Chapter Twenty-Two: The Deception

“Her name is Kim Eun Ha.” Kwang Soo crossed and uncrossed his arms before looking up at Jong Kook.

The two of them had reached the filming site at the same time that Monday afternoon and had gone up to the third floor together. Only Ji Hyo had arrived before them, and exhausted from filming Gye-Baek for long hours the day before, she was napping in one of the office rooms down the hall. While waiting for the cameras to be set up, Kwang Soo had told Jong Kook about the woman he’d been messaging over the last month. Kwang Soo sat in an office chair, while Jong Kook stood over him, leaning against the beige-colored wall.

“She’s four years younger than me and also in acting. But she’s only had small roles in movies so far.” Kwang Soo twisted his hands in his lap, unable to stop fidgeting as he spoke. “We exchanged numbers three weeks ago after meeting at a friend’s party. She’s really outgoing—all the other actresses like her a lot. I usually like the quieter type, but she’s so full of life that I can’t not like her. She has a pretty smile, and she likes shoe shopping, reading thriller novels, and zebras.”

“It will never work if she likes zebras,” joked Jong Kook. “You’re a giraffe.”

Kwang Soo looked hurt. “Hyung, I really like her. I want to ask her out on a date. But what if she’s not interested? She says she really likes me on Running Man and that she likes tall men.”

“Who usually texts first?” asked Jong Kook.

“I do.”

“How often has she texted you first?”

Kwang Soo had to think about that one. “Once or twice…”

“She’s not interested.”

“But…” Kwang Soo winced. “You’ve never met her hyung. You can’t know that for sure.”

There was something a little desperate in Kwang Soo’s voice, and Jong Kook wondered if he’d been too harsh. Jong Kook never liked to assume that women were interested in him, and he discouraged his dongsaengs from jumping to such conclusions. It could be hurtful to both the man and the woman. It could damage their friendship, make them uncomfortable at work, and could even result in negative rumors.

“There are plenty of women who will like you,” said Jong Kook, trying to keep his voice gentle. “But I think you should move on from Kim Eun Ha.”

“All you do is tell people to move on.” Kwang Soo smiled ruefully as he spoke. “You told Joong Ki to move on from Ji Hyo-noona, and now you’re telling me to move on from Eun Ha.” He let out a dramatic sigh. “I should have just listened to Jae Suk-hyung.”

“When did you talk to Jae Suk-hyung?” asked Jong Kook.

“This weekend,” said Kwang Soo. “We ran into each other at the broadcasting station.”

“Let me guess—Jae Suk-hyung told you to go for it.”

Kwang Soo made a face. “He didn’t even say whether he thought she was interested or not. He just told me to go for it.”

“That’s Jae Suk-hyung,” said Jong Kook.

“What’s Jae Suk-oppa?” A high voice came from behind. Jong Kook looked over his shoulder to see Ji Hyo in a dark green vest, a black and white t-shirt, and black shorts standing in the doorway of the office room. She blinked frequently as if trying to wake herself up.

“Noona,” said Kwang Soo in greeting.

“Shim FD says we need to meet in the conference room for filming,” mumbled Ji Hyo.

“Are the cameras ready?” asked Jong Kook.

Ji Hyo nodded. “And they said the others have arrived.”

“You might need to touch up your makeup,” said Jong Kook as he stepped past Ji Hyo toward the door. “You look like you’ve risen from the dead.”

Ji Hyo lightly punched his left arm. “You didn’t answer my question, hyungnim.” Jong Kook tried to hide his automatic scowl at her use of “hyungnim,” but of course, Ji Hyo saw it. She flashed a smug grin and repeated, “What’s Jae Suk-oppa?”

Jong Kook glanced over at Kwang Soo who was halfway across the room to the exit; their eyes met and Jong Kook sent his dongsaeng a silent question. It wasn’t Jong Kook’s story to tell, after all. Ji Hyo had followed this soundless exchange before turning to stare at Kwang Soo with big, pleading eyes. The corners of Jong Kook’s mouth twitched up into a smile. Poor Kwang Soo was left with his hyung and his noona waiting for him to speak.

“I-I-I…” Kwang Soo tripped over his words. “There’s this, uh, woman…”

“Have you gone out on a date yet?” asked Ji Hyo before he could even finish.

Kwang Soo looked so lost that Jong Kook decided to step in. “He doesn’t know if he should ask her out or not, so he’s talking to his hyungs. I said she’s not interested, and Jae Suk-hyung said Kwang Soo should just go for it.”

Ji Hyo didn’t miss a beat. “You should go for it.”

“That’s reckless,” said Jong Kook. “If she’s not interested, it will be awkward for both of them.”

Ji Hyo pursed her lips and stared up at Jong Kook. “He’ll never know if she’s interested or not if he doesn’t go for it. Sometimes we have to take risks to get rewards. And sometimes a big gesture can impress a woman.”

“But she’s clearly not interested,” said Jong Kook. “Kwang Soo has said that he’s the one who always messages first.”

“Hyung, noona…” Kwang Soo started edging towards the door. “We have filming soon.”

“She could be shy,” said Ji Hyo. She followed Kwang Soo out the door and into the main hallway. “And it’s much more difficult for the woman to message first.”

“Maybe in the beginning of the friendship,” said Jong Kook, walking a little behind Ji Hyo. “But Kwang Soo said they’ve been talking for almost a month and she has initiated the conversation once.”

“Oh.” Ji Hyo stopped outside the filming room door and frowned at Kwang Soo. “You should have told me that sooner.”

Kwang Soo looked a little exasperated. “Noona, do you think I should ask her out or not?”

“I say you shouldn’t. Jae Suk-hyung and Ji Hyo think you should,” said Jong Kook.

“Hold on.” Ji Hyo raised a hand in the air. “I’m still deciding. Kwang Soo didn’t tell me they’ve been talking for a month and she still doesn’t initiate the conversation. She might just think of him as a friend.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying,” said Jong Kook. “You should assume you’re just friends unless there’s evidence otherwise. Not the—”

The door to the filming room opened and Shim FD’s round head emerged from the gap. He looked around at the three cast members and said, “We could hear your voices from inside.”

“Sorry,” said Jong Kook.

“We were discussing Kwang Soo’s dating life,” added Ji Hyo.

Shim FD gave Kwang Soo a long, hard look before nodding and saying, “I understand.”

“Hey,” said Kwang Soo. “What’s the supposed to mean?”

Without another word, Shim FD opened up the door and stepped back to let the cast members into the room. A conference room with cream-colored carpets and wooden walls had been emptied of any tables and filled with filming equipment and Running Man staff members. Six chairs had been placed in front of the cameras, all facing a television screen.

