“Ah, there’s Ji Hyo! Ji Hyo’s here! Yah, Ji Hyo-yah!” Jae Suk called out the moment he saw Ji Hyo walking through the door of the SBS building. They were filming their last scene and it surprised Jae Suk that Ji Hyo returned there from the hospital. The national VJ quickly stood up and crossed the room to meet her, followed by the other regular Running Man members. “Aish, Miss Mong—look at the state of you!” he commented sympathetically, shaking his head very slightly that Ji Hyo was the only one who saw it. Carefully, he placed himself at Ji Hyo’s injured side, ghosting one hand on her back while protruding his other arm to create a barrier between Ji Hyo and the others who were rushing to see her. “Yah, make way! Get out of the way.”

HaHa had prepared a cushioned chair for her when they reached the long table. Gwang Soo was next to him, pushing the chairs next to Ji Hyo’s farther so that no one would accidentally bump into her. “Noona, sit down here!”

The attention made Ji Hyo blush. She was touched, especially because she could feel that their kindness was genuine—not something they were forced to do because the camera was still rolling. A lump formed at the back of and Ji Hyo had to blink back her tears at the display of affection.

When everyone had settled back down, Jae Suk addressed the camera. “Earlier today while filming, our Song Ji Hyo-ssi and Kim Jong Kook-ssi were involved in a car accident,” he began. “They got us very worried—we wanted to stop filming. But we’re grateful that the accident wasn’t serious.” To Ji Hyo, he said, “But really, Ji Hyo-yah, we weren’t expecting you to go back here.”

“Yeah, HaHa Hyung and I were just thinking of going to your house after filming to see how you are,” Gwang Soo added in.

“What are you talking about—Ji Hyo doesn’t like people coming to her house!” Jae Suk quipped.

Ji Hyo forced a smile. “I’m sorry I made you worry. I’m okay, see? I thought I’d drop by to tell you that I’m fine. And to make sure you don’t come to my house.”

Everyone laughed at that. Then HaHa said something about going to Jong Kook’s place instead since he wasn’t here. It only then did Ji Hyo realize that Jong Kook was indeed nowhere to be seen. In fact, she vaguely remembered that the last time she’d seen Jong Kook was when she was wheeled into the treatment room. A sudden feeling of dread began to rise in her chest. What if something else happened? What if Baek Chang Joo finally really got to him while she wasn’t around? Her heart started to beat a little faster and she was dizzy. Before she could stop herself, she’d cut Jae Suk’s monologue mid-sentence, “Where’s Jong Kook Oppa?”

Silence filled the room in an instant; everybody stopped talking—they were looking at each other. It was the first time since the ‘break-up’ announcement that Ji Hyo had voluntarily asked about their commander or even said his name. For a split second, nobody seemed to remember to speak before finally Jae Suk explained that Jong Kook was probably still at the police station giving a statement about the accident. After all, he was the one who’d driven the car.

“Oh,” was Ji Hyo’s only response, but she was actually relieved. She kept quiet afterward, listening to Jae Suk announcing the winner and wrapping up the filming for that day while trying to keep her smile intact.

“Cut!”

She sunk into her seat immediately the camera stopped rolling; weariness obvious in her face as she was too exhausted to school her expression. She closed her eyes, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep. If only.

“Are you crazy?!” Jae Suk’s snapped at her in annoyance, making Ji Hyo crack her eyes back open. “Why are you here? Why aren’t you home and resting?” The VJ glared at the producers. “Who took her back here? You did realize she’d been in an accident, didn’t you—a car accident?”

“I asked them to take me here, Sunbaenim,” Ji Hyo lied through her teeth, seeing the PDs grimacing at Jae Suk’s reprimanding tone. “Don’t take it out on them—I want to return here. I’m fine, really, just very sleepy.”

