[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

On 8/8/2021 at 7:37 PM, MandelBrot said:

I don't know why they skip this scene

Maybe Kookie “catch” Somin like his gesture to her when she jumps in the next round.

 

 

I wish we Kookmin shippers could see the scene but I understand why it’s edited out. 
 

I’m also reminded of one man’s repeated “Hajima!” in a previous game with similar positions, lol.

 

 

But here is Kookmin, and as @Rida Live noted, with Kookie holding onto Somin to the last possible minute. So protective and cute.
 

Thanks, as always, @MandelBrot for the Kookmin edits.

 

 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

 (Cr mykookminfriendship on IG)

 

 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

They really do share the same love language.

 

 That stood out to me even back then when they did a skit on Find The Assistant episode (RM 372). I wasn’t even shipping them when I first watched the episode but I found it cute how similar Kookmin is.

 

This synchronicity is interesting too: Her answer to Love Counseling Question #6 - How much skinship is allowed between friends (opposite sex)? = Somin looking at Jong Hyeop

 

Spoiler

 

@kyoko22 I didn’t really notice her glancing at Jong Kook while explaining. But now I see that he’s the only person there, the staff is further to her right (she glances over for a microsecond) and she didn’t look directly into the camera. Her (rhetorical) question is for him. 

 

Thanks for sharing this moment. Interesting to note his reaction too (Jaesuk and Seokjin reply that it’s okay, not a word from him even if Somin’s question is directed to him).

 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

Kookmin Cut - Saving Private Somin

 

Made a video edit of Kookmin during the Saving Private Somin scene at 0.5x speed.

 

https://imgur.com/a/BmPSzye

 

I’m glad Jong Kook took the lead in holding Somin’s limbs, she would’ve been hurt if she was pulled widely.

 

Spoiler

 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

They released the photo!! @kyoko22 Your observation was spot-on! 

 

Made a Kookmin-centric edit from the group pics

 

 

***

 

One thing I’ve noticed this episode (RM564) is Somin saying,

 

“I can’t say this in advance.” 

 

Why does she say this? Is it to explain beforehand that she won’t involve herself in the attack against Jong Kook? Sharing this won’t benefit her team, if I were the opposite team, I would attack her to block the planned attack.

 

Just another side comment out-of-the-game, similar to Haha’s “Don’t get the wrong idea.” on the Daesang episode. She also shares that this is Haha’s idea, lol.

 

Similar to Jong Kook not taking part on her Love Frog attacks, Somin keeps her head down and just quickly glances over when Do Kwon attacks him.

 

***

 

@MandelBrot @HydenG Thanks for sharing this moment I didn’t notice. Look at Kookie’s adorable smile! 

 

 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

@kyoko22 Thanks for sussing out this photo. I hope Running Man releases this pic. I like this more, hehe

 

@HydenG @kyoko22 I actually didn’t expect Kookie to post a sky story when Somin did, lol. But it happened and I was hopeful then got so happy he did the second time around.

 

 

Notice how similar the Kookmin sky pics are:

• 1st picture - Sky over water
• 2nd picture - Sky with trees on the background

 

The sky is a major ‘coincidental’ motif in Kookmin IG stories but they’ve also posted similar IG stories featuring other subjects within minutes of each other several times.

 

Example pics (credit to darealme_1 and runningmanapril on IG, thanks):

 

Spoiler

 

Is this synchronicity? I don’t know but my shipper heart is happy that it keeps happening. 

 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

Happy 11 Years Anniversary, Running Man!

 

Made a graphic to celebrate with Kookmin-centric edit. We’re lucky that Kookmin is almost always together in recent

group pics. 

 

Let’s keep running! 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

@ashima mahajan Please remove all references on how Jong Kook treats other people he is shipped with in contrast to how he’s interacting with Somin.

 

This will devolve into Kookmin vs *insert other ships*. Let’s just focus on how Kookmin interacts but not describe it in contrast to other ships.

 

For example, you have Jong Kook’s thread. You wouldn’t mention another celebrity to compare and contrast on his thread, right? That’s off-topic and possibly inflammatory.

