Chapter Eighteen: The Apology

Ji Hyo had always been a competitive person—she was willing to admit that—but since becoming a main cast member Running Man, earning both reward and punishment numerous times, she had learned how to lose graciously. She was not, however, feeling gracious today. Today, she felt like pushing Kim Jong Kook in the water and leaving him there for the frogs.

Onscreen, they’d developed a bickering relationship—Jong Kook tricking Ji Hyo into giving the wrong answer to a quiz question so that he could get it right himself, and Ji Hyo pulling Jong Kook’s hair when she recognized him blindfolded. Off-screen, they continued to be friends. They’d even started occasionally sending texts outside of work. Jong Kook had sent her a picture of him in the recording studio with Mikey from Turbo, and when she’d found out Running Man going to be filming in Thailand later that month, Ji Hyo had sent him a picture of Kai Yang, telling him that she’d found chicken for him to eat there. She’d smiled with every text they exchanged, happy to know they had become friends.

But today, she didn’t feel like she was friends with Kim Jong Kook. In fact, she didn’t even want to be acquaintances with him right then.

Ji Hyo tossed her beige jacket onto a park bench before sitting down and folding her arms across her chest. The bench overlooked the pond at the center of Dream Forest Park. The wooden boardwalks that crossed the water were where Jong Kook’s crime had taken place, and it only frustrated her more to look down at the pond and remember what had happened. People walked by, looking curiously up at the Running Man cast and staff. Some of them even stopped and pulled out their phones to take pictures. Ji Hyo unfolded her arms and tried not to look as pissed off as she felt.

She glanced over her shoulder, checking to see if anyone had left yet, but of course, they hadn’t. She was stuck in the park. There had been a traffic incident on the main road to Dream Forest, and all the Running Man vehicles had been told to remain in the park until the cars had been cleared. The cast and staff had been waiting in the park for twenty minutes now even though filming had ended.

Jae Suk, Gary, and Haha were talking to the two guests, singers Goo Hara and Noh Sa Yeon, while Suk Jin was talking to Cho and Myuk PDs. Jong Kook and Kwang Soo stood a little way away from the others after having changed out of their filming clothes. Mostly likely, Jong Kook was making sure Kwang Soo was okay after being pushed into the pond… Ji Hyo would dearly love to push Jong Kook into the pond.

It had been a Queen Race that day, and Ji Hyo had unfortunately been teamed up with Suk Jin and Kwang Soo. While she liked both of them, they weren’t competitive on Running Man, which didn’t go well with Ji Hyo’s Ace character or her natural competitiveness. Jong Kook, on the other hand, had been teamed up with Haha and the pretty Goo Hara, a member of the girl group Kara. The race had ended with a water gun battle, in which if the queen got water on her nametag, then the whole team would be out. Of course, Ji Hyo had found her teammates to be fairly useless, and Jong Kook had eliminated most of the cast members. It’d come down to Jong Kook and Hara against Ji Hyo. Jong Kook had promised to let the queens decide the winner, but when Ji Hyo’s back was to him, Jong Kook had ousted her.

Ji Hyo didn’t mind losing, she really didn’t. But she hated what Jong Kook had done to her. He was supposed to be loyal, the one who betrayed the least out of the cast members, but he had shot her in the back (quite literally). When Gary had used two hands instead of one to rip off her nametag during the Battle of the Strongest, Ji Hyo had been annoyed. She’d been angry at his cheating and frustrated at her loss and exhausted by their love line, but all that couldn’t compare to the anger and hurt that she was feeling now. The inside of her chest stung even as she remembered watching Jong Kook celebrate his win with Goo Hara.

“Sung Im, the expression you’re wearing right now would put Bad Ji Hyo to shame.”

Haha stood at the far end of the bench, looking at Ji Hyo with a wry smile on his face. Haha had started calling her by her real name, Chun Sung Im, off-camera after she’d told it to him during filming. The name had caught on with the other members, much to Ji Hyo’s dismay, and now she had two names among the Running Man cast.

“I’m pissed off,” said Ji Hyo.

“With Jong Kook-hyung?”

“How did you guess?” muttered Ji Hyo.