Jae Suk wasn’t buying it but decided to just go with the lie. “Don’t tell me you’re fine before those painkillers have worn off,” he grumbled, waving the crew away. “You one crazy woman, you know that? Now go home and rest!”

“I will, Sunbaenim, thank you.” Ji Hyo didn’t want to tell him she’d got another schedule in a few hours.

“Yah, Song Ji Hyo, I’m serious. Go home. No jobs worth your health—at this rate, you’d work yourself to die in no time. Don’t make me have to attend your funeral before the two of us retire of old age!”

Ji Hyo gave the senior a watery smile. “You’re too kind, Oppa,” she said.

“And you’re too stupid sometimes.” He helped her up. “Don’t let them bully you into working more than necessary, okay?”

They’ve been bullying me into more than just working, Sunbaenim, Ji Hyo had wanted to say but held her tongue. She had this sudden urge to just tell Jae Suk about everything—about her and Jong Kook, and about Baek Chang Joo. Yet, what good would it make? The more people knew, the more dangerous it would be. You’ve done enough damage to one good man, Cheon Seong Im—don’t add Yoo Jae Suk to the list of people you hurt by your selfishness, her inner demon reminded her.

***

Ji Hyo had almost forgotten her own name by the time she’d acted her last scene for the day around twelve hours later. It was a miracle that she managed to pull through the grueling hours of shooting without so much of a glitch; her body had been screaming in agony, begging her to just stop. And when finally the PD said that they were done for the day, Ji Hyo had decided that the person who’d invented painkillers was a god.

“Eonni, Eonni! Good filming today!” said a younger actress whose name Ji Hyo, for the love of all that’s holy, completely had forgotten. She took Ji Hyo’s hand—the injured side—and squeezed. “You’re amazing, Eonni!”

Pain radiated from that hand to the shoulder, but Ji Hyo didn’t feel it; she was too stunned that somebody would talk to her voluntarily that it slowed down her reaction time. She blinked twice to make sure that she wasn’t hallucinating.

“You shouldn’t have exerted yourself like this, really, Ji Hyo-ssi,” another person added.

“True. We’d have understood if you didn’t come today after the accident.”

“Thank you. It’s okay,” she replied without thinking, “I’m fine.” Those phrases had become so overused for the past few months that it came out of automatically. They exchanged a few more words before leaving her, but not before asking whether she’d like them to help her get back to her trailer, which Ji Hyo refused—not wanting to bother them.

As she was practically dead on her feet, Ji Hyo sat back down on the set, needing a second or two to get her strength back to walk to her trailer at the far side of the set.

“Song Ji Hyo-ssi,” one of the PDs called her. “I’m sorry about the accident. We didn’t know until we were halfway into filming—honest. We wouldn’t have let you come if we had known.”

Ji Hyo shook her head, smiling. “I’m fine, PD-nim. Just a little sore on the shoulder.” Ji Hyo wondered if all these lies that fell so easy out of would eventually be the thing that dragged her to hell.

“I heard your shoulder was fractured?”

“Hairlines,” Ji Hyo dismissed it. “Not serious.”

He nodded, feeling a bit awkward for interacting with Ji Hyo so casually after having put her at arm’s length for quite a while. “Well, anyway, we’re not scheduling you until next week—your part is almost all done, and everyone thinks you need to rest up and heal before finishing.”

“No, really, it’s alright,” Ji Hyo said quickly, fearing that she’d receive more backlash later. “I don’t want to be a hindrance. I’m fine.” She didn’t win the argument after two other PDs and Lee Seo Jin joined the conversation, insisting on her taking a break. She relented after they explained that they would film the water scene on her next shooting and it would be impossible to do so if her shoulder wasn’t healed. “I don’t need a week. I’ll return as soon as I’m feeling better.”

“Unless there’s a miracle, no broken bones can heal in a day,” one of the PDs deadpanned, smiling understandingly.

