Chapter One: The Weight

The overcast sky did nothing to calm Song Ji Hyo’s nerves as she made her way past the Suwon World Cup Stadium; gray clouds didn’t bode well for her future on Running Man.

There was a tightness in as she looked at Sung Gyu, the video jockey who had been assigned to her. She tried to smile, but staring into the lens of the black camera made her stomach twist. She had never been fully comfortable on variety TV. Acting was easy enough for her, since she played a character—Min Hyo Rin, Ye So Ya, or Seo Yu Jin. In variety, however, Ji Hyo had to play herself, only not her true self, a caricature. But no matter how unsettling it was to play a version of herself for the cameras, Ji Hyo needed this job. She hadn’t had any opportunities in film and television recently, and she couldn’t afford to refuse the offer from Im Hyung Taek (or Taek PD as most knew him).

Running Man was an action-based variety show, Taek PD had told her. So far, the cast had seven male members, but the PDs were looking for a female to make an even eight. Some of the PDs had wanted a cute girl who would act as a vitamin for the rest of the cast, but Taek PD had recommended Ji Hyo for the part, saying that an action-based variety show needed a girl that could hold her own with the men as well as play the cute role. Ji Hyo didn’t know if she could live up to Taek PD’s expectations, but she needed to try.

Ji Hyo examined the laminated piece of paper in her hands. The clue she’d been given had been written in hanja and had taken some effort to decipher. Now, she followed the cement path around the stadium towards the Martial Arts Platform. Some signs had pointed her in the right direction, but she honestly had no idea what the platform looked like or where it was exactly.

She glanced at the camera again and asked, “This place won’t be easy to find, will it?”

VJ Sung Gyu said, “The Running Man staff will be set up there. It should be fairly obvious.”

Ji Hyo nodded. Taek PD had told her there would be a trial period; she’d be a guest for two or three episodes so the staff could to see how she fit in with the other cast members. If they liked the element she added to the show, she would join the official cast. If she didn’t fit in, then they would find another female celebrity for the role.

The cement sidewalk turned into cobblestone with tufts of grass peeking through. Ji Hyo felt her high heels wobble in the cracks and had to extend a hand to balance herself. She glanced down at her carefully selected outfit—a silvery top, white pants, high heels—and silently cursed her vanity. She smiled at the camera and said, “I shouldn’t have worn high heels today.”

She needed to smile, laugh, and make jokes. She needed the staff and cast to realize that she was a part of Running Man, that Running Man wouldn’t be the same without her. This show was the Nation’s MC Yoo Jae Suk’s comeback, and in order to reestablish her acting career, Song Ji Hyo needed to be a part of it.

Ji Hyo had met Yoo Jae Suk before on his other variety shows Come to Play and Family Outing. The latter had been back in 2009, when she’d been trying desperately to advertise herself to gain a new role in a movie or drama. Almost a year had passed since then and Ji Hyo had done nothing but appear on more variety shows.

Jae Suk had been friendly and engaging whenever they’d met, and Ji Hyo was relieved that he was a part of Running Man. She knew the other cast members only vaguely. There was Song Joong Ki who had acted in A Frozen Flower with her, Ji Suk Jin the MC of Star Golden Bell, Lee Kwang Soo an up and coming actor, Kang Gary a member of the hip-hop duo Leessang, Haha a singer and member of the show Infinity Challenge, and of course, there was Kim Jong Kook.

Kim Jong Kook had been in the cast of Family Outing too when Ji Hyo had guested. They didn’t speak much on the set, though when they had, he’d been nothing but polite. The lack of conversation was partially Ji Hyo’s fault. She’d been a hardcore Turbo fan in her teens, even going to their concerts, and now she couldn’t make eye contact with Kim Jong Kook without remembering the romantic fantasies she used to have about him. She’d even watched him on X-Man and been jealous of his love line with Yoon Eun Hye.

The stairs up to the Martial Arts Platform were exhausting, especially in high heels. Ji Hyo gritted her teeth and bore the pain. VJ Sung Gyu led the way up the steps and through the stone arch, his camera pointed at her the entire time. Ji Hyo passed through the dark red doors of the historical archway and up the path towards the platform. Dozens of thick red pillars supported the truncated roof built in the old, Buddhist style. Sure enough, the Running Man staff sat together, a series of cameras pointed at the eight people standing in front of the Martial Arts Platform.

