Ji Hyo stirred from her sleep. With her eyes still closed, she took a deep breath and she caught his scent. She gently turned her body and she felt herself in his arms. She smiled blissfully to be waking up next to him – the man of her life. She slowly opened her eyes and was greeted by the brightness of the sunlight. “Oh, I’ve missed the sunrise,” she uttered disappointedly.

He watched her face attentively, totally mesmerised by her gentleness as she took her time to wake up. He caught her blissful smile and it warmed his heart. “I thought you’d have missed me instead.” He blew the words close to her ears and he could feel her breathing quickened. He smiled at her charmingly. He leaned in for a kiss, while he ran his hand down the length of her body and felt her quivering against his touch. He was about to make love to her again when they heard some noise in the yard.

She bashfully moved herself away from him. “I think I should help Granny make breakfast,” she said quickly while getting up.

“Then, I’m coming along,” he offered with a rakish smile.

“No, it’s all right. I think you would love a run along the coastline with the morning breeze,” she said sweetly to him.

“If you said so.” He couldn’t have been more pleased with her suggestion.

She walked him to the gate, handed him his windbreaker and gave him a peck on the cheek to see him off before going to the main living building. She noticed that the empty jars were properly stacked and covered in the yard. The broken stool was also gone.

“Good morning, Granny!” She greeted the old lady chirpily. The old lady was in the kitchen.

“Good morning, Ji …”

“Ji Hyo”

“Yes, it’s Ji Hyo.”

“Please let me help you.” Ji Hyo offered to take over the cooking from her and assisted the old lady to her seat on a stool. She found the stool familiar. “Is this stool safe to sit? Wasn’t it broken yesterday?” she asked with concern.

“Yes, but Hee Gun had fixed it for me,” she said with fondness. “I’m fortunate that Hee Gun often come over to help around the house otherwise I would be in trouble.” She continued to tell Ji Hyo proudly what else Gary had fixed in the old house and that included the roof. Ji Hyo was impressed that Gary was such a handy man and she guessed that he must be the one who stacked the huge and heavy earthen jars in the yard as well.

“Thanks for last night’s dinner. Your cooking is great.” Ji Hyo tried to make small talk while cooking.

“Oh. Hee Gun had cooked yesterday’s dinner, not me. He always cooked for me whenever he visits. In fact he makes the most delicious kimchi.” The old lady urged Ji Hyo to try some of the kimchi on the table. Ji Hyo took a bite and it did taste really good. She gave the old lady a wide smile. She was proud of Gary’s cooking.

“He would always bring me food and other necessities when he comes over,” she spoke with gratefulness. “And, he isn’t even my own grandson,” she remarked.

“Isn’t he your grandson?” Ji Hyo asked in puzzlement.

“No, Hee Gun is my grandson’s school friend. They used to come to stay with me during their school vacations. They love the sea and the beach. They used to go fishing with my old man,” she reminisced. “Hee Gun is a very kind hearted boy. After my son has migrated with his family, including my grandson, to the United States, Hee Gun continues to visit us. And, he has been looking out for me ever since my old man passed away.”

Ji Hyo smiled kindly at the old lady and she continued, “Many years ago, Hee Gun used to come here with a girl. Then, one day he stopped bringing her here. I was hoping that you’re his new girlfriend.” She shook her head a little and said, “But I suppose that big sized boy is your boyfriend. You seem much happier today than yesterday.”

Ji Hyo blushed at the old lady’s remarks. “If only my granddaughter is here, I would love to marry her off to Hee Gun,” the old lady said with a smirk.

“Where is she?” Ji Hyo probed.

“She has migrated to the United States with her brother and family,” the old lady said with a tinge of sadness.

“Do you miss her a lot?” Ji Hyo moved closer to the old lady.

“Yes, I do. I have four sons and many grandsons but I have only one granddaughter. My greatest wish is to see her married. She was married a few years ago but I could not witness her wedding in the United States,” she said plaintively.

Ji Hyo squatted before the old lady and held both her hands giving her some comfort.

“She has big round eyes like yours,” the old lady said as she patted Ji Hyo’s head softly.

The breakfast was ready and Ji Hyo had spread out the food on the table. She chatted casually with the old lady but she kept glancing at her watch. It was unlike Jong Kook to keep people waiting. She was worried. She finally excused herself and went out to look for him.

Along the path from the house to the beach, she saw him limping towards her. She ran towards himself. “What’d happened?” she asked anxiously when she reached him. She grabbed his arm to support him.

“I pulled the muscle of my leg again,” he said as casually as possible to hide the pain from her. He tried to move another step forward. While he made no sound, she saw his face whining in pain. She rapidly placed his arm over her shoulder to give him greater support. But Jong Kook was afraid to lean his weight on her.

“I’m too heavy for you,” he said hastily to her.

“No, you are not. I can’t carry you back but I can still support you,” she said firmly to him. Her words brought warmth and sweetness to his heart. At that moment, he believed she would be the woman who would go through the thick and thin of life with him.

After they had finished their breakfast and cleaned up the place, Jong Kook and Ji Hyo bid farewell to the old lady. Before leaving, Ji Hyo asked the old lady whether she could visit her again and received her blessings.

When they got to Jong Kook’s car, she helped him into the front passenger seat and asked him to wait for her. She ran off to buy some local seafood and asked for them to be packed into ice boxes. She placed the boxes into the car boot and took over the driving. “I’ll send you home,” she stated plainly. They chatted and teased each other on their drive home. They even sang some of Jong Kook’s songs which Ji Hyo kept going out of tune with. Laughter accompanied them home.

