Chapter Fifteen: The News

“How are things with Sun Young-sshi?” asked Gary.

Jong Kook looked up from his cellphone where he was making Friday night plans with the rest of the Dragon Club. He grimaced. “It ended.”

“Already?” asked Haha.

They were sitting on the steps of the town square in Petit France, a French cultural village, wearing ridiculous white pants and white silk shirts complete with ruffles around the necks. They’d been the first to arrive at the filming location—a rare occurrence—and they now waited for the rest of the cast to finish dressing and get their mics attached.

Gary frowned. “I thought you really liked Sun Young.”

“I did,” said Jong Kook. “She was my style.”

Gary shook his head. He had repeatedly said that he never understood Jong Kook’s attraction to sweet, modest women, preferring the y type himself.

“So why’d it end?” asked Haha. “Did she break up with you?”

Jong Kook nodded, causing Haha and Gary to snicker.

“It’s rude to laugh at your hyung’s misfortune,” said Jong Kook, though he didn’t feel particularly angry.

“Hyung’s fine.” Haha waved away Jong Kook’s words. “You didn’t even call me after she dumped you.”

“Why’d she end things?” asked Gary. “I once had a girl who broke up with me because she didn’t want to buy me a birthday present.”

“She told me I was married to my work,” said Jong Kook. He hadn’t argued with her. They’d been seeing each other for two months and it’d been almost impossible to schedule dates around his concerts, recordings, and meetings. On top of that, he’d even had to cancel twice. He and Sun Young had met at a charity event. She’d been everything Jong Kook wanted in a girlfriend—funny, caring, beautiful, sweet, principled—and yet, after she’d ended things, Jong Kook felt nothing more than faint regret.

“I’m married to my work too,” said Gary. “But in a different way. Women always tell me to be happy with Ji Hyo.”

Haha laughed and explained to Jong Kook, “We went out to club this weekend, and this woman Gary was hitting on asked him if Ji Hyo knew he was there without her.”

Gary groaned. “The woman was hot too.”

“That happened to me after X-Man,” said Jong Kook.

“I remember,” said Haha. “That one girl told you that she loved how loyal you were to Yoon Eun Hye, and she hoped she found a man just like you.”

Gary patted Jong Kook on the shoulder. Haha couldn’t truly understand their suffering.

“I love our fans,” said Gary. “But they don’t really believe these things, right?”

“I still get mail cursing me for bullying Kwang Soo,” said Jong Kook. His Commander character was different form his previous King of Love Lines image, and some people seemed to think that the bossy, violent Commander was his true personality. The cruel words of the fans stung, but Jong Kook had endured much worse in his entertainment career and it would take more than that to break him.

“If I had known that Ji Hyo would stop me from meeting beautiful women,” said Gary, “then I would never have agreed to this love line.”

“But think of the screen time,” said Haha.

Gary laughed. Then, he glanced sidelong at Jong Kook and said, “You and Ji Hyo seemed close last Monday.”

“We did?” Jong Kook was genuinely surprised. He and Ji Hyo weren’t arguing anymore, but he wouldn’t consider them close by any means. She stilled called him “hyung”.

“You two seemed like you were having fun, teasing each other and all,” said Gary with a shrug. “I wish Ji Hyo and I were that comfortable. It would make Monday Couple easier.”

“Ji Hyo’s been doing better at Monday Couple,” said Jong Kook, coming quickly to her defense. She didn’t put nearly as much effort into the love line as Gary, but she was definitely trying to be more active.

“She has,” admitted Gary.

“So, hyung, are you and Ji Hyo no longer arguing?” asked Haha.

“We talked,” said Jong Kook.

“And?” Haha and Gary were leaning forward. Jong Kook didn’t know if their actions were conscious or not, but it made him uncomfortable. His relationship with Song Ji Hyo wasn’t that interesting.

“I told her I’d changed my mind,” said Jong Kook.

“You changed you mind?” Haha looked stunned. “You never change your mind. You still refuse to eat ramen.”

Jong Kook scowled. He didn’t want to explain all his reasons for agreeing to start teaming up with her. It was too complicated, too personal, something that belonged between him and Ji Hyo.

