Song Ji Hyo, scoffed at the news articles that popped up regarding her leave from her longtime variety show, Running Man. She had recently asked permission to take a month off for a long overdue vacation, or so she said. To be honest, it was more of a test run, to see how the show would do without her, and how she would do without the show. Recently, she had been feeling as if she wasn’t contributing much, anyway. She never used to feel that way.

     Until Kang Gary left.

      “Omo, Ji Hyo missed Gary too much!” “Maybe Gary oppa and Ji Hyo unnie are taking a vacation together? Kyaah! My Monday Couple feels are alive again!” “The Monday Couple is real”

       Her manager read aloud some of the netizen comments and Ji Hyo was quick to shush her. “You know it was never real, Ha Na unnie.”

       “Wasn’t it, Ji Hyo?” Ha Na had been there for her when Gary decided to leave Running Man to focus on his music and his growing company. Ji Hyo didn’t show the rest of the world how devastated she was, only offering congratulations and well wishes to her former on-screen partner when asked, but Ha Na had been there to pick her up from her drunken stupors and her crying fits.

       Ji Hyo had never really able to answer that question truthfully. Doubts kept gnawing at her. So she just adopted her Mong persona and just kept quiet, looking out the van’s window. What did it matter anyway? In a few hours, she’d be leaving Korea.

      “Yah, you’re coming back right?” Ha Na nudged her.

       Of course. Just give me this month off. I’ll come back a much better actress! Plenty of hot, topless men; inspiration might strike!” Ji Hyo laughingly said, already brushing away the earlier melancholic mood.

       Ha Na laughed along with her, knowing full well that none of it was genuine. It hadn’t been since Gary left.