Chapter Eleven: The Turbo Fan

“You can’t avoid me forever, hyung,” said Ji Hyo.

Jong Kook glanced down at her pink shirt and shorts that matched his own and grimaced. During the Find the Guest Mission, he had purposely avoided her. Her frustrated glares had turned into laughs when she realized what he was doing. Their argument over whether they should be on the same team or not had somehow become a joke between them. During the filming for episode twenty-six, they’d been on separate teams (which he’d been smug about), but then for episode twenty-seven, they’d been on the same group for the drawing relay (which meant it was her turn to be smug). Now, by the power of the writers, Jong Kook had been placed on the same team as Ji Hyo.

“I can try,” said Jong Kook. “Good job catching the guest, by the way.”

Ji Hyo grinned as they headed to the filming room. The cameras were already set up and the rest of the cast (except Suk Jin) were waiting for them. Several mats had been laid on the floor, and behind them, the staff had placed several workout instruments—including a pull-up bar, a leg stretcher, and weights. All the equipment had microphones attached to them, and Jong Kook had an apprehensive feeling about the upcoming mission. Singing and working out were two things he was good at, but he wasn’t sure how he was at doing them together.

The guest, the slapstick comedian Kim Byung Man, stood on the mats with the rest of the cast, dressed in light blue shirt and shorts. They were filming at Ansung Natural Resort, and the cast had spent the last hour running around the bathhouse, searching for the disguised Byung Man. In the end, it had been Jae Suk and Ji Hyo who had cornered Byung Man outside the bathrooms.

“Where’s Suk Jin-hyung?” asked Ji Hyo as she and Jong Kook joined the rest of the members in front of the cameras.

“Taking forever,” said Jae Suk.

“He says yellow isn’t his color,” added Haha.

The teams were groups of three: Jae Suk, Joong Ki, and Suk Jin made up the Yellow Team, Byung Man, Kwang Soo, and Haha formed the Blue Team, and Jong Kook, Ji Hyo, and Gary were the Pink Team.

“Kook-Jong,” said Jae Suk, using the Family Outing nickname given to Jong Kook, “look, it’s your favorite.”

Jong Kook turned to the cameras and saw that a karaoke machine had been placed in front of the mats with Cho PD sitting on one side and Kim PD sitting on the other.

“We’re going to sing lots of Turbo songs,” said Jae Suk with a grin. For some reason, he was looking at a red-faced Ji Hyo instead of Jong Kook when he spoke.

“Let’s hear Ji Hyo-noona sing something,” said Kwang Soo. He was wearing what Jong Kook would consider an evil smile.

“I’ve never heard Ji Hyo sing,” said Gary.

“What?” gasped Jae Suk. “You mean the Monday Girlfriend has never sung to the Monday Boyfriend?”

“With good reason,” muttered Joong Ki under his breath.

Byung Man looked as confused as Jong Kook felt. Were they missing some inside joke here? However, Jong Kook was beginning to get curious. Kwang Soo and Jae Suk seemed eager, while Ji Hyo looked like she’d rather be anywhere else.

“Well?” asked Jae Suk, turning to the PDs. “Can we try out the karaoke machine while we wait for Suk Jin?”

Myuk PD smiled at Ji Hyo. “What do you want to sing?”

Jae Suk whispered something that caused Ji Hyo to glare. She might have cursed at him under her breath, but Jong Kook couldn’t be sure.

“All right,” said Ji Hyo. “I’ll sing So Chan Hwee’s ‘Tears’.”

Jae Suk seemed genuinely disappointed by her song choice; however, one of the writers was already inputting the song into the karaoke machine. Suk Jin arrived before the song started playing, but the moment he heard Ji Hyo was going to sing, he tried to leave again.

It wasn’t long before Jong Kook discovered exactly why the thought of Ji Hyo singing was so funny and horrifying. She was terrible. He couldn’t tell if she was trying to be entertaining or if she was truly that bad—he hoped it was the former. As a singer, every missed note and irregular beat grated on his ears. He smiled and clapped along with the song, but inwardly, he was crying out for Ji Hyo to stop before she broke his eardrums.

And then she screamed on the high note.

“Stop, stop,” said Jong Kook, laughing and cringing all at once. “Please stop.”

Ji Hyo collapsed to the ground, shaking with laughter. “Why did you make me do this?”

“Ji Hyo is angry,” said Jae Suk.

“It’s on camera,” wailed Ji Hyo, getting to her feet and pointing at her VJ. “He filmed it all.”

“It was very refreshing,” said Jae Suk.