 

As stated in the rules, do not mention irrelevant couples, especially to compare to how our ship is doing:

 

Quote

4. Do not engage in off-topic conversations.

If you'd like to discuss / post off-topic conversations (i.e. chit-chats / greetings / discussions about irrelevant couples), do so through personal message or where else more appropriate. Posts that don't abide by this rule may be subject to deletion without notice.

 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

@Tiger_loves_Froggie Similar strong reaction to when Sechan was too close to Somin during the Three Meals for Jae Suk race.

 

 

This episode (Ep. 561), that thigh squeeze to Sechan must’ve been strong, it looks like Se Chan yelped, lol.

 

@Rahayu Muktiayu It was this episode! No wonder the team shirt color looks familiar. It’s nice that Somin is making memories with her “father-in-law” and… Kookie, hehe.

 

@AB_fan Thanks for the level-headed insight.

 

Same here, I love both of them as individuals and would support them whether or not this ship sinks.

 

I’m thrilled at ‘coincidences’ but would never be presumptuous enough to harass So Min or Jong Kook - like comment on their personal accounts asking when they’ll get married or please be a real couple, etc. I respect Kookmin’s boundaries. 

 

I’m glad we have an online hangout for Kookmin and it’s pretty nice, despite non-shipper trolls stalking this place. The moderators are active in removing posts that violate rules too (e.g. off-topic posts that mention other people to compare).

 

It would be nice if the same environment applies to other platforms. This place is a Kookmin oasis. (*cue Almost Paradise song*)

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

11 hours ago, minahnoona said:

Back on-topic, Kookmin is intriguing because while you can see the closeness and chemistry, and I'm leaning towards them being in a relationship, it's not something I would bet on until it's announced lol. If they are indeed dating, there are a lot of things to be worked out when it comes to cast members dating - so they probably won't be announcing anything until they are ready for the next steps.

 

Me too. While I strongly believe in their romantic potential, I’m hedging my bets on believing 100% that they’re in a relationship until it’s announced.

 

I do believe it won’t be So Min who’ll be confirming, if ever. It was her cheating scumbag ex who went public with their relationship status previously, she denied at first.

 

On Running Man and even outside it, it is never So Min who verbally shares that she is close to Jong Kook. It always comes from Jong Kook himself and others.

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

@Davidqi22 I wish the editors showed the points after each round or the police changed. But for sure, Jong Kook helped change the positions on who will be receiving the penalty.

 

It reminds me of the Heart Signal Race - Jong Kook also involved himself but to make sure JSJ and Somin fail, making them face the penalty, lol.

 

Jong Kook also made sure she was safe from the penalty during the “Penthouse” episode.

 

So unpredictable. That’s what makes Kookmin chemistry interesting.

 

 

Next ep, he wants Somin to be it. Not sure what that is, but he’s focused on her again.

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

@kyoko22 Oops! Thanks for letting me know. I’ll edit my post to remove the error.

 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

@kyoko22, I love that Kookie is the Pink Princess. And that IG post caption by Somin afterwards. Great catch, hehe…

 

 

Kookmin & Pink Princess

Spoiler

Pink

 

On the New Year Fortune Telling last year (2020), Jong Kook was told his lucky colors are pink and red. He laughed and then turned to look at Somin. If only she didn’t keep her head down, lol.

 

 

Princess

 

Somin is Princess Aurora.

 

Haha called Somin Princess when they (Haha, Jong Kook and Sechan) called her on My Ugly Duckling.

 

She was also referred to as “Princess” when Kookmin was teamed up with Haha, Ailee and Joon Park (Ep. 522 - Trade King Race).

 

 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

I do want Kookmin to team up but not as a loveline. That limits both of them as entertainers, they are skilled enough not to rely on it.

 

Jong Kook killed it during the Three Meals for Jae Suk Race by playing up a loyal bodyguard character. The narrative his roleplay character took, with Jong Kook as bodyguard -> noble -> doing the penalty is fantastic. All that without a loveline.

