Rewinding time slightly.

[Ji Seoksam Out, Ji Seoksam Out]

When the signal announcing Ji Seoksam’s elimination rang through the SKS Broadcasting Station—

Haha-hyung, with quick judgment, had already secured two tapes.

‘Where should I hide the ones from the 6th and 8th floors?’

The reason Ji Seoksam had confidently said over the radio, “We’re almost done,” was simple: he and Haha-hyung had been working together.

After receiving Kangsu’s radio call, Ji Seoksam stayed on the 6th floor, while Haha-hyung, sensing something off, immediately moved to the 8th floor.

And now, back to the present—

“Wow, did you see that? If I had stayed there, I’d have been caught too!”
“...”

Haha-hyung shared his near-heart attack moment with the VJ’s camera, then quickly began calculating his next move.

“If we gather five tapes, we win immediately, right?”
The VJ nodded.

“Oh, right, right! I need to take these to the 7th floor… I’ll hand them over there.”

Having reached a conclusion, Haha-hyung immediately grabbed his radio.

“This is Haha-hyung. Over. I’ve secured two tapes, and I’m heading to the 7th floor to store them. Over.”

Static.

“Th-This is Kim Sujin. Over…! I’ll meet you on the 7th floor. Over!”
“Alright, Sujin, you’re good at using the radio. Is Kangsu there with you?”
“Ah, Kangsu-sunbae said he’s heading to the 19th floor, so we’re split up for now!”
“Got it. Okay.”

After assessing the situation, Haha-hyung made his way toward the 7th floor.

But just then—

[Chun Suyeon Out, Chun Suyeon Out]

The elimination signal of Chun Suyeon, previously the only female player, resounded.

Static.

“Hey! Hey! The 13th and 16th floors are hell! Absolute hell! Don’t come here!”

Yoo Jiseok’s panicked radio transmission followed, his voice trembling with fear.

“What… what the hell is happening up there?”

Shivers ran down Haha-hyung’s spine as he involuntarily hunched his shoulders.

+++

Approximately two minutes after Kim Donghu declared the 13th floor his territory.

Moving faster than anyone could react, Donghu closed in on Chun Suyeon from behind and—

Rip!

Tore off her name tag in one swift motion.

When and how he got so close didn’t matter.

Like a cheetah, he flattened his body against the ground, minimizing even the sound of the bells attached to him, and approached her with the stealth of an assassin.

“What?! I didn’t even hear the elevator!”

Chun Suyeon cried out in frustration.

“I took the stairs, exiting on the 12th floor,” Donghu replied nonchalantly, showing no concern.

Watching this, Yoo Jiseok shouted in disbelief.

“Donghu! Are you some kind of hitman?! Why are you going this far?!”
“Sunbae! I really want to tear off these name tags!”
“Look at his eyes! Why are his eyes so clear?!”

The 13th floor was gripped with fear.

Even Kim Gukjong, on the same team as Donghu, felt a faint chill watching him.

‘A true rookie in variety shows has arrived.’

This was the shared thought of both Yoo Jiseok and Kim Gukjong.

The entertainment industry was always thirsty for new faces.

But not just any new faces—they wanted rookies with a level of personality and charm unlike anything seen before.

That kind of rookie didn’t appear easily. No matter how strong someone’s character was, they might not mesh with broadcast formats. Or, even if they fit the broadcast, their character might not stand out.

This is why the same variety show casts often felt stagnant.

‘But if it’s Donghu…’
‘…He’s perfect, absolutely perfect.’

Though neither voiced their thoughts directly, it was clear to anyone that Donghu’s visuals were top-tier.

In fact, by the standard Donghu set, his face might as well be the only top-tier one.

Add to that his straightforward personality, good manners, excellence in his main career, immense popularity, and now, even his natural talent in variety shows?

‘We’ve hit the jackpot with this one.’

While the current situation needed more observation, assuming things continued as they were, investing heavily in Donghu would make perfect sense.