“Oh! Ji Hyo! Ji Hyo!” Yoo Jae Suk’s excited voice drifted down the slope.

Ji Hyo plastered a smile on her face, trying to banish the nervousness that had settled in her stomach. Besides the Running Man cast members, there were two guests: Goo Ha Ra, a member of the k-pop group Kara, and Lee Chun Hee, a fellow actor.

As she reached the Martial Arts Platform, Ji Hyo heard Jae Suk cry, “Ji Hyo and I are close!”

Ji Hyo laughed as she greeted the cast members and guests. She hardly counted meeting on two variety shows as close, but she wasn’t going to contradict the Nation’s MC.

Jae Suk walked over to where Jong Kook, Gary, and Haha stood and asked, “You guys don’t know Ji Hyo?”

“Why are you acting so close?” asked Haha in his usual raspy voice. “Why did you get rid of her last name? You should call her ‘Song Ji Hyo-sshi’.”

Ji Hyo was secretly glad Jae Suk had decided to do away with her last name. She needed the rest of the cast to feel comfortable with her, and dropping the formalities was a good way to start—though Ji Hyo wasn’t sure if she could ever call Kim Jong Kook anything other than “Jong Kook-seonbae”, not after years of screaming “Jong-Kook-oppa, saranghae” with other Turbo fans.

“You should not treat surnames lightly,” said Haha, who was still upset over Jae Suk’s casual speech.

Jae Suk grinned. “Do you like Ji Hyo?”

Haha mumbled a response, causing Ji Hyo to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. She’d never even met Haha before.

“I can talk to her informally because she’s my hoobae and sister,” said Jae Suk. Then, as if it came second nature to him, Jae Suk transitioned to his MC persona. He quickly maneuvered Ji Hyo to spot in line between himself and Song Joong Ki before turning to face the cameras and saying, “It seems as though Ji Hyo is the last one to come.” He glanced left and right before saying, “Where is Suk Jin-hyung?”

“I heard Suk Jin-hyung fainted,” said Joong Ki.

Immediately, the main cast members started rattling off comments about Ji Suk Jin trying to be the main character last time, about how he must have passed away, and how, for his sake, they shouldn’t mention his name for the rest of the filming. Ji Hyo laughed because she didn’t know what else to do.

“This time,” said Jae Suk, finally getting back to hosting. “Our Kwang Soo…” Jae Suk trailed off before asking, “Kwang Soo, why are you holding Joong Ki’s cardigan?”

Ji Hyo looked to her left and saw that, sure enough, Kwang Soo was holding a yellow cardigan.

“Aren’t you guys same-aged friends?” asked Haha.

“It was thrown to the side,” said Kwang Soo. He glanced at Joong Ki. “While I’m saying this, he should be taking the cardigan away from me.”

Joong Ki waved away Kwang Soo’s words. “It’s hot. It’s hot.”

“Joong Ki doesn’t seem to agree,” said Jae Suk.

Kwang Soo grimaced. “Joong Ki and I have very different styles.”

Ji Hyo looked at the slim and pretty-faced Joong Ki who had hordes of rabid fangirls and then at the tall, awkward-looking Kwang Soo with a face that looked older than its years. Yes, Joong Ki and Kwang Soo definitely had different styles.

“Certainly not,” said Jae Suk. After the laughter died down and with some prompting from the PDs, Jae Suk said, “All right, since we’re here, let’s split into teams. Who was the first person to arrive?”

“Lee Kwang Soo-sshi,” said Kim Joo Hyung PD (who was also apparently called Myuk PD).

The privilege of arriving first, it seemed, was to decide the teams.

Kwang Soo placed his hands behind his back and stood upright. “I want my leadership to be democratic. That’s why I’m going to ask everyone if they want to be with me or not.”

Ji Hyo had never considered herself someone who was quick on the uptake, but even she knew to look at her feet and not make eye contact with Kwang Soo. Sure enough, the other cast members stared blankly at Kwang Soo.

“Did you say something?” asked Jong Kook.

“Maybe the weather is too hot,” said Jae Suk. “Our brains aren’t working properly.”

Kwang Soo tried again. “Even though it’s so hot, who wants to be on my team?”

Haha and Gary laughed, while Jae Suk suggested, “Why don’t you pick one of the girls first?”