“What’s this about?” asked Ji Hyo as she took the second chair from the left. “Why are there only six?”

“Is someone not making it today?” Jong Kook sat down one chair over from Ji Hyo and Kwang Soo sat on his left.

“Are we pranking one of the members?” asked Ji Hyo.

“You’ll see when everyone else arrives,” said Cho PD.

It didn’t take long for everyone else to arrive. Jong Kook, Ji Hyo, and Kwang Soo were discussing their plans for Chuseok when Jae Suk, Suk Jin, and Haha entered the conference room. Jae Suk was wearing a colorful, striped shirt while Suk Jin was in yellow and Haha in white.

“Are we just starting?” asked Suk Jin.

“They’re starting immediately,” said Jong Kook. “We were just waiting for you.”

Jae Suk, Suk Jin, and Haha were fitted with their mics, and Kwang Soo rose from his seat to get his makeup touched up. All of them were still confused as to what was going on. Since there were six chairs and six members were there, then whatever was going on that day had to do with Gary. Jong Kook was certain that he would have heard from Haha or Gary himself if he wasn’t making it to filming that day, which meant that Ji Hyo’s guess was probably right—they were pranking Gary somehow.

“We don’t even have a seat for Gary-oppa,” said Ji Hyo.

“Oh.” Jong Kook pretended to be surprised for the cameras, looking around at the six empty seats.

“Your acting’s terrible,” said Jae Suk as he settled in the seat between Jong Kook and Ji Hyo. “I don’t know why you’re good at being the spy when your acting is so bad.”

“Are you still upset about Thailand?” asked Jong Kook with a grin.

The other Running Man members sat down with Haha next to Jong Kook and Kwang Soo on the end with Suk Jin sitting on Ji Hyo’s right. Cho PD held out a mission card, and Ji Hyo went to retrieve it. As she sat back down, Jae Suk asked, “Mong Ji Hyo, what is it?” She handed the card to Jae Suk, and he read aloud: “If you can trick Gary until the end of filming when we say ‘cut!’, you win. If Gary figures it out in the middle, Gary wins.”

“What? All day?” Jong Kook blinked in surprise. They had done something similar before where the cast and guests had to stamp Gary’s face during a game without Gary noticing, and they had done other game segments where they had tricked guests, but they never had a prank last throughout the entire day’s filming.

“Exactly as said,” explained Cho PD. “You have to deceive him until the end of filming. Unlike in the past, you won’t be able to tell him in the middle. We’ll just end filming and then he’ll go home. That’s how you’ll trick Gary.”

“We’re just going to let Gary go home?” asked Suk Jin, uncrossing his arms.

Ji Hyo laughed. “So he won’t know until he sees this on air?”

“He’ll find out as he’s watching?” asked Kwang Soo.

“He won’t even know at the end,” said Jae Suk,

Jong Kook could understand their surprise. How horrifying would it be to sit down to watch Chuseok’s Running Man episode, only to realize that everyone—cast and staff—had been fooling you for two weeks?

“Gary asked us last time why we weren’t letting him be the spy,” explained Cho PD. “So today Gary will be a spy, but you all will know.”

There was a pause. Then Kwang Soo started clapping. Ji Hyo raised her hands to cover her smile, and Suk Jin said, “Ah, so we know.” All Jong Kook could think was how glad he was that he wasn’t Gary.

“We have to pretend we’ve been had,” said Jong Kook.

Jae Suk nodded. “And if Gary thinks, ‘Wait, this is weird. Do they know I’m the spy?’ then we lose?” 

“So, we could get caught if we overreact, trying to be funny,” added Haha.

Jae Suk and Jong Kook immediately turned to look at Suk Jin, and Jae Suk said, “Suk Jin-hyung might go, ‘Hey, don’t you think something’s weird?’ Don’t do that, hyung. Don’t do things like that.”

The image of Suk Jin saying that was just too vivid, and all the cast members started laughing. Even Suk Jin chuckled, knowing the truth in those accusations. If Jong Kook was bad at acting, then Suk Jin was ten times worse.

“Pretend that nothing is wrong, hyung,” Jong Kook told Suk Jin. “Just be normal.”

“I know, I know,” said Suk Jin.

“That’s the problem,” Jae Suk explained. “That you know.”

“I’m saying it’s better if you forget,” said Jong Kook.

Suk Jin looked around at the other five cast members. “Why is everyone attacking me?”

Jong Kook grimaced. He and Suk Jin had gotten along much better after they’d talked about their feelings and their characters, and Jong Kook didn’t want to lose that newly gained friendship. However, this was a team mission, and character aside, Suk Jin was really bad at deceiving people. Jong Kook hoped his hyung understood this bluntness was for the team and not anything personal. Perhaps Suk Jin realized these worries because when his eyes met Jong Kook’s, he gave a little nod. Jong Kook nodded back, relieved that the intent had been understood.

“In a little bit,” said Cho PD. “We will have a wrestling competition for the first mission. The competition will determine the order in which you will be caught during the nametag-ripping segment after. The wrestling will be in a tournament style.”

At the use of “tournament” in English, Jae Suk pointed to his right at Haha and Kwang Soo. “These two don’t know ‘tournament’.”

Jong Kook glanced over at Haha and Kwang Soo’s dumbstruck faces and couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s true.”

“You make me go crazy, hyung,” said Haha.

“It’s a ‘tournament’,” explained Jae Suk, using the translated word with exaggerated slowness. “You get it? ‘Survivor’.”

“A tournament.” Haha faked an arrogant laugh. “Wow. I really… I knew…”

“Don’t look at me!” cried Kwang Soo. “I don’t know either.”

“We need to give these two electronic dictionaries,” said Jae Suk.

“This only happens when I’m next to him,” said Haha, pointing at Kwang Soo.

“And when you’re next to Gary,” added Jong Kook.

“Doesn’t that mean it happens all the time?” asked Ji Hyo, leaning forward in her seat with a cheeky smile.

“It will be in a tournament style,” said Cho PD, getting them back on topic. “And the winner will get the smallest nametag. Those who won one match will have medium-sized nametags, and those who lose in the first round will have large nametags.”

Jong Kook nodded. He had little doubt that he was going to win the wrestling competition. Not only was he much stronger than the other cast members, but he had wrestled in high school and knew the technical skills used in wrestling.

“But at the beginning,” said Jae Suk, “we’re not supposed to know what the matches are for, right?”

Jong Kook looked over at the PDs. “So we should pretend to know nothing about how the rankings will effect later.” He paused and then asked, “We don’t have to let Gary win wrestling, do we?”

“No,” said Cho PD.

Jae Suk started to snicker. “Jong Kook’s worried he’s going to have to let Gary win.”

