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"Ah, the recent filming schedule has been so intense, I'm exhausted." Dong Wan tilted his neck and slumped his shoulders, looking like a little old man.
"Yeah, three recordings in one week. What's going on lately?" Park Seok grumbled while fiddling with the camera.
Indeed, filming that used to happen every Monday has now turned into an average of every other day this week, leaving everyone worn out. Fortunately, there are dedicated staff for post-production now; otherwise, they would really be worn out.
"There’s nothing we can do. They said it’s a temporary scheduling issue, and it will get better later. The members have been really busy lately. Brother Jae-seok is going to practice dancing with EXO, Jung Kook is having a concert in the U.S., Haha and Gary are guests, and Ji-hyo and Kwang-soo are filming a drama. Everything got crammed together, which is why the schedule was compressed."
"Everyone has started getting busy again. I'm just worried that during the recording of Running Man, we might not be able to keep up," Dong Wan said.
"However, I can understand everything else. Brother Jae-seok practicing with EXO? Is it because of that letter from Hwang Kwang-hee to Brother Jae-seok? On Infinite Challenge?" Anna asked.
"Yes, after watching the show for so many years, you still don’t know Director Kim Tae-ho's style? If he says it, it has to be done," Park Soo Eun laughed. "Wasn't there a time when they went to America to ride the biggest roller coaster? Brother Jae-seok told Haha that the ride was terrifying; he said his face turned pale when they came down."
"Oh, no wonder when KAI came to record last time, he seemed to chat a lot with Brother Jae-seok. Now it makes sense," Dong Wan said.
Anna carefully checked the content for today’s recording. There were five female guests today, and looking at the time, it seemed they were about to start. Everyone stopped chatting and began their own tasks. Just then, the female guests arrived at the café where they would record the opening after finishing their makeup and headed upstairs. Of course, Sister Jihyo was also included as one of the female guests for the upcoming male-female pairing game.
The female guests had to choose a song that represented them, and then the six male members would select partners based on those songs. Anna asked each of them in turn and recorded their choices, then asked them to select an item just in case any song choices overlapped so they could have another round of selection.
When she finally got to ask Ji-hyo, who she was more familiar with, Anna's first words were: "Sister Ji-hyo, you absolutely cannot choose Hot Issue."
Before she even spoke, Ji-hyo burst out laughing and asked, "How did you know I was going to choose that song?"
Anna smiled helplessly and said, "It's not that I know how you would choose that song; it's just that if you choose it, everyone knows it's you without saying anything."
"Alright then... I'll go with MI, MI, MI."
Anna laughed while recording and teased her: "Looks like you've been going to nightclubs often lately."
"Hey, when did you dare to make fun of me like that?" Ji-hyo playfully scolded while gently poking Anna's forehead with her finger.
Anna touched her head and said, "Also, Sister Jihyo, give me something that represents you."
"Something that represents me?" Ji-hyo thought for a moment, then had her assistant bring over a large bag. She unzipped it and rummaged through, thinking she would pull out something interesting, but to her surprise, it was a pair of sleep socks. After taking them out, she sprayed some perfume on them before handing them to Anna.
Anna pretended to be disgusted as she pinched the socks, a strong scent of perfume wafting into her nose. Anna joked, "Sister, have these socks been worn without washing? Spraying so much perfume, what if Brother Jae-seok's sensitive nose picks up on it?"
"It's fine, it'll fade soon," Ji-hyo said with a smile.
Anna nodded helplessly and said, "Alright then."
There was a slight movement at the entrance downstairs; it was clear that the Members had already arrived. After finishing things upstairs and handing over some tasks to Han Yufei, Anna hurried downstairs as everything was about to begin, and there was still more work to do.
Brother Jae-seok had come because it had been announced that he would be partnering with the female guests today. Although she didn't know who his partner would be, his outfit was definitely more refined than before. However, this color of suit seemed a bit too... Anna found herself at a loss for words until Lee Kwang-soo appeared, nearly causing her to spit out the sip of water she had just taken.
These two must have bought their suits from the same place...
But what was going on with Brother Jae-seok today? He was noticeably quieter than usual; he used to chatter non-stop as soon as he arrived at the recording site, worrying about everything.
Anna held the recording device and went to attach it to Brother Jae-seok and Kwang-soo, checking the sound levels.
"Why are you so quiet today, Brother Jae-seok?" Anna asked while fitting him with the device.
Jae-seok smiled awkwardly and explained that he had a bit of a cold.
"I caught a chill. Ah well, once we start, I'll be fine."