He was saved from having to explain himself to Haha and Gary’s curious stares by the arrival of Jae Suk and Joong Ki.

“Jae Suk-hyung,” said Haha immediately. “Jong Kook-hyung got dumped again.”

After glancing at Jong Kook to make sure he wasn’t heartbroken, Jae Suk said, “Well, of course, what girlfriend would want to compete with a dumbbell for attention?”

Deliberately ignoring Haha and Gary’s laughter, Jong Kook turned to Joong Ki and asked, “Did you ever get Sunny’s number?”

Joong Ki’s face turned a brilliant shade of red as he did whenever the Running Man cast mentioned last week’s guest, Sunny from Girls’ Generation. During a break between scenes, Joong Ki had admitted to having a celebrity crush on Sunny, and since she apparently had a crush on him too, Jae Suk and Haha had bullied Joong Ki into asking for her number. Jong Kook was just happy to see Joong Ki moving on from Ji Hyo. The cast had been peaceful while Joong Ki’s feelings had remained a secret, but Jong Kook would have hated it if fractures and awkwardness were to form over an unrequited crush.

Suk Jin, Ji Hyo, and Kwang Soo arrived shortly after that. Once the cast were all gathered, Myuk PD led them to a side street of Petit France where they would do the opening to the show. Jong Kook walked beside Haha and Ji Hyo, listening as they talked about their weekends.

“I slept all last Sunday, even through the Running Man episode,” admitted Ji Hyo.

She sniffled, wiping her nose on a tissue, and Jong Kook glanced down at her, asking, “Are you sick?”

“Just a cold,” said Ji Hyo.

Jong Kook hated colds. As a singer, he couldn’t afford them, since they damaged his voice.

“No wonder you slept all yesterday,” said Haha. “I always curl up into a ball when I’m sick and pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist.”

“I do that too,” said Ji Hyo eagerly. “But, well, I can hardly miss filming.”

“Dedicated Ji Hyo,” said Haha. “You’ll come even if you’re dying.”

            “Please don’t,” said Jong Kook. “If you’re dying, go to the hospital.”

“We’d much rather you live,” said Haha. “Having a cast member die would affect the ratings.”

Ji Hyo laughed before wiping her nose with a tissue again. “I’m not going to die from the common cold.”

“Let’s hope so,” said Haha as they reached the spot for the opening.

Ji Hyo felt like she’d been run over by a bus. Her head was pounding, her nose was running, was sore and she wanted nothing more than to nap for three days straight. But she wanted to be professional. Even if she was tired, even if she was sick, she still had to stick it out for the sake of her career. She wasn’t the type to do things halfway. She had the occasional moment of weakness—such as the time where she cried to Kwang Soo that she was a terrible Monday Girlfriend—but for the most part she had endured. There were fun days of filming and there were bad days. Today just happened to be one of those bad days where she was reminded of those terrible times when she had wanted to quit.

Her cold hadn’t been helped by the fact that the first mission had required the Running Man cast to run around Petit France and each find a Little Prince outfit while Taecyeon and Nichkhun of 2PM chased them. Ji Hyo had been the last member standing, and she had found most of the outfits. She’d been frustrated with the seven men, who had tried to be funny rather than productive with the first mission. She was the one who was sick, so why did she have to do all the work?

Thankfully, the PDs had given the cast an hour break to change into their new team outfits and eat dinner. The teams had been decided by the PDs, who had, much to Ji Hyo’s happiness, placed her on Jong Kook’s team along with Kwang Soo, Gary, and Nichkhun. They’d changed into black suits while Jae Suk, Joong Ki, Haha, Suk Jin, and Taecyeon changed into white suits. Then, the cast and staff helped themselves to buffet provided, the members wondering what their next mission would be. Ji Hyo had eaten maybe two bites of food before she found a room to sleep in, her manager keeping watch outside in case anyone wanted to talk.

Ji Hyo had managed maybe five minutes of sleep before she heard a knock on the door. Her manager poked his head in and said, “Song Joong Ki’s here.”

Before Ji Hyo could demand to be left in peace, her manager stepped back to allow Joong Ki into the room, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him. Ji Hyo managed a weak smile of greeting for her dongsaeng, but she made a mental note to remind her manager to check with her before letting anyone else in.

