Chapter Four: The Struggle

Jong Kook should have known Jessica wasn’t the target. When the Child Team had been told that their clue was located underneath Jae Suk’s nametag, Jong Kook had figured that the Adult Team had been given their own target. He hadn’t thought about who it could be though. Of course the staff wouldn’t have made the Child Team chase down Jae Suk’s nametag, while the Adult Team only had to acquire Jessica’s. Of course the Adult Team’s target would be someone on the Child Team able to rival Jae Suk. Of course it would be Jong Kook.

But all of this hadn’t occurred to Jong Kook until Kwang Soo and Nichkhun suddenly surrounded him.

Instinctively, Jong Kook covered his nametag, using his left hand to hold it in place so Kwang Soo and Nichkhun couldn’t tear it off. In the background, Jong Kook could hear the voices of his teammates, who still hadn’t realized what was going on. Jessica thought she was the target, and Joong Ki was telling her to stick with him so he could protect her.

Nichkhun grabbed hold of Jong Kook’s right arm. Desperately, Jong Kook twisted away, out of Nichkhun’s grasp. Nichkhun caught hold of his other arm before he could run. But Jong Kook hadn’t learn martial arts when he was younger uselessly. He yanked Nichkhun closer, knocking Nichkhun off-balance. It gave Jong Kook a chance, a moment to escape. Unfortunately, before he could break free, the other members of the Adult Team had arrived to help Nichkhun.

“Hyung!” cried Haha, who had finally realized the real target.

Kwang Soo, Nichkhun, and Suk Jin all clung to Jong Kook. Jong Kook kept a hand on his nametag, desperate to keep it attached to his back. Haha tried to pry the enemy hands off the nametag, but he was outnumbered. Finally, Haha managed to drag Nichkhun away from the fight, but Nichkhun was soon replaced by Ji Hyo, and Jong Kook was much more reluctant to use his strength against a girl.

“Stop it!” cried Haha. “Poor hyung!”

Just as Haha cried out for mercy, Jong Kook managed to wrench himself out of Ji Hyo and Kwang Soo’s grasp.

Jong Kook didn’t think. He ran. Ji Hyo, Nichkhun, Kwang Soo, and Suk Jin were all chasing him. Jae Suk, no doubt, had gone into hiding as soon as he realized he was the Child Team’s target. Jong Kook wished he’d had the foresight to do the same. Now, Jong Kook was running as fast as he could away from the Adult Team. The stairs seemed like his only escape, and he started to climb.

Halfway up the stairs, Nichkhun managed to grab hold of Jong Kook’s arm. Jong Kook was jerked backwards. The sudden movement sent needles of pain through Jong Kook’s waist.

Gritting his teeth, Jong Kook kept a firm grasp on his nametag and tried to ignore the pain. Ever since his days in the Turbo, Jong Kook had suffered from back problems. He’d gotten surgery once before, but recently, the pains had resurfaced with a vengeance. He’d been on painkillers for the past Running Man two shoots; however, Jong Kook had foolishly thought he could survive the filming at Gwacheon National Science Museum drug-free. As a precaution, though, he’d given his VJ a bottle of painkillers just in case. Jong Kook could see his VJ standing in front of him, but he couldn’t ask for the medication in the middle of the game.

The muscles in his back screamed in protest as five people held on to him, battling for his nametag. The pain extended from his spine to his neck to his arms and even to his left hand. His fingers felt fat and numb as he blindly gripped the nametag.

He would not lose. He would fight to the end. He didn’t want to disappoint his teammates. He would not lose. Myuk PD wanted him to be the Game Devil of Running Man, so Jong Kook would prove just how strong he could be. He would not lose.

Gasping against the pain, Jong Kook tried to escape—but the only escape from the tugging, pulling, fighting hands of Adult Team was up. So, step by agonizing step, Jong Kook climbed the stairs.

“Don’t!” cried Joong Ki from somewhere behind Jong Kook.

Jong Kook just kept on climbing. It hurt. It hurt so bad. Every inch of him wanted to surrender, let the Adult Team take the stupid nametag. But the competitor in him refused. No matter what pain he experienced, he would fight. He had promised Myuk PD he would be strong and he had promised his teammates that they would win. Jong Kook couldn’t give up.

And then, he reached the top of the stairs.

Jong Kook couldn’t help but laugh with relief. But the elation was short lived. Kwang Soo sat on the ground, dragging Jong Kook with him. Jong Kook tried to remain upright, but the strain on his back was too much and he crouched down.

“Hold on,” said Haha. “Hold on a minute.”

