“Come on… you’re just out of the hospital yesterday and you’re going back on set??” Gary just can’t keep it cool anymore. He was worried for her health. She’s been in and out of the hospital twice. She insisted on going back to the set to continue her work.

“Oppa, I have a schedule to follow. I am going to make everybody delay if I don’t show up.  I am OK now.”

“She is so stubborn!” he thought.  He didn’t want to say anymore. He was upset. He kept quiet. But she saw the rage on his face. He can’t hide his emotion.

She pulled his arm but he refuse to move. She went to him and put her arms around his waist and lay her head on his chest. “I know you’re worried for me. I am going to be OK. You have taken care of me well this past few days. I can work now. I know I can. Don’t you worry about me. Besides you have been neglecting your work for quite some time now. Get yourself busy. I wouldn’t have time for you” She was comforting him with her words. He didn’t say anything. He was still upset but he had his arms around her anyway.

She left him. It wasn’t the usual sweet parting. It was mostly silence with weary looks in their eyes. He watched her walk out the door of his home and his heart sank. He is so in love with her. He can’t bear to see her so weak and tired. He could provide a decent life for her.  But it was her dream that he didn’t want to shatter.

…

Weeks past with only the chance to see her during Running Man filming. She will always go away right after filming ended.  He gets frustrated. She barely have time to talk on the phone. It was mostly texting that assures him she is still his girlfriend.  However it had become less frequent and was kept simple and short. No more prompt replies. It was like writing a letter. The agony of waiting for a reply makes Gary stressed out.

She finally got a day off from filming to rest.  She went straight to his house. She felt guilty for not having time with him. She needed to convince him. As the manager drove, her mind drift off to past events.

“Did he leave you yet?” Mr Baek was mocking her when he went on set to visit the production team to build his rapport with the producers. She looked into his eyes trying to figure out what he actually wants.

“Why do you do this to me? He is my boyfriend. He has no reason to leave me and he loves me enough to understand my work.”

“I wanted you to pair off one of the guys in the agency. You refused. I invested in you and part of the plan was to create the buzz for another talent. I can’t force you since I didn’t put it in your contract and you ruined it.”

“Don’t you understand? I have a boyfriend. I can’t pretend to be dating someone else. I can’t hurt him. I love him.  You didn’t tell me of your plans when I signed on to the company. You can force me to do anything but not that” She was firm with her words and Mr Baek didn’t like it.

“I always get what I want. One day you will agree to me.”

….

“Jihyo! We’re here” her manager got her back to reality. “Oh! Sorry I” She picked up her bags and quickly got in the building. She went into the house and it reeked of alcohol. It was clean but she knew Gary had been drinking.

She walked in and saw Gary lying down on the couch. By the look of it he was out drunk. She went to him and kneeled beside the couch and touched his cheek. “Oppa… Oppa… wake up” He mumbled in his sleep and resumed sleeping. She was convinced he’s not sober.

She went to the bathroom for a towel and a small basin full of warm water. She took off his clothes and left his boxers on and started wiping his whole body.  She had not done this for him for so long. He had not been too drunk when she’s around. He always stays sober so time was not wasted. But he didn’t know she was coming home today.

He woke up when she was wiping his face. “Don’t fool me now. You’re not here.” He thought he was imagining her. She smiled and leaned down to kiss him. His eyes shot open and his palms were pushing her face away to have a better look at it. “You’re here!” He sat up. The smile on his face shows how happy he was. She stood up and sat facing him, holding his hands in hers.

“I am here. I came to give you a surprise. But are you sober now?”

“I am now!” He got up for the couch and pulled her to the bedroom. “You change into something comfy while I wash up and I’ll cook something for you.” He gave her a peck on the cheek and went to the bathroom.

It was a happy day eating and sitting around talking about each other and they avoided talks on work.

“I am going back on location tomorrow morning…” He looked up from his plate to her face. That face she can’t stand every time she says she is going to leave. “But you can send me if you want to… It’s quite far so you don’t…”

“No! I want to send you.” He smiled at the thought of spending a few extra hours with her. She wanted that too.

….

“Oppa, wanna go meet my friends on set?” It was not normal of Jihyo to invite him on set and meet her coworkers but he nodded agreeing to it anyway. She was pulling him by the hand as she walked towards the director who was going through his script. She introduced Gary as her boyfriend and Gary was out of words. He didn’t expect her to introduce him that way. When they were walking to her changing room Gary had to ask “Is it ok to be introducing me like that?”

“You don’t like it?” she pretended to be upset and his face filled with guilt. “No, no! I love that introduction. Don’t get me wrong” She was already smiling. “I didn’t think it would be safe for you. Your company will be mad if this goes out.”