Ha Ra moved so that she stood next to Ji Hyo, and the two of them waited as Kwang Soo decide.

“The two of you must be very nervous,” said Kwang Soo gently.

“I’m not nervous at all,” said Ha Ra.

Laughter surrounded them, while Kwang Soo stumbled over his next words, which caused Ji Hyo to laugh even more. Ha Ra was quick-witted; Ji Hyo wished she’d been the one to say that.

“Kwang Soo might hold a grudge against you,” said Jae Suk.

“Ah,” said Ha Ra, still smiling. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay,” said Kwang Soo. “I’ll pick noona, Ji Hyo-noona.”

A wave of relief washed over Ji Hyo that she was picked first. Kwang Soo didn’t dislike her, at least.

“Are you all right with that?” Jae Suk asked her.

Out of nervousness, Ji Hyo just continued laughing, which caused the rest of the members to join in. Jong Kook’s booming laugh could be heard above the others.

“Kwang Soo’s going to be rejected by every teammate,” cackled Jae Suk.

Kwang Soo stiffened. Ji Hyo couldn’t tell if he was really upset or not, but she quickly said, “No, no, I wasn’t ready. Thank you for picking me.”

“Ji Hyo is so nice,” said Gary.

“I’m going to pick the next team member now,” said Kwang Soo once the conversation had died down. He paused dramatically before crying, “Haha-hyung!”

“Yah!” Haha celebrated as he walked across the platform to join Kwang Soo and Ji Hyo. Kwang Soo and Haha hugged as if they were old friends, which made Ji Hyo feel even more uncomfortable. Ji Hyo tucked her hair behind her ear and pasted a smile on her face. Sometimes, she hated her introversion.

“Why’d you pick Haha?” asked Jae Suk. “What’s your reason?”

Kwang Soo glanced down at Haha and said, with absolute seriousness, “Because he’s so cheerful and…” Kwang Soo stopped for a second and then kept going, listing off Haha’s traits with a straight expression.

The rest of the cast burst out laughing and Jae Suk said, “Why don’t you loosen up your neck tie, you’ll feel more comfortable.”

“I’m definitely not going to pick you,” said Kwang Soo, pointing sharply at Jae Suk.

Jae Suk turned to the cameras and said, “This is the first time Kwang Soo has directly said that he doesn’t like to be criticized.”

“It’s rare to see Kwang Soo show his true colors,” said Jong Kook.

“It happens when he’s really mad,” added Haha.

“Why did you pick Ji Hyo out of Ji Hyo and Ha Ra?” asked Jae Suk.

Ji Hyo brushed some hair off her forehead and quickly looked down. She didn’t want a comparison between her and Ha Ra. Folding her hands in her lap, Ji Hyo tried to look as though she was having the time of her life.

“Ha Ra-sshi and I don’t seem to work well together,” said Kwang Soo.

The cast was getting off-topic again (though they were having tremendous fun doing so), and after some hand signals from the staff writers, Jae Suk reminded Kwang Soo, “You still have two more people to pick.”

After a moment of consideration, Kwang Soo said, “Yoo Jae Suk-hyung!”

Kwang Soo and Jae Suk clapped, and Ji Hyo followed suit because it seemed like the right thing to do. Haha, on the other hand, turned to Kwang Soo with a mass of complaints—Jae Suk was annoying, he was naggy, he talked too much. No time could be wasted, however, since side conversations were dragging out the film time, so after a short argument between Haha and Jae Suk on who was more annoying between the two of them, Kwang Soo chose his next teammate, “Gary-hyung!”

Ji Hyo had never met the rapper Kang Gary before. She glanced over his appearance from the sunglass and the gray hat to his baggy sweatpants and had to admit that Gary was rather plain looking. Not necessarily ugly, but not handsome either. She applauded with the rest of her teammates as Gary joined them. A small part of her—the part that was still an ardent Turbo fan—wished the Jong Kook was on her team, but Ji Hyo pushed those thoughts away and smiled at her teammates.

“Even though we’re not sure why,” said Jae Suk, “but the people standing on this side,” he gestured to Jong Kook, Ha Ra, Joong Ki, and Chun Hee, “seem to have made bad impressions on Kwang Soo.”

Not long after that, Myuk PD put an end to the introduction scene. Ji Hyo felt relieved to step down from the platform. She almost tripped in her heels coming down, but Kwang Soo caught her arm and held her steady.

