He first met Kim Jongkook in Family Outing where the two of them were permanent cast members and he found himself liking the muscled man. Kim Jongkook may look very tough on tv and to the outside world, but if you got to know him better personally you'd be able to see that he was after all, human just like him. 

He's tried pairing him with different women, but it just never works out. 'Aish this man' he thinks to himself and swears that it would be the last time he'd try matchmaking him with someone. Of course unless he asks him to do so when he finds someone who catches his fancy. Yoo Jae Suk can only sigh as he watches the muscled man from afar, and prays that one day, he'll be able to find someone who could match his every step. 

Little did he know that his prayer would be answered in the form of a beautiful young guest on Family Outing. Her name was Song Jihyo, it was her screen name, he knew her as Cheon Sung-Im, her real name. Her first impression where she gave them all grilled squid to which she grilled herself when she was at the salon had struck a chord in him and he knew that she wasn't as simple as the face she showed. 

The shock didn't even end there, once they started filming, she showed more of her wit and her ability to adapt to the current situation. Hell, she wasn't even acting like she was a princess, she was doing the same chores as the men and was even participating in verbal jabs with them. She had spunk alright and it reminded him so much of the muscled man who has been too quiet ever since Jihyo had arrived. 

He saw another side of her when he tried to play a prank on her with so-called grape juice nosebleed. She had outwitted him and that absolutely delighted him because there was a bright future behind her, she proved to be so much more than the pretty face she sported. Much like how Kim Jongkook was more than his muscles, looks, and voice. He grinned wryly at the thought of matchmaking them, so he asked her a question "Jihyo-ssi, do you perhaps like turbo?" to which she responded by looking down and smiling shyly. 

'Aha! Bingo! I hit a spot!' Jae Suk excitedly thinks as he watches her reaction. He finds it so amusing to see her blush, like a girl and she raked her hair behind her ear before clearing . "Ah you caught me there Yoo Jae Suk sunbaenim, I'm an avid fan of turbo, uhm Kim Jongkook-shi specifically, but he doesn't need to know that" and she kept her gaze down. "Just Yoo Jae Suk oppa or oppa Ji Hyo-ya " "Ah, ye oppa" and they both exchanged huge grins. 

With that knowledge he tried shouting over to the muscle man "Kook-Jong ah! Jihyo yah, said! Yes! She did!!!!!" to which Jihyo immediately tried to cover his mouth in mortification. But he knew better than to spill her secrets so he looked at her assuringly as he said his piece. He could only laugh at how she sighed in relief and when he taunted her by saying "Jong-Kook-ah!!!!! Jihyo has something to say to you!!!!" to which he gestured at her to do so. 

He thought she was simply going to ignore it, but boy was he wrong, Jihyo was unexpected and was something unreadable. " Jongkook oppa!!!!!" " Yes???!!!" came Jongkook's far reply. He watched amusedly as Jihyo took a deep breath before telling the whole nation what she felt "Hae-yo!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and she sat back before laughing with him. Deep inside, the wheels in his head were turning 'Ah yes, his match finally arrived' before they continued on with what they were doing. 

He carefully watched Jongkook's reaction towards the girl dancing to 4 minutes' Hot Issue and cutely ending it with a smile while poking her cheek. The muscled man seems amused by her too, if only he was there to watch my failed prank, he would've already been smitten by her wit. The girl wasn't even complaining when she had danced the same song for three times and the muscled man seemed to be happy just watching her.

 He even asked "oh she danced again?" when Jihyo had jokingly danced to Girls Generation. Her wit was a fresh breath of air for him, looks like he found another jewel. The next morning, Jongkook couldn't hide his laughter at Jihyo's bloated face and her morning dance, and Yoo Jae Suk was just happy to observe. It didn't escape him that Jongkook's look and smile had lingered and focused on Jihyo during the forward roll in which she failed, but she was so cute that he had to admit he almost didn't want to hit her. 

