In ‘I Live Alone’, Kian84 challenged the full course of the New York Marathon and successfully completed the full course for the second time in his life. He showed his determination to overcome pain and crisis and not give up in order to keep his promise to himself.

The sight of ‘Running84’ wearing the Taegeukgi and becoming the ‘Hero Representative’ gave viewers a deep resonance and emotion at the same time. Accordingly, the viewership ratings for ‘I Live Alone’ soared to a high of 9.2%, and the 2049 viewership ratings took first place among all Friday programs.

On the MBC ‘I Live Alone’ (directed by Heo Hang, Kang Ji-hee, Park Soo-bin, Lee Kyung-eun, and Moon Ki-young) broadcast on the 22nd, Kian84 was shown challenging the ‘New York Marathon’.

According to Nielsen Korea, a viewership ratings research company, on the 23rd, the household viewership ratings for ‘I Live Alone’ that aired the previous day recorded 8.5% in the metropolitan area, ranking first in the same time slot and first among Friday entertainment programs.

Also, in the 2049 viewership ratings, which are the main indicators for advertisers and measure channel competitiveness, it recorded 4.2% (based on the metropolitan area), taking first place in the same time slot and first place among all Friday programs.

The best minute was the scene where Kian84 arrives at the starting zone of the New York Marathon and prepares to run (23:44~23:46). He ate two bagels for a ground breakfast to replenish his energy and prepared to run with his bib number and knee taping. Although he looked relaxed as it was his second full-course challenge, the tension of the viewers reached its peak. As a result, the viewership rating soared to a high of 9.5%.

Kian84 once again delivered a moving life race and moved viewers. Kian84, who successfully completed his first full-course in his life at the Cheongju Marathon a year ago, gained confidence and challenged his second full marathon with the goal of ‘completing it in less than 4 hours’. The place he participated in was the ‘New York Marathon’, which boasts the largest scale among the world‘s six major marathons. The enormous scale of the scene, where 60,000 people gathered, surprised everyone.

Kian84, who had been practicing systematically for a year to keep his promise to himself, looked different from before. Kian84, who started off with his own goal at the signal, greeted the cheering citizens and smiled, then found his pace and started to get ahead of the runners.

However, unlike his enthusiastic start, he suddenly reached the limit of his physical strength as he passed the 20km section. Furthermore, after passing the uphill section called the ‘Bridge of Death’, Kian84 eventually collapsed at the 31km point. As he struggled to get up, exhausted from exhaustion, he saw a runner running on crutches. Seeing the runners doing their best in any situation, Kian84 said, “I’m in the position of being full. He said, “I think I ran harder,” conveying his feelings at the time.

Kian84, who ran while fighting a lonely battle with himself, poured out his last strength at the sight of overseas Koreans cheering him on, saying, “Kian84, you can do it!” at the finish line. The sight of Kian84, who ran while wearing the Taegeukgi that the overseas Koreans gave him and finally succeeded in completing the race, was moving in itself. He also shared his feelings at the time, saying, “I‘m not a national representative or an Olympic athlete, but I felt a strange sense of emotion when I unfurled the Taegeukgi.” All the Rainbow members applauded and congratulated him on his completion. Kian84’s record was ‘4 hours, 48 minutes, and 16 seconds.

The next day, Kian84, who had his record engraved on his medal filled with sweat and effort, burst into laughter when he saw that his name was not listed on the New York Times page with the names of the New York Marathon finishers by about 5 minutes. Kian84 expressed his discontent by saying, “Is a record of 4 hours and 44 minutes not human?” and “If you said you would do it, you should do it until the end.”

Nevertheless, Kian84 said about running, “It‘s something that helps me find myself,” and announced that he will continue to run for his goal. Although he did not reach his goal record, his never-ending persistence has made us look forward to endless challenges and new beginnings.

Next week, Key’s practical exam for a Western food chef and Go Joon‘s fight for a good night’s sleep are also scheduled, raising curiosity.

‘I Live Alone’ is a single life trend leader program that shows the colorful rainbow lives of single-person household stars and is receiving much love.

Jo Sung-woon, reporter for Donga.com madduxly@donga.com