Haha nodded. “I’ve never heard ‘Tears’ sung like that before.”

Byung Man gave her two thumbs up.

Jong Kook decided it was best to remain quiet. However, when Ji Hyo straightened her hair and said, “I didn’t sing it well. I’ll sing it again,” he had to intervene.

“No, no.” He stepped forward with the rest of the cast members. “You don’t have to.”

“Please don’t,” added Joong Ki.

“You’ll break your Monday Boyfriend’s heart,” said Gary.

“I think if I sing it again, I can do better,” said Ji Hyo.

Other cast members guided her over to Jong Kook and Gary, and they stepped aside to make room for her. She grinned up at Jong Kook and asked, “What did you think of my singing, oppa?”

Jong Kook stared up at the ceiling. “Incomparable.”

She laughed. “I’ll serenade you some time, since you love my voice so much.”

“Please, don’t.”

The Running Man members organized themselves into their teams and waited to receive the instructions for the next mission from the PDs. The game was called Diet Karaoke. Each group would weigh themselves in the beginning and then again at the end; the group that lost the most amount of weight, won the mission. In between the weighings, each team would take a turn singing a karaoke song—however, they had to use the mics attached to the gym equipment. The team with the highest karaoke score would be exempt from the punishment food.

“Ji Hyo’s not wearing her boots today,” said Jong Kook. “So we’ll finally know her real weight.”

Jae Suk laughed. “Ji Hyo hates this game the most.”

“I really hate this,” said Ji Hyo, shooting a murderous glare in Cho PD’s direction.

“Gary and I are both very sure about our weights,” said Jong Kook, “because we exercise and weigh ourselves every day.”

He glanced down at Ji Hyo, and the angry expression on her face was priceless.

“What?” said Jong Kook with a smile. “You wanted to be on my team.”

After the PDs finished going over the rules, it was time for the weighing. The blue team went first, crowding the scale. Kwang Soo towered over Byung Man and Haha.

“Ji Hyo’s weight is finally going to be revealed,” said Suk Jin.

The look Ji Hyo gave him was deadly, and then she muttered, “This is bad. This is so bad.”

After much fuss and much applause, the Blue Team weighed in at 215.75 kg, the Yellow Team at 210.55 kg, and the Pink Team at 205.50 kg.

The moment they stepped off the scale, Jong Kook grabbed Gary and started whispering about Ji Hyo’s weight. At best, they could get an approximate. However, before Jong Kook or Gary could figure out all the numbers, Ji Hyo interfered.

“What are you whispering about?” she asked.

“Nothing,” said Jong Kook.

Gary frowned as if considering her. “Even without the boots, there’s not much difference.”

“Why?” cried Ji Hyo. “Why are you doing this to me? Gary-oppa, you’re supposed to help me protect this sort of thing.”

Immediately, Gary slid into his Monday Boyfriend role. “Not with this sort of thing.”

Jong Kook shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other and then shot Jae Suk a desperate glance. “I feel really uncomfortable being on this team.”

“It’s weird seeing you there,” said Haha.

“Love triangle,” muttered Kwang Soo.

Jong Kook glowered at his dongsaeng. Kwang Soo still liked to read fan forums and kept the cast updated. Monday Couple was unrivaled in its popularity, but there were still a number of people who liked the HaHyo and Song-Song couples. And, of course, there were the small amount but ever-present fans who believed Jong Kook and Ji Hyo belonged together. Kwang Soo thought this was hilarious and couldn’t help himself from making jokes about it sometimes. Of course, those types of jokes were always cut during the editing stage.

Jae Suk quickly moved the conversation to safer waters and started testing out the gym equipment. Byung Man showed off his flexibility on the leg stretcher. Suk Jin tried and, of course, got a leg cramp.

“Ji Hyo,” said Jong Kook. “Why don’t you try?”

She scowled at him, and he couldn’t help but grin back. They both knew what he was trying to do—irritate her until she didn’t want to be on the same team as him anymore.

Ji Hyo moved to the leg stretcher, saying, “My legs are not very flexible, oppa.”

“But you said you were good at dancing,” said Jong Kook.

As she sat down on the mats, Ji Hyo looked up at him and said, “Stretching and dancing are very different.”

The cast laughed, and Jae Suk shook his head. “She’s very confident about her dancing.”

Ji Hyo managed to get into a decent splits-position for the leg stretcher, but the moment she was required to bend forward, she cried out in pain. Joong Ki tried to help her and she ended up hitting him.