“Pretending to lose in wrestling would be harder than pretending not to know he’s the spy,” said Jong Kook.

“You never know,” said Kwang Soo. “Gary-hyung could be good at wrestling. He did boxing before.”

“So did Jong Kook-oppa,” said Ji Hyo.

“That’s right.” Jong Kook glanced at her, trying to recall if he’d ever mentioned it to her before. He couldn’t remember, so he turned to Kwang Soo and said, “Boxing is very different from wrestling.”

 Not long after, Gary arrived in the building, and Myuk PD switched on the television to reveal that cameras had been set up in the basement hallways and interview room. Myuk PD explained that Gary would be brought to that room and told that he arrived earlier than the other members in order to receive his instruction as a spy. The rest of the cast could watch on the television.

“It’s the Truman Show, the Truman Show.” Kwang Soo pointed at the screen excitedly.

“It really is the Truman Show,” said Jae Suk.

“This is no joke.” Haha leaned back in his seat. “But Gary-hyung will have fun today.”

Kwang Soo laughed. “He’ll have good things happen to him.”

“They said Gary’s in the basement…” said Myuk PD, peering at the television screen. Gary still hadn’t appeared on any of the cameras.

“Oh, he’s coming.” Haha pointed at the camera showing the hallway. “He’s coming.”

Sure enough, Gary appeared at the end of the corridor wearing a white graphic t-shirt and a baseball cap. He was strutting as he walked and there was already a smile on his face as if he knew what was coming.

“Huh. He’s acting weird already, right?” said Jong Kook.

“He’s acting weird,” agreed Suk Jin.

They watched in silence as Kang Gary entered the basement room. He was directed to sit at a wooden desk opposite one of the FDs. There was an empty whiteboard behind him, but Gary didn’t seem to notice; he was smiling in anticipation as he waited for the FD to speak.

“You are a spy.”

Immediately, Gary laughed and clapped his hands together. Which, of course, made the rest of the Running Man members laugh.

“Has my turn finally come?” asked Gary. “A genuine spy.”

“I’m going to feel bad on Chuseok,” said Haha. “Gary’s going to call me and be angry.”

Jae Suk shushed him so that they continue listening. On the television screen, the FD explained, “Today, the Running Man members will think there is a guest. However, instead you will be ripping off their nametags in a predetermined order. The other members cannot find out it is you.”

Jae Suk leaned forward in his seat. “You know what’s the most burdensome thing when they say you need to rip off nametags? Even though being a spy is good. It’s how to rip off Kim Jong Kook’s.”

Jong Kook laughed, and the other two members who had been spies before, Haha and Ji Hyo, joined in.

Moments later, on the screen, Gary rested his arm on the table and said, with a dramatic sigh, “If it weren’t for those quick-witted hyungs, Jong Kook and Jae Suk, I could take them all out.”

“See, I told you,” said Jae Suk.

“He mentioned you too,” pointed out Jong Kook. “You’re dangerous as well, hyung.” He glanced to his right and added, “Ji Hyo can be quick-witted too.”

Ji Hyo smiled at Jong Kook, but her smile quickly faded when Haha said, “Only when she isn’t blanked out.”

“He’s not concerned at all with you three,” said Jae Suk, pointing to Suk Jin then Haha and Kwang Soo.

“I can be quick-witted,” said Haha. “I’ve been the spy before.”

“Dong Hoon is good,” agreed Jong Kook. “And you know Gary well. He should definitely be worried about you.”

On the other side of the television screen, the FD asked why Gary wasn’t afraid of Ji Hyo. Gary laughed a little and said, “Don’t you know how obsessed with me Song Ji Hyo is right now? She’s obsessed with me so she’ll fall right into my trap.”

Ji Hyo, of course, found this hilarious.          

After clarifying the rules of the game for Gary, the FD explained that they were going to have a wrestling competition since this episode was a Chuseok Special and that the results of the wresting would determine the order in which he would have to eliminate the members. Jong Kook watched the surprise cross Gary’s face as he realized how important the results of the wrestling match were.

“Who’s the hardest?” asked the FD.

“Even elementary school students know!” cried Gary, causing Jong Kook and the rest of the cast to laugh. Gary adjusted the brim of his blue hat and then said, “Jong Kook-hyung used to be a wrestling athlete when he was younger.”

“I can’t believe they’re making us wrestle you,” said Suk Jin.

They fell silent again when the FD asked Gary to draw up his ideal scenario for the wrestling matches on the whiteboard. Gary picked up a blue marker and said, “Hang on. So I should write their names…and go like this?” He traced straight lines with his finger on the whiteboard. “This? Like a World Cup match?”

“A tournament,” said Jae Suk, providing the English word despite being on the other side of a screen.

“He doesn’t know ‘tournament’,” said Jong Kook.

Gary turned away from the whiteboard to face the FD and camera, and as if speaking to his hyungs, cried, “I know ‘tournament’!”

Jae Suk and Jong Kook laughed, unable to believe that their conversation lined up so well. Ji Hyo’s mouth dropped opened, and she kept pointing from Jong Kook to the screen and then back to Jong Kook.

“Wow,” said Suk Jin. “He must have heard you.”

“Oppa has psychic powers.” Ji Hyo covered her smile with the back of her hand.

“No, no. It’s because he said, ‘Word Cup, and this,’ and they said, ‘tournament’…” Jong Kook couldn’t help but try to explain. He wasn’t a psychic or any superhuman as much as the show tried to make him out to be. He stopped talking, however, when he realized that Jae Suk and Haha had gone back to watching the television while Gary wrote one character of each of their names at the top of the whiteboard. None of the other cast members wanted to hear his explanation, Jong Kook thought—until he caught Ji Hyo’s gaze. She was leaning forward, her hands on either side of her chair and her dark eyes filled with laughter. Jong Kook smiled back, grateful at least someone cared, and then they both turned to watch Gary explain his plan.

“We have to follow that plan?” asked Jae Suk.

“Gary’s going to be very happy,” said Kwang Soo.

“First…” said Gary. “I’m thinking of getting the aces out first.”

For a second, Jong Kook was terrified that Gary was going to put him against Ji Hyo for the first round of wrestling; Jong Kook didn’t think he had it in him to knock Ji Hyo down onto the mat.

But Gary pointed to Jong Kook and Jae Suk’s names before writing them down for the first match. “This way one will be eliminated first.”

“Ah.” Jae Suk tapped Jong Kook’s shoulder. “First, it’s a match between you and me.”

“Yeah.” Jong Kook was just happy that he wasn’t going to have to wrestle Ji Hyo.

On screen, Gary was examining the names of the other members. “Next would be Ji Hyo and Suk Jin-hyung.”