“He has that effect on people,” said Haha, taking a seat on the bench.

“I wanted to be partnered up with you two today,” said Ji Hyo. “It would have been fun.”

“It would have,” agreed Haha. “But we can hardly have let our guests team up with Suk Jin-hyung and Kwang Soo.”

Ji Hyo nodded. She knew that, of course, but sometimes she wanted to team up with people besides Suk Jin and Kwang Soo. She wanted to work hard and compete rather than just be a comedic trio. Tipping her head back, Ji Hyo stared up at the gray sky overhead and let out a long breath. “I’m still pissed.”

Haha laughed. “Ah, Jong Kook-hyung. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve fought over the years. At least now he’s willing to talk about problems. When we were younger, he’d never want to talk about it and would try to act like nothing happened.”

“I’m sure that ended well.”

“We’d sort it out eventually,” said Haha with a shrug. “He’s gotten better with age. We all have.”

Ji Hyo couldn’t argue with that. She and a young Jong Kook had been similar (not that she wanted to admit it right then), preferring to avoid problems rather than talk about them. She’d lost a couple friendships because of it.

“But you know,” said Haha. “Our guests are still here.”

Ji Hyo bit the insides of her cheeks. She knew where Haha was heading with this conversation even though she didn’t want to hear it.

“Goo Hara won today—something she has every right be happy about—but it’s hard for her to be happy when you’re sitting here sulking.”

“I’m not sulking,” said Ji Hyo even though she knew she was.

“Uh-huh.” Haha grinned. “You know, I think Bad Sung Im is worse than Bad Ji Hyo.”

Ji Hyo scowled at him. “If you want to know what Bad Sung Im is really like, just keep talking.”

Haha laughed and rose from his seat. “If you want, I can send Jong Kook-hyung over here.”

Ji Hyo’s eyes widened, and she stared up at Haha in horror. “Don’t you dare.” She didn’t think she could handle talking to Jong Kook right now, certain she’d lose her temper and do something she’d regret.

“Or I can lure him over to the pond,” mused Haha, “and you can push him in.”

The idea was sorely tempting. But when Haha looked as though he was actually going to get Jong Kook, Ji Hyo stopped him. “You’re the one who told me not to make the guests uncomfortable, and I think pushing Jong Kook-hyung into the pond definitely crosses that line.”

Haha smiled. “Go talk to him. If you play your cards right, I bet you can get him to act as your servant for a day.”

A cool breeze brushed through the park as Haha made his way back to the rest of the cast members. Ji Hyo stayed on the bench, watching the waters of the pond. She wasn’t ready to talk to Jong Kook just yet. She wasn’t ready to hear his excuses and to try to forgive him. It was better just to sit here a little while longer.

She pulled her smartphone out of her pocket and checked her messages. Her manager had sent a text saying they would leave as soon as possible, and her younger brother had warned her that their mother was doing some experimental cooking for dinner. Her dongsaeng Kim Hee Chul had sent her a picture of him and Joong Ki preparing for Dream Concert together. Ji Hyo smiled at the picture, glad that her two dongsaengs careers were going well.

There was the soft sound of footsteps on grass, and Ji Hyo looked over to see Jong Kook approaching the bench. The anger from earlier came rushing back. Her chest tightened and her right hand curled into a fist around her phone. What was he doing? She wasn’t ready to talk. She needed a little more time. He’d betrayed her. He had said he’d let her and Hara decide the winner, and yet he’d shot her nametag when her back was turned. He was supposed to be her friend, and yet he’d betrayed her just so he could give the win to Goo Hara.

Jong Kook came to a stop beside the bench. His hands were in the pockets of his jeans, and he wasn’t looking at her but staring out at the pond instead.

“Did Dong Hoon-oppa send you over here, hyungnim?” asked Ji Hyo unable to keep the venom from her voice.

“Ah, no.” Jong Kook glanced over his shoulder to where Haha was talking to his VJ. “Was he supposed to?”

“No,” said Ji Hyo.

There was a pause. The silence stretched on, filling the space between Ji Hyo and Jong Kook.

“Can I sit?” asked Jong Kook.

“No.”

