Chapter Nine: The Ski Slope

“What are they doing?” asked Jong Kook. He stared up the ski slope at the two figures—Gary in a red patterned coat and Haha in a green one—sprinting down the hill. Skis and snowboards were nowhere in sight, and they went on foot down the steep hill, throwing handfuls of snow at one another.

"They’re fighting over Ji Hyo-noona,” said Kwang Soo, sniffling from the icy mountain air. He brushed some snow off the shoulder of his green ski coat, the uniform of the Chasing Team.

Jong Kook sighed, half-amused and half-annoyed. They’d been playing Bells Hide and Seek outside in the snow for almost an hour. He wanted to hurry up and eliminate the last member of the Mission Team so he could go inside where it was warm and hot tea was waiting for him.

“Let’s go catch Gary,” said Jong Kook.

They waited at the bottom of the ski slope—Kwang Soo on the right side and Jong Kook on the left side—so that when Gary reached the bottom, they could corner him. Gary tried sprinting towards the tractor, waiting in the snow with the last item for the Mission Team, but Jong Kook was faster. His boots crunched as he ran, getting closer and closer to Gary.

“Hyung! No!” cried Gary. “I have to win! Ji Hyo is watching!”

“You betrayed us!” came Haha’s hoarse voice from somewhere behind Jong Kook.

Gary’s back was getting closer and closer… Jong Kook lunged forward, arms outstretched. He caught hold of Gary’s arm, pulling him down, and they both collapsed in the soft snow. Jong Kook could hear Ki Jin and the other VJs laughing. One of the FDs said something along the lines of “a tiger catching his prey,” but Jong Kook couldn’t sure. Kwang Soo joined in the fray, struggling to rip the nametag from Gary’s back with thick gloves on his fingers. Jong Kook heard the familiar ripping sound and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hyung,” groaned Gary, rolling onto his back. “Ji Hyo’s never gonna date me now.”

Jong Kook kept his left arm around Gary’s shoulders, holding him in place, and rolled onto his back as well. He could feel the sting of snow on his neck and cheeks.

Gasping for breath, Haha waddled over to the group. He collapsed to the ground, using Jong Kook’s right arm as a pillow. So there the four men lay in the snow, Jong Kook with his arms around Haha and Gary, and Kwang Soo next to Gary.

What a miserable sight they made, thought Jong Kook with a laugh.

“We used to have such good times together,” said Haha. “We were such a good team. How did we end up like this? It’s all Ji Hyo’s fault.”

Jong Kook laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. Why was poor Ji Hyo being brought into this?

“It’s because you were always protecting Ji Hyo,” continued Haha. “You forgot about your brothers.”

“But Ji Hyo…she loves you!” cried Gary, while nonchalantly adjusting his wool hat.

“That’s something we can’t do anything about,” said Haha coolly.

“Hey!” Jong Kook decided to join in the charade. “You brats—do you have to do all this for one woman!” He flexed his arms, which—since they were wrapped around both Gary and Haha’s necks—caused the two men to cry out. “Do you both want a lesson from me?”

“No, hyung!” cried Haha.

“What’s more important?” asked Jong Kook. “Family or women?”

“Ah!” Haha struggled against Jong Kook’s arm, laughing a little. “We were wrong!”

“Forgive us, hyungnim!” cried Gary.

Kwang Soo—who Jong Kook had completely forgotten about—sat up in the snow and stared down at his three hyungs. He frowned and asked, “What about me? What am I to you all?”

“You’re nothing!” shouted Jong Kook, pretending to kick Kwang Soo in the chest. Kwang Soo toppled backwards into the snow, but the winter coats they’d been given were too thick for him to have felt anything. Haha buried his face in Jong Kook’s arm, shaking with laughter.

“You two,” said Jong Kook, continuing with his lecture. “Stop fighting. Don’t quarrel over a woman.”

“All of you are the same!” screamed Kwang Soo, who was suddenly standing over Jong Kook, throwing fistfuls of snow. “Nobody cares about my feelings!”

Powdered snow hit Jong Kook’s face and he gasped from the icy pain of it. A suspenseful chase, a broken love triangle, and a vengeful dongsaeng—today’s Bells Hide and Seek had reached a dramatic conclusion. Jong Kook could only laugh as he released Gary and Haha and rolled in the snow, trying to escape Kwang Soo.