Jong Kook looked over at Suk Jin and Ji Hyo who were sitting on the end. Suk Jin was laughing, a little red in the face, and Jong Kook couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him. Suk Jin probably wanted to face Ji Hyo no more than Jong Kook wanted to, but for very different reasons. Because of their characters, if Jong Kook lost, people would credit it to him being a gentleman, but if Suk Jin lost, people would assume it was because Suk Jin was weak. It was an impossible situation for Suk Jin.

“The last ones are Haha and Lee Kwang Soo,” said Gary, writing their names on the board. “Who wins or loses from this pair doesn’t really matter.”

“What about you?” asked the FD.

“Me?” Gary pointed innocently to himself. “I get a bye.”

“Giving yourself a bye,” snickered Ji Hyo.

“If you want to give yourself a win,” said Jae Suk, “you give yourself a bye.”

The FD then asked Gary to predict the winners of each match. The cast watched in silence as Gary examined the whiteboard. Like a teacher, Gary raised his hand holding the marker and said, “If there’s no cheating or any accidents, Jong Kook-hyung will win.” He circled the name on the board. “And here…” He moved on to Suk Jin and Ji Hyo’s match, and after a short pause, he circled Ji Hyo’s name. “After going back and forth repeatedly,” explained Gary, “in the end, because he has no energy, because Suk Jin-hyung’s legs won’t support him any longer, Ji Hyo will win.”

“Yah, Ji Hyo will win,” said Jae Suk.

Jong Kook smiled and glanced at Ji Hyo. She was laughing and fanning herself. In all honestly, he wouldn’t put it past her to win without them needing to follow Gary’s predictions. Suk Jin was the stronger of the two, but Ji Hyo was quick and clever.

“Here,” said Gary, moving on to the final battle. “Haha would win.” He circled the name and then stepped back to survey his work. “The winners will then go on to the next matches. The winners….” He drew a line up from Jong Kook’s name and then started dragging the line to the right. The two options for Jong Kook to battle in the next round where either Haha or Ji Hyo. Gary paused over Ji Hyo’s name and once again Jong Kook found himself worried that he would have to wrestle Ji Hyo, but then Gary continued the line to Haha’s name. “The winners between these two.”

Jong Kook laughed. It took all of his willpower not to glance in Ji Hyo’s direction.

“If this is the case,” said Gary, “there will be no choice—a couple battle!”

Ji Hyo was giggling as Gary drew a line connecting his name to hers.

“Gary looks like he’s lecturing,” said Jae Suk.

Gary, of course, couldn’t hear a word Jae Suk said and continued acting like a teacher. “And the winners of these two matches… Today, unfortunately, I will have to defeat Ji Hyo. Because I have to be an industrial spy today.”

“He needs to stop saying that,” said Kwang Soo.

“All that talk about wanting to be an industrial spy,” scoffed Jae Suk.

Gary’s predictions ended with himself versus Jong Kook. “Just like that, the final winners would meet. The winner between these two would be… Kim Jong Kook.” Gary looked over his shoulder at the FD and said, “It doesn’t matter. He used to be a wrestling athlete.”

Jong Kook was smiling. Partly because he wouldn’t have to fake losing to Gary, partly because he thought filming the TruGary Show would be fun, and partly because he now knew wouldn’t have to wrestle Ji Hyo. He sent a silent thank you to Gary along with an apology for the deception that would take place that night.

Ji Hyo did not like eavesdropping. She went out of her way to avoid it, once even going as far as texting her friend Ye Seo to say that she could hear the argument between Ye Seo and her boyfriend from the room next door. Of course, Ji Hyo did listen in on the other cast members in Running Man from time to time because deception and betrayal were part of the games, but in real life, concerning real life conversations, Ji Hyo did not like eavesdropping.

So she tried to resist temptation—she really did—when she heard Jae Suk say, “Kook Jong, you are not in a position to give anyone dating advice.”

The cast was walking from the front of D-Cube City where they had done the opening segment of the show to the parking lot where the wrestling competition would take place. Ji Hyo had been walking behind Jae Suk and Jong Kook, wondering if she should grab Suk Jin in case he’d forgotten about the plan, when she’d overheard Jae Suk talking about Jong Kook’s dating life.

She shouldn’t eavesdrop. Ji Hyo knew that. Except they were right in front of her. And it was about Jong Kook.

“I’ve dated enough to know that Kwang Soo shouldn’t just ‘go for it’,” said Jong Kook.

“Aigoo.” Jae Suk waved away his dongsaeng’s words. “Have you even dated anyone after Lee Arisu?”

Ji Hyo’s chest tightened. It’d been three months since Jong Kook had met and flirted with Lee Arisu on the show. Ji Hyo had managed to push down her jealousy throughout filming, but she hadn’t been able to stop herself from feeling relieved when she heard that things hadn’t worked out. But had there been someone else? Ji Hyo and Jong Kook were friends, going out to dinner after filming and sending each other a few joking texts throughout the week, but they weren’t close enough for Jong Kook to tell her about a woman he was seeing. What if there was one?

“You know me, hyung,” said Jong Kook. “I’m picky.”

Jae Suk laughed. “That is true. But still, you should get out more. Most of your friends are married.”

“Hong Kyung Min isn’t married,” said Jong Kook.

“That’s why I said ‘most’.”

Despite the warm feeling that filled Ji Hyo’s chest when she realized Jong Kook hadn’t dated anyone in three months, she silently reprimanded herself. This wasn’t any of her business. If Jong Kook wanted her to know these things, he’d tell her. But still… She had to fight back a smile. Jong Kook hadn’t dated anyone else.

“Ji Hyo.” Suk Jin touched her arm lightly to get her to slow down.

The warm feeling faded as Ji Hyo realized they were almost at the location of the wrestling competition. A crowd of people had come to watch the wrestling match, causing Ji Hyo’s heart to start hammering in her chest. She wasn’t comfortable with crowds, and even though she knew how the wrestling match would turn out, she was still afraid that she would fail the Running Man fans somehow.

In order to turn Gary’s ideal matchups into reality, the cast members had decided to determine the pairs by the order in which the members crossed a white line. Jae Suk and Jong Kook crossed first, followed by Haha and Kwang Soo. Suk Jin and Ji Hyo had hurried across the line together to ensure that Gary was last. It took all of Ji Hyo’s strength not to laugh when the PDs revealed the matchups and Gary was shocked that they’d gone exactly as he’d wanted.

The seven members stood behind a red mat with white lines drawn on it to resemble a wrestling ring. After greeting the crowd and having the competition explained to them, the cast started taking off their shoes. Ji Hyo sat on the ground and started unlacing her converses, while Jong Kook stood in front of her, slipping off his tennis shoes, and Haha stood next to him, using his shoulder as a support.

