Ryujin's POV

I was, and to a degree still am, happy to be participating in Running Man. It's a shame that I can't do it with any of my members, but I'm sure I'll be just fine.

Mr. PYJ himself called me into his office and told me that this was a surprise for me to celebrate my graduation. Chaeryeong couldn't make it since she was scheduled for commercial filming, so it was up to me to do the recording. I loved the show, and now I finally got a chance to participate!

"Do you know who any of the other guests are going to be yet CEO-nim?? Is there anyone I should be wary of?"

"No idea. I guess you'll just have to figure it out when you get there. I haven't received a list of guests yet. Just...think about it like an eye-opener. If you already knew, then it wouldn't be as fun for you."

Is this what he meant by surprise? Now I'm 100% sure that he knew Heejin would be here. Jesus, I haven't seen her or heard from her in more than a year, ever since my father screwed things up. The way she still looks glorious and charming is so unfair. Ever since our 'break up' I've been loosely following her career. When she won her titles last year and recently, I was proud. I wondered if she still thought of me. She has developed this image of a playful and flirty person out of the ring, and an absolute badass in the ring. Yuna seems to be a fan of hers. However, Yuna doesn't know that Heejin is lesbian yet. I remember Yuna asking me if I could get an autograph from Heejin for her. I never really had the chance, but I guess today I have that chance. Do I really want to risk it though? I'm honestly not even prepared. I don't have anything for her to sign. Maybe I'll just ask her to record a video message for Yuna. This will give me an excuse to start talking to her again. This is nothing that a badass like me can't handle! . . . Or at least that's what I thought.

She hasn't noticed me yet...no pressure, just have to be badass Wannabe Ryujin. Deep breaths...

[Crew member]: "Ryujin, please wait for your cue to appear on screen with the other members. Here, take this mask and put it on. Once all of the guests have appeared on the same screen, we will do self-introductions."

"Alright, sweet. Thanks in advance for all of your hard work today!"

. . .

Heejin's facial expression as I take my mask off and reveal myself is one of absolute surprise. Luckily, it blends right in with the reaction from the other MCs. I walk over and stand next to her in the center of the line. The other guests were 2 guys, revealed to be BM of Kard and I.M of Monsta X. Both of them are so cool! I really like their style of rapping. In a way, I think we are similar in that regard. What is the theme of today? Rappers? Heejin doesn't rap though...most of her training aside from boxing was as a dancer and vocalist.

. . .

Heejin has always had lavish vocals. There was a time when she was bent on becoming a boxer-singer or something like that. Every other day in the summer, she would take transportation from her home to a vocal and dance training camp. Eventually, it was costing her family too much money to do both, so she was forced to chose one. In the end, she chose boxing, with the reason being, " if I'm big and strong, then I can protect others. Plus, being in good shape is good for health and attractiveness." She tried to sound nonchalant about her decision, but I remember comforting her as she cried and pouted for the next few days. That's why when I heard her sing once again, for me nonetheless, my mind didn't know how to process the stimulus. She sounded even better than she did before. In fact, the last time she sang to me was probably 2 years ago; it was a lullaby sang over the phone. I was overwhelmed. I don't know what my appearance looked like to others, but I could feel myself trembling. With each of the high notes she hit, I could feel in deep pain in her heart. Every tear that fell down her face struck me in the heart...a biting reminder of how much she loved me. Although I was frozen in memories, I could hear the sniffling of others around me. I guess they were moved by Heejin's resolute heart as well. I mean, who wouldn't be?

[I.M]: "Alright, that makes it official. For the karaoke song let's refrain from singing love songs if that's ok."

[Haha]: "Agreed. Let's minimize the damage. Let's try to cheer up everyone! We still have a long day of filming before us. Let's make this episode one filled with joy and laughs!"

With that, inhale a shaky breath and follow the others into the venue. I feel Heejin walk next to me.

"Are you ok, Ryujin-ssi?"

"Yep. Totally fine...thanks for caring about me."

Heejin's POV

Well, this was certainly not how I was expecting things to go. At least Ryujin spoke to me. The video definitely complicates things for me though. Yikes.

*ding ding* [New Message from Hyunjin]

Hey...sorry about your clothes. Thanks for taking me home last night. _(Seen)

I just wanted to let you know that I already washed your clothes. How should I get them back to you? Can you meet up right now? _(Seen)

Sorry, but currently in the middle of an all-day shoot. If I remember correctly, I added my chauffeur's phone number into your phone. He currently has the clothes that I borrowed from you. Give him a call. He'll  (Seen) head over to wherever you are and exchange the clothes.

Oh ok. I was kinda hoping to see you again and thank you in person, but I guess not. Thank you once again and I'm so sorry about your clothes. They look pretty expensive too... Oh and, whatever you heard about me from my brothers, know that it's probably not true. They just get a kick out of humiliating me. (Seen) 

It's no problem. Talk to you later.

Damn, I do kinda want to see her again, but I'm going to be busy with this packed schedule, university, and training both myself and the kids...oh what I do to earn a paycheck...

Trying to find a song that doesn't contain love in some way is going to be difficult. It also narrows the choices by a considerable amount...hmmm.

"Hey everyone? I just wanted to say that you all should feel free to sing whatever you please, regardless of whether it is a love song or not. Nonetheless, thank you for your kind consideration I.M-ssi and Haha-ssi. I think we can still sing some upbeat and fun love songs! Hopefully this way we can expand our choices of songs while still maintaining a fun atmosphere?"

[Haha]: "Good suggestion. As long as you are sure, then we should check with the PD. Does that sound ok PD-nim?"

[PD]: "Sounds good to me."

[Sechan]: "Ok then! Let's have some fun!"

