Gary woke up with a hangover from the 24 cans of beer he consumed on the previous night. He was surprised that he was actually on his bed instead of the sofa. He hammered his forehead hard, trying to get rid of the headache.

Gary struggled his way out to the living room. The empty beer cans were no longer found, the messy living room that he remembered before he passed out was now neat and clean.

“Maybe is Gil or Sam (Gary’s assistant).” Gary mumbled to himself.

There were food and coffee on the dining table.

“Tteokguk, Bibimbap, Kimchi. When did the guys bring in these? I am so hungry.” Gary sat down at the dining table, pigging himself on the food. He felt better after drinking some hot soup. Gary was totally awake after his shower. He went to the laundry room to pick up his socks as he was ready to go back to his studio to work when he noticed that his sofa cushion covers were washed and hanged for drying. Hanging besides the cushion covers were a blouse and a skirt.

Gary noticed that there were some missing buttons on the blouse and the skirt was slightly torn on the sides. Flashes of memory started to come back. The scenes of Ji Hyo helping him to his bedroom, of him pushing Ji Hyo on bed, ripping Ji Hyo’s blouse and skirt suddenly surfaced in Gary’s mind. To confirm his memory, Gary ran to his bedroom and search for the buttons. True enough, a few buttons belonging to the blouse were found on his bed and some on the floor.

“! What did I do last night? And the food, the cleaning are all done by Ji Hyo?” Gary quickly dialed Ji Hyo’s mobile number.

It was Ji Hyo’s manager who picked up the call. “Ji Hyo is attending a press conference now, Gary Ssi, please call her later. And…..you should shower her with more concerns and support during times like these. Please try to understand and be patient with her.”

“Unnie, what do you mean by that?” Gary couldn’t understand.

“Gary Ssi, read the newspaper or google on the internet. Shame on you, aren’t you the caring boyfriend? You didn’t know what happened to your girlfriend? I need to go now, need to help Ji Hyo with the reports.” Ji Hyo’s manager hanged up.

Gary quickly checked on the internet. News reports about Park Soo’s company, the contaminated beauty products poured into the headlines. Ji Hyo who is the appointed spoke man for Park Soo’s company and other brands of skin care was also affected.

“Headlines : Contaminated beauty products damaging Korean’s actresses’ image and career.”

“Headlines : Park Soo and Song Ji Hyo expressed their apologies to the public for the contaminated skin care ranges.”

…………..

Gary couldn’t believe himself. He was throwing his temper at Ji Hyo, acting like a naive kid when his girlfriend is encountering a crisis in her career.

“Ji Hyo Ssi, you do not need to do that. Though you are the spoke man for our company, the contaminated incident had nothing to do with you.” Park Soo was touched that Ji Hyo was the first person to standup for him and his company when the crisis happens. Other spoke man like the young idols and actresses avoided the media, and instead of helping to clarify with the media, their agencies demanded to break the endorsement contract.

“Park Soo Ssi, please try to understand their situations. Their companies have an image to protect. For me, my contract with my agency has ended and our working relationship now is based on projects, I have more say on what I want to do. You and your company protected me first, I should at least help in this crisis.” Ji Hyo explained.

“Park Soo Ssi. Thank you for sending me home.” Park Soo got off the car to open the door for Ji Hyo.

“Please go back and rest. You looked exhausted. Rest well and you will have the energy to battle this crisis. I am sure we can pull through.” Ji Hyo tried as much as possible to encourage Park Soo as a friend.

“Ji Hyo ar……” Park Soo unexpectedly hugged Ji Hyo into his arms. “Please, don’t struggle. I don’t mean harm. Just let me hold you for a while. I am so tired. A good hug from a friend can help me move on.” Ji Hyo stayed in Park Soo’s arms for almost 3 minutes.

This 3 minutes was like a knife that was stabbing countlessly on Gary’s heart. Gary who had called Ji Hyo’s manager unnie 30 minutes ago knew that Ji Hyo will be home soon, so he quickly drove from his studio to Ji Hyo’s apartment. Gary wanted to apologise for his act last night. But instead he saw Park Soo hugging Ji Hyo, and this was bringing Gary to his edge of explosion.

Ji Hyo sank into her bed after her shower. She was feeling exhausted too. Tired from all the questions from the reporters, tired from the lack of sleep since she was taking care of Gary, doing all the cleaning up the whole of last night, and preparing food for Gary early in the morning. Yet, there isn’t a single word, nor a call or a message from Gary.

“He should know what is happening to me now if he reads the news. But not even a word or call of concern from him. Are we still an item?” Ji Hyo glared at Gary’s picture and contact numbers angrily on her mobile phone.

Gary went back to his studio after witnessing Park Soon and Ji Hyo’s hug. He did not know how he should confront Ji Hyo. At the same time, he was also afraid that Ji Hyo will give him answers that he don’t wish to hear if he really confront her. Most important of all, he knew that his temper and anger will overtake him if he talked to Ji Hyo now. He needed time to cool down, he needed time to think about what to tell Ji Hyo.

Gary pushed himself to work hard in his studio so he can take his mind of Ji Hyo. When he was drained of his inspirations, he played basketball with his buddies followed by his favourite sport of skateboarding. The night just slipped by with Gary working hard and playing hard. Yet, whenever he slowed down, Ji Hyo’s face surfaced in his mind again. His heart ached as he thinks about his relationship with Ji Hyo.

Gary’s buddies uploaded their basketball and skateboarding games on their facebook. There were also pictures of them having supper and beer at the roadside stall.

“He enjoyed himself so much. How about me, after all that had happened, he did not even bother to ask me what happened? Even as a normal friend or a colleague from Running Man?” Ji Hyo questioned herself when she saw the pictures. She had been receiving caring calls and messages from other RM members and staffs but not Gary.

“Kang Gary, what are we?” Ji Hyo’s eyes started to turn red. “Why do I have to cry for someone who don’t even care about me?”