“Are you okay, noona?” asked Joong Ki. 

“I’d be better if I could sleep,” muttered Ji Hyo with a sharp look at the door.

“Sorry,” said Joong Ki, taking a step back. “Another time, maybe?”

“No, no.” Ji Hyo immediately regretted her sharp words. “You’re here. Just don’t take too long.”

“Right.” Joong Ki had his head slightly bowed and his hands clasped in front of him. He hadn’t looked at Ji Hyo since he entered the room, his gaze moving to the pale yellow window curtains, to the couch Ji Hyo had been sleeping on, to the wooden floors—anywhere but Ji Hyo.

Even with a stuffy nose, a terrible headache, and overwhelming feeling of exhaustion, Ji Hyo could tell that Joong Ki was upset about something. “What’s wrong?”

“I, uh, wasn’t sure when to tell you,” said Joong Ki. “I’m going to tell the hyungs later, but I wanted to let you know first.”

“Tell me what?” Icy dread filled JI Hyo’s chest. “What happened?”

“You’ve been a good noona,” said Joong Ki, still not looking at her. “You and Kwang Soo are such great friends, you know that, right?”

“Joong Ki…” Ji Hyo had no idea where he was going with this.

“The hyungs have been great too. Gary-, Haha-, and Suk Jin-hyungs have been so much fun to work with. And Jae Suk-hyung has taught me a lot, especially about variety. I’ve gained so much respect for the industry thanks to him. And Jong Kook-hyung…” Joong Ki paused. He sent a fleeting glance in Ji Hyo’s direction before staring determinedly at the floor again. “Jong Kook-hyung has always looked out for me.”

“Why are you telling me this?” asked Ji Hyo, a small, desperate laugh in her voice. “It’s sounds like you’re practicing your goodbye speech.”

Joong Ki met her gaze. “I’ve already talked to Cho and Myuk PDs. It’s been hard to do Running Man and work as an actor. You know that. We’ve talked about it. I have more of a career in acting—it’s what I began with—and I think I should focus on that.”

“You’re… you’re leaving.” Ji Hyo could barely get the words out. Joong Ki was her dongsaeng. He had been with her since the beginning. Him and Kwang Soo. They had welcomed her to the show with open arms, they had made sure she felt included, they had comforted when she was sad, and they had stopped her when she considered quitting. Joong Ki and Kwang Soo had been her support in Running Man—and now Joong Ki wanted to leave. What would she do? Could she go on without him? It’d hurt so much when he’d been ignoring her, but even then it had been a comfort to know that he was there, that when push came to shove, he would look after her. And now, Joong Ki was leaving.

“You can’t,” gasped Ji Hyo.

“It’s already been arranged, noona,” said Joong Ki gently. “Next episode will be my last. I’ve already told Kwang Soo, but I wanted to tell you before the hyungs.”

Ji Hyo wasn’t crying, not yet at least, but in the last couple minutes, a hole had formed in her chest and she didn’t know how to express the pain it caused her.

They had talked about acting versus variety before, and they had both agreed that if they had to, they would choose acting over Running Man. Ji Hyo, and Kwang Soo for that matter, weren’t in demand enough for them to have to choose between the two, but Joong Ki had missed out a few episodes because of film shoots already. It would be hard to develop a character on the show if he was only there half the time. Still, even if she understood why Joong Ki had made the decision to leave and even if she knew that she should let him go, it didn’t stop Ji Hyo from wanting to scream and cry and cling to Joong Ki, tell him that he couldn’t leave Running Man. He hadn’t just picked acting over variety, he’d picked acting over her and Kwang Soo.

“My head hurts,” murmured Ji Hyo, pressing a hand to her forehead.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” asked Joong Ki, stepping forward. “Maybe you should talk to Cho PD about letting you head home early. It’s commendable to be dedicated to your work, but don’t kill yourself over it.”

He extended a hand, as if to feel Ji Hyo’s forehand for her temperature, but Ji Hyo instinctively pulled away.

“I’ll survive,” said Ji Hyo. “It’ll take much worse than a cold to break me.”

