Exiting the bus, the PD handed an envelope to GD.

“A mission card?” he asked, looking it over.

The PD nodded and gestured for him to read it.

“Hold hands as you shop for ingredients for tonight’s dinner,” he read, glancing over at Andy. “We have to cook our own dinner?”

“Yes,” the PD answered.

“Are you a good cook?” he asked Andy doubtfully.

“Not making Korean food. I’m pretty good at following recipes, though. You?”

“Only simple stuff.” He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his fluffy hair.

“How do we get to the market?” Andy asked.

Ji Yong looked at the card and then their surroundings. “That way.” He pointed down the road to the right. “Let’s go.” He held out a hand to her.

Hesitantly, she took his hand and started walking beside him. They followed the road a little ways, quiet because they were both uncomfortable. Ji Yong rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled softly.

“This is so awkward,” he whispered.

Andy silently nodded and tucked her other hand into her pocket. If they at least had something to do or carry it wouldn’t have been so bad.

Ji Yong sighed and started swinging their hands dramatically between them. Smiling, Andy joined in, eventually swinging so hard, that their bodies twisted too. He ducked his face as he chuckled, covering his mouth. It was such a cute gesture, that Andy found herself staring. No wonder he had so many female adorers.

After twisting so hard that they both stumbled, they settled down and walked normally again. Most of the awkwardness had left with their silly behavior. They came to a fork in the road and Ji Yong had to consult their roughly drawn map. They were almost there, as the last turn had taken them into the village center.

The cameras immediately drew the attention of everyone around. Then, eyes swiveled to the rarely-spotted foreigner. It was Ji Yong, though, who unexpectedly stepped closer, his body stiffening, hand starting to sweat. Outwardly, he didn’t appear to change, but a tension suddenly radiated from him.

Andy casually swung their hands and grinned at him.

“I can make tasty buckwheat noodles with chicken,” she said.

“Yeah? Sounds good.” He squeezed her hand lightly in appreciation. “Do you like kimchi?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll make you some.”

“Call.”

Ignoring the stares and whispers, they began selecting their ingredients, circling the small store. Ji Yong carried the basket in his free hand, leaving Andy to grab everything with hers, but he kept reaching for things with their clasped hands.

As Andy picked up the noodles she needed, he used their hands to poke at some Ramen nearby.

“Just buy it,” Andy laughed.

“Oh! No, I’m just hungry; everything looks good.”

“Did you eat lunch?” she asked, tossing the Ramen in the basket and tugging him towards the opposite end of the aisle.

“…No, we were recording,” he replied softly.

“Ay,” she scolded gently. “Don’t skip your meals. You should always find time to eat. How else will you keep your strength up?”

Ji Yong smiled as she led him to a lady handing out samples. Awkwardly, she picked up the toothpick, sticking through a piece of meat, and offered it to him. Still grinning, he tilted his head a bit and accepted it, his mouth watering.

“Good?” she asked.

“Mm,” he agreed, chewing; pleased when she held out a second piece for him.

“So sweet. You must be newlyweds,’ the woman cooed, pulling a few more chunks off of the grill for them.

Ji Yong quickly agreed, swallowing his food. “Yes, my wife takes good care of me.”

“I can see that,” the grill lady smiled. “Are you on your honeymoon? Buy some eel tonight, so you can take a son back home with you.”

Andy coughed around the meat she had just put in , her cheeks flushing pink. Ji Yong grinned and bowed to the lady before leading the younger woman away.

“And you thought you overshared,” he said softly, leaning close to her ear.

Andy barked out a laugh and shook her head, then steered him away when she realized he was taking her over by the eel. She took him to the onions, instead.

“Do we have everything?” she asked, looking up at him.

She had pretty eyes; warm hazel, not the cool blue one typically associated with blondes.

“I think so,” he answered, staring into their basket. “Let’s go.”

He placed their basket on the counter, but the young girl behind it only stared at him, open in surprise.

“Hello,” GD greeted, shaking the girl from her trance.

“Hello,” she returned in a loud voice, then giggled.

They waited patiently for another minute before the girl remembered to start ringing up their groceries.

Andy pulled out her wallet as she neared the end. Using their joined hands to brace it, she started to pull out her card.

Ji Yong glanced over to see what she was doing with his hand and saw her intention to pay.

“No, no,” he said immediately, using his free hand to push her card back in.

“It’s fine, I-“

“No, I’ll pay,” he insisted, still pushing gently at her hands.

Ji Yong pulled out his card and paid quickly, ignoring her protests. He also grabbed all the bags before she could reach for them. Still holding her hand, he led her outside, where the sun was just beginning to set.

“You paid last time, too,” Andy continued after taking a minute to admire the colorful sky.

“I’m a man,” he argued. “You should save your money to buy pretty things, shoes and bags.”

“I have enough for both,” she countered, but he was so matter-of-fact about it that she knew it was pointless to argue.

“Ay… What man lets his woman pay for stuff?”

She sighed and held out her free hand.

“Then, at least, let me carry a couple of those bags.”

“They’re not heavy,” he denied, looking straight ahead.

“I didn’t say they were too heavy. I just want to be useful. Let me help you,” she persuaded, tugging lightly on his hand.

He met her eyes, stopping.

“Alright, but pass them back if they get too heavy.”

She grinned, relieving him of half of the bags, which were actually pretty heavy. He practically sighed in relief as she took them, but hid it well.

