Kim Jong Kook knew that the woman meant trouble the moment he laid his eyes on her that fateful summer day; he had been smitten by the broad smile on Ji Hyo’s face when she stepped out of the car to join them on a Family Outing episode as a guest. That was the first time he worked with Ji Hyo. The next time he met her was when he came to Running Man – first as a guest and then becoming a permanent member – and he was so delighted to work alongside with her, especially because the woman was one tough cookie.

At first Jong Kook went with the flow, indulging the little crush he had with the younger woman, naively thinking that it would be over soon. He couldn’t be more wrong. Whatever feelings he was having initially grew into something else and it didn’t take Jong Kook long to realise that he had fallen head over heels for Ji Hyo without any chance of getting up any time soon.

It was silly, he knew, because there was no way Ji Hyo would ever return his feelings (not that he was going to ask her out anyway) – she was out of his league with her attractiveness while he was just Kim Jong Kook the health freak. Jong Kook had come to terms with that fact and he was quite contented to be able to admire her from afar. Who needed the complication of a relationship when he could still see her and work with her every week? Running Man filming on Monday was the highlight of his social life now.

Today was a particularly good day for Jong Kook; he had been the first member who arrived on set and therefore was given an advantage over others. When the PD announced this, of course, everyone groaned in protest, saying that Jong Kook was too much of a threat enough even without advantage but the PD pretended not to hear.

They were doing the couple race again today and instead of having himself paired randomly, Jong Kook was given the advantage of choosing his own partner as well as partnering other Running Men. It wasn’t an easy choice, really, for somehow the PD managed to invite the craziest guests for today’s episode – whoever on earth thought it was a good idea to invite Park Ye Jin, Lee Hyo Ri, Shin Bong Sun, Hwa Jeung Eum, and Seon Sae Kyeong in an episode had to be totally demented!

His eyes scanned over the ladies and he blushed in embarrassment, uncomfortable at having to choose one as a partner like they were a piece of meat. Then he glanced at the end of the line, at the far side of the room was Ji Hyo; she was standing silently next to Sae Kyeong, placing herself slightly behind the others. There was a knowing smile on her face, as if thinking that she would always be everyone’s last choice when it came to having this kind of race, and Jong Kook knew what he had to do.

“Ji Hyo,” he said calmly; his heart swelled as he saw her head whipped upwards, looking at him with a surprised expression for being chosen first. Ah, Song Ji Hyo, a woman like you shouldn’t be this amazed to be chosen first, Jong Kook thought sadly, I guess we’ve been treating you like dirt for too long.

“Me?” Ji Hyo exclaimed, pointing at herself for she couldn’t believe her ears. She swept her eyes at everyone and saw that they were as surprised as she was. “Are you crazy?” Her spontaneous response made everyone laughed.

From the corner of his eyes Jong Kook noticed the PD signing him to explain a little and continue with the pairing. He took Ji Hyo’s wrist and shrugged at the others. “She’s fierce – I need her to win this one,” he justified his choice and grinned widely as they all groaned at the realisation that the Commander and the Ace were forming a team.

“Yah! This is unfair – they’ll wipe us out in no time!” Jae Suk started to protest.

“Hyung, did you lose a screw this morning?! Why did you choose her among all those pretties?” Haha chimed in, earning him a loud ‘yah!’ from Ji Hyo followed by a kick.

Gwang Soo walked towards them and showed Jong Kook his back. “Rip it off now; please just do it. I don’t want to spend half my day being bullied by you two,” he pleaded pathetically.

The protest died down immediately when Jo PD sweetly reminded them that if Jong Kook was with Ji Hyo then everyone had the chance to be partnered with the beautiful ladies. It didn’t take long for Jong Kook, with some inputs from Ji Hyo to balance out the competition, to create the pairing. Thinking that Suk Jin would need all the help he could get, Jong Kook decided to pair him with Bong Sun. Gwang Soo, the other half of the Easy Brothers combination, ended up with Hyo Ri (who immediately declared him as her personal slave for today). Gary was paired with Sae Kyeong, Haha – to his delight – was with Jeung Eum, and Jae Suk was with Ye Jin. Jong Kook nodded in satisfaction at the pairs he had just made; this episode would be awesome.