Alright, time to sing my heart out in order to win this challenge. Competitive mode? ON. >:(

Narrator's POV

From the entrance to the room, a large flat screen tv lined the wall to the right; to the left, a long and plush sofa framed the walls. On the wide wooden tables, snacks had already been lined up and placed 

[PD]: "Team Yellow, please pick your song."

[Jihyo]: "Which song should we pick? We should probably pick one that will lift spirits."

"I know this song is a bit dated, but I think that iKon's Dumb and Dumber is a pretty nice and hype song."

[Haha]: "I can get with that suggestion. I'm an amazing rapper anyways, so I can totally cover it. Let's have some fun!"

[PD]: "Is Dumb and Dumber your final choice?"

"Yes. Shall we get this party goin'? I'll take a wig, a few pairs of glasses, and a tambourine please."

The yellow team decked themselves out with all sorts of wigs and small miscellaneous items. In a way, their outward appearance, with all of the added decoration, truly embodied Dumb and Dumber. The resulting karaoke session was one for the history books. Singing was no challenge for Heejin. It was the specific score range that was going to be challenging for her. Haha started off the song with a fleeting moment of wonderful rapping skills before delving into a singing style that can only be described as ... comedic gold. Haha is his name, after all. But at that rate, the score was going to 58, not 85. Feeling pressured, Heejin stepped up to the challenge of rapping and singing properly. Upon listening to her voice, the cast became enraptured by Heejin's silky melody. Hearing that gorgeous voice once again, a natural smile formed on Ryujin's face and a subtle yet defined warmness blossomed in her heart. As soon as she realized that she was smiling in Heejin's direction, she immediately straightened her face and looked the other way. She didn't want to be caught.

Eventually, after convincing herself that the score was probably going to be high enough, in the final chorus, Heejin let loose. Jihyo made her way over to Heejin and Haha, joining them in their freestyle dancing. At that point, minimal singing was done. Whatever sounds were heard were largely laughter and other unintelligible sounds. Heejin savored the feeling. This was the most fun she had had in quite a while. What was their score? 81. Not bad. Heejin would have preferred a higher score, but the fun that she had was worth it. Ending the song with a smile, the PD indicated that it was now time for team white to sing. With a smile, Heejin hands the mic to I.M. Before she can walk away, he taps her on the shoulder. 

"I'm glad to see that you are feeling better. I hope that your pain from a year ago has subsided now."

"Thank you for your concern. I'm doing pretty well at this moment, obviously from the HYPE song I just sang."

"That's great! You sang really well. You should go on King of Masked Singer or something!"

"Hmmmm...maybe. I'll have to talk to my entertainment company and managers about that."

I.M's team white decided to sing Zico's Any Song. With the upbeat music and carefree message, almost everyone stood up and did the Any Song Challenge with them. Amazingly, the dancing was more synchronized than most viewers would expect. The disparity in the style and ease of dancing between team members would likely still earn a chuckle from future viewers, but everything else aside, the moment was pure, unadulterated fun. I.M's final score? 83. Pretty good. Almost perfect, actually.

To determine which team would go first, rock-paper-scissors was used. BM vs. Ryujin. It was rock vs. scissors, respectively, so Ryujin's team pink was set to go last. Heejin's anticipation increased. Ryujin would essentially close out the final activity. On top of that, this would be the first time in a while since Ryujin has sung for her live. But before Heejin could hear Ryujin's sweet voice once again, BM had to sing.

What song did BM pick? Hands Up by 2PM. It's quite the banger. If you ever wanted to fire up a crowd, this song was almost guaranteed to do that for you.

Put your hands up Put your hands up p-p-p-p-put put your hands up put your hands up!

Just like that, everyone's hands shot up as their bodies swayed to the music. The beat of this party anthem was irresistible. Kwangsoo and Seokjin were absolutely hilarious. The contrast between a giraffe, big nose Seokjin, and party animal BM only served to underscore the merriment of the moment. It seemed like everyone forgot about singing and instead turned to having fun. What was their final score? 80. 

Then it came. The moment Heejin was waiting for. People say that you will most likely never forget your first love. This could not be more applicable to Heejin. She knew that their breakup was necessary for Ryujin to thrive, but nonetheless it probably could have ended in a smoother fashion. Heejin had signed a contract that no dating would occur prior to the 3-year time limit. She herself had another career and image to maintain. However, occasionally she still found herself wandering amidst the what-ifs.

Ryujin chose to sing the classic BBoom BBoom, which took the nation by storm in the past years. Before starting, Somin and Jaeseok glanced at Heejin. Picking up the message, Heejin gave them the thumb of approval and a reassuring smile. She didn't want to limit anyone's song choice or fun. Plus, Heejin really enjoyed the song while it was in promotion.

설레어 너와 나의 랑데뷰               My heart flutters, our rendezvous
(랑데뷰)                                         (rendezvous)
내 마음을 들었다 놨다 해 맘대루  You have my heart in the palm of your hands, however you like
(맘대루)                                         (However you like)

Ryujin was born to be in the spotlight. Sprinkled into her moments of serious and professional singing were intentional gags and voice cracks. She really is a variety show professional! Anyone could see that she was frivolous and simply just having fun.

By the chorus, everyone was feeling the beat and grooving in their own way. Some did the actual choreo, some just bopped back and forth, and others did a happy dance while stuffing their mouths with food. Regardless of how someone was enjoying the atmosphere, what mattered was that everything was at peace and the moment was enjoyable.

Meanwhile...

[???]: "Sir, are you sure you want me to do this?"

[???]: "I'm positive. I have to knock Heejin down a peg in some way. Just make sure that Chanmi doesn't know about this."

[???]: "Ok Sir. I understand."