“Yah, yah!” cried Jong Kook, lifting his feet to protect himself from about snow attack. “It’s cold!”

“Tell me I did a good job!” cried Kwang Soo. He lifted up a handful of snow, threating to throw it at Jong Kook’s face. “Compliment me, hyung!”

Haha and Gary were on their stomachs, laughing in the snow on either side of Jong Kook.

“You did good!” said Jong Kook, shielding his face. “At least you didn’t fall for Song Ji Hyo like these two idiots. I’m proud of you.”

Kwang Soo immediately dropped the snow. “Hyung…” Fake tears welled up in his eyes.

“We’re idiots,” wailed Haha, still in full acting mode. He sat up and looked over Jong Kook. “Gary-hyung… Let’s never fight over a woman again.”

“Dong Hoon…” murmured Gary.

Haha launched himself over Jong Kook so he could hug Gary properly, and then the Two Kids were hugging and fake crying in the freezing snow while Jong Kook, Kwang Soo, and the Running Man staff were dying of laughter.

“I don’t care anymore,” said Jong Kook. “I just want to go inside where it’s warm.”

“We don’t have to do the punishment,” cried Kwang Soo.

Gary groaned. “What is the punishment today?”

“You just have to go down the ski slope carrying a flag,” said Jong Kook.

“The important thing,” said Haha, “is that the people with Running Balls get to go inside and enjoy the ski resort.”

“I saw one of the rooms earlier,” said Sung Yong, Haha’s VJ. “It was really nice.”

“I just saw the lounge,” said Haha, getting to his feet and brushing snow off his pants. “It looks comfy though.”

“I have to fly back after filming,” groaned Gary.

As the crew and cast dusted off the snow and started making their way back to the building, Jong Kook spared a glance at the ski slope. He wished he’d had an opportunity to snowboard properly—though it’d been an interesting experience chasing someone down a ski slope. The PDs had even asked each cast member whether they preferred skis or snowboards, so that the equipment was prepared for them. But since his flight back to Seoul was around noon the next day, Jong Kook wouldn’t really have a chance to board. Unless…

“Anyone want to wake up early tomorrow and try the slopes?” asked Jong Kook.

“Are you crazy?” asked Haha. “I’m going to stay inside where it’s warm.”

Sung Yong and Ki Jin nodded in agreement. Ki Jin hated being cold.

“I’ve never been skiing or boarding before,” said Kwang Soo.

“Really?” asked Jong Kook. “You want to learn?”

“We should ask Joong Ki and Ji Hyo-noona,” said Kwang Soo. “I know they like the slopes.”

Jong Kook bit back a refusal. Things between him and Joong Ki were still awkward. While they were both capable of being professional during filming—joking with one another and acting friendly—as soon as the cameras were off, the tension returned. Joong Ki had stopped trying to flirt with Ji Hyo so openly at least, though he only did so at the insistence of the writers.

However, Jong Kook had just started to get along better with Ji Hyo—she’d even about his obsession with chicken at lunch today. Enjoying the ski slopes together might give them a chance to erase the last bit of awkwardness between them. So, in the end, Jong Kook said, “Yeah, you should invite them.”

Gary, Jae Suk, Lizzy, and the guest, Shim Hyeong Rae took a late night flight home after filming had ended. Gary had a Leessang concert in the morning, Jae Suk had filming for another show, Lizzy had After School activities to do, and Hyeong Rae had to get back for a relative’s birthday. The rest of the Running Man cast and crew stayed the night in the ski resort, enjoying the luxurious rooms and facilities at a discounted price.

Ji Hyo, Joong Ki, and Suk Jin spent the evening in one of the downstairs lounges, sitting around a table and enjoying mugs of steaming tea. The lounge was beautiful. Red and white carpet covered the floors with a black-brick fireplace at either end of the lounge, and dozens of beige armchairs and couches with sleek, black tables. Flat screen televisions were placed on the walls, showing various dramas and sports games. Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out at the white mountainside and starry night sky. It was picturesque, and of course, Suk Jin needed to take a dozen selfies.

The Running Man crew had claimed the lounge as their own: the staff occupying at least half the lounge. The VJs sat together, watching one of the TVs, while the PDs were crowded around a table, talking excitedly about something.

It was approaching eleven when Jong Kook, Haha, and Kwang Soo entered the lounge. They’d disappeared an hour before, saying they were going to explore the resort.

