A few hours before Jong Kook arrived...

Ji Hyo was watching a rerun of Running Man, when her doorbell rang.

"Jong Kook oppa? You're early! You were supposed to come at 8." Ji Hyo said as she stood up and walked to the door.

"Noona! It's me!" a loud Kwang Soo replied.

"Kwang Soo? What are you doing here?" she asked, as she opened the door.

She was greeted by a big plastic bag containing...

"FOOD!" Ji Hyo said, excitedly.

"Yeah, noona, it's for that time I ditched you." Kwang Soo replied, as he unloaded the content of the bag on her kitchen island.

"Oh, so you remember? I thought you forgot since it's been awhile." Ji Hyo said absentmindedly, while taking out two bowls and looking at the tv at the same time.

"No, I haven't! I always keep my promises, noona!" Kwang Soo convinced Ji Hyo.

"Anyways, I bought your favorites: jjamppong, grilled potatoes and...soju!" Kwang Soo said excitedly.

"Really?!? Kwang Soo-ah, you're such a good dongsaeng! You don't know how much I've been craving those three things!" Ji Hyo jumped and hugged the Framer.

"Are you sure you craved those three things? Or just soju?" Kwang Soo teased, knowing how much of an "alcoholic" his favorite noona was.

Ji Hyo laughed and slapped his shoulder. She sat down on her couch and started eating. She noticed Kwang Soo standing in her kitchen cleaning the dirty bowls and chopsticks in her sink. 

"I'm so lucky to have you Kwang Soo...and not only because you do my chores for me." she whispered while looking at him.

Kwang Soo was such a nice dongsaeng to Ji Hyo. She will never say it aloud but sometimes, she felt like the Giraffe was like an oppa to her, rather than a younger sibling. When they would record for an episode of Running Man, he would be the first to give her a hand. When she tried doing a difficult mission, such as bungee jumping, he would be watching her worriedly, afraid she might get hurt. 

That year, when she was in the hospital because of a strong allergic reaction and had to postpone a Running Man episode, the first one who called to check up on her was Kwang Soo. He visited her as soon as he finished recording the episode. And he didn't come empty-handed; he bought her favorite flowers, a dvd player and some Hyun Bin dramas. However, when he got there, it was very late and Ji Hyo was already asleep. When he saw her, she looked exhausted; her dark circles were huge and her skin wasn't as bright as usual. He thought about how little sleep she must've gotten and so, the next morning, he came back with some traditional chinese herb drinks that were supposed to replenish her energy. She didn't know what to say; she was just so thankful he cared so much about her.

"Come over here, Kwang Soo. You don't have to do that, I'll do it later." Ji Hyo told him, full.

"No, it's okay noona. I'll do it for you!" Kwang Soo smiled back.

"Oh, noona! I wanted to ask you something." Kwang Soo exclaimed as he washed his hands.

"Let's talk over here, I can't hear you well." Ji Hyo gestured him to sit next to her.

As Kwang Soo made his way to Ji Hyo, Jong Kook came up on tv and coincidentally, that's what he wanted to talk about with Ji Hyo. What a perfect timing!

"It's Jong Kook hyung! Look at him, he's so shy around that female guest! He can't even look into her eyes!" Kwang Soo laughed, as he pointed to the screen.

"It's funny how hyung doesn't act the same way around you. He must feel really comfortable when he's with you, noona!" Kwang Soo said, slyly, slowly getting Ji Hyo to talk about Jong Kook.

"Why wouldn't he be? We're as close as real siblings now!" Ji Hyo exclaimed, slurping her noodles.

"I'm jealous of you noona! It seems like these days, Jong Kook cares a lot about you. Have you seen yesterday's broadcast? You guys were always next to each other, whispering things and smiling!" Kwang Soo stated the obvious.

"Ah, really? The pds didn't edit those parts out? They usually do..." Ji Hyo said as she wondered as to why the pds did so.

"I think they are slowly acknowledging the SpartAce couple." Kwang Soo answered back, trying to read her expression.

"SpartAce couple..." Ji Hyo stopped chewing her food; some red sauce was dripping from .

"Ji Hyo noona!" Kwang Soo yelled, putting his hand under her chin to stop the sauce from staining her white shirt.

"Oh! Sorry..." the ace laughed, cleaning with tissues.

"Jong Kook hyung was right, you drool excessively!" Kwang Soo looked at her, bewildered.

"Jong Kook talked about me?" Ji Hyo asked, curious.

"He does it very often!" Kwang Soo replied, delighted that Ji Hyo took the bait. Now onto part 2 of his plan: make Mong Ji realize her feelings for the Tiger.

"Really? What does he say?...You know, so that I can hit him if he bad-mouths me...?" Miss Mong asked, trying to act as if she didn't care that much about the Commander's words.

"Well, apart from the fact that you act and eat like a guy, drool a lot and always wear your pony pjs, Jong Kook doesn't say that much about you, noona." Kwang Soo replied, matter-of-factly.

