ZICO Takes Choo Sung-hoon's Low Kick, Falls Into a Pool

ZICO finally got the low kick he had been asking for. The kick knocked him straight into a hotel pool.

The moment came in an episode that aired on Nov. 3, of the SBS Plus and MBN variety show "The Manly Way to Travel in Taiwan" (Sangnamjaui Yeohaengbeop in Daeman). ZICO lost a contest to his castmates, fighter Choo Sung-hoon and Kim Jong Kook. The penalty was a low kick from Choo.

The episode opened with Choo working out under the hot morning sun, even though the previous day's schedule had run late into the night. He made it clear that fighting is still his main job.

"TV is TV, but you still have to work hard at your own job," he said.

Choo admitted that his stamina doesn't build up the way it used to. He added, "You have to work hard to be able to have fun filming, too."

Later, the three men faced off in a contest to see who could send a suitcase the farthest. The loser would take a low kick. ZICO had said throughout the trip that he wanted to feel one of Choo's kicks, so his older castmates teased him. "Just go ahead and come in last," they told him.

ZICO opened with flashy soccer footwork, then pushed the suitcase by hand for a solid distance. Kim Jong Kook let out a loud shout and easily beat his mark. Choo then sent his suitcase to the same spot as Kim's, which left ZICO with the penalty.

At the hotel pool, ZICO said he didn't want the light tap usually seen on variety shows. He wanted a kick he could actually feel.

The others tried to talk him out of it, since he has a performance coming up next week. "Guess you'll do a wheelchair show for the first time in a while," Kim Jong Kook joked. When the idea of taking a low kick was turned around on him, he shut it down fast. "I have to play soccer tomorrow," he said.

ZICO even asked for a face-off, standing toe-to-toe with Choo like two fighters before a match. He looked excited at first. As the kick got closer, though, he couldn't hide his nerves.

One low kick from Choo knocked him off balance and sent him falling into the water. Choo jumped in right away to pull him out.

After all that buildup, ZICO couldn't recall how he ended up in the pool. "I don't remember," he said.

He was limping from the kick, but he sounded satisfied. "I got my wish, so I feel so refreshed," he said.

While his castmates showed off their muscles and enjoyed a swim, ZICO made one final confession. "I don't really like swimming," he said. "I like hot springs."

He closed by talking about how quickly the three have grown close.

"We keep stacking up all these different experiences," he said. "So I think we can't help but get close in a short time."