Kwang Soo yanked on the nametag. It came free of Jong Kook’s back, but not of his hands. Jong Kook kept a firm grip on the white paper. He would not let the Adult Team have it. He couldn’t. Even as Kwang Soo, Ji Hyo, and Nichkhun surrounded him, and Gary and Haha tried to defend him, Jong Kook refused to let go. He kept a closed fist around the nametag and in his head repeated the words “I will not lose. I will not lose. I will not lose.” The pain was making him dizzy.

From somewhere far away, Jong Kook heard one of the cameramen say, “It’s been ten minutes.”

“Don’t fight,” cried Jessica. “Stop! Stop!”

Thankfully, the Adult Team listened to Jessica. While they didn’t let go of the nametag, they did stop trying to tear it away from Jong Kook for a couple minutes.

Jong Kook stood upright, making the most of the rest break. He took deep breaths, trying to ignore the stabbing pain in his back, and held onto the nametag as if his life depended on it.

His teammates—Haha, Joong Ki, Gary, and Jessica—were still surrounding him. Which meant none of them were looking for Jae Suk. Jong Kook wanted to scream at them. He was here enduring the pain and fighting the Adult Team in order to buy his own team time to find Jae Suk Why were they standing around?

“Jae Suk,” murmured Jong Kook. He could barely get the words out.

Haha got the message instantly, and he handed Jessica the backpack filled with the team’s golden piggybanks. Out of the corner of his eye, Jong Kook saw Haha run off to the exhibits in the back. At least Jong Kook could trust his dongsaeng to do the job.

However, Haha was soon forgotten as the Adult Team resumed the battle over the nametag.

Jong Kook had no idea how much time had passed when the Adult Team finally managed to pry the nametag from his hands. It had taken Nichkhun’s elbow lock and Kwang Soo’s strength to get free it from Jong Kook. It was relief, in some ways, to finally be free of the thing. The Adult Team left Jong Kook alone, and he collapsed on the floor of the museum, gasping for breath and trying not to pass out from the pain and exhaustion.

“You’re amazing,” said Kim Ki Jin. After the last filming session, where the endurance of the VJs had been put to the test, the cameramen had been reassigned based on their fitness levels—which meant that gym-obsessed Jong Kook would, of course, be partnered with gym-regular Ki Jin. Jong Kook was glad the two of them had been paired. They knew each other from Family Outing, though Ki Jin had been Lee Hyori’s VJ back then.

Running a hand through his hair, Jong Kook stared up at Ki Jin and asked, “Where’s the painkillers?”

“You shouldn’t say that on camera,” said Ki Jin, propping the heavy camera on his shoulder.

Jong Kook didn’t even have the energy to protest. Ki Jin pulled a bottle of prescription painkillers out of his jacket pocket and handed them to Jong Kook.

“You should see a doctor,” said Ki Jin.

“It’ll be fine,” said Jong Kook. “I survived dancing in Turbo with back problems. I think I can survive Running Man.”

Ki Jin grimaced. Jong Kook knew what Ki Jin was asking even though the question was never voiced. It was the question that Jong Kook had been asking himself for the past two film shoots: Could he go on like this?

Night had finally settled around Gwacheon Museum. Through the front doors and massive windows of the museum’s entrance hall, Ji Hyo could see the pitch-black night sky. The floor-to-ceiling windows, however, reflected the indoor lights, creating the illusion of stars. After an exhausting hunt for more golden piggybanks, the two teams had gathered in the center of the floor, on which a circular pattern had been made with different colored tile.

The staff was still getting set up, giving the cast and guests time to talk amongst themselves. On Ji Hyo’s left, Jae Suk and Suk Jin were chatting about their wives. Ji Hyo was comfortable with both Jae Suk and Suk Jin, but she didn’t think she belonged in their current conversation. On her right, Haha, Gary, and Jessica were talking about some big event in the music industry—something Ji Hyo knew nothing about. And to her left, Joong Ki and Kwang Soo were making weekend plans. Ji Hyo wondered if this was good time to start a conversation with Jong Kook, but when she took a step closer to him, she realized he was talking in English to Nichkhun.

Ji Hyo’s mind went blank. There was no way she could inject herself into that conversation.

“He’s amazing,” a low voice murmured behind Ji Hyo. She turned around and saw that her VJ, Sung Gyu, was chatting with a couple of other cameramen. Ji Hyo recognized Kwon Ryul, Jae Suk’s VJ, and Ki Jin, Jong Kook’s VJ.

“We were in hiding,” said Kwon Ryul. “But I heard he held out for twenty minutes.”

“With back pain,” added Ki Jin.

“Back pain?” repeated Sung Gyu. If possible, his expression became even more awed.

