to catch Jong Kook, and reminisces that he met Jong Kook in a sauna about 5 to 6 years ago and it was awkward because there were only the two of them in the hot spring. And so they just sat there, quietly. Hahaha.

At the building, as Haha decides to move up one floor he does not forget to provide a tip to head to a floor that others cannot guess easily. And it must not be the topmost floor or basement, because that’s where most people will want to go first. He stresses that he’s pretty confident in running away as he’s been doing it for 5 years now. That’s when Jae Suk and co. arrives. Haha continues to relax until he spots Jae Suk’s VJ and starts running.

On the way in, Sang Woo says that he was going to run a lot today but he injured his leg while playing soccer the day before. Dong Il: “It’s been a while since I was on an SBS variety show.” Then his co-star tells us he was hired by SBS on their first recruitment and he recalls that it was back in 1991. It’s like he came back to his alma mater after some time!

  

The search begins! Sang Woo finds it a bit dark to see indoors with his shades on so he removes them to reveal his handsome face hee. Dong Il finds candy in the auditorium and munches on a lollipop haaa. Soon enough, Jae Suk finds Jong Kook and Kwangsoo hiding in the elevator. He tears off Kwangsoo’s name tag with ease and tries to catch Jong Kook but fails so they decide to part ways.

  

Suk Jin is spotted by Sang Woo as he was running away from hiding behind a pillar. (He had yet to find out who the guest was) Sang Woo gives chase at great speed, and it’s like he forgot about his injury. Eventually Suk-jin becomes the first member of Sang Woo’s team and he even thanks the actor for eliminating him haha! Amazed by Sang Woo’s good looks, he requests for a selfie together and asks if he can upload it on his SNS which Sang Woo readily agrees to. So cute lol

  

Dong Il’s team is still unfilled as he takes the elevator, still eating the lolly. He instantly spots Jong Kook hiding behind a pillar and rips his name tag off while giving him a hug. Later he tells Jong Kook to go rest and says he is enough for the team because it’s equivalent to 100 people when Jong Kook asks if they should catch the others. Sang Woo eliminates Gary, whom he says he wanted to catch since “Honey Family” (Leessang’s debut album back in 2002) and then Ji Hyo who said she got a shock when her sunbae-nim (Sang Woo) came to catch her. Jae Suk also completes his team with the help of Kwangsoo, who spots Haha in his attempt to blend in with the crowd playing golf. Haha wanted to see the guests so much, and had even avoided them at first but he still ended up on their team kkk 😀

Teams:

• Sang Woo, Suk Jin, Ji Hyo, Gary
• Dong Il, Jong Kook
• Jae Suk, Haha, Kwangsoo

  

Now that the teams are decided, they have to play a first game to determine the order of leaving for the mission site. And that is: blowing through their noses to knock down plastic bowling pins. The team who topples the highest number of bowling pins will get to set off first. And the number is cumulative, so it’s advantageous if your team has more members. It’s hilarious because a commotion erupts when Kwangsoo takes his turn and knocks down almost all the pins. Everyone says it’s unfair and when he does it again, he only manages to hit one pin down. Sang Woo is the first to take up the challenge for his team; when he takes position and is so poised to hit the pins…

Jae Suk comes up with a witty ad-lib saying, “I hope your mucus comes out!” That causes Sang Woo to giggle and lose focus, so he ends up with zero pins. Gary comes along and literally blows his nose in front of the bowling pins; everyone bursts out laughing and in his defense he says he really caught a cold. Ji Hyo and Suk Jin are unable to get any pins down as well. The team with the least members blew the most pins down while the team with the most members got none. Haha the irony. So the teams depart in this order: Dong Il > Jae Suk > Sang Woo.

Dong Il and Jong Kook receive an envelope with their mission card: Go to 5 different locations and complete each of the missions successfully to obtain a hint about client X! However they must use their surroundings at the venue to deduce what the mission is. That’s the same for all the teams, and the duo decide to head to the Expo Park first because it’s the closest from where they are. For the same reason, Jae Suk wants to go there with his team first but spends time debating with Kwangsoo and Haha because they want to go to either the dumpling shop or the bakery (Food kkk). It’s decided that the Expo Park would be their first destination.

On the other hand, Sang Woo’s team begins their journey towards the dumpling shop. En route Sang Woo says they’re passing by the university he used to attend and when he answers Gary that he majored in Fine Arts Education everyone is awestruck because they couldn’t tell!

We check back to the Expo Park where Dong Il’s team arrives and explores the place in search of anything that could be a clue. At Chungang market (near the dumpling shop), Sang Woo remembers that he used to visit here a lot as a kid; and it’s been 30 years. And that there used to be a famous theatre where he watched many movies when he was young. Precious memories~

Time is also running out because they have to get to the final venue by 4pm. Sang Woo and his team’s first try at the store is a dumpling game where they repeat “dumpling” 3 times with a specific rhythm and action, but it’s wrong. In the background we see citizens gathered outside the dumpling store with their smartphones out. (Everyone is a fan of RM! Hee) Eventually Suk Jin guesses correctly that they have to point out the mistakes on the menu board and eat the dumplings in that order, together with self-served water! And they succeed in getting their first hint on the phone: a backpack.

Team Jae Suk hears music at the Expo Park and follows the direction to find Kookie and Dong Il doing the Citizens’ Exercise with the accompaniment. They tease them jokingly and when they’re about to dismiss the idea that this is the mission, the music stops. It means they made a wrong step! Concluding that this is it, they want to challenge as well only to be chased away by Kookie to do it elsewhere hahaha. And so they start doing their version at another spot. Moments later, Team Dong Il succeeds and casually walks past the trio saying they’ve completed 2 missions here (the other at the observatory) LOL. They acquire their first hint too: a blue striped shirt! But it disappears in 10 seconds.

