Chapter Twenty: The Best Competitors

With eyes only half-open, Ji Hyo rolled over in bed and checked her phone. There were sixteen missed calls in the last hour: five from Jae Suk, five from Kwang Soo, four from Haha, and two from Jong Kook. Still blinking the sleep from her eyes, Ji Hyo checked the hotel’s bedside clock. It was a quarter to nine in the morning.

Filming was supposed to begin at eight.

In an instant, the tiredness vanished from Ji Hyo’s body. She swore, threw off the covers, and headed for her suitcase to find whatever it was her stylist had packed for today. Ji Hyo found a gray t-shirt with some English words on it, a white camisole, and black jeans. She wasn’t sure if that was the outfit Ju Eun had chosen, but Ji Hyo didn’t have time to look harder. She threw the clothes on and ran to the bathroom. When she checked her reflection in the mirror, her shoulder-length brown hair was sticking out at odd angles and her eyes were slightly swollen. Ji Hyo ran her hands under the tap and used her fingers to fix her hair. Then, she grabbed her keycard, her flip-flops, and a pair of cheap pink sunglass before practically sprinting out of the room.

The problem was, Ji Hyo realized as she headed for the elevators, she had no idea where the Running Man cast and crew were. They were supposed to meet on the third floor, but when Ji Hyo looked up and down the hallway, she couldn’t see any cameras. She caught sight of one of the hotel staff who was cleaning the hallway and made a beeline to the woman.

“Excuse me, ajumma,” said Ji Hyo. “You, uh, wouldn’t happen to know where the Running Man filming is taking place.”

“Ah.” The lady blinked, taking in Ji Hyo haphazard appearance, and then said, “I, ah, heard something about filming by a pool.”

“Thank you.” Ji Hyo bowed quickly before heading for the elevators.

She knew she looked nothing like a celebrity that morning. In fact, she probably looked like a woman who had partied too hard the night before. The truth was Running Man had filmed a horror special with Choi Min Soo yesterday, and since it was a horror special, most of the filming had taken place after dark. Ji Hyo had been the last member remaining and had won the game for the cast, but as a result, she’d crashed almost as soon as they’d reached the hotel. She’d slept almost ten hours and she was still exhausted.

There was a ding as the elevators arrived. Ji Hyo stepped inside and pressed the button for the ground floor. She would have to apologize to the Running Man staff for oversleeping. She was still mortified that she’d done that; it was so unprofessional. Hopefully the staff would understand that she’d run hard yesterday and had sat through a lot of meetings regarding her upcoming drama Gyebaek the day before that.

The doors opened when the elevator arrived on the ground floor. Ji Hyo took one step out only to find herself looking at the backs of the Running Man cast, the faces of the surprised staff, and the lenses of several cameras.

She froze. She hadn’t intended to be on camera in this state. She’d just wanted to find the PDs and apologize for sleeping in before putting herself together a little more. Maybe she could just slip back into the elevator…

“Ji Hyo, when did you come down?” asked Jae Suk.

Too late. Well, there was no backing out now. She might as well accept that she was going to show up on broadcast with finger-combed hair and a thrown-together wardrobe. At least her plastic sunglasses covered up her puffy eyelids.

Stiffly, Ji Hyo walked forward to join the rest of the cast members. She could hear Haha’s loud, raspy laugh, but Ji Hyo decided it was best to ignore them. She stood next to Jae Suk and bowed in greeting to the two guests—a beautiful actress whose name Ji Hyo was blanking on, and actor/hunter/yesterday’s horror specialist Choi Min Soo.

“Hey, Ji Hyo, you stopped by somewhere, didn’t you?” teased Suk Jin.

“Ji Hyo, where are you going?” asked Jae Suk. “Are you okay? Where are you going? Will we see you next Monday?”

Ji Hyo blinked, trying and failing to figure out what they were talking about. “I’m going to the swimming pool,” she stammered, pointing vaguely in the direction of the pool.

“Why the swimming pool?” Jae Suk could barely ask the question without laughing.

“Because the ajumma…”

“What ajumma?” asked Haha.

Ji Hyo scowled at Haha and asked, in her frustration. “Why didn’t any of you wake me up this morning?”

Rather than the expected apologies, Ji Hyo’s question was met with laughter.

“Do you know how long we tried to wake you up?” asked Jae Suk. “I called you five times.”

“Didn’t you check your phone?” asked Kwang Soo.

Ji Hyo had checked her phone, but in the time it took her to get dressed and come down to filming, she’d completely forgotten about the sixteen missed calls. Red-faced and embarrassed that she was in such disarray, Ji Hyo could think of nothing else to do but bow to the staff and apologize for sleeping in. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. It won’t happy again.”

“If you’re not going to set an alarm,” said Cho PD, though he was smiling as he spoke, “please at least answer phone calls in future.”

Jae Suk placed a hand on Ji Hyo’s shoulder and she knew he was silently telling her that it was all right. No one was mad. Of course, because they were in front of cameras and the guests, Jae Suk only said, “We could all learn from Ji Hyo. If you’re going to arrive late on a variety show, at least be funny when you arrive.”

“You shouldn’t say things like that, hyung,” said Jong Kook. “It might encourage the latecomers to come even later.”

Gary and Haha, the other “latecomers”, tried to look innocent, while Ji Hyo glared at Jong Kook. Her glare wasn’t very effective and Ji Hyo figured it the fault of the pink sunglasses.