"Kim Jong Kook, that jerk, I'm going to kill him." Ji Hyo muttered under her breath, as she threw her chopsticks down on her bowl.

"He says I'm not ladylike? Do you think I act like a guy?" Ji Hyo was raging.

"Uh...Well, I don't want you to take it the wrong way but...Yeah." Kwang Soo scratched his head and avoided the burning look she was giving him. If looks could kill, Kwang Soo would be so dead by now.

"What about all the times I wore dresses for Running Man specials?!? The two of you were practically drooling! Your mouths were so wide open that your jaws could've touched the ground!" Ji Hyo talked back, still fuming.

"We were just shocked, noona. We're not used to seeing you...like that! Anyways, why do you care so much about what hyung thinks of you? Hmm?" the Giraffe gave her a suspicious look.

"I-I...We...Well, even though we're super close, he's still a man afterall! It's important for a woman to look her best in front of a man...?" Ji Hyo stuttered, tentatively.

"Noona, I think there's something more than that." Kwang Soo cut her off.

Ji Hyo sighed in defeat, there was no way she could get rid of Kwang Soo unless she told him the truth.

"Fine. Don't tell anyone or I'm going to pull your hair, one strand at a time." Ji Hyo threatened her tall dongsaeng.

"O-Okay, I promise." they pinky promised.

"Okay... Well, ever since Gary oppa left, I felt very lonely and depressed. Jong Kook oppa was the one who stayed with me and cheered me up, so I owe him a lot. If it wasn't for him, I'd still be drowning in sorrow, waiting for Gary oppa to come back. " Ji Hyo said, not mentionning that the Monday Couple had already broken up.

Kwang Soo nodded to show he was listening. Suddenly, they heard laughter emanating from the tv; Haha had managed to flip over a female guest without even blinking or feeling sorry. On the side, Ji Hyo was holding onto Jong Kook and both of them were laughing really hard.

"Noona, those sort of things happen often between the two of you...The skinship, I mean." Kwang Soo pointed out.

"I don't even notice it! Seriously, if the fans hadn't pointed it out, I would've never known. I don't know why, but it just feels right to be holding Jong Kook oppa's hand and hugging his arm, you know?" Ji Hyo said, wondering why it did.

"Hm." Kwang Soo replied, motioning her to go on.

"...And when he hugged me that day, it felt so...natural, familiar...perfect." Ji Hyo added, blushing.

"Ah, you mean the day you had a breakdown in front of him because you guys talked about your breakup with Gary?" Kwang Soo asked, getting her version of the the recent events between her and the Tiger.

"Yeah." Ji Hyo nodded while staring at her hands before realizing she never talked about that day to anyone.

"Wait. How did you know?" Ji Hyo furrowed her eyebrows; some creases appeared on her forehead.

"Hahaha. Uh. Hyung told me..." Kwang Soo laughed awkwardly.

"Ah, really..." Ji Hyo didn't even look angry that Jong Kook betrayed her secret, the only thing on her mind now was whether the Commander was just a close friend or something more.

Jae Suk and Haha's bickering could be heard from the tv, but it didn't disrupt the silence in the room.

"Ji Hyo noona, it might be a bit too early for you to admit it, but after what I've heard today, I think that you're in love with Jong Kook hyung." Kwang Soo concluded.

"..."

Ji Hyo was still in her own world, a flashback of all the good times she had with Sparta Kook was happening right in front of her eyes. All the times he insulted her, laughed with her and helped her. The chemistry and electrifying sparks between them was undeniable. Kwang-Vatar was right. It was time to face her true feelings; Gary is in the past, Jong Kook is now the person with whom she wishes to be with.

"Noona? Mong Ji Hyo? Chun Seong Im?" Kwang Soo called.

"Kwang Soo-ah...I t-think...I..." Ji Hyo stammered.

"Yes?!?" Kwang Soo was on the edge of the sofa, waiting for her to say what he wanted to hear.

"I like Jong Kook oppa." Ji Hyo managed to say after much difficulty.

"DAEBAK! Congratulations! I have to leave now, I didn't expect you to take so long to realize your feelings for Jong Kook hyung. Bye! See you tomorrow at the shooting!" Kwang Soo said as he quickly put on his shoes and left.

"What just happened here? Kwang Soo! YAH, LEE KWANG SOO!" Ji Hyo ran to the door, opened it and yelled loud enough for all the people in the appartment to hear her.

She sat back down on her couch, and laughed it off.

"Aish, that Kwang Soo, he's such a cutie, haha." she giggled, while preparing herself for Jong Kook's arrival, which only meant brushing her hair.

Even if she now acknowledges her feelings for Kookie, she wouldn't change the way she acts around him; she would still wear her pjs when he comes over and have a makeup-free face.

"Now that I know I like Jong Kook oppa, he has to know it too." Ji Hyo said to herself.