Oh and when she whined, everybody around her even himself couldn't hold in the laughter, this woman in front of him just wasn't aware that she could get any guy smitten with her. 'Especially that guy over there' he thought as he side-eyed the man with a lingering smile as he watched her. With the thought of matchmaking them, he decided to get them on the same team today, so that Jongkook wouldn't regret not being able to talk to her. 

With the game progressing, he watched as Jihyo and Jongkook stood close at an amicable distance and when someone whispered something about Jongkook, the man himself wasn't able to hear it. But Jihyo, being Jihyo just added more fuel to the fire and told Jongkook what the person had said. He had to hide his smile behind his hand as he watched the two interact, his lovely creations, *sigh*. 

He was determined to have them team up for the whole day, choosing Jongkook in his team with Jihyo. Under the pretense of gracing him with his selection and he couldn't hold back from teasing said man "You can't hide that smile huh? Too happy that Jihyo's in the same team as you?" the type of response he'd usually get when he was a scowl but this time Jongkook didn't do any of that. Just proceeded to his side and went beside Jihyo while looking at the ground. 'He's always too obvious' he thinks as he continues on to choose his other members. 

'So I'm not wrong, she's exactly the type of woman he wants' he thinks as he observes Kim Jongkook stepping up to provide his hands as assistance for Jihyo to be able to climb the metal bar. He wasn't even making any move to leave just yet, as they waited for Hyori to climb as well. Yoo Jae Suk watched amused and cheered Jihyo "Ji Hyo-ya, you can do this! Beat Hyori!" and with that the match started. 

He watched as Jongkook staggered back beside an amazed Dae Sung as Jihyo proved to be something much more. 'So she's like him, strong too, the resemblance in their personality is so alike that it's screaming she's his soulmate' he watches the match as Hyori falls into the water with Jihyo following suit.

 Hyori asks for a rematch but this time with gloves and Kim Jongkook goes back to offer Jihyo his hands as assistance and jumps back once again when the fight between the women turn intense. When Hyori falls back into the water, Jihyo simply hangs by the metal bar and then jumps back down and he praises her for winning yet again. 'Well, what can we expect, she's the female version of him' he thinks happily. 

Talk about coincidence when she and Jongkook had to play as ghosts, they were truly scary together and that just proved it. He also found her as a cheerful ghost, much brighter really than the people around him, he found her personality so rare. A true precious gem. 

It was too soon for Jae Suk when filming was ending. He wanted to spend more time with Jihyo and keep pushing her in the same team with the muscled man. But alas, all things must come to an end and so he comes near her and asks for her contact number while she asks for his as well. They exchange farewells along with the rest of the cast and he catches eyes with Jongkook as the van she's on disappears from their view. He claps his hand on Jongkook's shoulder and excitedly says "I got her number, you can have it if you want" "What? Hyung you must be going crazy, she doesn't even know me, she'll find it creepy" "Ah Kook-Jong ah I see you've found a woman you truly like" and a new voice interrupts them as  Jong Kook just stares at him with wide eyes "Awwww Jihyo noona's gone! I was having so much fun with her when we were cooking! Hyung, you got her number right?" Dae Sung shamelessly asks causing Jongkook to hit him upside the head and a laugh from Jae Suk. 

"Hyung come on! i'm not gonna start a noona romance! well...unless she likes me that way" he wiggled his eyebrows at both his hyungs and decides to leave before both of them pulverize him for such an idea. "so, do you want it Kook-Jong?" "ah, no hyung, it's not right for me to get her number like this" "if you say so" and with that Jae Suk walks away. 

'I have a feeling that this is simply the start, you'll see her again Kook-Jong ah and I hope when that time comes, you're brave enough'

---- 
 

He was afterall right, with his interference once again, they meet. This time on runningman, this time with Jihyo as a permanent member. This time meant they weren't going to have excuses to not see each other outside filming and he was excited at the idea of trying to matchmake them. 

