“Jong kook oppa… what are you doing? Everyone’s having a drink on Dong hoon oppa’s room. Didn’t they text you?” the older man flinched from the sudden intrusion. He was all alone in his room, hunched in a corner with the lights closed. Only the dim lamp is illuminating the cozy hotel room. His bags are packed around him thus hiding him partially from view. Jong kook hunched down lower as he tried to hide from Ji hyo’s eagle eyes. “Oh, J-Ji hyo-yah… why did you come here?”  Jong kook shifted on his spot. He felt like a cornered animal on his little spot. Ji hyo didn’t answer but instead peered on the sea of disarrayed clothes and shopping bags that Gap Jin left since the manager exchanged packing up for drinking up. Jong kook squirmed under her silent scrutiny and he wished she would go away. “It’s nothing Ji hyo-yah… go on and join them. I don’t drink and we still have that flight back to Korea tommorow morning.”

“I know you don’t drink but you're always around when we do. And also, that flight was moved after lunch."

"Just go, oppa is really fine."

"Oppa, are you having any problems? Don’t be like this… you know you can talk to us. If you can’t talk to me I’ll get Jae suk oppa.”

“No. it’s not like that. You can help me by going away.”

“Oppa –”

“Please, I’m fine go away. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Okay…” Ji hyo was taken aback by his tone, but then Ji hyo noticed something peeking from the commander’s arms. A black cable plug similar to a laptop’s charger hangs from the side of his shirt. Ji hyo raised her wide forehead as an idea of what the commander is doing suddenly pops in her head. She then noticed that he was sweating a bit despite the cool air from the air conditioner. The curtains are drawn and the lights are dim. Ji hyo’s lips curled up for a smile but she suppressed it to not embarrass the older one. “Okay, fine… I understand oppa. Just go on then and I am sorry for barging in here. Uh, you forgot to lock up and I think next time when you want alone time you should – I mean I’m going now.”

Jong kook can see her eyes twinkling, a faint smile playing on her lips. He followed where her eyes lingered a moment ago and gasped as he discovered the black cable plug peeking from under his arms. “Ji hyo, it’s not what you are thinking.” Jong kook blushed. His dongsaeng thought he was watching something inappropriate. “No it’s fine. I’m going to see the others now. Don’t be embarrassed oppa, I know you guys can’t help it. Dong hoon oppa watches it a lot.” Jong kook’s jaws dropped. She is really thinking he is watching yadong. Jong kook knows he should just let it go since it is his fault for looking so suspicious, but he won’t be able to sleep if Ji hyo just goes out of that door thinking he is some erted forever alone. A person who’d rather have the lonely confines of a hotel room with some videos, than be with the warm circle of friends, drinking or not.

As Ji hyo turned her back Jong kook stood up, revealing wires and cables of all colors tangled up in his arms. “Ji hyo I’m not watching anything… you know. I’m just packing up my stuff.” Ji hyo turned to face him and she laugh at the image of Jong kook awkwardly standing there. He looks lost and desperate as he cradles the wires. “Oppa, this is what you have been doing since we ended dinner two hours ago?” Jong kook nodded in defeat, a faint blush darkening his tanned face.

Soon, both Ji hyo and Jong kook are on the floor facing each other. They tugged, pushed, and pulled the tangled cables in full concentration. Their foreheads wrinkled, their eyes squinted and their hands delved on the offensive wires. Jong kook’s hands bumped into her, sending jolts of electricity throughout his body. He looked at her delicate and small hands, which looks even smaller in contrast with his. Jong kook failed to notice that he had stopped working on the wires as he watched Ji hyo work. “Oppa, how come you have this much of wires here? I thought you don’t like electronic stuff?” Ji hyo asked, not minding that she alone is trying to fix the mess. “Hmm… actually, I got tired of being teased with my phone.”

“Really? So these wires are for your phone alone? What kind of phone are they selling here in Vietnam to require this much of wires?”

“Umm, actually it’s not only the phone. I got a good deal… so Gap Jin hyung told me to also get the tablet, the laptop, and those GPS for my car. It’s really cheap down here.”

“These are famous and expensive brands. Maybe you charmed the seller to give you lower prices.”

“Err, maybe.” he shrugged as he remembered the ajumeoni who entangled herself to him as persistent as the wires she sells, while Gap Jin inspected the goods. “But oppa, how did this stuff got like this?” at this point of time, Ji hyo had successfully untangled a headphone from the bunch. “Actually about that, when I got here I tried to use the gadgets but I don’t know how to work them out. I kept on testing them and tossing away those that I can’t figure out… when I turned around that mess was already there.” Ji hyo chuckled making Jong kook scowl. It was embarrassing enough to be accused of watching inappropriate things and now the woman is laughing at his clumsiness. “Ji hyo-yah, are you laughing at me right now?”

