The restaurant they had agreed upon was very famous for their kimchi stew. The place was spacious, modern and fully packed. It almost seemed like as if the whole town had decided to have a party at the restaurant! Teens who just got off their afterschool activities, adults who were having a business gathering and families spending, well, some family time, everyone was there!

 

As soon as they stepped foot in the restaurant, the overwhelming smell of kimchi and meat reached Ji Hyo's nose. She was extremely hungry, it was almost unbearable. She had to eat before having the talk with the CEO or she might just faint! 

 

Jong Kook guided her in by the shoulders as he looked for Mr. CEO. A few curious heads turned towards the pair of celebrities who just made their entrance. In the corner the furthest away, one teenager who was casually looking at the entrance, spying on cute guys, stopped eating.

 

"It's happening, Yoon Hee! It's finally happening!" The female student whispered into her friend's ear. "The Commander and the Ace, they're together! I told you there was nothing going on between Gary and her, their relationship is just for the show! Oh my god, stop stuffing your face and look!"

 

The other girl put her chopsticks down reluctantly and rolled her eyes. "Yah. Jang So Yeon. Just because you're my best friend doesn't mean that you can insinuate such things about the Monday Couple, okay? And haven't you thought about the fact that they might be here for a Running Man cast gathering? Maybe they just so happened to arrive at the same time, that doesn't mean that they came here together and that they're dating!"

 

"Okay. Fine. Believe what you want but I'm sticking to what my heart and eyes tell me." So Yeon, replied.

 

After scanning the place for a few seconds, the SpartAce couple finally spotted the CEO sitting in a corner of the restaurant. They made their to him, head up and chest out. There was no way they were going to let him decide the fate of their relationship. It didn't matter what he had to do, Jong Kook would stand up for both of them! He was pretty sure that Ji Hyo wasn't going to back out so easily, she is a tough woman!

 

"Hello, Mr. CEO." They said in unison.

 

"Please take a seat." Baek Chang Joo gestured to the chairs as he poured them a drink.

 

Time for some serious talk.

 

Right across of their table, Yoon Hee and So Yeon pulled out their cellphone and snapped pictures of the trio.

 

"Who's that man? His face is so familiar but I can't point it out exactly..."

 

"Baek Chang Joo. CEO of C-JeS Entertainment, home to many celebrities including JYJ and our very own Song Ji Hyo." Yoon Hee said, as she continued doing a background check on the man. "Oh my god. He went to jail before..."

 

"Excuse me, what?!?" So Yeon choked on the spicy ddeokbokki she was chewing on. "He went to-"

 

"Jail! Okay we ned to go now, it's almost 9 and my curfew is at 9:15!" Yoon Hee gathered So Yeon's stuff, paid for their meal and dragged her out of the restaurant.

 

Meanwhile, the three adults haven't spoken a word for a good ten minutes now. Not because they didn't like each other but because Ji Hyo was too busy slurping on some noodles and Jong Kook was still going over the menu. As a matter of fact, the talk didn't last long at all! As soon as the CEO finished pouring them a drink, Jong Kook told him that he wasn't going to break up with Ji Hyo just because that was the boss' wish. Ji Hyo told him she would quit the company if he didn't respect her wish. She was, after all, one of the agency's top source of income! 

 

After they noticed the confused look on Baek Chang Joo's face, they decided to shut up and hear what he had to say.The CEO had no intention of separating them at all! He wanted to tell her that he was happy she found her special someone. It was only out of concern that he called them out, he didn't want her to be a workaholic and miss out on creating her own little family! After the misunderstanding had been cleared, the SpartAce couple acted as if they were mute, the main reason being their embarrassing overreaction earlier. The CEO eventually left a few minutes later, wishing them the best, giving a hug to the Ace and a handshake to the Commander.

 

The two of them left the restaurant half an hour later, lighthearted, a burden taken off from their shoulders. Jong Kook took her home, happy that the meeting turned out well, but a bit disappointed that he had to cancel the reservation he made at a fancy restaurant for the rest of the date. He got over this little setback rather quickly after Ji Hyo pecked him softly on the cheek, thanking him for the great day they had. They texted each other all night long, talking about their next date and Jae Suk's christmas party. Sleep eventually caught up to them in the wee hours of morning.

 

Ji Hyo was abruptly woken up by the unending ringing of her doorbell.

 

"Who the hell visits my house when it's 8 in the morning?!?" She muttered under her breath, ready to strangle that person.

 

"Good morning! Did you sleep well?"

 

"Lee Kwang Soo. Of course." Ji Hyo hissed through her teeth, dragging her feet back to her warm and toasty bed.

 

"Did you have a great day?" The innocent Giraffe asked, all smiles.

 

"My day doesn't start until 1 o'clock. Don't ruin it before it even starts." Ji Hyo said in a groggy voice.

 

"Well...It might be too late." Kwang Soo dropped his joyful facade and opened his iPad. "Have you checked the news?"

 

Ji Hyo sat right up and crawled all the way to Kwang Soo, who was sitting on the front of her bed. "What's on the news?"

 

"You and your CEO."