“Ji Hyo,” said Jae Suk, “don’t be upset and listen to me. The oppas you like… you’re teamed together.”

“Oh, who?”

The whole Running Man cast knew which oppa Ji Hyo liked to be teamed up with, but she had no idea who the second person could be. She turned to Jong Kook, who was trying to look as though it was the end of the world to be teamed up with her; when their eyes met, Jong Kook smirked and looked down, unable to keep a straight face. Ji Hyo glanced at the person on Jong Kook’s left—Ji Suk Jin.

“Suk Jin-oppa and Jong Kook-hyung,” said Jae Suk. “You like them a lot, don’t you?”

“Ah. Okay.” She liked Suk Jin, but well, he wasn’t the most helpful cast member. She’d never been on a team with both Suk Jin and Jong Kook before, and when she tried to picture it, she saw herself and Jong Kook trying hard to win while Suk Jin sat back and made dry comments about their competitiveness.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Haha suddenly asking, “Have you greeted Yoon So Yi?”

Ji Hyo turned to the pretty woman on her left and bowed. Yoon So Yi, that was the actress’s name. She must be here to promote Warrior Baek Dong Soo with Choi Min Soo. Ji Hyo felt a bit awkward showing up with hastily fixed bed-hair and sunglasses when So Yi had on proper makeup and looked cute wearing a bright pink shirt over a striped tunic and black leggings.

“You can’t compete with her face, Ji Hyo!” cried Haha.

“Yah!” Ji Hyo motioned like she was going to punch someone, and even though there was a good distance between them, Haha flinched.

“Yoon So Yi chose Gary,” said Jong Kook, who never missed an opportunity to tease Ji Hyo about her love line.

“Oh really?” Ji Hyo glanced at Gary who was indeed standing next to So Yi. “Ah, it’s okay since it’s Tuesday today.”

Jae Suk laughed. “You should be a bit disappointed at least.”

 “She takes it so coolly,” Gary complained to the PDs.

Ji Hyo only half-paid attention to Gary’s Monday Boyfriend ramblings. She still hadn’t fully woken up yet and now that she knew she wasn’t in trouble for being late, she wanted to go back to her room and fix herself up a bit. Thankfully, team uniforms were handed out shortly after that and the introduction segment came to an end. Ji Hyo’s stylist ran up to her room to get some foundation and hair products, while Ji Hyo and So Yi went to the ladies’ room, which had been reserved for Running Man, in order to change. The uniforms were checkered, button-down shirts of different colors—Ji Hyo’s being red and white while So Yi’s was purple and white. Ju Eun arrived shortly after to give Ji Hyo her make-up kit, and the two actresses stood in front of the restroom mirror, Ji Hyo applying foundation and So Yi fixing her hair.

“I hope you don’t mind that I chose Gary-oppa,” said So Yi.

Ji Hyo glanced over at the younger actress. “Don’t feel bad. Monday Couple is really just a joke between coworkers. Besides, it’s Tuesday so you’re free to have your own love line with him.”

So Yi laughed. “It’s really just a love line then. My manager—she’s a fan of this show—will be disappointed.”

“Oh.” Ji Hyo didn’t know what to say. She didn’t like disappointing Monday Couple fans, but it really was nothing more than a love line.

“I’m a bit nervous,” confessed So Yi. “I haven’t been on variety shows much. And Gary-oppa seems to take care of you on the show, so I thought maybe he’d help me out… That’s why I wanted to be on his team.”

Ji Hyo gave So Yi a sympathetic smile. “I was nervous when I first started Running Man. I’m not as talkative as some of the oppas, and I thought I wouldn’t have much presence on the show. But they’re all really great people. They helped me find my place on this show. Jae Suk-oppa is really knowledgeable about variety, and he’ll make sure you’re comfortable on set.”

“I don’t know if I can ever be comfortable with all those cameras,” said So Yi with a laugh. “Cameras are so much easier when there’s a script.”

“I know what you mean,” said Ji Hyo. “But it’s really better to be relaxed. You have to forget that you’re being filmed. The good thing about Running Man is that you get so caught up in the games you forget about the cameras.” Ji Hyo put away the foundation and pulled out a tube of lip-stain.

“I hope so,” said So Yi. Her eyes flickered to Ji Hyo’s back and she asked, “Do you usually put the nametags on later?”

“Huh? No.” Ji Hyo twisted around so she could see her back in the mirror. There was a blank, white rectangle where her nametag should have been. She was so used to the nametags that she’d just assumed it would be there. “That’s weird. It must have something to do with today’s race.”

“So we’re not ripping nametags?” asked So Yi.

“With this show, who knows,” said Ji Hyo. “You’d think the cast would get used to the crazy stuff the writers throw at us, but they still manage to catch us off-guard.” Ji Hyo pressed her lips together, spreading the stain evenly, then put the tube away and zipped up the make-up kit.

“Is that it, unnie?” asked So Yi. “You only wear foundation and lip stain?”

Ji Hyo blinked. “Uh, yes.” She’d never had a female guest comment on her lack of make-up before. Back in the early days of Running Man, Ji Hyo had worn blush, eye-liner, eye-shadow, the works, but after spending months of reapplying her make-up on set after it was smeared or washed off during a game, Ji Hyo had decided to just go with the basics.

