Days flew by and soon, it was another Monday. Kim Jong Kook had been waiting for the day to come anxiously that he arrived an hour early to the set. No other members had arrived so he stayed put in his car, not wanting to disrupt the staff preparing the set but mostly because he didn't want to be a spectacle. The recent scandal had made him overly self-conscious.

 

It still amazed Jong Kook that people's reaction to the simple picture would be so over-the-top. It amazed him more that he felt so affected by it; apparently after a few years of being considerably scandal-free he wasn't able to quickly adapt to live under people's intense scrutiny. 

 

There had been talks behind his back wherever he went - finger pointing and insults. It pained him that the blame was mostly directed at Ji Hyo instead of himself. The name-callings were harsh; so rude they were that Jong Kook could no longer force himself to read. He even had to ask Gap Jin to stop bringing him magazines and Internet articles about them. 

 

Oftentimes Jong Kook was tempted to turn around and get the facts straight when he heard some strangers talk behind him but he told himself that it would do more damage than good; it would be like adding fuel to a blazing fire.

 

He had had no other contacts with Ji Hyo after the one-sided call and he was dying to know how she was. It wasn't that he avoided her, honest, but Jong Kook wanted to protect the woman from further scandal. He wanted to set things right for Ji Hyo because she was his friend and he truly cared for her.

 

 He knew he should have known better than to go out with a woman who had just broken up with her boyfriend but he couldn't deny the still small voice inside him, saying that suppose he had been able to turn back time he would have done the same thing.

 

Leaning against the car seat, Jong Kook let his mind wander to the moment he learned about the news.

 

....

 

Gap Jin barged into his room in long strides with a bunch of paper in his hand; he looked like he had just seen a ghost.

 

"What have you done?" the older man barked at him without preamble. 

 

"What?" Jong Kook asked in a startled tone, propping himself on the elbow. He had been fast asleep and was now having a massive headache after being woken up so suddenly.

 

"Read that!" the manager commanded as he shoved the paper into Jong Kook's hand, pointing at it. He was fuming with anger, impantiently waiting until Jong Kook had read the whole thing. Gap Jin watched the younger man turned pale as he read on. "What have you done, Kim Jong Kook?!"

 

"No, Hyung, listen out! This is a mistake! Me and Ji Hyo - there is nothing between us!" Jong Kook said, panicked. 

 

"You went to see her yesterday." It was a statement. Jong Kook nodded; it was useless to deny - there was a hard copy proof right in front of them. Gap Jin groaned. "Why? It's not like Ilsan is in the neighbourhood, Jong Kook-ah! You have no excuse to be there and be seen in such a friendly way with someone's girlfriend!"

 

"EX-girlfriend!" Jong Kook corrected the Hyung, putting the emphasis on the 'ex' part. Somehow it mattered to him to stress on that particular fact. 

 

"Girlfriend, ex-girlfriend; it's just semantics - do you think media will care about the difference? What they would expose is the fact that you drove all the way from Anyang to Ilsan when there was nothing to suggest you were having any professional business there," Gap Jin nearly exploded at his charge's cluelessness. "What they would expose is the fact that you were seen together with Song Ji Hyo-ssi! That is what the are focusing on! Nobody would care about her relationship status!"

 

The younger man gaped, wanting to defend himself but Gap Jin kept speaking, "Whatever were you thinking, Jong Kook-ah? Or did you even stop to think at all?"

 

Jong Kook had had enough with the blaming; Gap Jin wasn't listening at all. He jumped out of bed, standing so close to Gap Jin that their faces were mere inches for each other. "Stop it, Hyung! Insulting my intelligence wouldn't get you anywhere," he growled. "Yes, I did go to see Ji Hyo but it doesn't mean anything!"

 

"On what capacity?"

 

"On the capacity that she is a friend in need of comfort. She just broke up with her boyfriend and I assume she needed a friend. You said you always do the same thing for your sister," he retorted. "I have no other intention than being a good friend. I know it; she knows it!"

 

Gap Jin smacked his fist to his thigh, frustrated. "What about other people? Do they know your intention?" he asked, "Didn't it occur to you that people will talk? Kim Jong Kook - you and Ji Hyo-ssi are celebrities; your lives are not your own! People see you; they talk!"

