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Worth the Wait: What it was like to run with the Running Man Stars in A Decade of Laughter

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Imagine that you pre-ordered your favorite K-Pop group’s latest album (all versions) with fast ETA. You were told that the package would arrive in two to three weeks after album release. You waited… waited… and waited, but still nothing. Then, you received a message from the store that there was a delay on the delivery because of unforeseen circumstances, so you had to wait again indefinitely.

You decided to listen to the full album online and watch the group’s performances on Korean Music Shows and other content just to somehow forget about the dreadful wait.

After two months, *knock knock*

“Package po for *your name*!”

When you heard the delivery guy, you just knew. You hurried to receive the items and as you opened it, oh boy, they were worth the wait. It was an overload of pre-order benefits, stunning member photocards, a jaw-dropping group poster, and beautiful music. At last, they were home.

This event was pretty much like that. I’m not comparing the Running Man to albums of course. That’s not the point. It is the agonizing wait that did not matter anymore because they were already here in the flesh, breathing the same air that you do.

Running Man: A Decade of Laughter Tour in Manila was supposed to happen in February 2020. Everything was set, but it got postponed because of the pandemic. Unfortunately, Pinoy Runners, with hearts shattered to pieces, had to stand by for three long years.

Fast forward to last Saturday in the Mall of Asia Arena, the Running Man Team finally met their Filipino fans who welcomed them with the loudest of screams that they couldn’t even hear each other over their earpieces.

Before I continue, I hope that you are in good shape because we’ll be running through a decade of laughter stuffed into one awesome night. Ready… set… go!

HEARTWARMING OPENER

Jee Seok Jin, Yu Jae Seok, Kim Jong Kook, Haha, Song Ji Hyo, Jeon So Min, and Yang Se Chan made a fitting entrance to the stage, performing their own version of K-Pop Boy Group BTOB’s “Missing You” to show how much they longed for their Filipino fans.

Chills down my spine and deafening screams from the crowd. I didn’t know they could sing and rap like that. Then I knew, this would be a spectacular show.

After the opening performance, TV personality Jae Seok thanked their Pinoy supporters for waiting, “Thank you everyone. We were supposed to be here three years ago but because of the pandemic, we were only able to come here now and we’re very happy that we’re all here tonight together with our beloved Manila fans.”

Then, asked about how much longer would they want to be with Running Man, crowd-darling Ji-hyo said something that surely melted the fans’ hearts, “We went though a lot of hardships already. But like Seok-jin, we’re going to run until we’re 60. We want to run until we can’t run anymore.”

To the fans, that was a sigh of relief, an assurance that their favorite crew will not go anywhere and will not stop providing joy to them.

FUN GAMES

This is what I expected before the event started – a tour full of memorable fun moments – and the Runners did not disappoint. It was a Running Man episode in person and everything was surreal.

There were two games, each with lucky pre-selected participants. The first one was the Running Man Relay and the second game was the Dance Relay.

I’m going to try to summarize what happened in one word: CHAOS. The Runners and the fans did everything they can to win from Jongkook clarifying the rules because the others did not follow to Jaesok moving Jongkook’s pole so he wouldn’t be able to shoot the ring – it was mayhem.

Jongkook and his partner, RJ, defied the odds and ultimately came out on top. As the winner, RJ received personalized and signed items from each member. Talk about being God’s favorite.

For the Dance Relay, the Runners were divided into two teams with one Filo Runner each. Team A was composed of Raymond, So-min, Jae-sok, and Haha. On the flip side, Team B included Kat, Ji-hyo, Jong-kook, and Se-chan. Seok-jin had to join both groups to equalize the number of members.

Both teams did their best in dancing to BTS, EXO, New Jeans, IVE, and Aespa’s songs with the score settling at two points apiece. As a result, the two Pinoy fans got a Polaroid photo with the members.

I know. I could, no, we could only die of envy. *Throws a tantrum*

AMAZING PERFORMANCES

Before this event, I had no idea on what each member does outside of Running Man. That’s why when they showcased their talents, I was stunned. Fans got their money’s worth.

The septet knew how to entertain the people with comedy, but they showed a different dimension that night – a dimension that uncovers another side, more lovable, side of them.

Se-chan started with an energetic performance of ZICO’s “Artist” that sent the crowd roaring.

Seokjin followed it up with one of the best highlights of the night by singing the hit Yeng Contantino song, “Ikaw.” If you want to see dedication, the singer pronounced each Tagalog word clearly. I can only imagine the amount of hours he poured into it. His soothing voiced calmed and made the audience relate with him. With the crowd singing along, he mentioned that he “was surprised by [the crowd’s] powerful shouts” and “felt that everything that [he] did was worth it.”

Third, So-min performed like a boss, dancing to 2PM’s “It’s Alright.” Then, Jae-suk gave a disco-like performance with the trot song “Redevelopment of Love.”

Hip Hop is the name of the game for Haha. He made the crowd wave with songs “Dang Diggi Bang” and “Don’t Laugh.” Pure entertainer. Next up was the charming Jihyo dancing to Brave Girls’ “Rollin.”

From a cutesy Jihyo performance, Joong-kook delivered probably one of my favorite live performances of all time with Han Namja (One Man) and Adele’s “Easy on Me.”

Next, the duo of So-min and Ji-hyo gave us a sultry cover of IVE’s chart-topping “Love Dive.” Afterwards, Jong-kook and Haha sang “Raise Your Voice.”

These were followed by more special stages from different pairs and sub-units so the fans were filled with a show that they would remember for the rest of their lives.

After the performances and the encore, the crew was asked about what Running Man is to them. Their answer? Running Man is LIFE. Then a question popped out of my head, “What more for their fans right?” I don’t know if there’s a better term to describe what Running Man means to them. But maybe that’s okay. Sometimes, the best things in life are indescribable. You just know that it brings you incomparable joy that sticks with you forever.

And for the thousands of Filipino runners, you are also Running Man’s “indescribable,” so they vowed to come back and provide more laughter and inspiration.

Se-Chan and Haha felt that there was not enough time so the latter said that they have no choice but to come back.

So-min added that she “really had fun.” Though she made some mistakes, but when she comes back here in the Philippines, she will do better.

For Jong-kook, he had nothing but appreciation for all the love and support. With fans behind the squad and his back, he swore that they’re “gonna keep running and gonna do [their] best.”

“We will see you soon,” he added.

Lastly, Jae-sok, as fans shouted his name, concluded the event with utmost sincerity, “I think it’s not just me but my members also think the same. We’re very much overwhelmed. Our hearts are full because of your sincere messages of love. Sometimes we ask ourselves: ‘Who are we that we deserve this kind of love?’ And because you are there, we can continue to run. Since you are there, we’ll keep on running. Thank you very much.”

That capped a wonderful night. I laughed. I felt the emotions. I danced. I sang. Running Man took me to a spectacle, so the best shoutout goes to Pulp Live World for A Decade of Laughter. I can’t wait to see them again soon.

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