“Thank you,” said Ji Hyo.

“We’re going to win today, noona,” said Kwang Soo. “After all, I picked the teams.”

“Welcome to the show.” Jong Kook had come over to greet her. Ji Hyo tried not to stare. Jong Kook wasn’t traditionally attractive—he had small eyes and a pointed chin. However, he was a well-known workout-maniac among celebrities, and as a result of his frequent gym visits, he had a fantastic body. It didn’t help that the white t-shirt he was wearing showed off his build.

“You know Ji Hyo-noona?” asked Kwang Soo.

“She was a guest on Family Outing,” said Jong Kook. “She beat Hyori-sshi in pole wrestling.”

Ji Hyo felt her face warm. “You remember that?”

“It’s not often we saw a guest beat Hyori,” said Jae Suk, butting into the conversation. He smiled at Ji Hyo and said, “Come on, we need to change into our uniforms. We’re the pink team today.”

Ji Hyo received the gray-and-pink tie-dye shirt and pink overalls from one of the stylists, and then followed Ha Ra to the restrooms where they could change. Thankfully, there were no cameras in the restroom.

Ha Ra was chatty, talking about how excited she was to be on an action-based variety show and how she wished she could be on Yoo Jae Suk’s team. Ji Hyo smiled and answered all of Ha Ra’s questions. Yes, she wanted to join as a main cast member. Yes, she had worked with Song Joong Ki before. No, she had no idea what they would be doing on the show today. Ji Hyo was the elder of the two by ten years, but Ha Ra was definitely the more comfortable.

After changing, the Running Man cast split off into groups; Ji Hyo met up with Jae Suk, Kwang Soo, Haha, and Gary who were all dressed in the same pink uniform as her. One of the PDs explained the rules to the Away Team, that the group with the most money could leave the stadium at the end of filming. The other team would have to remain behind and serve coffee to the stadium employees. The teams earned money by winning games and by finding the plastic, golden piggybanks. However, the amount of money in each piggybank wasn’t revealed until the end of the show.

As her team drove towards Suwon World Cup Stadium, Ji Hyo’s heart started to pound again. The game was finally starting. Now, at least, she wouldn’t be standing around awkwardly while other people made witty comments. Now, she could do something, be active, show them just how valuable she would be as a regular cast member.

Jae Suk parked the car in the garage, and the Away Team made their way into the stadium. They were soon joined by the Home Team, who wore gray and blue tie-dye shirts and pale blue overalls.

Jong Kook and Jae Suk started to lead their teams through the hallway towards the field, but after some discussion, they both stepped back to allow Ji Hyo and Ha Ra to lead the lines. Ji Hyo felt her stomach turn as she stepped out from the tunnel onto the vast, green football field. The stands were multicolored—reds, yellows, green, and blues swirled together to create a psychedelic pattern—and a giant television overlooked the field.

There was a golden piggybank on a pedestal where the game ball usually was. Ji Hyo walked by it without thinking, while Jong Kook picked it up and said, “I think I’m supposed to enter with this.” He carried it like a football, resting it on his hip, and strutted into the stadium.

Once again, the groups lined up and faced the cameras, the Away Team on one side and the Home Team on the other. Jae Suk had just started his introduction when Ji Suk Jin, the last member of the main cast, came jogging in, still dressed in casual clothing.

With a grin, Suk Jin turned to the cameras and said, “Running Man—bang!” He made his hand into the shape of a gun and fired it.

The entire cast cringed in pain at the cheesiness.

Jae Suk introduced the concept for the day to the cameras, and then the group turned to watch the big screen, where the face of football player Jung Sung Ryong appeared to explain the rules. After, there was a break for the staff to finish setting up for the first round. The cast members stood around, talking amongst themselves.

“You should come back with the rest of Kara,” Jae Suk told Ha Ra.

Ha Ra giggled and nodded. “They told me to report back. If the show was fun, then they’ll all come next time.”

“Does winning count as fun?” asked Haha.

“We’re going to win?” asked Ha Ra.

“Do you see his muscles?” Haha pointed to Jong Kook’s massive biceps. “If we do chicken fighting again, he’ll take us all out.”

“In one move,” added Kwang Soo.

“You did chicken fighting?” asked Ji Hyo, finally managing to find her voice.