Ki Jin nodded. “He’s had back problems since his days in Turbo, something about a crooked spine. And he’s had back surgery before. He’s on painkillers now at least.”

Ji Hyo gawked at the VJs. She had never known that about Jong Kook. All those years of practically stalking “Jong Kook-oppa” and she had never known that he suffered back problems. A wave of guilt suddenly washed over Ji Hyo. She had been helping her teammates tear off Jong Kook’s nametag. How much pain had he been in, dragging them up the stairs and holding out for twenty minutes? It slowly dawned on Ji Hyo that she didn’t really know Jong Kook at all. He wasn’t the perfect oppa that she’d imagined as a teenager.

She watched Jong Kook out of the corner of her eye. He was still talking to Nichkhun, though the two had switched back to Korean.

There would probably always be a part of Ji Hyo that loved Turbo, but she couldn’t let that hold her back. The Kim Jong Kook she worked with now wasn’t the same Kim Jong Kook who had been a part of Turbo. He had grown. He had suffered. He had become a chatterbox. He had joined the army. He was someone who endured pain for the sake of others. He was far stronger than she’d ever known—physically and emotionally. The image of “Jong Kook-oppa” had started to fade from Ji Hyo’s mind, and she could see vividly the man in front of her. He was someone she didn’t know, but he was also someone that she wouldn’t mind getting to know.

“To your places,” called out Myuk PD.

The cast members and guests split into their teams and formed a line facing the camera. Ji Hyo ended up placed between Jae Suk and Suk Jin. Jong Kook was standing on the other side of Jae Suk, causing Ji Hyo’s heart to race with nervousness.

Myuk PD signaled for Jae Suk to start, and Jae Suk said, “It was really tiring running around.”

“All of us were tortured,” said Suk Jin, causing Ji Hyo to smile. “This is not a competition of talent, but an all-out battlefield.”

“It seems very cruel when you say it that way,” said Jong Kook, rubbing his right shoulder. Ji Hyo peered around Jae Suk, wondering if Jong Kook’s back was still hurting or if the painkillers had taken effect.

“It was difficult to hide for twenty minutes,” said Jae Suk. “It got boring quickly.”

“You have no right to complain,” said Suk Jin. “Think about poor Jong Kook.”

“He should have been smarter,” said Jae Suk. “I hid so well that a call came to the VJ asking for my position.” Jae Suk lowered his voice to mimic the VJ. “‘Yes, we’re hiding at the back of entrance hall now.’”

After a couple more minutes of benign chatter, the FDs signaled for Jae Suk to get back on topic. Jae Suk introduced the next game, a version of curling where a member of each team would sit in a rolling bin and pushed across the floor. Whichever team had the bin closest to the center of the circle at the end of the game would win.

The two teams moved to opposite sides of the circle. After a few trial runs, the Adult Team discovered that one of their bins refused to roll straight. Stealthily, Kwang Soo pushed Jae Suk in the crooked bin over to the Child Team’s side and then switched it out for a good bin. The Child Team never noticed.

Ji Hyo wanted to try being in the rolling bin herself, but after Jessica fell into one and couldn’t get out, the cast decided it was probably better if the girls didn’t sit in the bins. Ji Hyo tried to hide her disappointment; she didn’t want to argue with the hyungs.

The Adult Team, it was decided, would go first. Suk Jin sat in one of the blue bins, while Jae Suk and Ji Hyo pushed. Ji Hyo tried not to use too much strength, and she was satisfied with her effort—until she saw Suk Jin’s bin going to the left, way off target. The rolling bin came to a halt far from the circle and with Suk Jin’s back to the cameras.

Suk Jin tilted his head back and cried, “What is this? As an entertainer, I’m facing my back to the camera—what is this?”

“Hyung,” said Jae Suk, trying to hold in his laughter. “Like this, you won’t appear on the show.”

Suk Jin tried to glare at Jae Suk, but he couldn’t twist around far enough to see his teammates. Suk Jin’s pitiful effort only made everyone laugh harder.

“How about you just take a look outside,” said Jae Suk, gesturing to the windows that looked out on the night sky.

“There are so many cameras,” said Suk Jin. “But they can only see my back.”

Nichkhun ran past Ji Hyo to the staff. After politely asking one of the VJs for his camera, Nichkhun jogged over the Suk Jin.

“Here comes the camera,” said Nichkhun before placing the device in Suk Jin’s lap.

“He’s so nice,” said Haha in awe.

“How about I film a recording of myself?” said Suk Jin, adjusting the camera angle.

Ji Hyo covered as she laughed. Poor Suk Jin. But there was nothing the Adult Team could do to help him, the bins ended up where they ended up.

