On the Aug. 31 episode of SBS’s "Running Man", the team took on the “Luck-Loaded Date” race. Midway through the chaos, Kim stunned his castmates by announcing he’s getting married, leaving everyone floored ― many only learned about it the day of his announcement.
“This year marks Jong-kook’s 30th debut anniversary,” said Yoo. “When he suddenly asked me to host, I thought he meant a 30th-anniversary concert ― but it was the wedding.” Yoo added with a grin, “We’re supposed to be filming that day, but it’s Jong-kook’s wedding. I’ll make it work.”
The members then looked back at the hints they’d brushed off. Ji Suk-jin had even been predicting for a year that Kim would tie the knot. Kim laughed, confessing, “I was dropping a lot of hints,” before explaining why he kept it quiet until now.
Yoo teased, “So you keep us in the dark but share everything on "My Little Old Boy", huh?” Kim waved it off, insisting that wasn’t the case.
No one was more shocked than HAHA, who prides himself on being Kim’s closest friend ― yet didn’t even know he was dating. Kim admitted he’d planned to keep it from HAHA till the very end as playful payback for being blindsided by HAHA’s own wedding announcement years ago, cracking everyone up.
“Don’t worry ― our barbecue spot will do great. I’ll chip in for the household,” HAHA joked, to which Kim shot back, “You know, your wife likes you the least,” drawing laughs.
When Ji asked if the bride was someone they knew, HAHA chimed in, “Weren’t you going to marry Chaeyeon?” Kim shut it down fast: “Are you crazy? It’s over ― don’t even start.” He urged the group to stop pairing him with other celebs, and Yoo quipped, “Should’ve dragged it out a little longer,” keeping the mood light.
Later in the race, Yoo reflected, “Now that I think about it, I remember every little thing,” recalling how Kim suddenly got into cute keyrings, started making needle-felted wool figures, and collected adorable trinkets. “And when we went to Ye-eun’s place, he was talking about wallpaper and decor. He was never that guy.” HAHA nodded, realizing, “So your wife picked all that,” as the pieces fell into place.
Fittingly, the final filming location was a wedding hall. “Is today some kind of Jong-kook wedding event?” Yoo teased, immediately launching into mock MC mode: “Groom Kim Jong-kook and…” Kim quickly waved him off, and Yoo laughed, “Just practicing ― the real thing’s in two weeks.”
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Hyo-jung)