“Anything interesting?” asked Suk Jin as the three men made their way through the tables and chairs to join the rest of the cast.

“Jong Kook-hyung found the gym,” said Kwang Soo.

“He was like a homing pigeon,” added Haha. “It took him five minutes.”

Jong Kook grinned. “They have a nice gym. We should come here for a weekend vacation some time.”

Joong Ki laughed loudly and a little rudely. “As if I have a free weekend.”

Ji Hyo frowned, her gaze flickering between Joong Ki and Jong Kook. They’d been in some sort of fight for the past two weeks, but she couldn’t figure out what they were arguing about. Sometimes, she wasn’t sure if they even knew. She’d asked Suk Jin, but he’d been out of the loop as always. And when she’d asked Kwang Soo, he had only shrugged nervously in response.

She watched as Haha and Jong Kook grabbed chairs from a nearby table. Haha sat down next to Suk Jin, and Jong Kook placed his chair between Haha and Ji Hyo. His dark hair was curling underneath his black and white wool hat; she’d always thought he was cutest when wearing hats. Ji Hyo fixed her gaze on the empty teacup in front of her. She’d die of embarassment if she was caught staring.

“Jong Kook-hyung and I were talking about waking up early tomorrow to try the ski slopes,” said Kwang Soo, pulling up a chair beside Joong Ki. “Anyone want to join us?”

“Sure,” said Ji Hyo. “I haven’t been skiing in years though.”

“I’ll come too,” said Joong Ki.

“I’ve never been skiing or snowboarding before,” said Kwang Soo. “Jong Kook-hyung promised to teach me boarding.”

“Can you teach me?” asked Ji Hyo. “I’ve always wanted to try it.”

“Sure.” Jong Kook smiled, and against her will, Ji Hyo’s heart flip-flopped.

“Well,” said Haha. “You two have fun being coached by hyung. I will be curled up under the covers, enjoying a long, warm sleep.”

“I’ll toast to that,” said Suk Jin, holding up his teacup.

Ji Hyo momentarily regretted agreeing to wake up early. She didn’t consider it a good night’s sleep unless she had gotten ten hours; however, she could sleep on the plane ride back to Seoul. She didn’t want to pass on the opportunity to learn how to snowboard—especially when Jong Kook would be her teacher.

“I actually have my own board back home,” said Jong Kook. “I should have brought it with me.”

“Why didn’t you?” asked Suk Jin.

“When Cho PD said we’d be going to Pyeonchang, I didn’t realize it’d be to a ski resort.”

“It’s awesome though,” said Haha. “I heard Alpensia Ski Resort contacted us, asking if we would film here.”

“It’s good advertising,” said Jong Kook.

“In the beginning, though,” said Haha. “We had to ask locations if we could film there, but now locations are coming to us.”

Ji Hyo smiled. It was awesome watching Running Man grow as a program. When she’d started the show, she’d just been desperate for a job—she hadn’t even considered how long Running Man might last. Now, she found herself hoping that he program lasted for years. The work may be tiring, but she loved the games, the locations, the crew, and the cast. She was even growing to like her love lines and what they added to her character.

“Episode twenty-one aired yesterday,” said Suk Jin, leaning back in his seat. “Production made the Mission Team seem really pathetic, didn’t they?”

“There were eight of us and only two chasers,” said Haha. “Of course we were pathetic.”

Ji Hyo felt her face flame. She’d watched episode twenty-one with her high school friend Young Ji. The opening sequence of the Chasing Team had been so embarrassing that Ji Hyo had hid her face in her hands. Young Ji had thought it hysterical.

“After that episode, some of the fans posted in forums, saying they thought Ji Hyo-noona and Jong Kook-hyung should be the love line,” said Kwang Soo with a laugh.

Ji Hyo froze, hanging open.

“What?” A look of horror crossed Jong Kook’s face. “Why?”

“What’s wrong with HaHyo Couple?” asked Haha. He glanced at Ji Hyo and grinned. “I think we’re pretty cute.”

“Please,” said Kwang Soo. “Monday Couple is where it’s at.”

Ji Hyo managed a small laugh, but she was still shocked to learn that people wanted her and Jong Kook to be the love line. Why? Had the fans seen something in episode twenty-one that she hadn’t? Yes, she and Jong Kook had worked well together, and yes, she had a small crush on him, but he clearly wasn’t interested. Besides, she already had three love lines (though her and Joong Ki were now the Song-Song Siblings)—did the fans want her to have another one?

