A/N: Three part update!!!!!! Couldn’t find a good stopping point so here we are.

They became even closer friends over some months; he often slowed his pace to walk and talk beside her while they were filming, just joking around with her and asking about her day. She found herself texting him about the randomest things, like getting him to cameo in one of her dramas or asking him to do commercials with her. Running Man put on several fan meets, and, pleased with how close she and Gary had gotten to each other, the PDs arranged for them to sing a duet together during the fan meetings and ensured more screentime for the Monday Couple. And somehow, even though it was all mostly more work, Jihyo didn’t mind it. It was fun, she found, to practice for the fan meets with Gary, going to noraebangs to sing their song at the top of her lungs, with him chiding her whenever she went off key. It was fun being put in the same group as him because it made her feel less like she’d been left out, as she sometimes felt when hanging out with the other guys who couldn’t help but leave her out of some of their boys-only events and conversations. At least she always had Gary, who always slowed his pace to wait for her while the rest of the boys were running off to the next destination, who stuck by her when all the other boys chose to be on the same team as the many female guests.

She found herself growing more distant from her own boyfriend. Of course, the fact that he was always so busy played a part in that; they maybe called each other once a week, and he spent more time in his office or on business trips, rarely coming back to her apartment. She would feel lonely every once in a while, but was almost always able to call up one of the Running Man members, usually Kwangsoo or Gary, to hang out with her when she got bored and when their schedules matched. Joking around with the oppas and Kwangsoo, exchanging teases and insults with them, Jihyo had little time to feel sad or lonely. When her birthday had rolled around and she’d found out that her boyfriend wouldn’t make it back in time to celebrate with her (having lamely sent a text wishing her a happy birthday anyways), Gary had arranged a surprise party for her, getting all of the members and even the PDs and some of her acting friends in on it. She’d walked into the restaurant unsuspectingly and feeling stressed, thinking that she was going to be meeting up with the head PD to discuss how to further her character on the show even though it was her birthday, when all of the members popped up from behind the chairs and under the tables with loud poppers, spraying streamers, silly string, and confetti everywhere.

“It was all Gary-hyung’s idea,” Haha had announced smugly, throwing his arm around the bashful-looking Gary’s shoulders. “He said you ought to have a blast on your birthday instead of being cooped up in your apartment all day. So he called up as many of your friends as he knew and invited everyone who could come last minute.”

She’d spent the whole night with friends thanks to Gary, laughing and eating and catching up with the people she loved most, almost forgetting about how lonely she had originally felt when she’d found out that her boyfriend wouldn’t be coming back for her. She felt moved to the point that, when they had arrived at the front door of her apartment complex (he’d insisted on giving her a ride back), she leaned over and pecked him on the cheek, like he had done to her on the episode when Big Bang had been guesting, only with no PDs urging her to or any cameras trained on them. He’d leaned back in surprise, shock written all over his face, and she herself hastily bid him a thank you and a goodbye before exiting the car and rushing up to her apartment. She stood in the elevator as it made its way up to her floor with the scene that had just played out repeating itself over and over in her head.

She’d kissed him. On the cheek, but it was a kiss anyway. What had she been thinking?

Song Jihyo, she scolded herself, exiting the elevator and pulling out her keys when the doors dinged open to her floor. Have you gone insane? You’re an actress. How could you let emotions get the best of you? You have a boyfriend, for goodness sakes. Sure, he hasn’t been around lately, but you had no business in kissing another guy. What does Gary think? What am I going to SAY to him?

She groaned, collapsing face first onto her bed. Surely she could write it off as a friendly kiss. Friends usually kiss, don’t they? It was a kiss on the cheek only, to show her gratitude towards him.

           Trying to come up with what to say to him the next day kept her tossing and turning all night.

           But she needn’t have worried. Because he took care of that for her by completely ignoring her the next day.