You always ask me whether I was okay after I wake up in the morning. It makes me feel bad because I had done a teribble job as your knight in shining armor. I'm sorry.

You always tell me how special I am to you, but I just don't feel as special. I want to be more of what you need, because you are always there for me. Even if you are far away, you have reasons for it and I sometimes don't mind it. You always take me by surprise, making my life greater than any adventures Peter Pan has. If I only have one more night to spend with you, I want to spend it with filling you all my love for you. You are my gem. My gold. My crown. I love you.

3

Italic words describe that they are foreign words and not English.

Bold words describe that the person in charged of the point of view stresses out the words.

Check out the forewords below to see the explanations of the events I put (*) on.

Early Summer, 2010

Song Jihyo’s Point of View

When I found out that the producer of the show, that I had been MCing for*, was coming to eat with us, I had a mini heart attack. Mini, that’s a cute word to describe it, doesn’t it? Such a mini thing to lead me into a big pathway. Anyway, I never really thought about meeting him again. It was such a disgrace for me as an actress and an MC-in-training to have a dreadful performance. To make matter worst, it was a live show. I almost swore I wouldn’t go and try to be an MC again. Almost, but I didn’t. Maybe I was born not to be an MC. To only be an actress was enough for me, but it wasn’t enough for my agency, obviously.

My agency and I were at a steak house, having a monthly meeting. It wasn’t really necessary to have these meeting attended, but my manager kept nagging me about it for two weeks straight. And besides, I should come at least once, it should be okay. Or so I thought until he said that a certain PD decided to show up.

 I stood up immediately to show some respect (or sorry, to be honest) for the producer. After we all sat down, we greeted each other and ordered the food. In only one minute after I arrived (feeling extremely starving), my appetite and desires for food were gone. It was all thanks to the arrival of the PD, I was going to have a romantic date with ramen and all unhealthy food in my apartment tonight. I decided on a soup, then. I swore my manager looked at me in disbelieve when I voiced out my order. He wouldn’t be after seeing lots of ramen packs and beer cans in my apartment tomorrow morning.

After the orders were taken, we all settled into a silent conversation. After a while, though, the PD (yes, of all 10 people there, the one who made the first conversation with me was that producer-nim) decided to say, “Miss Song Jihyo, it’s good to see you, again.”

I looked at him hesitantly and smiled beautifully awkwardly at him. “Of course, it’s good to see you too PD-nim. How’s your show doing? It’s doing great, I supposed?”

“I supposed so... It was certainly better before you showed up,” he said, jokingly. He gave me a chuckle and I returned it with that pretty awkward smile again.

Though he said it as a joke, it made me feel bad. “Ah, PD-nim... I’m so sorry about last time. I’m still learning to be a good MC, and I promised to be a better MC in the future.”

The producer laughed. “Everyone makes mistakes, Jihyo-ah,” he said. “Speaking about my shows... SBS is going to launch a new variety show.  Have you tried to be the MC of one? Variety show is a good stage to learn MCing. Especially variety shows with the Nation MC in them.”

I choked on my own spit. Yes, it’s gross, but our drinks hadn’t made it into our table yet. Many thoughts were running through my mind. Did he just offer me an extremely good opportunity? Did he say a variety show? Did he also say a variety show and national MC? Did he mean an opportunity to be an MC alongside the nation MC, Mr. Yoo Jaesuk? After all I did to the show, why would he offer me such thing? Omo, I just couldn’t think straight.

“I also heard you’ve been a guest in some of the variety shows in the past. Did you like how it is being shot? I'm sure you are familiarized with how is is done now.” the PD asked.

A smile started to form upon my face. It wasn’t that awkward kind, it was the sexy beautiful kind (well, I think it was beautiful, I didn’t know though, it might be slightly awkward. Might). “Ah, yes, PD-nim. I had fun shooting varieties,” I began. “Uhm, when you said the Nation MC, did you mean Yoo Jaesuk-ssi?”

The producer nodded, his face showed satisfaction and confidence. Yes, he got me alright. “Yes, of course! Who else is the Nation MC? We decided to make a variety show with a new concept. I think you would like it. We already have 7 members who are contracted with the show. They are all man, though.”

I believe my eyes were beaming in that moment. I nodded slightly, signaling that I was listening to him and encouraged him to tell me more about it.

But instead of telling me more about it, he asked me, “What do you think of being the sole heroine on the show?”

Mid Summer, 2010

I watched the premier of the show last night. It made me really nervous then; the members played their role so well. To make me even more nervous, they all already had targets on where they would take their characters into. I couldn’t join in the filming last time because I already had a schedule that was made four months before I had agreed to be the sole female member of the show. The producer was hesitating weather to keep me as a member or not, but he said he would try it anyway. I hoped I could come out funny.

