Ivy had spent most of the night with Bangtan and was definitely tired when she got back to her hotel. The next day though, she woke up on the first buzz of her alarm and started getting ready for the day ahead of her. It wasn't going to be all that long but it was going to be a bit difficult. She quickly pulled on her most professional looking outfit and did some quick make up before grabbing her phone and purse to head out to SBS. She spent the entire taxi ride a bit worried about what she was getting herself into. After all she was still pretty sure that this was just an elaborate hidden camera prank.

When she entered the building she was greeted by a secretary behind a very large desk that probably served as a work space for two or three others. Ivy quickly confirmed her appointment and was given a visitors badge. She made her way over to the elevators looking around and trying to catch someone filming her. There wasn't any camera that she could see though.

As Ivy made her way to the Running Man office, the reality of her situation was starting to set in. She actually was being offered a position on Running Man. Ivy took deep breaths trying to calm herself as she knocked on the casting office door. When she walked into the office she threw on her brightest smile and bowed to the group of casting directors that were there. She took the seat offered to her and the meeting began.

Ivy was completely worn out when she walked out of the meeting. It had lasted three hours, which was hours longer than she thought it was going to. She figured it would have only been an hour or so and then they would send her on her way with a copy of the contract to look over. They hadn't though. They had gone through a few of the more particular bits though.

She was going to have a ninety day probationary contract where she was supposed to be searching for a company to work for, since it made their job easier when discussing pay. They had suggested that she look at the companies that her new co-workers were signed with and to give it some thought. It hadn't been what she was really expecting. She didn't have everyone's number yet though so she'd have to talk to them the day of her first shoot as a cast member.

Her first shoot as a cast member was set for two weeks from Monday and she was actually nervous. Apparently there would be two other members joining too and she didn't even know who they were yet. She'd meet them when she showed up for the shoot but it didn't make the stress any lighter. There were a lot of unknowns in her life now but she was trying to breathe through it and keep moving forward like she always did.

As she was walking out of the building she was stopped by someone calling her name. When she turned around to see who it was, she saw Jong Kook jogging towards her. He looked fantastic in his black jeans and tee shirt, it made Ivy blush a bit if she was being honest. She had never felt more like she was living in a Kdrama than she did at that moment though.

“Ivy-ah! What are you doing here?” Jong Kook asked as he came to a stop in front of her.

“Ah, the Running Man crew wanted to talk to me about something. It's not really anything special. What are you doing here?” Ivy smiled brightly at Jong Kook as she quickly changed the subject.

“I came to get a pair of shoes that my stylist had left at the site the other day. She's had a bit of a hard time with me lately,” Jong Kook chuckled and scratched the back of his neck in a bit of embarrassment. “Would you be free to have dinner tonight? I know it's a bit last minute but I know a really good restaurant close to here.”

“I'd love to. It's not like I have anything else to do tonight,” Ivy laughed a bit at herself and Jong Kook smiled brightly.

“Alright then. Let me go get those shoes really quick and then I'll have my manager drive us,” After a nod from Ivy, Jong Kook set off on his errand and Ivy pulled out her phone.

She hadn't heard from Yoongi today but she was sure that it was only because they were in the studio all day practicing. Their first show was coming up in a week and they needed to be prepared. She sent him a quick encouraging message and moved on to check her email. There was something from Mark, mostly asking how she was liking the trip and what she had seen, but there was also a bit asking her about the situation with the guys. Of course, she sent a quick reply saying that she would call him with all the details later that night after she got back from dinner. As she finished her message to Mark, Jong Kook came back.

“Ka ja,” He said as he lightly led her towards the entrance with a hand on her lower back. Ivy couldn't help but notice how much of a gentleman he was being. Not that she had expected any less after their date.

“So what kind of food are we going to eat today?” Ivy asked as Jong Kook held the door open to her.

“Well I know that I'm going to have samgyetang,” Ivy rolled her eyes at him. Of course he was going to eat chicken, she wasn't sure the man knew how to eat anything else. “It's a fairly traditional restaurant though. I don't really know what you like to eat yet but I'm sure there's something for you there.”

“As long as I can get it without onions I'm sure I'll be fine. I can usually eat most Korean foods though,” Ivy responded as they approached the van that Jong Kook had arrived in.

“Alright then I'm sure that we'll be fine. Hyung? Can you take us to the samgyetang restaurant that I like here?” Jong Kook's manager nodded and headed over to the driver's side of the van. Jong Kook scoffed and opened the door for Ivy. “Hyung! Don't be like that! You don't have to stay! Just drop us off then you can go home to your family.”

“Arrasseo. Don't do anything stupid, ara? You have a schedule tomorrow so don't stay out too late. And don't forget to be a gentleman,” Ivy chuckled at Jong Kook's interactions with his manager. It was kind of sweet how they actually acted like brothers.

“Ne, Hyung. Don't worry so much. I'm normally up hours before you,” Jong Kook said as he got more comfortable in his seat.