Another long pause. Ji Hyo wondered if she was being too harsh. It was a variety show after all; he was probably just trying to let the guest win. But as Ji Hyo tried to make excuses for him, she found herself growing more angry—with him and with herself. He’d betrayed her. She shouldn’t be trying to come up with excuses for him; she should be making him jump through hoops to earn her forgiveness.

“If you don’t have anything else to say,” said Ji Hyo, “you can go back to Goo Hara and the others.”

“Sorry.”

The word was spoken so softly that Ji Hyo almost missed it. She tore her gaze away from the pond and stared up at Jong Kook. He still wasn’t looking at her and that only made things worse.

“You think a simple ‘sorry’ will let you off the hook?” asked Ji Hyo.

“Yes,” said Jong Kook. He smiled a little at the joke, but when Ji Hyo remained stone-faced, his smile quickly faded.

He sat down on the bench next to Ji Hyo, and she folded her arm across her chest.

“I shouldn’t have said that I would let it be just between the queens if I was going to intervene,” said Jong Kook. “I thought it would be fair to have the queens battle it out, but then you were better than Goo Hara. And it seemed stupid to let our team lose when we had two people left against one. And I didn’t know how much I wanted to win until I realized Goo Hara was losing. And I don’t really have an explanation. It just happened that way.” He glanced sidelong at Ji Hyo. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have done that to you, and I really am sorry.”

Ji Hyo kept her arms folded. Against her will, she could feel the outrage and frustration starting to drain out of her; it was hard to stay mad at someone who sincerely apologized. However, she didn’t want to give in so easily. She didn’t want him to think that he could betray her like this, and it would take one apology for her to forgive him.

Clinging to the remaining shards of her anger, Ji Hyo said, “You’re going to have to do better than that.”

“I figured you’d say that.” Jong Kook leaned back, resting his arms on the back of the bench.

His right hand was close to Ji Hyo’s shoulder; if she so much as twitched, they’d brush against each other. Scowling, Ji Hyo scooted further down the bench, putting more distance between her and Jong Kook.

He watched her for a second, something unfathomable in his small eyes, and then he let out a long, weary sigh. “Why is everyone mad at me these days?”

Ji Hyo bit her lip, not wanting to encourage conversation, but in the end, curiosity got the better of her and she asked, “Who else is mad at you?”

Jong Kook glanced at her. “I thought you didn’t want to talk.”

“Sharing things like this is a good way to earn forgiveness.”

A smile crossed Jong Kook’s face but it soon disappeared. His gaze shifted to the pond where several ducks were making their way across the water. “I haven’t told anyone about it.”

Ji Hyo nodded and let out a soft sigh. She shouldn’t push him to share with her. He was her sunbae after all. They’d gotten closer over the last month, talking about their pasts and developing inside jokes, but discussing their arguments with other people was probably still off limits.

But just when Ji Hyo was about to change the subject, Jong Kook said, “It was Suk Jin-hyung at Joong Ki’s farewell party.”

“Suk Jin-oppa,” murmured Ji Hyo. So she had been right when she’d told Kwang Soo that there was something strange between Jong Kook and Suk Jin. One moment they’d be actively avoiding each other and then the next moment, they would be chatting as if they were suddenly good friends. “But the party was a month ago… You two have been arguing for that long?”

“Well, right after he got mad at me, he told me to forget it happened,” said Jong Kook. “And he acted like nothing had happened, so we’ve somehow just continued on like usual.”

Ji Hyo remembered what Haha’s description of a young Jong Kook had avoided discussing these things. Jong Kook may have gotten better about talking with age, but apparently, he still avoided issues if he could.

“What was he mad about?” asked Ji Hyo.

“About…” Jong Kook stopped for a second, his eyes still fixed on the family of ducks. “About how I always rip off his nametag. About my strength, saying it’s made me conceited…”

Jong Kook stopped. Ji Hyo wasn’t certain if she was supposed to speak yet so she remained silent.

“It’s my character,” continued Jong Kook. He spoke quickly, as if trying to get the conversation over with as soon as possible. “I’ve talked about being the Commander with the PDs and with Jae Suk-hyung. I’m supposed to be this intimidating obstacle that’s hard to overcome. But then Suk Jin-hyung was talking about how his son’s disappointed when he ends up in jail and about how I’m responsible for that.” Jong Kook pause for a breath. “Suk Jin-hyung had drunk a lot at the party. He probably didn’t mean it like that. He probably didn’t know… He had drunk a lot.”

