Seoul, 2008.

“Eun-hye ah….can we just stop here?” Asked Jong-kook to Yoon Eun-hye when they having dinner together at a restaurant. Just the two of them.

“What do you mean?”

“All of this. Stop pretending like we are dating and stop spreading rumor about us.”

“But oppa, you know we did this for the sake of our show….”

“I know that very well, but I’m getting tired with all of this.”

“Getting tired to act in public that we are in love?”

“Ne…”

“Then why don’t you put that act away and try to love me in a real way, oppa?” Eun-hye said that casually while keep focused on her food.

“Mwuh??”

“I’m single, you’re single too. We’re close, I shared all my secret to you and you did the same. Why don’t we start loving each other, oppa?”

“You know my answer of your question, right?”

Eun-hye rolled her eyes and stop playing with her food. “You still attached with your ex, right? Why don’t you just let her go oppa?”

“Because she is my first love, you know that as well…”

“Oppa, you haven’t even meet her again after years! You have to let her go from your heart oppa, or else you will be the one who suffered. I said this as your best friend who……really really care about you. I’m not asking you to love or like me right away, but can you please open your heart for me, oppa? Ani, at least open your eyes. There is someone who really care about you and that someone is around you!”

This is the moment where he hates himself for being weak in front of woman. Her eyes shown him a sincerity which makes him can’t say no and thinking about it again, what she just said was right. He can’t wait that woman forever even though his heart still screaming about waiting that woman, but trying to opening his heart for someone else is not a sin either.

“Keure Eun-hye ah, I’ll try.” He give her his sweetest smile that always melt Eun-hye’s heart instantly. The smile that she always adore.

2010

“I just get on my plane Gap-jin ah, wae?” Said Jong-kook on the phone while put his backpack inside a trunk.

“Yah hyung are you really left me? Why don’t you wait for me? I should follow you everywhere, remember, I’m your manager.”

“My dad is sick and my mom just told me this early morning so I hurriedly bought a plane ticket.”

“Ahjussi sick? Ah….keure hyung, take care on your way and tell me when you just landed.”

“Arasso arasso.” Jong-kook ended the line. “Cih, such a possessive manager. People might misunderstand that he just talking with his girlfriend.” He talked to his phone.

“Hm…..excuse me…” A woman’s voice startled him. She supposed to sit beside him since she will put her belonging inside the trunk.

“Ah ne…” Jong-kook watch that woman, he can’t clearly see the woman’s face because she’s wearing a masker and sunglasses just like him. Seeing her struggling pulling up her belongings, Jong-kook offered a help. “Do you need a help, Miss?”

“A…aniyo, gwenchanayo.” With all her might, she finally can put in all her belongings.

Jong-kook immediately give her a way to come in since she sit beside a window. When she already sit, she take off the masker and that moment Jong-kook know who is she.

“Jogiyo…..Song Ji-hyo ssi?”

Ji-hyo look at the guy beside her and smile at him but obviously confused. “Ne…nuguseyo?”

“Ji-hyo ssi, do you remember me?”

She’s not answering yet but a big question marks can be shown from just looking to her face.

“Oh, I forgot to take off all this.” He take off the masker and a cap that he wore.

Her eyes goes bigger. “Omo! Kim Jong-kook ssi, annyeonghaseyo…” She lightly bow at him while taking off her sunglasses.

“Ne, annyeong Ji-hyo ssi… what a surprisingly coincidence, it’s a rare moment sitting beside a celebrity in a plane without being planned before and a bit worry actually, I think you already forget me…”

“Hahahaha Jong-kook ssi, who doesn’t recognize a legend singer and entertainer like you. Ne…I was startled knowing my neighbor is you.”

Then the situation between them become awkward because none of them speaking again until the voice of a stewardess fill up the plane giving information that the plane will take off in a moment. The two of them have met before when Ji-hyo invited as a guest on Family Outing in which Jong-kook was a regular member, but they are not talking much. And now they meet again after a year.

In 5 minutes after the awkward situation, the plane already swimming in the sky. When Jong-kook about to read a magazine, he can see Ji-hyo’s hand grip tightly on a hand holder. Not just that, the moment Jong-kook look at her face, the face is pale and there are also a cold sweat.

“Ji-hyo ssi, gwenchanayo?”

She closed her eyes while nod her head. “I’m…..okay.”

“Jongmalyo? Ji-hyo ssi, you’re not okay, you’re pale and……” Jong-kook can’t continue his words when Ji-hyo suddenly changed her grip from hand holder to Jong-kook’s arm.

