[12/11/2012  10:37pm Gangnam District near Leessang Recording Studio]

Gary

Gary checked his watch again as walked down the steps of his studio to the front door. He was running a few minutes late from the 10:30 time he and JiHyo had agreed upon. He was pretty sure that she was running a little late as well; this was JiHyo he was talking about. It would only take another few minutes for him to reach the late night food stall he and JiHyo used to frequent. He discovered this place a while back. The center part of Gangnam, about seven or eight blocks up from his current building, was the most popular part of the district; where everyone loved to congregate, but when he was in the mood for a less crowded, almost deserted place, he would come to this food stall. He found it sort of by accident, when he first spotted the building that he and Gil had now purchased. He ended up taking the wrong street and ended walking four blocks before he realized that he was lost. It was already after seven when he started trying to find his way back to his car by walking a couple blocks back the other way. Since this wasn’t a very busy part of Gangnam there were not a lot of people outside but when crossing the street he spotted this food stall across the road. It along with this small corner store seemed to be the only things open at this hour.

He was a bit hungry from walking and searching so he went over to purchase some food and possibly have the ahjusshi point him in the right direction. Little did he know, at that time that he discovered a hidden gem in Seoul. This was probably the best tteokbokki he had ever had; it had a really nice kick of spice and something else. And this was probably the kindest ahjusshi he’d met, so he was ok with not knowing the secret of his tteokbokki. Also, it turned out that the older man owned the store behind the food stall, so the soju was ice cold when you drank it. You couldn’t beat it. So the owner and Gary spent the next two hours talking about the man’s life there in Gangnam and the type of music Gary did; seems the man had only recognized Gary after he put back on his Leessang hat when he was ready to pay and leave and not because he knew of the band Leessang but because he looked like that young man on Running Man who also wore that hat. Gary remembered really liking the fact that the man didn’t recognize him and was able to speak comfortably with him for such a long time. He promised the owner that he would be back in the near future and would bring others but not too many because he wanted this place to remain his secret. But Gary definitely knew who the first person would be that he brought: Song JiHyo not only because he wanted to have a place that only he and she really knew about but also because she was a tteokbokki nut. She could eat so much at one time and still not be fully satisfied, he knew she would love this place especially because it was much spicier than regular tteokbokki and since it was so isolated she could drink to her hearts content with no one to watch. If the public only knew of how many men she could drink under the table. Gary laughed to himself at that thought; he was one of the few people who could drink more than she did but not by much.

Gary could smell the cooking of the tteokbokki in the air which meant he was very close. Rounding the corner to the shop, he could spot JiHyo sitting down receiving a bowl of tteokbokki from the shop owner. Gary chuckled to himself, she really couldn’t wait a few minutes for him to showup [she really is a nut for this stuff]. For that, Gary would have to punish her a little bit. Luckily she was sitting with her back to him, so he took his time to creep up slowly behind her while silently telling the shop keeper to not say anything.

[JiHyo]

JiHyo took in the deep smell of the tteokbokki. It had been so long since she had come to this place and the spicy smell was just bringing back all memories of her time spent here with Gary. He would hate it if she started eating without him, but he was late and if she was quick enough no one would know. She was sure no one was around to witness what would be the most un-ladylike massacre of this hot bowl of tteokbokki and grabbed one with her chopstick, blew on it so as not to burn her tongue and placed in . Before she could even register the taste…

“YAH Mong JiHyo!!!” JiHyo was so surprised by Gary she started choking on her piece of tteokbokki. In between coughs and gulps of water the owner brought her when he heard her choking she was fussing at Kang Gary.

“Yah! Kang Gary, do you want to kill me? How can you just sneak up on me like that?” she yelled at him.

Kang Gary just looked at her with a smirk. “Well you’re not dead and none of this would have happened if you would have waited for me, right?”