 

So Min is funny and quirky even without playing the Love Frog aspect. She has chemistry with all the members, she’s an all-around chemistry fairy.

 

I have theories on the current dynamics Running Man is exploring and/or focusing on but it’s off-topic to elaborate further. Personally, based on editing choices and Kookmin’s onscreen actions, I expect the same amount of just a few unintentional and natural Kookmin crumbs we’ve been getting.

 

***

 

Running Man 559

 

Just the last episode - we have Kookmin right smack in the middle seated together on the cruise and while eating pork belly + chicken soup. This is not intentional on Kookmin’s part, for them to be seated together - it was the seating position left for them by other members.

 

And even if they were seated together, it’s shot so that only one of them is included, never together on close shots. When Kookmin conversed with each other, they’re never shown, it’s background conversation.

 

The one time Kookmin was shot together closely (when Jong Kook comments it’s thanks to Kwangsoo that they’re there) - once Somin notices the camera on them, she immediately shifts on her seat to talk to others instead of responding to Jong Kook, lol. Notice how Jong Kook shifts his head away in sync as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

9 hours ago, 9012 said:

I personally don't want kookmin to be the center of attraction in the show, worst, to be the lead of the show. I want them to be natural. I don't want the both of them to receive hate. I also want them to have freedom to act however they want.  Also, I don't want running man to focus on love lines. I don't know if you are serious about this and you are not asking for my opinion but since this is a forum, I guess I'm allowed to do so? So with all due respect, I disagree with this

 

I agree with @9012, I personally don’t think Kookmin should be the main highlight of the show, and as an official loveline at that. This is not Kookmin the Variety Show but Running Man Family that has Kookmin on it.

 

As fans of Jong Kook and Somin, we know that they are private about their current personal (romantic) relationships.

 

Personally, I do not believe Kookmin will milk their thriving relationship (whether romantic or not) to become a loveline. We’ve seen them deviate from the characters they play (JK betrayed, Somin didn’t) on Episode 434 to protect and cherish their growing closeness. And even if they do interact intensely onscreen in the foreground, other members are there to intervene (remember Kookmin’s heated bickering on the Credit Card Race - YJS squeezed JK’s shoulders to shift the conversation).

 

I personally do not believe Kookmin is an official loveline at the heart of the show ever. They actually spent time alone together to eat waffles and steak on the Father episode, no one commented. They did a couple dance, no one initiated the teasing during the fanmeet or afterwards. Sopee was shy, that led to Haha asking if she likes Jong Kook. That should have been the start of teasing from other members, they didn’t.

 

On Running Man, JK has been asked if Somin is his girlfriend, he answers evasively.

 

It is mainly JK who shares how he is really close to Somin on Running Man and even on My Ugly Duckling, not the other way around. If they were a loveline, Kookmin should’ve been teased or harped on their closeness but the conversation moves on.

 

If you’ve noticed, JK is the one being teased for Kookmin interactions that are happening outside Running Man, to which JK has either responsed positively or neutrally (never denying).  This has happened during the Running Man opening scene, where the members talk about their lives outside the show. Would sharing their closeness, with mostly JK responding, be part of being a loveline within Running Man? Does JK actively participate in lovelines this way? For me, no.

 

This is the same pattern on MUD - Haha answering for Jong Kook that Kookmin is really close when Jongmin is suspicious about them. Can that closeness be considered as Kookmin being a Running Man “heart of the show” loveline? Again, no.

 

For Somin, it has only happened once that she is asked about JK. If they were the heart of the show on RM for the past two years, it would’ve made more noise. Somin has been told by Seo Jang Hoon that Jong Kook is the best person for her on the “Ask Us Anything Fortune Teller” show . Do you think Seo Jang Hoon is promoting Kookmin loveline for Running Man, lmao? I think not but that still baffles me.

 

They even hosted APAC Awards together, a major awards show. Again, no mention on Running Man ever.

 

This has been the status quo, and I’m personally content with the unintentional Kookmin crumbs we’re getting, natural and not for the sake of entertaining viewers.

