Filming ended in the afternoon for the cast of Running Man that day. As soon as the slate was hit, they thanked the staff and each other for their hard work. Song Ji Hyo also put on a smile, thanking her fellow members for a job well done and even sharing kind words of encouragement to new members Yang Se Chan and Jeon So Min. She had other appointments and errands to run that day, so she rushed off after a hasty goodbye.

Only reaching home around 10pm, she sighed as she closed the door to her room and placed her bag neatly on the floor beside her bed. Something was bugging her. Events of that day flashed through her mind, and she began to recall what happened during the opening segment.

“Although Gary did get married!” Lee Kwang Soo had exclaimed.

“Although Gary changed his number!” Kim Jong Kook added on.

“Although we did not know!” the Giraffe continued, “9012!” His cries were echoed by the Commander, who smiled knowingly throughout.

A photo of the original cast from Gary’s last episode as a member was placed on the table beside Ji Hyo’s bed. She looked at it with melancholy, her heartstrings tugging as she recalled adding a “Right, he did change his number!” in the spur of the moment.

But it was Yoo Jae Suk’s comment in a video message to Gary that haunted her. “Gary-yah, where are you?” the Grasshopper had asked in a half-joking manner, inciting laughter from his fellow cast mates. “We won’t try to visit you.” Ji Hyo had picked up on the tint of concern that was underlying in his tone, and inside, she too wondered how her close friend was doing.

Why did he leave? Why did he change his contact number? Doesn’t he know we will always have his back?

A million questions ran through her mind. But she just wanted the answer to one.

Will I see you again soon?

She paused for a while, sitting on the side of her bed. After a few moments in silence, she got her laptop out and went through a folder she had on her desktop – her archive of Running Man documents. Scrolling through them all, she eventually found herself playing one of her most cherished videos, titled ‘Kang Gary Song Ji Hyo Moment Episode 12’.

It was the final bell-hide-and-seek mission at the Olympic Stadium. Ji Hyo had been caught by Jong Kook on the lawn and, desperate to survive, she laid down on the grass despite the pelting rain showering them. Seeing Joong Ki in the distance, Jong Kook then commanded Gary to eliminate Ji Hyo, and ran off to help HaHa catch Joong Ki.

As Gary watched the Tiger run off, he waited a while before asking Ji Hyo to stand up. Not trusting him at first, she wrapped herself around his leg and begged for another chance, leaving the embarrassed Gary with a shy grin.

Sitting on her bed, Ji Hyo held her tears back as ‘The woman who can’t break up, the man who can’t leave’ by Leessang played in the background.

“Ji Hyo-yah, don’t be like that” the rapper mumbled with a smile on his face. With a bit more persuasion, Ji Hyo stood up warily and walked with Gary to the track.

“Never expected to be in the rain with you like this, Ji Hyo-yah” he shyly mentioned. Ji Hyo remembered those words clearly, even after 7 years.

Back on the track and ready to let her escape, he made her promise not to tell Jong Kook about his betrayal.

“And, later, if your team wins, you must tell me how to contact you. Understand?” he asked cheekily, making her laugh heartily. Nonetheless, she accepted his terms, and gave him a pinky promise. With that, he pushed her hand away, shouting at her to run quickly. Ji Hyo had laughed as she ran off, the genuine smile plastered on her face created by him.

But back in her room, Ji Hyo’s eyes were watery, a frown masking her beautiful face. The first tear escaped as she thought about how the tables had turned, about how he was now the uncontactable one. She wished everyday that he would contact her and the rest of the cast. To tell them that he was okay. To tell them that he misses them. To tell them that he wants to be on the show again. But the reality remained as it was, and Ji Hyo wept silently as she recalled what she said to him earlier in the morning through a video message.

“Yah… Be happy,” she had softly mentioned with a light smile, her right knee twisting inwards out of embarrassment.

She had meant it. She genuinely wanted nothing but happiness for Gary.

As more tears began streaming down her face, she reached for tissues, her nose turning red and her mind wrapped with thoughts about the man who left. Her sniffles filled the room as she fought to hold back her tears. More than anything at that moment, she missed her Monday Boyfriend. She missed his looks, his jokes, his laughter… She missed everything about him.

A single plea started to cloud her mind, and her heart.

Kang Gary… Please come home.