Meanwhile, Lee Kwang-soo stepped over, striking a pose as he waited for Anna to fit him with the device, wearing a smug grin as he looked at her. Anna shot him a secret eye roll.
"But, Brother Jae-seok, Brother Kwang-soo, did you two buy your suits from the same store?" Anna inquired.
"What do you think? Aren't we handsome?" Kwang-soo asked confidently.
"Very handsome, but it's Brother Jae-seok who looks good in it. You look like a blue chopstick," Anna said with a smile.
In a low voice, Yoo Jae-suk chuckled and clapped his hands. Although they weren't filming yet, there were cameras around, so Kwang-soo maintained a smile while secretly telling Anna, "Ah, Anna Zheng, you're doomed. My brother here is a model, and you really have no eye for talent."
Anna walked around Kwang-soo and pinched a bit of flesh at his lower back. Kwang-soo winced but quickly put on a smile again.
"Who’s doomed?" Anna asked slowly while applying more pressure.
"I... I'm doomed."
Anna smiled and released her grip, saying, "That's more like it."
Without giving Kwang-soo a chance to respond, Anna quickly walked over to Miao PD to check that the audio equipment was working properly and reported back to him.
Lee Kwang-soo smiled helplessly, rubbing the spot that Anna had just pinched. Yoo Jae-suk patted his shoulder in comfort.
As if it were destined, Sister Jihyo's socks were ultimately chosen by Brother Gary. It was unclear whether Brother Jae-seok had caught a whiff of Ji-hyo's perfume before shoving the socks into Gary's hands.
Anna could only think, Brother Jae-seok, well done.
Seeing the audience eagerly anticipating the couple pairing up again, Miao PD quickly whispered to Anna, "Anna, today you’ll be teamed up with Ji-hyo and Gary, got it?"
Anna smiled and replied, "Okay, I understand."
After the opening shoot wrapped up and while waiting to move to the next location, the two stood side by side with somewhat stiff expressions. It was easier when the cameras were rolling; now they seemed awkward again. Anna approached and asked, "Sister Jihyo, Brother Gary, did you two have a fight?"
"How could that be? Why do you ask?" Gary replied with an awkward smile.
"Yeah, we're very close," Ji-hyo added as he casually draped an arm around Gary's shoulders.
Anna scrutinized them suspiciously before nodding and saying, "That's good." However, as soon as Anna turned away, both of them seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and stepped back from each other.
"This is so awkward, what are we going to do today?" Ji-hyo said with a helpless smile.
" Ji-hyo, let's just pretend that nothing happened that day, okay?" Gary said, gathering his courage.
Ji-hyo smiled slightly and replied, "Sure, let's act like everything is fine."
Hearing Ji-hyo say this, a hint of loneliness flashed in Gary's eyes. He nodded and said, "Alright, we're all friends, so can we not be so awkward anymore?"
"Of course."
The two shook hands, reaching an agreement, but both silently sighed inside for their own reasons. As for why, they would not speak of it, and others would not know.
"Hey? Did those two make up?" Jung Kook asked Anna quietly.
Anna looked over and happened to see the two smiling at each other while holding hands, feeling puzzled.
"Wait? They were just incredibly awkward a moment ago, and now this?"
"This is better; otherwise, today's show wouldn't be called Running Man but 'Awkward Man,'" Jung Kook joked.
Anna chuckled and handed Jung Kook the car keys and snacks for their group before looking around. "Hmm? Where's Brother Kwangsoo? I need to give him and Miss Meizhu the snacks prepared by the production team and the keys to their car."
Jung Kook also looked around but couldn't find Kwangsoo.
"Kwangsoo is at Miss Meizhu's dressing room door. I saw him there when I passed by," Park Soo Eun said as she approached with a pile of accessories from the female guests' opening outfits.
"What is he doing there? Has he changed into his own clothes?" Anna asked. However, after asking, she immediately felt her question was unnecessary. Given Kwangsoo's personality, he would definitely be lingering around a beautiful girl like Meizhu... Anna then muttered to herself, "He really never changes."
After checking the grouping for the car ride, Anna saw that Kwangsoo was supposed to share a vehicle with Brother Jae-seok. She ran over to hand the keys and snacks to Brother Jae-seok for safekeeping.
As the day of filming progressed, Gary and Ji-hyo's chemistry remained surprisingly good. The Monday Couple's collaboration seemed to maintain its winning streak. Initially thinking that the two would have no distance between them after holding hands or even a princess carry throughout the day, once Miao PD announced the end of filming, they quickly distanced themselves again, politely bowing and shaking hands.