“Have you wrestled before, Ji Hyo?” asked Haha.

Ji Hyo glanced up at him and shook her head. “But I’ve watched a lot of matches with my appa.”

Jong Kook opened his mouth to say something when Gary cut across him. “Jong Kook-hyung, can you lose once?”

“To who?” asked Jong Kook.

“Me.”

Ji Hyo snorted, bowing her head so Gary couldn’t see her smile, while Jong Kook asked, “What? You’re not my opponent.”

“In case we meet each other…” Gary trailed off.

“Hey,” cried Jae Suk. “He’s battling me.”

“Really?” Gary laughed so awkwardly and obviously that Ji Hyo had to think of calming things like rainy days and naps to stop herself from doing something stupid.

Dong Wan FD, who was dressed as a traditional wrestling referee, handed out thigh bands for the cast to put around their waist and legs. Jae Suk and Jong Kook, who would be starting off the competition, stepped out to the center of the mat in front of Dong Wan Referee.

Ji Hyo checked her thigh band as Dong Wan Referee asked Jae Suk and Jong Kook to kneel. Yes, Suk Jin had to let her win, but Ji Hyo didn’t want to win because he was going easy on her. She was the Ace. She wanted to earn her title. She could see an elementary-aged girl in the crowd holding a paper sign that read “Song Ji Hyo Fighting”—how could Ji Hyo let that little girl down?

“You kneel down first.”

“No, you.”

“It’s only a pose to get ready.”

Jae Suk and Jong Kook were bickering over who should kneel down first. It was an old gag and one that the two of them performed often.

“We’ll kneel down together,” proposed Jae Suk.

“Of course.”

They started to squat down, but as soon as their knees got close to the mat, they both froze and then stood up again.

“Ah, you kneel down first,” cried Jae Suk.

“I know, I know,” said Jong Kook. “I’ll kneel down.”

“Am I not your hyung?”

“I know.”

“It’s not important,” said Jae Suk as they started to squat again. “Why are we having a mind battle?”

Just as their knees were about to touch the mat, they both stopped. And stood up again.

“Why do you do this, hyung?” asked Jong Kook.

Jae Suk pointed at him. “Ah, seriously.”

Once again, they squatted down, but this time as soon as their knees approached the mat, Kwang Soo ran out and pushed Jong Kook forward with a cry of “Is this so important?”

Jong Kook fell forward, throwing his hands out to catch himself. He looked up over his shoulder at Kwang Soo, faking a glare so that audience couldn’t see. Kwang Soo only smiled back, since Jong Kook wouldn’t play his aggressive Commander role in front of the fans. As he got to his feet, Jong Kook smiled sweetly at the audience, and Ji Hyo couldn’t help but laugh; she loved his Kookie persona best.

“Hey, Jong Kook,” called out Suk Jin, “don’t go easy on him.”

“Beat him with pride,” said Gary.

Jong Kook stood up, but Jae Suk remained kneeling on the ground pretending that his legs wouldn’t work. Without any hesitation, Jong Kook picked Jae Suk up by the waistband and then set him back down on his feet. Ji Hyo laughed. She knew how this match was going to end, and yet her heartbeat was still racing with anticipation.

“Fighting,” said Haha, clapping. “No matter who will win.”

“Jae Suk, are you really doing this?” asked Suk Jin.

Dong Wan Referee blew the whistle and stepped back. The match had begun. And, of course, Jong Kook immediately picked up Jae Suk.

It was so sudden that Ji Hyo and the other members gasped in surprise. All it had taken was one roar and a lift of Jong Kook’s arms, and Jae Suk was hanging in the air, his feet above the ground.

“How can he win?” asked Gary.

Ji Hyo smiled. Even if there had been no pre-determined winners, there was no way for Jae Suk to beat Jong Kook.

“Throw him out,” recommended Suk Jin, who was clearly enjoying Jae Suk’s loss.

Jong Kook walked to the mat and then twisted his body from side to side, swinging Jae Suk about. Jae Suk let out a cry of surprise before Jong Kook tossed him down onto the mat with a slam.

“Kim Jong Kook wins!” Dong Wan Referee grabbed Jong Kook’s hand and raised it into the air. Jae Suk still lay sprawled out on the mat, rolling around dramatically as if he had just suffered the greatest humiliation.

Ji Hyo sat on her knees, her body trembling with laughter and her abdomen starting to ache. As Jong Kook walked back to edge of the mat, their eyes met and he grinned at her. All Ji Hyo could think was that it was good thing her face was already red from laughing.

Jae Suk went into yet another one of his dramatic scenes in which he whined about his embarrassment and begged the PDs not to do a replay during the live broadcast (which meant that the PDs would definitely show a replay). Then, it was Haha and Kwang Soo’s match. After much back and forth, according to Gary’s predictions, Haha overcame the height difference and knock Kwang Soo over. All too soon it was Ji Hyo’s turn. Gary gave her a little shove and she saw that Suk Jin had already stepped out onto the mat, pointing at her, daring her to come out.

She stepped out, the cushioned mat giving away a little under her feet, and crowd started chanting her name. “Song Ji Hyo. Song Ji Hyo. Song Ji Hyo.”

She swallowed. She couldn’t show her nervousness. She was the Ace, someone like Suk Jin was supposed to be easy to her. Besides, the outcomes had been predetermined. And yet, butterflies were forming in Ji Hyo’s stomach.

“Please cheer for Suk Jin-hyung as well,” Jong Kook told the crowd.

“Suk Jin-hyung too,” said Jae Suk with a laugh.

Ji Hyo winced. She didn’t care about the other Running Man members, but she wished Jong Kook would cheer for her.

 Kwang Soo started up a cheer of “Ji Suk Jin” and Suk Jin tried to clap along, but the crowd took this and shouted back, “Song Ji Hyo! Song Ji Hyo! Song Ji Hyo!” The look of frustration on Suk Jin’s face caused Ji Hyo to burst out laughing. She applauded the crowd, still unable to believe how fully they supported her.

“Ready?” asked Jae Suk.

Ji Hyo and Suk Jin moved into position again. Suk Jin reached for Ji Hyo’s waistband, placing his hands as if Ji Hyo was a man. For a second, Ji Hyo didn’t know what to do. Should she stop Suk Jin in front of all these people or try to act like nothing is wrong?

“Hyung!” Jong Kook stepped past Jae Suk and caught Suk Jin by the wrist. “You can’t do that.”

There was a pause, and Suk Jin’s expression was blank. Then, slowly, understanding dawned. His face turned pink and he muttered, “Sorry, Ji Hyo. Sorry.”

“Since there’s a girl this time,” said Jae Suk, carefully showing Suk Jin where to place his hands. “We’ll use manner hands.”