“Am I wearing too much?” asked So Yi, checking her face in the mirror. “I had a professional make-up artist do mine for the show, but maybe I should take some of it off…”

“No, you’re fine, you’re fine,” said Ji Hyo quickly. “You look great. I’m a part of the Running Man family—the cast and viewers see me every week. It’s no big deal if I’m wearing make-up or not.”

“And you look so pretty even without make-up, unnie,” added So Yi. She checked her reflection in the mirror again, tugging at the bottom of her buttoned-up checkered shirt. “But, really, are the team uniforms always so unflattering?”

“Not always,” said Ji Hyo with a wry smile. “Sometimes we get to wear casual clothes—those days are the best. But the worst is when we have to wear obnoxious, bright, one-colored jumpsuits.”

“It sounds awful.” She straightened the color and said, “I guess I should be glad for the button-down shirt then.”

Ji Hyo glanced at So Yi’s purple shirt. “You know you don’t have to wear it in the same style as me.”

For a moment, So Yi considered this. Then, she undid the buttons and then tied the front of the shirt together, revealing a black t-shirt underneath. She turned in front of the mirror and asked, “What do you think, unnie?”

“Looks good. It suits you.”

“Unnie should try it too,” said So Yi.

Ji Hyo checked her own reflection in the mirror. She could tie her shirt up like So Yi, but somehow that didn’t feel right—Ji Hyo liked her casual style. She smiled and said, “This suits me.”

So Yi laughed. “Ji Hyo-unnie’s jjang.”

“Ah, thank you.” Ji Hyo shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what to make of the compliment. Instead, she occupied herself with tying her hair up into a high bun. “Are you almost ready to go?”

“I suppose.” So Yi frowned at herself in the mirror. “I’m getting nervous now that it’s time to go back out.”

“You’ll be fine,” said Ji Hyo. “Just relax. You’re doing fine right now.”

So Yi took a deep breath and then smiled. “I wish I could be on your team, unnie.”

“That would be fun.” Ji Hyo finished putting up her hair and stepped back from the mirror. “I’ve never gotten to be on the same team as a female guest.”

So Yi smiled slyly. “That’s because the men would never be able to handle it.”

Ji Hyo had never considered the possibility before, but now that So Yi had mentioned it, Ji Hyo found that she really wanted a team of all women. She grinned and said, “It’ll happen one day—even if I have to bribe or threaten the writers to make it happen.”

Jong Kook opened the car door and stepped out onto the gravel parking lot. It looked as though they were the first team to arrive at the Cheomseongdae Observatory—which was a miracle in itself since both Jong Kook and Suk Jin had been confused by the GPS and had needed Ji Hyo to navigate them through the city of Gyeongju.

As they waited for the VJs to get out of their van and get set up, Jong Kook looked around the parking lot. There were several dirt paths that led into the park, and Jong Kook couldn’t tell which one led to the monument. “Which way do we go?”

“Do you need directions to get to the observatory as well?” asked Ji Hyo as she put on her pink sunglasses.

Ji Hyo seemed to know where she was going, and once the VJs were ready, she led the way to the one of the paths. Suk Jin followed her lead silently, while Jong Kook couldn’t help but ask, “Do we walk from the road? Or do we just walk from here?”

“It doesn’t matter if we go from here, go sideways, or go backways if we just go, oppa.” Ji Hyo sounded a little exasperated.

“What?” asked Jong Kook, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile. “Sideways?”

“Sideways or backwards,” snapped Ji Hyo. Even though they were arguing, there was a little hop in her step and she was smiling—that’s what made bickering with Ji Hyo so fun. She didn’t take it seriously and seemed to enjoy it as much as Jong Kook did.

He grinned at her and asked, “What are you talking about?”

“I have no idea what she’s saying,” added Suk Jin who was walking in the middle.

“Walking or crawling.” Ji Hyo was smiling now too.

“Just give up,” said Jong Kook. “You’re not going to make sense no matter how hard you try.”

“You two aren’t allowed to tease me.” Ji Hyo pointed at Jong Kook and Suk Jin in turn. “Not until you learn how to use a GPS.”

“I know how to use a GPS,” said Jong Kook indignantly.

“It sure didn’t look that way to me, oppa.”

“The keypad was hard to use,” said Jong Kook. “It kept getting the characters wrong even though I was pressing the right keys.”

“You just can’t admit that you were outsmarted by a GPS—”

“There it is,” said Suk Jin, cutting across Ji Hyo’s retort. Jong Kook looked ahead and saw the 9.4-meter stone tower that was the Cheomseongdae Observatory. There was staff member in a bright yellow jumpsuit holding up a Running Man banner, and the crew were set up cameras and a canopy in front of the stone monument.

“Over there, over there,” said Ji Hyo.

Jong Kook ran ahead, while the other two jogged behind him. It seemed no other teams had arrived before them, and Jong Kook couldn’t help but wonder how bad the other teams must be with directions.

Once Ji Hyo and Suk Jin joined him, Jong Kook accepted the mission card from the PD, and Ji Hyo, leaning around Jong Kook’s left arm, read aloud, “Photozone game—when you jump, make sure your face is in the small window of Cheomseongdae.”

The three teammates turned to look at the stone structure; a square window was located directly in the middle of the observatory. Shim Jun Ho FD sat in front of the observatory, setting up a digital camera on a stand. The game wouldn’t begin until all three teams were present, so the red team had time to strategize while they waited for the others. The staff had created a white tape line in the dirt, marking how close the members would get to the camera. The red team stood together on the line, holding down the best spot so that the other teams couldn’t steal it.