She held on to his arm as she walked. “Don’t worry.  It is actually a secret code among people in showbiz to keep things to ourselves. We talk among friends but words don’t go out unless it is intentionally meant to go out. We all know we have secrets and the work environment doesn’t allow us much freedom so we don’t really talk to people outside.  You’re in the business, you’re part of it and I am pretty sure you’re used to it by now but you’re just not made aware of it all this while”

It dawned on him that he and the other friends do practice that.  They just talk among themselves. They know to whom they can and cannot talk to about certain things.

“I think you better go now… We’re going to start soon and I am going to get ready now.” She said once she reached the trailer. He held her face. “I’m going to miss you.  We don’t have any filming next week and I’m pretty sure you’re not coming back anytime soon.” She nodded slowly.

“Don’t party too much. And be careful of those you meet.. You’ll never know if they have good intentions. You’re famous now. People are going to do things to you”  He understood the risk. He had seen people do things to his other friends before. He just didn’t know that Jihyo felt something big is going to happen to either or both of them.  She knew Mr Baek had something big planned. She wanted to take precaution. But she didn’t want him getting worried for things she was uncertain about.

“I’ll see you in 2 weeks.” She kissed him briefly and went in.” She watched him walk back to his car through the small window.

“I heard your boss is giving you a hard time” her co-star broke the silence and she turned to look at her. “I guess words get around fast” Jihyo sighed.

“It will be hard… I have seen many great stars break up before. But I believe if you trust each other and are honest to each other, you’ll get through just fine” She was not a main actress. She is comfortable not being the main.  She gets to enjoy her privacy and at the same time keep the job.  But she had seen too many great stars crumble under pressure and gave up their love for their career.

….

She was tired. Filming ended after midnight and she finished her las scene feeling drained of all her energy. She went back to her small room on the set to wash up and get ready for bed. Before her sleep she checked her phone.  She knows Gary would not text her at night knowing she’d need her rest and he’d also be out with his friends. She just need to check for work related stuffs.

Of all the texts, one text was from an unfamiliar number. She opened it and saw three pictures. She looked at it and was crushed. A girl was hanging on to Gary. One picture showed her hugging her close and Gary doesn’t seem to be objecting to it. Another one of her sitting next to him with her hand on his thigh and the last was of her getting into his car.

She was so upset she had to cry. She didn’t want to call him in that state. She may not be able to contain herself and she knows Gary wouldn’t too.  She cried herself to sleep feeling the heart aching. She woke up very early in the morning with the pictures still in her mind. She tried calling him to settle thing although she knows he would not be awake at that time. She texted him, unable to keep it in and wait for him to wake up.

She told him told him she received the pictures of him with another girl. She forwarded a picture of her getting in his car. And simply asked “who is she?” and left it at that.  She wanted him to explain. She wished she was wrong about the girl.

Two hours later while she was getting ready to go for makeup and wardrobe, her phone rang. “Who sent you the picture?” He was rather upset. Isn’t she supposed to be the one upset? “It doesn’t matter where I got it from. I asked you who is she?” She was not talking softly after hearing his upset voice. She wanted to be firm.

“I went partying with some friends last night. Her boyfriend had to go home early so I offered to send her home. That’s all” That moment she heard him stutter and she knew he was hiding something.  And the two pictures she didn’t send to him proves he did not just send her home or the fact that she had a boyfriend with her that night. She was upset but she had to get on set. She can’t let this spoil her work.

“OK fine… are you sure that is all you want to tell me?”

“Of course that’s all I have to say!” His voice got into a different tone. She knows him well to know he was lying. “Ok, bye then. I gotta go to work now” She hung up.

“Luckily she’s occupied with work!” He breathed out a breath of relief. He is cursing his friend for bringing a girl to flirt with him. He didn’t want to be rude and he just felt like having a harmless fun.  He thought he shouldn’t tell her to make her worry. Nothing happened between them last night. He dropped her off and told her he has a girlfriend and he was sorry that his friend told her otherwise because he didn’t know.  “It’s OK oppa. We can be friends and hangout at the club some time.”

“Sure. Hope you meet a guy soon” He was praying hard she meets a guy soon so he would not have to explain if Jihyo were to find out. And he woke up to a text from her with that picture. He was thankful she didn’t get any pictures from inside the club.  She would have misunderstood him. He had to lie so she doesn’t get worried or distracted.  She is far away and he will not be able to get her if they have a fight over the picture.  He thought his explanation should be sufficient enough.

Being an actress, Jihyo switched on her character and forgot about the issue. She will deal with it when she gets out of her character. She’s hear- broken but she has to work. The moment she got to her room that night, she was crying her heart out.  For the first time she felt betrayed.  She never thought Gary could be capable of that. She never expected him to lie to her. But she loves him too much, she is torn between ignoring the lie and confronting him with it. She didn’t know if she is able to endure the pain if he’s not there.

She cried herself to sleep.