Six months later

“Oh, I don’t know, oppa. What if it gets awkward?”

Jihyo tugs on her blouse self-consciously, biting on her lower lip. It smells like pork and soju inside while her stomach grumbles in hunger, but she’s a little too nervous to enter. This is the first face-to-face meeting she’s having with the members again, particularly Jaesuk and Sukjin. She’s only called them since they were living in Pohang, only because they are more protective of her than they should.

Not like Jongkook will ever harm her, but sometimes they tended to take their second family duties very seriously.

“You’ve been calling them for months.” Jongkook reassures her easily, reaching over to grab her hand. “Now that we’ve moved back to Seoul, we can properly meet them without scheduling issues.”

“I know, but—“

He leans down to press a soft kiss on the crown of her head. “And how will things ever be awkward with the nation’s MC? You’ll be fine, Jihyo. Weren’t you excited to see Somin and Sechan again?”

She lights up, nodding. “It’s been a while. I do miss Kwangsoo and Donghoon oppa too.”

“Sukjin and Jaesuk hyung are exactly the same, phone call or not, you’ll see. Don’t be worried, you know how I hate seeing you anxious.”

“I know.” Jihyo rolls her eyes, letting him sling his arm around her waist. “Okay then, let’s go.”

They enter, and are almost immediately ushered to the private room at the back of the restaurant. It’s crowded and full of diners, but no one seems to notice them.

“Unnie!” Somin spots them first, the actress closest to the door. “Omo, it’s really you!”

“Somin ah!” Jihyo lets go of Jongkook’s hand, a wide grin on her face. She’s not usually so touchy, but it’s been a while so it wouldn’t hurt to engulf her younger dongsaeng in a hug. “Oh, you dyed your hair? It looks pretty, I love it so much.”

“Noona, I hope you didn’t forget me.” Sechan jokes, jumping in to greet her next.

“Nonsense, you’re too ugly to be forgotten.” Kwangsoo grumbles, next in line. All these fake maknaes, they can’t beat 10 years of friendship. He’s supposed to be her closer dongsaeng! He bends down to hug his noona, squeezing her tight. “Noona, you look great.”

“Of course she does; she’s in love!” Ha Ha grins at the back, greeting her cheerfully and ignoring Jongkook’s angry jabs on his back. “Goeun says hi. And so does Soul, you know how he is.”

Jihyo acknowledges them all happily, overwhelmed by the reunion. She remembers this dearly, the chaos whenever the Running Man members gathered. She hugs them all gratefully until she reaches the oldest members, both waiting at the side and giving her space. She hasn’t seen them in years and immediately tears fill her eyes, reuniting with the oldest members who helped her get through the early years doing just fine.

“Miss Mong... It’s been a long time.” Jaesuk speaks first, the nation’s host rarely at a lost for words. He pats her on the shoulder gently, smiling. “How have you been? You look well. I hope Kookjong has been taking care of you.”

“Ah, oppa.” Jihyo’s smile only grows wider, if possible. The endearing nickname has her feeling emotional. “I’ve never been better.”

“Don’t hog her, Jaesuk. I have to cut in too.” Sukjin never changes, standing to greet his old friend. “Gosh, this is a little surreal for me. Jihyo, you haven’t changed much. You just look older... Um, not like it’s a bad thing, it’s been a while and—“

“Hyung, you’re horrible at this.” Jongkook interrupts, finding his way beside her again like a personal bodyguard. “What are you saying? She’s still pretty.”

“She’s your girlfriend.” Kwangsoo comments drily.

Jongkook beams with pride, taking it in his stride. “And?”

“Whipped...” Ha Ha taunts, smiling mischievously. He turns to Jihyo, and quickly starts to fuss. “Aigoo, are you crying? Come here, I’ll save you from Sukjin hyung if your boyfriend won’t.”

“Yah, you made her cry!” Jongkook hisses, swiping his thumb under her eyes delicately. She rolls her eyes, waving him off.