Eventually, the cast stopped fooling around and got to the actual Diet Karaoke. The Blue Team went first, but Haha wasn’t flexible enough to use the leg stretcher and Kwang Soo wasn’t strong enough to use the weights. They moved Byung Man to the leg-stretcher partway through and managed to score 87 points. The Yellow Team went after, struggling with the weights and leg stretcher as well, but managed to also score 87 points.

“Let’s sing ‘Soul Mate’,” said Ji Hyo when it was the pink team’s turn.

Jong Kook scowled at her. ‘Soul Mate’ was a hard song to get high points on in karaoke, and all it did was make Jong Kook think of the fan-supported love line between him and her. Was she trying to get revenge on him for his teasing? Too bad for her, Jong Kook knew just how to get under her skin.

“‘Soul Mate’?” asked Jong Kook. “You’re trying to make this about you and Gary, aren’t you?”

Gary immediately reached out and tried to hold Ji Hyo’s hand. She brushed him off ever so subtly.

“Both of you are really attracted to each other.” Jong Kook glanced over at Ji Hyo and was pleased to see her horrified expression.

“If we want to get a high score,” said Jong Kook, who had decided on the song the moment he knew they were singing karaoke, “we have to sing this song loudly, therefore we will sing—”

“‘Soul Mate’,” said Ji Hyo.

Jong Kook smiled at her stiffly.

“Oh, silly,” said Gary. He winked at Ji Hyo. “I got it. I totally got it. Don’t be like this.”

Ji Hyo buried her face in her hands, trembling with laughter and embarrassment. Jong Kook felt triumphant—as much as she tried to irritate him, Gary was on a team with them today, which meant Jong Kook could always use Monday Couple against her.

In the end, Jong Kook got his way, and the Pink Team chose DJ DOC’s ‘Run to You’. Gary, who was incredibly flexible, took the leg stretcher machine, while Jong Kook took the weights. That left Ji Hyo with the pull-up bar. Jong Kook was hesitant, wondering if Gary and her should switch, but Ji Hyo promised him she’d be fine.

Sure enough, as the song started, Ji Hyo climbed up into pull-up position, swinging her legs as she did so. Gary easily reached the mic, and Jong Kook lifted the weights up with little effort. They started the song off yelling. The other cast members could only watch as the Pink Team sang with ease. Ji Hyo eventually gave up holding herself in proper pull-up positon and instead slung her arms over the bar. Jong Kook was dying to correct her form, but he said nothing to her and continued shout-singing the song. They even had the strength to ad-lib at the end.

“You’re incredible,” said Jae Suk just as the Pink Team’s 100 points score showed up on the screen.

Jong Kook could barely believe it. Gary and Ji Hyo rushed towards him and they hugged, jumping up and down with excitement. They really had scored a 100 points on Diet Karaoke.

“Awesome, oppas,” said Ji Hyo. She turned to Jong Kook and added, “I told you were a great team.”

Jong Kook decided to ignore that comment, since she was right. They’d won together when they’d been paired for the Drawing Race and now they’d won again with Diet Karaoke.

The punishment for that round turned out to be seaweed soup. While the Yellow and Blue Teams dug into their food, the Pink Team looked on sadly.

“Hyung,” said Gary, “can’t we just have a bite?”

Jong Kook scoffed, easily sliding into the role of the Commander. “What are you saying?”

“I’m so hungry,” said Ji Hyo, rubbing her stomach.

“See,” said Suk Jin, between bites of soup. “When you’re on Jong Kook’s team, you win so much that you don’t get to enjoy the good punishments.”

Gary and Ji Hyo sat down on the mats and watched the other teams eat. Jong Kook’s stomach was growling, but he kept his mouth shut. The Commander was supposed to have impressive willpower, therefore Jong Kook couldn’t cave and ask for a bite. Besides, there was still another round of Diet Karaoke to do.

“How is it Diet Karaoke if we have to eat after working out?” asked Haha.

“It seems like we’re gaining weight rather than losing it,” added Kwang Soo.

“Don’t complain,” said Jae Suk. “We get to enjoy delicious seaweed soup.”

“I want to eat some seaweed soup,” said Ji Hyo, staring gloomily at the other teams.

“Eat it at home,” said Jong Kook. “Get your mother to make it for you.”

She glowered at him, which made Jong Kook grin. It was more fun than he thought to —he didn’t even mind that she was on the same team as him today.

“What should we sing next?” Jong Kook asked his teammates as they waited for the film tapes to be changed.

“Secret Garden’s ‘That Man’,” said Ji Hyo. She smirked at Jong Kook’s uncomfortable expression.