The more she thought about it, the more opposed Ji Hyo was to a love line with Jong Kook. Her love lines with Haha and Gary were easy because she had no feelings for them. But even as her love line with Joong Ki had begun to develop, she had felt things become strange between them, as if Joong Ki had started to believe that their love line was real. She had been relieved when Cho PD told her that they would become the Song-Song Siblings, maybe then her relationship with Joong Ki would return to normal.

She especially didn’t want a love line with someone she had actual feelings for. Jong Kook would have to flirt with her for the cameras, and then she might start to believe his feelings were real—and in the end, things between them would just become painful and even more awkward than before. She didn’t want that. She wanted her feelings to disappear and she wanted them to become friends.

“I guess they were taken aback at how well you two worked together,” said Suk Jin, still talking about episode twenty-one. “Some people appreciate teamwork in a relationship rather than cheesy lines.”

“Gary-hyung’s not here to hear that comment,” said Joong Ki.

Ji Hyo cringed. “I can’t stand cheesy pick-up lines. They give me goosebumps.”

“Gary-hyung has no chance,” said Haha. “All he knows are bad pick-up lines. I guess that means you have to end up with me.”

“Fans seem to prefer Monday Couple though,” said Kwang Soo. “From what I’ve read.”

“Do you spend all your time reading comments on Running Man forums?” asked Suk Jin.

“There’s a lot of down time between my scenes for Dong Yi,” said Kwang Soo. “And sometimes they have good feedback.”

“The SBS Entertainment Awards are in a couple weeks, right?” Haha leaned back in his seat and drummed his fingers on the edge of the table. “Do you think Running Man will win anything?”

“We might,” said Suk Jin. “We’ve only been together for five months though.”

“What do you think, hyung?” asked Haha, looking to Jong Kook on his right. “You’ve been quiet.”

Ji Hyo watched as Jong Kook shook his head. There were shadows in his eyes as if filled with some worry. Ji Hyo found herself wanting to reach out to him—he was sitting so close—touch his arm and ask him what was wrong. But she kept her hands clasped in her lap and she turned her gaze to the table top in front of her.

“Are you all right, Ji Hyo-noona?” asked Kwang Soo.

Ji Hyo looked up to see her two dongsaengs, Kwang Soo and Joong Ki watching her. Kwang Soo looked concerned, while Joong Ki seemed…frustrated.

Frowning at Joong Ki, Ji Hyo mentally tried to ask him what was wrong. Was it related to Jong Kook? Were they still arguing? Or was he upset about something else entirely? Something related to her? What was wrong? Her silent message must not have reached him, however, because Joong Ki quickly looked away. Ji Hyo was starting to feel angry—she hated not being in the loop. Sometimes it felt like everyone except her (and Suk Jin) knew what was going on.

“Running Man might win a couple awards,” said Jong Kook, bringing the conversation back to the Entertainment Awards. “And Jae Suk-hyung has won a daesang from one of the major award shows for the past five years. He’s bound to win something from SBS this year.”

“You think the MBC, KBS, and SBS play rock-paper-scissors every December to figure out who’s going to give Jae Suk-hyung the daesang that year?” asked Haha.

Ji Hyo traced the edge of the table with her index finger. She only partly paid attention to the conversation about the award ceremony. She was still trying to figure out what Joong Ki had been so upset about just moments ago, but the frustration had disappeared from his face, and he was now listening to Jong Kook and Haha’s conversation with interest. He even made a joke with Jong Kook at Suk Jin’s expense, and the two of them laughed like good friends.  

Ji Hyo groaned and slumped back in her seat. She didn’t care anymore. It was too difficult to try deciphering men’s emotions. They’d sort it out themselves.

The sun hadn’t even fully risen over the horizon, and Jong Kook was standing at the bottom of a ski slope, regretting his decision to wake up early. His nose was red and his eyes were starting to water from the cold. His padded red winter coat kept his torso warm and his snowboard boots with thick socks stopped his toes from freezing, but his face was left exposed. Jong Kook covered his mouth and nose with his scarf, hoping that the icy air wouldn’t damage his throat.

He’d called Kwang Soo ten minutes ago, and Kwang Soo had promised to be at the ski slope as soon as possible. Jong Kook thought he should have sounded angrier when he’d called—maybe that would make Kwang Soo move quicker. What was he doing, taking the scenic route?