“We had a chicken fight against fifty civilians,” said Kwang Soo, quickly filling Ji Hyo in on the details. “And Jong Kook-hyung took out at least ten on his own.”

“He was the muscle chicken,” said Gary. “A complete machine.”

The conversation ended when Myuk PD told them to separate into their teams. Ji Hyo gathered in a half-circle with Jae Suk, Kwang Soo, Haha, and Gary; they made sure there was room in their circle for the cameras to get clear shots of their faces.

“It’s starting,” said Jae Suk, pulling out his smart phone. A message appeared on the screen.

“This is the place to go,” murmured Haha, reading the aloud.

Jae Suk clicked on the video. Ji Hyo watched, a little confused, as the video showed a football match. It might have been the FIFA World Cup, but Ji Hyo wasn’t certain. She wasn’t the biggest football fan around.

When the video was finished Jae Suk said, “Isn’t that the scene where they got into the quarterfinals?”

“Yes,” said Gary.

“What are we looking for?” asked Kwang Soo.

Jae Suk’s face was blank.

The Home Team was still talking amongst themselves as if they knew what the clue meant. Jae Suk didn’t know where the Away Team should go, but he figured it was better to intimidate the blue team than just stand around looking clueless. He led the way into the stands, jogging up the steep steps. Unfortunately, the Home Team only needed one look at their faces to know that they had no idea where the piggybanks were located. Laughing, the Home Team ran past, leaving the clueless Away Team behind.

“Good luck, noona,” said Joong Ki as he passed.

“Maybe we should just follow them,” said Gary, looking regretfully at the backs of the Home Team.

“We don’t need to follow them,” said Jae Suk. “We’re smarter.”

The Away Team found a map on the wall of the building, but it was useless since they weren’t sure what they were looking for. After staring at the diagram blankly, they decided to head back outside. However, after a couple minutes of wandering around the field and checking out the tunnels, Haha said, “Let’s go up. I think I saw a Memorial Hall when we walked in.”

“Would it be in the Memorial Hall?” asked Kwang Soo.

“It’s a memorable game,” said Haha. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Let’s run,” said Jae Suk, breaking out into a jog as they made their way across the damp football field.

Haha led the way towards the first floor. Ji Hyo trailed at the back, trying to conserve some of her energy. If she did became a regular cast member, maybe she would get fitter from all the running. “Don’t walk, run” was, after all, the slogan of the show.

“Yah! Home Team!” cried Haha abruptly.

Ji Hyo looked ahead to see the last members of the Home Team disappearing into the museum. Chun Hee and Joong Ki held the glass doors shut, preventing the Away Team from entering. Haha, Gary, and Kwang Soo pulled on the doors, until one of the PDs told them to stop before the doors broke.

After finally entering the museum, Ji Hyo jogged around amongst the football posters, television screen, historical jerseys, and winning footballs. The museum was huge, bigger than she thought a football museum could be, with multiple rooms and hallways. Through the glass walls, she could see the blue and pink uniforms of both teams. Joong Ki gave her a thumbs-up before continuing his search, and Jong Kook jogged by without even looking in her direction.

“Myuk PD told me there are four pigs in here,” said Jae Suk, catching up to Ji Hyo.

Still scanning the walls of the museum, Ji Hyo nodded. She had no idea where the golden piggybanks would be hidden.

“Oh! It’s here!” from further in the museum, Ji Hyo heard Ha Ra cry out. “Oppa! Oppa!”

“This way!” cried Kwang Soo. “Noona!”

“Go,” said Jae Suk. “I’ll find Gary.”

Ji Hyo followed Kwang Soo and Haha into a small auditorium where dozens of golden piggybanks rested on the cushioned seats. All five members of the blue team were already in the auditorium, picking up and examining the golden piggybanks. So far, all the piggybanks had been empty. There was shouting and chaos as Haha tried to pick up as many piggybanks as he could carry, and the Home Team was calling out to each other, trying to find a piggybank with actual money in it.

Jae Suk came running into the auditorium. He took one look at the numerous golden pigs and cried, “Yah! What’s going on here?”

“They’re empty,” said Haha. “All empty.”

From the front of the room, Jong Kook asked, “There’s none that have money in them?”

Ji Hyo shook the empty piggybank she was holding and shook her head.