“I just...” Jihyo sniffs, wiping her tears as her cheeks redden. She’s not usually so sensitive around people, and Sukjin is never intentionally mean to her anyway. But Jongkook was right; it’s no different from the phone calls, just a whole lot more bantering and actually seeing their faces again. “I really missed this.”

“Omo, unnie...”

“Noona, what are you saying now?”

“See? This isn’t my fault.”

“Hyung, read the room please.”

“Why are you crying?” Ignoring the rest, particularly Sukjin and Ha Ha, Jaesuk taps his knuckles on her temple jokingly, smiling wide.

“It doesn’t matter what happened. What matters is that we’re here now and it’s going to be okay.” He turns to the rest of the members, and even Sukjin is agreeing. “The show’s still going, the tiger is finally settling down, and you’re here to see it all. You’ve even managed to charm our two youngest, although I’m sure it was easier than dealing with Kwangsoo.”

“Ay hyung.” The mentioned giraffe protests, but is yet again ignored.

“She didn’t deny.” Jaesuk sniggers playfully at poor Kwangsoo’s expense. “We’re a dysfunctional family, but we’ll always support and love one another, right? So don’t cry, Jihyo yah. We will celebrate as if nobody ever left, because there’s always years and years of time to catch up on.”

The members nod, mostly in awe. That was pure Yoo Jaesuk, nation’s MC and the glue of the group. He always knew what to say, off and on-screen.

“Now I’m going to cry.” Somin pouts, her lower lip quivering.

“Don’t be dramatic, Somin.” But Sechan still pats her on the back, consoling the  actress. “Noona, we may not have been on the show when you were on, but you’ve taken care of us in the last few months too. Why don’t you come back?”

Six members turn to look at Jihyo, hopeful expressions in their eyes. She’s randomly talked about this with Jongkook, somewhere in the daze of bliss when they were enjoying the shores of Pohang. He knows her stance on this, but she’s surprised he didn’t share it with the rest of their beloved friends.

“No, I don’t think so.” She turns them down gently, apologetic. “I like the peace.”

Perhaps she was never meant to be a celebrity. Being in the spotlight was intrusive and now that she’s free, it’s easier to take on life one step at a time, stay close to her family and maybe even savour every living moment with the one she loves...

“That’s alright. We will hold down the fort for as long as they’ll let us.” Jaesuk takes her hand fondly, bringing warmth to his dongsaeng. “And we will take care of that muscle man for you while we’re at it.”

Jihyo blushes, not used to the jokes. It’s still strange to her, with Jongkook right beside her with a comforting hand on the small of her back. “I’m sure he doesn’t need taking care of.” She replies wittily.

“She’s right. It’s hard to do anything when he’s breathing down your neck.” Sukjin agrees.

“That’s because you’re not doing anything, hyung.” Ha Ha points out drily.

“Yah, you’re one to talk.” Jaesuk scolds, defending his poor hyung. “Pretending you’re as young as the maknaes! Somin needs to learn to stop relying on us to get things done.”

“What— Oppa! What about Sechan?” Somin whines, dragging the youngest too.

“Hey, don’t bring me into this.”

“Look what you started.” Jongkook whispers into her ear as their friends bicker again. “Are you starting to regret coming over?”

“You love the fighting as much as I do, admit it.” Jihyo laughs, relaxing while he guides her to the free seats settled conveniently in the middle of the table. “You know, I came here to eat my dinner...”

“I know, we better order for everyone first because they’ll take a long time to stop.”

“We better pay too because Jaesuk oppa will try to sneak his card in later.”

“This is my place, of course he won’t be allowed to pay.” Jongkook shakes his head, already knowing the menu to the restaurant he technically co-owns with Ha Ha. “The staff know how to stop him.”

“Sajangnim.” Jihyo teases. “So is this meal free for me too?”

“No.” He denies, low and suggestive. “You’ll have to make up to me later...”

“I really can’t get used this.” Kwangsoo interrupts before Jihyo can respond, wishing he hadn’t heard the last part. He knew they were in love, but really? Flirting openly in front of him? His hyung and noona? “If none of you order, I’m going to go ahead and beg the kitchen to send over the meat now.”