Joong Ki stared at her for a moment and then, in a small un-Joong Ki-like voice, said, “Please, don’t be mad at me, noona.”

“I’m not mad,” snapped Ji Hyo.

Joong Ki looked so sad, and Ji Hyo knew she was acting like a five-year-old child who hadn’t gotten her way. But still, she was hurt, she was sick, she was tired, and she couldn’t look at Joong Ki right then.

“I want to sleep,” said Ji Hyo.

“Noona—”

“Later,” said Ji Hyo. “I’ll talk to you later.” And she meant it. Maybe if she had some time to rest, to process what Joong Ki had just told her, she would be able to accept it and not act like a spoiled child.

After a second’s hesitation, Joong Ki nodded. Ji Hyo watched as he headed for the exit, pausing only to glance over his shoulder, before disappearing through the door entirely.

Ji Hyo’s gaze landed on Joong Ki, who was standing between Haha and Suk Jin. He sent her a weak smile, and despite her hopes that she would be able to act like a proper adult, Ji Hyo quickly looked away from him.

“Are you feeling any better?” asked Gary as Ji Hyo joined her teammates.

Ji Hyo nodded, not trusting herself to form words. How could Joong Ki have told her in the middle of filming? He had to have known that the news would upset her. It was bad enough that she was sick, but now she frustrated and hurt and there were cameras filming her. Ji Hyo tried to plaster a smile on her face. She wasn’t sick. She wasn’t sad. She was thrilled to be there

“Are we ready to begin?” asked Jae Suk, glancing around at the cast and guests.

Haha hit the slate, and then explanation for the next section began. The two teams would become orchestras—Yoo Maestro’s Orchestra and Kook Maestro’s Orchestra—and they would perform one of two songs for a panel of judges. The team the judges didn’t pick would have to suffer the punishment. The first song was “Aux Champs Elysees” and the second was “Young Ladies”. Ji Hyo tried to laugh as the cast joked and debated songs, but her voice sounded hollow to her own ears. Yoo Mae’s Team eventually settled on “Aux Champs Elysees”, which left Kook Mae’s Team with “Young Ladies”. Ji Hyo’s musical abilities were so sorely lacking that the song choice didn’t make much a difference to her. All she could wonder was how they were going to perform a song with only four people and a conductor—especially when neither she nor Kwang Soo were musicians. Thankfully, Myuk PD then explained that the cast were each allowed to choose a staff member to join their team.

There were a good ten minutes of madness as the cast and guests tried to recruit staff members. Kwang Soo led the way through the staff, asking who played an instrument, and Ji Hyo followed silently only half paying attention. She had to shake herself out of this zombie-like state. Yes, she was sick, and yes, she was upset, but she was working. She had to be focus.

She left Kang Soo to his own devices and went to the managers to ask if anyone played. Manager Gyeong Ho admitted to studying music briefly in university, so Ji Hyo dragged him to the front where Jong Kook was already waiting with Jae Suk’s VJ Kwon Ryul.

“Do you play an instrument?” Jong Kook asked the manager.

Ji Hyo caught sight of Kwang Soo talking to Joong Ki among the crowd of staff writers.

Gyeong Ho nodded. “Guitar.”

Joong Ki had mentioned that he’d told Kwang Soo before her.

“We’re going to have a very interesting orchestra,” said Jong Kook. “Guitarists and rappers and actresses who can’t sing.”

When had that happened? Why hadn’t Kwang Soo mentioned anything?

“Ji Hyo? Ji Hyo?” Jong Kook’s voice snapped Ji Hyo’s gaze away from her dongsaengs.

“I’m sorry,” stammered Ji Hyo. “What did you say?”

“You blanked out and missed the joke,” said Jong Kook. “Are you sure your cold isn’t getting to you?”

Ji Hyo nodded as she silently cursed herself. Just minutes earlier, she had vowed that she wouldn’t let her cold or Joong Ki get to her, and now here she was blanking out and missing a good moment to entertain the cameras. She opened to say something to Jong Kook—make a joke about picking Kwon Ryul over Ki Jin—but right then, Nichkhun returned with Jong Kook’s manager Gap Jin as his recruit, and the moment was lost. 