“Can’t we sing something more exciting?” asked Jong Kook.

“Let’s sing a Turbo song,” said Gary.

“No,” said Ji Hyo, a little too quickly.

Jong Kook stared at her. Did she have some sort of intense dislike for Turbo songs? Jong Kook knew that their outfits had been tacky back in the day, but Turbo’s songs were fun and upbeat. All of their albums had sold over a million copies, so it wasn’t as if they had been unpopular. For some reason, Jong Kook felt disappointed. He wanted to be friends with Ji Hyo, but he felt like it would be a barrier between them if she despised Turbo.

“I didn’t mean to sound like that,” said Ji Hyo. She was staring at Jong Kook with wide eyes. “I just, uh, really want to sing ‘That Man’.”

“You must be a big fan of Secret Garden,” said Gary looking pouty.

“Yah,” said Ji Hyo. “Save it for when the cameras are on.”

“They’re on,” said her VJ, Sung Gyu, from behind his black camera. “Monday Couple moment captured forever.”

For the next round of Diet Karaoke, the PDs took away the weights for the Pink Team (since they added such an unfair advantage to Jong Kook) and replaced them with an elastic exercise band. But Byung Man was so short that the elastic band was an unfair advantage to him as well.

The Pink Team went second this time around, and when asked what they were going to sing, Ji Hyo smiled shyly and said, “Secret Garden’s ‘That Man’.”

Jong Kook grimaced. “She says she wants to sing ‘That Man’ even if it kills her.”

“Are Gary and Ji Hyo trying to sing a duet?” asked Jae Suk.

“No,” said Jong Kook. “It’s only Ji Hyo that’s insisting.”

“She’s a Kim Joo Won fan,” said Suk Jin.

“It’s never-ending,” muttered Joong Ki.

“I bet she has a Kim Joo Won poster above her bed,” added Haha.

Ji Hyo’s cheeks flamed bright red, and she folded her arms over her chest. “I do not. I just think he has a nice singing voice.”

Gary took the pull-up bar, while Ji Hyo did the leg stretcher and Jong Kook used the elastic band. He hated using the band, since he couldn’t pull the microphone high enough to sing into. Eventually, they switched—Ji Hyo moved to the elastic band, Gary returned to the leg stretcher, and Jong Kook pulled himself up to the bar. It was hard to hold himself up and sing, but thankfully, Ji Hyo and Gary started singing enthusiastically, covering up for Jong Kook when he needed to take a break.

Ji Hyo, who had been struggling with the elastic band, placed her foot on Gary’s back. The two of them were singing horribly with all their strength. Jong Kook winced and laughed at every missed note.

In the end, despite their struggles, they scored 97 points on the song, ensuring that the Yellow Team would receive the punishment. However, the Blue Team, after much cheating, scored 99 points.

This time, the punishment food was ramen and fried chicken. Jong Kook groaned. He never ate ramen. Not because of the taste, but because the noodles were more carbohydrates than Jong Kook was willing to consume, and on top of that, the seasonings contained chemicals that could lead to heart disease. He also refused to eat fried foods, since the oil in them could clog up veins and arteries. In the end, he peeled off the fried skin before eating the chicken. He left the ramen and fried bits for Gary and Ji Hyo to eat.

“You’re so picky,” complained Gary.

“Oppa, you have to eat the fried parts. I can’t eat it for you,” said Ji Hyo as she ate her own piece of chicken.

“Then don’t be on my team,” said Jong Kook.

Ji Hyo shot him a murderous glare before picking up a stray piece of fried skin and eating it. Jong Kook scrunched up his face in disgust.

“How can you eat that, Ji Hyo?” he asked.

“We’re teammates,” said Ji Hyo. “That means I eat what you can’t and you eat what I can’t.”

“Oh, Ji Hyo,” said Gary, lifting up the cup ramen. “I can’t eat all these noodles.”

Ji Hyo rolled her eyes. Jong Kook could tell she was irritated with the Monday Couple moment, but after a glance at the PDs, she moved to take the chopsticks from Gary. However. Gary pulled his hands back.

“I’ll feed you,” said Gary.

Jong Kook watched Ji Hyo’s expression change. At first, she a frustrated, but then she entered the role of the Monday Girlfriend and she smiled. She opened and let Gary feed her some ramen noodles. Jong Kook knew his role in this too. He held himself as stiffly as possible and focused on the chicken in front of him.