“Go home, Ji Hyo-ssi,” Seo Jin said kindly when the PDs left. “Get some rest. Forget about work—at least on this set—for a week.” He offered his hand to help Ji Hyo stand up. “Come now, let’s get you to your trailer.” They walked slowly, Seo Jin letting her set their pace. He glanced around to make sure that nobody was listening to them before saying, “I still stand by my opinion that these people are so stupid for treating you so badly lately. Now they’re all ashamed of themselves and don’t know how to make it up to you. After today, only fools would think that you’re out to ruin this series. You've given your all, more than they deserve.”

“My scandals happen at the worst time,” Ji Hyo replied, slurring her speech.

“There’s never a good time for any scandals. You sure you’re alright? I think you need to go back to the hospital.”

“I just need some sleep.”

“Then quickly go home and re—…ah!” Seo Jin stopped mid-sentence.

Ji Hyo’s head whipped to where Seo Jin was looking. Her heart quickened. There, standing with both shoulders hunched forward was Kim Jong Kook. He was shifting his weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably. Clearly, he’d been standing there for some time. Ji Hyo noticed that he’d changed into a different outfit and didn’t look as tired as she must have been. And his right hand was wrapped in a tight bandage. Ji Hyo couldn’t help but snort, seeing the humor in the situation. What a pair we are, she thought, one with a broken shoulder, the other with a twisted wrist.

“Ji Hyo-yah,” Seo Jin suddenly dropped all formalities. “This is an unsolicited opinion, but I do think that breaking up with Kim Jong Kook is not your smartest decision.”

“Huh?”

“That man is clearly still in love with you. And you?” he paused, eyeing Ji Hyo for a second, “You—I wish you could see the way you look at him.” Seo Jin patted Ji Hyo’s back and left before she could reply.

From where she was standing—still a couple of feet away from her trailer—their eyes met. Ji Hyo sighed before averting her eyes, feeling helpless. Trapped. She wanted to just turn around and leave. But where could she go? Her peripheral caught Jong Kook standing up straighter; he must have sensed that she was thinking of running away. Ji Hyo took a deep breath and took a step forward to the trailer. It was time to face the monster.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m just…” Jong Kook was at a loss of words. He didn’t know what brought him there. “I just want to see how you are. And—and say sorry.”

“Hmm… couldn’t you just text?”

“Ji Hyo-yah, I’m sorry,” he repeated. “Are you oka— ah, that’s a stupid question.” He raked his eyes over here, frowning a little when he saw her cradling her arm. No sling. “You took off your sling.”

Had this been a normal circumstance, Ji Hyo would still have been impatient. And this wasn’t a normal situation and Ji Hyo’s patience was non-existent. She was a little ball of exhaustion and rage. “Thank you, Captain Obvious. Look around you. Do you think a modern sling will work well with the setting? With my hanbok?”

“I didn’t—”

And just like that, Ji Hyo’s dam burst. She couldn’t take it anymore. Ji Hyo burst into tears. “Can we not do this now, Oppa?” she sobbed. “Can you give me a break? I’ll do whatever you want later—just, please, give me a break now?”

Jong Kook felt cold instantly—those were the words that Ji Hyo said to him before the accident. The sight of Ji Hyo’s sobbing in the middle of the set broke his heart and he instinctively reached out to her, wanting nothing more than to comfort her.

A hand stopped him before he could touch Ji Hyo. Park Sun Mi had grabbed his wrist as she placed herself between Ji Hyo and him. He stood motionlessly as the woman ushered Ji Hyo into the trailer and told him to please leave.

He didn’t want to go at first, but then Sun Mi threw him a warning look that reminded him about the paparazzi and another possible scandal that would arise. A scandal that would hurt Ji Hyo more than it would hurt him.

So Jong Kook left with a broken heart, feeling his heart bleed more and more with every step he took away from the set, away from the woman he’d lost before he even had a chance to have her. Away from his Ji Hyo.

A/n: Wow, I actually managed another update before a year passes by. Lol.