I had a quick make-up session inside my car. I wasn’t the person who puts a lot of make-up, but for the sake of taking a good first impression for all the staffs and members, I put on a genuine amount that day.

 There was a different PD knocking on my car’s window, and he asked me if I was ready to film or not. I nodded and hoped off the car. He was with a camera man and he introduced the camera man to me, saying the camera man should be with me at all time when filming was taking place and advised me not to be nervous around him. He also told me the big idea on what we would do that day.

I nodded and told him that I was ready to begin. He clapped his hands together, signaling the camera was rolling from that moment on. When the camera started rolling, I was given a mission card. It was my first mission and I decided to do well.

*Turned out, I didn’t do that well. I was the last person to succeed. Still, the producer told me to put on a smile at that moment as I went into the platform to greet the members (and the guests) who had succeeded on the mission. When I entered the place, I noticed there were a lot of people aligning sideways in front of a lot of filming equipment. I quickly went up the stairs, step by step, slowly (because I had high heels as my choice of shoes that day, ha-ha).

“Jihyo-ah!” the Nation MC greeted me enthusiastically. We first met when we filmed Family Outing. I was the guess then and he took care of me just right. I had fun filming with him. After we finished filming, I asked him for guidance in being a good MC. I wasn’t thinking of making it too big like he did, but at least I should do better. From then on, I would ask him stuffs regarding the job of being an MC through emails and text messages and he would kindly reply back to teach me things. He was like a private college for me. 

“Annyeonghasseo!” I smiled widely, knowing the cameras were capturing my every movement. Honestly, it wasn’t my first time greeting all of the members. We had a meeting once back in the SBS office. It was regarding to fix the members up. They were all surprised that the PDs decided to add me in at the last second, but they still treated me well.

“Why does Jaesuk hyung acts like he’s close to Jihyo?” the famous Kim Jongkook whispered to HaHa jokingly.

“Jihyo and I are close!” he responded. “Ya, Jihyo-ah!”

I smiled so wide that I think I might need my cheeks to be fixed into its original position. I was very grateful at how warm everyone was. That was not a bad first day. Everyone has its own story of being in the first day of their jobs, right? Well, this was the one that was the most memorable. Because against all odds, I got to meet him again.

Two weeks before.

Kang Gary’s Point of View

I was excited and kind of surprised that some producers came to me to have me sign a contract of being in a variety show. As a fix member. As a co-host. My reaction was, “What do I know about MCing? All I do is writing lyrics, drinking beers, partying... Well, you know, the most productive activities everyone could name.”

I decided to get on a variety show because my mother was concerned at how successful Gill* was with his variety shows*. She wanted me to try some too. At first, I was thinking of denying her request and told her it was difficult for someone like me to be like Gill, being busy with schedules to film episodes after another. But then, I thought about being a good son (I love my mother, okay) and how bad it is to neglect any parent’s requests, I decided to try it out.

Fortunately, at that moment, Yoo Jaesuk hyung was preparing for a new variety show. Gill informed me about it. I was thankful he was close enough to Jaesuk hyung* that he was able to get me many informations about it. When I met Jaesuk hyung, I told him what I had my eyes on, after that, he was excited for me to try out a variety. He also told me that HaHa was also in a consideration to being a co-host alongside the Nation MC. Because HaHa and I were very close, I decided it was really okay to sign the contract.

We have some meetings before filming the first episode. I also got the chance to get along with the other members. I was glad I wasn’t the only one who was trying out variety shows for the first time. The fix members also went out a couple times. Because I was close with HaHa, I spent more time with him, discussing about varieties and about the roles you got to have in varieties. HaHa said to be just the way you are, and he said that I got nothing to worry about.

That kid. All he does is talk.

There’s a catch to this, and I didn’t think it would be such a big deal for me. When we had a meeting for the 9th time that month, just a week before filming the second episode, the PDs decided to bring along the 8th member to the family. It wasn’t that big of a deal for me, until I found out that she’s the sole woman on the show. She was beautiful. And her name was Song Jihyo.

Throughout the meeting, I couldn’t help but stare at her. When I didn’t look (or pretended to, just because I wanted to see her reactions too) I could also feel her eyes on me. I swore to my six successful albums and Gill’s belly that it was really her. It was her! Against all odds, we got to meet again, and we met in our names that we picked for each other. How sweet, I know. I was touched.

I was glad when the meeting was over. We all headed down to the lobby, all ready to go home and rest. HaHa was talking joyfully with Jongkook hyung. Sukjin hyung was just waiting for his car. Kwangsoo and Joongki were asking varieties advices from Jaesuk hyung. And the lone female was standing awkwardly far apart from us all, tweaking her cellphone. I smiled a little, remembering how cute she was at the cafe ten years ago. I wonder whether she still liked Americanos.