Haha picked up on this instantly and said, “Jong Kook-hyung feels uncomfortable no matter what he does. He looks like the friend who can’t read expressions and tagged along on their date.”

Jong Kook tried to look as sulky as possible.

“They look like they’re on their honeymoon,” said Suk Jin, “where the friend insists on going along.”

“First the food and now this,” muttered Jong Kook.

“It’s like double punishment,” said Jae Suk. “What did you do wrong in your previous life, Kook-Jong?”

When she finished eating the ramen, Ji Hyo lightly tapped Jong Kook’s arm. When he turned to her, she grinned and said, “Have you given up yet?”

Jong Kook shook his head. “I’m just getting started… Isn’t it your turn to feed Gary?”

She was suddenly very focused on finishing her chicken, causing Jong Kook to laugh. To be honest, he no longer knew if he was teasing her so she’d change her mind about being on his team or if he was teasing her for his own entertainment.

Ji Hyo was having more fun than she thought possible filming episode twenty-eight. Being on the same team as Gary usually meant that she had to force herself to be the Monday Girlfriend, but today, that didn’t seem so bad.

For the past two episodes, Jong Kook had gone out of his way to avoid being in the same group as her. Today, however, he was stepping up his game and was trying to irritate her away from him. At first, Ji Hyo had been frustrated and hurt by his efforts—did he not want to be on a team with her that badly?—but then she decided that two could play at that game. She wouldn’t sit back and let Jong Kook have his way. Back and forth they argued, and Ji Hyo was surprised to realize how much fun she was having. She had almost forgotten about Gary’s existence, except as a way for Jong Kook to annoy her.

After they finished their punishment food, Jae Suk suddenly said, “Let’s sing a song.”

The cast blinked in surprise. They’d been singing songs for the last hour, and Jae Suk wanted to do more karaoke? Joong Ki passed Jae Suk the microphone, and after fixing his glasses, Jae Suk said, “I will now do an exact imitation of Kim Jong Kook.”

Ji Hyo’s eyes widened. Jae Suk had been subtly teasing her all afternoon about Turbo, and now he was going to sing one of Jong Kook’s songs. Was he crazy? Was he trying to reveal her secret? Ji Hyo didn’t know what would happen if Jong Kook found out: Would they become awkward again? Would he start treating her like a fan instead of a coworker? Or would he become uncomfortable? Why was Jae Suk doing this to her? She couldn’t bear it if she lost the friendship she had gained with Jong Kook.

Jong Kook looked just as annoyed as she felt. “Really? You’re going to do this now?”

Grinning, Jae Suk stood up and said, “Please, put on one of Jong Kook’s songs.”

Kim PD searched the karaoke machine before selecting ‘Loveable’. Haha stood up as well, and the moment the song started playing, he started doing some bizarre version of the ‘Loveable’ dance. Jae Suk altered his voice to make it as high-pitched, annoying, and mosquito-like as possible.

At first, Ji Hyo was indignant. She wanted to say that Jong Kook didn’t sound at all like that. But then, she caught sight of Jong Kook’s irritated expression, and she couldn’t help but laugh. He was trying so hard to smile and pass Jae Suk’s singing off as a joke, but he was clearly losing his patience. Finally, he faked an air kick at Jae Suk and cried, “Yah! When did I sing like that?”

Jae Suk and Haha paused, as if stopping, and then continued their annoying singing and dancing.

The rest of the Running Man cast chuckled at the performance. Ji Hyo clapped her hands and laughed until her stomach hurt. She had listened to Jong Kook through his Turbo years and solo career, and she had to admit that there was some similarity between Jae Suk’s imitation and Jong Kook’s voice.

When the song finished, Ji Hyo clapped her hands together. “Funny. It’s so funny.”

“Yah, Ji Hyo,” said Jong Kook. “Don’t find my suffering so amusing.”

Ji Hyo grinned and then glanced at the karaoke machine. “He scored 100 points.”

Jae Suk, who had been sitting back down, looked up and laughed. “Look, Jong Kook, it’s 100 points. Even the karaoke machine agrees.”

“Wow,” said Kwang Soo. “Hyung really does sound like a mosquito.”

“I don’t sing like that,” cried Jong Kook.

“Want to prove it?” Jae Suk glanced in Ji Hyo’s direction and grinned. “Sing us a song.”

“‘Twist King’,” said Haha eagerly.

Jong Kook shifted uncomfortably. “It’s been awhile.”

“We’re need to exercise anyway,” said Jae Suk. He turned to the PDs and said, “How about ‘Twist King’?”