Ji Hyo hurt for Jong Kook. How hard it must be to talk about, to admit that someone had said those things about him. And he had kept those words stored up inside of him for the last month. Ji Hyo wanted to reach out, to touch Jong Kook or give him some form of comfort. She still remembered how he’d nudged her when she’d been about to cry at Joong Ki’s farewell party, and she wondered if she should do the same now. But the situations were different. Ji Hyo was supposed to be mad at him, and she couldn’t bring herself to cross the distance between herself and Jong Kook.

“You should talk about this is Suk Jin-oppa,” she said at last.

“He told me to forget it.”

“And obviously, you haven’t,” said Ji Hyo. “You came to talk to me pretty quickly after we had a fight today, but it’s taken you a month to talk to Suk Jin-oppa.”

Jong Kook shook his head. “You’re a lot easier to talk to than Suk Jin-hyung.”

Ji Hyo suddenly found that she couldn’t look at Jong Kook. She stared at the pavement in front of her. “Why is that? Because I’m your dongsaeng?”

“Partly,” said Jong Kook. “Partly because Suk Jin-hyung and I are very different.”

Ji Hyo couldn’t argue with that. Instead, she heard herself saying, “I know you’re not your character.”

“Even though I shot your nametag despite saying I wouldn’t?” asked Jong Kook.

“Don’t remind me,” said Ji Hyo. “I was just about to forgive you.”

Jong Kook smiled. “So I’m getting there.”

“Little by little.” She hesitated and then said, “I think I’ll forgive you after you talk to Suk Jin-oppa about what happened.”

“What does Suk Jin-hyung have to do with what happened today?” asked Jong Kook.

“Nothing,” admitted Ji Hyo. “But I want you to suffer a little for betraying me like that.”

“Can’t I just buy you coffee before filming for the next month as apology?” asked Jong Kook.

“Dong Hoon-oppa wanted me to turn you into my servant for a day,” said Ji Hyo, causing Jong Kook to laugh.

They fell into silence again, both lost to their own thoughts. When she thought about it, Ji Hyo had already forgiven Jong Kook for his earlier offense. She tried to summon up some of the anger that had been burning in her chest only minutes before, but it disappeared leaving behind only slight annoyance when she remembered that Jong Kook had ousted her.

She couldn’t be angry, she supposed, when he had shared something so personal with her, something he hadn’t shared with anyone else. Ji Hyo wasn’t silly enough to think that made her special, but still, sitting next to Jong Kook and looking out at the pond and at gray sky overhead, Ji Hyo couldn’t help but feel that something had changed, something had shifted and wasn’t going back to the way it used to be. Ji Hyo closed her eyes. She was beyond hope. At this rate, she’d be an eighty-year-old woman still longing for Jong Kook to look at her as more than a coworker. Ji Hyo tipped her head back and found herself watching the gray clouds shifting in the sky. The clouds had been threatening rain all day, but so far, there hadn’t been a single drop.

“Why don’t you call me ‘oppa’?”

Jong Kook’s question had been so abrupt that Ji Hyo had bumped her arm against the wooden bench in her surprise. She rubbed her aching elbow and asked, “What did you say?”

“Are alright?” asked Jong Kook.

“Yes.” Ji Hyo quickly dropped her arm back to her side. “What did you say just now?”

Jong Kook hesitated. “You call Dong Hoon ‘oppa’, but I’m still ‘hyung’ even though we’ve all been hanging out together recently.”

“Oh.” Biting her bottom lip, Ji Hyo searched for an explanation. Yes, she was good enough friends with Haha and Jong Kook that she should be calling both of them “oppa” outside of filming. With Haha, it was easy, he was like a long-lost twin she’d never known she had, but with Jong Kook…

“You called me ‘oppa’ at Joong Ki’s farewell party,” said Jong Kook.

“I did?” Ji Hyo’s voice squeaked a little. She swallowed. “I was fairly drunk.”