 

***

 

Somin isn’t the only one who dares betray Jong Kook. Se Chan is actually better at betraying Jong Kook, lol. JK is readily suspicious about Somin, whether she is a spy or not doesn’t matter. I think it’s one of the way JK teases Somin, the way he targets her, lol. He focuses on Somin - cute but really frustrating for the latter.

 

 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

@kyoko22 @Rahayu Muktiayu I created some clips for the ambiguous scenes you’ve mentioned above. I had fun rewatching these subtle Kookmin moments, thanks!

 

Here’s the Imgur album - where I posted all clips too. I also tried my hand editing a video to highlight Kookmin, I find it challenging. I admire and appreciate all the efforts Kookmin ship creators have been doing!

 

Spoiler

Ep. 544

 

I think YJS noticed what Jong Kook did. Look at his expression, lol. Kookie’s really cute and couldn’t stop smiling until after they looked at the stocks table again.

 

 

Ep. 553

 

YJS again, lmao.

 

 

Ep. 558

 

 

 

 

Spoiler

Ep. 412

 

 

Ep. 357

 

This is one moment that made me take note of Kookmin but I didn’t really shipped them then. I liked how helpful Somin is to the staff, and just noticed that Kookmin looked comfortable with each other.

 

 

Let me add this Ep. 558 (Back to the 90s) ambiguous scene where Kookie shifts back exactly when Somin passes by:

 

 

Kookie is so cute, hehe.

 

 

Kookmin + JSJ Photo-Taking Parallel

 

Instagram user jeonjeonprincess posted about how Kookmin took a photo with JSJ in-show too - Ep. 554 (Credit Card Race) scene where Kookmin won the strawberry game and JSJ wanted to take a photo of them:

 

Spoiler

 

 

The Kookmin +JSJ Instagram photo-taking was reported on as well: All-KPOP article

 

 

So hard not to delulu when your ship does cute things on and off the show they’re on and you get all these lovely moments, coincidences/parallels too.

 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

I love the photos Kookmin took. Summer vibes!!!

 

I hope when the pandemic is manageable, RM will have a summer special. A luxury package at Bora-Bora!

 

 

Kookmin teasing JSJ is pretty cute. I wonder where they went, that place must be nice. 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

@9012 , your Kookmin Just the Way You Are fanvideo is amazing!

 

So sweet, aaaah….

 

I love this part

Spoiler

where you synced Jong Kook singing the song to Somin.

 

So heart-fluttering!!!

 

 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

Remember how we talked about Kookmin’s shared love of good food? This episode is a dream come true for me as a Kookmin shipper - we get to see them prepare, cook, and eat together. As an added bonus, it’s with the Running Man family!

 

Thanks to Jee Seok Jin sleeping during breaktime, we get to see Kookmin spending the free time they have on their own. As expected, it’s shot creatively - this time, so low and far away they’re barely visible, lol. It took me seconds to even find Somin.

 

 

I’m sorry but I found Jong Kook’s outburst pretty funny. The other members were mildly teasing Chanmin but here we have Jong Kook cursing out in contrast.

 

@kyoko22 Lord Yu making Bodyguard Kim and the other servants run laps was a smooth transition from that scene. He then ate Somin’s fusion hotteok all by himself afterwards but we do get to see Jong Kook grabbing a bite.

 

@RunningGirl7686 On My Ugly Duckling, Jong Kook said that he wants to find a nice woman for Se Chan (words to that effect) and mentioned one of his nieces instead.

 

Speaking of Sechan, I just noticed this interesting moment while rewatching the Prison Tofu episode. Why is Sechan’s immediate reaction to look at Jong Kook when Kwangsoo jokingly proposed to Somin???

 

 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

 @Aaa Aaaa Welcome & happy Kookmin shipping!

 

 

I wish Kookmin a strong and thriving relationship.

 

I agree with @Rahayu Muktiayu, marriage is probably the only announcement either Jong Kook or Somin will make regarding (serious) relationships.

 

Somin has mentioned she will only announce her marriage, iirc.

 

Jong Kook is really private about his romantic relationships too. Same with Somin, he won’t announce until marriage. He even advised on Running Man to a guest couple to say they’re just good friends, because (TV) film is forever, lol.

