Handstand Horror: Legs Banned, Arms Unleashed
"Kyaaaah!!!"
"But it's not like the chase team has all the advantages here," Kim Gukjong said, and I nodded in agreement.
"Right? With stuff like the three-minute leg-use ban..." Kang Giri chimed in, recalling the additional rules with a knowing look.
On paper, the two-to-one numbers made it seem like the chase team was at a disadvantage, but in reality, they had way more penalties stacked against them. It felt like the dream team setup had backfired, creating this imbalance.
"Hey, Gukjong hyung, aren't we gonna come up with a strategy?"
"Giri, what strategy do we need? With Donghu, me, and you, we've got the perfect Liu-Guan-Zhang trio."
"Liu-Guan-Zhang?"
"Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei."
At the unspoken question of what we'd do for the next twenty minutes, Kim Gukjong just shrugged.
"We'll just... get to know each other. Donghu, you don't do anything besides boxing?"
"Well... I'm not just into boxing. I focus mostly on martial arts in general."
"Oh, martial arts! Giri, you're into that too, right?"
"Nah, hyung, Donghu's a full-on active fighter."
And just like that, the rapid-fire banter kicked off again. Then, out of nowhere, a random topic popped up.
"Donghu, you any good at running?"
"Huh? Yeah, pretty good."
"How long for 3K?"
"Ten minutes."
"No way? Then... you play soccer too?"
"Huh?"
"We met like this for a reason. If you're good at soccer, that'd be perfect."
Soccer? Why was soccer coming up out of nowhere?
Is he messing with me?
I tried to laugh it off, but one look into Kim Gukjong's eyes told me everything.
He's dead serious.
To Kim Gukjong, the mission team was already fish in a barrel. It was like putting a bell on a cat—didn't change the fact that the cat still catches mice. No matter how many penalties they threw at the chase team, their role stayed the same, and he was confident in that.
"If you like soccer or something... uh, too bad, time's almost up."
Kim Gukjong cut himself off to check the time, then reached straight for the center of the desk.
"One last cheer before we go. Strategy... we'll handle it live. We've got walkie-talkies anyway, okay?"
"Yep!"
"One, two, three!"
"Fighting!"
The time limit was about an hour and a half.
"Alright, we'll split up for now, keep updating via walkie-talkie, and act solo unless we need to group up!"
"Got it!"
With that, I bolted for the elevators to check the floors.
Floors with videos: five total.
2nd, 6th, 8th, 13th, 19th.
Logically, the 2nd floor was probably snagged right at the start. But...
Still, we've got some time to find them.
With elevators set up to favor the mission team—all stuck on the 1st floor—waiting for one to reach the 22nd was a no-go. Only one strategy came to mind.
"VJ, sorry about this."
"Huh?"
"Looks like stairs it is."
From 22nd to 1st? I run 10K a day.
No problem for me.
+++++
At the same time, the mission team—unlike us—had meticulously planned their strategy.
"Besides using the elevators ourselves, let's block them for the chase team. Press every button except the ones we need."
"Seoksam hyung."
"Oh, too wordy? Skip it?"
"It was a rare good plan. But... there are other people here besides us, so we can't hit everything."
We could just seal a few key ones for our use. Yoo Jiseok, continuing the thought, pondered briefly before deciding.
"Okay, Sujin and Kang Su hit the 2nd floor to grab an elevator. The rest of us—me included—head up, scatter midway."
"Got it!"
We couldn't delay elevator use forever, but even five minutes would snowball into a huge advantage. Their plan was pretty solid.
"It's 3 vs. 6—we shouldn't be the ones on the back foot, right?"
"Yeah. Leave the 2nd to us and head up easy."
"...Kang Su, you better not betray us this time. This is a sure win."
"Jiseok hyung! I'm not some random backstabber!"
"Okay, okay. Let's move! Let's go go go!"
The mission team scattered with military precision.
"Ugh, where the hell did they hide these tapes?"
"Even knowing the floors, finding them's tough."