“Are you okay, oppa?” Ji Hyo asked.

The redness had finally started to fade from Suk Jin’s face. “Sorry, Ji Hyo.”

“It’s okay,” she said, keeping her voice low so that the crowd couldn’t hear. She glanced to her right, searching for Jong Kook. Even if she couldn’t vocally thank him right then, she at least wanted to acknowledge what he’d done for her. However, Jong Kook had disappeared.

She didn’t have time to look for him or even to register the disappointment that filled her chest, because Jae Suk shouted, “Start!”

Ji Hyo suddenly felt Suk Jin pushing her. She kept her legs bent, trying to bear his strength. She didn’t know if he was trying to go easy on her, not using all his force, but she refused to win simply because Suk Jin let her. She wanted the victory of her own accord. Not just for her Ace image or the little girls watching in the crowd, but for herself. She wanted to know that she could do it.

From a young age, Ji Hyo had watched wrestling with her father, and while she didn’t know the exact technique for pulling off a leg-tripping maneuver, she knew what it looked like. She gripped Suk Jin’s shoulders and jumped, hooking her right leg around his. She threw her weight into it. It took all her strength, pushing on his shoulder with her own. For an instant, she wondered if she had failed, if there was no way for her to win this fight, and then she felt Suk Jin giving underneath her. He fell backwards and she fell with him.

She’d won. She’d actually won. And not because Suk Jin had let her—if he had any say in it, they would have gone back and forth for some time. She had won because of her own power.

Ji Hyo laughed and clapped. She could hear the roar of the crowd and the voices of the other Running Man cast members. Jae Suk and Kwang Soo were checking on Suk Jin who was lying sprawled out on the mat. Ji Hyo didn’t care. Perhaps she would feel bad for Suk Jin in a couple days, perhaps she would feel sad that Jong Kook had missed it, but right then she was elated. Her entire being felt light and happy and she couldn’t believe what she had just done. When she had first started Running Man, if someone had told her that she would beat a man in a wrestling match, she would have called that person crazy. But look how far she’d come, look how much Running Man had pushed her. Ji Hyo lay on her side and laughed.

“Gary!” Jong Kook spotted his dongsaeng climbing the motionless escalator. It was the first time Jong Kook had seen Gary since Suk Jin had been ousted, and it took all of Jong Kook’s self-control not to snicker at the sight of Gary’s slightly panicked expression.

Ji Hyo, who had been walking beside Jong Kook, didn’t have the same self-control. Knowing Gary seeing her laughing face might reveal the TruGary Show, Ji Hyo turned away, leaving Jong Kook and Jae Suk talk to Gary.

“Although we found some puzzle pieces,” said Jong Kook, “we can’t figure out who it is.” That was a good way to go, thought Jong Kook. Comfort Gary. Don’t put so much pressure on him. Stress made people paranoid, and paranoia led to people suspecting things they wouldn’t normally—like suspecting that the cast members knew that Gary was a spy.

“Really?” asked Gary.

“I don’t know who the person is,” said Jong Kook.

After the wrestling competition had ended, with Jong Kook beating Gary in the final round, the Running Man members had been given a fake mission of finding the guest. They’d been told that puzzle pieces were scattered around the shopping mall, and when put together the pieces would reveal the face of the guest. In truth, the puzzle would reveal Gary’s face. The members had agreed beforehand that they would avoid putting together the puzzle in order to keep Gary as stress-free as possible, but the staff had made the pieces too easy to find so that it was hard for the members to pretend they hadn’t found any.

So far, Gary was unaware that the cast members were fooling him, and he had ousted Kwang Soo and Suk Jin without suspicion. The last remaining member with a large nametag was Jae Suk, which meant that the cast had to organize a way for Jae Suk and Gary to be alone together.

“The one I got was a neck part,” said Jae Suk.

“Really?” repeated Gary blankly.

Jong Kook nodded, trying to be as reassuring as possible. “It was black and white.”

“Maybe it’s not the guest’s face,” said Gary.

Jong Kook had to bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing, while Jae Suk and Gary performed Gary’s “Stress!” act together. After taking a deep breath, Jong Kook said, “I mean, it’s not that it wasn’t a face… It’s pieces here and there so I can’t really tell.”

“Really?” asked Gary yet again.

“There’s a guest, but we can’t see who the person is,” added Jae Suk, who until then had been pretending that he hadn’t seen the puzzle board. Jong Kook rolled his eyes at his hyung when Gary’s back was turned.

Jae Suk gulped and, to change the subject, called out, “Have you see anything, Ji Hyo?”

Jong Kook looked over his shoulder to see Ji Hyo making her way over to the group. Apparently, she had managed to get her laughter under control, and she now wore an expression of faint concern. She came to a halt next to Jong Kook before shaking her head and saying, “No, oppa, I haven’t seen anything.”

“I haven’t either,” aid Jong Kook. “What about you two?”

Jae Suk immediately answered, “No”, but it was only after a long pause that Gary said, “I saw someone running.”

“You did?” Jae Suk’s mouth was open in fake surprise.

“The VJs,” said Gary quickly.

Ji Hyo started laughing again and had to turn away. Her giggles made it even harder for Jong Kook to keep a straight face. If he looked at Gary or Ji Hyo, Jong Kook’s acting would crumble, so he kept his eyes fixed on Jae Suk as if there was nothing more important in the world. “The guest?”

“Not the guest,” said Gary, “but I saw the VJs running.”

“Where’s the person hiding?” asked Jae Suk. He abruptly turned away and started down the escalator; Jong Kook could see his hyung fighting to keep a smile off his face. Ji Hyo was still standing with her back to Gary as she tried to get her laughter under control, and Jong Kook realized that he was the only one left facing Gary.

“That’s why we can’t just walk around,” said Jong Kook.

“Then, what should we do?” asked Gary. “Stay here like this?”

Jong Kook tried to act like he didn’t notice Gary’s strange word choice. “We won’t find anyone if we all stick together. We should split up.”

“You two take a look upstairs!” shouted Jae Suk from the bottom of the escalator. He pointed to Jong Kook and Ji Hyo. “Around the sixth floor.”

“Yes, hyung,” said Jong Kook. “You go downstairs, Gary.” Then Jong Kook turned away, silently glad that he was getting a break from acting in front of Gary.

“Hyung, be careful,” called out Gary as he started walking down the escalator.

“Yeah.” Jong Kook paused and then added for good measure, “Hey, don’t go near the stairs.”

“Okay.” Gary nodded. “Ji Hyo, be careful. You’re the Ace.”

“Oppa also be careful,” said Ji Hyo in her sweet Monday Girlfriend voice.