Next, it was Child Team’s turn. Jong Kook hopped into a bin and held himself up using his massive arms. He grimaced, and Ji Hyo wondered if his back was still bothering him. She wouldn’t put it past him to kick the Adult Team’s bins out of the way and hurt himself in the process.

“Here goes Jong Kook-hyung,” said Joong Ki.

“Jong Kook-hyung,” said Ji Hyo without thinking. “You know this is just a game, right? No need to try so hard.”

Nichkhun gave Ji Hyo a confused glance. Ji Hyo couldn’t figure out why, until Jae Suk stepped forward and said, “Oh, now she’s calling him ‘Jong Kook-hyung’ like they’re in university.”

Ji Hyo froze. She’d only called him “hyung” because Joong Ki had used the word before her; she’d copied Joong Ki’s phrasing without thinking. Her face started to redden.

“Calling me ‘Jong Kook-hyung’ is fine,” said Jong Kook from the rolling bin.

He was smiling at her, and Ji Hyo couldn’t help but smile gratefully back. It was all right. He wasn’t mad. Ji Hyo wondered if this counted as having chemistry with the whole cast.

After Jae Suk teased Ji Hyo some more, the game finally continued. Joong Ki pushed Jong the bin towards the circle. For a moment, it looked as though Jong Kook was going to stop perfectly in the center, but at the last second, the bin turned towards the cameras and it came to halt with two wheels outside the circle. Jong Kook rocked back and forth, trying to scoot the rolling bin back across the line into the circle.

The competitiveness that was always burning in Ji Hyo rose to the surface and she found herself charging forward. “How can you do this?”

“What?” asked Jong Kook innocently as the entire Adult Team swarmed around him.

“That’s cheating! That’s cheating!” cried Ji Hyo, grabbing the side of the bin and trying to pull Jong Kook back into his proper place. “You can’t do that.”

“I didn’t do anything,” said Jong Kook. “It was still in motion.”

“No!” cried Ji Hyo. “It had stopped, hyung. I saw it stop.”

“I saw it.” Jessica rushed forward to help Jong Kook. “I saw it. I really saw it. It was here.”

“I’m not this kind of person,” said Jong Kook with a cheeky smile.

“Three or four of us saw it,” said Jae Suk. “How can you not be ‘this kind of person’ when three or four of us saw it?”

Jessica and Ji Hyo started tugging on the bin, trying to figure out exactly where the wheels should be. Jessica seemed to think that three wheels had landed inside the circle, while Ji Hyo insisted that only two had been.

All of sudden, Jong Kook pointed to his teammates who were still standing behind the tape line and cried, “What are all of you doing? Come help your hyung! Come help!”

As if jerked awake by Jong Kook’s shouts, Joong Ki, Haha, and Gary rushed forward. Joong Ki and Gary immediately started arguing the placement of the rolling bin. Nichkhun tried to stop them from getting too close, but Gary ducked under Nichkhun’s arm.

“What’s going on?” asked Suk Jin, whose back was to the scene. “It sounds like fun.”

Jae Suk laughed. “This poor hyung can’t see anything.”

After much arguing and moving of the bin, it was finally decided on having two wheels outside the circle. Ji Hyo grinned triumphantly at Jong Kook before returning to the Adult Team’s side. It felt good to win an argument.

Nichkhun hopped into the next bin, and the Adult Team made a plan to kick Jong Kook out of the circle entirely. Ji Hyo hoped he wouldn’t be hurt in the process, but sometimes risks had to be taken for the sake of victory.

Sure enough, Nickhun pushed Jong Kook out of the circle, and next, Haha jumped into a bin. Ji Hyo watched as Jae Suk quickly ran behind the staff to the Child Team’s side. Jae Suk snuck up behind Gary and pretended to help push. Gary glanced over and saw Jae Suk.

“What are you doing?” cried Gary, letting go of the rolling bin.

Ji Hyo laughed. There was nothing more entertaining than teasing Gary.

“Why must you do this to me?” asked Gary. “I almost had a mental breakdown.”

From the center of the floor, Ji Hyo heard Jong Kook say, “And you accused me of cheating.”

Ji Hyo hid a smile. And Jong Kook didn’t even know about the swapped bins. He would probably be frustrated come Sunday when this episode aired.

“Hey, Kwang Soo!” said Suk Jin. “What’s going on?”

“We’ll tell you after the game is over,” said Jae Suk.

Without any further interference from the Adult Team, Gary pushed Haha over the line. Haha’s bin rolled straight, and Haha kicked Nichkhun out of the circle before stopping in the perfect center. Haha and Jong Kook air-fived since their bins were too far away to reach.