JiHyo was silent for a moment because he was right, but she wasn’t going to admit that. “It’s not my fault you were late and kept a hungry girl waiting; I’vd worked up an appetite today plus you ruined the first bite. You can’t get that moment back Oppa” she replied, slightly pouting.

Gary just laughed at her pouting face and said “well in that case, Oppa can’t make up for the first bite but I can make sure you have the perfect first drink”. He then called out to the owner “Ahjusshi, four bottles of soju for starters and another two orders of tteokbokki and you can keep them coming.”

JiHyo definitely brightened up at the mention of ice cold soju. She handed Gary one of her chopsticks and they shared the first bowl of tteokbokki of the night while waiting for the ahjusshi to bring the soju.

[50 min later]

They had spent almost the last hour catching up on things they’d been doing outside of Running Man. Gary was telling her about some new music he had found on the internet that he felt was inspiring  and was helping him take his music to another level. He had found some indie Korean artists that had a great sound like EachOne. He had recently heard his song “내게 들어와” (Come to Me) on YouTube and loved it. JiHyo was telling Gary about some new scripts she was looking at and also about some of her upcoming photoshoots. Gary knew how busy JiHyo could be and just advised her to not overwork herself to the point of exhaustion; it was kind of scary the last time for everyone to see her like that. With a smile thankful for the care she could hear in his voice, she let him know she would take good care of herself this time.

 “Ok good, glad those days are over JiHyo” said Gary.

They were already down to their last bottle of the four about to order another when JiHyo suddenly remembered. “Oppa, do you remember the last time we were here?”

“Hmm, kind of. I do remember it being cold. Why?” asked Kang Gary

JiHyo replied “Something you said made me remember that night. We had wrapped up earlier than normal from filming Running Man and both you and I were still a bit hungry though it was kind of late. Remember we came here expecting it to be empty and there was a group of foreigners here. They taught us how to play this drinking game. Come on Oppa, you gotta remember; it was the name of a famous song. Oooh what was it…?”

“Okay, yeah, yeah. I’m starting to remember; it was a group of them visiting from the United States; some type of university sponsored trip” answered Gary.

“That’s right Oppa; they had actually gotten lost and found the place. That’s how we started talking to them; you heard them tell the owner in Korean and since we knew they spoke a little Korean, you told them that’s how you found this place as well” said JiHyo.

“They were pretty cool; it was also nice they had no idea who we were” said Gary

“Well Running Man was still pretty new back then for international audiences. But anyway Oppa, what was the name of that game? Something like Rock, or Roxs, Roxan…Roxanne? Majayo, that’s right, isn’t it Oppa?” asked JiHyo excitedly.

“Roxanne? Yeah, Roxanne by the Police” JiHyo’s smile got even bigger as she heard Gary began singing the hook to the song.

“Roxxxx-aaaannneee

you don’t have to put on the redlight,

those days are over,

you don’t have to sell your body to the night.”

JiHyo joined in singing, as she started to remember the lyrics.

“Roxxxx-aaaannneee

you don’t have to wear that dress tonight,

You walk the streets for money,

You don’t care if it’s wrong or if it’s right.

Roxxxx-aaannnnneee”

They both ended up in laughter as they both failed miserably at singing the high pitched “Roxanne”.

“Man that was a great song and a really fun night” said Gary.

JiHyo with a wicked smile said “Oppa, I have a great idea. Let’s play “Roxanne” for old time’s sake. You still remember how to play huh?”

“Hmm, not really. Do you JiHyo?” asked Gary

“Yeah I think so Oppa. I remember it’s like a mix between beer pong and like truth or dare. I remember you play the song for like 20 or 30sec and every time they sing Roxanne you take shot. And then try to throw the ball or whatever you’re using in the cup. Whoever makes the ball in first gets to ask the other ‘truth or dare’. But we can modify it a bit and just do truth; not enough people to have really fun dares. You wanna do it?”

“Yeah let’s do it. We are gonna be so drunk after this though” laughed Gary.

“Maybe, but we have a pretty high tolerance” said JiHyo with a smile.

