Ji Hyo’s eyes lit up as she rubbed her palms together, happily humming at the spread of food on the buffet table right in front of her. Beaming with excitement, her feet instantly skipped to the dessert area— scanning the selection of cream puffs, strawberry eclairs, salted caramel praline macarons, mini lemon cheesecakes, blueberry tarts and more.

“Ahhh, everything looks so good,” she can’t help but her lips, drooling from the increased craving of her sweet tooth.

“Tsk tsk,” Jong Kook clicked his tongue as he trailed behind her. Stretching his neck forward, he peeked over her shoulder to check what made her so giddy and sighed at the sight that met him: sugar, a huge ton of it.

“That’s not food.”

“I can’t hear you,” she covered her ears and cheekily ignored him while eagerly searching for the dessert plates. Ahhh, there it is. Below the beautifully crafted meringue roses, she discovered the stack of plates she had been scavenging. She extended her hand to grab a plate but was abruptly stopped by Jong Kook’s grip on her wrist and was forcefully dragged to head over to the main course.

“Oppa!!” she whined without a care about the attention they were drawing from their banter.

Jong Kook kept walking until they reached the main buffet table. He then let go of her wrist to firmly hold her shoulders and position her in front of him so she could get started in getting proper food while keeping a good eye on her.

She rolled her eyes and stomped a heel before grabbing the tongs to get some salad. He scoffed as he was caught off guard with her response. Was she throwing a tantrum?

He couldn’t contain his chuckle while observing her proceed to the next course, “For someone who had been bored earlier, I thought you’d be dying to get out of here to drink.”

She sent him a scowl, “And skip the free food?”

“Well you did skip it earlier.”

“I was about to splurge but you just had to stop me and burst my bubble.”

“I wasn’t stopping you. We can get your desserts later but first, have some real dinner.” Jong Kook sent her a sly smile and added a piece of pan baked salmon on her plate.

“Yah! I’ve already gotten that! This is too much!” she complained by the amount of food that was piling on her plate. By the sound of her tone, she’s about to lose her temper.

“Look, you’ve lost some weight. You’ve got to take care of yourself. I don’t care if you’re preparing for a new project. Remember what I told you before? it’s not good to go on sudden diets. You’re not getting any younger, Ji Hyo-ah. You can’t overwork yourself again.”

Although she was irritated with his scolding, he did not fail to make her ears red in embarrassment. She knew that he meant well. He was one of the few cast members that never got over her hospitalization in 2011. So whenever it came to her health, his nagging had almost always been expected. This was his way of looking out for her as his dongsaeng, even if it was annoying at times.

She made a face and reluctantly accepted the bits of food he was constantly adding on her plate as they moved from one course to another. When they finally reached the end of the main buffet spread, she raised an eyebrow at him, hoping he’d agree to let her go back to the dessert table without his hawk-eyed gaze.

Jong Kook knew that expression that he wouldn’t be able to resist, no matter how hard he tried. So instead of answering her, he just took her plate, “What’s with the look? Kaja! I thought you’ve been dying to get back to candy land.”

She let out a little squeal and clapped her hands, “Thank goodness! I thought you were going to nag me again. Come on!!!”

As her feet shuffled back to the dessert table, she enthusiastically resumed picking the macarons, tarts, and eclairs that she left earlier. Soon, her dessert plate was full of sweets.

Jong Kook held his tongue from giving any further remark but his face was a dead giveaway, unable to hide his dismay. Of course, Ji Hyo doesn’t fail to notice this.

“I know you’re about to say something. You might as well spill, oppa,” she carefully studied him.

He shook his head, “I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to do so. You wouldn’t like it.”

“I already had the hunch that it’s not going to be good. If I recall correctly, I was dragged away from this table. So, what am I getting reprimanded for?”

“Not reprimanding you on anything. Just something for you to consider: Tone down that sugar intake of yours. Too much of something isn’t good for you,” he smugly responded.

“So when will you give the chickens a break? Too much chicken isn’t good for you too, you know,” she fired back right away.

“Aha. See? I told you it wasn’t going to be nice.”

She sneered at him and placed a tart in , “Mhmmm, you’re not having any of this.”

He snorted in return, “Don’t worry about me. I’m not envious at all. Besides, this is a better alternative than drinking.”

She gaped at him, “Aish, you traitor. I thought I almost had you into grabbing some drinks after this.”

“Not a chance,” he mischievously laughed and motioned his head pointing to the main hall, “Ready to head back?”

“Hold on! Let me just take one more tart!”

He sighed heavily, “Aish, palli!”

“Kim Jong Kook-ssi. Song Ji Hyo-ssi,” Won Sik’s parents spotted them from the main hall and slowly approached them. Once again, Ji Hyo was interrupted from doing her business at the dessert table.

“Oh god,” she silently muttered and quickly placed the tart on her plate.

“Yah,” Jong Kook hissed at her priorities. He immediately forced a smile and elbowed Ji Hyo to do the same and get her act together. The dessert can wait.