“Just use the same strategy against them,” called out Nichkhun, still trapped in his bin.

Kwang Soo hopped into the Adult Team’s last bin, and Ji Hyo and Jae Suk aimed for Haha. They counted to three and then pushed the bin over the taped line. The bin rolled straight, heading for the center and then, at the last second, curved sharply left. Haha remained alone and untouched in the center of the circle. He grinned and waved at the cameras.

The Child Team won, but they played another round after which left the two teams tied. To change things up at little, Myuk PD decided the last game should be different. Both teams would stand on one side and roll the bins across the floor. Whichever team got closest to the taped line without going over would win the game.

The Adult Team pushed Jae Suk first, but they used too much strength and he ended up way over the line and off to a far corner of the hall. The Child Team applauded the failure.

“Maybe only one person should push,” said Suk Jin.

Haha settled into a bin and let Joong Ki pushed him across the floor. There was too much speed, however, and the bin looked as though it was going to cross the line. Haha leaned forward to slow the bin, but instead tipped the bin over entirely.

“Disqualified!” cried Ji Hyo. “Out, out, out!”

Both teams crowded around Haha, making sure he was unharmed and arguing over the rules.

“He’s out!” cried Jae Suk from his distant corner. “Out! Out! Out! Out! Out!

“We agree he’s out,” said Jong Kook. “But would you keep quiet.”

“Out!” shouted Jae Suk without thinking.

Jong Kook laughed as he made a shushing motion. Looking a little embarrassed, Jae Suk quieted down.

Eventually, it came down to Joong Ki in a bin and Jong Kook pushing. In the past three turnsm Suk Jin had ended up all alone with his back to the camera again. Gary had been kicked over the line and was cheering his team on, and Kwang Soo was currently in the lead for the Adult Team.

As they prepared to take the final turn, Jong Kook kept muttering instructions in Joong Ki’s ear and trying to figure out the amount of strength needed to push Kwang Soo over the line but not overshoot themselves.

“Go, go, go!” cried Joong Ki, cheering his hyung on.

“This is really tense,” said Jong Kook, adjusting his baseball cap. “What’s going on? Isn’t this a variety show?”

“This is my first time feeling so anxious,” said Haha.

Ji Hyo nodded. Her heart was racing as she waited for the Child Team to take their turn.

“It seems our cart isn’t that good too,” murmured Jong Kook, testing the wheels.

Ji Hyo and Nichkhun tried to hide their smiles.

“Go,” said Haha. “We can do this.”

Jong Kook started to run forward, pushing the bin, but he stopped just before the line and started to retreat. Ji Hyo’s heart froze for a second, before she realized that the Child Team still hadn’t taken their turn yet.

“What is this?” asked Ji Hyo. The tension was getting to her.

“Ji Hyo-sshi,” said Jong Kook with a nervous laugh. “I can see your frustration and anger.”

“This isn’t the way the game is played,” snapped Ji Hyo.

“Why are you like this to me?” asked Jong Kook.

The anger suddenly drained from Ji Hyo, and she wondered if she was complaining too much. But Jong Kook was smiling. Before Ji Hyo could think to apologize, he gripped the sides of the rolling bin and pushed Joong Ki across the line. Joong Ki did hit Kwang Soo, but he didn’t kick hard enough, and Kwang Soo only moved to the side instead of crossing the line.

Ji Hyo screamed in excitement. Kwang Soo was closest to the line—the Adult Team had won! At this rate, she wouldn’t have to stay behind again. She definitely didn’t want to be stuck cleaning the museum all morning. She’d been exhausted last time and had slept for oven sixteen hours when she’d finally found her bed.

Ji Hyo watched as Jong Kook helped Joong Ki out of the rolling bin and wondered if she should apologize for yelling at him earlier. However, Jong Kook didn’t seem upset. He was smiling and laughing. Maybe it was better to leave things as they were. After all, she had shown that she could interact with every cast member. She could be a noona to Kwang Soo and Joong Ki, she could tease Gary and Haha, she could be a little sister to Suk Jin and Jae Suk, and she could fight with Jong Kook. She could do this.

“Well done,” said Jae Suk, coming to stand beside Ji Hyo. “I know that was difficult for you.”

“I called him ‘hyung’,” said Ji Hyo.

“And he was fine with it,” said Jae Suk. “Jong Kook isn’t nearly as intimidating as his muscles.” Jae Suk patted her shoulder. “I think you’ll do well on Running Man. We always need a girl who can put Jong Kook in his place.”

Ji Hyo smiled. She could be that girl.