***

It was so cliché that the last part of the day’s shooting was couple hide-and-seek with a mission. As usual, every pair was tied together with a paper bracelet which made their movements quite limited. Jong Kook took it as another advantage that he chose Ji Hyo as his partner – the woman was very well used to the pace of the game and she could catch up with his speed quite easily without him having to slow down. Of course he wasn’t saying that the other ladies had bad stamina, no; it was just a plain truth that Ji Hyo knew what to do and when to do it because she was experienced.

So far they had won two out of three games – the second game was won by a very competitive Jae Suk and Ye Jin combination – and were given the advantage of an early start. If they won this one as well, they would be the MVP (Most Valuable Pair) of today’s episode and would get an additional prize.

Being this close with Ji Hyo was something in rarity because they were almost never in the same team (and when they did, there were other members in the team and their interaction was limited) and Jong Kook decided that he would make the best of it. From the moment their wrists were bound together with the paper bracelet, Jong Kook had intertwined their fingers together with the excuse that it would make them easier to move.

He avoided Jae Suk’s knowing smirk when the national MC saw their joined hands and in a low voice about it before Jong Kook tugged on Ji Hyo’s hand, signalling her to start moving away from the rest of the cast members. The older man knew about Jong Kook’s feelings for Ji Hyo and often about it, all the while telling him to tread carefully – if anything, Jae Suk was very protective of Ji Hyo in the best sense of the way.

“Where shall we look first, Oppa?” Ji Hyo asked when they had walked to quite a distance from the starting point. She had a small map of the area given to them before they entered the location in her free hand.

Glancing over the shoulder, Jong Kook was quite relieved that the next couple had yet to enter the location. He asked Ji Hyo for the map and after a quick scan, suggested that they started from the top before scouting the lower region of the area. “That way we can go back to the checkpoint quickly,” he reasoned.

“True,” Ji Hyo agreed readily. “And if I’m correct, then those other groups will choose to find clues around here first before going up – we will have more time to look upstairs.”

He smiled at the reasonable point. Ji Hyo was nothing but tactful and he was glad she was his partner for today’s race. “We’re going to win this,” he stated confidently. I’m going to win this for you, was what he didn’t say. He led them towards the stone steps that lead to the top of the hill where the main building was located.

Ji Hyo followed him with ease, knowing how to match his long strides with her shorter legs without making too much effort.

“Tell me if I’m walking too fast,” Jong Kook told the woman as they scaled the steps two by two. The last thing he wanted was for her to exert herself too much today – Jong Kook knew of Ji Hyo’s tight schedule and that she had to film the next day when almost everyone else had a day off.

“I’m not old and fragile, Jong Kook Oppa,” she replied playfully.

“Of course not.”

Just as they reached the top of the stairs Jong Kook saw Jae Suk and Ye Jin enter the location. He lowered his upper body immediately and Ji Hyo did the same. It was imperative that they weren’t seen.

“They are so going to team up against us,” Ji Hyo deducted. She was standing very close to Jong Kook and basically spoke next to his ears when he suddenly turned his head, startling her as their faces were mere inches from each other.

Jong Kook didn’t realise how close Ji Hyo was to him and was quite surprised to see her right behind him, their noses almost touched. He staggered backward a step and apologised for turning his head, hoping that Ji Hyo wouldn’t notice the beating of his heart that suddenly quickened.

The younger woman blushed as Jong Kook’s breath caress her skin when he exhaled in surprise; she couldn’t help but chuckle because the next moment he took a step back with wide eyes. “Did I scare you, Oppa?” she asked. Jong Kook’s reply came out quite breathlessly and Ji Hyo raised her eyebrows, noticing it.

They decided to start looking and not thinking about the alliance that would undoubtedly be formed soon. As they entered the high-ceilinged building, they made an assumption of who was going to team up with whom and who would betray whom first.

“I bet you a week’s worth of lunch it’s going to be Haha,” Jong Kook said. They were scanning the rooms as they conversed instead of looking at each other, keeping a lookout for the clues.

“I’ll say Gwang Soo – that man would do anything to win,” she quipped. She looked up at the high ceiling in hope to find something. “What are we looking for, again?”

“Don’t know,” said Jong Kook, “Must be something small and annoying as usual. There will be fake ones, I assume.”

“Either fake ones or smartly concealed one.”

