Chapter 2

Yoo Jae Suk - Actress 여배우

Yoo JaeSuk knows how great of an actress JiHyo is. Despite being criticized for her acting in dramas by the netizens, her acting skills definitely gave her an advantage in Running Man. Such instances includes acting ignorant during missions and masking away her feelings. JiHyo had never been one who would reveal her true thoughts and would bottle up all her emotions in that petite body of hers. Hence, it overwhelmed JaeSuk when JiHyo called him in the middle of the night 7 years ago, in a state of disarray.

The first time JaeSuk met JiHyo was in the summer of 2009, for the filming of Family Outing. Out of all the celebrities he had met (and trust me, he had met a lot), he considered JiHyo as the prettiest actress he had ever seen in terms of both her looks and personality. Despite appearing on set with minimal make-up, JiHyo managed to beat the others in terms of looks. Not to mention her carefree personality made it even easier for her to get along with the casts. Each second of filming the episode of Family Outing with JiHyo was filled with surprises. In the span of just two days, she had managed to outwitted him, showed off her hulk like strength and showed the comical side of her. As an entertainer, JaeSuk felt that JiHyo was suitable to be in a variety show. Hence a year later when Running Man was still under preparations, he had suggested to the producers to invite Song Ji Hyo to the show. After a few times guesting on the show, the producers decided to cast JiHyo as a permanent member. He was truly happy for her, as he knew she currently had no gig coming up.

It was no surprise to JaeSuk when HaHa confessed to him (after the filming of the 12th episode) that he likes JiHyo. He had known HaHa for many years now and he could see how obvious HaHa’s feelings for JiHyo was. He would purposely teased and disturbed JiHyo even when she wasn't doing anything. JaeSuk then took the initiative to pair them up together, often bringing up HaHa’s obvious feelings for the only female member during the filming of both Running Man and Infinite Challenge.

JaeSuk was never an oblivious person. Contrary to his image as an oblivious member when carrying out missions, he was actually one of the more, if not the most, observant person among all the members. He could see discomfort in JiHyo's eyes which prompted him to stop teasing them together.

When the producers kept pushing for a loveline for the show, JaeSuk originally had rejected the idea as he could see how uncomfortable JiHyo was when she was paired with the male members. However, for the sake of the show and ratings, JiHyo and Gary had no choice but to agree on being part of the Monday Couple. As the producers had expected, Monday Couple became huge and was among one of the best loveline in the history of variety shows’ lovelines. JiHyo, who was slightly uncomfortable at the beginning, began to open up and ultimately was used to the Monday Couple. Gary's constant flirtings towards JiHyo was a big hit for the fans as the fans began to ship the two adults (even though the other members were extremely uncomfortable with the cheesy remarks).

As many filmings went by, JaeSuk noticed Gary’s subtle glances towards JiHyo behind the cameras. Gary would try to make small talks with her and try to get to know each other better. It was then he realised Gary’s feelings towards JiHyo. As mean as he may sound, he knew things were not going to end up well which was proven in 2012 when JiHyo revealed her relationship with her CEO. He recalled the despair look on Gary’s face. Gary even went as far as to wanting to quit from the show. Things went well though, when Gary told JaeSuk that he no longer had intentions to pursue JiHyo. Sure, his feelings might still be lingering but he understood that JiHyo would never return his feelings.

A few months after her relationship was made public, JiHyo revealed to the members (through their group chat) that she was taken no more (even though it wasn't made public). JaeSuk was the first to reach out to her, demanding to know where she currently was. He found her passed out in a bar with bottles of beers surrounding her. (A few years later when he told this story to the other members, he omitted the beer part as he was sure JongKook would nag at their Ace.)