LKS POV

Lee Kwang Soo trudges heavily into his apartment and throws his self on the bed. He just got back home from work after spending the whole day in the studio for a magazine photoshoot. He looks at his watch. It's just 10:30 in the evening.. and yet I feel so drained. He closes his eyes and lays there for a while before checking his phone. Due to the tight schedule, he wasn't able to check his phone all day.

13 missed calls?!

Kwang Soo instantly sits up. He is shocked to see so many missed calls and texts from his hyungs, most of which were from Jae Suk hyung. What could have happened?! Without wasting any more moment, he calls Yoo Jae Suk.

KS: Yeoboseyo?

JS: Yeoboseyo. Kwang Sooyah!

KS: Hyung, wae geurae?

JS: Haven't you read the news?

KS: Ani hyung, I had a photoshoot all day and wasn't able to check my phone. What happened?

JS: Articles came out saying Jong Kook and Ji Hyo will be leaving the show!

KS: What?? There's no way..

JS: I was also shocked to know!

KS: How's Jong Kook hyung and Ji Hyo noona?

JS: Jong Kook's handling it okay. He said the PDs already talked to him. But Ji Hyo.. We couldn't contact her after the news broke. I wanted to ask you if you know how else to contact her, since you're closest to her.

KS: She wasn’t at home?

JS: She wasn't. I went to her house earlier but no one seems to be home. Either that or she just refused to answer her door.

KS: Arasseo hyung, I'll see if I can contact or find her.

JS: Gomawo Kwang Sooyah. We're all really worried.

Kwang Soo then tries to call Ji Hyo, just to check, even though he knows she won't pick up. Hearing no response, he worries even more. Kwang Soo gets up from bed and changes into fresh set of clothes. He gets his keys and wallet and, despite his growing exhaustion, leaves immediately to find his noona.

The news about the two members leaving the show disturbed him. It is no small matter and must have been a misunderstanding. There were talks about format changes, but he didn't know there was going to be member changes too. And surely, the PDs wouldn't have done it without talking to them first? Ji Hyo noona and Jong Kook hyung must be devastated. After all, it’s been 6 years since they've been on the show and show means a lot to all of them. Kwang Soo sighs.

Noona, where could you be?

SJH POV

When Song Ji Hyo woke up this morning, she had the strange feeling that the day was going to be a bad one. The sky outside her window looked gloomy and no singing of birds could be heard. Not that there are many birds that pass by where she lived. This is a city after all. Still, she had the ominous feeling that something terribly wrong would happen.

Indeed, something terrible happened that night. News about the Running Man PDs firing her and Jong Kook oppa broke, leaving her feeling… she felt a lot of negative emotions all at once. But mainly she felt betrayed.

Why?

Ji Hyo couldn't understand why they were fired. Their leaving never came up in previous meetings. More importantly, she felt really hurt that the PDs didn't contact her directly.. that she had to know about their decisions through a news article.

Devastated, Ji Hyo turned off her phone and cried her eyes out. She didn’t want to see or talk to anyone just yet. Even when she heard a knock on her door and the faint voice of Jae Suk oppa calling her name, she didn't open the door or even respond.

Mianhe, Jae Suk oppa. I just can’t face anyone right now.

She cried and let herself be swallowed by grief. Ultimately, she escaped to the only place she felt most comfortable in - her dreams. Ji Hyo cried and cried until she fell asleep.

LKS POV

Kwang Soo speeds through the streets leading to Ji Hyo's apartment. Although he knows Ji Hyo wouldn't do anything bad to herself, he can't help but feel worried. He's always worried about her. More so now. He silently curses his busy schedule that day. If only he found out sooner.

His noona has a tendency to shut people out when things get tough for her. Instead of seeking help or comfort, she deals with her problems and emotions all by herself. She has always been like that and though her strong independence is something that he admires about her, he still hopes she would rely on other people once in a while. There's a limit to how strong a person can be.

He dials Jong Kook hyung's number.

KS: Hyung, gwenchana? I just heard the news from Jae Suk hyung.

JK: Yes, Kwang Sooyah. Thank you for asking. It's not what I wanted but.. there's really nothing I can do. I'm worried about Ji Hyo. I can’t contact her. No one could.

KS: I'll try looking for her hyung. I'm on my way to her apartment. I'll contact you as soon as I find her.

JK: Arasseo Kwang Sooyah. Keep me posted.

KS: Yes, hyung. Have strength. Let's meet up soon and drink away this bad news.

JK: Geurae, let's do it soon.

In no time, Kwang Soo reaches Ji Hyo's apartment. He tries to remember her unit's number as he climbs in the elevator. His pace increases as he reaches Ji Hyo's unit. He knocks and calls for Ji Hyo. There's no answer. He tries for several times more, to no avail.

Is she not home? Kwang Soo racks his mind to think of places her Noona goes to when things like this happen. Parent's home? No. Bars? No.. Then he remembers.

There can only be one place where she's at right now. If I'm right..

Kwang Soo quickly leaves the building to search for Ji Hyo's go-to place. It's already forty minutes past 11. If he's right about where Ji Hyo is, then he better hurry.

SJH POV

It was only after a few hours when Ji Hyo woke up from her sleep. For a while, she couldn't recall why she slept through dinner. Then she began to feel the heaviness of her head and the puffiness of her eyes. Everything came back to her in an instant.

Ji Hyo sighed. She turned to look at the bedside clock. It's already past 10 in the evening. She sighed again. Despite the long sleep, she felt exhausted. It took great effort to raise herself out of bed and get changed.

Maybe taking a walk will make me feel better.

Ji Hyo stepped out of her apartment and rode the elevator down to ground level. Her apartment is on the fifth floor of a medium-rise building, high enough to have a good view of the neighborhood. The neighborhood consists mostly of medium-sized houses, several small to medium-sized stores scattered around, and a nearby small park. There are not much tall buildings in the area, which was what she liked most about the place when she first saw it.

She went out of the building and walked into the night with no destination in mind. She just let her feet trudge along the brightly-lit, snow-covered streets. December nights are really cold and she was starting to feel chilly. It seemed like her heavy clothes weren’t enough, but she didn't want to go back to her apartment.

If I go back, I might not bother to go out again.<