The tone in which Ji Hyo said it was smug that Jong Kook knew in an instant that she had found something. The man looked at Ji Hyo first then followed her line of sight. She was right; the clues were hidden very smartly that even he didn’t see it in a first glance. He had to squint before he saw a small card, having a similar colour to the wall – only a shade lighter, stuck just behind a painting.

“How did you even see it?” he asked in wonder, shaking his head as he reached up for the clues. “You are truly something else, woman.” He handed it to her, holding it with one hand to help Ji Hyo unfold the card – again, their heads were very close to each other.

Before they could read what was written, though, Jong Kook’s uncanny hearing picked up the sounds of footsteps. He put a finger on his lips and motioned at Ji Hyo that someone was there. “Jae Suk Hyung,” he mouthed silently, “Gwang Soo, too.”

Ji Hyo nodded in understanding; her eyes swept the room once again to find a place to hide as they walked farther into the house. It wouldn’t do to confront other couples in the small confines of the halls when they were bound together like that – the chances of the bracelet ripping off were greater than if they confronted one another in an open field where they had enough room to move about.

“There,” Jong Kook whispered, pointing at what seemed to be a small closet with a latch on the inside on Ji Hyo’s left. They tiptoed there and inspected the closet. It was quite small but it would fit the two of them, Jong Kook reckoned. He was about to enter when he realised that the VJs couldn’t get inside with them.

He looked at the two men holding the camera in dismay. Then, doing what his Jae Suk Hyung always did, Jong Kook motioned at his personal VJ to hand him the camera and told them to hide in another closet next to theirs. Jong Kook then gestured at Ji Hyo to let her enter first.

She took the camera from him and her eyes widened a little because it was a bit heavier than she originally thought. Jong Kook grinned amusedly at her and took the thing back, mouthing ‘weak’ at the woman and winking when Ji Hyo stuck her tongue at him.

The closet smelt damp and mouldy and it barely contained the two of them when the door was closed. Ji Hyo’s front was flushed against Jong Kook’s as he tried to position the camera so as not to bump against them; they were pressed even closer against each other when Ji Hyo circled her arm around him, trying to fasten the latch of the door.

Jong Kook’s breath hitched as he felt Ji Hyo’s front brushed against him every time she moved. It was dark and he couldn’t move to turn on the light of the camera so it was rather pointless to bring it with them, he realised.

Their breath mingled with each other in the enclosed space and Ji Hyo kept on shifting her weight from one foot to the other, each move of her body created a sensation on Jong Kook that he had to bite his tongue to suppress a groan. He closed his eyes and counted into ten to control his reaction. This was a bad idea, he berated himself.

“Is it safe to go out yet?” Ji Hyo whispered when a few minutes past with no signs of anyone passing by. “Do you hear anything?”

Jong Kook swallowed hard, thinking about how Ji Hyo could be so calm about the fact that they had been standing inside a small closet without any space between them. The race and the possibility of someone finding them was the last thing on his mind since he was too busy trying not to think about the delicious feeling of having her form pressed against him. He had been unable to think because Ji Hyo’s scent overwhelmed all his senses. I wish you would stop moving about so much, he groaned inwardly when, once again, Ji Hyo reached around him with one arm – this time wanting to unfasten the latch.

“Uh-oh.”

“What? What’s wrong?” Jong Kook whispered, not liking the implication of Ji Hyo’s word at all.

“Oppa,” she began, “Jong Kook Oppa, I think we’re stuck.”

“What do you mean we’re stuck?” he spoke in urgency.

“The latch – I can’t pull it free,” she explained desperately. “Can it be opened from the outside?”

Jong Kook nodded. “I think so,” he said. Then, raising his voice in hope that their VJ could hear them, he called out to them for help. The answer he got from the other closet made him growl in frustration – Ji Hyo’s VJ had apparently pulled too hard and broke their latch handle so they were stuck as well.

“Oh for the love of–..” Ji Hyo groaned, not quite finishing her sentence. It was a really bad idea hiding inside this closet and she cursed herself for not checking if the lock could work properly. Her legs were tired for not being able to move and she could feel her arm that was bound with Jong Kook start to fall asleep, creating the pin and needles sensation. Jong Kook’s body was warm and firm against her and she felt her imagination run wild.

“We need to call for help,” Jong Kook said loudly to both Ji Hyo and their VJs. “Do you guys bring your CBs?”