Jong Kook raised his eyebrows, giving her a pointed look as they walked away from Gary. The moment Gary had disappeared from sight, Jong Kook said, “I think the last line was good. ‘Don’t go near the stairs.’”

“That was so funny before. I had to turn around.” Ji Hyo started laughing again. Her face was red and cute and Jong Kook couldn’t help but tap her back to calm her down. She smiled and said, “When we asked if he saw the guest, he said VJ…”

 “He said he only saw a VJ,” scoffed Jong Kook. “Hey, I’ve seen VJs too. There’s a VJ here, and a VJ there!” He pointed at his own VJ, Ki Jin, and then at Ji Hyo’s VJ, Sung Gyu. Ji Hyo giggled and slapped Jong Kook’s arm while Ki Jin and Sung Gyu exchanged silent glances.

“But what’s with you?” Jong Kook asked her. “Aren’t you an actress? Shouldn’t you be able to stop laughing? Get in character.”

“But, oppa,” said Ji Hyo, dragging out the last word. “It’s so funny. How can you not laugh?”

“I manage to not laugh,” said Jong Kook. “And you know how bad at acting I am.”

“But you’re good when you’re the spy,” pointed out Ji Hyo. “How do you do that?”

Jong Kook glanced at her, debating whether or not to give a serious answer. She was smart and certainly capable of being the spy by herself, perhaps he should give a variety show answer. But she seemed to be genuinely curious, and well, Jong Kook couldn’t deny someone who earnestly wanted to learn and improve.

“Pretend to be actively looking for the spy,” said Jong Kook. “The people who aren’t looking are automatically suspicious. And make sure to hold conversations like you normally do.”

Ji Hyo snickered. “Unlike Gary-oppa.”

“Yes,” said Jong Kook. “Everything Gary is doing today, make sure you don’t do.”

They were crossing the overlook when Jong Kook caught sight of a green t-shirt in a store one floor below. He grabbed Ji Hyo’s wrist. “Wait. It’s Jae Suk-hyung.”

“Gary should go to Jae Suk-oppa,” said Ji Hyo. She held her radio in her left hand as she leaned against the glass railing of the overlook.

“But they’re not going in,” said Jong Kook. As he peered down, he saw Jae Suk in a green t-shirt and Gary in a pastel purple one wandering about a watch store with glass cases. They were still out in the open, a space too revealing for any spy with common sense to dare to rip off a nametag.

Of course, Gary didn’t seem to have a lot of common sense today. He’d ripped off Kwang Soo’s nametag only seconds after Kwang Soo had said through the radio that he and Gary were searching together, and he’d ripped off Suk Jin’s nametag after being told to work on the puzzle with Suk Jin. Gary had then told the remaining cast members that both Kwang Soo and Suk Jin had run off and left him before being suddenly ousted.

The figure in the green shirt started to move to the escalators. “Oh.” Jong Kook pointed. “Look at Gary, Gary. He’s in the back.”

Ji Hyo rested her chin on the railing. “I think he’ll follow”

They watched as Gary followed Jae Suk to the escalators. The two men stood together for a moment surrounded by staff and VJs, discussing something. Then Jae Suk left, heading to another part of the store. Gary stayed put. He looked a little clueless, standing at the bottom of the escalator with a blank expression on his face. Then, slowly, he started to trail after Jae Suk.

“We should wait here,” said Jong Kook, “and then call him right when he’s about to rip it off.”

Jae Suk and Gary disappeared from Jong Kook’s view. Jong Kook tapped Ji Hyo’s arm. “They’re going inside. The time’s right. I’m going to contact them.”

Ji Hyo grinned and pulled out her own radio. “Oppa, where are you? Jae Suk-oppa?”

They paused, waiting to hear if Jae Suk would respond. Then, Jong Kook pressed the button on his radio and said, “Gary, where are you? Jae Suk-hyung?” He released the button and glanced over at Ji Hyo. “The time is right to have eliminated him, you see.”

Ji Hyo’s mouth was open as she shook with silent laughter. It was hard to explain what Jong Kook felt right then. The pounding in his chest, the energy that seemed to fill every part of him. When he’d first been told that they would be deceiving Gary all day, Jong Kook had felt a little guilty. He was certain it would make for a good episode, but Gary would probably feel awful when he saw it air. But at the same time, Jong Kook was having fun, so much fun. He and Ji Hyo couldn’t stop laughing, needing to use each other as support so they wouldn’t fall over. Every time their eyes met, they would smile. They shared the same light-headed feeling as they laughed and had fun, and Jong Kook forgot to feel guilty.

And when the announcement came, “Yoo Jae Suk, out, Yoo Jae Suk, out,” Ji Hyo collapsed against a pillar, and Jong Kook had to swallow back his laughter and he called through the radio, “Gary!”

“Yes, hyung.” Gary’s voice crackled through the radio.

Jong Kook pushed down the amusement in order to sound angry. “Where are you?”

The response came immediately. “I’m searching around.”

“Yah, Jae Suk-hyung was ousted just now.”

Ji Hyo started to lean into Jong Kook, using him as a support instead of the pillar.

“Don’t let him see us together,” whispered Jong Kook. “Stay still.”

Ji Hyo removed her hands just as Gary asked, “What did you say?”

“Jae Suk-hyung was eliminated,” snapped Jong Kook. He glanced at Ji Hyo. “I said he was eliminated. Where were you? You went with Jar Suk-hyung earlier.”

There was a pause. And then, Gary—clever industrial spy Gary—replied with “Eh?”

Ji Hyo grabbed Jong Kook’s arm, resting her forehead on his shoulder. Jong Kook had to let go of the radio button so Gary wouldn’t hear their laughter through the microphone. They both stood there, shaking and holding on to one another, and Jong Kook tried to ignore the silent glances that Ki Jin and Sung Gyu were exchanging yet again.

The cast waited until Gary had been led away for his “post-game interview” before ending the act. As sigh of relief filled the room, and the tension left the cast’s shoulders. Some of the staff laughed, while the PDs talked in hushed voices amongst themselves. A part of Ji Hyo was still surprised that they had managed to pull it off, but another part of her wondered how Gary could possibly have figured it out. Would Ji Hyo have thought that all the Running Man members would have teamed up to deceive her like that? No. She probably would have fallen for it just like Gary.

The PDs handed out the casts’ prizes. Gary had a received a meat set for Chuseok as his reward for “winning”, and as it turned out, the rest of the cast were given prizes of much bigger and more expensive meats. They divided the sets among the six members and thanked the PDs repeatedly before leaving the room. Myuk PD kept telling them to leave quickly, before Gary finished his “interview”.