When each team had ten members and all the chosen staff had been interviewed about their musical abilities (which included the Staff Monday Couple, some terrible ad-libbing, and Gap Jin dancing to “Again & Again”), the two orchestras made their way up to the practice rooms.

Kwang Soo and Nichkhun led the way up the stone steps, followed by Gary and the staff members. Gap Jin and Kwon Ryul were talking about their top-notch dancing abilities. Somehow, Ji Hyo had ended up bringing up the rear of the team with Jong Kook beside her. She couldn’t figure out if the positioning had been coincidental or purposefully, but since they walked in silence, she figured the former. They hadn’t talked much that day, other than the brief conversation with Haha, but that wasn’t surprising. Ji Hyo hadn’t talked with anyone much that day.

Suddenly, Jong Kook said, “If you need a rest, feel free to step out for a couple minutes. We’ve all had days like that. When we’re feeling ill or…” He hesitated. “Or when we’re in pain. If your cast mates are good, they’ll cover for you.”

Ji Hyo nodded. Jae Suk and Haha had told her similar things earlier in the day. The hyungs were always looking out for her. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad when Joong Ki left. She’d still have Kwang Soo, after all, and maybe she grow closer to Haha, Gary, and Jong Kook. But still, Joong Ki had been with her since the beginning. No one could replace him.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” asked Jong Kook. He stopped walking, and Ji Hyo followed suit. Gap Jin and Kwon Ryul glanced back, but Jong Kook told them to go on ahead before turning to Ji Hyo and saying, “You’ve been out-of-it today. Or more so than usual, Mong Ji Hyo.”

Ji Hyo barely registered the use of her nickname. Without thinking, wanting sympathy or comfort or some form of the two, Ji Hyo blurted, “Joong Ki is leaving the show.”

Jong Kook blinked. His face went blank for a second as emotions shifted behind his dark eyes. Then, he said, “You’re not supposed to tell me that.”

Only then did Ji Hyo realize what she’d just said. This was Joong Ki’s news to tell. No matter how much she needed someone to listen to her worries and tell her everything would be okay, she couldn’t go around telling people. She felt hurt and betrayed, yes, but betraying Joong Ki’s trust in return wasn’t the way to handle things. God. She had gone about this situation all wrong. She wished she could rewind to the beginning of the day and start all over again. She’d act like a reasonable adult, and she’d accept Joong Ki’s decision when he’d first told her. But she couldn’t rewind time. She had snapped at Joong Ki and hurt him. It was bad enough that he was leaving Running Man, but she wouldn’t know what to do if she lost his friendship.

For the first time that day, Ji Hyo felt tears prick her eyes. She quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand. How embarrassing. To cry in front of Jong Kook like this.

“I’ll pretend to be surprised when he tells me,” said Jong Kook abruptly. “So don’t cry. Please.”

Ji Hyo looked at Jong Kook. His black hair was ruffled, and he kept blinking. He looked so flustered and confused that Ji Hyo could help but giggle. And, of course, that confused him even more.

“Are you laughing or crying?” asked Jong Kook.

“Not crying,” said Ji Hyo, quickly wiping the corners of her eyes. “Definitely not crying.”

Jong Kook let out a sigh of relief. “Good. Because I’m terrible with crying women.”

“Well then not to worry. Because I’m not crying.”

They both laughed awkwardly.

Jong Kook glanced up at the path. The rest of their team had disappeared into the building. “We should go. They’ll come find us soon enough.”

“We should,” agreed Ji Hyo. But her feet wouldn’t move. “You’ll definitely act surprised when Joong Ki tells you?”

“Of course,” said Jong Kook. “I have the best surprised face.”

Ji Hyo smiled. “Can I see?”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

Ji Hyo lightly poked his arm. “I’m relying on your acting skills. I should at least see a demonstration.”

Jong Kook hesitated and then after a long sigh, he put on his surprised face: his eyes got wide (or as wide as his small eyes could) and his mouth opened wide (like he was about to scream). He looked ridiculous. Ji Hyo buried her face in her hands and shook with laughter.

“He’ll never believe it,” gasped Ji Hyo. “That’s terrible. Please, hyung, don’t ever become an actor.”