“Last time you went on a date I had to come in with your Eommoni and wake you up. You almost broke my arm!” Jong Kook chuckled and shook his head.

“Oppa! How can you laugh at that! You shouldn't hurt people when they wake you up!” Ivy scolded as she smacked Jong Kook's arm.

“Mwoh? I recall you slapping me in the face when I was waking you up for filming!” Jong Kook replied as he tried to catch Ivy's hands.

“You two are a perfect pair then,” Jong Kook's manager grumbled as he pulled away towards the restaurant.

The ride to the restaurant wasn't very quick because traffic was horrible, but every time that Jong Kook or Ivy suggested that they could walk, Jong Kook's manager denied it. They drove for what felt like forever and Jong Kook even ended up taking a little nap before they actually got to the place. When they finally did arrive Ivy couldn't have been happier to get out of the car. It wasn't like the road trip they had taken for the show but it still felt stifling since they hadn't moved very fast.

“Komawo, Hyung. I'll see you in the morning,” Jong Kook waved his manager off as the two turned to walk into the restaurant. It wasn't very fancy and didn't seem to be all that well known, considering it's lack of a dinner crowd, but it felt cozy. Ivy couldn't help but smile at the whole atmosphere that it had going.

“Ah, Jong Kook-ah, did you finally bring a yeojachingu?” The ahjumma that seated them asked with a large smile on her face.

“Just a date for now, Eommoni. How are your kids doing?” Ivy smiled fondly at the interaction as the ahjumma filled Jong Kook in on her kids' lives while handing Ivy a menu. She figured that Jong Kook must come here often enough for the ahjumma to know his order.

“Let me know if you have any questions about anything agassi. Ara?” Ivy smiled and nodded as the ahjumma walked over towards the kitchen.

“So you must come here pretty often if they didn't even bother to give you a menu,” Ivy said with an eyebrow cocked as she read over the menu in front of her.

“Ne. I come here about once a week when I can. The family that runs this place is really sweet,” Jong Kook said with a small grin.

“Ah, I see. Seems like you know a lot about their family business since you knew her kids names and everything,” Ivy saw Jong Kook blush a bit at her comment and couldn't help but smile. He really was a sweet man.

“Her son is trying to be an idol. He's only about eleven but he's already trying to audition. I've given him a few pointers to try to help him out. Her daughter is trying to go to school to be a journalist so I've set her up with a few of my friends so that they can help her reach her dream,” Jong Kook turned to face the wall while scratching the back of his neck and Ivy simply remained silent. She enjoyed hearing about how he tried to help people and this was honestly a new side that she hadn't seen of him before. “Anyways, what was your meeting about today?”

“Aniyo. I can't talk to anyone about it yet,” Ivy chuckled at Jong Kook's attempt at changing the subject. He definitely wasn't the kind of person who liked talking about himself and Ivy could appreciate that. He seemed like he was a bit awkward when he was trying to tell her about himself too.

“Ah, I see. So they did cast you didn't they?” Ivy simply rolled her eyes but Jong Kook laughed. Of course he would know about it if she wouldn't tell him what happened. Why did he have to be so keen? “Are they trying to get you to go audition for a company?”

“Ugh. Ne, I hate that you pick up on things so quickly. Couldn't you be a little more dimwitted?” Ivy asked with a sigh.

“Ani. I'm just naturally smart. I can't help it. Do you have any idea where you're going to audition?” Jong Kook asked as the ahjumma came to take Ivy's order. She quickly ordered something simple and the ahjumma smiled at the two before returning to the kitchen.

“I have no idea. I don't really know a lot about the companies to be honest. The only ones I really have any insight on are JYP and YG but it doesn't really make sense for me to go to them since they're mostly music based,” Ivy sighed again and thought about how she felt like a cliché with how much sighing she was doing today.

“Talk to Kwang Soo. He could probably set up an audition for you at Starship. They actually have a pretty big part of their company dedicated to actors and entertainers,” Jong Kook offered. That actually wasn't a bad idea either but Ivy didn't have a way of getting in touch with Kwang Soo.

“I don't have Kirin's number,” Ivy stated simply as she repressed a sigh that would have been one too many for her day.

“I'll have him call you don't worry about it okay? I wouldn't tell him why you're auditioning though. He's a really great kid but he has a huge mouth,” Jong Kook smiled at Ivy as she laughed. Of course Kirin would have a big mouth, he was known as the betrayer after all.

Not too long after their food was placed in front of them and they fell into a comfortable silence as they ate. Ivy couldn't believe that her day had ended up with a dinner date with Jong Kook. Maybe it was fate telling her that he was the one. Her phone buzzing with an invitation made that thought a lot less believable though.

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A/N hey guys! Sorry for the delay. I've had a hard time writing this chapter since it's kind of a filler chapter but I'm getting to a point where it's going to get a bit more fun to write so that's something lol. As Always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!