“Yes, you were,” agreed Jong Kook with a quick grin. “But I thought that it was good—and then you went back to calling me ‘hyungnim’ the next day.”

Ji Hyo laughed. “You’ll always be ‘hyungnim’ to me, hyungnim.”

The corners of Jong Kook’s mouth tightened, and Ji Hyo was fairly certain he was pouting. That only made her laugh harder.

As her laughter faded, Ji Hyo caught sight of Kwang Soo waving at them from up the path. It seemed the traffic had finally been cleared, allowing them to finally head home. Jong Kook and Ji Hyo rose from the bench and started towards the parking lot. Ji Hyo dragged her feet, not wanting the conversation to end there.

“Tell you what,” said Ji Hyo. “After you talk to Suk Jin-oppa about what happened at the party and earn my forgiveness, I’ll think about calling you ‘oppa’.”

“You’ll ‘think’ about it?” asked Jong Kook.

Sighing dramatically, Ji Hyo said, “You’re so picky. I’ll start calling you ‘oppa’.”

“And no more ‘hyungnim’,” insisted Jong Kook.

“That’s not part of the promise,” said Ji Hyo. She wasn’t certain what made her agree to start using “oppa”, especially after she had avoided it for so long. She’d been so worried that calling him “oppa” would cross a line she wasn’t ready to cross, but now when she looked for it, she found that she no longer knew where the line was.

She stole a glance at Jong Kook’s back when they went their separate ways. Perhaps it meant that she had finally moved past her crush on him—though somewhere in the back of her mind, in a place that she preferred to ignore, she was laughing at herself for even thinking that was possible.

When Jong Kook had agreed to the invitation to join Jae Suk, Haha, and Suk Jin for dinner at a Chinese restaurant after filming, he had done so with the sole motivation of talking to Suk Jin about what had happened at the party. However, talking to Suk Jin alone was proving a lot more difficult than Jong Kook had anticipated.

The four of them had a private booth in the back of the restaurant, tucked away from curious gazes and enjoying their dishes—jajangmyeon for Suk Jin, Jae Suk, and Haha and jjampong for Jong Kook. It was Haha and Jae Suk who had kept the conversation moving for the past two hours, talking about what they wanted to do in Thailand, discussing which guests they would love to have on the show, and discussing how much fitter they’d gotten over the past year. Jong Kook had started out trying to join in the conversation, but after a while, Suk Jin’s silence had caused Jong Kook to fall mute as well. And now, they had almost finished their meals, and Jong Kook still hadn’t had an opportunity to talk to Suk Jin. He was starting to get desperate. He’d even thought about explaining the entire situation to Jae Suk and Haha via text so they could deliberately leave him alone with Suk Jin. However, Jong Kook wanted to keep the issue between just the two of them—and Ji Hyo, now.

Jong Kook had no idea what had made him share Suk Jin’s harsh words with Ji Hyo. Perhaps because he’d wanted her forgiveness. Perhaps because she’d seemed genuinely concerned. Perhaps because she’d simply bothered to ask. Jong Kook had been mulling over what to do about Suk Jin for the past month. He’d thought about bringing it up with Jae Suk several times, but something had always stopped him. It wasn’t easy to repeat Suk Jin’s words, and it still hurt, even now, to think that he had caused Suk Jin to look lesser in his son’s eyes. But Jong Kook didn’t know what to do about Suk Jin’s feelings. Being the powerful Commander was his character. Tearing nametags was expected of him.

Even if he hadn’t planned on talking to Ji Hyo, she had helped Jong Kook figure out what he wanted. If things continued the way they had for the past month, the fracture between him and Suk Jin might never be fixed, and this incident would always lay between them. Jong Kook couldn’t let that happen. He wanted to sit down with Suk Jin and discuss their characters.

“We’ll have guests for the Thailand episodes, won’t we?” asked Haha.

“I’m sure we will,” said Jae Suk.

“Who do you think they’ll be, Suk Jin-hyung?” Haha looked pointedly across the table.

Suk Jin, who had been picking at the remains of his jajangmyeon, paused and said, “I have no idea.”