These two people really...
It's one thing to shake hands and say goodbye to other guests, but they've known each other for so long, and they didn't act like this before. Is this their way of announcing to everyone that they feel uncomfortable with each other?
There's always a sense of wanting to cover up the truth; their sudden politeness only raises more questions about what might have happened between them.
"Anna, you were with Ji-hyo and Gary today. They weren't like this during the recording, right?" Miao PD quietly asked Anna.
"No, they were still very close during the recording," Anna replied softly.
Miao PD nodded and said, "That's good... But what's going on with them? They used to have a great relationship privately."
"I don't know..."
"Could it be that one of them confessed?"
It's rare to see Miao PD being so gossipy. Although Anna wanted to chat with him, she was just as clueless and could only respond honestly, "I don't know..."
Seeing Anna's lack of knowledge extinguished Miao PD's rare curiosity, and he stopped talking, busying himself with wrapping things up.
After tidying up her things and planning to head home, Anna happened to run into Lee Kwang-soo, who had just come out of the restroom. Seeing his expression devoid of excitement, Anna knew either he was too tired to smile or today's romantic endeavor had not gone well.
"Hey, Anna Zheng, what are you laughing at?" Lee Kwang-soo asked.
"I'm not laughing," Anna feigned innocence.
"Come on, look at you; your face clearly shows you're mocking me," Lee Kwang-soo said as he caught up with Anna.
"Why would I mock you?" Anna deliberately asked.
"How would I know?" Lee Kwang-soo pretended as well. "I'm not going to stoop to your level. Come on, I'll walk you home."
"Um? Don't you have a date tonight?" Anna asked with a mischievous smile.
"Ah, Anna Zheng, could you not bring up things that make me embarrassed..." Kwang-soo said gloomily. "How come every embarrassing moment seems to be witnessed by you?"
"Don't worry, this time I really didn't see anything," Anna paused and looked at Kwang-soo. "But honestly, I can guess without even seeing it."
Lee Kwang-soo laughed and said, "When did you become so understanding of me?"
"Brother Kwangsoo, you're so obvious; who wouldn't notice?"
Lee Kwang-soo thought for a moment, nudged Anna's shoulder with his own, and said with a smile, "Oh~~ you've started to pay attention to me secretly."
"What?"
"No need to be shy."
Anna rolled her eyes at him and said, "Your thinking... is still so logical." After saying that, she quickened her pace.
Lee Kwang-soo also sped up to catch up with Anna, persistently asking, "Is it true? Have you started to pay attention to me... Come on, just admit it. It's not embarrassing; I won't tell anyone... So, when did you start paying attention to me..."
Chattering away, Anna covered her ears and hurriedly escaped.
The ratings for the idol sports event were released. However, unlike the previous idol sports event that had generated a lot of buzz, this time the ratings were still somewhat disappointing, rising by only 1.2 but still in third place. Although Brother Jae-seok and Miao PD always comforted everyone by saying not to worry about the ratings and just focus on making the show well.
But everyone knew deep down that ratings were essential for a show's survival; without them, it would be hard to last long.
It would be a lie to say there was no anxiety. Every time the ratings were announced, Miao PD would silently sigh. Perhaps among everyone, he felt the most pressure. After all, when Zhao PD was in charge of Running Man, the ratings and reputation were consistently good. Recently online discussions suggested that Miao PD's lack of ability was the reason for Running Man's declining ratings.
How should one put it? Leaving aside the question of ability, Miao PD was simply not that lucky. He had just taken over Running Man when Brother Jae-seok's incident caused a prolonged suspension of the show, coupled with a decrease in audience novelty. Miao PD was facing a test, and Running Man was also undergoing its own trial. It could either rise from the ashes or fade away quietly.
As for whether Miao PD's abilities were sufficient, Anna couldn't say for sure. However, the overall structure of Running Man's current program was quite similar to when Zhao PD was around. Moreover, during Zhao PD's tenure, many times they would adopt Miao PD's ideas or discuss together to complete episodes.
"Miao PD, I think we should consider the issue of innovation for Running Man. The ratings for this episode... did not meet expectations," Anna cautiously suggested to Miao PD.
Miao PD frowned and glanced at Anna, remaining silent for a long time. Thinking she had upset him, Anna lowered her head, intending to get up and leave.
"This issue..." At that moment, Miao PD spoke up, "I've been thinking about it for a long time too."