Gary went about moving some of the tables together for the game, while JiHyo went and purchased some cups from the corner store and placed another order with the owner for soju, water and tteokbokki. Gary downloaded the song to his iphone and set it to repeat and when JiHyo got back, lined up the cups in the traditional beer pong pyramid.

After a few practice rounds they began the game and after about 3 shots. JiHyo was the first to get the rubberband ball she found earlier in her purse into the cup. “Ok Gary, tell me about your first kiss? And no lies; gotta be completely honest.”

Gary started to blush just thinking about it. “Oh my gosh; this is so lame. So I was like five and had been watching the geographic channel because they were doing a week long presentation on lions. This particular day they were showing the lions mating and the male lion the cheek of the female lion he was mating with; it’s how they showed affection by grooming each other. The tv said that was how they showed they liked each other. So we had a young neighbor upstairs who I played with all the time and had a small crush on her. So the next time we played together, I called her over like I was going to tell her a secret and then her cheek.”

“WWHHHAAAAATTTTT??!?!” JiHyo couldn’t even contain her laughter. She was completely bent over in pain from laughing so much.

“God, I’m so embarrassed. STRESS!!” said Gary; his face getting redder and redder by the second as she laughed.

Once JiHyo calmed down she asked“No Oppa, that is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard. So what happened with the girl?”

Gary’s face got even more read. “She stopped playing with me after that because she thought I was going to eat her.”

JiHyo was almost in pain trying not to laugh at him. “No Gary don’t tell me that. HaHa. That is hilarious, so let’s take a shot in honor of your first kiss.” And poured a shot for both herself and Gary.

“Don’t worry it’ll be your turn next JiHyo” said Gary with determination in his eyes.

Gary got serious the next round. They were both seven shots in, but he had a little more focus for this round and made the first shot on his second try. “Ok MongJi, what was the most embarrassing thing to happen to you on a date? No lies, complete honesty.”

“Oppa almost all of my dates were great but there was this one that ended horribly. So I had this date with a guy in college. We met up a Sunday afternoon at the amusement park, probably a couple hours before it was going to close. It was early fall so the park was pretty empty, so there was no lines. Pretty awesome, right? So it was in my college days that I found out I was a bit lactose intolerant. So all throughout the time we were at the park, I was eating sweets; sharing shakes, funnel cakes, ice cream cones and cake with him, like a bunch of kids. We were about ready to go and all of a sudden my stomach started hurting, you know that feeling when you need to use the bathroom bad.”

Gary was already starting to laugh at this point.

“Oppa it was horrible. I excused myself and tried to run as quickly to the bathroom as I could, without appearing like something was wrong. When I got to the toilet, it all just gushed out. OMG Gary Oppa, I have never had anything happen to me like that ever and it wasn’t a normal smell either. Like it was terrible, luckily no one was in the bathroom so I didn’t feel as embarrassed. So I reached for toilet paper and there was none and there was no way I was about to get up and walk around searching like this. I looked in my purse for paper and had none. And had no socks on because I was wearing sandals. So I thought that maybe someone would walk in in a few minutes and I could ask for tissue. I waited for like ten minutes and no one came, I waited so long my was getting numb Oppa.

In between fits of laughter, Gary was able to get out. “Noooo. Please stop JiHyo, you’re killing me.”

JiHyo could do nothing but laugh as she tried to finish the story. “Oppa so they announced over the loudspeaker that the park would be closing in ten minutes. Then the guy called me, asking if I was alright because I had been gone a long time. I told him that I would be right out. So I stayed there a few more minutes trying to figure out what to do. Until I heard over the loudspeaker that the park was closed and then the lights shut off in the bathroom. Clearly I was panicking by this point. Then a few seconds later, I saw light from a flashlight and heard my name being called. Turns out it was the guy and a security guard. He came looking for me and I just finally had to swallow my pride and get help. The fact that he ran and got tissue and handwipes for me, spoke of how great of a guy he was but I was completely mortified. He even tried to make me feel better on the ride home but I could say nothing.”