The sky was covered in thin gray clouds, letting loose the occasional flurry of snow. The ski slopes looked like white roads, curving up the hill, making paths through the evergreen trees. To Jong Kook’s right, the mountain range stretched across the horizon, the peaks looking blue-gray in the dim morning light. There were a few other people who had woken up before dawn to enjoy the ski slopes at this hour; they greeted Jong Kook as they passed by to board the lift.

Jong Kook’s eyes itched with exhaustion. He’d had trouble sleeping last night, drifting in and out of consciousness until his alarm rudely went off the wake him up. And to make matters worse, he was still struggling with the news that some fans of Running Man wanted to put him in a love line with Ji Hyo.

He’d been shocked when Kwang Soo had talked about the forum posts he’d seen. Had Jong Kook done anything to encourage such thoughts? He hadn’t flirted with Ji Hyo or treated her any differently than he did the female guests. Did fans want them to date simply because they worked well together? What a ridiculous reason. Lots of people worked well together—he and Haha got along great, but that didn’t mean they should be Running Man’s love line. 

Kwang Soo had said that it’d only been a few posts, and that Monday Couple was still the wildly popular pairing on the show. But every love line started with a few posts and then grew into something bigger. What if the producers noticed that people liked Jong Kook and Ji Hyo together? Myuk PD had promised to try to keep Jong Kook out of a love line, but Jong Kook had signed a contract with SBS; if they wanted to put him in a love line, he would be legally obligated to do so.

Jong Kook didn’t want another love line. They had helped him gain popularity during X-Man and they had helped him reestablish himself in the entertainment business during Family Outing. He would always be thankful for that. But the name Yoon Eun Hye still followed him everywhere. Even though it’d been four years since the end of X-Man, fans still believed in them. Jong Kook continued the love line in his interviews and never gave a definitive answer on their past relationship, because he knew that it would keep fans happy and if he continued to say that Eun Hye was his ideal type, he wouldn’t have any new scandals. Juggling his past love lines was part of his work. No matter how much it exhausted him, no matter how much it had strained his friendship with Eun Hye, no matter how much it had impacted his dating life—he had gone along with it.

But he had come to Running Man with the intention of retiring his “King of Love Lines” title. It was time for someone else to be variety’s prince charming. Jong Kook wanted to find a nice woman to marry and start a family with, and he couldn’t do that with a love line hanging over him. His future wife would already have to deal with enthusiastic KimYoon fans; he did not want to add another, more recent, love line with which she had to compete.

“Hyung!”

Joong Ki’s voice broke Jong Kook out of his thoughts. Joong Ki was carrying a pair of skis on his right shoulder and holding two poles in his left hand. His flower boy face was as white as the snow, and his wool hat had been pulled down over his hair.

Jong Kook managed a stiff smile. He wasn’t sure if he was fighting with Joong Ki still or not. They had been tense for the past couple weeks, but yesterday evening, Joong Ki seemed to have given up arguing with him.

“Did you get enough sleep?” asked Jong Kook, who was sure he had deep shadows under his eyes.

“Not really,” said Joong Ki. “I was thinking.”

“About?”

Joong Ki set his skis on the ground and looked around. “Ji Hyo-noona and Kwang Soo aren’t here yet?”

“I called Kwang Soo and told him to hurry up.”

“It’s good,” said Joong Ki quickly. Jong Kook got the feeling Joong Ki was trying to protect Kwang Soo from his hyung’s wrath, though Jong Kook wasn’t truly mad at his dongsaeng—just cold and frustrated.

“Why is it good?” asked Jong Kook. “Kwang Soo and Ji Hyo are late.”

“Because I wanted to talk to you,” said Joong Ki.

Jong Kook wasn’t sure was he was supposed to say. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his ski coat and waited.

“It’s not your fault,” said Joong Ki. “I shouldn’t have been mad at you, and I shouldn’t have felt like I had to prove something. I know you just had my best interests in mind when you told me to give up on Ji Hyo-noona.” He spoke like he’d memorized a speech for one of his dramas. “I’m not blind. When we were talking last night in the lounge, I saw her… Anyway, I realized it was best to just give up. I know she’s not interested in me.”

“It’s not even that,” said Jong Kook. “I just think you should keep your romantic feelings far away from the work place.”