“Let’s get this done in one try, oppa,” said Ji Hyo.

Jong Kook couldn’t help but smile at her. He understood what she was feeling, a sense of elation and perhaps a little bit of smugness. Their characters, the Commander and the Ace, meant that they were supposed to be good at everything. Obviously, it was impossible to be good at everything, but they were the most competitive members of Running Man. However, it was not their skills that impressed Jong Kook, but their ability to work as a team. If someone had asked him who he worked best with on Running Man, Jong Kook would have been torn. He had worked with the Two Kids numerous times, especially when they’d been on the Chasing Team, so they worked together almost like clockwork now. But with Ji Hyo, everything fit together easily. They hadn’t been teamed up often and they didn’t always win, but there was something effortless when they worked together that Jong Kook didn’t have with Haha or Gary.

“Here they come,” said Suk Jin.

Jong Kook looked to his right and saw Haha, Kwang Soo, and Min Soo making their way towards the observatory. “The purple team are right behind us,” said Haha when they reached the crew, and sure enough, moments later, Jae Suk, Gary, and Yoon So Yi appeared on the dirt path.

“What took both teams so long?” Suk Jin asked once all three teams stood in front of the observatory.

“We stopped for coffee,” said Haha.

“You did?” asked Jae Suk. “We went straight here.”

“What kind of roundabout route did you take?” asked Ji Hyo incredulously. “Jong Kook- and Suk Jin-oppas almost broke the GPS and we still made it here before you.”

“I told you,” said Jong Kook. “There was something wrong with the keypad.” He tried to be angry for the sake of variety, but when Ji Hyo grinned up at him, Jong Kook couldn’t help but smile back.

After the blue and purple teams learned that they needed to have their faces photographed in the window, they gathered in front of the observatory and started pushing and shoving each other. Jae Suk pointed to the red team and cried, “Yah, why are you hogging the line?”

“It’s the privilege of arriving first,” said Suk Jin. He and Ji Hyo scooted closer to Jong Kook so that the three of them stood shoulder to shoulder like a protective wall.

“It’s okay,” said Min Soo. “We can always jump.”

He raced behind the red team and leapt into the air. With his back turned, Jong Kook didn’t get to see how high Min Soo jumped, but Haha gasped and said, “Wow, Min Soo-hyung got right in the window.”

The purple and blue teams continued pushing and shoving until Suk Jin stumbled forward, losing his place on the line, and Jong Kook decided that their strategy needed to be changed. He kept his spot on the line and had Ji Hyo stand behind him so she could push off his shoulders to give her more height. However, as soon as Shim FD said, “We’ll be taking the picture now,” the fighting started. Ji Hyo began shrieking for some reason, while Jae Suk tried to use Jong Kook’s shoulders to help him jump. Jong Kook shoved Jae Suk away, but Ji Hyo had moved positions to avoid Kwang Soo; instead, Jong Kook tried piggybacking Suk Jin.

“You’re not high enough!” shouted Ji Hyo. “You won’t get in the picture.”

Jong Kook dropped Suk Jin and the two of them started jumping up and down in front of the camera, trying desperately to show up in the window. Jae Suk kept pushing Jong Kook, while Suk Jin battled Gary for a decent spot. Min Soo bounced around like a rabbit, and Kwang Soo carried Haha on his shoulders. Jong Kook couldn’t see either Ji Hyo or So Yi, who were at the back of the group. Finally, Shim FD declared that the photo had been taken and the madness came to an end.

“Did you get it?” asked Ji Hyo.

“I didn’t,” said Suk Jin, rubbing his shoulder. “Why is Gary so strong?”

“I might have,” said Jong Kook. “I was jumping in the center.”

Shim FD downloaded the picture onto a computer screen so that the members could check who made it. Jong Kook and the rest of the red team hung back, letting the eager purple team examine the picture first.

“We got it, we got it,” cried Gary. “Her face is clearly there!”

Jong Kook, Suk Jin, and the blue team moved to see the screen. Sure enough, So Yi, with open and her fingers in a V-pose, had her head perfectly within the window of the Cheomseongdae Observatory. The purple team jumped about in celebration (Gary and Jae Suk chanting, “Yoon So Yi! Yoon So Yi! Yoon So Yi!”), and So Yi even high-fived Ji Hyo.

“Daebak,” said Ji Hyo.

“You got it on the first try,” added Jong Kook as he joined his teammates in front of the observatory.

So Yi smiled. “I just stood behind everyone else and jumped.”

“That’s my Tuesday Girlfriend,” said Gary proudly.

“I’m the Tuesday Girlfriend now, Ji Hyo-unnie,” So Yi explained.

Jong Kook glanced at Ji Hyo and was unsurprised to see that she was laughing.

“So I have him on Monday and you have him on Tuesdays,” she said. “Who gets him the rest of the week?”

“I’m the Wednesday Girlfriend,” said Haha, raising his hand as he came to stand on the white line. “Gary-oppa’s all mine on Wednesdays.”

“Don’t I get any input in this?” asked Gary.

“We have to leave Fridays free,” added Jong Kook, “so Gary can go clubbing.”