“Andwae….I don’t think I can ride a plane Jong-kook ssi. What if this plane crashed later? What if this plane suddenly explode? What if……”

“Song Ji-hyo ssi!” Jong-kook now hold her shoulder and shaking it lightly with his hands in order to wake her up. “Do not saying such things Ji-hyo ssi. Do not even think about it. What do you think you can do now with that kind of thought? Escape from this plane? We are already take off Song Ji-hyo ssi… You can’t escape from this plane.”

Right after he said that, Jong-kook can see a fear from her eyes. Instead of answering Jong-kook’s words, she covered both of her ears with her palms and looking at the floor. Actually this kind of view crushed Jong-kook’s heart. He never knew an actress with pretty face like her can have this kind of fear. She almost looks like a stress person right now. An image of cheerful Song Ji-hyo fade away. It’s like he is now facing a stranger, not Song Ji-hyo, that famous actress like he used to know.

“Ji-hyo ssi…..” He tried to let go of her hands from covering her ears. “Listen to me, Song Ji-hyo ssi.”

Again, nothing’s come out from . “I can promise you there won’t be any accident in this plane. All you have to do now is clear out your mind, stay calm, and try to get sleep. I will wake you up when we arrived at Seoul, how is it?”

“Mi…mianhae Jong-kook ssi, I have this sudden kind of thought recently when I ride plane, but I thought I can overcome it…”

“It’s okay, I understand.”

“I’m sorry for troubling you….”

“Hey it’s okay…. You’re lucky I’m the one who see you in this condition, what if someone else at my place right now? It can cause a hot gossip about you.”

Even though there still a fear in her eyes, but she tried to smile. “Ne…you’re right. I’m lucky choosing this seat. At least you’re someone I know, even though we are not close.”

Jong-kook choose to answer with a smile and he change the topic. “You can sleep now Ji-hyo ssi to decrease you worry about having an accident from this plane. Don’t worry, I won’t leave you.”

“Gomawo Jong-kook ssi…”

In just five minutes, Ji-hyo already in a deep sleep which makes Jong-kook amazed. “Woah, she is really something. With that kind of fear that she had, she’s being able to sleep right away.” He take off his cap and put it on Ji-hyo’s head. “It’s nice to see you again, Ji-hyo ssi. Have a good rest.”

Jong-kook positioned himself to take a nap when he see Ji-hyo’s head almost hit a window. He immediately hold her head to prevent hitting the window and put it softly to his shoulder. “You are indeed very tired, aren’t you?”

It’s been an hour since the plane take off, and they finally reach Seoul. “Ji-hyo ssi, wake up….” Jong-kook tap her hand.

Ji-hyo open her eyes, she jumps a bit realized that her head lean on his shoulder the whole time. “M…mianhae Jong-kook ssi, I didn’t mean to….”

“Gwenchana Ji-hyo ssi, seems like you were really tired.”

Ji-hyo about to answer when suddenly the plane’s shaking since at that moment the plane is currently landing. Ji-hyo hold Jong-kook’s hand tightly and shut her eyes.

When the plane stops, she realized that she holds Jong-kook’s hand a bit too tight. “I….I’m sorry again Jong-kook ssi. Does it hurt?” They can see a red mark on his hand.

He chuckled. “Hahaha Ji-hyo ssi, it’s really nothing to me. What’s the use I’m having these muscles if that grip can hurt me hehehe… Don’t worry about this.”

The two of them get their bag together and they have to separate since they have different direction. “Keurom, thank you so much Jong-kook ssi for helped me before, I hope you don’t tell everyone about my anxiety….”

“I’m not that kind of guy Ji-hyo ssi, your secret is safe with me.”

“Gojimal…” She smiled at him. “Can you promise that?”

For a second, Jong-kook stand still and just look at her, stunned by her words. But then he back to his sense. “I promise I won’t leaked your secret Ji-hyo ssi....”

“Okay then, have a good day Jong-kook ssi. Annyeong!” Ji-hyo bow lightly at him and wear her masker and sunglasses properly before turn her body.

Jong-kook smiled at her back and turn his back headed to cab area.

“Seong-im ah!!”

Jong-kook immediately stop his pace after hearing that name and slowly turn around his body. There’s a middle aged man shouting that name while waving his hand. ‘Oh! That ahjussi!’ he thought.

“Appa!!” Ji-hyo waved her hand to that man and hug him. “Aigoo appa, you can recognize me right away?”

“Of course silly, because I’m your appa!”

“Appa jjang! Hehehe let’s go, appa!” Ji-hyo linked her hand in her appa’s arm.

‘That ahjussi called Ji-hyo…...Seong-im? And Ji-hyo called him appa?? Don’t say she is……’ His eyes tailed the sight of the father and daughter until they completely gone.

3 days later, the new variety show on SBS, Running Man filming their second episode. That sunny day really brighten up