[Sunday 01/29/2012 6:00pm]

Ji Hyo knew it was time, but that didn’t make this decision any less hard. Every couple of minutes she would pick up the phone and dial his number only to put it right back down again. She had been biting her lip so hard for the last hour that there was a major indent left on her bottom lip. They were already a natural deep pink that the white area left from her teeth restricting the blood flow was quite noticeable. Every time she was ready to call him another reason as to why this was a bad idea would pop up. She had to think about how much this would affect Running Man; her other family. The dynamics of her relationships with them would change, especially with Kang Gary. That in itself made her a bit sad and the most hesitant but she had to think about Baek Chang Ju. They had been dating secretly these last five months and no matter how much he assured her that he was not bothered by her Monday relationship with Kang Gary, it was not him she was worried about. She had been enjoying her time with Chang Ju. He was patient, considerate and treated her as though she was his greatest possession. Even though he is supposed to be this big, powerful CEO she saw the side of him that most people didn’t see. He would send her goofy texts during the day and speak on the phone with her until late at night. She didn’t go to bed lonely anymore. Despite all of that, something was still nagging at her; the fact that she still enjoyed the attention Kang Gary showed her on Mondays. She felt a little bit greedy. When she decided that she would try with Baek Chang Ju, she should give it her all. She couldn’t have both, but it really was hard ending Monday Couple but the only couple she wanted to be a part of was significant every day except Monday. She wanted to make it an everyday affair. That was all the convincing she needed. Her mother always told her that if something hurt, the best way to handle it was do it all at once. No fear, rip it off like a band aid, don’t drag it out because it will weaken you. All right, it’s time, she decided to herself. Ji Hyo picked up the phone and dialed his number.

[*ring ring*]

Ji Hyo: “ah Oppa”

Yoo Jae Suk: “ah Ji Hyo-ah, what can I do for you?”

Ji Hyo: “Oppa, I have something really important to say. Can we meet for a while?”

YJS: “Well I was just heading home. Is it not something we can speak about tomorrow?”

Ji Hyo: “Aniyo Oppa, I really think we should speak tonight. I may not have the courage for it tomorrow.”

YJS: “Yae, I understand. I can meet you at the café near your place; I should be in Illsandong-gu in about 20 min.”

Ji Hyo: “Gamsamnida Oppa, jjinja Oppa. See you in a little bit.”

YJS: “See you in a little bit.”

Ji Hyo knew Yoo Jae Suk was the correct person to help her out in handling this problem. He was the glue that held Running Man together. He had great relationships with the cast as well as the producers. He had been in show business much longer than she had and had come across many scandals. He knew the best way to handle this to allow her producers, cast mates, fans and most importantly herself and Chang Ju to save face. She knew it would be a little awkward at first but they would get through this. They were family after all.

Ji Hyo decided to walk the three blocks to the café. It was pretty cold outside and snow still covered parts of the bushes and street around the neighborhood. The cold wind helped calm her nerves. Her stomach was tight with anticipation and her palms were sweaty as well. During the walk she steeled her resolve and decided she would do what she needed to do with no regrets. She was the first to reach the café. She ordered two bottles of soju. The alcohol would help to ease the tightness in her stomach and allow her to open fully to Yoo Jae Suk Oppa. She was pretty transparent in her intentions and character with her cast mates but when it came to her personal life she was quite private. The only reason Jae Suk Oppa knew about this café was because he dropped her off here once. It’s not that she didn’t want anyone to know it’s just that before she was so focused on her career that she didn’t really make a lot of friends outside of the set. She would sleep and she would work; it was only through Running Man that she really started to open up. She had guest appeared on some variety shows prior and she could match the vibe that the other members had but it was through Running Man that she started to naturally click with her other members. As Ji Hyo took her second sip of soju, Yoo Jaesuk walked in.

YJS: “Ah Ji Hyo-ah? Drinking already? It must be serious.” He said laughing at her.

Ji Hyo: “It’s not like that oppa, I walked here so the soju is warming me up a little. Would you like some or some coffee?”

YJS: “I’ll have a cappuccino.”

[Cappuccino arrives and as Yoo Jae Suk thanks the waitress]

Ji Hyo takes one last shot of soju and decides to just tell him; like a band aid she thinks to herself.