The PDs called the purple team away to receive their reward for winning and the location of the next mission, leaving the red and blue teams to fight for the second place spot. This time Haha carried Kwang Soo on his shoulders, and the two stumbled about, trying to get Kwang Soo’s face in the window. On the other hand, Min Soo ran about in circles, jumping whenever he came near the window. Jong Kook and Ji Hyo tried their jumping strategy again, but as soon as Ji Hyo prepared to jump, Kwang Soo pulled her hair and she lost her temper, shouting, “Don’t grab me! Don’t grab me!” Suk Jin then spent the rest of the countdown trying to keep Kwang Soo and Haha away from Ji Hyo’s hair.

In the end, neither team passed that round. Both Kwang Soo and Min Soo had their faces in the area of the window but neither of them were perfectly inside. The red team was nowhere close to succeeding.

“We can do this,” said Suk Jin as they lined up to take the photo again.

This time, both Suk Jin and Ji Hyo tried using Jong Kook’s shoulders to jump, but neither one of them could get enough height. The red team switched tactics with everyone jumping individually, and when Kwang Soo tried to block everyone, Ji Hyo swatted his hat away. Finally, the photoshoot came to an end.

“Please let us get it this time,” said Suk Jin as they went to check the photo.

Of course, they didn’t. Min Soo, with a broad grin on his face, was perfectly in the window.

The red team could only watch in mute silence as Kwang Soo and Haha celebrated Min Soo’s victory.

“We’ll get it next time,” said Ji Hyo.

They didn’t. Or the time after that. Or the time after that. Exhausted from jumping repeatedly and from the summer heat, Suk Jin decided he needed a break, and the red team ended up taking a rest for food and drink. Some of the staff had stopped by a convenience store. They handed a bag of drinks to Jong Kook and some snacks to Ji Hyo. After some juggling, the red team sorted it so that each person had one snack and one drink. They stood under the canopy and stared bitterly at the Cheomseongdae Observatory.

“The other teams are long gone by now,” said Ji Hyo.

Jong Kook gulped down some of his energy drink. “Who knew we’d be so bad at this… It really shouldn’t be this hard.”

“We have to try a new tactic,” said Ji Hyo.

“Do you have any ideas?” asked Jong Kook. “Because I think we’ve tried everything.”

“I can’t believe So Yi-sshi got it in one try,” murmured Suk Jin. He glanced at Ji Hyo and added, “And I can’t believe you celebrated with her. You’re not supposed to celebrate when the other team wins.”

“She was nervous about doing well earlier,” said Ji Hyo. “I was just happy for her.”

Jong Kook nodded. Yes, being competitive was important but so was looking after one’s dongsaengs—they were guests after all.

“You shouldn’t encourage the opposition,” insisted Suk Jin. “You need an us-versus-them mentality. It’s because you’re thinking like this that we’re in last place right now.” He caught sight of Jong Kook’s smile and said, “You’re thinking the same thing as her, aren’t you? That being nice to So Yi-sshi is good.” He shook his head. “Why am I stuck with teammates like this? Aren’t you two supposed to be the Commander and Ace?”

“The Commander and Ace can be nice to their dongsaengs,” said Jong Kook.

“Only when we’re winning,” said Suk Jin. He tossed his empty water bottle in the trash bag. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to find the restroom. There has to be one around here somewhere.”

As Suk Jin wandered off, Jong Kook and Ji Hyo remained alone under the canopy. They glanced at each other and grinned.

“Suk Jin-hyung’s not happy with us,” said Jong Kook.

“We’re supposed to be the Commander and Ace,” pointed out Ji Hyo. “And he’s the one saying we’re not being competitive.”

Jong Kook shrugged. “We’ll catch up. Just think of it as giving the other teams a head start.” He finished off his drink and tossed the bottle into the trash. “And for the record, I’m glad you’re friendly with So Yi.”

“Oh.” Ji Hyo twisted the cap of her water bottle in circles, not looking to Jong Kook. “It was just when we were changing into team uniforms. She said she was nervous, and I know how hard it can be…being a female guest and all. But I told her Jae Suk-oppa and Gary-hyung will look after her.”

For a moment, Jong Kook was silent. Ji Hyo almost never talked about what it meant to be the only female cast member of Running Man. Jong Kook had figured that, much like his back pain, it was one of those subjects best left alone. He vaguely recalled her smile when she’d first heard that Lizzy would be joining them as a permanent cast member and her watery eyes when she learned that Lizzy would have to leave due to a hectic schedule. Back then, it had been Joong Ki and Kwang Soo’s jobs to comfort her. And even now, Jong Kook didn’t think it was his place—or any of the other cast members’ places—to ask her how she felt. Being the only female wasn’t something they could understand. If she wanted to talk about it, then it was her choice to initiate the conversation, not theirs. But Jong Kook could remember all the times the games had been physical, completely unfair to Ji Hyo, or the times she’d gone off to the ladies’ room to change while the rest of the cast continued to the men’s room together, laughing and joking; she took it all in stride and never let out a word of complaint.

“You’re really jjang.”

Jong Kook had said it without thinking, and he hadn’t even realized he’d spoken aloud until Ji Hyo’s head jerked up and she asked, “What did you say?”

A little embarrassed by her reaction, Jong Kook scratched the back of his neck and said, “You’re really jjang.”

“Th-thank you.” Ji Hyo’s stared down at her wattle bottle again. “You know, So Yi said the same thing to me earlier.”

“Because it’s true,” said Jong Kook.

He looked away; Ji Hyo’s reaction was making him think he’d said something he shouldn’t have. Instead, determined to act like what he’d just said was no big deal, he stared at the observatory.