Of course it wasn't easy at first, with Jihyo being in relationships, they had to respect that and then she had become part of a loveline for the show. Which just made things harder because if he'd start pushing Kim Jongkook towards Song Jihyo, everyone who was a fan of Monday Couple would just lash out negativities towards them and he didn't want that. Being the host of the show, he had to keep everything in check and make sure that he'd protect them from negative stuff circulating around. 

He didn't know how it happened, but for some unknown reason, the two became closer than ever and he knew that they were almost treading on the thin line in between friendship and love. He thinks to himself that maybe that line had just blurred because they were too comfortable with each other. He thought that maybe they'll see this one out with their own eyes without anyone's interference. Gods, he trusted them so much. 

It was in the year 2016 when something shifted when the two of them : their ace and commander was suddenly being kicked out of runningman. Of course the members had protested, they'd been with the two for so long that they couldn't even consider two of them being kicked out. Why the hell were they kicking them out?! Why weren't they giving them a damn reason?! Didn't they know that runningman would never be the same without Jihyo and Jongkook?! 

It had ended with the decision that they'd stand by their ace and commander, they decided to all quit the show if they were kicking the two out. Ji Hyo had taken the news to heart and had been difficult to contact, not even Kwang Soo who was her closest dongsaeng, couldn't even successfully get to get her out of the house. Not even, Haha, her mapogu sibling and not even the nation's beloved MC. 

What came to a shock was Jongkook, he had tried his very best to protect Jihyo, he tried his best to talk to her. And they all thought it was magic, Jihyo was suddenly back again, she was happy and talking back to everyone. Jongkook had stayed behind her all this time as she chatted animatedly with the members, telling them of her recent travel for a photoshoot in HongKong. 

The members could only express how thankful they were for Jongkook by looking at him behind Jihyo with eyes that said a thousand words. They all looked like they were going to cry if Ji Hyo ever cut contact with them again and decided to ignore them forever. But before the ace could finish her story, the members had suddenly engulfed her in a hug. She felt warm and safe, knowing that they'll always have their back. 

After the apologies, a year had passed and it was already 2017. Jae Suk, being the most observant had noticed the change in between Jongkook and Jihyo's relationship. They were slowly transitioning into something else and it was when the pair  had looked into each other's eyes so lovingly that he had to repress a gasp. 

He couldn't help but feel a little emotional because he started with watching their friendship, he watchem them walk on eggshells around each other and now he could finally sigh in relief as they've reached where they should be. During the awarding, theybwere together and he even saw the two exchange pleasantries with the mothers of MUD as Jongkook proudly wrapped an arm around Jihyo's slim waist. 

He could only be giddy as Jongkook struggled to keep his hands to himself the whole night with Jihyo seated beside him all night, oblivious to what he was trying to hide. The couple didn't change, even after when Somin and Sechan joined them, they were still lovey-dovey as ever. Although, there were times when the atmosphere between the couple was so tense that he had to find an escape out before they unknowingly let out their relationship in public. 

He'd been there to cover up for them, to stand in between them with Kwang Soo, Haha and Suk Jin just to make sure they don't get carried away with PDA. But that never stops them eitherway. Even when Sechan and Somin came to the show, they became new additional guardians for the couple. They're used to him openly showing affection towards Ji Hyo and they're used to Jihyo caring so much for the muscled man, always the first to run to him whenever he was in pain or in trouble or just literally cuddling him. 

They'd come a long way and he's glad that he was able to witness their friendship bloom beautifully into romance. He watches teary-eyed as both groom and bride wave to them at the big oak doors of the church as he announces "I now present you the bride and groom Mr and Mrs. Kim" and the whole place erupted with cheers. 

He clambers down from his perch on the podium and follows the couple out of the church as they get ready to drive to the venue. 'Ah, I wish you both well Ji Hyo yah, Kook-Jong, a toast to your married life, a new chapter of your life that I'm about to witness personally, with all this people with me'