“I do, Jong Kook Hyung,” said his VJ quite regretfully, “I just dropped it to the floor when getting it out of my pocket.” The two celebrities groaned in unison. “Sorry.”

“I have my phone,” Jong Kook said – this time with a softer voice. “But I can’t get it out with my hand holding the camera.” He couldn’t voice his thought, couldn’t bring himself to ask Ji Hyo to fish it from his pocket – that would be scandalous!

Ji Hyo’s could feel heat creep into her cheeks at the unvoiced suggestion. “I can...” she croaked in embarrassment. “We need to call for help,” she said.

“I know.”

“In which pocket did you put it?” she asked in a whisper, not wanting the VJs to hear them for it would create a gossip.

“Left one,” Jong Kook replied with a catch in his voice. His heartbeat started to pick up again as he realised what Ji Hyo was thinking of doing. “Ji Hyo, I don’t think you should...” he didn’t finish – or rather, couldn’t finish – his sentence for Ji Hyo’s hand brushed against his thigh, trying to find his pocket. “Ji Hyo, please don’t.”

Ji Hyo was equally frustrated and embarrassed at what she was doing at the moment. But she was a practical girl and she knew that they needed to get help or they would be stuck inside the closet until the filming was finished – nobody would know that they were in trouble; the others would think that they were very stealthy as not to be seen by others.

She bit the inside of her cheek as she felt for the pocket Jong Kook was talking about; the feel of the taut muscles underneath Jong Kook’s jeans created funny feelings in her lower belly and she squirmed uncomfortably. When she finally found the hem of Jong Kook’s pocket, Ji Hyo cursed under her breath at how tight his jeans were that it was almost impossible for her to slip her hand inside it. His jeans should be made illegal, for heaven’s sake! Ji Hyo thought.

By now, Jong Kook could no longer think straight. He tightened his grip on the camera and balled his other hand into a fist, trying his best to control his breathing as Ji Hyo’s small hand began to slip into his pocket, wiggling it inside little by little. Never in his life had Jong Kook wished that he wore loose-fitting jeans. The more she moved, the impossibly closer their bodies were pressed against each other until Ji Hyo’s head was pressed against his collar bone.

“Ji Hyo, I think you should stop.” His voice was thick with desire as he spoke.

The woman could feel the wild beating of Jong Kook’s heart even through the layers of their clothes and she could feel something else on the lower region of their bodies that made her pull her hand out of the crazily tight pocket in a flash. “Sorry, Oppa. I’m really sorry,” she whispered, burying her face in Jong Kook’s shoulder in mortification. She could feel, rather than see, Jong Kook shaking his head above her.

They stood in silent for a few minutes, both engrossed in their own thoughts, listening to their VJs talking from the other closet about the best solution to their problem.

“My legs are tired,” Ji Hyo complained, breaking the silence. She heard Jong Kook exhaled audibly and she knew that he was relieved on the change of the topic. He shifted a little to give her more room to move but it was not possible, more so because of the camera.

“You can lean on me more,” Jong Kook suggested. “Take your weight off your feet for a second or two – it helps.”

Ji Hyo shook her head. “I don’t want to crush you,” she said. “I’m heavy.”

“Oh please, I could lift you up with only one hand, Song Ji Hyo-ssi,” he scoffed. “Don’t underestimate my strength.”

“Ah, baloney!” she replied in humour, “Boasting isn’t good virtue, Kim Jong Kook-ssi.” His chest vibrated a little when he let out a laugh at her response and Ji Hyo found herself laughing along with him, snaking an arm around the muscular man to lean more fully on him.

“This reminds me of Family Outing,” Jong Kook swerved their conversation.

“Oh, right! Wasn’t it you who had to hide inside that small stove?” she asked, easily picking up the conversation. “I was a horrible ghost then.”

Jong Kook lowered his head, putting his chin on top of Ji Hyo’s head and spoke quite softly, “I think you were a very cute ghost then.” She heard the woman snorted and felt the need to say something about it. “I am not joking – you were very cute as a ghost.”

“Wow, what a way to compliment a woman, Oppa!” she said sarcastically but without anger in her voice. “Remember my Hot Issue dance?”

He chuckled – how could he not? That awkward little dance was ingrained in his mind ever since, making him like her even more. “That was a highlight that you should include in your portfolio,” he suggested.