“Should we give it a go?” asked Jong Kook. “If we wait too long, the other teams will pass the second mission before we even get there, and then we really won’t be able to catch up.”

“We have to think about this carefully, oppa,” said Ji Hyo, obviously relieved in the change in topic.

“It’s all about the angle,” said Jong Kook, tilting his head to the side. “And how high we jump. Maybe if we stood in a line…”

“Don’t just stand there and talk!” Ji Hyo grabbed hold of Jong Kook’s hand and dragged him to the front of the observatory. They stood on the white line, and Jong Kook looked from the camera and the window, trying to measure the angle with his eyes.

“Should we step back a bit?” he asked,

“I don’t know…” said Ji Hyo.

“Suk Jin-hyung,” called out Jong Kook.

The oldest member of their team had returned from the restroom and was talking to Taek PD about something. Both men stopped talking and turned to Jong Kook. Suk Jin called out, “What?”, while Taek PD’s gaze went down to Jong Kook’s right hand.

It was then that Jong Kook realized that he was still holding hands with Ji Hyo. He blinked, wondering if he should let go. But she hadn’t made any move to release his hand either. And they were just trying to complete the mission. And it would be rude to suddenly drop her hand.

Trying to ignore Taek PD’s stare, Jong Kook asked, “Hyung, can you look through the camera and tell us if this is the best spot to stand?”

Suk Jin went to crouch beside Shim FD, squinting as he tried to see through the camera lens. “Take two steps back.”

“Like this?” asked Jong Kook. Still holding hands, they took two steps back together. Her hand was so much smaller than his, her thumb hooked around his and her fingers curled around his index finger.

“That’s not right,” said Suk Jin. “One small, very small, step forward.”

Jong Kook and Ji Hyo inched forward.

“Stop!” Suk Jin held up one hand. “Now jump.”

Jong Kook and Ji Hyo jumped.

Suk Jin frowned. “No… Take another small step forward.”

They did.

“Now jump.”

They jumped.

“No…”

“Suk Jin-hyung!” shouted Jong Kook. “What are you doing?”

Beside him, Ji Hyo was shaking with laughter. Her body leaned forward, pulling his hand along with hers, and her shoulder ended up resting against Jong Kook’s bicep. He glanced down at her and felt the anger drain out of him.

“I’m trying to find the best spot,” said Suk Jin. “It’s a lot harder than you think.”

“Just get over here,” said Jong Kook holding out his left hand. “We’ll all jump together.”

Suk Jin stepped past Shim FD and joined his teammates in front of the observatory. When Shim FD said, “We’ll take the picture now,” for the eighth time that day, the red team started jumping. Jong Kook stood in the middle, holding Suk Jin’s rough hand and Ji Hyo’s slender one. They jumped until Shim FD told them to stop.

“We’d better get it this time,” said Ji Hyo as Suk Jin went to check the photograph. “I can’t jump anymore.”

Jong Kook watched as Suk Jin peered at the monitor over Shim FD’s shoulder. It was almost painful to watch the changes in Suk Jin’s face when he saw the photograph. At first, there was shock, then frustration, then resignation, and then Suk Jin started laughing.

“Did we get it?” asked Ji Hyo.

“None of us were jumping,” said Suk Jin. “We’re all just standing on the ground looking really determined.”

Jong Kook and Ji Hyo laughed, because, really, at that point what else were they supposed to do. By the time they regained some composure, tears were coming out of the corners of Ji Hyo’s eyes and Jong Kook’s stomach hurt.

“Why are we so bad at this?” asked Ji Hyo. “How hard is it to jump at the right time?”

“Did we do something wrong in a previous life?” wondered Suk Jin, still staring helplessly at the monitor.

“You’d think we’d get it eventually,” said Jong Kook. “Even just by pure luck one of us would end up in the photo.”

“Aren’t you two supposed to be the Commander and Ace?” asked Suk Jin. “Why are you so bad at this?”

“Apparently we’re not the Commander and Ace when it comes to photograph missions,” said Ji Hyo.

“Is there something wrong with the camera?” asked Jong Kook, rounding on Shim FD. “Are you purposely taking the picture at the wrong time?”

“It’s on a timer,” said Shim FD.

“Scoot over,” said Jong Kook. Shim FD scuttled out of the way and Jong Kook took his spot behind the camera. Peering through the lens, Jong Kook said, “Ji Hyo, move to you left a little and jump.”

She did as instructed, and through the camera, Jong Kook watched her smiling face appear in the observatory window.

“Perfect,” said Jong Kook. “Stay right there and don’t move.”

“Oppa,” said Ji Hyo as Jong Kook and Suk Jin rushed to join her in front of the camera. “There’s no one here to disrupt us, why don’t we make a pyramid.”

“That’s a good idea,” said Jong Kook.          

“As long as my legs don’t give out,” muttered Suk Jin.

After Shim FD said, “We’ll be taking the picture” (for the ninth time), Jong Kook and Suk Jin bent their knees. Ji Hyo grabbed their shoulders and placed her feet on their legs. Standing upright, Ji Hyo did a V-pose and tried to move her head into the window. Suk Jin started to wobble, and Jong Kook grabbed Ji Hyo’s left hand to stop her from falling.

“Oppa!” screamed Ji Hyo, waving her right arm wildly, trying to balance. “Oppa! Don’t move your legs!”

“It took the picture,” said Shim FD.

Ji Hyo hopped down and Jong Kook kept ahold of her wrist to stop her from falling on her face.