 

Jong Kook couldn't counter that; he knew that Gap Jin was right. He averted his gaze, looking out the window. 

 

"You said you were just trying to be a good friend, Jong Kook-ah? But I think you forget that life is not some television drama. There are rules to be followed - there are limitations between women and men that we shouldn't cross. Think about it, Jong Kook; you're not doing anybody a favour. This scandal will hurt you, yes, but you have to remember you're not going to be the only one who is hurt. You're just a collateral damage; the one who will suffer the most is Ji Hyo-ssi."

 

....

 

Jong Kook buried his head in his hands, suddenly feeling so tired. He was still in the same position when Gary opened his car. He lifted his head to see Gary looking at him worriedly. 

 

"Ah, Gary-ah, did you just come in?" Jong Kook asked. His eyes wandered around, noticing Ji Suk Jin and Haha talking with one of the PDs but he didn't see anyone else. 

 

Kang Gary might not be the sharpest tool in the shed but he was sharp enough to see that it was Ji Hyo whom the older man was looking for. "She's not here yet," he told the Hyung knowingly. 

 

"Oh," was the only reply. 

 

"Hyung," Gary began hesitatingly. He had been wanting to ask this since last week but he couldn't bring himself to pose the question without sounding accusing. 

 

"Yeah?"

 

The two men locked gaze for a second; Gary was the first who broke the contact. "Hyung, you and Ji Hyo-.."

 

"There's nothing between us!" Jong Kook cut him off rather harshly. His eyes were trained at Gary, making the young man lower his head in embarrassment. Tension filled the air around them before Jong Kook finally spoke, "I spent time with her the way I spend time with you and Dong Hoon. I think of her as family - so much so that I forget that she is not my real little sister and that something so innocent as going out together for an ice cream treat is a crime."

 

"Hyung, I'm sorry," the rapper mumbled. In a way he understood what Jong Kook meant about treating Ji Hyo as his own sister. She was practically everyone's sister on set, a part of their family. 

 

"I'm tired of having to explain it over and over again! It's not like they're going to listen anyway. It's like I've been talking to a wall!"

 

Gary was quiet. The frustration was apparent in Jong Kook voice and he couldn't help but agree with the Hyung. Netizens and fans could be very unforgiving once they thought that their idols did something wrong. So far every member of Running Man had done a really great job of staying out of the rage - save maybe one time when Ji Hyo's relationship with her CEO went to public, Gary thought. 

 

"She's here," Jong Kook said, interrupting Gary's musing.

 

The younger man cocked his head and saw Ji Hyo's van stopped in a farther area of the set. He threw Jong Kook a fleeting glance to see his reaction when Ji Hyo got off of the car. 

 

Jong Kook's shoulder tensed as the door was slowly opened and Ji Hyo stepped out. He didn't realise that he had been holding his breath until his lungs felt like burning in need of air. 

 

"Let's go," Jong Kook said. He and Gary got out of his car as well and walked to where the others were gathering. 

 

Gary could see how nervous the older man was and somehow he began to feel as nervous as his Hyung. This could be nasty, he thought, please don't let it be nasty.

 

The air was thick with tension and it felt like every pair of eyes on the set was watching from their respective places, not wanting to miss the interaction between Ji Hyo and Jong Kook. Gary swallowed hard; he didn't want to be in Jong Kook's position at the moment. 

 

Before anyone could say anything, Ji Hyo had beaten them to it. She took off the shades she was wearing and offered everyone a smile which didn't quite reach her eyes.

 

"Jong Kook Sunbaenim," she greeted, "Gary Oppa."

 

 

---

A/N: Uh oh, i think this is the longest chapter yet. I'm sorry it seems that I'm dragging this a little too long but I really want to cover as many point of views I can on this. A scandal doesn't just go away; it's either getting worse or a new scandal is taking its place. I do hope you don't lose interest in this (though I understand if you do; no biggie - I wrote this initially for my own entertainment anyway). And, to cut to the chase, let me say thank you for everyone who has read this so far and even subscribing to the rambling that is my story. The next updates may not be as often as now because I'm toying with two directions with the story and I still haven't decided what path I'd love them to take. 

Again, thanks for riding in with me. -*hugs*