However, the cast remained stubbornly slow in leaving the film site. Haha had to stay behind and discuss something with Cho PD, while Kwang Soo needed to make a couple phone calls about a drama. So only Ji Hyo, Jong Kook, Jae Suk, and Suk Jin headed for the elevator right away as Myuk PD had wanted.

“I feel bad for Gary-hyung,” said Ji Hyo as Suk Jin pressed the button for the garage floor.

“I hope he watches it alone on Chuseok,” said Jong Kook.

“Maybe oppa should send him a warning text that Sunday. Give him a heads up,” said Ji Hyo. “I know I’d feel awful if everyone tricked me like that.”

“It’s not something you and Kook Jong have to worry about,” said Jae Suk.

Ji Hyo blinked in surprise, but when she looked over at Suk Jin and Jong Kook, they were both nodding in agreement.

“Because we’re the Commander and Ace,” explained Jong Kook. “While we’re still building our characters, we can’t be tricked like this.”

“Oh.” Ji Hyo understood what they were saying, but it still felt strange to think that she was protected from her own TruGary Show because of her character. 

The elevator beeped when they reached the garage floor, and the metal doors slid open. Three vans were already waiting in the garage—Ji Hyo recognized them as belonging to Suk Jin, Jae Suk, and Haha. Ji Hyo frowned, wondering if her manager had gotten caught in traffic.

“Gap Jin said he was picking up dinner,” grumbled Jong Kook whose own van was missing as well.

Ji Hyo checked her smartphone and found a text from her manager, saying that he was going to buy barbecue for dinner with Jong Kook and Kwang Soo’s managers. With a long sigh, Ji Hyo placed her wrapped meat set on the concrete floor of the parking garage. She held out her phone to show Jong Kook the text and said, “Our managers have abandoned us.”

“They’d better bring back some barbecue for us,” said Jong Kook.

Suk Jin had placed his own meat set in the trunk of his van and was preparing to leave. He had opened the side door halfway before turning to talk to Jong Kook and Ji Hyo. “You two have to stay here?”

“Our managers decided barbecue was more important than their celebrities,” said Jong Kook.

Jae Suk laughed. “Are they bringing any back for you?”

“I don’t know,” said Ji Hyo sadly.

Jong Kook tapped her shoulder and said, “We should tell them to bring us back some bulgogi.”

As Ji Hyo typed the message her manager, Suk Jin said goodbye and that he had fun deceiving Gary with them. He slid the door of his van shut, and within moments, his van was gone. Haha and Jae Suk’s vans remained parked, while Jong Kook and Jae Suk stood beside Ji Hyo.

“Are you heading out, oppa?” asked Ji Hyo, pocketing her phone after sending the text.

Jae Suk and Jong Kook were looking at each other, and Ji Hyo wondered if some silent conversation was taking place. Before she could decipher it, Jae Suk turned to her and said, “I need to talk to Dong Hoon before I go.”

Jong Kook set down his box next to Ji Hyo’s and placed his hands in his shorts’ pockets. “I never laughed so hard as I did today.”

“There’s a reason Gary hasn’t been the spy before now,” said Jae Suk. “But he’s very cute when he thinks he’s deceiving us.”

“Ji Hyo and I called him on the radio right when he was going to rip your nametag off,” said Jong Kook. “Planned the whole thing out—it would have made for a great scene if it’d worked.”

“Yah.” Jae Suk looked back and forth between Jong Kook and Ji Hyo. “After all that talk of feeling guilty, you two were trying to prank him the most.”

“It’s for the show,” said Jong Kook. “Running Man’s best partners tricking Gary.”

Ji Hyo’s heart skipped a beat. What had Jong Kook just said? But before she could fully process what he meant by that, she found herself saying, “We were trying to make it more entertaining.”

“You’ve been learning variety, Mong Ji Hyo,” said Jae Suk.

“Of course.” Ji Hyo had to push away thoughts of Jong Kook’s comment so she could focus on the words coming out of . “You should have seen me acting the Monday Girlfriend today. I played house with Gary before he ousted me, and I even cheered him on during wrestling.”

“Good job,” said Jae Suk. And it sounded like he genuinely meant it.

“Being the Monday Girlfriend is fine,” said Jong Kook. “But did you have to cheer for him when he was wrestling me?”

A part of Ji Hyo jumped at Jong Kook’s words, wanting to read them as jealousy, but another part of her said that she was being silly. Jong Kook was just joking around. So instead of smiling at him, Ji Hyo put on a stern expression and said, “If you want me to cheer for you then you’d better cheer for me. When it was my turn to wrestle, you just disappeared.”

“I saw you.” Jong Kook almost sounded offended. “That leg-tripping move was daebak.”

“Where were you?” asked Ji Hyo.

Jong Kook shifted from one foot to the other. “Off-camera. I needed to get away from the crowd.”

“Why?”

It wasn’t until Jong Kook hesitated that Ji Hyo realized she was being intrusive. She was about to tell him to forget it when Jong Kook said, “I needed to get some painkillers from Gap Jin.”

Ji Hyo blinked. She wished she hadn’t asked; she knew how much Jong Kook hated to talk about his back pains, all the Running Man members knew that. And now that he had mentioned it, she wasn’t sure what she should say. He wouldn’t want sympathy—he surely didn’t want anyone to think he was whining—but she didn’t want to pretend that his back pains hadn’t existed.

“You shouldn’t have thrown me like that if it was going to hurt your back. That’s what you get for being arrogant.” Jae Suk’s voice almost caused Ji Hyo to jump. She had been so absorbed in her conversation with Jong Kook that she had completely forgotten that Jae Suk was even there.

She shook her head. “It was funny. If Jong Kook-oppa can throw you like that, I wonder how far he could throw me.”

“You two should have wrestled in the first round,” complained Jae Suk. “It would have been much more interesting.”

“No,” said Jong Kook quickly.

“You don’t want to wrestle me?” Ji Hyo smiled playfully. “Are you scared?”

“No.” Jong Kook grinned at her. “But I don’t know if I could lift you…”

“Yah!” Ji Hyo raised a fist. “What are you saying, oppa?”

Jong Kook shielded himself with his hands and put on an innocent face, widening his small eyes as far as he could. He looked adorable, struggling with his small eyes, that Ji Hyo couldn’t help but laugh, burying her face in her hands.

When she peeked over her fingers, she first noticed Jong Kook grinning down at her, and then her gaze shifted over to Jae Suk. His arms were crossed and he wore a half-smile as he watched not her but Jong Kook. Ji Hyo wished she understood the meaning of Jae Suk’s smile.

A/N: This chapter is wayyy longer than I intended it to be but it sets up a lot of upcoming storylines. Please, please, please leave a comment. I typed until my fingers bled to write this chapter so quickly.  I want to write as much as I can this month. so please leave comments!