PUBLISHED ONNovember 27, 2023 5:15 AMByYeo Shu HuiWith Singapore's high cost of living, shopping can be a pain.
When members of South Korea's variety show Running Man visited Singapore in early November, the pain was felt, literally.
In the latest episode aired yesterday (Nov 26), members Yoo Jae-suk, Song Ji-hyo, Haha, Kim Jong-kook, Ji Suk-jin and Yang Se-chan continued their tour in Singapore together with guests, actress Shin Ye-eun and former esports player Hong Jin-ho. Unlike the previous episode, where they tried ordering local food in Singlish, the players were split into four teams of two this time.
After playing a game in the morning to earn money for their expenditure, the members dined at Blanco Court Prawn Mee, where they had the jumbo prawn and pork ribs noodle soup with ngoh hiang (fried fritters).
The members were impressed with the flavourful broth, and Jae-seok praised: "It starts off as short rib soup and ends like shrimp soup", while Ji-suk said that the prawns looked like "lobsters".
At the end of the meal, they were told that the bill amounted to over $100. To decide who would be paying, they played a game of Pirate Roulette. Suk-jin had all the diners cheering for him before his turn and successfully received an exemption from paying for the meal.
In the end, Jong-kook and his team member Jin-ho settled the bill.
Next, some of the members went for a foot massage at Y.K Foot Spa at North Bridge Road, while the others shopped at Haji Lane.
At the massage parlour, Haha, Jae-suk, Jin-ho and Se-chan chose their masseuses among the four staff present and were told to "just relax and enjoy their massages".
However, as fans would know, in Running Man, nothing is ever to "just relax".
The four men were soon told by the production staff that whoever couldn't stand the pain and shouted first would have to pay for the other members' shopping spree.
Se-chan used his phone's translation tool to tell the masseuse in Mandarin to "massage him lightly". The latter just smiled calmly in response.
Then, the four members began thrashing around in pain, while trying to keep silent.
It turns out the masseuse that Se-chan had chosen was the strongest and as the latter was the first to scream out in pain, he and his team member Ye-eun had to pay for the shopping.
Meanwhile, Jong-kook, Ji-hyo, Ye-eun and Suk-jin shopped at Grand Bazaar Turkish Handicrafts in Haji Lane, with the bill amounting to $320. In addition to the massage, which cost $120, the total bill to be settled was $440.
When they gathered back at the foot spa, it was their turn for foot massages and Se-chan ushered the members to their respective seats, directing Suk-jin to his masseuse.
"Ask him to apply much pressure," Suk-jin said, oblivious to the pain Se-chan had suffered earlier.
"I will do that," replied Se-chan.
Using his translation tool once again, Se-chan told the masseuse: "Massage him hard as if he's your parents' enemy."
As the other members heard it verbalised in Korean, they roared with laughter.
"Are you serious?" Jong-kook laughed.
Soon, Suk-jin and Jong-kook started groaning in agony.
"Pain! Pain!" Suk-jin screamed in Mandarin at the masseuse to stop. Jong-kook clenched his teeth, his face turning red from pain.
It was revealed later that the cost of the shopping and massage would be split between Se-chan and Ye-eun as well as Suk-jin and Jae-suk.
As Se-chan and Ye-eun were the last, with a debt totalling $215, they had to challenge the Slingshot at Clarke Quay, where they could either earn $200 or nothing from picking one out of two cards.
Sadly, fortune was not on their side, and Se-chan and Ye-eun ended up receiving a penalty where they had to dance in front of the crowds and have five onlookers join them.
They danced to Gangnam Style after a few unsuccessful attempts with boy band BSS's song Fighting.
The latest episode of Running Man is available on Viu.
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