Jong Kook snorted. “My acting skills to your singing skills, right?”

“We’ll agree to never try each other’s jobs,” said Ji Hyo, nodding.

“Other than ‘Hot Issue’,” said Jong Kook.

Ji Hyo shook her head. “Who knew it would end up part of my variety career.”

“There are so many embarrassing things I did in Turbo that have ended up part of my variety career,” said Jong Kook. “Jae Suk-hyung is partly to blame for that.”

“He’s partly to blame for ‘Hot Issue’ too.”

There was pause and then, “Do you have any advice?” Ji Hyo asked. Her voice was softer than she’d intended. “About Joong Ki?”

“Uh.” Jong Kook scratched the back of his neck. “People leave. Sometimes it’s just not meant to be.”

Ji Hyo had no idea what to say to that, and the two of them made their way up the path in silence.

Jong Kook had not signed up for that. He had just figured that Ji Hyo was suffering from her illness and that he should talk to her, since, out of everyone on the cast, he was the one who would most understand what it was like to be in pain while filming. He’d planned to tell her that it was okay to take breaks and that her cast mates would be there for her. But then Ji Hyo had told him that Joong Ki was leaving Running Man and she’d started to cry and Jong Kook was not good with crying women and he was fairly certain he’d been no help and he’d probably somehow managed to make things worse. “People leave. Sometimes it’s just not meant to be.” What kind of terrible advice was that? Probably advice from someone who had just been broken up with by the woman he’d been seeing for the past two months. But still, his conversation with Ji Hyo hadn’t been all bad. They joked around. They’d laughed. They’d agreed to never try each other’s careers. They were friends—just not friends who cried and confided in each other.

Rather than think on what had just happened, Jong Kook had thrown himself, with more enthusiasm than necessary, into recreating “Young Ladies” with his orchestra. It didn’t matter that they had bizarre instruments or that only a handful of them were musicians. He just wanted to distract himself from the fact that Ji Hyo had just cried in front of him and that Joong Ki was leaving.

Joong Ki was leaving Running Man. Jong Kook couldn’t even imagine it. Well, actually, he could understand why Joong Ki would leave—it was much harder for actors to maintain their image while doing variety than singers, and Joong Ki didn’t depend on Running Man for roles in the same way that Ji Hyo and Kwang Soo did. But still, Jong Kook couldn’t imagine Running Man without Joong Ki.

It made sense now why Kwang Soo had seemed upset during the break. Everyone else had been chatting, while Ji Hyo had gone off somewhere (to sleep), Joong Ki had disappeared as well (probably to find Ji Hyo), and Kwang Soo had picked at his food. Jong Kook had assumed Kwang Soo had messed up an audition or something, but perhaps it had to do with Joong Ki leaving…

Jong Kook shook his head. Now was not the time to be thinking of these things.

His first idea for the orchestra had been to come up with a name. Gary had suggested “Virus Band” and Kwang Soo had suggested they introduce themselves by each singing a note and then all together say “Virus Band”. It had been a great idea, but when practicing, both Gary and Ji Hyo couldn’t get the second note, “re”, right.  

Thankfully, when it came time for the real practice, it turned out Nichkhun was good at piano. Ji Hyo played the role of the fangirl, while Jong Kook jumped back into his role of the over protective idol fan. Every time Kwang Soo or Gary tried to interrupt Nichkhun’s performance, Jong Kook would snap at them.

After Nichkhun, Ji Hyo picked up the recorder. She smiled slyly at Jong Kook, and he had the feeling he was about to hear more of her brilliant music skills. Sure enough, she was off beat and—once again—had trouble finding “re”.

“It’s always ‘re’,” said Gary forlornly.

“Monday Couple really struggles with that note,” added Jong Kook.

As they moved on to the maracas, Jong Kook shook his head at Ji Hyo. She smiled back. It seemed as though she had managed to put aside her cold and Joong Ki for now. That was good. The Virus Band needed her to be focused and funny. And, as if to prove to Jong Kook that she could be both those things, Ji Hyo volunteered to do the cuckoo noise on the recorder.

The rest of the cast jumped on the idea, deciding to stop all other instruments to emphasize the recorder sound.

