"Oppa!" Ji Hyo uttered, eyeing the Commander from head to toe, taken aback by how well he cleaned up. 

Jong Kook grinned and cleared his throat. It's a good thing his stylist was free today or he would have looked like a walking rainbow. Coordinating colors together was too hard for the quickly aging man. "Bright colors make you look young!" He remembered Suk Jin telling him the secret behind a youthful appearance...or so he calls it. 

"Bright blue coat, huh?" He said playfully, flashing a killer smile.

"Yoo too, oppa? We're really in sync with each other." Ji Hyo's eyes crinkled in laughter as she grabbed her purse and closed the door.

"Now we look like a real couple." Jong Kook said, gazing at her sincerely and lovingly as they waited for the elevator.

"A c-couple?" Ji Hyo choked on her words slightly. She didn't hear wrong, he said it. 

"Aren't we?" Jong Kook asked, confused by her reaction.

A middle-aged couple got out of the elevator, Ji Hyo greeted them with a warm smile and so did Jong Kook, with a polite nod. As they stepped into the elevator, Jong Kook persisted on getting an answer to his question. Ji Hyo pressed the lobby button and turned around to face the Tiger. She took his warm hand in hers and laced their fingers together.

"Yes, we are. The SpartAce couple." Ji Hyo beamed, as she squeezed his hand.

Jong Kook heaved in relief and held the door opened for her as they walked out of her appartment building. 

"For a moment there, I thought that you were going to be one of those I-don't-like-being-in-a-committed-relationship women." He said. "You know that I'm not looking for a casual fling or something like that, right?"

"Don't worry, oppa. I'm definitely not that kind of woman. I'm more like the stalker girlfriend who watches you sleep and makes sure you never talk to someone of the opposite ." Ji Hyo said, seriousness written all over her face.

"You...You're joking, right?" The Commander mumbled, slowly backing away from his loved one. Jong Kook knew who Ji Hyo, his castmate and friend was but he didn't know what to expect from Ji Hyo, the girlfriend. Was she clingy and demanding? Or detached and carefree? 

"Am I?" She caressed his cheek seductively. It's a good thing the parking area was deserted or they would've earned themselves a few curious looks.

"J-Ji Hyo-ah..." Jong Kook stuttered, not used to seeing this side of the younger woman. "W-what are you doing?"

Ji Hyo lightly tapped his cheek and laughed.

"I'm messing with you! You should've seen your face!" She stuck her tongue out and imitated his expression.

Jong Kook blew his fringe out of his eyes in frustration and embarrassment. Ji Hyo stopped making fun of him and hooked her arm around his bulky one.

"I know this is serious for both of us. You're getting old, almost 40, oppa! And I'm not getting any younger so, if this relationship goes well, it might amount to something." Ji Hyo said softly. "And, yes. I'm hinting at marriage in case you didn't understand since you haven't dated for such a long time!" She .

"Woah, woah, woah. Let's calm down, shall we? Who said I wanted to marry you?" Jong Kook smirked devilishly, getting back at her.

The ride to their destination was filled with jokes and laughs. Time flies by so quickly when you're in good company!

"We're here!" Jong Kook exclaimed, excitedly, as he turned the engine off.

Ji Hyo got out of the car and looked at her surroundings. Trees, trees and more trees. And bushes. She looked at Jong Kook skeptically.

"Are we going on a walk in the forest?" Ji Hyo tried to hide her disappointment. She wasn't much of a nature's girl. Hiking and outdoorsy sports were a no-no for her.

"Come here." Jong Kook said as he held her hand and guided her to a little man-made trail in the forest.

"We're really doing this?" Ji Hyo sighed, stumbling a few times on the steep slope.

"Stop asking questions and enjoy the silence!" Jong Kook chuckled. "You're so talkative sometimes!"

Crunch, crunch, crunch. Chirp, chirp, chirp.

"Ah, it smells like winter." Ji Hyo closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, as Jong Kook dragged her to their real date location.

"Sit down and don't open your eyes until I tell you to." Jong Kook whispered into her ears as he pushed her down on a bench.

A few minutes passed by, when she suddenly felt something heavy and warm on her lap.

"Oppa. Jong Kook oppa!" Ji Hyo shouted, eyes still firmly shut.

"Open your eyes." He said while patting her shoulders. "Don't move too brusquely." 

She opened her eyes slowly and shrieked. Before she could scare off the small creature even more, Jong Kook covered and only a muffled scream came out of her.

The lion cub jumped out of her lap and ran towards the zoo keeper. Ji Hyo stood up and asked if she could pat the scared animal. The man nodded. 

"Ahhh! Too cute!" She squealed. "Ajusshi, is it a male or a female?"

"It's a male. His name is Garu." The zookeeper said as he fed the cub.

"Oppa, do you want to touch Garu?" Ji Hyo's eyes twinkled, he had never seen her happier. He did a good job at planning their date, he knew Miss Mong would like it.

"It's okay, I'd rather look at you having fun." Jong Kook smiled. "Besides, I prefer dogs."

"Your loss!" Ji Hyo turned her attention back to the cuddly furball lying on the ground, drinking from his bottle of milk.

The zookeeper gently placed the cub on Mong Ji's lap and she patted his head. Garu purred like a cat, enjoying the touch of a different human. Ji Hyo laughed and cooed at its cuteness. The zookeeper excused himself and went inside the big cats house. After a while, Ji Hyo felt a pair of soft paws pressing on her thighs.

"Another baby lion!" Ji Hyo exclaimed. 

"You get to name this one, Ji Hyo-ah." Jong Kook told her, sitting next to her.

"What? How?" Ji Hyo couldn't believe her ears.

"I have a lot of connections." Jong Kook simply answered, grinning widely. Ji Hyo looked at him gratefully, touched by how much he had prepared for their first date. 

"How about Kookie?" She stared at the cub and scratched its tummy. 

"Kookie? Like me?" Jong Kook asked, incredulously.

"Yes. Kookie like you, oppa." She replied. "Squinty eyes, sharp features, you guys could be twins!"

The Capable One laughed and agreed to the name. 

The couple spent the rest of the day walking around the zoo and looking at the animals. Giraffes, impalas, penguins, a lot of the Running Man family members were there. Ji Hyo and Jong Kook took a selfie with a giraffe and sent it to Kwang Soo.

Kwang Soo, I saw your hyung today!

His reply came a few seconds later.

Uh, I don't have a hyung. Ji Hyo noona...are you drunk already? It's only 4:45 in the afternoon!

Ji Hyo showed her phone to Jong Kook and they both laughed.

Yah. You and your hyung look the same.

She sent the message with the selfie attached. Kwang Soo's replied quickly.

Ha.ha.ha. You're so funny. Are you on a date with Jong Kook hyung?

Yes, we're at the zoo visiting your family! 

Well, I won't bother you guys any longer. Have fun and tell my "family" I miss them!

They left the zoo soon after and drove back to the city to eat dinner.

"Oppa, for a first date, I didn't expect too much from you but you surprised me greatly. That was the best first date of my life." Ji Hyo whispered as she looked outside the window. She yawned and slowly drifted to the land of dreams.

Jong Kook gazed at her tenderly and lowered her seat for a more comfortable nap.