“My Omma said my Appa blamed himself for not sending me to ballet school when I was younger after he saw that episode,” Ji Hyo admitted. “That was downright embarrassing.”

“That was a little awkward, yes, but it was adorable,” he said earnestly. He wanted to bring up the time she played a prank on him – shouting that she loved him – but thought it would embarrass her so he kept silent. He smiled against her hair when it was her who brought it up first.

“Remember when Jae Suk Sunbaenim shouted that I liked you?”

“Yeah, and you did the same afterward, didn’t you?”

“It was fun!” she said defensively.

Jong Kook sighed inside – if only she knew that he wished it had been true. “I haven’t given you the answer yet, have I?” he blurted out before he could stop himself. Ji Hyo’s response was instantaneous – he felt her body stiffened against him before she verbally replied.

“What do you mean?”

The man shrugged a little, feeling Ji Hyo’s head bobbed up and down as he moved since it was still resting fully on his shoulder. “You said you love me then. I haven’t said anything regarding the matter, have I?” She was silent and Jong Kook thought that it was now or never – he knew that he wouldn’t be able to muster the courage to tell her how he felt about her once they were out of the confine of the little closet. The camera and the VJs next door were forgotten.

She felt her stomach did a somersault and her heart skipped a beat when Jong Kook slipped his hand into hers and held it tightly. There was warmth spreading from where their bare skin touched and she thought she died and went to heaven the moment he lowered his head to whisper in her ear, “I think I kind of love you too.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “Why?” she asked with a tremble. “When?”

“From the moment you stepped out of the car – that’s when,” he answered. “And as for why – I don’t really know. I think we don’t need a reason to love someone, do we?” Ji Hyo said nothing at first that Jong Kook dreaded he had stepped out of line. He was about to say something – an apology or something else akin to that – when the woman decided to speak.

“Oppa,” she began shyly, “In dramas, this is the part when you are supposed to kiss me, you know.”

“Oh?” was his initial response, then, “Oh!”

Taking the invitation, Jong Kook slowly lowered his head, intuitively finding Ji Hyo’s lips even though he couldn’t see anything in the darkness. Their first kiss was brief but was electrifying; Jong Kook revelled on the softness of Ji Hyo’s lips, humming in appreciation at the sweet taste that was the woman’s lip gloss mingled with her own.

“You taste divine,” he whispered against her lips, creating small puffs of breath that caressed the woman’s skin. “I wish I could see you now, the ever so beautiful Song Ji Hyo.”

Ji Hyo smiled and captured Jong Kook’s lips in another brief kiss, albeit a bit more heated. “Do you realise how cheesy you were just now?”

“I’m in love – I have the right to be cheesy,” he replied nonchalantly.

It was then when their VJs decided to make a noise from the next door closet. Jong Kook and Ji Hyo froze – they had completely forgotten that they weren’t completely alone, that the camera in Jong Kook’s hand was still recording even though it was only their voices that were recorded.

“Err... Jong Kook Hyung,” said his VJ teasingly, “You do know that we can hear everything, don’t you?”

Jong Kook felt Ji Hyo pressed her head against him, self-conscious about being caught red handed making out. “Yeah, so?” he queried challengingly, knowing that it was futile to try to hide anything.

“Yeah, so we’d like to say congratulations,” the VJ called back from the other closet.

“And you owe us a treat,” added Ji Hyo’s VJ.

The muscular man chuckled, opting to ignore the two men. He kissed the top of Ji Hyo’s head and heard her sigh contentedly, snuggling into his arms.

“I’d give anything to hug you right now,” he admitted.

“We heard that too,” taunted the VJs in unison.

Ji Hyo rolled her eyes. “I’d give anything for privacy right now.”

He laughed at her wish; once again lowering his head for another taste of heaven that were Ji Hyo’s lips. It was only their third kiss and he was already addicted to kissing the younger woman. They kept exchanging brief and light kisses, vaguely aware of the noises outside the closet when finally people found them. He couldn’t stop himself from giving a last peck on Ji Hyo’s lips before stepping out of the closet, earning them a round of genuine applause and cheers.

Jong Kook grinned, tightening his hold on Ji Hyo’s hand – their bracelet was still intact – as he led her to the rest of the team member. He had been right; today was a particularly good day.