Having also completed the Expo Park mission, Team Jae Suk re-live nostalgic memories of a nationally famous children’s song and how school songs were like. Once they start thinking about the next location Haha and Kwangsoo gangs up to vote for the bakery/dumpling store. Just then Jae Suk dashes off towards the car HAH. And it takes a while before the other two realise and chase after him. Agreeing with his teammates, Jae Suk says that he will go to either the dumpling store or bakery and tells them to trust him..

And then we see Haha and Kwangsoo excitedly get off the car with Jae Suk trailing behind, but there’s no food and they see a mural instead. Jae Suk welcomes them to the mural village HAHAHA; since they’re already here they embark on their mission. Nothing is found until Haha spots a mini ‘R’ sticker on one of the murals. Since they were given cameras, they deduce that they have to take a picture with the murals in the background. Haha and Kwangsoo do all the searching with Jae Suk just following them. Who’s the boss now XD They obtain their hint: a black baseball cap.

Team Sang Woo is at Daejeon station. Sang Woo wonders if the hint they previously got is linked to the mission here. He notices the blue signage (colour of the backpack in the picture was blue). The team roams their surroundings and as Gary walks past a row of payphones, one of them rings. He answers it curiously and we hear one of the PDs on the other end of the line: “What is the colour of the sneakers PD Im Hyung-taek is wearing?” The team gathers and make random guesses because they can’t remember hahaha. Obviously it’s wrong so the PD hangs up. At the second call, Suk Jin tells Sang Woo to mumble “It’s…colour” LOL but he’s told to say it clearly. The line is cut as Gary calls someone and asks what coloured shoes PD Im is wearing. He’s told orange and he immediately tells the rest. We find out he had called his stylist when Suk Jin asks. The third call comes and it was funny when Suk Jin told Sang Woo to pick up the phone with confidence so he went, “What?” And even before the full question is posed he gives the right answer hahaha. They get their next hint: a pair of sunglasses.

  

Team Dong Il and Team Sang Woo bump into one another at the bakery. Apparently, Sang Woo and Dong Il had filmed at the exact same place for their movie! Ji Hyo spots an ‘R’ sticker on a board with the date when the famous fried pineapple bun in Daejeon originated. She alerts the others and soon they find a clue: “1980, F.P. One bite ah” Sang Woo excitedly stuffs a whole bun into his mouth but that’s not the mission. They’re supposed to feed one bite of the bun to anyone born in 1980 and once their birth year is confirmed by presenting their ID, it’s a success. Team Sang Woo gets another hint: jeans. The two other teams also obtain this hint, among others.

  

The three groups gathered in a room at the final site, National Science Museum. They have to walk around the 3-storey building with about 300 possible suspects where client X is hidden. However, each team can only send one member at once and take turns with their plan. Those in the room can scan the CCTV and communicate with the walking member through a walkie-talkie. And you only have one chance to check if the individual you think is Client X by bringing her to a booth. The problem is, it looks so confusing because everyone is wearing a mask and in similar clothing to what the client is supposedly wearing. And there are so many people!

  

Ji Hyo sees a lady and guides her along to a camera to ask her team if she is the correct one. At the same time, Kwangsoo spots the same person and follows, because she seems to fit his group’s hint. As Ji Hyo’s team didn’t get the baseball cap hint, they say it’s not her and she lets her go. So Kwangsoo seizes this opportunity and takes her with him to the booth.

The final mission is solved! And won by Team Jae Suk. It’s time to reveal the client’s identity! She appears and they thank her as Sang Woo steps forward to remove her shades…

  

He gets a shock when he sees his wife, actress Son Tae Young! Jong Kook is like, “You didn’t recognise your wife?” It seems like he really didn’t expect the client to be her haha. And he tries to make amends by saying he thought she was one of the celebrities and was honestly his type. They tell him it’s too late while Sang Woo tells a similar story that happened before. Tae Young makes everyone laugh by saying she walked with a man earlier to avoid suspicion when she saw Ji Hyo coming. Sang Woo is like, “Didn’t I tell you not to go out with other men” and she says she stays at home otherwise hahaha. And Dong Il tells Sang Woo, “Shouldn’t you give her a hug? She came all the way here for your movie.” Sang Woo scoops her up and spins one round. Awww. And he asks when this was planned. PD-nim tells him it was since a week before (the filming). The members wonder if he didn’t know about it at all before Tae Young explains that he was in the States. Sang Woo then quips, “Thanks to Running Man, my heart fluttered again when I saw my wife standing there.” LOL XD And she just shuts him up by covering his mouth kkk “You didn’t know it was me. What are you talking about?” Hahaha. But Sang Woo says he means it, and we know he does 😉

Team Jae Suk receive their prize: a golden magnifying glass each. Being the emcee, Jae Suk thanks the guests and Dong Il makes a final joke about his surname, “Sun Dong Il -sshi?” because Jae Suk speaks too quickly and his “Sung Dong Il” sounds like “Sun” hahaha. Cue applause~

[End of Episode 264]

That was one humorous ending hahaha. And Sung Dong Il’s remarks are so entertaining. He can do variety too! Kwon Sang Woo also used his acting skills in the phone call at Daejeon station and the last part hee 😀 I hope that both of them will come on Running Man again, in time to come!

Credit to SBS