Jihyo was not the only one who noticed that Jong Kook wasn’t quite himself at the after-filming dinner. Jae Suk just chalked it up to a usual brooding spell – he had seen Jong Kook glancing at Jihyo a number of times with an inexplicable expression and surmised that it was just his dongsaeng emotions warring with his mind. He knew very well how Jong Kook felt towards the lone female in the cast. And understood his reluctance to rock the boat.

But Jihyo was the only one who quietly asked him if he was alright. He stiffened instinctively, a lie prepared on his tongue, but for some reason, he was unable, no, unwilling to lie while staring into her soft big eyes.

“I was… just thinking about the script for Friday’s filming”. He didn’t have to specify that he was talking about the new drama series that he’d been cast in; they knew each other’s schedule surprisingly well.

Her face brightened up. In a rather animated manner she asked him how filming was coming along. She couldn’t help but be excited about his venture into this arena which she was already very familiar with. And the fact that the oppa she’d admired for so long was now her dongsaeng in the acting scene pleased her absurdly. Not that she wanted to lord over him or anything, but it added to the (currently extremely short) list of commonalities between them. A couple of times, she had to stop herself from volunteering to help me practise his lines, lest he finds her an over-enthusiastic pest but is too gentlemanly to tell her so.

Jong Kook could not hear what Jihyo was saying, not with the roaring of his pulse in his ears once he’d recalled exactly why he was so troubled in the first place. He was sure that the flush that was creeping to his neck was visible to Jihyo. He was in the same state as he was this morning, upon the rude awakening by his alarm from an incredibly dream of him and the woman before his eyes. Right now, she was starting to peer at him with concern.

He chided himself privately for revealing his preoccupation with the script. There was no way he could tell her that he had been thinking about the script so much that it triggered the images of him pressing her lithe form up against the wall. Of his hands bunching up her dress as he gripped her hips, making the red silky fabric ride dangerously high on her shapely thighs. Of her running her hands through his hair while their tongues dueled. The images had snuck into his mind when he was his weakest, while he was sleeping.

'Oppa!' Jihyo was somewhat hurt with him staring blanky, obviously missing her questions. She was too used to his undivided attention whenever they chatted. An unconscious pout appeared, drawing his gaze.

Big mistake. One second of looking at her glossy lips was enough to remind him of how she had tasted in her dream. An intoxicating mixture of sweetness and wicked wonder. Just like her scent. She'd given him an artfully sultry look beneath her lashes before she'd leaned forward to nip his bottom lip. And he'd been helpless to stop his groan as he slipped his hand under the hem of that little red number.

A loud crash somewhere else in the restaurant startled him to reality. Jihyo was narrowing her eyes at him. "Jihyo ah-" he started, just as Jae Suk gave a signal and everyone else started to rise from the table to make their journey towards home.

"I'll tell you more on the way" he muttered. No one offered to send Jihyo home since they knew Jong Kook would, like he always did. No one asked why, or remembered when it started. It was just the way things are.

"You're acting strangely tonight, oppa" she said in the passenger seat as she held her palm against his forehead to see if it was hot. He had looked flushed and uncomfortable earlier. Jong Kook had to fight against stiffening upon her touch. Not that he didnt like it. He was just, at the moment, more sensitive than usual to her proximity.

He sent her a hopefully reassuring smile, with an "Im alright". At her doubtful look, he tried to act rationally and told her, in objective terms of course, his issues with his script for Friday's filming. How was he supposed to enact a kissing scene with his co-star, conveying emotions of frustration, jealousy, desire and yet be gentle all at the same time? The director said he wanted a kiss that would go down as one of the most romantic onscreen kisses of the year.

"Instead of an angry kiss from a posessive boyfriend!" he scoffed, as it was essentially what the kiss signified to him personally. Anyway it was too high level a requirement for a novice like him. Jihyo only made a noncommital sound, as she was still trying to deal with the barage of emotions: amusement at her oppa's exasperation, mixed with a sense of outrage that she would have to watch him make-out with some girl on the screen. These eventually led to an irrational feeling that she now has to share her oppa with some other girl, leaving her somewhat incensed and speechless.

"So erm, any advice for me?" He hoped he sounded like that was all he was troubled by. That not a hint of embarassment could be detected in his tone and his body language. Because he would rather be caught dead than let her know that he'd been fantasizing that he could practise the said kissing scene with her, to a point where his overactive imagination (and perhaps hormones too) had culminated in that dream last night. 

Jihyo's mind was still reeling. Breathe deeply, act normal, she had to remind herself. "If oppa is asking me for advice on how to kiss a girl, you've approached the wrong person!" she ended up saying tightly. Crap! That just came out. It wasn't what she really meant to say. She couldn't apologise without sounding like a fool, so she remained silent.

"That's not what I meant," came his gentle reply. "I was asking for acting advice". It made her feel worse. 

"I.. I know. I was just joking" she answered lamely, forcing a laugh. "You know, oppa, that's why everyone keeps asking you to get a girlfriend. You would have been able to practise with her!"

Now she'd really stuck her foot in . It was worse than what she'd said before. She knew exactly how he feels about being hounded and teased for being single at his age, by his friends, by the media, by his fans. 

"You're right". His light reply sounded forced to her. If it was Giraffe who said that to him, he would have gotten a thrashing. But he would never berate her, as he always lets her get away with imprudent remarks. She stole a side-way glance at his profile. He looked... wounded, she realised.

She felt so bad that she blurted "No worries, oppa. I can help!"

A deep furrow appeared between his brows. "What, find me a girlfriend?" It was the most ironic offer that he'd received in a long, long while. If he slam his head against the wheel now like he wished to, it would totally freak her out. Which meant that he could only grit his teeth against the ache in his chest. Honestly, he should be used to it by now. It was something he experienced from time to time anyway, when fans shout 'Monday Couple' or when she looks so happy being close to her Monday Boyfriend.

The sense of outrage returned. "No! I mean, I can help you with the acting. The emotions building".

Was he dreaming or did she just volunteer herself to make his fantasies come true? Scratch that. To help his overcome his problem with following the script?

"How?" he ventured.

"Come over tomorrow if you're free. It's my off day".

OK, this is so cliche, I know. But well, I finally got back to writing.

Alright with it or hate it? Let me know! Will continue with Part 2 soon. Thanks for reading!!