On reaching the complex of his apartment, Jong Kook considered asking his driver to take a detour to the gym. He was the type of man who worked out his worries and right now he needed some distraction. He decided against it at the last moment, though, since he didn't feel like being around people; going to the gym would only serve the opposite. 

 

He decided on having a run to clear his head, much to his manager, Gap Jin, objection. 

 

"It's late," Gap Jin complained. Jong Kook dismissed it without a second thought, saying that he wouldn't be long. As he walked out of the door, the manager called out behind him to remind him to take it easy. 

 

Stepping out of the porch, Jong Kook took a deep refreshing breath. The evening air was pretty chilly but the breeze felt great on Jong Kook's skin as he broke into a jog. 

 

While running, the Commander's mind wandered towards the earlier events. If he thought about it, he admitted that Ji Hyo looked a little off today during the filming. She was one determined person as a habit, but today she had been rather obsessed with wanting to win; that was not like her at all.

 

The Song Ji Hyo he knew was a good sport and was always be the first one to congratulate the winning team earnestly. She was outspoken to the borderline of rude when someone cheated on her, but once the filming was over she usually let it go because everything was just a game. But today? She not only held him accountable for her team's losing but also got truly angry with him. 

 

Jong Kook couldn't fathom why he felt uneasy about his earlier argument with Ji Hyo. Was it because of the news of her breaking up? Had he known, would he have reacted differently? Would he still have snapped back? No, he thought, he wouldn't have done that. He would have let her vent her anger and be done with it. Jong Kook gritted his teeth, feeling so unhappy with himself. 

 

He was so deep in thought that he didn't realise he had gone a lap around his apartment complex until he saw Gap Jin by the building entrance, waving a bottle of water at his direction. Slowing down into a walk, Jong Kook went to where his manager was standing. The sportsman could feel the muscles in his back contracting in protest for being worked out without proper warming up. He knew he would feel like hell in the morning, but he was too preoccupied to address it. 

 

Gap Jin scolded his charge when he saw how worn out the younger man was. "You're literally still in recuperation from your back surgery!" he grumbled as he followed him back inside. "This dongsaeng is going to be the death of me!"

 

Drinking the water in big gulps, nearly emptying the flask, Jong Kook unceremoniously dropped himself face first on the couch, sprawling. "My back hurts," he mumbled into a cushion. 

 

"Serves you right!" Gap Jin couldn't help scolding; he still went to the kitchen and got Jong Kook some painkillers, though. 

 

"Don't be mean, Hyung," said Jong Kook, taking the pills off Gap Jin's hand. He swallowed them dry, grimacing at the bitter taste. "Hyung," Jong Kook called out after a few minutes; he sounded relaxed since the painkillers had begun to work. The manager grunted his reply from the kitchen. "Hyung, do you know Ji Hyo broke up with her boyfriend?"

 

"Of course I do; it created such an uproar in the whole entertainment world. But that was so last week," Gap Jin answered absent-mindedly "Why are you asking?"

 

"I didn't know," the Commander admitted. He turned around so that he was facing his manager, his expression unreadable, "You should have told me, Hyung."

 

"Eh? What is it to you?"

 

Jong Kook frowned, not really having an answer to that. He shrugged. "I would have said something to her."

 

Gap Jin looked at the younger man contemplatively for some time; something was clearly bothering Jong Kook and Gap Jin didn't know what. From what it looked, he was sure that Jong Kook himself didn't know what was bothering him. He took a seat on the couch opposite Jong Kook, a hand nursing the glass of water. He thought about what he was going to say. 

 

"I shouldn't generalise," he began. Jong Kook fixed his attention towards him. "But in my experience with my younger sister, sometimes the best thing to do when someone is sad is to pretend that everything was alright. My sister always hates the extra attention people give her when she is broken hearted. She said she wished people would stop treating her like some piteous creature."

 

Jong Kook was silent as he took the Hyung's words in. He knew that Gap Jin was partly right. Besides, Ji Hyo was very strong and wouldn't like people to think otherwise. 

 

"Come now, you need some rest," the burly man said finally when there was no reply from Jong Kook, offering him a hand to get up from the couch. He helped him into his room and was just turning off the lights when Jong Kook spoke sleepily from the bed. 

 

"What do you usually do when your sister is sad, Hyung?"

 

"I cook her some soup, give her a movie treat, and pretends that everything is alright," Gap Jin said, walking to the door, "Go to sleep, Jong Kook-ah; you will feel better in the morning."

 

 

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A/N: Lol, this story has definitely evolved into something else than what I intended it to be. I'd like to thank you for reading; I sure hope that I do justice to our Ji Hyo's and Jong Kook's characters. Pardon all OOC-ness. I am not used to writing Asian fics and this venturing is very new to me. I hope I won't disappoint too much :)

Again, thanks a lot for reading. Have some brownies before you leave, please. *hands homemade brownies to readers*