Jong Kook glanced down at the one in his right hand and said, with a sly grin, “Looks like this is the only one with money in it.”

Jong Kook had barely finished speaking when the Home Team started to celebrate. Joong Ki and Suk Jin high-fived Jong Kook’s free hand and Ha Ra clapped excitedly. Ji Hyo glanced around at the rest of her pink team. There was exhaustion on Haha’s face and frustration on Kwang Soo’s. Haha dropped the three empty piggybanks he was holding onto the seats. He picked one up another one though and continued to carry it around. When Gary asked him about it, Haha just said, “It’s our secret weapon.”

“Gary found one,” said Jae Suk as they jogged out of the auditorium in search of more pigs. “He found one in a display case.”

“They’re in the displays?” asked Ji Hyo.

She hadn’t thought that the staff would be allowed to hide the piggybanks in the display cases, but apparently, they had gotten permission from the museum.

Suddenly, cheering could be heard from down the hallway, and Ji Hyo and Jae Suk hurried over to see which team had found the next golden pig. Ha Ra held up one of the golden piggybanks as her teammates cheered around her.

Ji Hyo turned away, ignoring the frustration building up inside her. She wanted to find at least one of the pigs. Right now, the Home Team was in the lead with two piggybanks to the Away Team’s one. If she found the last piggybank, then the two teams would be tied.

“Look!” cried Haha suddenly. Still holding the empty piggybank, he walked across the museum floor to a silver football in a display case. “I said the hint would be here—it’s this.”

“Ah, the victory ball,” said Jae Suk.

“We guessed that right from the start,” said Suk Jin.

Jae Suk quickly put on an arrogant expression and said, lying through his teeth, “We knew that from the beginning too.”

“Don’t lie,” said Suk Jin.

“I’m not.” Jae Suk kept his poker face. “We really knew.”

“Your faces were all blank when you saw the clue,” said Jong Kook.

Ji Hyo decided to let the older members of the cast argue amongst themselves. She wandered further into the museum, searching the display cases for any hint of the last piggybank. Because of her introverted nature, Ji Hyo didn’t come across as competitive at first glance. When she’d competed against Hyori in pole fighting on Family Outing, Ji Hyo had gone all out. She’d wanted to prove that she could take on Lee Hyori, the Nation’s Fairy. The cast of Family Outing had been surprised by Ji Hyo’s competitiveness, and she had felt a bit self-conscious afterward. When she’d been invited to join Running Man, Ji Hyo had vowed to curb her competitiveness, but now that she was running around the museum, Ji Hyo found the need to win burning inside of her.

By pure coincidence, she stumbled across Ha Ra kneeling on the floor behind a pillar. Ji Hyo stared for a moment, wondering why Ha Ra was hiding—then Ji Hyo let out a scream and leapt forward.

“Piggybank!” she cried. “Ha Ra has it! Ha Ra has the last one! Hurry!”

The Away Team had until the bell sounded to pry the last piggybank out of Ha Ra’s hands.

Ji Hyo grabbed onto Ha Ra’s shoulders, trying to hold the girl back so that Haha could get hold of the piggybank. Ha Ra held on tightly, screaming for her teammates. Suk Jin appeared in front of Ji Hyo, running to rescue Ha Ra and the last piggybank. Just as Suk Jin pulled Ha Ra from Ji Hyo’s grasp, the bell sounded, marking the end of the first search.

The rest of the blue team entered the area, cheering when they saw that Ha Ra had the last piggybank.

Once the cameras were set up, the Home and Away Teams gathered together and faced one another. Jong Kook, Chun Hee, and Suk Jin held a piggybank each, wide grins on their team’s faces.

Jong Kook placed his piggybank on his shoulder and said, “Our future looks very bright.”

Ji Hyo looked at the lone piggybank that Kwang Soo held and silently agreed with Jong Kook. However, there would be more challenges, and more opportunities to win money and piggybanks. Perhaps the Away Team could make a comeback.

“How’s this,” said Suk Jin. “We’ll play rock-paper-scissors, and the losing team gives up a piggybank.”

“Why?” asked Jae Suk, suspiciously.

“Because we have three,” said Suk Jin.

“We at least have to make it interesting,” added Chun Hee as the Away Team protested the insult.

“Let’s do it,” said Haha, nodding to his teammates.

