There might not be a better way to release the pressure valve of fame and the grind of a world tour than a good old-fashioned game of Drop the Handkerchief. At least that’s what BTS are up to in the new episode of their long-running Run BTS! variety web series.
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The 26-minute ep that dropped on Tuesday morning (Oct. 6) finds Jung Kook, V, Jimin, RM, SUGA, Jin and j-hope setting up a picnic in a Toronto park for some relax time and leaning into their sillier side as they prepare to have an al fresco meal and play a few games. After reminiscing about a 2019 Toronto episode of the show during which they lined up and had fans quiz them on their songs, the septet tried to remember their first picnic as children.
They recalled meals featured eggs and soda, as well as their desire for the store-bought version of the traditional Korean sushi-like dish Gimbap, rather than homemade. With that out of the way, the men got down to serious gameplay, with the first suggestion being a round of the Ring Around the Rosey-esque game Drop the Handkerchief.
One of them then busted out a hacky sack (aka a Jegichagi) before an explanation of the rules of the Handkerchief game and a group sing-along to the theme song: “Round and round/ Round and round/ Let’s go round and round/ And dance.” j-hope was first up to walk around, ending his practice ring with a bit of “unauthorized twerking” on one of his bandmates’ heads.
Clearly enjoying their day off with some goofy chants and playful run-walking, they busted into an impromptu a cappella bit of the ARIRANG song “Hooligan,” chanting, “Watch this, watch this beat goin’ Hooligan/ We pop out, we actin’ a fool again,” with V noticing that the kerchief had been dropped behind him. He jumped up to try and give chase, but wiped out and crashed to the ground in a heap.
They then moved on to a hardcore game of Red Light, Green Light, with V busting his bandmates for improper dance form as they giggled and tried to slip forward before Jimin even got his round started. After working up a serious appetite, the men tucked into a local delicacy, poutine, as well as the main dish, something called sushi pizza.
After a deep discussion about the semiotics of the saying “let’s grab a meal together,” and the nuance of telling someone, “I’ll think about it,” they moved into a lightning round of even deeper topics such as the worst place to get a mosquito bite and a fierce discussion about whether they would agree to wash a bandmate if they broke their arms and legs.
The episode dropped a month after BTS wrapped the North American leg of the ARIRANG world tour, with their next scheduled South American date coming on Wednesday (Oct. 7) at Estadio San Marcos in Lima, Peru. The next episode of Run BTS! will drop at 8 p.m. KST on Sunday (Oct. 11).
Watch the latest episode of Run BTS! below.