At this point she and Gary had tears in their eyes from laughing. “Oppa the thing was that I wasn’t silent on the ride home because I was embarrassed but it was because my stomach started hurting again and I was trying to do my best to hold it because I left the tissue he gave me back at the restroom in the park.”

“JiHyo you have got to be lying to me; that is absolutely the funniest thing I’ve ever heard a girl admit. So did you continue seeing him?”

“How could I? I was so embarrassed, all I could think about was how he might think of me as the crappy pants date. Haha, I just stopped answering his phone calls. He was definitely a nice guy though. I’m glad you won’t judge me for that Oppa” Said JiHyo.

“I mean, what can I say. I tried to eat my neighbor. Oh my gosh, this is hilarious. Let’s drink to another round” said Gary as he poured another shot for himself and JiHyo.

So they spent the next couple rounds sharing secrets and stories that neither was comfortable sharing with anyone else. It was continuous laughter, jokes and poking fun at each other’s past but as the more alcohol entered their systems the questions started to take on a more serious tone.

JiHyo was really starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. She had a very warm feeling in her body that was evidence of the high buzz she was on right now. At this point usually, she was a bit more free with things she had to say; most of her inhibitions would be dissolving away by now. “Gary can I ask you a personal question?”

“Haven’t they all been personal? But go for it” said Gary.

“Oppa, why do you take so many different women home? HaHa said you were a ‘ladykiller’, I think now I’m really started to believe it.” JiHyo didn’t know why she asked that question but now that it was out there, she could admit to herself she didn’t like it. She actually hated seeing all those girls on Gary; if you want complete honestly call it “jealousy” but she wasn’t drunk enough for that so “being a little bothered” was all she would admit to.

Gary paused for a second thinking about that question and whether he should answer truthfully or not. When he drunk this much, his control of his emotions tended to slip away and things he tried to so hard to keep in would begin to slowly creep out. “I guess the reason would be is that they are a mechanism for me to forget the one I really want. Everyday it’s quite evident that she’s not here, she won’t be in bed with me and I can’t wake up to her…that privilege belongs to another man. So some nights when thoughts of her become too much, I have somebody who can fill a small part of that void. The truth is even when I’m with them; I’m not really seeing them, I’m seeing her. The way I touch them is how I want to touch her, when I kiss them in my mind I’m kissing her; which is torture in itself. So when I give myself over to passion completely, I don’t think any more so I can forget for only a little while. None of the girls ever stay the night; I think they can tell I’m thinking of someone else. Ironically enough though in the morning when I wake up alone, the lack of her presence is even more evident.”

JiHyo couldn’t help but think to herself [What a painful way to live]. She was compelled to stare into Gary’s eyes. There was pain there and something more. It was an intense feeling that was slowly drawing her in. “Oppa, you never tried to get over her?”

Gary knew he was revealing a lot by telling her this but it felt so good to release the grip a little. Control all the time was draining. Maybe it was the alcohol or part of him telling him that she asked for honesty and maybe tonight he could be honest. “Believe me I tried, I really did try. But I can’t.” And he looked directly into her eyes just for a second and said “Let’s take a shot and do another round.”

JiHyo at first stunned by how intense Gary was, agreed. She thought she could handle a few more shots before she passed out. Was this 20 or 21 by the way? Gary ended up winning the round and asked JiHyo “What is your biggest fear right now?”

JiHyo sat back and thought about that question. It was really something she had been thinking about the past couple weeks. She thought maybe it was about her career and missing out on new acting opportunities but that wasn’t it, or maybe Running Man would get canceled, but that wasn’t it either. Her biggest fear was a little more personal. “I feel like I’m settling Oppa.”

Gary was a little shocked by that answer. “In what way…?”