Upon their arrival at Jong Kook’s house, Ji Hyo helped him out of the car and assisted him to the main door of house. In front of the main door, Jong Kook was about to give her a goodbye kiss when she said, “Aren’t you going to invite me in?” The gloominess in Jong Kook’s face was immediately lifted with a beam. He embraced her tightly before opening the door and led her in.

Jong Kook’s mother welcomed Ji Hyo warmly, putting her into ease quickly. And, after Ji Hyo had brought in the boxes of seafood, she quickly took them into the kitchen and encouraged Ji Hyo to help Jong Kook into his room to rest.

When she entered his room, she was taken aback by the tidiness and neatness of the place. The room was masculine. The walls were of cream colour. The furniture was all made of oak. His mattress cover, pillow cases and quilt were all white in colour. Apart from the table lamps, the top of writing desk and bedside tables were clear. She wondered how he had put up with the mess and randomness in her place. She mentally took it down to tidy up her place after this. After she helped him to his bed, she began to massage his injured leg for him. He watched her with contentment and adoration. He had loved her but he didn’t know that he could love her even more. He reached for her hand and uttered the words, “Thank you, my love.” And, he meant every word he said.

Ji Hyo had helped to cook dinner with Jong Kook’s mother and they made small talk with each other. His father joined them for dinner and he was kind to Ji Hyo too. Jong Kook placed his hand on her lap from time to time during the dinner to ease her nervousness and to reassure her that he was with her in this. Ji Hyo managed to finish the dinner with ease.

After dinner, Ji Hyo washed the dishes with Jong Kook’s mother. His mother said warmly to her, “I’m glad that you have come into Jong Kook’s life. I was always worried for him when he took on those back straining missions in Running Man. I’m grateful for your sacrifice to make him realises that he needs to take care of himself.” Ji Hyo smiled shyly and shook her head humbly.

“Jong Kook is not getting young. I really hope that he could settle down and have his own family soon,” his mother added. Upon hearing her words, Ji Hyo’s heart felt heavy. This was the main reason why she didn’t want to visit his family earlier. She was not ready to settle down with him. She may never be ready to start a family with him. Nonetheless, she masked her uneasiness and sadness with a smile on her face.

While every Running Man cast member was happy that the news was out, they were worried for Ji Hyo. And, they were right to worry for her.

The moment she stepped out from her filming set, she was surrounded by the reporters. She tried to treat them courteously but they crowded around her and kept pushing her to give her comments. She could not answer their simultaneous questions. She kept moving backwards until she lost her step. As she was about to fall backwards, a pair of strong arms broke her fall. When she regained her balance, one arm was still holding her waist. She glanced at the person who helped her and was shocked to see Jong Kook. She almost wanted to yell at him to go away. She didn’t want him to be caught in the mess with her. Instead, she heard him addressed the reporters steadily, “Hey, dear friends. I’m certain that Song Ji Hyo - ssi will address your questions. Why don’t we do it in a more orderly manner?” Almost instantly, the crowd quietened down. He then gestured to one of the reporters in the third row and said, “This reporter friend over there. Shall we start with your question first?” As the other reporters turned to look at the selected reporter, the reporters in the front also subconsciously moved backwards. Jong Kook subtly moved Ji Hyo and himself slightly away putting a greater gap between them and the reporters. With one hand on her waist and the other on her hand, he smiled encouragingly at her and she returned with a nervous one.

“Are you dating Kim Jong Kook – ssi?” the reporter asked without cutting them any slack.

She looked at Jong Kook and he nodded at her supportively. “Yes, we’re dating,” she replied honestly. He tightened his grip over her hand.

“When did you start dating?” another reporter followed up with the questioning.

“Only three months ago,” she replied more confidently this time.

“Was it before or after you have broken off with your previous boyfriend?”

“We have broken up for as long as he had clarified,”she replied indirectly to avoid any contradiction so as not to offend her CEO.

“Is Kim Jong Kook – ssi a third party in your previous relationship?

Her heart skipped a beat with the question. “Let’s just say that I like him for a long time.”

“So did you like Kim Jong Kook – ssi while you were still in your previous relationship?”

Before she could take the question, Jong Kook replied amiably, “Let’s just say we didn’t know our feelings for each other until after she broke up with her previous boyfriend.” She looked at him gratefully for his answer.

“Kim Jong Kook – ssi, have you given up on Yoon Eun Hye – ssi or has she given up on you?” one reporter asked cheekily.

She was nervous for him. She could feel him squeezed her hand and she wrapped her other hand over his. It was her turn to give him a supportive nod.

“Yoon Eun Hye – ssi has always been a good friend of mine. I’m glad that our love-line is still receiving so much attention from you. But that’s a love-line, this is love.” He drew Ji Hyo very close to him and planted a long loving kiss on her forehead. She was dumbfounded. A chorus of “aww” and “wow” was heard from the crowd.

“Thank you for giving us your time and attention. Ji Hyo – ssi is very tired. Please excuse us.” He put his arm around Ji Hyo and escorted her to his car. He used his body to shield her from the camera flashes and the pushing. After they got into his car, he took the lead and they waved goodbye to the reporters as they drove off. Ji Hyo was awestruck by how smoothly Jong Kook had handled the reporters. She was smitten with how gallantly he had saved her from the predatory media.  Most of all, she was extremely grateful that he had stood by her.

Not too far away, another man in another car was watching the scene. Gary had arrived earlier than Jong Kook but he decided not to interfere when he saw Jong Kook. There were moments which he wanted to get out of his car to protect Ji Hyo especially when the reporters were pushing too close to her. However, he knew that the place of her bodyguard was no longer his but Jong Kook’s. 

 

 

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dear readers, thanks again for reading and your comments. (22.08.2013)