“No, I’m not oppa.” She bit her lower lip to shoo away the smile that kept on creeping on her face. “You are laughing at me now. I know you better than you think Ji hyo. You are really making fun of me, right?”

“Err, it’s not really funny but it’s cute keke. Who would have thought the commander is like this? But, really, oppa this is adorable cute… not funny cute, umm you know. It’s not really to mock you or something.” Jong kook sighed. He still thinks that Ji hyo is making fun of him, but hearing her call him cute and adorable made his heart skip a beat. The truth is he finds Ji hyo even cuter than his girly girl niece Soya is, and if it was Soya who saw him like that, she would have already burst laughing at first sight of him. The thought of Soya made him cringe and he moved closer to Ji hyo to help her out lest the others decided to look for them.

He moved inch by inch until their knees touched. Jong kook suddenly regretted going closer to her. Ji hyo’s scent filled his head. He wanted to move away but he thought Ji hyo would think that’s strange. He tried holding his breath but it was not a solution if he wants to live. Their fingers brushed each other more often and Jong kook is slowly liking the feel of her hands against his. He is aware of a little smile spread across Ji hyo’s face. Jong kook caught her infectious smile and he grinned as they continued the tug of war.

_____

The rest of the running man members in Dong hoon’s suite are wondering where Ji hyo had gone. She texted them almost an hour ago that she is coming but still there is no sign of her. They all know Jong kook was packing up some stuff that he won’t disclose to them so they aren’t worried about him. But Ji hyo is someone who would practically fly at the mere mention of drinks. “I’ll go get her. Maybe she got lost or some crazy fans kidnapped her.”

“Yah, Gwang soo-yah… does that even make sense?”

“Umm, not really Jae suk hyung.”

“I’ll go find her, we can’t let the Asia’s prince work.” said Suk Jin. Who is now worried for the girl he treats like his own daughter. The oldest tried to stand but collapsed back on the floor as a wave of dizziness hit him. Gwang soo was quick on his feet, a trait that he often hides from the cameras. He caught the older one who fell asleep as soon as he hit the younger one’s arms. “I guess I can’t go look for noona now.” Gwang soo and the rest eyed Gary. “Jae suk hyung, why don’t we call her again?”

“Eyy Gary-yah, are you with us? Her phone is with her manager and Min hee doesn’t know where Ji hyo went after we texted her an hour ago.”

“Oh… sorry I forgot. Okay, I’ll go look for Monday GF now.”

“Gary hyung, don’t again with that couple stuff or else you’ll … you know what.” warned Dong hoon who is now comfortably snuggling on Gwang soo’s spare leg. Gwang soo only sighed as his thin legs tried to support his two hyungs. “Gary-yah, go now and get her while we still have liquors or else she’ll have tantrums again.”

“Neh Jae suk hyung.” Gary whistled as he went out to find Ji hyo. The others are relieved to be left on the cozy place but they are worried if Gary is up to the task. “Jae suk hyung, are you sure Gary hyung…”

“Don’t worry about him Gwang soo-yah, he’ll manage.” After a minute of worrying, the four who were left went on as if nothing happened.

_____

Gary went to the staff’s rooms and asked around but no one saw Ji hyo. He looked around the hotel, made his way to the pool area, the lobby and all the places he could think of. Then an idea came to him. He excitedly went to the bar area hoping that she was there. Gary went to the bar but saw only Myuk Pd losing in a card game with a local. Gary now doesn’t know where else to look for Ji hyo. He remembered Jong kook and thought of asking for help although the older one said not to disturb him. if it’s Ji hyo that hyung won’t say no.

Gary went up to Jong kook's suite, which is in the same floor as Ji hyo’s. When he arrived there, he thought the commander left since the place was dark and silent. He heard voices coming from the bedroom. He doesn’t know why but he held his breath and tiptoed to the door. He heard a girl giggling and the unmistakable voice of his hyung reprimanding the girl not to laugh. The girl sounded like Ji hyo… but no. It can’t be her. Not with Jong kook hyung…

“Hey don’t touch that… let me do that one. See, this position is better don’t you think?”

“Neh, okay push it in here, don’t tremble. Be gentle oppa, okay? There, slowly… like that, you are getting the hang of it. Yah oppa! Don’t be rough, gentle is better.”