Ji Hyo: “Oppa, there is something I need you to help me with…”

*************************************************************************************
 

[Leessang studio]

Kang Gary

Kang Gary couldn’t believe was he just heard. Song Ji Hyo is in a relationship with her CEO and they would have to end Monday Couple. Just repeating it in his mind gave him another headache. He just received the call from Jae Suk hyung and it seems he was the last to know. Monday was in three days. It actually upset him a little bit that she didn’t tell him herself but he really shouldn’t be, they had no relationship outside of running man. It just felt like they would be closer than that, after all, he was her Monday Boyfriend. Now that he thought about it, it kind of made sense as to why she seemed to be so distant the last couple months. She wasn’t coming to the group dinners as often as before, neither did she goof around him between takes as she once did, plus she was always going off by herself during breaks. He assumed she was napping; there had been many a time he found her cat napping in some random place during breaks, he thought with a smile. It made his heart feel uncomfortable that things were going to change; he’d grown to be so comfortable with their friendship on set. It still amazed him how much he connected with her. No matter how cheesy and greasy he acted, it would invoke a laugh in her. He remembered how beautiful she was when he first saw her. She was only a guest at that point which he thought was a pity because he would have loved coming to work to see that face every morning. When she became a permanent part of the cast he was so excited. In actuality he really had no problem talking to women, it was very natural to him but when it came to her he had no idea how to approach her. Most of his early attempts at being cool were totally shot down or he would just end up saying some really lame one liner. So embarrassing but she seemed to respond to that. He could play the love struck fool for her because there was something about Song Ji Hyo that was pulling at him. He would often catch himself just staring at her. He made some attempts to contact after filming but she really didn’t seem interested. She was always saying that she had another appointment and didn’t really have time. He got the message after that and stopped trying to contact her. He wasn’t really used to rejection and the thought of her rejecting him was scary beyond measure. Plus he was new to variety and really wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t and he didn’t want to risk making her uncomfortable. She was the only female on the show and for him to approach her like that could have really bad consequences if she wasn’t receptive to his intentions.

Gil was always in his corner telling him not to worry about it; that there were other women who could occupy his time. Lately he had been in the dating scene more often. He honestly believed it was a strong attraction that he felt for her and like all things once out of sight out of mind, right? Since the release of Hexagonal, the amount of women he had been meeting on the regular had gone up tremendously. During all the dinner parties, concert, showcases and club outings so many of them wanted to meet him, would touch him, give him their phone numbers and some of the bolder ones would try to go home with him. Some he did take home with him but it never went anywhere; nothing ever developed. It wasn’t the fault of any of the women, most of them were interesting, smart and really vibed with his music but he just had no incentive to invest. He found himself comparing Ji Hyo to every woman that he met. Some may be more beautiful or eloquent but something about them couldn’t compare to her. At this point they were so connected as Monday Couple they could finish each other’s sentences. He knew her strengths and she had so many, but the most beautiful aspect of her character was her “mong” look. Without it, she would be too perfect, almost unattainable. In his opinion it made her even more beautiful. There was a simplicity about her, a fearlessness that most woman didn’t possess. She was a dichotomy of beauty, brains and mong. Who could compare to that, he thought.  His only relationship was on Monday, everything a boyfriend was supposed to give, he gave to Ji Hyo. It just came so natural. She was his excuse. Everything was so easy with her and when the nights came he had other women to keep the loneliness at bay. But now that she was taken, it was probably the time that he should actually begin to look for somebody. He was already 33 years old, Leessang was established so what was stopping him? A strong attraction and a relationship that didn’t exist on days beside Monday; he couldn’t be that pitiful, right? At this, Gary decided that he would give up the fantasies he had about Song Ji Hyo. He had to give other women a chance, give himself a chance too. He couldn’t let a small attraction hold him captive. Gary would give her what she asked of her cast mates. He would respect her relationship and make her feel as comfortable as he could. It was time to tie up what he felt and tuck it away; nothing would come from it. He remembered something his mother told him about being scared of change. She told him “change comes whether you want it to or not, you can just let it crash over you and be swept away or you can close your eyes and dive straight in”.

Gary: “Omma, I’ll dive in.”

Gary grabbed his phone and gave his best friend Gil a call.

Gary: “Hyung? What was that name of that girl you told me about? The one you met at Windy City’s showcase.”

Gil: “Yae, yae Hyung. Her name was Lan Xin. She was from America. She will actually be at this art expo happening at Chugye University for the Arts. I’m going, you want to join?”

Gary: “Yae Hyung, just call me when you’re close.”

Gary hit the end call button and stared at his home screensaver on his phone. It’s the picture of him and Ji Hyo’s pinky promise the first night he saved her. He smiled one last time thinking of how he got her number while she stood smiling in the rain.

Gary: “Mianhe Ji hyo. This man has to let go.”  He says to himself as he deletes the picture.