“We’d better have made it this time,” grumbled Suk Jin as he went to check the monitor. “My leg can’t do that again.” He glanced over at Jong Kook and said, “Next time, she’s standing on your shoulders.”

“What are we, a circus act?” asked Jong Kook.

Thankfully, there was no next time. Suk Jin let out a cheer, and they ran to the monitor to see a picture of Ji Hyo—with a frantic expression as she tried not to fall—with her head perfectly in the window.

Ji Hyo clapped her hands together almost half-heartedly; they were all more relieved than happy at succeeding.

“Finally,” muttered Jong Kook. “We don’t have to do this mission again.”

“It’s kind of a shame,” said Suk Jin. “I was looking forward to seeing the Commander and Ace’s circus act.”

Jong Kook watched through the waterfall as the blue team made their way into the park. The red team had finished the second mission—to put the ssambap together in the correct order—in one try. After quickly succeeding the third mission, they arrived at the waterpark first, which had stopped Suk Jin from complaining about the incompetent Commander and Ace.

The final mission was to stick nametags on the oppositions’ backs in order to oust them. The red team had three nametags—one from the blue team, Haha, and two from the purple team, Jae Suk and So Yi. After wandering about the waterpark for a few minutes, they’d decided that behind the waterfall at the end of the wave pool was the best scouting area, as it gave them a view of the whole waterpark and had two escape routes. The only problem was that having three VJs and one PD following them made it difficult for the red team to hide.

“They saw us, they saw us,” hissed Ji Hyo.

“They did?” asked Suk Jin.

“Yeah.” Jong Kook peered around the pillar. He could see Min Soo pointing. “It’s okay. We also know where they are.”

“It’s the purple team we don’t know about,” said Ji Hyo.

“Have they already arrived?” asked Suk Jin.

“They must be,” said Ji Hyo. “I saw their car pulling into the parking lot when we entered the park.”

“There’s only one good scouting place besides here,” said Jong Kook. He was careful to keep an eye on the blue team as he gestured to the giant waterslide. He couldn’t see the purple team, but he was almost certain they were on the stairs, watching from up high. The blue team also seemed to have the same idea as they moved towards the water slide, pointing.

“You think they’ve seen us?” asked Ji Hyo.

“Probably.”

“Should we move?” wondered Suk Jin. “If they know where we are…”

“Let’s go.” Jong Kook had already started backing away when Ji Hyo cried, “They’re coming, they’re coming.”

Jong Kook looked over to see the blue team approaching from the opposite side of the waterfall. Min Soo walked in the middle of Kwang Soo and Haha, looking like a mob boss surrounded by underlings. Jong Kook shook his head, smirking. “Why are they walking in a group next to Min Soo-hyung?”

“Aren’t they too confident, trusting in Min Soo-hyung?” asked Suk Jin.

“Yah,” said Ji Hyo, giving Suk Jin a little push. “Don’t you do the same to Jong Kook-oppa?”

Rather than face the blue team this early in the game, the red team left the shelter of the waterfall and slipped around behind the changing rooms. They lost sight of the other teams, and when they came out on the other side of the building, they had to stop and relocate themselves. Using a rack of lifejackets as cover, Jong Kook searched the waterpark. He couldn’t see the blue team who had been underneath the waterfall only minutes before.

“Where are they?” asked Suk Jin. “It looks like they left.”

“No, they’re over here.” Ji Hyo had automatically taken up watch on the opposite side to Jong Kook so that the other teams couldn’t sneak up on them. “They’re going that way. They’re heading for the pool.”

“They’re playing around?” asked Suk Jin indignantly. “It’s because they have Min Soo-hyung with them, isn’t it?”

“I want to play around too,” said Ji Hyo. “We’re in a waterpark, and I can’t even go on the rides. They even have a river.”

“They have a river?” asked Jong Kook, momentarily forgetting to keep an eye out for the purple team.

Ji Hyo nodded eagerly. “With rapids.”

Back in his school days, Jong Kook had spent countless summers with his friends going round and round in the river pool in Anyang. They had raced around the pool, tried to steal each other’s inner tubes, and attempted to sink each other. It’d always been Jong Kook’s favorite part of the waterpark. And since they were here to promote Gyeongju’s waterpark, it wouldn’t hurt to forget the game for a minute and enjoy the pool.

“You two…” said Suk Jin, looking from Jong Kook to Ji Hyo and back. “We’re supposed to be sticking on nametags.”

“Oppa…” Ji Hyo was already turning on her pleading eyes. “It’ll be fun. It’s summer, it’s hot—don’t you want to go swimming?”

Jong Kook grinned as he watched Suk Jin’s resolve crumble before Ji Hyo’s big, brown eyes. In a last, pitiful protest, Suk Jin said, “I can’t swim.”

“That’s what lifejackets are for,” said Jong Kook. “And they give you inner tubes for the river.”

“Let’s go.” Ji Hyo grabbed both Jong Kook and Suk Jin’s hands before any further protests could be made.

Jong Kook let himself be dragged across the waterpark to the entrance for the river. The employee managing the pool looked shocked when Ji Hyo ran up to him, asking about lifejackets. She was so full of energy and excitement, a wide grin on her face, that the employee could only stumble over his words as he pointed to the piles of sky blue lifejackets and flower-patterned inner tubes. 