“You know that’s a good question. But right now I don’t know how to answer. I just feel like there is something better [or someone better] for me. I feel like I’m missing passion or a spark in my life right now. I feel like it is right in front of my face…like I can touch it but I don’t even know what I’m reaching for. Have you ever had that feeling Gary Oppa?” JiHyo asked looking into his eyes searching for an answer or some sort of understanding. She hadn’t shared these thoughts with anyone but he felt like the only person she could share them with. They’d already talked about some of the most uncomfortable things in each other’s’ lives and it was all so easy; came so naturally. Everything with Gary came naturally. [Why is that, only him…just Stop! JiHyo, don’t go there. Enough?]

Gary was thinking just as intensely about her. “All the time. I know that what I want is actually what I need. And if I could have it for a second, I think I’d be able to breathe for the first time. I feel with everything in me, my world would change.”

The atmosphere was so thick with secrets, emotions and unspoken words. In times like this alcohol could be a major catalyst for change. Both of them had things they wanted to say but couldn’t find the courage to do so; it wasn’t the time.

“JiHyo, think you can handle one more round for the road?”

“Yeah, Oppa. I’m good. Go get another bottle, I’ll wait here” she answered.

Gary left to go by a quick bottle from the ahjusshi and pay the bill for the night. By the time he got back, JiHyo was passed out with her head resting on her arm. Gary couldn’t help but chuckle to himself, his tolerance was still bigger [Still the champ]. Well since he already bought the bottle, he went and took a goodnight shot for himself and JiHyo.

“Ok MongJiHyo, I’m gonna shoot for both of us. Your shot is in my left and my shot is my right. Since it’s my turn I’ll shoot with my right first.” Shooting with his right, the ball swirled around the edge of the cup and fell out. Then he shot with his left hand and the ball bounced off the same cup but fell into another. “Oh well, I guess you win MongJi.”

He heard JiHyo start to mumble in her sleep and knew it was time to get her home. He checked his watch and saw it was close to 4am and thought it was too late to call her manager to pick her up. Luckily the recording studio was right up the block and they had the spare bedroom there. He drunk the remaining two bottles of water to try and flush out the alcohol and proceeded to pick up JiHyo and carry her to the studio; he was too inebriated to drive. With all the working out he had been doing lately, carrying her wasn’t much of a challenge. She was a little heavy but she was toned; muscle weighs more than fat. She didn’t understand that and he wouldn’t enlighten her because it was always funny when she got sensitive about her weight.

It only took him about ten minutes to get to the studio. He went and laid JiHyo down on the pullout sofa in the spare bedroom and placed her purse and phone on the desk. The spare bedroom had its own bathroom, so he went and grabbed a big and small towel for her in case she wanted to freshen up in the morning. He turned back to look at her and saw that she had naturally her side after he laid her on her back. Gary noticed some of her hair in her face and reached out to move it behind her ear. Staring at her he was again captured by how beautiful she was.

He crouched down closer to her face and whispered “Song Ji Hyo, since you won, I owe you a secret right? Secret is I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, so don’t hate me ok. I just need this one memory; just one taste of you.” Gary let his hand slowly caress her face down to and let this thumb gently trace the contours of lips. Then he lifted the bottom of her chin up to him and placed his lips on hers. He wanted to imprint on his mind this very moment; how soft her lips were, the natural smell of her skin, everything. He would probably never get another moment like this and wanted to make sure he captured every detail in his mind. Ending the kiss was probably the hardest thing he’d ever done but he didn’t want to wake her. He’d have to call a taxi because staying here with her was too much temptation. With that, he got up and exited the room as quietly as possible.

What he didn’t see was JiHyo open her eyes as the door closed.

Authors Note: Hey guys, sorry for the late post. Things have been hectic, but I've been thinking on this part for a while. It's a pivotal moment in the story and needed to get it right. I decided to make it longer since all you guys have been waiting a long time. Please continue  to comment, subscribe or upvote. Let me know if you like the direction the story is going. I promise it really does help me right better and faster. Hwaiting and Monday Couple JJang!!!!!