It was almost time for Gary to come back. In less than a week, the other half of the Monday Couple would resume filming Running Man with the other members. Gary's return also meant that Jong Kook's confession couldn't be delayed any longer.

During his dongsaeng's absence, Jong Kook made a lot of progress with Ji Hyo, they would hang out together at least 4 times a week with and without the company of their other friends. Jong Kook often spent the night at Ji Hyo's, after falling asleep while they were having a movie marathon. Ji Hyo was particularly eager to watch horror movies with the Commander; she didn't know that those were Jong Kook's worst nightmares. When she invited him over for a movie, he thought that they were going to watch a romantic comedy or a thriller, knowing Ji Hyo's personality. But, boy was he wrong! It was the beginning of a horror fest that would forever stay in the muscled man's memory.

That terrifying evening, the first of many...

"Oppa, do you want some popcorn?" Ji Hyo shouted from across the kitchen, as she was putting a bag of unpopped kernels in the microwave.

"Do you have a healthier alternative?" Jong Kook responded as he closed the door, slipped off his shoes and sat comfortably on the living room's couch.

"Uh...steamed corn? Or unflavored puffed rice?" Ji Hyo suggested, rummaging through her refridgerator and cupboard.

"Puffed rice." Jong Kook replied while looking at her movie collection which consisted of a few classics and a lot of pictureless dvd cases.

Miss Mong handed Jong Kook his bowl of puffed rice. She put the movie in the DVD player, turned off the lights, sat next to her oppa and covered herself with a blanket.

"What exactly are we watching?" Jong Kook asked, expecting a romantic movie starring Hyun Bin.

"A tale of two sisters!" Ji Hyo said, excitedly while munching on her popcorn.

"W-w-what?" Jong Kook's voice trembled, the hair on his arms raising.

"Oppa...Are you afraid of horror movies?" Ji Hyo stiffled a laugh, while eyeing his bulging muscles.

"How can such a buff guy like you be scared of horror movies?" Ji Hyo poked him, laughing.

Jong Kook's pride was hurt. In his mind, the best way to recover his ego was to lie...obviously.

"Who said I was scared? I just don't like watching this genre of movie, the endings are too predictable and it's not very...uh...artistic." Jong Kook said, not looking at the tv because he was afraid something might pop up.

"The movie hasn't even started yet, oppa. You can look at the screen." Ji Hyo giggled, patting his shoulder.

"If you're afraid, you can hide behind me or snuggle with me in my blanket! I'll protect you!" Ji Hyo said, covering both of them with her super large blanket.

"Then, if you don't mind, I'm going to take a part of the blanket...Not because I'm scared but because I'm cold!" Jong Kook clarified.

"Sure, whatever you say." Ji Hyo laughed, not believing a thing he just said.

The first 40 minutes of the movie passed by very quickly. Nothing terrifying happened, and Jong Kook started being confident in his ability to withstand horror movies.

He was quietly eating his puffed rice when suspenseful music started playing and the screen got darker and darker. Jong Kook's heart's pace quickened and he gripped the blanket tightly. Ji Hyo, feeling the blanket slipping away, turned to look at Jong Kook's face, which was slowly draining of its colors. She whispered something in his ear.

"Oppa, close your eyes, I feel like something is going to pop -" Ji Hyo didn't even have the time to finish her sentence; Jong Kook screamed and so did she.

A girl with pale skin and long black hair peeked out from under a refridgerator. She crawled out of her hiding place; her eyes bloodshot and her broken nails bleeding.

"OMMA!" Jong Kook yelled; his bowl of puffed rice went flying in the air.

Instinctively, he grabbed Ji Hyo's arm and hid his face. Ji Hyo was too scared to notice what the Commander was doing; she was shielding her eyes from the horrifying scene happening in front of her.

After a few seconds, Ji Hyo calmed down and hit Jong Kook in the chest.

"OPPA! Seriously! Your scream gave me a bigger heart attack than the girl!"

"Sorry! I didn't expect that..." Jong Kook apologized, embarrassed.

"Oh my god, look at the mess you made!" Ji Hyo pointed to the bowl of puffed rice on the floor and the remaining of the snack on the rug and on the couch.

"I'm going to clean it up right away!" Jong Kook said, a bit too enthusiastically.

"Anything to get away from this movie..." He actually thought.

"Do it silently, I still want to watch the movie." Ji Hyo said, as she hit "play" again.

Jong Kook was on all fours, picking up every single piece of puffed rice and throwing it in the trash can next to him. It took him a good 8 minutes before he was done picking up the food on the rug. He quietly crawled to the couch and started doing the same thing again.

"I have to waste as much time as possible!" Jong Kook whispered to himself, while trying to block his ears from Ji Hyo's gasps and the scary music playing in the background.

Jong Kook was right next to Ji Hyo, trying to find the small pieces of the snack he threw earlier. He patted the couch, squinting his eyes, trying to adjust his vision in the darkness. He saw Ji Hyo, hunched up and an idea/prank came to him even though he knew the consequences would be pretty bad.

He waited for the suspenseful music to start again and when it reached its , he creeped up on Ji Hyo and pulled her feet.

"AHHHH!" Ji Hyo's high-pitched screaming took Jong Kook off guard; he fell on his .

"OPPAAAAA! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Ji Hyo yelled, momentarily deafening Kookie.

Jong Kook laughed and escaped from Ji Hyo's wrath. She ran after him in her living room and threw her pillows at him. He counterattacked with the puffed rice he picked up earlier and threw them at her. Ji Hyo's anger subsided and laughter took over. The liger couple was in their own world, and they didn't even notice the screams and cries of agony from the movie.

"You have to pick that up all over again!" Ji Hyo grinned, happy that she gets to order around Jong Kook.

"Yes, madam." Jong Kook said, as he started cleaning up his mess for the umpteenth time.

"Your aim is so good that I even have some popped rice on my hair and my clothes!" Ji Hyo laughed, while dusting herself.

"You still have some on your hair." Jong Kook said, putting the pillows back where they belong.

"Where? Is it gone?" Ji Hyo asked running her hand through her hair.

Jong Kook put the trash can on the floor and stepped closer to her. He slightly bent his knees to be at her level and picked the popped grain out of her hair.

"There, it's gone." Jong Kook smiled.

He didn't realize how close to Ji Hyo he was. She did; she could feel his breath on her face. She looked up and their eyes met.

"J-Ji Hyo-ah..." Jong Kook said, his voice shaky.

"Yes, Jong Kook oppa?" Ji Hyo answered, hoping for something big to happen.

"Do I tell her now? Or later?" Jong Kook pondered.

"I-I...I'd prefer watching the movie with the lights on." Jong Kook backed out at the last minute. He wasn't ready to confess yet.

"Ah...Sure...No problem." Ji Hyo said, a bit disappointed that he didn't say what she wanted to hear.

"Three words, I only want three words from you, Jong Kook oppa." Ji Hyo thought.

The truth is, prior to Jong Kook's arrival, Ji Hyo and Kwang Soo had a heart-to-heart talk. Thanks to him, she realized Jong Kook might be something more than a brother.