Anna sat back down and said, "I feel that Running Man is currently facing a bottleneck."
Miao PD sighed and said, "Yes... Although everyone has a great time during filming and is full of energy, and the editing turns out well, I still feel like something is lacking."
Anna remained silent.
Miao PD continued, "The audience's anticipation and freshness have diminished. There is competition from new shows, some fixed patterns, and among the current Members, aside from Yoo Jae-suk, Haha, and Chi Seok-jun, who are focused on variety shows, others like Ji-hyo, Gary, and Jung Kook are actors and singers who need to release albums and hold concerts. For example, Gary was previously known only as part of the Leessang duo; now his fame has spread across Asia, and he frequently holds meet-and-greet events in China. The same goes for Ji-hyo, whose offers for dramas and films have been increasing. Their ability to dedicate energy to Running Man has been decreasing. Even Kwang-soo, who is currently very popular with advertisements, runway shows, movies, TV shows, and meet-and-greets, has shifted most of his focus away from variety shows despite initially gaining popularity through his comedic persona."
This was a point that Anna had not considered. His candid remarks surprised her; perhaps it was because she was too close to them that she hadn't realized it. She felt happy about their success but overlooked how it might impact Running Man. However, in this society, individuals ultimately remain independent entities; no one has the right to demand they sacrifice other pursuits for this show. While Running Man is a beloved collective effort, many people's dreams do not revolve around variety shows. Sister Jihyo and Brother Kwangsoo have always aspired to be outstanding actors; Jung Kook dreams of being a singer; Gary is a music producer; even Haha, who has always worked in variety shows, harbors a reggae dream. Ultimately, aside from Brother Jae-seok and Brother Stone, who have consistently been variety hosts, the others are not.
Miao PD sighed again and said, "I'm not placing all the blame on them because the show itself is also facing some inevitable issues. But you should be able to feel whether what I just mentioned has an impact."
Anna nodded slightly; how could she not know? Whenever Brother Gary, Sister Jihyo, or Jung Kook were busy with filming, concerts, composing music, or releasing albums, their presence on the show would noticeably decrease—not because the production team didn't give them enough screen time but because they were simply too exhausted. Consequently, their words became fewer and their actions less enthusiastic. Since Running Man began airing, many classic moments were not created by guests but by the Members themselves. Many viewers commented that when there were no guests, the Members actually had more fun and generated more laughs.
This was indeed something that Anna had never thought about.
"Miao PD, given the current situation, what are your thoughts?" Anna asked.
"I've considered several approaches but ultimately dismissed them all," Miao PD replied.
"What were those approaches?" Anna inquired.
"One was to completely dismantle and rebuild the show's overall framework. However, that would risk making the audience feel too unfamiliar with it as if they were watching a different program altogether."
Anna nodded and said, "I have thought about this as well but couldn't come up with any good methods."
"So, I've always been trying to make gradual changes and innovations in the program, but as it turns out, with reduced risks, the effects are also not very noticeable," Miao PD said.
"What else?"
"Well..." Miao PD hesitated and said, "I've considered changing the production team or replacing some members..."
"What?!" Anna was shocked.
"But in the end, I dismissed that idea myself."
"Miao PD, we really are in a difficult situation now, aren't we?" Anna asked.
"Although I don't want to admit it, it's true. I used to think that with Yoo Jae-suk's return, everything would naturally return to normal. However, I didn't expect the ratings to be so dismal. Anna, you must understand that for a program airing on weekend evenings, equipped with top variety stars like Yoo Jae-suk and Haha Kim Jong Kook, with such a huge budget expenditure, if we can't guarantee the ratings, disappearing is just a matter of time."
Although he had thought about all this internally, hearing Miao PD say it made Anna feel inexplicably cruel.
"There are some things you won't know; actually, the leaders have already started applying pressure. If this continues..." Miao PD didn't finish his sentence but let out a heavy sigh.
The two fell silent. After a long time, Anna spoke up: "Miao PD, what if we take a risk?"
"A risk? What do you mean?"
"Implementing a large-scale restructuring of the program," Anna said.
Miao PD did not respond immediately. After a while, he continued: "After we finish this week's video post-production, let's have a meeting together, including the Members."
This matter cannot be decided by one or two people. Perhaps everyone has their own thoughts in mind, but now it's necessary for everyone to express any ideas they might have and consolidate them into a key issue. Once the problem is solved, they can replan a new direction and continue moving forward together. They just have to face enormous risks and wonder if this potentially rebuilt ship can withstand the upcoming storms.
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