After briefly organizing their thoughts, Yoo Jiseok and Kim Gukjong moved quickly.

“Donghu! Let’s just wrap this up quickly! No need to drag it out!”
“Yes, I agree!”
“Hey, hey, hey! Donghu! Wait a second! Let’s negotiate!”

They immediately coordinated to move the situation forward. Then, suddenly struck by inspiration, Yoo Jiseok decided to add a dramatic flair.

“Kim Donghu, no-leg-use penalty!”

He used the no-legs-allowed item on Donghu again, knowing full well it wouldn’t apply but relying on the deceptive nature of variety shows.

“Uh!”

For a brief moment, Donghu froze in place. Normally, this would have been the end of it, but—

Swoosh.

“What the—he’s really walking on his hands!”

Donghu, without hesitation, stood on his hands and began moving forward.

“Donghu! It’s a trap! That item’s already been used!”
“What?!”

Kim Gukjong shouted to alert him, but it was already too late.

“Give me the camera! Hold this for a second!”
“Huh?!”
“Just hold on, please! We’ll meet again later!”

Using the moment to his advantage, Yoo Jiseok handed his camera to the VJ, blocked the door with him, and ran past Donghu without hesitation.

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!

He frantically pressed the elevator button and made his dramatic escape.

Watching this unfold, Kim Gukjong smirked at Donghu.

“Donghu, why would you fall for that? Don’t believe everything that comes out of Jiseok-hyung’s mouth!”
“Huff… I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, it happens. Anyway, let’s head to the 16th floor. There’s still one tape left there.”
“So, is everything else done?”
“Yeah. As long as we secure the 16th floor, it’s over.”

With that, Kim Gukjong and Kim Donghu made their way to the 16th floor, where the final results of the game awaited.

+++

 

The decisive moment as everyone gathers on the 16th floor.

‘Hmm, I don’t think Sujin could handle bungee jumping.’

Kim Donghu was contemplating how to help Sujin avoid the penalty.

She would undoubtedly be terrified, and it was obvious she would hesitate for ages before jumping.

‘Viewers don’t like it when someone keeps avoiding penalties too often.’

He worried she might be criticized for causing trouble by refusing to participate. As he pondered a solution—

Ding!

The elevator doors opened, and standing right in front of him were—

“KYAAAAAA!”
“AHHHHH!”

Sujin and Kangsu. A tense, high-stakes moment.

“Kim Donghu, no-leg-use penalty!”

Kim Sujin made the best decision she could in the heat of the moment, and as soon as she called it out, Kim Gukjong felt victory within reach.

“Hah! It doesn’t matter! Donghu can just do it on his hands!”

Confident that they could eliminate two opponents in a row and secure victory, Gukjong turned to Donghu with a triumphant grin.

“…Wait, the no-leg-use penalty is active.”

To everyone’s shock, Donghu stopped in his tracks.

“Hey! Kim Donghu, you!”
“…I’m sorry, sunbae.”

Donghu froze in place.

In the midst of his confusion, Kim Gukjong grabbed hold of Kangsu’s leg and—

“Why are you so soft on your childhood friend?!”
“...”

Rip!

Kangsu’s name tag was torn off.

[Kangsu Out, Kangsu Out]

This left only three members of the survival team.

However, with everyone gathered on the 16th floor, the momentum shifted thanks to Giri’s preemptive strike.

[Haha-hyung Out, Haha-hyung Out]

In the blink of an eye, the numbers went from 3:6 to 3:2. Now, the chasing team held the numerical advantage.

With everyone on the 16th floor, the survivors were cornered—a perilous situation. Yoo Jiseok’s unexpected ingenuity shone again.

“Sujin, do you know how to hold the camera?”
“Huh?”
“You hold it… like this.”
“Wha—what?!”

Yoo Jiseok made full use of the VJs near him, turning the 3:2 scenario into 3:4, then immediately fled.