"Yeah, Sujin, check below. I'll take above."
"Yep!"
On the 2nd floor, just Kim Sujin and Kang Su left. Close to the start, they were hunting the sneakily hidden tape when...
Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling.
"...Sunbae, hear that bell?"
"Huh? Nah, must be your imagination. Only... six minutes in?"
With elevators locked down, how could anyone reach the 2nd? Kang Su laughed it off like a joke.
Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling.
The following bells slammed his smirk to the floor.
"This is real? Who's that? How?!"
Static crackle.
Kang Su fumbled for the walkie-talkie amid the panic. The bell was still distant—time to breathe.
"Jiseok hyung! Bell on 2nd floor! Someone's here! Elevator's moving already?!"
"What!? No way! No elevators moving! You hearing things?"
"It's real, coming fast. Don't know who...!"
"From 22nd to 2nd already? Impossible!"
"I'll check who and radio back. You be careful too!"
"Okay, okay! Survive and meet up!"
The urgent exchange ended. Kang Su used his height to scan ahead.
"Ah, sunbae! Found it!"
Right then.
"Yeah, I found you too."
A voice that shouldn't have been there whispered in Sujin's ear.
"Kyaaaah!"
With breathing too steady for a 22nd-floor descent, not a drop of sweat—a monstrous stamina on display.
"Sunbae, hello."
"...That 3K in ten wasn't the issue. Feels like a monster bigger than Gukjong hyung showed up..."
Kim Donghu had arrived.
"N-No, how?!"
"Just ran down the stairs. Didn't take long. Mind opening this?"
Clunk clunk.
Face-off at the door to the SKS History Hall, home of the 2nd-floor tape. Good news: two doors.
Eye-contact standoff. But the mission team had their item—the one mentioned earlier.
"Kang Su! Item use! Kim Donghu—legs banned for three minutes!"
"Ugh!"
The three-minute leg-use ban item. Meant for worst-case survival, wasted just seven minutes in—regrettable, but better than getting caught in a standoff.
"Sujin! Pass him while he can't use his legs!"
"Got it!"
Clunk!
Kang Su confirmed Sujin grabbed the tape, then flung the door open. Donghu couldn't use legs—movement sealed.
Time to troll a bit.
He sauntered past leisurely, planning some banter footage.
Whoosh.
"Wha—huh? H-Hey! D-Donghu, what are you doing?!"
Before Kim Donghu went into a handstand on his arms.
As he rose, his shirt slid down, revealing chiseled back and abs.
This guy's a straight-up human weapon!
A high schooler! An actor!
"With a body like that, you'd think special forces!"
And it didn't stop there.
"Sunbae! Sujin! Can't leave the tape!"
He walked. "Walked on hands" more precisely, but Kim Donghu advanced in handstand form. Flexing solid arm muscles, the sight was pure horror flick.
"Why go that far?! Why?!"
Kang Su was genuinely scared of Kim Donghu. Veteran variety star, but this character? New territory. Tried teasing romance, got stonewalled; variety newbie burning it all—terrifying.
"Run! Ignore and run! Three minutes feels eternal!"
Elevator and we're safe!
Kang Su and Sujin dashed past the arm-walking monster, straight to the elevator. Hit 6th floor, then mashed close button like mad.
Thud!
Doors shut. Kang Su calmed his pounding heart.
"What the hell is your childhood friend?!"
"K-Kinda competitive... I guess?"
Even Sujin seeing this side for the first time—hard to diagnose.
Kang Su laughed hollowly, recapping.
"Competitive explains that? No way..."
Now knowing Donghu's terror, he grabbed the walkie to warn. But then—
Ding~
Elevator stopped at 5th. Pressed 6th—why 5th?
As the thought hit, doors opened. Kang Su's eyes beheld the unbelievable.
"Kyaaaah!!!"
His somewhat girly scream.
"Aw, leaving so soon? I'll be sad."
Stairs to elevator intercept—Kim Donghu grinned wide before them.