Kim PD was already finding it on the karaoke machine. Some of the staff took away the trays of food, and the Running Man members stood up, shaking out their limbs and preparing for the dance party.

The moment the intro for ‘Twist King’ started playing, Ji Hyo jumped up and down. She remembered dancing around her bedroom to this song with her friends when she was sixteen. She’d tried to copy Turbo’s dance moves (which were supposed to be easy to follow) and had failed miserably.

The music video for ‘Twist King’ appeared on the screen, showing a young Jong Kook with terrible hair and terrible clothes. Ji Hyo covered and laughed. She had thought him so y back in the 1990s.

The real, older Jong Kook stood beside her, singing along with the karaoke song. Suk Jin handed him the mic and Jong Kook stepped forward.

Ji Hyo’s heart skipped a beat. Her teenage self would be dying if she’d known this was in her future. Some people said that childhood dreams didn’t come true, but here Ji Hyo was filming a show and becoming friends with her childhood crush.

“Come on, Ji Hyo-noona,” said Joong Ki, gesturing to the front of the group.

Unable to help herself, Ji Hyo leapt across the mat, swinging her arms to the music and jumping with excitement. She was probably embarrassing herself, but who cared? It was a variety show. She could have fun if she wanted.

She heard Jae Suk laugh behind her, but when she looked back over her shoulder, all she could see was Jong Kook singing “Everybody dance.” She would probably regret this in a few minutes, but right then she was didn’t care. How many people got to sing and dance with their idols?

“Noona dances like she’s exercising,” said Joong Ki.

“I’m embarrassed for her,” added Haha.

Ji Hyo turned to look at them, only to see that none of the cast—with the exception of Jong Kook—were dancing. When she met their eyes, the cast immediately started dancing and jumping around.

Ji Hyo’s face reddened when she realized they’d given her a solo dance. She glanced at Jae Suk, who had known from the beginning that she was an avid Turbo fan. He had probably wanted this when he requested Jong Kook to sing a Turbo song. He had to have known that Ji Hyo wouldn’t be able to resist.

“You’re doing good,” said Jae Suk, copying her exercise dance. “Sing!”

Laughing, Ji Hyo turned back to the cameras and started dancing again. She sang along with Jong Kook, even crying out, “Yeah!” with him when the song required it. However, Ji Hyo didn’t hear the other cast members, so she turned around again only to find that they had been giving her another solo dance.

She laughed with embarrassment, unable to meet any of their eyes as they danced around her and sang ‘Twist King’ at the top of their lungs.

However, when Jae Suk started dancing in front of her, all of her embarrassment died away and she joined in. Jae Suk danced like a maniac, exaggerating his arm movements and hopping from side to side.

“That’s not how you twist,” cried Ji Hyo.

Behind her, Haha laughed. “Ji Hyo, you don’t know how to twist either.”

When the song came to a close, Ji Hyo threw herself to one knee and threw out her arms—the only end pose she knew. She heard Jae Suk laughing behind her once again, but she chose to ignore him. He wasn’t going to ruin the Turbo dance party she’d dreamed of when she was sixteen. All she needed now was for Jong Kook to sing to her and her alone, and everything would be perfect.

But then, of course, Gary had to throw in a Monday Couple moment. He knelt down beside her and threw out his arms, copying her pose. She shot him a sharp glare before getting to her feet. Why did he have to make everything about Monday Couple? Why couldn’t she enjoy a moment alone?

However, she quickly forgot about the unwanted Monday Couple moment when Jae Suk, still laughing, placed a hand on her shoulder and said, “Ji Hyo… We have to do ‘Black Cat’.”

“Ji Hyo,’ said Haha, tapping her on the shoulder. “Why are you so excited?”

“I’m not,” said Ji Hyo quickly.

“You can’t pretend to dislike Turbo now,” said Jong Kook. “You knew all the words.”

Ji Hyo met his eyes and felt her face heat. “I was a teenager when Turbo was popular. You think I wouldn’t like them?”

Jong Kook was grinning. Ji Hyo kept waiting for his expression to change, for him to become awkward and start avoiding her. But he didn’t seem upset or disturbed by the fact that Ji Hyo was a Turbo fan. Perhaps because they were friendlier now, he didn’t mind, or perhaps he never would have minded at the fear had all been in Ji Hyo’s head.

She smiled back, while Jae Suk patted her shoulder and said, “What about ‘Black Cat’?”

Jong Kook laughed, while Kim PD moved to the karaoke machine to find the next song.