Jae Suk frowned at his hyung. Perhaps he wanted to say something, but Suk Jin had gone back to pushing black bean noodles around with his chopsticks.

“Wouldn’t it be awesome if the guest spoke Thai?” mused Haha. “Or English.”

“It’d be good to be on Kook-Jong’s team,” said Jae Suk. He glanced at Suk Jin. “Kook-Jong is fluent in English, hyung.”

Suk Jin glanced up from his dish.

“I’m not fluent,” said Jong Kook, jumping on the chance to start a conversation with Suk Jin. “I’ve never learned English formally. When Mikey joined Turbo, I asked him to teach me a bit and then I taught myself the rest.”

“Aren’t you subtly bragging?” asked Haha with a grin. “Not learning English formerly but still being good at it.”

Shaking his head, Jong Kook said, “I’m not that good at it.”

“He has a lot of friends in LA.” Jae Suk was speaking almost exclusively to Suk Jin at this point.

“Oh.” That was it. That was all Suk Jin had to say.

Jong Kook bit his tongue. Suk Jin was still mad at him, and apparently Jong Kook coming out to dinner tonight had made things worse. Jong Kook was starting to wonder if he should just kidnap Suk Jin when abruptly Jae Suk cried “Oh! Gyung Eun just texted me and she needs me home as soon as possible.” He paused and then added, “And I need to bring Dong Hoon with me.”

Jong Kook stared at Jae Suk, trying to figure out why his hyung was trying to leave and drag poor Haha along with him. Surely Jae Suk didn’t know about the issue between Jong Kook and Suk Jin, but Jae Suk’s actions were too deliberate and too convenient to be related to anything but. If Jong Kook hadn’t told Jae Suk anything then who else was there? Jong Kook glanced across the table at the still silent Suk Jin.

“Why?” asked Haha, who was still processing Jae Suk’s sudden announcement. “Why are we leaving?”

“It’s a surprise.” Jae Suk was already making his way out of the booth. “Come on, Dong Hoon.”

Haha, wearing a bewildered expression, had little choice but to rise from his seat, make his way past Jong Kook, and follow Jae Suk to the front of the restaurant. Before he turned a corner, Haha glanced back at Jong Kook and mouthed the word “What?” Then, Jae Suk and Haha disappeared, leaving Jong Kook, Suk Jin, and an uncomfortable silence alone at the dinner table.

Jong Kook glanced Suk Jin, but his hyung still had not taken his eyes off the food. Instead of speaking, Jong Kook turned his cellphone over in his hands. Maybe if Jong Kook pretended to message a friend the situation wouldn’t be so tense. Maybe he could… No. Jong Kook gritted his teeth. This was ridiculous. Jae Suk had set up the situation perfectly, and now someone was going to have to make the first move.

“Hyung—” began Jong Kook at the same time that Suk Jin said, “Jong Kook—”

Their eyes met for a brief second and then they both laughed.

The tension from just moments earlier left Jong Kook’s shoulders and he buried his face in his hands. “It’s so awkward.”

“I know,” groaned Suk Jin. “Jae Suk isn’t subtle at all.”

With a grin, Jong Kook lifted his head from his hands. “Dong Hoon is so confused right now.” There was a pause and then, “Did you ask Jae Suk-hyung to leave?”

The smile faded a little from Suk Jin’s face, and he shifted from side to side in his seat. “No.”

Jong Kook nodded. He was no longer laughing either.

Suk Jin murmured something under his breath, shook his head, and then tried again a little louder. “I shouldn’t have said that. Back at Joong Ki’s farewell party. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“You were drunk.”

“I know it’s your character,” continued Suk Jin. “I talked to Jae Suk the next day, and he scolded me—I only let him do that because he’s my sunbae -comedian.” Suk Jin’s mouth twitched into a half-smile. “But I know you’re the Commander, and I know you earned your spot as one of the leaders of Running Man.”

“I didn’t intentionally take that spot from you,” said Jong Kook.

“Jae Suk said that too.” Suk Jin was fiddling with his chopsticks again. “I wanted to be a leader on this show and instead I’m the weakest. It hurts my pride. But that’s not your fault. Your role is difficult too. And with your back—”

“Both our roles are difficult,” said Jong Kook. He didn’t want to bring his back into the conversation. “Just for very different reasons. But you have to know how much I respect you—as a comedian and as a father. I never intended for your son to be disappointed. He has to understand how important you are to the show and that no one could replace you. It’s just our characters.”

