FOUR

to stay or not to stay 

It was a bright sunny morning and the people of Korea were just waking up to a nice, normal day. All of them, save three. 

Jong Kook had been lying awake the whole night worrying about Ji Hyo, but the thing was he didn't even know why he was thinking about her so much. What if she has another breakdown? What if the papparazzi catch onto her feelings for Gary? Is she eating her meals? Has she gotten better? Has she been sleeping well? Has she talked to Gary yet? Have any of the members tried talking to her again? Would she think I'm clingy if I visit her again? He supposed he was worrying too much, considering Gary hadn't even invited her to his wedding yet. But he couldn't help it if Ji Hyo had been lingering on his mind more than she should, right? And it wasn't just because she was going through a difficult time. There was something else to it, just that Jong Kook couldn't place what was. There was one thing he was sure of, though. He wasn't doing it only for Ji Hyo's sake. He had a funny feeling that he was also doing it for himself. Sighing, he got out of bed and started preparing for filming.

~

The golden streams of sunlight illuminated Ji Hyo's face, bringing out her beauty. Her cheeks were no longer stiff with dries tears. Funny, she thought, It's like I've cried everything out until there's nothing left. Until I'm completely empty. Is this what the desert feels like? Bleak and dry? Strangely, it also felt like she had been emptied of all emotion. No, she wasn't feeling suicidal, there were still important things in life? Can I really get over this? Admittedly, there are things that are really important to me, but are they more important to me than... that? She shook her head and began getting ready for filming that day. I hope Jong Kook oppa visits soon.

~

Kang Gary was lying on his bed, facing the ceiling. So, he exhaled slowly, those were Ji Hyo’s true feelings. Played the Monday Couple game too well, huh? He laughed for a moment, then felt sickened at himself. He felt the pressure to talk to her - Jae Suk hyung and Suk Jin hyung had been nagging at him to do so. And Jong Kook hyung too... Honestly, Gary didn't even understand why Jong Kook was suddenly taking responsibility for Ji Hyo's wellbeing. Sure, it was natural for him to be concerned - for all of them to be concerned, as a matter of fact, but wasn't it usually the older hyungs to take care of things like this? Gary's eyebrows knitted - Ji Hyo had seemed perfectly okay over the phone when he called her to invite her to his wedding. To be honest, he had been pretty anxious about her reaction, but looking at her response, she should be fine now, right? Well, I guess we'll all see during filming? Being an actress, though... She's going to hide her emotions really well. Aish, I don't know... Why is this so hard to figure out? Ji Hyo just isn't the one for me - we're really good friends and nothing is going to change that. I just hope she realises that...

Needless to say, the start of filming was quite awkward for every single one of them, which kind of frustrated the directors - how could you film a Running Man episode without the usual chemistry and laughter between every single one of them? Ji Hyo, feeling responsible for the tension, made several efforts to lighten up the atmosphere - she was a lot more vocal than usual.

"Ya, oppa, why does your nose look unusually big today?"

"HaHa oppa, what on earth are you wearing?"

"Ya, Lee Kwang Soo, don't be ridiculous."

~

Slowly but surely, the mood began lighting up again. But a dark cloud still hung over one individual whom Ji Hyo carefully avoided speaking to, no prizes for guessing who it was.

~

Jong Kook and Ji Hyo were, rather surprisingly, put in the same team. If the producers were trying to cheer Ji Hyo up, the idea certainly worked, because the latter and Jong Kook spent the whole day laughing and talking to each other. It was like the sun had started shining again.

~

In the end, the directors were happy with the result of that day's work. Quite exhausted, the members began their journey home. Ji Hyo was also getting into her chauffeured car, only to be stopped by a big hand on her shoulder. She turned, smiling, expecting to see Jong Kook with his warm, welcoming smile that had become so familiar to her in the past few days. But no, it wasn't him, and Ji Hyo's smile evaporated instantly.

"Ji Hyo. Can I, uh, talk to you for a minute?" Gary awkwardly articulated his thoughts.

Ji Hyo didn't know what to say. "Um."

"Please."

She struggled to verbalize. "S-sure."

"Ji Hyo, well, I've been thinking and I don't really know how to say this and I'm just going to say it anyway, because I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. I really need to get this off my chest, so here goes." Gary's words tumbled out in a rush, and Ji Hyo felt half anticipation, half apprehension at what he was going to say.

"See, Ji Hyo, I really do like you, and you are an amazing woman, and I'm sure there are so many wonderful men out there just waiting for you to notice them. I just don't feel like we're meant to be together, you know? We're great friends, and I do love you - platonically, and please don't be burdened by this. Yes, there was a period of time when I was interested