“And you’re probably right,” admitted Joong Ki. “Jae Suk-hyung said no one knows better than you about the consequences of love lines.”

Jong Kook snorted. So Jae Suk had gotten involved in the argument between him and Joong Ki. Of course, Jae Suk could never resist meddling. Jong Kook kicked the soft snow with the toe of his boot and said, “We’ve both been stupid these last two weeks.”

Joong Ki laughed. “Really stupid. I’m not even sure what we were arguing over.”

And that was the end of it. Joong Ki never explained his need to compete with Jong Kook, and Jong Kook never asked. They stood out in the snow for a few more minutes, talking about Joong Ki’s new drama, before they gave up waiting for Kwang Soo and Ji Hyo and decided to take the ski lift to the top of the hill.

Speeding down the slope, the exhaustion and cold left Jong Kook behind. He leaned forward and back, shifting his weight and moving the snowboard in a zigzag pattern. Joong Ki was somewhere behind him, knees bent and ski poles clutched in his hands. Jong Kook made a sharp turn at the bottom of the hill, stopping his snowboard. He saw two figures—one tall and thin, the other short and feminine—waiting beside the ski lift.

After detaching his boots from the snowboard, Jong Kook made his way across the snow to where Kwang Soo and Ji Hyo waited. Ji Hyo watched him approach, holding her rented snowboard.

“You looked like you were having fun, hyung,” she said. Even after five months, she still hadn’t stopped calling him “hyung” off-camera.

“You two slept in,” said Jong Kook. “Do you know how long I waited out here in the cold?”

“Sorry, hyung,” said Kwang Soo. “We had to find the snowboard rental store, since we both asked the staff for skis yesterday.”

“And you slept in a little,” said Joong Ki, joining them at the bottom of the ski lift.

Jong Kook couldn’t be too mad, since their tardiness had given him time to talk with Joong Ki. He clasped his hands together and stared up at the ski slope. “Well, you’re here now. We should get started.”

Ji Hyo picked up her snowboard and grinned at him. “Tell me we’re not going to start on the Bunny Hill.”

“We can start with a green.” Jong Kook smiled back; he didn’t want to spend the entire morning teaching them how to snowboard on the beginner hill, not when they had a noon flight.

“What?” cried Kwang Soo, looking from Ji Hyo to Jong Kook. “What’s wrong with the Bunny Hill?”

“It’s boring,” said Ji Hyo.

“Noona…” Kwang Soo’s face was white, as if he regretted asking for lessons.

Jong Kook couldn’t help but feel pity for his dongsaeng, so he taught Kwang Soo and Ji Hyo how to stand on the snowboard, to lean forward and back in order to control the direction of the board, and to lean left or right in order to control the speed. He hoped that practicing on a flat surface would give Kwang Soo some level of comfort before they headed up the ski lift to try one of the easy green slopes. Joong Ki and Kwang Soo hopped into one of the lifts together—Joong Ki probably trying to create some distance between him and Ji Hyo—which left Jong Kook and Ji Hyo to ride together.

They sat on opposite sides of the freezing bench, keeping good gap between them. Their feet, snowboards attached, dangled beneath them. Jong Kook rested a hand on the iron bar in front of him and looked down at the blanket of white snow. It was a long fall down. Icy winds whipped his exposed face, and Jong Kook looked away to stop his eyes from tearing up. He glanced at Ji Hyo. He nose was running and her cheeks were bright red from the wind. Her hair was tucked under her white wool cap and her black ski coat was zipped to the top. She looked like a cat, bundled up against the cold.

“What happens if our snowboards all off our feet?” asked Ji Hyo.

“Then we have to walk down the slope,” said Jong Kook.

Ji Hyo made a face. “That’s a long walk.”

“Then don’t let your snowboard fall,” said Jong Kook with a grin.

Ji Hyo laughed, then looking up at their cast mates, she asked, “Do you think Kwang Soo will be okay with the height?”

“Joong Ki’s with him,” said Jong Kook. He agreed with Ji Hyo though; he was also worried about Kwang Soo’s fear of heights.

There was a pause. Jong Kook glanced over to see Ji Hyo staring at him. When their eyes met, she quickly looked away.

“What’s going on between you and Joong Ki?” she asked, keeping her gaze fixed on Kwang Soo and Joong Ki’s backs.

