Shim Eun-kyung Opens Up About Her 'Running Man' Trauma on 'How Do You Play?'

On the February 15 episode of MBC's How Do You Play? (놀면 뭐하니?), Shim Eun-kyung shared her experiences and trauma from her time on Running Man (런닝맨) during a reunion with Yoo Jae-suk and Lee Yi-kyung. The trio met on a snowy day in February, where Yoo Jae-suk addressed the recent controversy surrounding his use of profanity, stating, "When did I ever curse? I find it absurd. The main point was to tell people not to drink, right? I might have said something like 'Hey, you jerk,' but that’s not cursing." Lee Yi-kyung added a playful touch to the conversation, eliciting laughter.

After 11 years since their last encounter on Running Man, Yoo Jae-suk expressed his excitement to see Shim Eun-kyung again. The three met at a café reminiscent of the film Sunny (써니), and they expressed disappointment over the absence of Park Jin-joo. Notably, Shim Eun-kyung revealed that she had previously met Lee Yi-kyung in private settings.

Yoo Jae-suk quickly became familiar with Shim Eun-kyung, reminiscing about their time on Running Man. She recounted, "It was tough back then. It was my first variety show, and I wanted to do well, but I had to start filming at 5:30 AM. They would ask me to sing right after waking up. After the opening shoot, Yoo Jae-suk would suddenly tell me to run." Yoo Jae-suk responded, "I heard that when you're at home, you tend to lie down a lot. The concept back then involved a lot of running, so it must have been hard for you."

Lee Yi-kyung chimed in, teasing Yoo Jae-suk about his serious expression. Shim Eun-kyung added, "He was very kind, but the writer was more shocking. I was so tired that I dozed off, and the writer told me to wake up and not to sleep. I had to snap back to reality and run. Just when I thought I could catch my breath, they said, 'You can't rest. You have to keep running.' It was like a Spartan training!" This revelation brought laughter to the group.