The opening music for ‘Black Cat’ started to play and Ji Hyo could barely contain her happiness. A blond-haired, glasses-wearing Jong Kook appeared on the screen, causing Ji Hyo to giggle. She stood between Joong Ki and Kwang Soo, watching as Haha and Gary practiced the moves for ‘Black Cat’. Then, Jong Kook and Haha stared moving in slow, catlike steps across the mats, preparing for the opening dance.

“It’s been a long time,” said Kwang Soo.

“He still remembers the dance,” added Suk Jin.

And then the music picked up the rhythm. Jong Kook, Haha, and Kwang Soo jumped into the familiar dance moves, and before she could think about what she was doing, Ji Hyo screamed in excitement. Kim Jong Kook was dancing ‘Black Cat’ in front of her. Except Kwang Soo kept getting in her way, so she had to move to the side so she could see Jong Kook properly. He was much better looking now than he had been in the 90s. His body had become strong, and he seemed so much more reliable now. As he danced, his black hair fell into his eyes; Ji Hyo preferred lighter hair, but for Jong Kook she could make an exception. He was her childhood dream, and even if she had outgrown her teenage fantasies, she could still appreciate a dream coming true. 

The Blue Team won Diet Karaoke by losing 0.8 kg—not that Ji Hyo really cared. At this point, she would have accepted the day’s punishment with a smile on her face. She had sang and danced to Turbo sings with Jong Kook. She didn’t need anything else right then.

After Diet Karaoke, the PDs gave the cast blue jumpsuits to wear for the final segment of the show. When Ji Hyo finished changing, she waited outside the restrooms, pulling her hair back into a bun and then eating the snack her manager had given her.

Jae Suk emerged from the men’s room a short while later and, catching sight of Ji Hyo, joined her.

“You did that on purpose,” said Ji Hyo.

“Did what?” asked Jae Suk innocently.

“You knew I wouldn’t be able to resist Turbo songs.”

Jae Suk smiled and shrugged. “I knew no such thing. I’m a Turbo fan as well.”

“Well,” said Ji Hyo, leaning back against the wall. “He knows now.”

“And did he make a big deal out of it?” asked Jae Suk.

Ji Hyo shook her head.

“You were overthinking things,” said Jae Suk. “Jong Kook treats all his fans courteously. You know Chae Yeon—” Jae Suk stopped himself. “Anyways, since you two are becoming good friends, I figured I should give you an opportunity to tell him.”

“What if I didn’t want to tell him?” asked Ji Hyo.

“You didn’t have to dance so enthusiastically,” said Jae Suk. “If there was any question of you being a Turbo fan, it’s gone now.”

Ji Hyo sighed. It was probably for the best that Jong Kook found out in the early stages of their friendship. It would be awkward if, a year from now, she suddenly told him she was Turbo fan. Actually, now that she thought about it, it wasn’t even that strange that she was a Turbo fan. Most women her age had been Turbo fans at one point or another. It was probably more suspicious that she tried to hide that fact.

“I won’t thank you,” said Ji Hyo, folding her arms across her chest. “You should have asked me if I wanted to tell him.”

Jae Suk smiled. “You’re welcome.”

“You meddle too much,” said Ji Hyo.

“It was funny,” added Jae Suk. “You were so enthusiastic, but you were so incompetent at dancing.”

Ji Hyo glared at him.

Jae Suk laughed and stepped away from the wall. “Don’t be late.” He headed down the hallway to the room where the staff had set up the cameras for the next segment of the show. Kwang Soo, Jong Kook, Joong Ki, and Haha were already there. Ji Hyo figured she would join them after she finished her snack—she had plenty of time since Suk Jin always took forever to change. He had to redo his makeup and fix his hair; he cared more about his appearance than Ji Hyo, and she was the girl of the group.

But Ji Hyo had never cared overmuch about her appearance. She’d been a tomboy growing up, and although sometimes her shyness hid this fact, she was still a tomboy as an adult. She preferred jeans and t-shirts to dresses and brand name clothes.

The door to the men’s room opened and Gary stepped out, dressed in a blue jumpsuit with white stripes down the sides that matched Ji Hyo’s. He caught sight of her and hesitated. He glanced down the hallway where the Running Man staff waited, before moving to stand next to Ji Hyo. He leaned back against the wall and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jumpsuit.

Ji Hyo didn’t know what to say. Gary was her love line partner, but they almost never talked to one another when the cameras were off—especially not a private conversation. She glanced around the hallway, silently pleading for help, but the staff members who were mingling about gave her and Gary some space.

“You’re having fun today,” said Gary.

