The News
Never Again
It's midnight, and Song Jihyo is already preparing to sleep when she hears a loud knocking on her door. She quickly wears her night robe and checks who it is. When she checks her monitor, it is Kim Jongkook. She immediately opens the door, and Jongkook comes in staggering because he is drunk.
"Oppa," Jihyo supports Jongkook as they thread to the living room, "What happened to you? Don't you have anyone with you?"
Jongkook flaps on the couch without care, "Water, please, Jihyo-a."
Jihyo sighs before going to the kitchen and getting a glass of water for Jongkook. She gives it to him, and the man quickly gulps down his throat. He puts the glass on the coffee table and returns to lying on the couch. Jihyo then sits down beside him, "What's the deal? Why are you so drunk?"
Jongkook looks at Jihyo before taking her hand, "You look so pretty, Song JIhyo-a. Nothing can beat your face."
"Aist, what's up with you, oppa? Will you stay here tonight, or will I call a cab to get you home?"
"Jihyo-a, you know how much I like you. I am even in love with you."
"I don't want to talk to you about that. You can stay for the night. Just call Gapjin and tell him to pick you up early."
"You are not afraid to be with Yoo Jaeseok alone, but you seemed to hate me when I was here."
"Why are you bringing up Jaeseok in this conversation?"
"You still don't know? Or are you just denying it to me?"
"I don't know what you are talking about." Jihyo stands up, but she quickly falls to Jongkook's chest because he pulls her, "Oppa!"
Jongkook hugs Jihyo tight so that the latter cannot fight, "Just stay like this. Just give me this chance to feel you next to me."
"You are drunk."
"I seldom drink, but I want to be wasted, so I did."
"You don't have any clothes in here. You should at least have a shower and change your clothes."
"Call Gapjin. Tell him to bring me some clothes."
"And how I would do that if you aren't letting me go."
Jongkook chuckles. A moment later, Gapjin came to Jihyo's apartment to bring his hyeong some clothes. Jongkook was already showering when his manager came and went home immediately, leaving him with Jihyo. The latter was sitting on her bedroom chair when Jongkook left the bathroom with a towel covering his lower body.
"I used your toothbrush," Jongkook said.
"I will just buy a new one," Jihyo replied.
"Who owns the blue one?"
"Are you here to interrogate me?"
"Ani, I'm just curious who the man might be." his tone is condescending.
"Will you please stop? You are not funny."
"Am I here to make fun of you?"
Jijhyo stood up and was about to leave the room when Jongkook pulled her by the forearm. He turns her to face him, "Let go of me."
"I won't. Why would I do that?"
"Because that's what I want."
Jongkook let out a wry chuckle, "Right. It's always what you want and not what I want."
"Why should I care about what you want?"
"Have you ever considered my feelings?"
"We are done!"
"Because that's what you want! I let you do everything you want. I gave you everything you needed and asked for, even your freedom. And for what? To be a mistress? And to top it off, you are in a relationship with Yoo Jaeseok!"
"What do you know?" Jihyo pushed Jongkook away from her, "You know nothing. You had your chance with me, but you only cared about what they might think about you or me. You never really cared about how I felt when we were together. All you wanted was someone who would follow you and your plans. I can't even make mine because you would say no every time I will. Did you say I always had my ways when we were still together? Ani, it's all you! It's all you want; you thought it was what I wanted. Whenever you asked me, I thought about what you would like me to choose or do. I have to say something that you would agree to because I fear getting rejected for everything I want us to do. I am hurting, but I can't tell you that because I am afraid to lose you. But, I grew tired of thinking whenever I was with you. My heart doesn't feel free at all when we are together. Oppa, we shouldn't live like that if we love each other. I couldn't be happy when I was with you. I must do everything according to your plan because you don't want to be in the news."
"I just want to protect you."
"For what? We are old enough to have someone in life, but you are still afraid that your fans won't accept me? Do you think they will accept anyone you would be with in the future if you, yourself, can't even speak about that person freely? You are not protecting anybody. You are only protecting yourself."
Jongkook slept in the living room while Jihyo locked her bedroom door. She was crying. Jongkook can hear her crying. He doesn't want to leave that apartment without retaking Jihyo's heart. He will do whatever and however he can.