Ji Hyo couldn’t help but smile. Gambling their last piggybank seemed fun. Rock-paper-scissors was a game of luck, and according to her mother, Ji Hyo had always been a girl of good fortune.

“We should do it,” said Gary.

“Are you good at rock-paper-scissors?” asked Kwang Soo.

“Are you?” asked Ji Hyo.

Kwang Soo blinked, surprised by her sharp comment.

“We’ll do it,” said Jae Suk. He turned to the Home Team, who were awaiting his decision, and said, “All right, we’ll bet one piggybank.”

The first round of rock-paper-scissors was Jae Suk against Jong Kook. Jong Kook was still carrying his piggybank on his shoulder, a pose that showed off his impressive biceps.

“So the team who has one person left wins, and they get the piggybank,” said Suk Jin.

“Let’s start,” said Jong Kook who finally took the piggybank off his shoulder.

“Rock,” said Jae Suk and Jong Kook together, “paper, scissors.”

Jong Kook threw a fist in front of Jae Suk’s face, causing Jae Suk to jump backwards a little. Both of them had thrown rock.

“What is this?” asked Jae Suk, trying to act as though he hadn’t just flinched. “Are you waving your fist at me?”

Jong Kook laughed. “I’m this kind of person—what about it?”

Ji Hyo smiled, but quickly covered . She didn’t want her inner Turbo fangirl to show.

Jae Suk won the next round, but he was quickly defeated by Suk Jin. When it was Ji Hyo’s turn, she faced Ha Ra. Ji Hyo threw out paper, but to her horror, she saw that Ha Ra had thrown out scissors. Apparently, Ji Hyo wasn’t “a girl of fortune” today. Turning back to her team, she could hear the others cheering Ha Ra’s success behind her.

On the next round, Gary threw out scissors too early. For a second, Ji Hyo thought it was an instant loss, but Ha Ra hadn’t noticed Gary’s scissors and had thrown paper. Immediately, the Home Team started to protest Gary’s bad timing, demanding a redo. Ji Hyo, without thinking, leapt forward and cried, “We won! We won! She threw paper! He gave her an advantage and she still threw paper! We won!”

Jong Kook, Chun Hee, and Joong Ki burst into laughter at Ji Hyo’s vehemence, and Suk Jin said, with mock awe, “Wow, Ji Hyo, you’re shameless.”

Jae Suk patted Ji Hyo on the shoulder. “Good job.”

“Is Ji Hyo-noona actually angry?” asked Chun Hee. “That scared me. This is my first time seeing her like this.”

Ji Hyo felt her face heat up. After vowing not to get too competitive, here she was arguing at the top of her lungs over a game of rock-paper-scissors. However, she couldn’t help but laugh at the other cast members’ shocked expressions. She buried her face in her hands and sunk to her knees, trying to hide her bright red cheeks.

In the end, Chun Hee won the rock-paper-scissors game, and the Home Team took all four piggybanks.

Ha Ra held the newly gained piggybank, joking about at how heavy it seemed. Haha moved behind Ji Hyo to pick something up from the floor. He reappeared, holding the empty piggybank that he’d brought from the auditorium.

“All right,” said Haha. “Let’s go one more round.”

Jae Suk took the piggybank from Haha. “Let’s play again.”

“It looks very light,” said Jong Kook, watching as Jae Suk held the empty piggybank easily. “It should be heavier.”

“Let’s see everyone’s acting skills,” said Suk Jin as Haha took the piggybank back. “If it’s good maybe we’ll play another round. Pass it to each other so everyone gets a chance.”

Haha placed the plastic pig on the ground and stepped back as if contemplating how to pick up a boulder. Ji Hyo placed her hands on her knees, watching with anticipation. She was an actress, so she didn’t doubt her ability to pull this off. However, Haha and Gary were musicians and perhaps weren’t up to skill level. She bit the inside of her cheeks as Haha stepped forward and bent down; the moment his hands griped the sides of the piggybank, however, he froze.

“Doing good,” said Jae Suk.

Haha bent his arms and knees, trying to pick up the pig. Then, he scrunched up his face with the feigned effort. He let out a growl of pain, as if shouting would give him extra strength.

“Oh, it looks very heavy,” said Suk Jin with approval.

“You’re unable to pick it up by yourself,” said Jae Suk, adding to the scene. “Kwang Soo, help him.”