Ji Hyo’s lifejacket was a size too big, but she didn’t seem to care as she grabbed a tube and jumped into the water. She put her feet down so she wouldn’t drift away with the pool’s current and called out, “Come on, oppas!”

Stepping into his own inner tube, Jong Kook used the stairs to enter the pool. The water was cool and refreshing after a hot day of playing games in Gyeongju. The walls of the river were painted blue, and they towered over the water so that Jong Kook couldn’t see the river beyond the turns. Jong Kook waded through the water to stand next to Ji Hyo. She sat inside her inner tube and grabbed onto his to stop herself from floating away. 

“Suk Jin-hyung,” said Jong Kook.

Suk Jin took his time getting into the water. He held the inner tube around his waist and entered the pool one step at a time.

“We’re going to leave you soon,” said Jong Kook. “The current’s too strong…” He put his weight on the tube and lifted his feet off the ground. Ji Hyo held their tubes together as the pool’s current started moving them away from the steps.

            Ji Hyo laughed. Reaching a hand out, she cried dramatically, “Suk Jin-oppa! We can’t leave Suk Jin-oppa behind!”

“Yah!” Suk Jin finally realized that Ji Hyo and Jong Kook were drifting away. “Don’t do that!”

He jumped into the water and, holding onto his tube, started kicking in an attempt catch up. Jong Kook put his feet down on the pool’s floor to wait until Suk Jing reached them. Then, holding onto each other’s tubes, the three of them floated down the river together.

“How could you try and leave me like that?” asked Suk Jin, pushing water at Ji Hyo and Jong Kook.

“You were taking too long.” Ji Hyo splashed Suk Jin back.

“And we did wait for you,” added Jong Kook.

Suk Jin wiped the water off his face and shifted positions so he was lying on top of his tube. “This isn’t bad.”

“Have you never been in a river pool before?” asked Ji Hyo.

“I don’t go to waterparks very much,” admitted Suk Jin. “There’s not very fun when you don’t know how to swim.”

“We should just stay here all afternoon.” Ji Hyo was sitting in her tube. “Let the other two teams eliminate each other and then we’ll come out at the last second and eliminate Jae Suk-oppa, Haha-oppa, and So Yi.”

“Or the other teams will follow us in here and chase us down the river,” mused Suk Jin.

Jong Kook laughed at the picture that created. “That could be fun.”

“We should come up with a plan—”

Suk Jin’s words were cut short when Ji Hyo grabbed the sleeve of Jong Kook’s shirt and cried, “Oppa! There’s a waterfall.”

On the left-hand side of the river, the wall opened to reveal a small waterfall. The waterfall switched off and on, alternating between a slow trickle of water and dumping buckets into the river. When in full force, the waterfall created large waves in the river.

“Come on, oppa!” Ji Hyo had already started swimming towards the waterfall, dragging her inner tube behind her.

Jong Kook started to follow her, pausing to look back at Suk Jin to see if he wanted to come. However, Suk Jin shook his head emphatically—he was enjoying the river but the waterfall was too much for him—so Jong Kook let go of Suk Jin’s tube and followed Ji Hyo.

She stood at the bottom of the waterfall, waiting for the waves to begin. When she saw Jong Kook approaching, her smile widened and she jumped up and down. “Hurry up, oppa! Hurry, hurry!”

Jong Kook realized he wasn’t going to make to her before the waves came, and as the waterfall started to increase, he extended a hand and cried, “Ji Hyo!”

She shrieked as the waves pushed her down the river. Jong Kook pushed off the pool floor, letting the choppy waters carry him down stream. When Ji Hyo caught up to him, she grabbed onto the handle of his tube so they could float together. The further they got downstream, the more the rapids picked up, and Jong Kook could see Suk Jin up head, shouting and laughing as his tube rocked wildly.

“Look at him,” said Jong Kook. “He was nervous but now he’s having the most fun.”

Ji Hyo didn’t say anything since she was too busy enjoying the rapids, so Jong Kook dipped his hand into the water and splashed some at her. She yelped and laughed, shaking her head to get the water out of her eyes. “Oppa!”

In that moment, Jong Kook forgot. He forgot that there was a game going on and that he was supposed to be sticking nametags on people’s backs. He forgot that they were the Commander and Ace and that they were meant to be Running Man’s best competitors. Jong Kook even forgot that they were filming Running Man right then. All that was going through his mind right then was how much fun he was riding the river rapids.

A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, so I hope y'all had fun reading it - even though it's low on conflict, especially compared to the previous three chapters. I wanted to write this episode for three reasons: 1) spartace not being competitive and having fun at the waterpark, 2) first time JSJ is on a team with just spartace, and 3) the Behind The Scenes pictures. There's BTS pictures of spartace holding hands during the photo mission and KJK looking at SJH through the camera during the photo mission (if you haven't seen then just look up  "spartace ep 53 bts"). Of course, we never get to see these scenes in the episode, so I used my imagination and tried to incorporate those photos into this chapter. Hope you liked my interpretation.

Also, I don't know Yoon So Yi's personality very well, so I just kind of had to guess her personality based on her scenes in this episode. Hopefully I did her justice. I really wanted to show SJH taking care of a female guest behind the scenes, since we rarely get to see it in episodes, and Yoon So Yi seemed like a good place to start.

Please, please, please leave a comment. Some authors like upvotes, some authors like subscribers, I like comments. I love reading your reactions to the chapter and hearing your thoughts. It helps me improve and it keeps me motivated - so please leave a comment!