“Okay, Oppa,” she agreed, although she knew she wouldn’t, no matter how difficult it got.

They walked quietly back to the small home, arriving just before full dark. They released their clasped hands as they deposited the bags on the counter. Without much conversation, they set about making dinner.

“If you don’t really cook, how do you eat?” Andy asked after ten minutes or so of silence.

“Huh? Oh, sometimes I eat with Young Bae or Top-hyung, or I just stick to the easy things I know how to make, but mostly my mom cooks. Lately though, since we’ve been so busy, it’s been convenient food. What about you?” he asked, tasting the kimchi he had just seasoned.

She hesitated a second, surprised to find out that he lived with his mom. “For now, I make mostly familiar stuff. But once or twice a week, I try out Korean dishes. I’m learning slowly.”

Ji Yong suddenly blinked rapidly and glanced over his shoulder at her as she reached passed him for a seasoning, bracing herself with a hand on his waist.

“Excuse me,” she muttered casually in English and moved back to her dish on the stove.

Refocusing his attention, he supposed he no longer needed to ask her if she was comfortable with skinship.

Halfway through the prep, his stomach rumbled loudly. Behind him, Andy chuckled. A merciful piece of chicken appeared in front of him, which he ate gratefully.

It was nice to be fed without asking or hinting, to have someone take care of him, to worry about his meals, like she had in the market. Looking over at her back as she fixed their dinner, he felt a familiar warmth growing inside of him.

“Need any help?” she asked, suddenly turning around. She seemed surprised that he was already looking at her. “Oppa?”

“No, I’m almost finished,” he said quickly, turning away.

He was annoyed at himself; if she had caught him staring, the cameras obviously had, as well. Where was his subtlety? The guys were going to give him such a hard time; they were always saying he fell for girls too quickly. He finished the kimchi as fast as possible and debated internally whether or not to give her a bite.

“Done,” she pronounced, stepping away from the vegetables she had been working on.

“Try this,” he called before he could change his mind.

Still wearing the plastic gloves, Ji Yong grabbed a bit of the spicy side dish and held it out to her. She approached slowly, tilting her head so that she wouldn’t touch his fingers as she accepted the bite.

“Mm…it’s good,” she hummed, covering as she chewed.

“Not too spicy? Too salty?”

“No, it’s perfect.”

He smiled, relieved that she liked it. Together, they moved the food over to a small table beside a large window.

Again, they fell into comfortable silence as they ate. He was pleased to see she kept eating his kimchi. But, then he lost track of everything as he practically inhaled the noodles and chicken she had made. It was way better than he had expected. In the end, he ate more than he probably should have. Sitting back, he breathed deeply and rested a hand on his full belly. It was the best meal he’d had in a long time.

“Andy-ah, anytime you feel like cooking, just let me know; I’ll come eat it.”

She smiled at him and nodded, then covered as a yawn escaped her.

“Sorry, I’m sleepy.”

“It’s getting late,” he agreed.

“We’ll end here,” the PD called in a loud voice, prompting the crew to begin moving rapidly, packing up equipment.

“Ji Yong-ssi,” a writer said, approaching them almost cautiously. “Staff will be staying at a nearby hotel. We’ve booked an extra room; your manager wasn’t sure where you’d want to stay.”

“Ah,” he responded awkwardly, rubbing his ear. “I think I’ll just stay here.”

“Alright. If you change your mind.” She placed a key card on the table for him. “Goodnight.” She bowed and followed most of the other crew to the door.

A single cameraman and a female PD stayed behind to sleep in the house with them, along with GD’s manager.

Andy smiled and shook her head; they didn’t even pretend to show her a bit of preference.

“Wash up first,” Ji Yong said softly, a little embarrassed about the preferential treatment they had shown him.

“No thanks,” Andy refused, standing. “I have to sweat a bit first. You go ahead.”

“You have to sweat?” he asked, eyebrows up.

“Yeah. I better get started before it gets even later.”

Andy excused herself and quickly changed in the room she would share with the PD.

Ji Yong watched as she came out of the room, wearing tight-fitting workout clothes, her hair pulled up in a long braid and carrying a large pair of running shoes. Were her feet really that big? He glanced down. Wow, they were.

Out on the small patio behind the house, he watched as she stretched for around five minutes. He tried to keep his thoughts clean, but it was a challenge. She lifted her leg behind her, bent backwards and pulled it over her head. She held it there for a few seconds, and then switched legs.

“I didn’t expect her to be so flexible,” the cameraman mumbled beside him, also watching as the woman threw herself into a handstand.

After balancing in several more positions, Andy took off at a jog towards the water front they couldn’t see due to the dark.

“I’ll wash up first,” Ji Yong said, shaking himself and patting the younger man’s shoulder.

Andy reached the house, slowing to a walk. Sitting, curled up, on the sofa with a pencil and notebook was Ji Yong. His hair damp and messy, his face free of makeup and wearing baggy, checkered pajamas, he looked younger and more innocent than she had seen him before. He tapped his foot as his pencil moved over the paper. Careful not to disturb him, she made her way to the shower, enjoying the cool water on her sweaty body.

They light workout had given her a chance to think. To think about the move, her mother, Ji Yong; she really hadn’t expected him to be so nice. Honestly, she had figured that someone of his status would have their head way up in the sky. To be so grounded, he must have some very good friends. Of course, it could just be an act for the show.

A/N: Thanks for reading, don't forget to review!