“It’s good,” said Jong Kook, after they practiced once, “but should it be ddadda?” He made his voice go higher on the second note.

Ji Hyo tried it. Her second note was deeper than the first.

“Ddadda,” repeated Jong Kook.

Ji Hyo tried it again. She went deeper on the second note. Again.

Jong Kook bit his tongue and walked back to his conductor’s position. Well, there was a reason she shouldn’t be in the music industry. He turned back and saw her grinning at him. Unable to help himself, Jong Kook said, “Hey, but you’re quite cute.”

The words surprised him as much as they did Ji Hyo. She smiled, her face reddening slightly, but there was a definite note of surprise in her eyes.

“Are you confessing?” asked Kwang Soo. Gap Jin was trying to muffle his laughter.

“What?” Jong Kook glanced at the staff. Cho PD was frowning, while Ki Jin was hiding a smile behind his camera.

“Hurry and start singing,” cried Gary, jumping on the moment to play the Monday Boyfriend. He starting singing “Tralalala” enthusiastically.

Jong Kook laughed with the rest of the cast. It was ridiculous. After months of avoiding Ji Hyo to avoid a love line with her, he was the one calling her cute. Chances are, the scene wouldn’t make it into the episode, and Jong Kook could just tell Ji Hyo not to take it seriously. But it was true; Ji Hyo was cute. Ask any of the Running Man members. Even Jae Suk and Suk Jin who were married would say in a heartbeat that Ji Hyo was cute. Nothing to take seriously.

“All right,” said Jong Kook, addressing his orchestra. “One more time…”

On top of a cold, on top of Joong Ki’s news, on top of crying, Jong Kook had to go and call her cute. Ji Hyo couldn’t believe it. Three weeks ago, she had vowed she would try to get over her crush on Jong Kook—and she’d been doing so well. They’d been on the same team in the previous episodes and they’d joked and laughed like they were friends and none of her awkward feelings had gotten in the way. But now—now Jong Kook had to go and call her cute.

“Hey, but you’re quite cute.” Those were the exact words. They’d been echoing around in her head for the past half hour, giving a glimmer of hope where there shouldn’t be one. Not that it mattered. As they stood in the courtyard waiting for the other team to arrive, Ji Hyo half expected Jong Kook to pull her aside and explain that it was all a misunderstanding.

“Feeling better, noona?” asked Kwang Soo.

Ji Hyo tore her eyes away from the back of Jong Kook’s head and glanced up at Kwang Soo. She knew he was asking about her cold, not about Joong Ki or Jong Kook, but she said, “Joong Ki told me that he’s leaving.”

Kwang Soo winced. It looked like Joong Ki’s news hurt him just as much as it did her.

“When?” asked Kwang Soo.

“After the first game.”

“He said he was going to tell you before the hyungs,” said Kwang Soo. “But I thought he meant after the show.”

“He has the worst timing,” agreed Ji Hyo. She hesitated and then asked, “Are you okay with it?”

Kwang Soo shook his head. “It’s Joong Ki’s choice. He wants to focus on his acting career, so we should support him. We’re actors too, noona, we should understand.”

Ji Hyo hated that Kwang Soo had reacted more maturely than she had. “I snapped at him when he told me.”

“I did too,” admitted Kwang Soo. “We were hanging out at his place when he said he had already sorted it out with the PDs. I wanted to leave too.” Kwang Soo gulped. “I said I couldn’t do the show without him. But we talked. It’s his choice, and it doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends.”

“He talked me out of quitting once,” said Ji Hyo sadly. “And he never gave me the opportunity to do the same for him.”

Kwang Soo’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t quit. You—we—don’t need Joong Ki to do this show.”

Ji Hyo smiled. She thought she understood now what Jong Kook had meant when he’d said somethings weren’t meant to be. At first, she’d been upset, thinking she wasn’t meant to be friends with Joong Ki. But that wasn’t it. Maybe Joong Ki wasn’t meant to continue with Running Man. Maybe he was meant to be an actor, while Running Man was meant to be seven members. Maybe, maybe not. There was no way of knowing right now, but Ji Hyo hoped it was the right choice.