When morning came, Jongkook woke up with a blanket over him. His head hurts. He sat up, holding his forehead, trying to ease the pain. Then came Jihyo. She gave Jongkook a cup of hot coffee. He took a sip of it.
"I already called Gapjin." Jihyo said, "He will be here soon. You should prepare."
"How are you?" Jongkook asked.
"What do you think?"
Jongkook looked at Jihyo and saw her eyes swollen. He is guilty, "I'm sorry."
"Stop saying anything. Just leave."
Gapjin called Jihyo to say he was already at the parking lot. After changing clothes, Jongkook left the apartment, but Jihyo couldn't bear to let him go alone, so she went down with him to the parking lot. She stopped at the front of the car and said goodbye to him. To her surprise, Jongkook suddenly pulls a stunt. He gives Jihyo a kiss which makes her freeze. She couldn't react, so he whispered, "I know you still love me, and I will do everything to make you realize it." Jongkook smiles before riding the car.
Song Jihyo went back to her apartment, astonished. She and Jongkook broke up more than a year ago, and they are just co-stars in the show now. Her heart is pounding as she leans on her door after coming inside.
It hadn't been an hour, and news broke out.
Dispatch Headlines: Song Jihyo and Kim Jongkook are Dating!
Kyungeun is chuckling at what she is reading while having a coffee. Jaeseok, who just came from the bedroom to the dining area, notices his wife's reactions, "What are you chuckling about? Is there something good about the news today?"
"Ah, oppa!" Kyungeun immediately stood up to get Jaeseok a cup of coffee. As she serves her husband, Kyungeun continues, "Dispatch just reported a new celebrity couple, and everyone is going crazy on the internet."
"I didn't know you are also into showbiz buzz like that?"
"Ani, oppa," she sits down on her chair and tells her husband about the news, "Aren't you and Kim Jongkook close with each other?"
"What of it?"
"Didn't you guys know?"
"Know what?"
"Kim Jongkook and Song Jihyo are dating!"
"Mwo?"
"Ay, oppa, it's all over the news now. And that's what I am so interested in."
Jaeseok felt something snaps within him. In the car, he reads the news on his phone and is getting triggered by the photo used in the article. The pictures comprised the couple exiting the elevator and walking to the parking lot. But what angers Yoo Jaeseok is the photograph of Kim Jongkook kissing Song Jihyo.
"Hyeong, have you seen the news?" his manager asked.
Jaeseok looked out the window and didn't want to engage in the conversation, but he couldn't just fire on his manager because it might give the man a clue about him and Jihyo. He has to hold it in for the whole day until he can run to Jihyo and ask her everything. He won't believe anything that was on the news. He will accept whatever Song Jihyo tells her. He knew her better than the media. But what sets Jaeseok abuzz is that someone suddenly started to follow Kim Jongkook or Song Jihyo again. Dispatch has given up on the two since they can't get any news unless their management releases something for their work. Another thing that picked his interest was the reporter's name. If he wasn't mistaken, the dispatch reporter was someone Na Kyungeun knows because they went to the same grade school.
Meanwhile, Song Jihyo had a big headache because her mother ran into her apartment after reading the news.
"Eomma," Jihyo was trying to buyout from the situation, "The news is not true. How many times would I have to tell you that?"
"Ya, if it's not true, why are you kissing him in the picture? Don't tell me you are used to kissing him like that as a friend?"
"Oppa probably pulled a stunt."
"Answer me truthfully. Did Kim Jongkook spend the night here?"
Jihyo swallowed.
"If the two of you weren't in a relationship, he wouldn't be spending the night with you!"
"Nothing happened last night!"
"Did I say something happened last night? I just said that he spent the night here."
"You were implying something within those words, eomma."
"You were old enough to know what to do, Cheon Sooyeon. If your reason for living alone is to have your privacy with him, it's just fine. But please, don't be too bold like kissing like that in the open."
"Ay, eomma, ay! You are not helping me with your comments! Please stop cornering me about this news because I don't know what to do or say. I can't even say anything to my agency."
"Tell them the truth."
"What truth?"
"That the two of you are dating."
Song Jihyo was amazed at how her mother was deaf, on her.
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