“Don’t be sassy with us. I haven’t even met your poor girlfriend yet. She’s blind, I need to talk some sense into h—“

“Noona!”

“Nothing had changed. Not one bit.” Jongkook grins as his girlfriend hits some sense into Kwangsoo instead.

Jaesuk was right — they were like one big dysfunctional family. How can he let this go? Everything was starting to fit beautifully together, his life in absolute harmony. He feels it deep in his heart, the same feeling he felt months ago in Pohang. The last thing he wanted was for her to meet the members again, and the day had finally come.

It’s time, and it’s perfect.

They chat well into the dinner, until the meat is all gone and the grill is cold. It’s late, but they shouldn’t stay any longer, so all of them call it a successful night and promise to make this a regular thing.

Which is good, because it’s painfully hard for Jihyo to say bye to her friends she so dearly missed.

“You really shouldn’t baby Somin; she’ll be insufferable to work with on Monday.” Jongkook grasps Jihyo’s hand in his, helping her with the gifts their friends have given as they head back to the car.

“That’s because you forget she’s a girl, and a lot younger than you too.” Jihyo defends. Nothing is wrong with showering her dongsaeng some extra attention while the boys fought over every small detail, like how they liked their meat grilled.

“You’ll only spoil her... I’ll have to deal with the aftermath when we film.” He opens the passenger door for her, settling in the driver’s seat afterwards. Everything’s good to go, he notes as he starts the engine. Perhaps he’ll make a detour to the park near their apartment...

She pouts instinctively, oblivious to his plans. “That’s because you get to see her! I’ll have to wait until she’s free to meet. Why is she filming so many dramas these days?”

“It’s her job, love.” Jongkook chuckles. He could say the same for her a couple of years back, and it reminds him of the conversation they had with their friends a while ago. “At dinner just now... For a moment, I thought you’d agree to come back to the show.”

This shocks her a little. “Why?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugs, eyes on the road. “I just thought... When you saw them again, you might think of going back.”

Jihyo looks out the window, quiet as she thinks. She doesn’t miss the spotlight, not one bit. Fame comes with a price, and she feels like she’s paid it handsomely.

“It doesn’t matter.” Jongkook says gently, worried he might have upset her. “You’re happy now, aren’t you?”

“Mmm.”

“No?” He panics, wondering if he should step up his game and plan more lavish dates. “Is Seoul too loud for you? Should we go back to Pohang? I liked it there, and my schedule revolves only around Running Man now. We can—“

“Aish, oppa.” She stops him, laughing. “I’m happy, really. I love it here, what are you saying?”

“So why the hesitation?”

“I guess I don’t like being idle.” She admits. “I know I have enough money to live comfortably, but I feel like a freeloader. I’ll go bankrupt soon if I have to keep buying our friends gifts.”

“That’s why you shouldn’t spoil Somin so much.” He jokes back.

“You’re just jealous.” She grins.

“You shouldn’t be pressured to work.” Jongkook frowns, suddenly serious. He doesn’t want her to worry about money or living expenses, which is why they are living together in his apartment instead of her old house so she can rent that out for her parents. “You can take all my money if you’re worried.”

“That’s exactly what a freeloader will do.”

“You’re not a freeloader, Jihyo.” He sighs, hating that he’s driving so he can’t hold her hand as reassurance. “I wouldn’t be a good boyfriend if I was sensitive about money.”

“You’re the most thrifty person I know.” She shoots back, unconvinced. “It’s not fair if your girlfriend takes all your hard-earned money while she stays at home.”

“Not for you.” Jongkook smiles, happy that she called the apartment their home. “All my money is yours.”

“Oppa.” She clicks her tongue, exasperated. Has he heard anything she’s said? “I have money, you know.”

“Mmm, but you can just spend mine.”

“You’re insufferable.” She pouts, too tired to argue with him. They were like that a lot, bickering over the smallest of things — must be a Running Man trait.

He only grins wider, eyeing her instinctively cute face. It’s time. He loves her and he knows he wants to spend the rest of his life with her, growing old together. They’ll have years and years of minor squabbles to get into until one o