Gary blushed. His hyung is with a woman who sounded like Ji hyo. He was about to go when Jong kook mentioned a name that made him freeze on his spot.

“Ji hyo-yah, oppa is the best, don’t you think?”

“Neh, neh, as you wish… now move faster oppa. Yeah like that, hurry up.”

Gary staggered out of the room. He felt like his soul flew out and left him. He still can’t believe what he just found out. His hyung and Ji hyo… he would have understood if a pretty local grabbed his hyung’s attention, but Ji hyo is their family. He doesn’t know how he made his way back to Dong hoon’s room but Jae suk was quick to notice his ashen face and trembling steps. “Yah Gary… where is Ji hyo? And why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost? Did something bad happened to Ji hyo?”

“Jong kook hyung and Ji hyo-yah… they Jae suk hyung. They do, faster. Room, they were, oppa like this that.” Jae suk tried to decipher the younger ones stuttered story, only to fail. Gwang soo stood up thus waking the two hyungs sleeping on his legs. Gwang soo slapped Gary but the older one continued stuttering. Finally, they gave up. The effects of alcohols thinned and they decided to go to Jong kook’s suite. “No! Don’t barge in there! Hyung and Ji hyo, they busy. No disturb, back don’t!” they ignored Gary’s pleas and marched up to Jong kook’s room.

_____

 Dong hoon, Jae suk, Gwang soo, Suk Jin and a fidgeting Gary stood in front of Jong kook’s suite. They were about to knock but the door was open. “S-sorry forgot close door when I went out,” stuttered Gary. They went inside it was dark, a dim light spilled from the bedroom and like Gary earlier, they felt compelled to tip toe. Then they heard voices coming from the room.

“Oppa, it’s almost there… I’m almost done. Just a little bit.”

“I’m almost there too just a little bit Ji hyo-yah. I feel good now, yes! Oh god finally!”

“Phew, good job oppa… but we need to do that again.”

“Oh right… again then. Give me those cords behind you. Be careful not to get your hands tied up.”

The five males outside the door looked at each other in shock. They were all thinking of the same thing after hearing tied up and cords. “Jae suk hyung… does Jong kook hyung like those –” Gwang soo’s answer was met by a shush and a hit from his hyungs. He could only bite his lip to shut his curious questions. Gary only gave them the I-told-you-so look. They were about to go, embarrassed at their discovery, when suddenly Gap Jin arrived. “What are you guys doing here?” they all tried to push him out of the room but clumsy Gwang soo tripped on his foot and fell on top of his hyungs. Gap Jin was able to go straight to the bedroom, despite the protests of the running men. The drunken manager opened the door of the room and the five tangled people on the floor rushed to the scene preparing to cover up for their family.

“Oh, everyone’s here.” said Ji hyo as six people piled in the room. Jong kook was scowling, unhappy to be caught red handed with his electronics.

“Ji hyo noona, hyung… you two, you’re clothed.” exclaimed Gwang soo as he tried to avoid stepping on Gap Jin’s disarrayed baggage. Dong hoon snickered looking at his Jong kook hyung and his bicker-mate. “That was really fast… uri hyung.”

“Aigoo, these kids, what will I do being the oldest here?”

“Ji hyo-yah, I’m so heart broken right now, I can’t… I don’t want to look anymore. I think I’ll never be able to log in to you again.”

“Kook Jong-ah, I… I know I talk a lot but right now, this Jae suk hyung of yours are lost. I don’t know what to say to you.”

“Guys, what are you all talking about? Never mind, can you help untangle this?” Ji hyo raised up the second batch of entangled wires. Everyone looked to Ji hyo then to Jong kook, then to the wires and again to the organized cords in the bed. Then Gap Jin collapsed on the floor. It took a while to penetrate their brains but when it did they all breathed a sigh of relief, well all but the two dumb brothers – Gwang soo and Jae suk who stayed clueless when no one verbally explained the situation to them. They all went to help untangle the mess except for dumb and dumber who looked at the cords in disgust thinking of other ‘uses’ for it.

I've been typing this bits by bits since yesterday while I'm with my friends, so I am not sure if it's any good. It was supposed to be very spartacey until the whole gang joined in and spoiled the fun, and my friends also contributed to this alot (this is what I imagined seeing cords, octopus connections and messing up my headphones and chargerwith the mouse and stuff haha). and uh, yadong is korean word for ''. It's no ones request but I hope you guys would enjoy it. Thanks for reading XD