Note:

- This chapter takes place on the same day as the shooting My Little Old Boy episode 115.

Chapter 1: Keeping a Secret

Slowly opening her eyes, Jihyo woke up alone in her bed. Before her mind turned to panic, she smelled something sweet from the kitchen. Quickly putting on a bathrobe, she walked out to the kitchen and smiled at that sight of her boyfriend making pancakes in nothing but his black boxers. 

"Hello, stranger." Jihyo chirped as she walked to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She felt her boyfriend laugh reverberate through her body. 

"Good morning," Jong Kook waited until he finished the last pancake and turned around to embrace his girlfriend. Sinking into his chest, Jihyo looks up and gently pecks his lips. 

"Back at you," The actress glanced and saw pancakes. "Pancakes? Oh, oppa, you know me so well."

"A token of my thanks for a wonderful night," Jong Kook chuckled and kissed her forehead. Jihyo blushed at his talk. 

"Flatterer." She pecked his lips with hers.

"I'm being sincere, as always." Jong Kook stated, and Jihyo stuck her tongue out at him. The two of them began eating their breakfast, discussing their schedule for the day. 

"So I'm going to meet with some of my friends for lunch after some tv shooting." Jihyo spoke. "What about you?"

"I've My Little Old Boy shooting later today." Jong Kook shrugged. "Just meeting Sang Min hyung at my apartment." 

"Wow, it's already been several months since I've been on that show. Hope your mother is doing alright." Jihyo added.

"She is, thanks for asking. In fact, she's having so much fun on the show." Jong Kook chuckled as he put a forkful of food in his mouth. 

"She must be. You and Hong Jin Young looked so good together on those two episodes. Your mother enjoyed it so much!" Jihyo giggled and Jong Kook shook his head in amusement. "Even I was jealous when watching those episodes!" 

"Hey, you know that those are just for show and viewers." Jong Kook stammered. 

"You're talking to an actress, oppa. I know exactly what you mean." Jihyo sniggered. "Even so, you were so convincing that. Maybe you should consider a serious acting career."

"Or maybe you can come on the show and do that same thing." Jong Kook smirked. "My mother would like that a lot."

Jihyo raised an eyebrow. "But wouldn't that get everybody's attention, Oppa? About our secret?" 

"Hey, viewers make up things every time I'm paired with someone. And so many people make fun of what you and I have already." Jong Kook shrugged.

"I don't know." Jihyo tilted her head to the side. Appearing on the show as a guest instead of on the panel seemed risky to her. Maybe the viewers and everybody else wouldn't notice their relationship. Their keeping the relationship separate was mutually decided on earlier in their relationship. Both of them had too much going on with their professional life to be hounded by the media and DISPATCH media. And if it was revealed, it would be pure pandemonium. Even their Running Man would be affected. And also, neither of them knew how long their relationship would last, or if it would last. So, they decided to keep their relationship a secret, even though their relationship was good as ever.

"Just think about it, okay?" Jong Kook asked, and Jihyo nodded, receiving a gentle kiss on the cheek from her boyfriend. After breakfast, both of them cleaned up and got ready to get out. Jong Kook himself put on long sleeves, loose pants, with a face mask to try to hide his musculature and figure so that nobody would recognize him if he were spotted. "Okay, then. I'll get going now. See you later tonight?"

"Sure. I'll come by your place this time. Remember to remove all the cameras and mikes!" Jihyo reminded. 

"Don't worry." Jong Kook spoke through his mask, but not before Jihyo stopped him, peeled his mask off a bit, tiptoed, and kissed him. "See you, Oppa."

Jihyo POV

"See you." Jong Kook gave her a final one before leaving. Jihyo sighed contently and sat down on her sofa, looking out the window. She had some time to kill before leaving to see her friends. Her mind turned back to whether she should appear on Jong Kook's show as a guest. It would definitely be different from when she came on the show last time; as Sparta and Ace weren't dating back them. Her greatest fear was people finding out their secret and suddenly being hounded by every media front on TV and social media, having no privacy for themselves. It was already getting on her nerves, how people would post pictures and videos on how she and Jong Kook were together. It was correct, but she just wanted Jong Kook-oppa to be hers when not working. 

Before she knew, time had flown by and she rushed to get ready and leave to meet her oldest friends at a nearby cafe. When she got there, her friends had already arrived.

"Yah, Soo Yeon-ah (Jihyo's real name is Cheo Soo Yeon)!" One of Jihyo's friends yelled out from the table, waving. "You're late again!"

"I'm sorry! Lost the track of time!" Jihyo stammered and quickly sat amongst her friends. "So, did I miss anything?"

"Oh nothing, just talking about our personal lives." Her outspoken friend, Gan Na,  smirked and pointed to one other friend. "Particularly this one."

"Oh really? Joo Hyeon-ah, what happened? Is something wrong?"

Joo Hyeon smiled shyly. "Oh, it's nothing wrong. It's just that...I'm pregnant again..." She admitted and Jihyo jumped up in the excitement and hugged her friend. 

"That's great!" Jihyo glanced at her belly. "How far along!?" 

"2 months now." Joo Hyeon patted her belly. "I still can't believe it, to be honest."

"Well, you and your husband wanted to have a daughter. If you do have one, you have a full set." Jihyo's friend already had a son, so a daughter would make a full set. In fact, she just realized that amongst her current group of friends, she was the only one that was still officially single and without children. "Are you excited?"

"Of course I am!" Joo Hyeon chirped. "Already fighting with my husband for names, and it's driving me insane! But enough about me. How about you. Soo Yeon, anything new?"

Jihyo was caught off-guard by the sudden question. "Me? What about me?"

"You know what we mean." Gan Na smirked. "Anything spicy in your life, girl? Boyfriend? Lover? Friends with benefits?"

"Gan Na!" Jihyo blushed and lied as fluidly as she could. "I've been doing fine. Just a bit busy with work. That's all."

"Soo Yeon-ah, come on!" Joo Hyeon sighed. "Don't tell me that you don't have a secret boyfriend?"

"I don't have a secret