He hopped into the farthest elevator, escaping the 16th floor and heading straight to the 7th floor. His goal: to collect all the tapes on the altar there and secure victory.

“You can’t just use the VJs! How is that fair?!”
“Ah, I fell for it again. Again!”

As Kim Gukjong and Kang Giri panicked over the sudden disadvantage, Donghu spoke calmly.

“I’ll finish this.”

Three minutes had passed, and Donghu dashed toward the stairwell.

“What does he mean, ‘finish this’…?”

Leaving the bewildered chasing team behind—

‘Please, just let me live.’

Donghu’s assigned VJ, Park Seongryeol, looked up at the stairs in despair. The stairway hell was about to begin again.

Meanwhile.

“At least Donghu’s soft on you. I guess having a childhood friend really is the best.”
“A-And I’m also his senior at school! I’m a second-year!”
“Really? That’s true. At this age, even a one-year gap feels massive.”

Chatting like victors before the match was over, Yoo Jiseok and Kim Sujin exited the elevator on the 7th floor.

Now all they had to do was go to the control room and place the tapes on the altar—it would be over.

They thought they had an insurmountable lead and could take their time.

Or so they believed.

Ding-ding-ding-ding.

The mad jingling of bells echoed from far away.

“You shall not pass!”
“Donghu! You’re an actor! How are you faster than an elevator from the 16th floor?!”

Ignoring Yoo Jiseok’s astonished cries, Donghu sprinted toward them, aiming for their name tags.

With no no-leg-use penalty left to hinder him—

“I’ll hold him off here. Sujin, go ahead!”
“Got it!”

Yoo Jiseok sent Sujin ahead and positioned himself as the gatekeeper. Donghu charged forward without a moment’s hesitation.

If this kept up, they might collide.

“Donghu, Donghu, watch ou—!”

At his breakneck speed, Yoo Jiseok shut his eyes in panic.

Tap-tap-tap-tap.

The godlike coordination of boxing talent. A fusion of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.

Swoosh.

Donghu’s footwork, reminiscent of Muhammad Tyson, allowed him to ghost past Yoo Jiseok.

Rip!

And with that, he tore off Yoo Jiseok’s name tag as an afterthought. Now, only Kim Sujin remained.

“Hyaaahhhhhh!!!”

Kim Sujin ran for her life.

With a 3km time of 15 minutes, she was exceptional for a girl and well above average even by general standards.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!

But Donghu was in the top 5% of all humans in speed. Their chase was neck-and-neck.

[Mission Complete, Mission Complete]

“HAHHHH!”

In the end, Kim Sujin won by the width of a fingertip.

Thus, Kim Donghu and Kim Sujin’s first variety show appearance concluded successfully.

+++

 

"Ah, for the record, we’ll be filming the bungee jump scene too. Since the chase ended so quickly… there’s not quite enough footage."
"What?!"

The bungee jump shoot was an added bonus.

"Donghu, how could you choose your childhood friend over victory? Were you really trying to save Sujin from bungee jumping?"

Wow, you’re not just an average guy—you’re a real man’s man, huh?

Hearing the story, Ji Seoksam smirked as he teased Donghu, who ducked his head in embarrassment.

“Seoksam-hyung, why are you messing with the kids while they’re having fun?”
“Should I just drop out?”
“You should’ve dropped out earlier, but now it’s too late, ah….”
“That hyung never gets the timing right.”
“Hyung! It was feeling like an ending moment, but now we’ll have to re-shoot the ending because of you!”
“…Even you, Kangsu? Seriously?”

Teasing Ji Seoksam was practically a tradition. As the playful banter continued, Kim Sujin quietly moved closer to Donghu.

“Did you really do it for me?”
“You said bungee jumping was scary.”
“…Kim Donghu, you’re crazy. Seriously.”

Kim Sujin quickly looked down.

Her heart raced wildly.

‘Stop making me swoon!’

She felt like she was about to lose her mind.