 

Spoiler

 

My hopeful Kookmin delulu related to this is Jong Kook announcing he’s really close to Somin on the Honeybee episode. It’s not part of a skit, they’re not promoted as a loveline, why even declare it???

Jongmin was even suspicious of Kookmin, it was Haha who answered that Kookmin are really close to each other.

 

Then there’s the bold declaration of Jong Kook that he will take care of Somin via her stand-in. As is in “I”, not “we” and linking arms with her stand-in! If that isn’t romantic, I don’t know what that is. And no one teased him about it.

 

***
 

I wasn’t really able to focus on Kookmin so much on this week’s episode, Kwangsoo’s departure hit me harder than I expected. I’m gonna miss him so much. I wish him well and hope he can come back in the future, if ever.
 

That’s why I appreciate Kookmin creators who upload and share gifs/videos. Thank you so much, @MandelBrot @Rahayu Muktiayu !
 

@9012, I look forward to the Kookmin video you’re creating! 
 

That Kookminstagram moment shared by @Rahayu Muktiayu above got my Kookmin shipper heart thrilled - I was online on IG at that time and Kookmin posted within seconds of each other, as in the same minute!!! Coincidences like that be really fueling my Kookmin energy!

 

 

***
 

Bopil PD has mentioned that “they’re planning to show a better chemistry between current members”.

 

It’s gonna be interesting but based on the current trend, I expect we’ll get little Kookmin moments like these in upcoming episodes.

 

For example: I was happy to see the Baby Trio (Haha & Kookmin) for a foot volleyball game. Thanks to this team-up, this is the only Kookmin direct interaction alone this episode - you can clearly hear Kookmin talking about how it’s funny but it’s shot so far away you can barely discern their faces and expressions, lol.

 

It’s the reverse of the Kookmin moment in the previous Mongdol Blind Date episode - Kookmin up close on their own but they’re muted.

 

See but not hear. Hear but not see. I find it funny. They’re not a loveline (thank goodness because loveline = just business, nothing personal) so let’s appreciate the sweet and precious Kookmin crumbs we get.

 

This one is my favorite (thanks, @MandelBrot)! Up close and happy together. The matching hearts on their shirts is a lovely bonus!

 

 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

Let me full-on delulu because I find these posts kinda matching too.

 

 

Spoiler

 

Can I just say Kookmin looks good drinking coffee!!!

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

@kyoko22 It’s really suspicious that Jong Kook specifically mentioned Gong Myoung (GM) out of all the ideal types Somin mentioned at the start of the mission. GM is then picked as a choice for Somin’s round, what a coincidence! And when you connect it to JSJ’s mistake,  you can’t help but wonder.

 

I feel I’m in too deep as a Kookmin shipper, that’s why I try to think of possible alternatives to my shipping viewpoint.

 

I did the same thing about Somin’s birthday cat phone case but I view it through Kookmin lens still.

 

 

The birthday cat phone case might be about her — she recently had her birthday and she’s born on the Year of the Tiger (cat).
 

But the timing of her post makes me think of Kook who celebrated his birthday several days after the said IG story and is a cat -> Black Cat Nero, Running Man Tiger.

 

They mirror each other.

 

Coincidentally, after Somin posted that IG story with mirror as keyword, Jong Kook posted a selfie shortly afterwards.

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

Kookmin Camera Focus

 

I’m so happy yet wondering why we Kookmin shippers got this moment at all. I’m guessing Somin’s action can be written off as a shy and playful Love Frog. Barely at that because it’s too intimate and affectionate. It’s just a second but I’m amazed that the camera focused on them solely. Did someone signal the cameraman? Is he one of us, lol, and the editors too?

 

 

Let’s compare the scene above to this Kookmin moment on Episode 535:

 

This is Kookmin sitting close together offscreen on their own because the focus were on other teams. Once Jong Kook noticed the camera on them because their teammate is playing, he shifted away. The cameraman cooperated by shifting its focus on Jong Kook alone, putting Somin at the background. It’s just 4 seconds of close seating onscreen but yeah, Kookmin is careful about interacting on their own alone when they’re in focus.