Jong Kook had tried not to show his irritation with Joong Ki during filming, but apparently he hadn’t tried hard enough. He shoved his hands into the pockets on his ski coat. He couldn’t tell Ji Hyo the truth, obviously, since Joong Ki’s crush on her ought to be kept secret, so Jong Kook only said, “We had a disagreement. We’ve sorted it out now.”

Ji Hyo let out a long sigh. “No one tells me anything. I’ve asked Jae Suk-oppa, but he feigned ignorance. Suk Jin-oppa never knows what’s going on. And Kwang Soo and Joong Ki have been tight-lipped about the whole thing. Even you won’t tell me anything, hyung, and you’re supposed to be weak when it comes to women.” She gave him a brilliant smile, as if hoping it would cause him to spill all his secrets.

“I don’t like to use my strength against women,” said Jong Kook. “That doesn’t mean I tell them everything.”

“Damn,” muttered Ji Hyo. “You were my last hope.”

“You haven’t tried Gary or Haha,” pointed out Jong Kook, though he knew neither of his dongsaengs would tell Joong Ki’s secret to Ji Hyo. In fact, Jong Kook wasn’t even sure if Gary or Haha knew about Joong Ki’s crush. Haha was usually very good about picking up on these things, so Jong Kook wouldn’t be surprised if he’d known before anyone else, but Gary… Well, Gary could be a little dense.

“It feels strange talking to Gary or Haha-sunbaes off-camera,” said Ji Hyo.

But it wasn’t strange to talk to Jong Kook? He shook his head and glanced down at the cluster of snow-dusted evergreens the ski lift was passing over.

“Because they’re my love lines,” explained Ji Hyo. “I don’t know how to act around them when the cameras are off.”

“Love lines make everything weird,” said Jong Kook. “They can be great for your career, but they can also ruin relationships.”

The moment he said those words, he realized what he had to do. He had to stop a love line from forming between him and Ji Hyo. He couldn’t let the Commander and Ace pairing gain popularity among the fans, or the producers might force the love line on them.

“I supposed you’d know,” said Ji Hyo. She fiddled with the hem of her ski jacket. “No one really knows what happened between you and Yoon Eun Hye—”

“I’ve been thinking,” said Jong Kook a little louder than necessary. There was little he liked discussing more than what had happened between him and Eun Hye. “About what Kwang Soo said last night.”

Ji Hyo frowned. “What Kwang Soo said?”

“About people posting on forums, wanting a love line between us.”

She blinked. “Oh. And, uh, what have you been thinking?”

“I definitely don’t want a love line between us.”

“I don’t either,” said Ji Hyo quickly. “I don’t want things to be awkward.” She paused and then amended, “Even more awkward.”

Jong Kook smiled, from amusement and from relief. She didn’t want a love line either. She understood.

“I want to be friends with you,” said Jong Kook. “You’re funny and nice, and I don’t want a love line to ruin any friendship between us. It’s probably best if we didn’t team up again on the show. Obviously, we won’t be able to stop the writers or guests from putting us on the same team, but if we’re given a choice, we should stay apart.”

He glanced at Ji Hyo, expecting her to be nodding in agreement, but she was only staring at him with wide eyes. She opened , but then closed it, trying to find words.

“You…” She stopped and took a deep breath. “You want to avoid me during filming?”

Jong Kook winced. It sounded cruel when she put it like that. He wanted her to understand, to realize how important it was to him that he wasn’t a part of a love line. Yoon Eun Hye, Lee Hyori, Park Ye Jin… He didn’t want to add another name to the list. Especially not Ji Hyo’s. He liked her. He had realized that when they’d been on the Chasing Team together: she was earnest and hardworking, but she was also funny, willing to joke around with the male cast and tolerate their bad habits. She was a great girl, and someone he could see himself being good friends with.

“Just until fans stop wanting us to be in a love line,” said Jong Kook.

He was saved from having to explain exactly why he was finished with love lines by the ski lift arriving at the top of the hill. He raised the iron bar and hopped off the lift, sliding across the freshly fallen snow to where Kwang Soo and Joong Ki were waiting. He could hear Ji Hyo shuffling on her board behind him. She wasn’t saying anything.

She understood, he hoped. She had to understand. He really did like her, and that’s why he couldn’t risk having a love line with her.

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter (the beginning is episode 23, by the way)! KJK seems like the type to always overthink things, so I can see him freaking out the first time he learns people ship him and SJH. I'll try to update in the next two days. In the mean time, happy holidays!