“Running Man is fun, sunbae,” said Ji Hyo. She refused to admit that Jong Kook had some influence over her happiness.

“More fun than usual?”

Ji Hyo nodded, but said nothing. She stared at her feet. She remembered what Jong Kook had said about how it was difficult to be friends with your love line partner. She understood what he meant. How was she supposed to talk to Gary? Was she supposed to be his Monday Girlfriend even when the cameras were off? How was she supposed to talk to him casually after spending the last hour flirting? She just wanted to be normal Ji Hyo when the cameras were off, but it seemed impossible to do that around Gary.

“I know you don’t like Monday Couple,” said Gary abruptly.

Ji Hyo cringed. She had tried to hide her true feelings about Monday Couple, but she obviously hadn’t done a good job. She wanted to bail on the conversation, join the other cast members in the filming room and pretend this conversation never happened. But that would be unfair to Gary. It was his job to be the Monday Boyfriend, and he didn’t deserve to be ignored because of that.

“I’m not good at being a different version of myself,” said Ji Hyo finally. “But there are lots of fun things about Monday Couple.”

“It’s just…” Gary hesitated. “It’s hard for me to be Monday Couple by myself.”

“You’re not by yourself,” said Ji Hyo automatically. However, the more she thought about it, the more she knew Gary was right. Ji Hyo did the bare minimum to keep Monday Couple going. She’d compliment him if the PDs requested it or her cast mates encouraged her, but when left to her own devices, she completely ignored Gary. He was the one who flirted with her, tried to feed her and hold hands with her. As it was, Gary was the one who made Monday Couple.

“You might not need Monday Couple,” said Gary, “but I’ve created a character and gained screen time from acting as the Monday Boyfriend. I know you’re not entirely comfortable with it and I know you find it easier to talk to Joong Ki and Jong Kook-hyung, but it’d help me a lot if you’d participate in Monday Couple a little more.”

Ji Hyo couldn’t look at him. His speech sounded practiced, like he’d thought long and hard about what he was going to say. She knew that the Monday Couple was a huge part of Running Man at the moment, and the Monday Couple moments created by Gary had helped both of them get more screen time. It was just that she had trouble acting as Song Ji Hyo the Monday Girlfriend. The real Song Ji Hyo had no feelings for Gary, and Ji Hyo desperately wanted the audience to see the real her. However, it was unfair of her to ignore and glare at Gary like she had been doing.

“I’m sorry, sunbae,” said Ji Hyo. “You’ve been working hard for the both of us.” She stood upright. “I’ll try my best to be a good Monday Girlfriend from now on.”

Gary smiled. “It’s strange having you call me ‘sunbae’ now, since you call me ‘oppa’ on-camera.”

Ji Hyo shook her head. She didn’t know Gary well enough to call him “oppa”.

“Haha and I were talking about that,” said Gary. “You call Jae Suk- and Suk Jin-hyungs ‘oppas’ and Jong Kook-hyung ‘hyung’, but Haha and I are always ‘sunbaes’. You should at least call us ‘hyungs’ as well.”’

Ji Hyo blinked. She didn’t realize that calling Haha and Gary ‘sunbaes’ would bother them. She wasn’t close to them so it seemed obvious that they would be sunbaes. But, of course, she wasn’t that close to Jong Kook either.

“You and I are tied together,” said Gary. “So I should at least be promoted to ‘hyung’, right? You can keep calling Haha ‘sunbae’, I don’t care about that.”

Ji Hyo laughed, covering with her left hand. Gary was right; they were tied together. They should make the most of it. And besides, even if it was difficult to be friends with your love line partner, that didn’t mean it was impossible.

“I’ll do better this year, Gary-hyung,” said Ji Hyo.

He grinned and then looked back at the men’s restroom. “How long does it take Suk Jin-hyung to get ready? We could have gone to a club and back in the time it takes him to change.”

Ji Hyo couldn’t help but smile. The elation from earlier had faded a little after her conversation with Gary; however, she found that she was still happy. It was good day. She was becoming friends with Jong Kook, and now it seemed that she was getting closer to Gary too. It was strange, now, to look back on the first days of filming. She’d thought that she and Gary would never get along, and that she would never be able to speak complete sentences in front of Jong Kook. Things had changed so much in six months. She had changed so much.

A/N: I feel like I have to show the progression of Monday Couple, because it's such an important part of Running Man. Also, Ji Hyo the Turbo Fan is one of my favorite things about spartace. She seriously goes nuts whenever he sings Turbo songs. What about you? What's your favorite thing about spartace?