 

@9012 Your comments on this episode are very insightful.

 

#5 in particular (Jong Kook not watching Somin’s skits, especially with SSK) really stands out. Jong Kook’s direct statement towards Somin at the end of the blind date is how SSK finds her so cute but he can’t even watch his favorite ‘dongsaengs’ (both So Min and SSK are close to him and younger than him) do a romantic skit for entertainment? His comments at this point are perfunctory, barely even glancing at Somin and her skit partner. Jong Kook also watched Somin’s skit with LYJ but up to a point — he started drawing once the confession started in earnest.

 

@kyoko22 I’ve noticed that too, that mistake is very interesting. I tried chalking it off to Jong Kook being a choice for SJH the round before and it’s JSJ after all. Maybe JSJ wanted to make a Kim Nipple joke? My delulu mind can’t help but notice Jong Kook saying at the start of the mission, “Did she (Somin) mention Gong Myoung (GM)?” and YJS commenting GM’s the one she really likes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

Somin’s Ideal Type through Kookmin Lens

 

Somin’s ideal type is someone she can enjoy doing things with. We’ve seen Kookmin doing these on Running Man and offscreen:

 

Read her writing and relate to it

 

Both Somin and Jong Kook enjoy reading books and writing letters. Jong Kook likes Writer Jeon’s book so much it’s been on his couch for several episodes on My Ugly Duckling (another show, showing his closeness to her), he’s promoted her book on Running Man so much, and he is absorbed to hearing her writing (poems, journal entries, card, letter). They’re close enough that he teases her about her poems on IG.

 

So Min was also touched by Jong Kook’s letter for Chanmin’s RM 1-year anniversary too. It’s so cute that he sang readily at her request (which is also Kookmin enjoying his music).

 

Kookmin connect to each other with words, we’ve seen them do word plays together (right before the human bowling mission). I wish to see Jong Kook doing an acrostic poem for So Min in the future, she made one for Jong Kook on the Kimchi Partner episode.

 

Enjoying music

 

The Kookmin moment we almost didn’t know about - So Min singing a duet with Jong Kook on a love song she composed herself on his concert. They were on stage with fluttering pink hearts as a backdrop! If there wasn’t a video from a Papitus (KJK fan), would we have known about how it went?

 

 

 

The Running Man fanmeet couple dance - who can deny their chemistry? Haha said at the beginning that Kwang Soo and So Min can do the dance but it suddenly turned into Kookmin instead. I’ve also noticed that Jong Kook and So Min were separate for the group dance but shifted positions to be near each other on the dance floor. They were together for most of the fanmeet too.

 

Enjoying flowers

 

The photos of So Min publicly posted on her IG taken by Jong Kook is with flowers on the background. I just can’t help but remember him saying on the Jeju Island Bingo episode that he can’t see her among the camellia flowers, implying she’s like a flower, awww. We also see Jong Kook liking So min’s IG posts with flowers on it.

 

They also spend time together enjoying drinks and watching movies.

 

Remember the 500th episode? All the clues seem to point to Jong Kook but it’s really about So Min. They mirror each other.

 

On her ‘ideal type’ video, she points with her finger. My delulu is So Min mirroring Jong Kook pointing at his concert, the one featured in My Ugly Ducklng where the next scene is So Min being highlighted but every one else is blurred in the background.

 

As a Kookmin shipper, with all these moments I just described above, it’s not hard to see the ideal type she’s pointing to, someone she’s already enjoying doing these things together with.

 

Lol, I’m so delulu I even think of Somin’s recent birthday cat phone case as possibly Kookmin-related. That’s how much Kookmin mirror each other.

 

Kookmin fit so well together, it feels natural.

 

 

(Note: I’ll try to add screenshots and video links once my PC’s set up)

[[Official] Kookmin Clan]

@Goddes_onnie I feel you. Even now, there’s a non-shipper visiting and reacting to posts on this Kookmin ship thread instead of adding to their ship thread, lmao.