Over the coming months, I watched Ji Hyo get better and better as summer transitioned into autumn. The actress smiled more, laughed more. I was elated with the knowledge that I was part of that reason.

I saw how excited she got about my little plans, and how enthusiastic she got in making plans for us. I was grateful that I was able to do this for her - make her feel better. Slowly, I began to realise that there was something else I was good at besides martial arts and goofing around: I could make Ji Hyo happy. Maybe not in the way she was before, but much better than she had been.

She wasn't back to normal yet though, and I took her little quirks in stride. In fact, she seemed to be reinventing herself, constantly trying out new things or activities. I allowed her the space to do that by just tagging along and following her lead.

It was a beautiful brisk autumn day. The golden-brown carpet of leaves crunched underfoot as I made my way to the Running Man set, ready for a day of filming. An autumn breeze blew, cooling the air and moving the clouds and trees. I watched as the leaves flew away in a final flight. They danced, beautiful yet dead. It seemed particularly cruel, that those leaves will never be able to perceive their flight.

I took my time, strolling along the path, admiring the golden gingko trees at the height of their autumnal gold, bathed in the yellow warmth of the autumn sun. The air was fresh, but without a chill. As I walked, I lapsed into memories. A silly grin on my face as I recalled the day Ji Hyo turned up unannounced at my door, a pair of skateboards in her hands.

“Reg! Have you ever skated?” She asked, an excited glint in her eyes.

Blinking, I shook my head. 

“Great! I can teach you something new.” She chirped before taking my hand and dragging me out of my apartment.

Arriving at a quiet stretch of park along the Han River, Ji Hyo parked her car. Turning to me, she grinned. “I used to wakeboard. But now that the weather's getting cold, I figured I could skate and that you could join me.” 

I stared back at her. “And I suppose you think I'd just go along with it?” I asked.

“Yup.” She quipped.

I shook my head in response. “Fair enough.” I sighed, before grabbing the boards from the backseat. “Come on then! Show me what you've got.” I said as I exited the car.

Taking our boards, we headed to the walkway and I watched as Ji Hyo demonstrated how to get onto the board, stepping lightly onto it with her left foot placed at the front of the board and then stepping up with her right. 

Meh... Looks easy enough. Imitating her movements, I placed my left foot on the board and immediately followed up with my right. The movement caused the board to wobble. Since I wasn't balanced, it threw me off and I fell ungracefully to the ground.

Shaking her head, Ji Hyo came over and pulled me up. “Ya. Be patient.” She admonished lightly. “Get on slowly.” She advised. Taking hold of my hand, she helped me up my board. “Step up with your left foot, slowly and lightly,” She instructed. “Okay. Now, once you are balanced and the board feels stable, step up with your right feet.”

I did as I was told, following her set of instructions and managed to get on the board without falling this time. Turning round to face Ji Hyo, I grinned at her and she smiled in encouragement. With the actress's help, I managed to stay on my board and learnt how to push off. Together, we skated along the path for a bit. Soon, I had even learnt how to turn by shifting my weight to one side of the board. I could only make right turns, but it was a start.

As we went along, I started getting more comfortable. New-found confidence flooded me and perhaps a little bit too cockily, I called out to Ji Hyo who was skating ahead. “Hey! Whoever said you can't teach old dogs new tricks?”

Turning around slightly, she smiled, amused. She shook her head, “Ya! Don't get too cocky!” She lectured.

As soon as she said that, I went over a large crack. The board wobbled and I lost my balance. I tried to regain it, but in doing so, my board veered off course, heading towards Ji Hyo. I managed to shout out a warning, “Watch out! Moooove!”

But I was going too fast and I ran into her, my momentum sending the both of us tumbling into the grass. I landed in a crumpled heap next to the actress. Grinning sheepishly, I shrugged. “Well, at least the grass is soft.”

Narrowing her eyes at me, Ji Hyo sat up, inspecting herself. At the grass stains on her pants, she cried out, “Ya! This is a brand new pair of pants!”

Oops.

Panicking, I leaned over and tried to wipe the stains off with my hands, all the while apologising profusely. I was so engrossed with what I was doing, I never noticed how close I was to her. Looking up, I realised our faces were inches apart and I was staring into her brown eyes. There was a mixture of tenderness, affection and something else that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

“It's okay. I can wash the pants. I was just kicking up a fuss to tease you.” She murmured, before running her hand through my hair, picking at something in it. “You have all this grass in your hair. Are you hurt?” She asked softly and I shook my head.

As I got ready to stand up, I felt a pair of warm, soft lips press itself against my left cheek. It was light, ghosting across my skin briefly, leaving me unsure of what had just happened. Did Ji Hyo just kiss me? Am I imagining things now?

I stared dumbly at her, my heart racing. “Di- Did you just? Ki- Kis-? Wait wha-?” I stuttered and she blushed prettily.

“I'm sorry. I'm not sure what came over me. Can we just pretend it didn't happen? Please?” She pleaded honestly.

Not wanting to make her more embarrassed than she already was, I nodded, trying to be as nonchalant as possible even though I really wanted to know what was going on. I decided it was probably one of those rebound things and thought it best not to delve too much into it. Helping Ji Hyo to her feet, we made our way back to her car. 

After sending me home, she reached for the backseat and handed me the board I had been using. “Take this. It's for you.” She said, peeling off the tape that had been wrapped around the deck. My eyes widened as I took in the board before me. It was a Paul Rodriguez's signature wolf deck from Primitive skateboards.

“I saw it at the shop the other day and the wolf design immediately made me think of you. You know because of your tattoo?” She explained shyly. “I figured you wouldn't mind joining me to skate in the future, so I got it for you.”

I stared back at Ji Hyo, touched beyond words that she remembered these little details. “Wow. Thank you.” I said. Leaning across the passenger seat, I gave her a hug.

At the memory, I touched my cheek, feeling a rush of excitement and happiness. Irritated, I growled. I shouldn't be feeling like this and I tried to will the emotions away.

Everything that Yan had been worried about, was becoming true. The more time I spent with Ji Hyo, the deeper I fell in love with her. Dread filled me when I realised that my heart had begun to hope. A fool's hope, that maybe someday, she'd look at me differently. It takes everything I have to stop that hope. She didn't think of me that way and she certainly didn't need me to think that way of her. All she needed was a friend to support her. I could do that as a friend. Couldn't I?

“Reg!” I heard a familiar voice call out. Turning around, I was met by Ji Hyo. Smiling, I greeted her, mildly surprised when she pulled me in for a hug.

Well, perhaps I shouldn't have been too surprised. The actress had always been affectionate person. Often initiating little touches with her close friends and her Running Man family. Whenever she won, she would run over and hug her team mates. I was glad and honoured that she considered me as her close friend. “I heard that we'd