“Annyeonghasaeyo,” they bowed politely to greet Won Sik’s parents.

“Annyeonghasaeyo, it’s nice to finally meet you both,” Won Sik’s mother cooed.

“Neh. We should be apologizing. We haven’t had the opportunity earlier to congratulate your family on your son’s marriage,” Jong Kook confessed.

“Aigoo, no need to apologize. We should be thankful that you even came to our son’s wedding. You both must’ve been so busy,” his father added.

“It was no problem at all. Min Jung’s a friend. It was an honor to be part of her celebration,” Ji Hyo smiled.

“Ah yes! We were surprised when Won Sik informed us that you both ran into them a month ago in Seoul and you’re friends with Min Jung!” Won Sik’s father beamed.

“It was a shame we didn’t get the chance to meet you then! We were actually in the same restaurant that night too! In fact, we had just flown back from the States that evening and were pretty jet-lagged. Had I known that you both were there, I would’ve insisted on meeting the both of you before that wedding,” his mother exclaimed.

“Yeobo, don’t make them feel uncomfortable,” Won Sik’s father lightly told off his wife and chuckled, “I’m sorry. She only watches Korean shows on tv even if we’ve lived in the States for years.”

“I’m not doing anything wrong!” Won Sik’s mother protested before turning her head to the two to ask them for reassurance, “Did I?”

“Of course not,” Jong Kook chuckled. Truth is, it is a bit awkward. If the elderly couple only knew their history, they probably wouldn’t be having this conversation.

“Omoni, how long have you been in the States?” Ji Hyo curiously asked.

“Oh dear, 32 years. It has been way too long. When my husband received an opportunity to work in the States, we all went for the move and Won Sik was just a little boy then.”

“I didn’t know Won Sik was an only child,” Ji Hyo mumbled.

“We were very worried about him when we suddenly moved to the States. We barely knew how to speak english and we had no friends. Our poor son had to endure the tough days when he had to translate things for us or just make real friends despite him being Asian. He was able to cope and do well. We couldn’t be prouder than that. When he told us about his plan of trying his luck out in Seoul two years ago, we did not stop him. He knew what he was doing and we just supported him all the way. Turns out, it was the best decision he has made. Now we even have a new daughter-in-law,” His father smiled proudly.

Jong Kook and Ji Hyo couldn’t help but listen in awe. Despite the fact that they haven’t known Won Sik for so long, they discovered a part of him through his parents.

“Thank you Sir for sharing your story. Your family’s love and support for one another is admirable. I’m happy that everything turned out well for all of you,” Jong Kook sincerely applauded them.

Won Sik’s mother widely smiled in return, “You’re such a sweet young man. No wonder mothers love you. How about you two? When are you planning to get married?”

Blood rose on Jong Kook and Ji Hyo’s cheeks. Ah, right. They were still pretending. For a second, they seemed to have forgotten about their situation. Can they blame the food? Perhaps. It was a much needed distraction anyway.

“Not anytime soon,” Jong Kook sheepishly answered.

“Ottoke,” The old woman’s brows met and her face evidently looked troubled, “Aren’t you two at the marrying age now? You have waited long enough, right Jong Kook-ssi? You couldn’t let a fine woman like Ji Hyo-ssi wait that long.”

Jong Kook faked another smile. Their role play was getting trickier. The downside of getting into Korea’s top variety shows is that viewers assume that he’s desperate to get married as soon as possible. While there’s some truth to that, most people fail to realize that his cautiousness would not pressure him to be on a hunt for a wife every now and then. Not to mention that he’s dealing with closing Min Jung’s chapter in his life at her wedding in which he somehow managed to get Ji Hyo in this too.

Thanks to Ji Hyo’s sharp-wittedness and acting skills, she was able to save them both from diving into an even more awkward situation. “Oh no, please don’t think that way. We’re in no rush at all. There are so many things going on with our careers.”

“Are you sure?” Won Sik’s mother suddenly rubbed Ji Hyo’s arm gently with her gaze aimed at her in an effort to change her mind.

“Definitely, Omoni! Jong Kook oppa and I are perfectly fine where we are. Right, jagiya?” she took a glance at him with pleading eyes to support their case.

“Ah neh,” He weakly answered. As much as he wanted to match her great acting skills, he couldn’t deny how stiff he felt interacting with his ex’s new in-laws. The atmosphere seemed to have shifted in a serious note and the conversation suddenly felt private, even if none of it were real.

“Yeobo, you need to hold your horses. They ought to know what they want,” Won Sik’s father came to their aid and threw a wink at the couple. “Besides, we’ve already taken much of their time. Look! Their dinner’s gone cold!”

“Oh dears! I’m so sorry that we kept you both for so long!”

Jong Kook and Ji Hyo both chuckled as they assured the elderly couple.

“Omoni, Abeonim, we had a great time talking with you. It was nice to know where Won Sik got his kind and warm personality,” Ji Hyo