"Stop it!" Jong Kook told himself.

Friends. They were just friends. He wasn't the kind of guy who would take advantage of a girl when she was in a moment of weakness. If it had been in different circumstances, he would have made a move on Ji Hyo. But for now, what she needed wasn't a new boyfriend but a shoulder to lean on.

"It's a good thing I know where she lives." Jong Kook said, as he thought about how awkward it would've been if she had woken up the next day in his house, misunderstanding his actions.

He piggybacked Ji Hyo all the way to his car and sat her in the passenger seat. On Running Man, everyone made fun of her weight, but she was actually pretty light. 

Whenever piggybacking a female guest was involved in an episode, Jong Kook would try to hold the person without touching any parts of her body: he would hold their legs with his wrist instead of using his hands. Since Ji Hyo was asleep, she wouldn't be able to hold onto him so he grabbed her calves to make sure she wouldn't fall.

"Looks like she worked out like I told her to." Jong Kook smiled, happy whenever someone took his advice about working out.

It was a windy night. In a few days, summer would give up its place and fall would take over. The flowers were slowly drying out and the leaves were starting to turn reddish. The sky was dark and no stars could be seen but the moon was shining and its reflection could be seen in the Han River.

Jong Kook was driving on the highway and couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful view in front of him. He had always dreamed about strolling near the Han River, hand in hand with the woman he loved. He had asked his past girlfriends to go there with him but they all refused because "it was boring" and "there was nothing to do". Being in a secret relationship meant not going anywhere with a huge crowd, so the only way Jong Kook was able to enjoy the Han River was in his car, which is not romantic at all!

As he arrived in Ji Hyo's appartment parking lot, he realised something.

"I don't know the password to her house...How am I supposed to go in?" he thought as he unfastened Ji Hyo's seatbelt.

He shook her gently and called out her name a few times before she opened her eyes.

"Ji Hyo-ah, wake up. Tell me your house's password and you can go back to sleep." Jong Kook said as he helped her out of the car.

"22222." Ji Hyo said as she yawned and stretched her arms.

"Seriously? That's your password?" Jong Kook asked speechless.

Ji Hyo nodded in response, half-conscious.

"Do you know how dangerous it is having a password that is so easy to figure out? You're a woman living alone! Strangers could break in your house and attack you! Tomorrow morning, you'll come with me to a locksmith and we'll change your password right away!" Jong Kook blabbered, lecturing Ji Hyo about safety.

"Yes, Jong Kook oppa." Ji Hyo said as she bowed to him and wobbled to the elevator. Still under the influence of the bottles of soju she downed earlier, Ji Hyo tripped over her own feet and dropped her purse on the floor.

"Aish, that woman can't even take care of herself!" Jong Kook murmured, walking at a fast pace in her direction.

He threw her purse over his shoulder and picked up Ji Hyo bridal style. If he let her take one more step on her own, who knows how she'd injure herself! There was no way Jong Kook was going to risk her having scars over her body under "his" care. An actress' pride is not only her acting but her face and body too!

"Excuse me? Where do you think you're touching Jong Kook-ssi?!?" Ji Hyo had a shocked look on her face.

Jong Kook sighed, if he had known how much trouble she was after drinking, he would've never proposed to take her home!

When Ji Hyo was very drunk, she had the habit of constantly switching between formal and informal speech. It was like if she had two different personalities. She would be normal Ji Hyo for a while and then, the next minute, she would be like a real drunk person, slurring her words and laughing at nothing.

"Uh...I'm not Jong Kook, I'm...Hyun Bin! Jong Kook called me to take care of you!" Jong Kook said, aware of how ridiculous his explanation sounded. 

Everyone who watches Running Man knows that Ji Hyo is a big fan of the drama Secret Garden and she was an even bigger fan of Hyun Bin! 

"H-Hyun B-Bin? I love you so much! Let's get married!" Ji Hyo squealed as she flailed her arms everywhere.

"Uh...Sure! Tomorrow, tomorrow, we'll get married. First, let's have a good night of sleep, hm?" Jong Kook replied.

Ji Hyo stared at him intently, ignoring what he just said.

"Hyun Bin-ssi, I'm very disappointed in you. You should've begged the producers to choose me to portray the main character, not Ha Ji Won. Didn't you see what a badass female I was on Running Man? I have scars to prove it!" Ji Hyo said, as she lifted her sleeves for Jong Kook to see her flawless skin.

"Playing a fierce character doesn't mean you have to hurt yourself to look the part..." Jong Kook sighed as he pulled down her sleeves.

A long time ago, when Running Man was still a fairly new show, there was an episode where Ji Hyo ended up crying because of the way she behaved. She didn't hesitate about wrestling her male castmates and the guests. In Korea, an actress is supposed to look fragile and ladylike and Ji Hyo tried her best to maintain that image. Unfortunately, Running Man brought out her competitiveness, and a competitive Ji Hyo was unstoppable. She has been attempting to soften her image for awhile which resulted in her not having an active role in a few episodes.

Ji Hyo was already wary of the image she had on Running Man, that of a bully, so if she looked the part too, she would only be limited to portraying strong, fearless and manly characters. She had always dreamed about playing the clumsy, naive and blunt female protagonist in dramas, but up until now, the opportunity hasn't come yet.

Before Running Man brought her fame, Ji Hyo's image was that of a sweet but weird woman. She had shown her strong and quirky side on Family Outing and she received a lot of attention, positive, of course. Everyone loves a  pretty face with a funny personality!

"If I can't act in Secret Garden, I can at least contribute on the OST! I learned to sing That Woman by Baek Ji Young! Listen well." Ji Hyo cleared .

Eolmana Eolmana deo neoreul

Ireoke baraman beomyeo honja

I baramgateun saram I geojigateun saram

Gyesokhaeya niga nareul hagenni Oh

Jogeumman gakkai wa jogeumman

Hanbal dagagamyeon du bal domangganeun

Neol saranghaneun nal jigeumdo yeope isseo

Geu yeojan umnida

Jong Kook listened to her while carrying her up to her appartment. Her voice cracked so many times that he wanted to put a piece of duct tape on . But if singing that song made her happy, he could hold it in. 

When Ji Hyo finished the last verse of the song, she nudged Jong Kook in the ribs.

"Well...Why aren't you applauding? Oh! You must be in awe after my performance!" Ji Hyo smiled, as she flipped her hair.

"Now it's your turn. Aren't you going to sing something for me, Hyun Bin-ssi?" Ms. Mong furrowed her eyebrows.

"Ah..yeah." Jong Kook replied as he sang one of his own songs: One Man. 

Han namjaga-isseo nol neomu saranghan

Han namjaga-isseo saranghae maldo mothaneun

Ni gyote son nae milmyeon ggot da-ul goriye

Chasinboda aggineun neol gachin naega isseo

This song was about a man whose feelings were not reciprocated. That man loved a woman so much that he couldn't imagine his life without her. But that woman was not aware of his feelings and continued treating the man as a friend. 

Jong Kook chose to sing that song, since it reflected what he has been feeling ever since he met Ji Hyo. At first, he thought it was only normal that he cared about Ji Hyo, since she was the only female member in Running Man; he had always shown his soft side when he was in presence of women. When Gary announced that they were dating, Jong Kook felt a tugging in his heart but he didn't think much of it. It was only after ending his relationship with Han Ji Min that he truly began seeing the Ace in another light. 

He went through a lot to finally realise that, all along, the one in his heart was none other than Song Ji Hyo.

"I am in love with her." Jong Kook abruptly ended his song and stopped in his tracks.