“Hyung!” I heard HaHa called me. “Jongkook hyung and I were thinking of buying a late night meal. What do you think of joining us?”

“That sounds fun,” I said. “But, uhm... I’ll catch you up. You guys go ahead. Text me the address of the place, Haha-yah.”

HaHa nodded. “Okay, hyung. Be safe!”

As HaHa turned around and leave, I also turned around and walked towards her. Do you know what it feels like when you’re in a car and it travels so fast that you’re afraid you’ll crash into something but you don’t want to slow down because you need to go fast? Yeah, it felt like that.

My heart was thumping, my mind went dizzy, my breath hitched, my fingers went cold (it was a summer. A summer!), I just couldn’t think straight. Millions of thoughts were racing through my minds. I wonder what should I ask her, how I should greet her. I wonder whether it was really her or if she ever thought about me. Albeit, the one thought that kept on coming was on why she never replied my text messages back.

The last I heard of her was, “You’re too good with words. Take care, Gary-ah. See you soon.” Even though I texted her the next day and three days after that, she never replied to me. I texted her again the next month, but all I see on my inbox was blank. Just like her face the last time we met.

I straighten up my shoulder and curled my hands up into a fist to give myself some confidences. Of all the formal and respectable words, I decided to go with, “Ya! You, Song Jihyo, ya! Where’s my messages that I deserved?” as my first greeting to her in ten years. Stupid, stupid move, ladies and gentlement.

She looked up from her cellphone’s screen, obviously startled. She immediately bowed before me and I couldn’t help but feeling awkward. We never got to bow before. I sent her a nod in reply.

“Ah... Yeah, G-Gary-ah,” she hesitated. Ah, I was about to cry and run all the way home at that moment. I felt extremely stupid. It wasn’t the best idea, I guess. “You look different, you’re a man now.”

I chuckled. “I do too expect myself to stay young and beautiful, but the nature has its own way,” I said. “I’m so sorry for the strong introduction.”

She smiled awkwardly. “It’s okay.”

And we met again with silent.

It was so weird to have an awkward silent with her like this because before, all we felt was comfort and honesty. It had been too long ago, and many things had changed, I guess. “Did you—“

“Ah, oppa, I got to go, my manager’s here. Talk to you soon!” she said, cutting me off, as she ran towards the direction of her car. Yes, she was running. I felt like she was avoiding me, to be honest. “Fighting, oppa!”

She called me oppa. She found out about my age. She called me oppa even though we’re here in our stage names. What is happening? I never thought our third meeting would be like this.

After she left, I tried to calm myself down. I was upset. My heart... it was disappointed. I didn’t expect it would go this bad. The good thing was that she remembered who I was, she was even more beautiful than the last time we met, and being in a variety with her was a booster for me.

Oh, also, did I mention that we were on the same team for the first time she shoot the episode?

1. It was true about a live broadcast Jihyo did that turned out to be a disaster. She talked about it in an episode of Strong Heart. She was talking about Inkigayo where she brought the wrong script in hands. I personally thought she handled it well.
2. The scene was made as likely as the true event (Running Man Episode 2), but I didn't know what was really going on behind the scenes hahaha, I wish I did.
3. Gill is Kang Gary's other half. He's a talented singer for Leessang. I decided to spell his name like Gill himself wrote it as. At that time, he was really busy with variety shows. He was a guest for a lot of them. He did a variety show as a co-host called, 'Night Star', he also did a little segment regularly in 'Come To Play'. He was most famous with his role now in the variety, 'Muhan Dujeon' or 'Infinity Challenge'.
4. It was true that Kang Gary's mother was specifically told him to try out varieties.
5. Gill was close with Yoo Jaesuk because they film Infinity Challenge together alongside HaHa.

Hello everyone! Happy Monday to all Mondayshippers around the world! ♥ Hope you all have a great Monday!

I also hope you like how the story is going so far. Thank you for kindly sticking with it. I'll do my best in every chance to write. I'm currently busy so I might not be able to update it so often. I'm so sorry for the incovinience. I hope my language is okay for you to read. I do hope my grammars and pronounciations don't bother you. English is not my mother language after all, and no one is perfect in this world, right?

What did you guys think about the latest episode (Episode 159)? If you haven't watch it, go watch it because it has a precious Monday Couple moment in it. ♥

I was going to have the moment as the main image to this chapter, but I don't want to spoil anyone, so I'm going to put it for the next chapter, which is

NEXT: 4. Seoul, South Korea, 2010 /part2