SBS’s “Running Man” (런닝맨) has finally aired its final race featuring the one and only Lee Kwang Soo (이광수) over the weekend (Sunday, 13th June).
During the tearjerking episode, the actor read out loud a heartfelt letter to all his members, apologising repeatedly for his abrupt departure from the show.
Kwang Soo said, “Thank you, our members, for making me become who I am and for making me feel like I have a family. I am so grateful. And I apologise, I apologise again and again.” He broke out into tears as he read his letter, and the other members also started to shed their tears as well.
“I don’t think I did well, but I tried my best over the past 11 years. Every week, not a single member out of the cast failed to do their best while forsaking their physical bodies. Please look forward to their future and give them lots of love. Thank you,” the “Inseparable Bros” star concluded.
At the end, the cast members also penned letters to Kwang Soo. Ji Suk Jin wrote, “It’s been 11 years since I first met you. At first, I only knew you from TV as that tall kid, but now you’re a younger brother whom I’ll always be with.”
He continued, “Even though it wasn’t much when we first started it, it somehow became a meaningful moment for me. I was happy every time we did the ‘Pil! Chok! Cross!’ together. Let’s go together always, even if it is not on ‘Running Man.’”
Yoo Jae Suk said, “It’s been 11 years since we started ‘Running Man’ together. You’ve been through a lot and worked hard during that time. I’m not sure who I’ll keep interrupting and piggybacking now, but I think it will probably be Yang Se Chan or Ji Suk Jin.”
“It will feel empty without you, but you should do all the things that you wanted to do now without worrying about us. Let’s see each other often, and call me when something happens. Thank you, Kwang Soo. Thanks to you, it was never dull,” the popular MC added.
Kim Jong Kook said, “I’m not sure what was so funny now, thinking about all the times we started laughing while just looking at each other. It felt like we would go on like this forever without changing.”
“The regret is even stronger because it’s Kwang Soo, with whom I thought I would go until the end. Even though we aren’t able to go on with ‘Running Man’ together anymore, let’s go for the rest of our lives together. Stay healthy,” the Turbo member expressed. He also surprised Kwang Soo with a precious hand-drawn portrait of his beloved cast member.
jongkook’s drawing for kwangsoo 😭 pic.twitter.com/Q2zw2pBd4j
— cat (@jihyoojins) June 13, 2021
“It feels like I’ll still see you again next week,” Haha remarked. “I think that the viewers are so sad about this because they could see that Lee Kwang Soo had always done his best and showed his passion until now. Kwang Soo, you worked hard. Who will I tease now? Who will I con now? Who will I talk all night with now? I’ll pray for you to shine wherever you are and achieve all the dreams you want.”
Meanwhile, Song Ji Hyo wrote, “When I was annoyed, happy, having a hard time, weighed down, moved, when I was in a strange place or saw something strange. Thanks for spending all these moments of the past 11 years with me. You worked hard.”
At the end of the filming, the actress wrote a lengthier letter that reads, “I said this earlier, but I still can’t believe that you, who has always been there, won’t be there anymore. I feel like it will all collapse once I realise it, but do visit us whenever you’re sad. I love you.”
Jun So Min conveyed, “I’m grateful that we’ve known each other for this time that feels long at times and short at others. Thank you for gifting me with memories that I will never forget. I’ll pray for each step you take in the future. We’ll keep things going strong! Also, please visit us whenever you’re free. We’ll be waiting for you.”
Last but not least, Yang Se Chan wrote, “You worked hard for the past 11 years. I was really happy spending the past four years with you. We always call each other after the end of every recording and talked about a lot of things, but now we can’t do that anymore. I’ll miss you. It will feel empty without you. Do everything you want in a world without punishments.”
Additionally, the 36-year-old celeb also took to Instagram and left a heartfelt message, thanking his fans for the never-ending support. Kwang Soo wrote, “Thank you for running with me for 11 years. I’m sincerely grateful to all of you viewers who ran with SBS ‘Running Man’s Lee Kwang Soo every Sunday for the past 11 years. Thank you again for all of the love and support you gave me during that time.”
Interestingly, Kwang Soo’s girlfriend Lee Sun Bin left a series of emojis under the post, praying and rooting for Lee Kwang Soo. Apart from the “Mission: Possible” starlet, other celebs including rapper Code Kunst, actor Lee Dong Hwi, and Yoon Bora (former SISTAR member) were also seen leaving their supportive messages towards the departing “Running Man” member.
Adieu, Lee Kwang Soo! Thank you for all the funny memories you gave us for the past 11 years as a member of “Running Man”.