“When is he planning on telling the hyungs?” asked Ji Hyo.

“After filming today.”

“We’ll have to throw him a goodbye party. I—”

“Virus Band! Virus Band!” Manager Gyeong Ho came jogging up the path towards Jong Kook.

Ji Hyo and Kwang Soo broke off their conversation and gathered around Gyeong Ho along with the rest of the Virus Band.

“I was talking to my friend on the writing staff,” said Gyeong Ho in a low voice, “and she said—”

“‘Friend’?” asked Gap Jin.

Gyeong Ho’s ears turned bright red.

“Let me give you some advice,” said Gary, placing an arm around Gyeong Ho’s shoulders. “It’s all in the pickup lines.”

“Don’t listening to Gary unless you want a girlfriend only on Mondays,” said Jong Kook.

Gary laughed and removed his arm from Gyeong Ho’s shoulders. “So what did your friend on the writing staff say?”

“She told me the judges are Petit France’s Music Director, Running Man’s Sound Director, and Running Man’s Music Director.”

There was a pause. Gap Jin and Nichkhun looked confused while understanding dawned on the cast and staff’s faces. Ji Hyo and Kwang Soo exchanged smiles.

“That Sound Director wouldn’t be Oh Min Suk, would it?” asked Jong Kook.

Kwang Soo grinned. “The one who’s a huge fan of Ji Hyo?”

Gyeong Ho nodded, and the Virus Band laughed and high-fived. Ji Hyo smiled with the rest of them even as she felt embarrassed. Jae Suk and Suk Jin had joked numerous times that Director Oh Min Suk was a huge fan so she got better sound effects than they did.

“We have one vote for sure,” said Kwang Soo.

“Don’t forget to take a picture with him, Ji Hyo,” added Gary. “And sign it.”

“Maybe throw in a wink or two,” said Jong Kook.

Nichkhun laughed. “We’re going to bribe the judge?”

“Of course,” said Ji Hyo. “Anything to get out of the punishment.”

Kwang Soo nodded solemnly. “I’ve worn one too many pairs of hot pants.”

“Haven’t we all,” muttered Jong Kook.

“You look terrifying in hot pants, hyung,” said Gary. “Your thighs are like tree trunks. Sometimes I want you to win just so I don’t have to see you in hot pants.”

“Kwang Soo is worse,” said Jong Kook. “I don’t want to see his long, pale legs.”

“You all look bad in hot pants,” said Gap Jin. “The only one who looks good in them is Ji Hyo-sshi—just ask Director Oh Min Suk.”

Ji Hyo laughed, while Kwang Soo said, “And Joong Ki. I don’t know why but Joong Ki pulls off the hot pants.”

“Because he’s a flower boy,” said Gary. “Pulling off the hot pants look is something the rest of us can only dream of.”

Jae Suk’s orchestra reached the courtyard just then, and the Virus Band broke apart to avoid suspicion. The two teams mingled together, Nichkhun and Taecyeon joking about something. Ji Hyo started to follow Kwang Soo, but Jong Kook tapped her shoulder and she stopped.

“About earlier,” said Jong Kook.

“I knew you were going to do this,” said Ji Hyo before he could even finish.

“You did?” A slow smile spread into Jong Kook’s face. “Of course you did.”

Ji Hyo laughed, not wanting to acknowledge the sting of disappointment in her chest. “I may not be good at singing or dancing, but it’s nice to know I’m cute enough to be in a music video.”

“I’ll let you know if I ever need anyone,” said Jong Kook with a grin.

They joined the other cast members just as Myuk PD began explaining how the entrance of the two orchestras were going to be shot.

Ji Hyo scanned the faces of the group until her eyes met Joong Ki’s. He started to smile but then stopped. Ji Hyo grinned at him, trying to show in that one gesture that they were okay, she supported him. It still hurt, yes, but she would figure out how to move forward.

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update. I really have no excuse. But here it is, episode 40 with the infamous "Hey, but you're quite cute" scene...and some other stuff. Next chapter is SJK's farewell party. It feels weird hitting a landmark like this. I have them marked in my head. SJK's farewell, the Superpowers/Sherlock episodes, ep 82, ep 95... Hopefully I'll get there one day.