#2

The three weeks following Ji Hyo’s rather regretful confession passed by in a flash.

She had still pressed on with the two Running Man filmings during that time and Jong Kook treated her no differently than before. Ji Hyo thought it would be easier if he would flat out reject her, but when she saw his smiling face the words wouldn’t come out.

As per usual, the filming ended late at night. The members and staffs were busily moving across the beach, the white sands of the coast of Busan’s Haeundae shimmering as it lay before them.

Jae Suk greeted each person individually as they left, and like always made his way over to Ji Hyo as well.

He clasped a hand on her shoulder. “Good work today, Ji Hyo.”

“Good work today, oppa.”

“Are you heading straight home?” he asked.

“No, I was planning to stay a night actually.”

“Is that so? It looked like Jong Kook was leaving though…”

“Kim Jong Kook….” The name spilled out of her lips offhandedly at the mention of the tiger. Jae Suk caught the look on her face and sensed something was wrong.

“Something happened between you two, didn’t it?”

“What? No, it’s nothing like that.”

“Even if you say no, Jong Kook has it written all over his face. I was concerned since looked like it had do something with you.”

“...Did Jong Kook-oppa say something?”

“No, it’s not like that, but I did have a hunch.”

Of course, this was Jae Suk she was talking about. He had an uncanny ability to notice things like that fairly quickly- he had been the first to pick up on her feelings towards Jong Kook, the first to support her like he was doing right now.

“Um, oppa. The truth is…”

“The truth is?”

She figured the matter was not one to be solved by keeping it to herself. It probably was for the best to tell the one person that knew Jong Kook the best- Jae Suk.

“You know we filmed in Gyeongju a while back,” she began.

“Right, it was about three weeks ago that we were there.”

“I told him back then.”

Ji Hyo’s words were blunt, baring all and hiding nothing.

Jae Suk had a look of surprise on his face for a moment, but hastily adjusted his glasses and focused his gaze back on Ji Hyo.

“Really?”

The actress nodded silently.

The words spoken back still haunted her, squeezing her chest uncomfortably. She needed a chance to talk to Jong Kook again somehow, but it wasn’t easy- not with the subtle difference in the way he treated her off camera now when before he had been friendly with her both on and off filming.

“You really said it?”

“Yes…”

“I see, so that’s what happened.”

“But… I couldn’t control my feelings, so I ended up pushing Jong Kook-oppa into a difficult position.”

Jae Suk listened to her in attentive silence.

“He kept trying to act like nothing happened, but I just became more blunt and told