There was a pause.

“I hate doing stuff like this,” said Suk Jin.

“So do I,” groaned Jong Kook. “And I had to do it twice today.”

“Twice?”

“Chun Sung Im. She still hasn’t forgiven me for shooting her with the water gun.”

Suk Jin smirked. “You deserve it.”

“I do,” admitted Jong Kook. He’d planned on being fair, letting Ji Hyo and Goo Hara decide the winner, but when he’d seen Ji Hyo’s nametag, he’d fired on instinct. He’d thought it would be all right. It was a variety show. But after the shoot had ended, she’d refused to talk to him, and Jong Kook had realized just how hurtful his actions had been.

He leaned back in his seat and said, “I’m working on earning her forgiveness.”

They stayed in the restaurant for another half hour, discussing their roles on Running Man and joking about what it’d be like if they teamed up in a couple race. Jong Kook figured it would be a disaster for him but would make for good television. Soon, their conversation strayed from Running Man to Suk Jin’s old hosting jobs, and they laughed about Jong Kook’s appearances on Heroine 6 and Star Golden Bell. Eventually, Suk Jin had to return home to his family, and Jong Kook was left at the table, waiting for Gap Jin to arrive with the van.

Jong Kook picked up his cellphone, planning to play a game to kill time, but surprised himself when he went to his contacts and searched for “Ji Hyo-dongsaeng” in his contact list. He paused, his finger above the dial button. Was this even a good idea? Yes, she was the one who helped him want to talk to Suk Jin, and yes, she’d said that she would forgive him and start calling him “oppa” after he talked to Suk Jin—but Jong Kook’s report could wait until the next day. And yet, somehow it was important to him that she knew what had happened.

Jong Kook held the phone up to his ear, waiting for her to answer. The phone kept ringing, and Jong Kook started to regret his decision to call her. It was ten at night. Perhaps Ji Hyo was with friends or was eating or sleeping. He shouldn’t disturb her. However, before Jong Kook could make a decision, Ji Hyo picked up the phone.

A groggy voice said, “Jong Kook-hyungnim?”

So, she had been sleeping. Jong Kook felt guilty. He knew Ji Hyo suffered from a busy schedule, and now not only had he shot her in the back, but he’d also disturbed her precious sleep. He wasn’t doing anything right today.

“Sorry,” said Jong Kook. “I didn’t think you’d be asleep. I can call back—”

“I’m awake now, hyung,” said Ji Hyo even though her voice still had the thick tone of someone who was not fully awake. “Why are you calling? Did something happen?”

“Ah, no.” Jong Kook probably should have texted her the news instead. They hadn’t reached the stage of calling each other over something like this, especially not at ten at night. However, it was too late to back out now, so Jong Kook said, “I’m here to report back.”

“Huh?”

“I talked to Suk Jin-hyung.”

There a shuffling noise on the other end of the phone and then Ji Hyo, sounding slightly more alert than before, asked, “How did it go?”

“Awkward. It was really awkward.”

“Is that good or bad?” she asked.

“Good,” said Jong Kook. “And neither of us want to have to do that again.”

Ji Hyo laughed. “No one does. It’s uncomfortable for everyone, hyung.”

“‘Oppa’,” corrected Jong Kook. “Don’t forget your promise.”

There was more shuffling on the other end of the line, and Ji Hyo took so long to respond that Jong Kook started to wonder if she had fallen back to sleep. Then, in a small voice he had never heard before, she said, “Okay, oppa.”

Jong Kook smiled. “I just wanted to thank you for listening to me today even though you were angry. It helped a lot.” He blinked, suddenly feeling awkward. Were they close enough for him to be talking to her like this? He didn’t know anymore. “Ah, so I’ll let you get back to sleep now. Try not to sleep for twenty-four hours again—it’s not healthy.”

Her small voice could barely be heard through the phone. “Good night, oppa.”

“Good night, Sung Im.” Jong Kook ended the call.