Cha Tae-hyun got off to a great start by defeating Lee Yi-kyung in the ‘Kim Woo-bin Casting War’.

In the 9th episode of tvN‘s ‘Handsome Guys’ that aired on the 2nd, Cha Tae-hyun, Kim Dong-hyuk, and Woo Sang-hyuk split into Team ‘Handsomes’ to celebrate the Year of the Snake. Lee Yi-kyung, Shin Seung-ho, and Oh Sang-wook split into Team ‘Guys’ and they each went on an exciting race to visit Eulsa Year of the Snake stars of various ages in person to share New Year’s blessings and complete bingo.

The guest for that day‘s broadcast was Woo Sang-hyuk, a neighborhood friend of ‘Handsome Guys’ youngest member Oh Sang-wook for 10 years and the high jump emperor of South Korea from Daejeon. Oh Sang-wook and Woo Sang-hyuk brought up an episode from before they became friends. They both said, “I heard a rumor that there‘s a tall kid in the school next door who’s good at sports,” and drew attention by testifying to each other‘s fame since their school days. Woo Sang-hyuk then chose Kim Dong-hyun and Cha Tae-hyun as teammates to form the ‘Handsomes, and Lee Yi-kyung, Shin Seung-ho, and Oh Sang-wook were selected as the ‘Guys, and the real race began.

Meanwhile, a tarot master and a fortune teller who will provide New Year’s fortune telling services to the stars born in the year of the snake joined the group. They also looked at the members‘ fortunes, and Kim Dong-hyun, who confessed to being a diehard believer in fortune telling, couldn’t hide his excitement at the interpretation that “you will make an unimaginable amount of money between the years 25 and 27.” Also, Woo Sang-hyeok, who describes himself as a “jinx or fate-breaker,” added to the laughter by being surprised and changing his stance when he heard the interpretation, “The Hwa Yang Yeon Gong of your life will come in 2028,” saying, “My last Olympics will be the 2028 LA Olympics,” and Oh Sang-wook joked, “Should I change my job?” when he heard, “The fortune of a celebrity with so many Do Hwa arrows.” Furthermore, Cha Tae-hyun, who had his fortune told by a tarot reader, said, “In the mid-term, good luck will come and your potential will explode. It will become tvN’s main entertainment show,” which he received a standing ovation and asked, “Please tell the entertainment headquarters heads,” causing laughter.

With the start of the full-scale race, each team started by searching portals and collecting all the contact information on their phones to inquire about celebrities born in the year of the snake. The ‘Guys’ team adopted a strategy of calling everyone they could, but because it was so early in the morning, there were hardly any people who would answer the phone, making it difficult to recruit people. Oh Sang-wook tried to target the athlete category by contacting fencing player Gu Bon-gil and short track speed skating athlete Kwak Yoon-ki, but it was unsuccessful, and Lee Yi-kyung succeeded in deciding on the first destination by recruiting Jeon Hyo-seong, born in 1989.


On the other hand, the ‘Handsomes’, who were careful even with a single phone call, succeeded in calling Girls‘ Generation’s Yuri, born in 1989, but gave up when he heard that she was currently in Jeju Island. Soon after, Cha Tae-hyun called Kim Woo-bin, born in 1989. When Kim Woo-bin said he had some time, the ‘Handsomes’ cheered, and Cha Tae-hyun gave Kim Woo-bin an order to block any contact with the ‘Guys, saying, “If anyone calls before you meet us, you are in Jeju Island,“ causing laughter. The ‘Handsomes’, which had gained momentum due to their success in recruiting Kim Woo-bin, set their sights on Jin Seon-kyu, born in 1977, and Kim Dong-hyun, who had the number but had never called before, made an iron face and called Jin Seon-kyu for the first time in his life, adding to the laughter.

At this time, the ‘Guys’ surprised the ‘Handsomes’ vehicle that was busy making recruiting calls in order to keep them in check. After taking a peek at the ‘Handsomes’ operation bingo board, Shin Seung Ho realized that Kim Woo Bin had been cast, and plotted a plan with Lee Yi Kyung to lure Kim Woo Bin away. Lee Yi Kyung then called Kim Woo Bin, who followed Cha Tae Hyun‘s lead and lied, ”I’m in Jeju Island right now.“ However, Lee Yi Kyung, who is very perceptive, demanded, ”Did you by any chance receive an order from over there? I‘m betting your life on whether you’re really in Jeju Island right now?“ A flustered Kim Woo Bin quickly ended the call, causing an explosion of laughter.

After that, ‘Guys’ met the first snake star, ‘89-year-old (female)’ Jeon Hyo Sung at his home. Jeon Hyo-seong said, ”The industry is having a hard time these days, so I‘m constantly preparing,“ and revealed her current situation, saying, ”I wake up at 6 in the morning when the sun rises and go to bed at 8 at night,“ drawing attention. Jeon Hyo-seong, who then received a New Year’s fortune telling service through tarot, knelt down and declared herself a blind believer when she heard the divinations, ”I don‘t think you have to worry about work,“ and ”I don’t have any plans on dating at all. I just have no intention of doing anything and just lie around at home,“ making everyone laugh. Then, at the moment when they were about to start the quiz, the ‘Guys’ were dragged into the car and forced to take a nap because of the ‘Handsomes’ used their ‘30-minute nap coupon’. After getting a good night‘s sleep, they returned to Jeon Hyo-seong’s house and used their re-challenge coupon to get the first correct answer.

Meanwhile, the ‘Handsomes’ visited Brand New Music to meet the 77-year-old Rhymer whom they had previously recruited. During the New Year‘s fortune telling time, Rhymer revealed that he is a Christian, but also said, ”I have too many worries,“ and asked a flood of questions, making everyone burst into laughter. Along with this, the ”Handsomes“ caught the fact that AB6IX’s Lee Dae-hwi from Brand New Music was born in 2001 and aimed for a 1-hit, 2-run bingo. Lee Dae-hwi rushed over after receiving Rhymer‘s call, but he said, ”Actually, I was born early. I’ve been a snake my whole life, but I checked today and I‘m a dragon,“ adding to the laughter as he confronted the secret of his birth that he didn’t know. After that, the ”Handsomes“ participated in a quiz with Rhymer and Lee Dae-hwi, used their right to retry, and successfully guessed the correct answer. They also obtained the valuable information that Eunho from another boy group from Brand New Music, YOUNITE, was born in 2001, making a pleasant first step.

The ”Handsomes“ then met Kim Woo-bin. Kim Woo-bin, who unintentionally lied to Lee Yi-kyung because of Cha Tae-hyun, confessed, ”Actually, Lee Kyung-yi called me earlier and said she was in Jeju Island,“ making Cha Tae-hyun burst into laughter. Furthermore, Kim Woo-bin complained to Cha Tae-hyun, saying, ”Lee Kyung-yi suddenly asked, ‘Can you bet yourself?’“, and Cha Tae-hyun immediately called Lee Yi-kyung and teased him, making everyone laugh. Accordingly, attention is being paid to whether Cha Tae-hyun, Kim Dong-hyun, and Woo Sang-hyuk of ‘Handsomes,’ who got off to a smooth start in the ‘Snake Star Exploration Bingo Race’ by succeeding in the war to recruit Kim Woo-bin, will be the final winning team.

Hong Se-young, Donga.com Reporter projecthong@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.