Kwang Soo hurried forward to help Haha, but the moment they got the piggybank off the ground, it landed on Kwang Soo’s foot. Kwang Soo started to scream in pain and hit Haha’s hand, trying to get Haha to lift the piggybank.

Laughter bubbled up inside Ji Hyo. Haha had done much better than she’d expected, and Kwang Soo was hilarious.

“Gary-hyung!” cried Kwang Soo. He grabbed Gary’s left arm and pulled Gary over to help.

The three of them, Kwang Soo, Haha, and Gary managed to lift the golden pig, using Kwang Soo’s knee as support.

“Don’t let it go,” said Suk Jin. “Careful.”

“Ji Hyo,” said Jae Suk. “Ji Hyo, Ji Hyo, Ji Hyo.”

Jae Suk didn’t need to say her name over and over again; Ji Hyo knew what to do. She rushed forward to help the men with the piggybank, kneeling on the ground to provide support.

“Ji Hyo should lift it up by herself,” said Suk Jin.

Ji Hyo laughed. “I think I can do it,” she told her teammates. “Put it on my shoulder.”

“One,” said Haha, preparing them to lift the piggybank. “Two. Three.”

Kwang Soo, Haha, Gary, and Ji Hyo lifted the empty piggybank together and placed it on Ji Hyo’s left shoulder. Ji Hyo let her knees give out beneath her, crumpling to the ground. Kwang Soo and Gary kept their hands on the piggybank as if to help her.

“Great,” cried Jong Kook.

“She is an actress,” said Suk Jin.

Ji Hyo struggled to get up, swaying under the pretend weight of the piggybank. “Thanks for the hard work,” she said and then lifted the piggybank onto her head.

“Oh!” cried Suk Jin. “On her head!”

“She’s stronger than three men!” said Chun Hee.

Gary and Kwang Soo finally let go of the pig, and Ji Hyo was left holding a plastic piggybank on her head by herself.

“It looks light,” said Suk Jin.

“Yah,” said Ji Hyo. “You think this is light?”

“Her head must be killing her right now,” said Jong Kook, grinning.

Finally, Jae Suk came to take the piggybank from Ji Hyo. The moment she let go of it with her hands, Jae Suk fell to the ground.

The piggybank slammed on the tile floor and made a hollow smacking sound.

Everyone froze.

“Ah,” said Jong Kook. “The sound…”

“The sound,” said Suk Jin grimly.

Ji Hyo looked down at Jae Suk. He lay on his stomach, pitifully staring at the empty piggybank. The Home Team shook their heads sorrowfully, as if they really regretted Jae Suk’s failure. Ji Hyo couldn’t help but snicker at the pouting expressions on Chun Hee and Joong Ki’s faces.

“It was perfect from Haha to Ji Hyo,” said Suk Jin.

Haha, Kwang Soo, and Gary glared down at Jae Suk. Ji Hyo tried to glare as well, but her abdomen had started to hurt from all the laughter.

“So tragic,” said Chun Hee.

“They were doing so well,” said Jong Kook.

“Kwang Soo even sacrificed his foot,” added Joong Ki.

“But the hollow sound…” Suk Jin dropped one of the Home Team’s piggybanks on the floor, and the money inside clattered together, making a heavy thud as it hit the ground. “It should sound like this.”

“Our acting was good.” Jae Suk was half-laughing half-complaining as he spoke.

“But the sound,” said Suk Jin.

“We know it’s empty now,” said Jong Kook.

“It should have this sound,” said Suk Jin, and the team shook their four piggybanks to demonstrate the correct sound a money-filled piggybank should be making.

“It was a good effort though,” said Chun Hee.

“Noona was so strong,” said Joong Ki, clapping his hands together.

With that, the Home Team departed, leaving the Away Team without a single piggybank. As the other members of the Away Team started to berate Jae Suk, Ji Hyo glanced at Myuk PD. There was a smile on his face, even as he talked to the other writers. Apparently, he had liked the acting segment.

A wave of relief washed over Ji Hyo. She could do this. The PDs were starting to see what she was capable of. If she continued like this, Ji Hyo might just get the position as a regular cast member. And, Ji Hyo realized, she actually wanted the position. Not just for the sake of her career, but because she was actually having fun filming. Sure, her team was losing, but she’d gotten to act and she’d laughed so much that her muscles ached. This was fun. Running Man was fun.